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Decline in Home Building...

Posted by admin in Home Building on August 15, 2009 | No Comments

The financial crisis is affecting everyone. People are losing their jobs and some have to foreclose their homes. As a result, there is a decline in home building making some doubt that now is now the right time to build a home.

But what if there was no financial crisis? What if you can borrow money from the bank? What if you have the cash on hand? If there were no problems, then yes why not build your dream home.

To help you along, this is what you have to do.

First, get in touch with the local builders that have constructed houses similar to the size, quality and features that you want. By talking to them, you get a straight answer as to how much it is going to cost for the entire project plus what materials they will use.

Since its been months or even a few years that these homes were built, you have to expect that it is going to cost more now to construct something similar. The rooms which will be the most expensive to make will be the bathroom and kitchen. The number of windows and their size is another factor as well as the vaulted ceilings and high roof pitches.

You will also have to include inflation because building a home increase from 3% to 6% annually. With this information, only look at homes that were built within the last 6 months.

Don’t forget to put a 10% additional allowance to your budget when you make your estimate because plans change and in most cases, you and you contract will encounter unforeseen circumstances. Naturally you have to deal with the situation otherwise there will be delays when everything will be finished.

Believe it not, the cost per square foot is higher for a small home than a big one. Why? Because the cost of items is spread over and a two story home if that is what you want has a smaller roof and foundation. The same goes for plumbing and ventilation.

Another thing that could reduce cost is the shape of the home. Houses that are shaped like a rectangle, square or dome shaped are more affordable to build since there are not that many angles or corners which increases the amount of labor and the materials that will be needed.

It will be much easier to select the final blueprints, which is the basis of the project once you have estimated the construction expenses.

As much as possible, work with even numbers because this reduces wasted materials. The ideal home to make should be not less than 32 feet deep otherwise your roof trusses will have to be custom made which will cost more.

If you had this property for a long time, then chances are the neighborhood around you is already well developed. You don’t have to haul a lot of dirt, do grading, clear trees or blast through large rocks if your property happens to be somewhat secluded.

No one in his right mind will construct a house when there is a decline in home building due to the financial crisis. You just have to keep these tips in mind when the economy does improve so you will already have an idea how much money you need to build it.

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Building With Windows In Mind...

Posted by admin in Window Treatment on August 12, 2009 | No Comments

There is a lot to think about when designing a home, as many people simply overlook window treatments. In this article, I’m hoping to help you avoid the common pitfalls involved and help you save some money.

When using decorative casing such as shutters and 2 inch plantation size wooden blinds, you should always make sure that you have at least 2 1/2″. When you have a double or triple window encased within one window opening, you may want to use a vertical trim strips between each window. Make sure that you include this when measuring the depth. Even though it is less common decorating sliding doors, make sure that you include the handle when you measure, as the usual depth for this is 4 inches.

There are several different styles of window treatments, such as circular, arced, eyebrow arched, or even angles. All of them are beautiful and appealing, although very restricted when it comes to choices, especially when you are working with eyebrow and 1/4 arches.

When you are dealing with French doors there are a few things to keep in mind. The doors will normally swing open into the home, which could cause problems with the valance you use. Consider using a valance mounted to the door or allowing the doors to swing outward. When you are considering shades, blinds, or shuters, don’t forget to consider the handles and locks.

Make sure that when you are considering window treatments that you remember window placement as well. There are many restrictions when you have chair rails or base boards going around the opening of the window. There could also be a problem with the placement of the drapery as well.

The drapery may not stack back sufficiently or the outside edge may not extend to the outside of the window. Things can go much easier if you have the same amount of space on each side of the window, so you should try to center the window whenever you can.

When you place the window, make sure that you leave enough space between the top of the window and the ceiling. There should be at least 2 inches for bracket placement. When installing a wood header, make sure that it extends to the ceiling and that the heavier treatments are mounted in the wood. If you aren’t using wood headers but instead mounting into sheetrock you should use molly or toggle bolts for the best possible protection.

There are other things you need to consider when it comes to windows. First, you’ll need to make sure that all windows are accessible even those in an unfinished attic. This will help make things easier for future decorating or expansion of the room. Also, make sure that the windows in the room are the same style.

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Your workshop-garage heater...

Posted by admin in Garage Remodeling on August 9, 2009 | No Comments

Why do you need a heater for your remodeled garage? The answer for this question is pretty obvious: one of the major disadvantages of using your garage as a workshop or a home office is that it wasn’t meant for that. The garage is the special place reserved for your car, the garage is the room where you keep your lawn and garden accessories.

If you start using this space for other projects that you have, you need to deal with one of the major inconveniences, that is warmth. During the summer you don’t have to worry too much about this but during cold seasons you might find some difficulties in continuing your project because of the very low temperature.

You can find many ways to warm up your workshop- garage. You can try one of the porcelain heaters; they work great and can warm up a good area but they are not meant to warm a large space for a long time.

Another solution for you would be to use a kerosene heater. These heaters are easy to turn on, most of them have an electric starter. It should have a thermostat to be able to regulate the temperature also they have a specific scent, they do function on kerosene! So if you think you cannot handle this smell, a kerosene heater wouldn’t be a good choice for you. They are quite dangerous for your children, if they have access to the garage and you would definitely want to ventilate very well the garage!

A very good and popular choice nowadays is a gas heater. Of course you have to hire a professional to install it. You can find a gas heater suited to your budget for remodeling the garage. There are many models and almost all of them are fairly inexpensive. The main advantage of a gas heater is that it gives you a consistently warm environment. They are available in both manual and thermostatic control types. You would probably prefer a model that has a thermostat, even though its price is a little higher than the price of a manual temperature control model. The only thing that you have to do is to set it on a desired temperature and leave it to do its job.

There are two types of gas heaters: vented and vent less. The vent less unit uses air from the room and the vented model has a system that vents directly out of the garage. The disadvantage of the vent less model is that you have to keep the room vented at all times because the unit uses the air from the room where it has been installed. The main advantage for the both types of gas heaters is that they have a pretty low running cost compared to the kerosene and electric heaters.

Remember that if you choose to install a more advanced heating system like a gas heater, you must ask for a professional’s help.

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Organized garage...

Posted by admin in Garage Remodeling on August 4, 2009 | No Comments

The garage is that one place where we all seem to love to be disorganized, however the sooner you get organized, the sooner you can make better use of that space. Organizing your garage  can be a tiresome task for many homeowners. When you think about organizing your garage you should keep in mind that this activity means to find a designated place for everything while keeping your goods available for everyday use. The following five steps compromise a simple system for garage organization.

Sort your garage items.
First of all sort and categorize all the items in your garage, for this you should empty your garage and start sorting everything into categories. Separate the tools from sporting equipment, electric tools, etc. You will realize how much stuff you have and only then you will be able to determine the best ways to organize and store everything.  Misplaced items in your garage should be returned to their proper place. Also you should sort the things that should be in the garage from the things that should actually be in the basement, attic or better, sold at a garage sale. Remember to recycle everything that you decide to throw away.

Separate seasonal items and equipment.
A special rack should be installed to hang lawn maintenance tools and to keep them accessible yet out of the way. If it is
near winter place snow related tools like snow blowers, ice scrapers, snow shovels and also skis, snowboards and sleds
grouped together. Also the items for warm seasons should be  stored in a special cabinet. Near the beginning of every season you should plan this activity and rotate the cold and warm items places in the cabinet. For the other sporting equipment, shelves and drawers should be designed.

Additional shelving and cabinets.
While organizing you should consider adding additional garage storage space to help you maintain the organization.
Shelves and cabinets should be mounted on the walls. The basic principle is to store the items that you use on a regular
basis in a way that makes them accessible every time you need them.

Create efficient working area.
Installing a bench or a table would be a good choice if you use your garage as a workshop. A sturdy tool chest and a pegboard are great in storing your tools and keeping them easily accessible.

Relocate trash and recycling bins nearby the garage.
To easily dispose unwanted items from your garage a good idea is to relocate the trash and recycling bins near to your
garage entrance.  This way you won’t be tempted to keep certain items because the trash bins are too far away.

Now would be the time to hire a handyman to have cabinets, closets and shelves built right into your garage. Invest in some good storage units as described before and start organizing, sorting and storing.

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Using Rain Barrels to Survive Droughts...

Posted by admin in Landscaping on July 26, 2009 | No Comments

If you’re a gardener that has an unlimited supply of water, consider yourself lucky. There are many of us who live in drought zones where the garden and lawn watering rules are very constrictive to the healthy growth of gardens and plants. Many people just give up when they find out how few gallons of water they are permitted to use, but some of us  have just found ways to cope with less water. There are many ways to optimize ones garden to conserve water while still keeping it lush.

Some of the ways include drip irrigation (the use of a pipe or hose with small holes to gradually seep into the roots of the plant), the placement of plants in groups of equal watering needs (to prevent wasting water on plants that don’t need it), and using compost or mulch to insulate the water and prevent drainage.

But one of the best ways to keep your garden alive during a drought is to take preventative measures. Occasionally a drought will be predicted far in advanced, or those already experiencing a drought will be given a few weeks of heavy rain. When this occurs, you should take the opportunity to set up several rain barrels. Many people think this would be a time consuming, silly thing to do. But it can save you many gallons of water, and hardly requires any work.

Finding the barrels will probably be the hardest part. You can use your own garbage cans, or head to your home  improvement store to get a few 55 gallon plastic drums. These can be expensive and difficult to transport, so keep that in mind before you go to the store. You will probably want to cover the top of the barrel with a screen of some sort to  filter out any unwanted leaves or debris that might fall off the roof of your house.

Once you have your barrels ready, you’re faced with the decision of where to place them. Usually during rainfall, there is one corner or segment of the house that rain tends to pour off of. If you are taking the simple approach to barrel placement, just place the barrel under all the places where you see large amounts of drips. However, while this might be the easiest way to place them, you won’t see very high volumes of rain in the barrels.

If you want to take a more complicated approach to placing the barrels, you should consider tweaking your gutter system a bit. If you remove each individual segment and place it at a very slight slant so that all the water is diverted to the nearest corner of the house, you can place a rain barrel at each corner. So essentially your entire house acts as a catcher for the rain, instead of just a few feet worth of shingles. This is how to maximize the amount of water your rain barrel will catch.

After a heavy rainfall, each individual barrel probably won’t see very much rain. If it looks like it won’t be raining more  any time soon, it’s a good idea to empty each barrel into one main central barrel. Seal it and save it out of the way, for whenever you may need it. Then the next time it starts to rain, you’ll be able to quickly put all your catching barrels into place without having to lug around all the water you’ve accumulated so far.

The use of water barrels might sound like an antiquated idea. However, when you’re in the midst of a drought and  you’re able to spare that extra couple of gallons for your garden in addition the city allotment, you’ll be grateful for every bit of time and money you spent on collecting all that rain. All it takes is a few trips out in the backyard every time it starts to sprinkle, and you’ll be a very happy gardener when water isn’t so abundant.

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Sharing Home Decorating Ideas...

Posted by admin in Home Building on July 22, 2009 | No Comments

Great home decorating ideas are meant to be shared. When discovering a new home decorating technique, why not share it with a friend or family member? There is always someone in a circle of friends who is making changes to their home décor. There are so many wonderful fabrics, colors and accessories on the market today. It is difficult to resist the opportunity to decorate your home. A stroll through a building supply store or department store automatically produces home decorating ideas. People who like change are likely to take these home decorating ideas and turn them into reality.

When visiting a friend’s home for coffee, it is a common practice to check out their space. If it’s a home you visit often, no doubt you’ll notice changes right away. Those changes will probable turn into a conversation about home decorating. If something in the décor really catches your eye, no doubt you will question the friend regarding where they bought it or what gave them the idea? If you are interested in making similar changes at your home, no doubt the friend will share their home decorating ideas with you.

You’re hosting a dinner party for a group of people from work. Making sure to pull out all the stops you spend hours decorating the house. The changes you make or things you add may not seem out of the ordinary to you but, a guest may think it is magnificent. Dinner conversation will probably turn into sharing home decorating ideas. The men in the group may not be too thrilled but the women – they’ll be in the element.

Sharing home decorating ideas might simply mean suggesting a neutral color for a room instead of a bold color. Offering advice to a friend regarding window treatments might be considered sharing home decorating ideas. There are many ideas and suggestions a person can pass on about home decorating. If you have good home decorating ideas, why not share them with a friend who seems to need help in that area. Your ideas may be just what the friend’s space requires. Who knows, sharing your home decorating ideas may even make your friendship stronger.

There are many opportunities to share home decorating ideas. Group gatherings are a great chance to talk about home decorating. When shopping at a department store or a paint shop, perhaps an employee who is knowledgeable about home decorating will voluntarily share their ideas with you. Family magazines are a good source for home decorating ideas. Usually these magazines provide a photo with all relative information regarding the home decorating. There are books published which are filled with home decorating ideas. These books can usually be found at a local bookstore or you may want to check with online bookstores as well. The Internet is a great resource when seeking home decorating ideas. There are some sites which are developed by professional home decorators to advertise their skills and promote business. There are also sites, accessible by anyone, which shares home decorating ideas. Finding great ideas for decorating your home is not a problem. However, if you discover techniques and tips which you think would benefit someone else, you really ought to share them.

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