Hiring Contractors For Home Remodeling – Should You Use Unlicensed Contractors?

Contractors can make the process of completing a home remodeling project quite pleasant…or a total nightmare. So choose carefully. And if you choose to hire unlicensed contractors, be sure to know the applicable laws in your state…as well as the potential risks and liabilities you are assuming.

Even if you prefer to do it yourself (DIY), there will be times when you need the services of outside contractors. One way to save money is to act as your own general contractor and deal with the subcontractors and skilled labor directly — although you should be prepared to handle lots of associated headaches. You can try beating the bushes for reasonably-priced, high-quality workers on your own. It has worked well for me. For example, I learned that our hard-working maintenance gardeners were also competent at simple fencing, plumbing, irrigation, grading, and brickwork. Ask around through your network of friends and neighbors. Also, I’ve met good workers by chatting up the crowd on my trips to the local home improvement store (be sure to ask for references, though!).

However, I wouldn’t suggest doing it this way on large renovations or new construction — it’s just too much for an amateur to handle. But it has worked for me on the smaller updating, upgrading and enhancement projects that I focus on (although I’ve had my share of bad experiences).

Beware that if the workers you hire are not licensed, bonded and insured or if they are not legal residents, you might run the … Read More

Home Design Software Tips – Before You Build

The benefits of using home design software can be unbelievable. Whether you have experience with home-building design or not, home design software can give you a pretty clear picture of what the new house is actually going to look like and this is wonderful.

1. Make sure that you understand how the software works. Take some time to read the instructions and practice using the software until you become comfortable with all of the tools and other options that are available in the program.

2. Get a couple of books on house design, to make sure that you are designing everything so that it will function and flow properly in the new house. In other words, don’t make your hallways to big and your bedrooms too small.

3. Don’t design a house with engineering problems. Your home could look marvelous on your computer, but have engineering problems. Don’t get too excited, before you actually try to figure out if the home can be built.

4. Once you have a pretty good design, you’re going to need to make sure that all of the electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning systems will actually work and function well with the home design.

5. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to understand how homes are actually constructed, before you design one. I can’t tell you how many architects I have worked with, who don’t understand how homes are actually built.

If you have the house design software, design a couple of different buildings, before … Read More

Home Improvement Plumbing Projects For Under $500

In many cases, people think that they can do a lot of projects around the house themselves, but they get nervous when it comes to home improvement plumbing. Plumbing projects can get expensive but, many times, that is because of the cost of labor. There are many simple plumbing projects that can be completed without a professional for less than $500.

One thing that someone can do to update their bathroom is change the faucets. The faucet itself can be found for less than one hundred dollars and, if someone is confident that they can install it on their own, that will be the extent of the expense. Replacing old faucets with new ones is a quick and easy way to change the entire look of a bathroom.

Another renovation that is equally simple is replacing the shower head. It is easy to find a new shower head for as little as twenty dollars and installing it only takes a few minutes. Not only will this make the shower look nicer, but it can greatly improve the water pressure, resulting in showers that leave everyone feeling cleaner and more relaxed. There is also the benefit of saving water, which will decrease both the water bill and the electric bill, as the hot water heater will not have to have to fill as often or as much after the family takes a shower.

While some plumbing projects are purely cosmetic, others are incredibly important. Having a hot water heater that is … Read More