Tag: home renovation

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Having a Residential Architect Design Your House Project

2 years ago
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When you make the choice to design your own home, or make a moderation to your existing one, you want the very best, the perfect house. There are some things that need a professional touch and the design of your home is definitely one of them! A registered architect can provide you with an excellent, bespoke design and so much more, including building knowledge and suggestions for how to make your home energy efficient.

In addition to having an excellent knowledge of house planning and of the build industry as a whole, a professional architect will also have the correct understanding of permissions you need and local requirements. They can save you a lot of money and stress in the long run because they can prevent you from bumping into problems. If you employ an architect for the duration of your build, they can over-see the whole construction process, thus reducing your stress significantly!

Once you have found an architect which suits your project (many have samples of their portfolio online for you to view), you need to make it clear to him/her what your design brief is. This includes a list of what you require (such as room sizes and types and what you will need to fit into the spaces) but could also include some pictures of existing designs that you like the look of. Although you want to make your home look exactly as you have dreamt, remember that any recommendations your architect makes are because they … Read More

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

2 years ago
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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

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Home Design Software Tips – Before You Build

2 years ago
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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