From Concept to Construction ™

Wondering What Order to Do Home Renovations? Follow This Guide

April 29, 2021

To avoid wasting money, time, and resources, you need to have a detailed order on how to accomplish your home remodeling project. The safest and most sensible way to go about it is to hire home remodeling architects to help with the planning, design, and budgeting, but what if you don’t have money? You should do it yourself. Wondering what order to do home renovations? Here is a guideline to follow: Make a plan The usual cliché, if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail, holds even in a home remodeling project. Before you begin the remodeling, carefully assess the areas you would like to renovate and set your priorities. You will need money to accomplish the project, regardless of whether it’s big or small, so you need to come up with a budget. When creating the budget, factor in all the costs that you will incur. Think about the cost of the materials, transport, tapes, and others. The most difficult cost to budget for is the labor costs, but you will be on the safe side if you put it at 20-40% of your total budget. As you are coming up with a budget, remember to have a 10-20% contingency for emergencies. This amount might seem like a lot, especially when you are looking to make every dollar count but remember that you are better off being left with money once the project is done than to halt the project in the middle after your pockets run dry. Hire a contractor Unless you are a skilled handyman, you shouldn’t try to handle a remodeling project yourself, as you will waste a lot of time and money. Regardless of the size of your project, hire a contractor to handle it. The key to finding the right contractor is taking your time and not hiring the first contractor you come across. You should interview several contractors and settle on the most qualified. Avoid an extremely cheap contractor as they are most likely inexperienced, and chances are high they will botch your project. At the same time, avoid an extremely expensive contractor, as they might be ripping you off. Take your time and find a contractor that gives you value without having to part with astronomical amounts of money. Talk to your insurance company. Do you have home insurance? You should talk to your insurance company and ensure you have the amount of coverage that fits your needs. Most likely, the home renovation will raise your home’s value, so the insurance company should increase your coverage limits, so your investment has better protection. Secure the necessary permits and order the materials Most municipalities will require you to have construction permits, and not having them will have a significant impact on your project, so ensure you have them. You also should check the municipality’s regulations and ensure you adhere to them to avoid being on the wrong side of the law. While at it, order the materials you need for the project. These include: lumber, windows, doors, and drywall. Start the demolitions If there are areas of the house that you […]

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Home Remodeling Architects: The Benefits That Come With Remodeling Your Home

March 6, 2018

Are you thinking about remodeling your home? You should go ahead and do it as there are plenty of benefits that come with doing it. To help you out, here are some of these benefits as given by home remodeling architects: Home remodeling increases the value of the home If you are thinking about selling your home at a later date, there is no harm in making a few additions that will make it more appealing to the buyers. You can make simple changes such as applying fresh paint, changing the floors, upgrading the carpets, installing new fixtures, among many others. When you are remodeling your home to increase its value, you should pay attention to the projects that have a high return on investment. Some of the best projects that you should go for are: upgrading the kitchen, bathroom, replacing the front door, and even increasing the size of the living space. If you have the budget, you also should consider installing a new roof. The remodeling project makes the house more comfortable and efficient If you are looking to make the house more comfortable, you should put your effort in the areas that you spend most of your time. For example, if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you should work with your remodeling contractor and come up with ideas that will make the kitchen more comfortable. In some cases, you might be interested in spending more time outdoors and want to make it more comfortable. For example, you might want to add an outdoor fireplace, make the patio more comfortable among many other things. Here you should work with an outdoor remodeling company that will guide you on the units that you will install to make the space more comfortable. When it comes to making the house more energy efficient, there are a number of ways that you can use to make it possible. You can use green materials, replace the new windows, add insulation that decreases the energy costs, among many other things. Remodeling helps you keep up with the latest trends Are you a trendy person? You can always remodel your home so that it fits the current trend. When you are making additions, ensure that the trend is here to stay as you don’t want to keep on changing your home when a new trend comes. You also should ensure that you work with a reputable home addition builder DC.

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Home Remodeling Architects: Home Remodeling Dos And Don’ts

February 3, 2018

Are you thinking of remodeling your home? Here are a few dos and don’ts you should consider as given by home remodeling architects: Home remodeling dos Get the highest ROI: When you are remodeling the house, you should always think about what you will get in return. You should note that not all home remodeling projects will give you the same return on investment. To help you out, here are a few ROIs of the various remodeling projects: Replacement windows: 80% ROI Bathroom remodeling: 78% ROI New siding: 88% ROI Additions: 90% ROI If a remodeling project doesn’t give you a great ROI, you should avoid it. Use high-quality materials: This is a no-brainer as there is no way that you will get a good result when you are using low-quality materials. While you should use good quality materials, you should avoid overly priced units as they aren’t worth it. In fact, you will end up wasting your money by doing it as you won’t get a good ROI. Take your time: You should note that the home remodeling project is an expensive one; therefore, you shouldn’t jump into it—you should take your time and plan it. You should take your time and find high-quality materials. If your budget allows it, you should hire a remodeling contractor to help you with the project. While it might seem expensive hiring a contractor at the beginning, you end up saving a lot in the long run as you avoid making costly mistakes. As rule of thumb, you should hire a reputable and experienced professional. Don’ts when remodeling your home There are a number of things that you need to avoid making for you to get the most from the home remodeling project. One of the things you should avoid doing is making improvements solely because you want to solve a temporary need. You also should avoid remodeling the house if you are only looking to cure a major deficiency. For example, adding a bathroom or bedroom. The reason for this is because you might not get your return on investment. Conclusions These are some of the things you should and shouldn’t do when you are looking to improve the look of your home. To get the most from your project, you should make the improvements in moderation. Unless the project is too minor, avoid doing it by yourself—always hire home additions companies DC to handle the project.

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Basement Remodeling Contractors: Understanding Basement Remodeling

December 5, 2017

Basement remodeling is one of the most effective ways of making use of the unused space in the house. To remodel the area, you need to hire basement remodeling contractors to help you out. Basement remodeling ideas There are many ways to which you can convert your basement. One of the ways you can transform the room is by making it a multifunctional unit. Here you need to work with your contractor and divide the room into sections each with its function and allocation. For example, you can create a games area, children’s den, audio section, and even a bar in the basement. You can also convert the room into a guest room. If your house is small and you regularly have guests, you can transform the basement into a guest room. If the area is big enough, consider adding a bathroom. Finally, you can convert the area into an office. With the rise of work at home jobs, you don’t need to construct a new room or place the work table in the bedroom. If the basement is large enough, work with your remodeling contractors and come up with an office design that is appealing to you. Factors to consider when undertaking basement remodeling Once you have thought about remodeling the unit, you don’t have to jump right in—you need to consider a number of factors. One of the factors to consider is whether the room is healthy enough for remodeling. Here you need to inspect the area for infestation by molds, water, and other damaging effects. You also should ask the contractor to inspect the area for leaks, fissures, and cracks. Another thing to consider is whether the basement is large enough for your needs. You also need to consider whether it’s appealing enough. For example, if looking to convert it into a guests room, you don’t want the guests to see ducts, pipes, and other appliances running through the room. Finally, you need to consider the insurance. Does the insurance company cover the remodeling? You need to find out about it. If it doesn’t, you should prepare yourself to part with a substantial amount. Conclusion This is what you need to know about basement remodeling. To get the most from your remodeling project, you need to work with the right professional. Most people go for the general remodeling contractor, but this is wrong. For ideal results, hire a professional who specializes in basement remodeling.

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