Framing a home or building can be described as the skeleton of the structure that sits on top of the foundation. (see picture to the left) Wood or metal studs are used to make the the structure of the frame. All interior walls, exterior walls, ceiling rafters, door and window openings are all cut … Read more
Room Additions/ Home Remodel
A building setback or building setback line on a survey, site plan or plat in regards to land development is the distance the building is setback from a street, alley, property line or road. Building setbacks are set up by land developers and local Planning and Zoning Offices and are different for every subdivision. If … Read more
What is a joist? A joist, in construction, architecture and engineering, can be defined as one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof structure, or sub-floor. An easy way identify them is to go up in your attic and … Read more
Yes you can, but be careful if you are a do-it-yourselfer. If your wallpaper is peeling, you may want to use some wallpaper adhesive and stick it back to the wall. If you don’t, your newly painted walls will continue to peel as the the wallpaper gets older. After you have glued back the wallpaper, … Read more
I’m sure you have watched one of those home improvement shows and thought to yourself: “wow…..that was really easy!” Well, there are a lot of behind the scenes drama and problems that are not shown. The truth is that while they might show a kitchen renovation budget of $5,000, what they don’t tell you is … Read more
The answer is not quite that simple. If you reduce the square footage of your home, it will appraise for less. The same could apply for downsizing from a 4 bedroom home to a 3 bedroom home. I have clients that had a 4 bedroom house, but the bedrooms were too small so they had … Read more
We all know that asbestos is a dangerous substance when inhaled, but how can we identify it in a home or building? Most asbestos materials cannot be identified just by looking at it. Asbestos can easily be identified by a trained professional using a special microscope or you can order an Asbestos Test Kit and … Read more
Great question and one that I get weekly. You can achieve great success by doing both, but the question is going to be: what can you afford? Staining or painting the cabinets can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $4,000 (if you hire a professional) depending on the amount of cabinets you are painting. You can … Read more
While brick offers a handsome look to any home, it comes at a price. When you compare brick vs Hardi Plank Siding , the cost is considerable. You should expect to pay about $10-12 per square foot for brick and about $3-4 per square foot for Hardie Plank. Brick can last up to 100 years … Read more
Figuring how much construction costs per square foot is really simple to do. All you need is the total construction amount and the total square footage of the project. Example: If you have a construction total of $200,000 and you are building 1,800 square feet you divide $200,000 by 1,800 to get $111.11 per square … Read more
There are many factors that can make home remodeling expensive. You must take into consideration that the company you hire to do any kind of home remodel or renovation did not build your house, so there are going to be some surprises along the way. New home construction is typically cheaper than home remodeling because … Read more
If your doors “stick” or simply won’t close properly, then there are a couple of possible problems. The door may not have been installed properly. An experienced handyman or contractor can diagnose the problem and fix them with some added shims or an adjustment to the hinges. Another possibility is that the foundation could have … Read more