House Remodeling And Some Things That Need To Be Considered


The subject of house remodeling has gained a lot of attention over the last few years and this is probably because people are beginning to realize that any house remodeling is, usually a great investment, for the future. If a house remodeling project is carried out well, then the potential for high returns and a good improvement on your quality of life is what many people expect to achieve. So what does it take in order to get and have the best house remodeling you can possibly want? Well basically it boils down to the quality and the cost of the work that you decide to under take during a remodel. After all, the more you put into the project the more you are likely to get back out of it in the future.

But there are a number of other things that you should take note of, and consider when thinking of a house remodeling and these are as follows:-

1. Not only will you have to consider the cost of both labour and materials for your house remodel but you will also have to think about the design as well. Then after this you will need to consider how much time and effort you want to put into the job. It is important that you estimate the approximate time frame, or the time it will take for the construction to be completed. So if you are thinking of remodeling the kitchen or dining room in your house and you are due to have a big family celebration in a week's time then don't do it, wait until after the party.

It is very important that you should learn how to budget your time as you would budget your funds, if you don't want to sacrifice the quality of the work being carried out on the remodel.

2. There are also some major do's and don'ts you need to think about before starting a remodeling project, and these relate to the materials and products.You need to think about the costs, what quality of materials you want to use, as well as health and environmental effects, plus the maintenance aspects as well. You will also need to consider the workforce you will want to employ. Their functions, the craftsman that you will need, and those with specialist skills in order to provide you with the best quality of work you could possibly want. You also need to look at the location and what the neighborhood is like, the demand for property in the area, as well as any electrical and mechanical works that will need to be carried out. In some remodels you may find that you need to completely rewire or lay new drainage at the property. Finally you really need to consider the layout or design of the remodeling work, so you know completely the ins and outs of the work that will be carried out, before you start work on the property. Although it may look and sound easy for you to, many people prefer to employ a project manager to oversee the house remodeling for them as they will have clear parameters that they work within in order to get the job completed to the your satisfaction.

As you can see house remodeling can be fun as long as it is done with the points above being kept in mind at all times.

Water Conservation for New Homes


As more and more homes and businesses are built in the Central Texas area, the supply of water is a huge concern of mine. The lakes and aquifers can only sustain us so long without extensive conservation. As water becomes more scarce, it will become more expensive. So what can we do? Or should the question be - what water can be re-used or recycled in a household?

Utility and environmental regulators have agreed on a few principles to follow. First, "black water" is that water from a household that is so dirty it should not be considered for re-use. This is water from the toilets, of course, but it's also water used to wash dishes, rinse food, and all the other stuff we do in the kitchen. Why is this black water? Because this water contains a lot of organic matter, bacteria, concentrated detergent residues, and oil and grease - stuff that does not break down quickly, get diluted, or otherwise behave well in a "water re-use" operation.

"Gray water" is all the other water we use in the household that goes down a drain. Bath and shower water is gray water; yes, it has some soap, some shampoo, maybe a little bit of organic stuff. But this water can be filtered in a fairly simple process and be quite clean, in that re-use sense. The same is true for water used in bathroom sinks, for hand-washing, for tooth-brushing. It's true for water from the washing machine - but bear in mind that some regulators object to that water if you're washing baby diapers.

A typical family uses around 200 to 300 gallons of water a day in the house. That does not include watering the lawn or gardens, washing the vehicle with the hose, or letting the kids run through the sprinklers in the summer. It's for all those daily operations we do: cooking; bathing and hygiene; using the restrooms, doing the laundry. Of this total water usage, the black water really makes up only a quarter at most. If a person decides to plumb a new home to drain gray water to a separate container and treatment system, that's a lot of water volume that can be recaptured, and then put to other uses. Some systems are built to use this treated gray water (again, simple filtering may be all the treatment it gets) to irrigate the lawn and garden. Some even use this water for flushing the toilets, cutting down on the amount of "drinking water" that is needed in the household. So gray-water capture and recycling can offer some big advantages.

If you do build a system to capture and re-use gray water, make sure your plumber follows codes. For instance, gray-water piping is specified to be a different color than the drinking water piping. Sometimes the two pipes are specified as different diameters, too. You don't want any cross-connections, obviously. You also don't want any possibility of "back-flow" of the gray water into a drinking water line. These are simple problems to avoid, if you have a good design installed by a good contractor.

Water recycling makes sense for a lot of properties. And water is getting more expensive all the time. Check out gray-water re-use.

Stock House Plans - 4 Great Reasons To Buy Them


Finally, after months of thoughtful consideration, you have made one great decision. You are going to build your dream house! But with the ever-increasing cost of building a house, you need to be equipped with the necessary knowledge to avoid wasting your hard earned dollars.

In building a house, one of the first and most important steps you need to do is to find the perfect design for your future home. Do you need to have your house plan custom drawn or will you go for a stock house plan? “So, what's the difference between the two?” you might ask. Well, there is a world of difference between these two and cost is just one of them.

A custom drawn house plan is a plan specifically designed by a professional architect or designer to meet the needs of an individual homeowner. Among the factors taken into consideration in drawing a custom house plan are the size of the lot on which the house will be built, the location, the existing national and local building codes and the special needs of the home owner. A custom house plan requires considerable time to be completed and can cost up to a few thousand dollars!

Stock house plans, on the other hand, are plans that were previously drawn by a professional architect or designer either for a specific purpose or for general use.

So, why choose a stock house plan over custom drawn plans? Here are a few reasons why:

. Stock house plans are much more affordable than custom drawn plans. Can you believe that you can save up to 95% when you choose to buy stock house plans rather than commission a professional to have a custom plans drawn? While the cost of a custom house plan can be overwhelming, that of a stock house plan only averages at $700. That is just a small fraction of the cost of a custom house plan!

. You can save on construction costs when you use stock house plans. Most stock house plans have already been used at least once so you can be rest assured that any construction issues regarding the plan have already been resolved. You can also avoid unnecessary building costs and have more accurate budget estimates. Also, since yours will not be the first time the plan will be constructed, the building process will be faster and more efficient. That alone accounts for significant savings on the labor cost!

. Stock house plans can be modified to fit your needs. Don't think for a moment that you are forced to accept every single detail in your stock house plan. All stock house plans can be modified! You can request for some alterations to be done to suit your family's needs, to add a touch of character or to conform to local building codes. Modifications can be undertaken either by the original designer or through a number of design modification services. Even with the additional modification costs, stock house plans can still give you more value for your money.

. You can safely choose from a wide variety of designs available. You can find house plan designs in printed catalogs, in specially prepared CDs and in online sources. With the multitude of design options available, you can surely find one that will meet your budget and lifestyle requirements!

I'm Sick Of My Homeowner's Association


I have often heard that many homeowners are discontented with their homeowner’s association. I believe that people wanting to build homes should seriously consider the advantages and disadvantages of living in a homeowner’s association.

There are many benefits to living in a HOA though. The biggest advantage is constant rising property values. This isn’t always the case, but homes that reside within a HOA have a much better chance for property appreciation than do homes outside of the HOA.

The reason is because the president of the HOA is constantly trying to find a standard of home styles and construction that will improve the prices of the homes inside the association. There are many homebuyers that are completely willing to buy into the HOA just to have the confidence of knowing that the property values will continue to rise.

People that join the HOA are usually the type of people that keep the home and lawn well kept. They enjoy living in a beautiful community where they know the neighbors and they enjoy the feeling of living around people just like themselves.

It’s very important to understand the local economy before buying into any HOA though. This is because home and property values depend on the local economy. Without a stable local economy, home values within any HOA will usually stagnate or decline. Nobody wants to go through the hassle of being at the beck-and-call of the HOA president if his or her home won’t appreciate in value.

Remember, no home will appreciate in value very long if there aren’t good jobs constantly available in the community. Usually, a HOA will exist where the local economy has promise. Still, I’ve seen many that exist in drying-up communities in terms of the job market. If you see a good deal on any home where the labor market is questionable, you need to ask yourself if it’s a good idea to buy that home.

Also, we need to remember one thing; just because we have a stable job doesn’t mean the local economy is thriving. Our hard-earned mortgage payments might have diminishing returns if our neighbors are struggling financially. The value of our homes could plummet without warning. That’s why it’s a good idea to consider living where the jobs are and the job future has promise.

Now let’s talk about the downside of living in a HOA. If we are the type of person that has trouble taking constructive criticism or we don’t like being ordered around, the HOA is definitely not for us. The experience will be one of fights and losses.

There might be times when you don’t have a dime to your name, but you’ll have to fix a part of your house or a fence or driveway. You will have to find the money from somewhere to do the repairs.

Also, your neighbors will most likely act like they did in 3rd grade when they notice that their neighbor isn’t complying. People in these homeowners associations feel empowered as long as they comply with the rules. They feel as if the actions of their neighbors directly affect the value of their homes. That is actually the truth though and some people get really childish as they run to tell on their neighbors.

People that have difficulty living within these conditions should probably choose to live on their own private property with all the rights that go with it.

I hope this sheds a little more light on a very popular means of homeownership.

Building homes in Phoenix, Arizona is a very different process than purchasing a home already constructed. When you buy a finished home, even if it’s a home under construction by a developer, you don’t have to worry about special financing. But managing your own construction is a little different.

There are some fabulous lots available for homes in Phoenix, Arizona. For homeowners that want to build a custom home, the mountains and desert vistas offer an amazing backdrop for a custom, luxury home. But custom homes require a little advanced financial planning.

Building a home requires slightly different financing. Most people finance their building process with a construction loan. These loans have milestones that must be met before some of the funds are available. Usually, these funds are kept by the lender until each step of the building process is completed.

While building a custom home is one of the most exciting steps in home ownership, it requires advanced planning. Most of the planning concerns how you are going to meet the financial expenses needed to complete the home. When you are building your custom home, there are different expenses to consider.

* You may need money for a down payment on the land and you need funds for the closing costs of the loan.

* You may need money for loan payments and taxes.

* You may need funds for an architect, for the house plans, for permits and licenses.

* You may need to continue to pay your mortgage payments or rent and homeowner’s fees.

* You may need additional funds for material upgrades. All too often you’ll find better flooring, appliances, or unique kitchen cabinets – all of which require cash up front to place into your new home.

* You will need to plan for project cost overruns. Even the most thorough home budget won’t eliminate project overruns. You should plan for your project to be at least 10% to 25% over budget, at a minimum.

It’s possible to build your dream home, especially when it’s in a remarkable environment like Phoenix, Arizona. But it does require a little planning and probably a little savings or money in the bank. Once you’ve finished planning and begin the construction process, you’ll have a home that is just as unique as you and your family. Imagine how you’ll feel when your house is done. All that planning and saving will pay off when you are living in your dream home in Phoenix, Arizona.

Gary Ogami has over 13 years experience working in the financial services industry. He has worked with hundreds of individuals and families to find mortgage options that work for them.

He prides himself on making the mortgage process as easy as possible for his clients and is very passionate about helping them save money and develop a strong financial foundation.

Now is common that people renovate their house. If the property owner is not work in the construction sector, the owner may not know how to look for a “Good” building contractor. The owner may go through recommendation. Somehow, sometime the recommendation may end up with trouble. How to avoid this to happen? Below is some recommendation which may help owner.

When ask contractor to quote the construction works. Bear in mind that looks for few contractors to quote but not too many (around 3 to 4 contractors). Compare pricing of them. If they quote for market pricing, their prices should not vary much. If one of them quotes much lower then others. As for example most of them quoted around *RM100, 000 but one of them quotes RM60, 000. Owner should NOT choose this contractor. It is possible that it has some tricks hiding behind such as contractor will gain the difference from additional cost of construction works.

When project is small, owner will not prepare contract document for contractor. A lot of works will be based on verbally discussion. Therefore, it will end up with arguments. As a result, it is recommended that write down all the scope of works and pass to contractor to for acknowledgement.

Normally owner will not know how the performance of selective contractor is? Therefore, one of the easy ways to track the contractor performance is by checking on the contractor’s previous project. Do have a visit to previous project and visually check contractor works done. If possible has a short discussion with previous project owner. Asking this owner about the contractor performance?

Owner must know the contractor say about “BAU”(take care all the works) the project. It must be clearly justify avoiding any dispute.