As a way of refreshing your home, giving it a new lease of life, and even increasing its value there are a number of home improvements you can make. However, one surefire way of decreasing the value of your home and making it a space you no longer enjoy spending time in, is by attempting to carry out the work yourself. Unless you’re an experienced individual with construction qualifications and plenty of know how related to the subject, attempting to carry out home improvements yourself, is a recipe for disaster, and while you might believe you can save money in this way, you’ll likely end up spending more to correct your mistakes.
Finding a trustworthy and experienced general contractor isn’t always easy, but if they show any (or all!) of the following 9 signs, then you should probably start your search again and try to find a contractor who will be better suited to the job:
Whether you’re undergoing a commercial or residential construction project, it’s imperative that you work with a general contractor whom you can not only trust, but communicate effectively with. The better the relationship between you and your general contractor, the better the chances of the project being carried out successfully i.e., within budget, on time and to an appropriate standard.
If you’re considering a home renovation or construction project, you might be wondering whether to use the services of a general contractor, or you may not even be sure what their role is. The following information should help you decide whether your project requires a general contractor, and when you hire them, what you can expect them to be responsible for:
There are a multitude of general contractors out there, all vying for your custom, and all claiming to be professional, qualified, licensed and fully insured. But how can you be sure that you’ve chosen the right one for your building project?
House flipping has become increasingly popular in recent decades, and with the profits some homeowners go on to make when they buy run down properties and renovate or remodel them, it’s easy to see why.
There are certain projects around the home that benefit from the skills of a masonry contractor, and in many cases, their work can embellish a home and make it unique.
Even if your budget is limited, saving money by hiring an amateur masonry contractor is never a smart choice, as aside from ending up with stone work that you’re less than happy with, it could cost you a lot more to correct the problems when your budget permits.
Qualified masons are trained to work with a variety of different materials, and some of these include clay and concrete brick, natural rock, terracotta and ceramic or stone. However, it’s important to note that not all masons have the same level of experience and skill, and if you’re looking for a qualified masonry contractor to carry out work for you, you’ll need to ask them a few questions first:
Unless you’re skilled and experienced at handling some of the more complex elements of an apartment renovation project, it’s always best to hire professionals to ensure that the work is carried out properly, and perhaps more importantly, safely.
If you’ve had construction work carried out on your home and the project was kept in check by an experienced general contractor, then there’s a strong chance it will add to the value of your home. However, some projects are more effective than others for increasing a home’s value, and below are some that generally give a great return on an investment:
Finding the ideal home can be hard, and sometimes, what’s on the market just doesn’t meet enough of your criteria. When this is the case, you might think that your only option is to keep looking (for goodness knows how long), or to settle for second best. However, building your own home, designed to meet your every need, desire and whim, is absolutely possible, and while it’s true that it takes a little more planning and patience, the end result (provided you work with a reputable architect and construction company) will be more than worth it.
While building your own home can be a fantastic idea, there are few individuals who are capable of doing so without the project becoming a disaster, as they’re simply not qualified or experienced to act as their own general contractor, or GC. Hence, for most, it makes sense to hire a professional, licensed contractor.
If you’re having your home built by a professional construction company or general contractor, you’ll need to sit down together and have a conversation about what your home will be built from, and how it will be constructed.
Whatever type of construction project you’re undertaking, the company that you choose to carry out the work can be the difference between a successful project, and one that is an expensive failure. Below are some of the most important things to look out for when hiring a general contractor, and what you should expect from a reputable, professional one:
A well-constructed and maintained driveway can make a real statement about a home, and as such, investing in them makes a lot of sense. If your existing driveway is less than impressive, or you want to create one from the space outside your home, it’s important to make the right choices when it comes to the materials you use. The following brief guide will give you a basic idea about the different materials available, but a conversation with your local paving or general construction contractor, will help give you a much more detailed understanding:
While a couple of years ago, many homeowners might have decided to sell their smaller home and upgrade to a bigger one, nowadays more and more people are choosing to remodel and invest in home additions. However, while a home addition – when carried out professionally – is undoubtedly going to add value to your home and give you more space, it is still a significant investment, and it pays to consider the following points before you engage with a general contractor:
Brick and stone exteriors are generally considered to be the highest quality and easiest to maintain for the majority of homes, provided, of course, that you use an experienced and reputable construction firm or qualified mason.
There are many different kinds of materials to choose from when having a new roof installed on your Florida home, and while the choices may seem overwhelming, a conversation with your chosen local roofing contractor will help you determine which would best meet your needs.
A roof replacement is a big project, there can be no doubt about that, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. Provided you work with a reputable and licensed roofing contractor in your locality, you should be able to simply sit back and watch as your new roof is expertly fitted.
More and more Americans are choosing to add on to their homes to increase their value, increase their livable space and make their homes big enough to meet their needs for many years to come. However, while an addition is a great investment, it’s only ever as great as the plans you make, and the contractors who build it for you.
If left untreated, cracks and holes in masonry can affect the overall appearance of your home, and perhaps more importantly, worsen and cause further damage over time. With pests able to enter freely, along with water and drafts, holes and cracks in your home or business should be addressed immediately, and by contacting your local masonry contractor, they can help determine whether the stone, concrete, or brickwork needs to be repaired or replaced.
Crowded and full of tall buildings with busy streets, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has created several laws to ensure the many buildings and properties are maintained well and remain safe for the general public, along with the owners of the property of building, at all times. But what happens when a building or property isn’t compliant with the DOB regulations and provisions?
There can be a number of causes for a leaking roof, such as improper installation, damage from a storm or a lack of general maintenance, and any one of them can cause significant damage to a home if left undetected and unrepaired.
As a significant investment – possibly the biggest most will make during their lifetime – owning your own home can be both satisfying and lucrative, but with professionally carried out renovations or additions, you can add to the value of your home, and make it a more exciting and functional space to live in. However, before you start calling contractors and arranging for walls to be knocked down or spaces to be gutted, you should think carefully about what would be the right kind of project for your home, and what might give you the biggest return on your investment.
Renovating your apartment is a big step to take, but when done right, it can be truly inspirational. To help guarantee the success of your renovation project, here are a few helpful tips:
Bump out additions are a fantastic solution for many homeowners to increase the space within their home, without breaking the budget, and if a full on addition project isn’t quite within your reach, then one of these 5 great bump out ideas, might be:
Making your home stand out from the Jones’s is easy with the addition of some expert masonry construction, and by adding some durable and aesthetically pleasing stone elements to the exterior of your home – like a patio or outdoor fireplace – you can do more than make your home look better than your neighbors, you can make it look the best in the entire neighborhood!
Moving into a newly constructed home has many advantages, and not only do you get to relish the feeling of everything being shiny, new and untouched, but you get an amazing opportunity to put your personal stamp on the place.
If you’re wanting to make your home bigger without completely rebuilding it, a room addition could be the ideal solution. From small bump-out projects to multi-room additions, adding onto your home is always a sound investment, and can help you live in the home you love, for longer.
Having your kitchen renovated is a wonderful way to transform the space into something that you’ve always dreamed of, but it does require a bit of planning and organization. While your chosen construction company can be immensely helpful in the planning stages, you will still need to have your own ideas as to what you want from your new kitchen, and think about a few other things such as your budget and where you’re going to eat for the next few weeks while work is underway. The latter is something that’s often overlooked, but is one of the most important factors for being able to survive a kitchen renovation:
If the home you currently live in is in a great location, you and your family have the use of good local amenities and public transport, your neighbors are the best, and you love the look and feel of your home, but it isn’t quite measuring up to size now that your family is expanding, do you have to move out and relocate?
As one of the oldest methods of construction known to man, masonry has been used to build many important, unique and historic structures the world over, and thanks to its durability and strength, many of them are still standing today.
A driveway is an essential part of many homes across the U.S. and they can make a huge difference not only to the way a home looks, but the way it functions, too. However, a poorly constructed driveway can just as easily turn your home into an eyesore, and make getting to it a real trial.
The NYC Façade Inspection Safety Program (FISP), is similar in many ways to Local Law 11 (and less of a tongue twister!), and requires the owners of buildings in NYC that are higher than six stories, to have their exterior walls and appurtenances professionally inspected every five years.
Whether you’re wanting to completely revamp your bathroom, or add a few new touches to refresh and modernize the space, it’s easy to turn your bathroom into a room you want to linger in. With a few modern design ideas and the help of a professional remodeling company, you can get fantastic results in a short space of time, and even increase the value of your home when you come to sell it.
While concrete is undoubtedly a strong material to use for a driveway, there are still ways in which it can become cracked and damaged. Left unrepaired, cracks in concrete can become worse, and in some cases, the concrete needs to be replaced in its entirety.
There are a lot of variables to take into account when planning a home addition, but if you and your family have begun to outgrow your home, taking on this kind of project could save you money and eliminate the hassle of having to move to a bigger home.
While renovating your New York City apartment is absolutely doable and often a fantastic way to update your home and add to its value, many fail to appreciate the timescale and costs involved, and end up having to stop midway through the project. To help prevent this from happening, and ensure that your NYC apartment renovation goes with a hitch, we’ve compiled the following short guidance:
Remodeling your bathroom is a great way to enrich and improve the space, and if done professionally and in tune with modern trends, it can even increase the value of your home.
Your home might have been the perfect size for you when you first bought it, but now you’re beginning to outgrow it as your family expands. Or, perhaps a small home was all you could afford at the time, and now that your circumstances have changed for the better, you’re able to afford a larger property.
In theory, renovating apartments for profit should prove relatively straightforward, but the research you carry out and the planning you put into place, are key elements of the process that can go a long way to determining your success.
With the ongoing pandemic having turned many industries upside down, the construction sector has suffered greatly, and as a homeowner with plans to remodel or have a new home constructed, you may be wondering whether it’s safe, or even possible, to go ahead with the project. Thankfully, restrictions have eased in many parts of the country, and work has been able to recommence as vaccination programs are accelerated. However, if you still have concerns as to whether your construction project can go ahead, the following information should help put your mind at ease:
There are several factors you might want to take into consideration when deciding what material to use for your new roof, such as cost, durability and sustainability. To help you make an informed decision, here are 5 of the most popular roofing materials along with a brief description:
While winter can spell disaster for some roofs, if you get yours checked over well in advance of the harshest weather conditions, you can keep it healthy for longer, and avoid costly, inconvenient repairs or even a roof replacement.
While winter can spell disaster for some roofs, if you get yours checked over well in advance of the harshest weather conditions, you can keep it healthy for longer, and avoid costly, inconvenient repairs or even a roof replacement.
Going up with your home addition, or out, is a choice facing many homeowners wanting to make their property bigger, and often, the reason for wanting to do so, will influence the direction of the build. For example, if you want to extend your kitchen and make it larger, going out is the natural choice, while a homeowner wanting to add more bedrooms to their home, would likely go upward.
If you own your home, are a commercial property owner or manager, or even if you’re a realtor, the decisions you make when it comes to repairs and home improvements, should always be made with the long-term interests of the property in mind. When it comes to reroofing, it’s no different.
If you’re thinking about having your dream home built for you, it can be helpful to have a better understanding of some of the associated costs, which will help you create a realistic budget.
Needing more space is a common issue faced by families all over America, especially as more children choose to remain at home for longer before leaving the nest, and the pandemic has meant that houses have been full of their inhabitants, for longer periods.
Concrete is by far the world’s most widely used material for construction projects, and it has many advantages when compared with other materials. If you’re unsure whether to use concrete to build your new home or office, the following points might just convince you otherwise:
If your apartment is a little on the bijoux side, there are some tips and tricks that even the professionals use, which can help to make the entire space both look and feel, bigger.
Kitchens can have a significant impact on a home, and when designed and furnished well, can not only change the way your home feels, but change the way it functions, too.
If your apartment is a little on the bijoux side, there are some tips and tricks that even the professionals use, which can help to make the entire space both look and feel, bigger.
Sometimes, all an uninspiring, tired, outdated or drab home needs to perk it up and modernize it, is a room remodel. While which room you choose to remodel may depend on a variety of factors, such as your budget and which room is most in need of being remodeled, many homeowners choose their bathroom, and this often because the space isn’t as functional as they’d like it to be, or is outdated and quite frankly, an embarrassment!