From Concept to Construction ™

Things to Consider When Having a Home Addition Project

January 22, 2024

If your family has grown and you can’t live without the additional space, you shouldn’t just hire home addition companies and start a project. Instead, you should take your time and consider a number of things before you start the project. Some of the things you should do include: Check what you can do and what you can’t When expanding your home, you have two options: up and out. Before you start construction, you need to know how near you can legally reach the property line and where underground utility lines run. Thankfully, you can obtain this information from your local zoning department. Also, request a copy of your survey. If you live in a gated community, get to know the additions you can make and those that you can’t. Remember that the last thing you want to do is to start a project and later find out that you can’t do it in your area. Having this information makes the next steps much easier. Have solid reasons for the project Let’s face it. The reason why you feel you need more room is because something isn’t working properly in your home. You’ve tried all the inventive small living room ideas and mastered closet organization, but something is still lacking. Now, it’s time to figure out exactly what that is. Many homeowners believe it is a lack of room, but it could be a lack of storage. Before investing thousands of dollars in a house addition, determine if it will fix the problem. What could the problems be? Sometimes, you have poor organizational skills. In other cases, you have stayed in the house for too long that you need to make changes. Before you start your project, take time to understand why you need the project. Can you live with the current room you have? If you can, go ahead and make the relevant changes. You should note that if you are confused but you feel that you can make changes to the room you have, you can always consult a professional. Know your must-haves in the project. Everyone has a wishlist. At the same time, there are some things you simply cannot live without. If your mother is coming to live with you, she may require a private bath or basement apartment. To have an easy time coming up with the design for the project, establish a list of your “must-haves” and “would-be-nice-to-haves.” For example, you desire hard floors as a must-have. While natural hardwood is preferable, laminate flooring can suffice. To ensure that you are on the same page with your partner, always consult them when coming up with the things you must have in your project. Put together your team. Homeowners frequently inquire if they should start with an architect or a contractor. They believe hiring an architect is sensible because you must begin with a design. However, some builders have designers and architects on staff. The correct response is that you want a team. Whether they are different firms that work together or professionals that work for the same company, you require both. Remember that the […]

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3 Things To Avoid When Renovating

December 14, 2022

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen, bathroom, or entire house? Here are mistakes to avoid making: Being in a hurry Most people will have the urge to renovate their homes when they have a big event coming. This can be a birthday party, family gathering, and so on. As you can tell, they are usually on a time crunch to get things done before the big day. While this is good as they have a time when they should have the project done, it often leads to them being in a hurry, increasing their chances of making plenty of mistakes that end up being too expensive. For example, if the event means some people will sleep over, you might have to have an extra bedroom. This means that you have to hire home addition companies to do this. As you can tell, this isn’t a small project, as you have to knock some walls down or even put others up. You don’t do an excellent job in a hurry on such a project. To have a great experience, you shouldn’t be in a hurry when renovating a house. When you are remodeling due to a coming event, don’t start a week before the event, as chances are that you will be in a hurry and you will mess up. Instead, start a few months before the event. Experts recommend that you start at least three months before the event. This way, you have enough time to find the right contractors and fix issues that might arise, among many other things. Hire the cheapest contractor Many people renovating their houses want to do it at the lowest cost possible. So, they will go with the cheapest options available. This ranges from the contractor they hire to the materials they use. While having a budget is good, you shouldn’t be too cheap as it often backfires. For example, in most cases, the cheap contractor you hire is most likely inexperienced, and they will most likely botch your project. When it comes to cheap building materials, they might be poor quality, and they not only look ugly but also don’t last as long. To stay safe, get quality materials that will give you a great experience. The materials will be a little expensive, but they will be worth it. The same applies to contractors. Don’t hire the cheapest. Take time to find quality ones that know what they are doing. Like the materials, they will be a little expensive, but you have peace of mind that you won’t need to go back to repeat the work they have already done. Don’t work without a plan. It’s tempting to start the renovations as soon as you get the money, but this isn’t a wise move as you tend to make mistakes that can be difficult to reverse. The right thing to do is plan how you will renovate. Before you begin the project, sit down with an experienced professional and ask them to help you develop a plan for the project. Through the planning, you will know when the project will begin, how […]

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Is It Safe To Live In A House During Renovation?

September 27, 2021

Is it safe to live in a house during renovation? If you ask this question, you must have a renovation project, but you don’t want to leave the house. Well, it isn’t safe to live in the house during the renovation, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t live in the house. You only need to put several tips in place. To help you out, here are tips to increase the safety aspect as given by home remodeling architects: Have a designated storage area When doing the renovation, you obviously will have renovation materials over. These materials can easily hurt you and your kids. To ensure this doesn’t happen, have a specific area where you store everything. If you are lucky to have a large house, you can have the materials in a specific room and cordon off your kids from going there. Be out of the house when the renovation work is going on Most of the risk is when the renovation work is going on. A hammer can slip and hit you, something might drop from the roof and land on you, among many other things.  To protect yourself and your loved ones, make an effort to be out of the house when the project is going on. If you work from home, ensure that you are far from where the contractors are working from. Communicate with the contractors A house can be risky even after the end of the day when no work is going on. This is because the contractors might have accidentally left a tool in a precarious position, and it falls on you. Some of the construction materials might also be in risky areas, and they hurt you. To ensure that the renovation area is safe, maintain a clear line of communication with the contractors and regularly ask them whether you can go in the room you are renovating. Set designated areas To avoid accidents, have designated areas for the various tasks. For example, if you are remodeling the kitchen, stay out of the kitchen and set up a temporary kitchen. If you have a garage or covered patio, work with your contractor and set up the temporary kitchen here. The same thing applies to the bathroom, bedroom, or any other room you are making over. Limit the visitors coming over The last thing you would want for yourself is one of your guests getting hurt in your home. Even if you love hosting, you should minimize the number of people coming to your home. Of course, you will have some of your friends who don’t understand it, but you should explain it. Instead of coming to your home, you can start having your events in the homes of other friends that aren’t renovating their homes. You can also begin having your meetups in hotels or nearby parks. Plan a vacation If you have a small project that will be over in a few days, take a vacation, so you are out of the house and safe. Do you have friends or places you have always wanted to visit but have had no time? […]

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