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So You Want to Build It Yourself…Really?

Every now and again, I’ll hear of someone who has made the enormous commitment of attempting to manage the construction of their home by themselves. Their reasons for taking this leap may be many but the only one that is certain to deliver is the thrilling adventure of taking on this task alone. Like a certain company deciding to change a decades old successful soda formula, riding a helium filled zeppelin through a thunderstorm or performing an appendectomy on oneself, some decisions should just be avoided. There are myriad reasons for relying on a professional builder to oversee what is [...]

Four Myths About Winter Home Building

Among the many words of advice that one will receive, when discussing the possibility of building a new home, is that you should not have a home built in the winter months. As is the case with most free advice from casually informed people, the value of said advice is somewhere between very little and not very much. Many myths have been perpetuated over the years about winter building and like so many other myths, what seems to be based on common sense becomes, over time, accepted as fact. Let’s look at a few of these myths and clear up [...]

With This Contract, I Thee Build

If the title sounds a bit like a wedding vow to you, it is as intended. After all, signing a contract with a builder to construct a new home for you, or remodel your existing home is, in some ways, very similar to entering into marriage, albeit a very short one. Although some people do marry their childhood sweethearts, it is much more common for individuals to go through the courting process before entering into a serious relationship. Same can be said for choosing a builder. There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with having trust in a single builder if [...]

Understanding Allowances Included in Building Contracts

When a builder provides a bid to a potential customer for construction of a new home or remodeling project, they will most likely include allowances for specific items to be included in the contract. If one has never been involved in a building project, they may not be familiar with what an allowance is and why they are necessary. This lack a familiarity with this important part of a contract can, and sometimes is used by a builder to obtain an unfair advantage over the competition and usually results in problems for the customer when they realize how the allowances [...]

New Residential Energy Code Explained

New Residential Energy Code Explained Enforcement of the latest Energy Code, as decreed by the federal government, began in April of 2012. This code specifies minimum insulation values for wall and ceiling assemblies, as well as windows and doors. The code also determines the minimum efficiency of heating and cooling equipment. The assemblies and equipment installed on each project are then required to be inspected by a state certified independent company to verify that these minimums have been achieved. A blower door test is also performed by this company for each new building. This test is to determine the air [...]