Building Materials

The Illusion of Square Footage Pricing

The question I’m asked with the greatest frequency is how much a house cost to build per square feet. Although this question is presented earnestly and with the expectation of a simple answer, I find it nearly impossible to offer a reply that is even remotely helpful to the questioner. As a wise realtor once quipped, “asking what the square foot cost is for a new home, is a bit like asking how much a bag of groceries cost”. Although it may seem to be a fair question, there are a multitude of factors that influence the square footage cost [...]

Choosing the Right Fireplace for You

Whether they are in use or not, fireplaces are the focal point of any room they are installed in. The fireplace is one feature in a new home that, at once, is a decorative fixture and a functional part of the home. It can help create ambience in a space and at the same time provide physical comfort. From the time our earliest ancestors discovered that fire could be controlled and used to their benefit, humans have been fascinated by its beauty and power. While learning the benefits of fire, it also became apparent to our predecessors that it could be [...]

Choosing a Stairway Balustrade

Stairway balustrades are one of the more prominent features of any multi-level home. Railing systems can be constructed with different materials and arranged in ways that serve to compliment the overall style that you desire in your new or remodeled home. Although there is a great amount of design flexibility for stairway railings, there are several building code requirements that will have an impact on the appearance of your railing. One of the codes that greatly influence the design of a railing system is the requirement that one must not be able to pass a 4” sphere through any part [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]