I know it has been a while since my last post but I will start making them more often, and with your help it will become a daily Q and A session. I will also be starting a Tip of the day, or fact of the day, so watch for these help full hints.
Fact of the day: Oil paint continually cures throughout its life. This means that the oil, the binder/platform that all the other ingredients are mixed into, continuously evaporates after applied. This explains why really old oil paint cracks and starts to peel. Even relatively new oil paint becomes brittle with in the first few years of its life. This is the main reason I recommend 100% acrylic latex paint. The two main binders/platforms are water and acrylic (basically a liquid plastic). Once the initial evaporation occurs (the paint drying, usually about 24 hrs) the paint is considered cured and stops. Therefore it last much longer and stays pliable, which intern makes it more durable. It is the elasticity of the paint, along with other chemical aspects that makes it perform and protect.
Stay tuned because in my next segment I will talk about why you should use oil primers not latex, and use latex paint not oil as a topcoat.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Economic Return
As a general contractor, I am constantly being bombarded with the question, “will this improvement increase the value of my home?" and more than often I reply, "Well, that’s a loaded question!" Let me elaborate for a moment. There is a simple formula one should go by in order calculate whether or not a home remodel or fix is adding to the value of ones home. This equation is as follows:
Take the market rate per square foot of your house and then add up the cost of the improvement. Follow by estimating the market rate of your home with that improvement. REMEMBER, you must find a comparable home that has that same improvement or very similar to, in order to calculate the estimated square foot rate. This is because home values are based on comparables in your specific area; so if the cost of the improvement is less than the increase of the homes value, you have successfully increased your homes value by that net amount.
For example, you have an 1800-sqft ranch that has moderate finishes and is pretty comparable to what is in your neighborhood. It is valued at 225,000.00, which gives you a sqft rate of $125/sqft. Now let say you want to remodel your kitchen and you end up spending $30,000 to complete the remodel. Included in these finishes were: Granite counters, mid level cabinets, opening up the kitchen, and relocating a few things (i.e. dishwasher, fridge ect). Once the remodel is complete you should compare that to something in your area. For example, there are a few houses similar to yours that have had those same upgrades and they are selling around 260,000. Well your new value, we can assumable, would be 260,000 but you have to subtract the original value of 225,000 and the cost of remodeling 30,000, which would leave you with a net improvement of $5,000. Hurray, you’ve successfully improved the value of your home by $5,000! But keep mind you had to spend 30,000 to get a 5,000 net improvement. Was it worth it? You always need to ask your self what you will consider a good return is on your investment. If the return outweighs the aggravation and frustration of the remodel, go for it. Also keep in mind that reviewing your budget BEFORE you start to buy materials is essential. In the same remodel example from above, if you chose to go with the pricier cabinets and hardware to where your remodel cost would have been 50,000.00 you would have wound up over improving your home and would not have increased its value when compared to the money spent.
So don’t forget: Do your math before your project. Have a clear plan of attack and know your limits because thing do tend to "grow", and lastly the old man advice is " the money is made in the buy"
Take the market rate per square foot of your house and then add up the cost of the improvement. Follow by estimating the market rate of your home with that improvement. REMEMBER, you must find a comparable home that has that same improvement or very similar to, in order to calculate the estimated square foot rate. This is because home values are based on comparables in your specific area; so if the cost of the improvement is less than the increase of the homes value, you have successfully increased your homes value by that net amount.
For example, you have an 1800-sqft ranch that has moderate finishes and is pretty comparable to what is in your neighborhood. It is valued at 225,000.00, which gives you a sqft rate of $125/sqft. Now let say you want to remodel your kitchen and you end up spending $30,000 to complete the remodel. Included in these finishes were: Granite counters, mid level cabinets, opening up the kitchen, and relocating a few things (i.e. dishwasher, fridge ect). Once the remodel is complete you should compare that to something in your area. For example, there are a few houses similar to yours that have had those same upgrades and they are selling around 260,000. Well your new value, we can assumable, would be 260,000 but you have to subtract the original value of 225,000 and the cost of remodeling 30,000, which would leave you with a net improvement of $5,000. Hurray, you’ve successfully improved the value of your home by $5,000! But keep mind you had to spend 30,000 to get a 5,000 net improvement. Was it worth it? You always need to ask your self what you will consider a good return is on your investment. If the return outweighs the aggravation and frustration of the remodel, go for it. Also keep in mind that reviewing your budget BEFORE you start to buy materials is essential. In the same remodel example from above, if you chose to go with the pricier cabinets and hardware to where your remodel cost would have been 50,000.00 you would have wound up over improving your home and would not have increased its value when compared to the money spent.
So don’t forget: Do your math before your project. Have a clear plan of attack and know your limits because thing do tend to "grow", and lastly the old man advice is " the money is made in the buy"
Monday, February 9, 2009
Know your Contractor
Everyone always asks "Are you licensed" and "Do you have insurance"?
Well these are good questions, but do consumers really know what they are asking? Furthermore, do they know what to do with the answers?
Lets start with the first question, Licensing.
A better question than "Are you licensed" is asking "What type of license do you carry?" Is it a specialty contractors license where all it takes is $50 and 3 letters of recommendation? Are they a residential builder where they have to pass a test, or are they a General Contractor where they not only have to pass a 6 hour test, but also meet minimum financial requirements? (A general contractor can fall into one of five different categories according to financial information.) You can check the licensing of any contractor on your state's licensing website. In South Carolina the SCLLR regulates licensing. Visit the following web address to go to South Carolina's website:
http://www.llr.state.sc.us/sitemap.asp
The above discussed types of licenses takes care of a contractors "Trade License," but most municipalities also require an additional license that allows the contractor to operate in the specific town/city. And in some cases, you need a state, county, and city license before beginning to build a project. Now personally speaking, this is double taxation; but that is a whole other blog. As a consumer, these are hidden costs that you need to take into consideration when comparing bids.
The second question is insurance.
The first type of insurance is general liability. Contractors carry this in case they screw something up other than your project; for example, liability insurance covers the contractor if they drive their truck into your neighbors house. The second type of insurance is Workman's Compensation. Many homeowners don't know that their homeowners policy is at risk if a contractor gets hurt on their site and that contractor doesn't carry Workman's comp. The third type of insurance is Builders risk. This type of insurance is generally reserved for larger scale projects.
Other things to consider when looking for a contractor:
What type of work do they primarily perform?
How many projects similar to yours have they completed?
You may want to ask for a list of references of not only customers but also trades and vendors.
Who does their engineering? This is a big one because many contractors "just know what it takes" and this has miss-served many people.
These are all things that need to be discussed prior to hiring a contractor.
I will leave you with some word of advice that we will call the old man column(named after dad):
The bitter taste of poor craftsmanship will linger long after the taste of a sweet price.
Well these are good questions, but do consumers really know what they are asking? Furthermore, do they know what to do with the answers?
Lets start with the first question, Licensing.
A better question than "Are you licensed" is asking "What type of license do you carry?" Is it a specialty contractors license where all it takes is $50 and 3 letters of recommendation? Are they a residential builder where they have to pass a test, or are they a General Contractor where they not only have to pass a 6 hour test, but also meet minimum financial requirements? (A general contractor can fall into one of five different categories according to financial information.) You can check the licensing of any contractor on your state's licensing website. In South Carolina the SCLLR regulates licensing. Visit the following web address to go to South Carolina's website:
http://www.llr.state.sc.us/sitemap.asp
The above discussed types of licenses takes care of a contractors "Trade License," but most municipalities also require an additional license that allows the contractor to operate in the specific town/city. And in some cases, you need a state, county, and city license before beginning to build a project. Now personally speaking, this is double taxation; but that is a whole other blog. As a consumer, these are hidden costs that you need to take into consideration when comparing bids.
The second question is insurance.
The first type of insurance is general liability. Contractors carry this in case they screw something up other than your project; for example, liability insurance covers the contractor if they drive their truck into your neighbors house. The second type of insurance is Workman's Compensation. Many homeowners don't know that their homeowners policy is at risk if a contractor gets hurt on their site and that contractor doesn't carry Workman's comp. The third type of insurance is Builders risk. This type of insurance is generally reserved for larger scale projects.
Other things to consider when looking for a contractor:
What type of work do they primarily perform?
How many projects similar to yours have they completed?
You may want to ask for a list of references of not only customers but also trades and vendors.
Who does their engineering? This is a big one because many contractors "just know what it takes" and this has miss-served many people.
These are all things that need to be discussed prior to hiring a contractor.
I will leave you with some word of advice that we will call the old man column(named after dad):
The bitter taste of poor craftsmanship will linger long after the taste of a sweet price.
Friday, January 30, 2009
First blogg/ foundations
Well since we are talking construction I guess I will start at the bottom, Foundations.
Fortunately foundations are fairly simply to diagnose. I would say that foundation problems fall under 2 categories. The first is the most common in my opinion, and really is not foundation related, but framing related. Several people notice settling, sagging, bouncy floors, or a myriad of symptoms of a home that is improperly framed. Either the framing lumber was undersized, poor craftsmanship, or the loads were improperly distributed. Depending on the age of the property and type of construction the severity can be small or great. The second cause for foundation failure is unstable soil. This is a direct foundation problem. Here one of two things happened, the foundation of the property was either under sized/wrong design for the soil strata, or the strata itself is incapable of supporting the load above.
Fortunately 99% of all foundation problems are fixable, however they are typically expensive.I always say "its the money you never see in your home". Meaning if you got a new bathroom or kitchen you could see where your money went, but under your home in the dirt, welllll, not so much. So now time for the advice. before you purchase a property have the foundation inspected thoroughly, look for wall cracks, jump up on the floors, crawl under the house. if you have a property already look for the same signs. And remember as with all problems in buildings they don't heal themselves, and only get worse. So preventative or fast action is always the most cost effective approach.
Fortunately foundations are fairly simply to diagnose. I would say that foundation problems fall under 2 categories. The first is the most common in my opinion, and really is not foundation related, but framing related. Several people notice settling, sagging, bouncy floors, or a myriad of symptoms of a home that is improperly framed. Either the framing lumber was undersized, poor craftsmanship, or the loads were improperly distributed. Depending on the age of the property and type of construction the severity can be small or great. The second cause for foundation failure is unstable soil. This is a direct foundation problem. Here one of two things happened, the foundation of the property was either under sized/wrong design for the soil strata, or the strata itself is incapable of supporting the load above.
Fortunately 99% of all foundation problems are fixable, however they are typically expensive.I always say "its the money you never see in your home". Meaning if you got a new bathroom or kitchen you could see where your money went, but under your home in the dirt, welllll, not so much. So now time for the advice. before you purchase a property have the foundation inspected thoroughly, look for wall cracks, jump up on the floors, crawl under the house. if you have a property already look for the same signs. And remember as with all problems in buildings they don't heal themselves, and only get worse. So preventative or fast action is always the most cost effective approach.
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