When it’s time to repaint the outside of your home, does the thought of choosing the wrong colors scare you silly? The dizzying array of color choices are enough to give a you a case of Chromophobia (the fear of colors). How do you decide what colors to use when there are so many options? At $50 a gallon or more for quality exterior latex, you can’t afford to make a … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Hold Down Home Construction Costs
You might think the only way to control home construction costs is to strip all the niceties away, and build a "bare bones" house. You’re partly right - adding lots of expensive goodies to a house can jack the price up quickly. But the real culprits are poor planning and waste. Plan your house a little better and you'll money left over for some bling. … [Read more...]
The 3 Big Things That Have the Most Impact on New Home Construction Costs
You want the best house you can get, with an interesting, family-friendly layout, an attractive exterior, and nice finishes - without blowing up your budget. But if you get heavily invested (emotionally and financially) in a design before you have a handle on new home construction costs, you'll end up cutting costs at the very end of the process, resulting in an … [Read more...]
How to Be Sure You’re Getting a Fair Price on Your New Home or Remodeling Project
A few years ago a gentleman stopped by our house to ask if he could give me a quote on trimming the trees in my yard – a fairly frequent event on my street, which has a lot of older trees. I've lived here long enough to have talked to dozens of tree trimmers. So I pretty much knew what to expect as soon as he pulled in the driveway in his spotless pickup truck. The truck … [Read more...]
Can You Raise the Roof of Your House to Save Money and Get More Space?
If you think you need more space in your home, you might be thinking about adding to the back, to the side, or maybe even the front if you have the room. If you want to add a second floor, however, that's tougher, right? Can you raise the roof of your house to save money and get more space? Or maybe you have an older house with an uncomfortably low ceiling you’d like to … [Read more...]