BiggerPockets

What you need to know about Home construction price

Wednesday, September 29

 Undoubtedly before you embark on any home construction project whether it be home remodeling for an existing house, new home construction, kitchen remodeling or room addition, you would wisely research how pricing construction and home construction rate work. Assessing and pricing construction projects are not too complicated to understand and are definitely not quantum mechanics science. As an experienced general contractor in Los Angeles I know how my clients think and what would make them happy, they basically want the best of the best in terms of quality and materials for as low as possible. Sometimes I can almost hear them think what they don’t dare ask – “do it for free “. Well unfortunately and as the old saying goes, nothing is free in life. Knowing that home construction price is the main factor in the decision making process of most people; I tend to explain how “prices construction” works and how I actually calculate estimations.     

In general the factors a home contractor takes into account are: materials, labor, equipment, licenses and permits, office expenses, time and scope of work. All these elements must be considered very carefully and thoroughly before the final building cost is presented to the client. Any home construction rate may also vary according to the quality of the materials and the subcontractor’s credentials, as well as the area and state where the project is done because of differences in permits costs and charges. To avoid over-charging or under-charging the experienced home contractor also studies and reviews past projects and current costs of materials to come up with an accurate answer to the “prices construction” question, as it is often asked by my clients.      

To elaborate a little on the cost of materials let us start with the fact that on any single home construction or home remodeling project, builders use more then one kind of material, whether it be just tile installation, counter top replacement, bathroom remodeling or even painting a house, the materials and equipment necessary are many and the accumulative cost of all of them can be very expensive for the contractor, thus making the home construction price high in the eyes of the home owner. Many a times the contractor would need to rent heavy machinery and equipment for the job and this too can bring the home construction rate higher. The cost of specific materials can change according to the quality, the strength and brands. For instance tile varies in price tremendously, depending on the kind and brand, therefore a bathroom remodeling can change considerably from one project to anther, while wood price for framing is relatively the same. Of course it is not the place or the scope of this information to detail the prices of materials, but rather to give an idea of what is involved in pricing construction jobs.     

Professional labor, as mentioned before is another significant aspect in the equation of home construction rate a general contractor will place in the estimate. Crews of trained, experienced and licensed professionals have earned their expertise with a lot of sweat and years of hard work in the field and therefore legitimately deserve a fair salary for the high-end job they deliver. When it comes to home construction and home remodeling, precision and craftsmanship is crucial and should not be under estimated by home owners because the difference between an expert and an amateur is huge. Furthermore, cutting corners and hiring non professionals is going to cost more in the long run and needless to say that many of them are unlicensed which makes it also illegal. A good home contractor will chose a craftsman who has the know-how and over of brand named materials if he needs to keep the budget low in the pricing construction process.    

When considering home improvement work you have to decide why you are doing it.

Wednesday, September 29

Are you contemplating house remodeling because you want to fix up your house before you put it up on the market for sale? Or are you considering home remodeling because you plan to stay in your house and want to improve your living space?

If your goal of house remodeling is fixing up your home to sell it, you may want to contact a local real estate agent. A walk through your house may allow an agent to suggest areas for home improvement that will help you sell a house in today’s overstocked housing market.

However, if you’re contemplating home improvement in order to stay where you are, you need to figure out which areas are most in need of improvement. Then, assign a number to each area (kitchen, bathroom, etc.), with “1” being the most important and “5” being the least.

That’s done; it’s time to determine how much money you can afford to spend on house remodeling. In today’s economy, it’s vital to have at least a full year’s living expenses put away for a rainy day. Since few jobs are lifetime positions, beside Supreme Court Justice, try not to touch your nest egg to pay for house remodeling.

When you’ve decided what you need done, and how much you can afford to spend on home remodeling, you now need to seek out a licensed contractor.  Some homeowners think they can save money by having their third cousin on their mother’s side do the work on the cheap. They couldn’t be more wrong!

A licensed contractor is needed for any work that requires a building permit and for any home remodeling where the material and labor costs exceeds $1,000. There are three kinds of licensed contractors: General Engineering Contractor, General Building Contractor and Specialty Contractor.

A General Building Contractor is primarily involved with building structures. This is your contractor for room additions and houses and who coordinates and manages all the other aspects of home construction and remodeling.

Home improvement will involve both spending money and experiencing a bit of inconvenience. The ultimate result, however, whether selling your home or improving your living space, is sure to put a big smile on your face!

http://www.greenfutureconstruction.com

Green Construction is the newest trend in home building

Wednesday, September 29

 The green revolution is slowly but surely taking root in the construction industry like in all other arenas of modern life. Today world awareness of global warming and environmental issues becomes common knowledge and all around the world people are starting to act on this very critical problem in many ways, and as we shall see, the most immediate  way to adapt good “Green Habits” is at our home. We don’t need to go out there and fight with all the big destructive “Red industries” such as the petroleum industry, to save our precious planet, but rather we can do it quietly yet effectively with green design and construction of our home. More then ever the old saying “charity begins at home” proves to be right, only now a days this charity can have far reaching ramifications that can benefit also our big home – our planet.

Green construction will become the convention as more and more ecological regulations and laws supervising the industrial sector are mandated. The cities of the future will be completely self sustainable in terms of energy consumption, and architects will need to follow strict green design and construction criteria. As a matter of fact, most of the technology for environmental friendly construction already exists and it is only a question of time until we see it being implemented on a regular basis in home and building design. 

General contractors too will need to reassess their approach to home improvement and remodeling, putting Eco friendly concepts on green construction to use on every job they do. For instance, recycling of old materials from the job site is completely easy to do with huge benefits to the environment in terms of waist control and reduction. Builders and general contractors only need to do a small attitude revision and a little learning to upgrade and take part in this global change of going green.

The industrial revolution that started 150 years ago brought advances but also marked the beginning of dangers down slope to the environment. Now is the time to start using technologies that can work harmoniously with the wonderful world we live in without compromising our quality of life. Smart green design and construction is the way to go and general contractors and re-modelers as well as home owners are obligated to consider how to implement green construction technologies and products on every remodeling project, small or big !.

Some thoughts on custom kitchen remodeling design and kitchen makeover

Wednesday, September 29

As the kitchen is the heart of a home and the focal point of most households, kitchen renovation is usually required every few years. For many, the kitchen is the most important part of the house. It is a place where the family congregates during daily meals, holiday entertaining and other activities, and as such, kitchen remodeling and makeover is one of the most common home remodeling jobs general contractors deal with. Having a kitchen that will meet your needs is not a luxury but rather a necessity…and in fact, with today’s kitchen remodeling ideas, one doesn’t need to spend a lot of money on custom kitchen remodeling design …even a simple kitchen makeover will suffice.

On the importance of room addition plans and design

Tuesday, September 28

If you want to increase the resale value of your house or just need more living space for the convenience of your extended family, adding on to an existing structure is a great way to increase square footage and value to your home.

Any form of home addition, whether it’s a master bedroom addition, second story addition, or even a sunroom addition, is a complex construction project. Sometimes building a room addition is even more difficult than building a small home. For one, the connection details with the existing structure are tough, and therefore the room addition plans must be extremely accurate. For instance, the wall and roof heights are a very important factor to consider. The roof line, overhang, gutter board, soffits etc…all must match perfectly on the outside with the new home addition. Sometimes a bedroom addition has a crawl space which needs ventilation to eliminate moisture problems and dampness, so the crawl space should be connected with the crawl space of the existing structure. 

There are other things to consider when building a home addition or even a small room addition that never are an issue when you build a new home from scratch. Working around people and finished surfaces requires extra care; dust and utility (electric - plumbing) interruptions must be kept to a minimum and even the heating and cooling system is taken in to consideration. When working on the room addition plans the architect and home contractor must remember to evaluate the heating and cooling system needed for the new bedroom addition or home addition. Extending the existing heating and cooling system into the room addition may not be enough because the furnace and air conditioner were sized accurately for the original house, but they will not provide enough air for the new addition. If you are adding several hundred feet of new floor area, you would need a significant upgrade of your heating and cooling system. Another crucial aspect of room addition design is making sure the ceilings meet at the right height. This requires careful calculation of the foundation height from the point where the "break-through" or "connection" will be. Otherwise the floors do not line up.

So whether it’s a bedroom addition, second story addition or just a bathroom addition, it is a serious task that definitely requires a lot of expertise and experience.