Thursday, October 20, 2011
A good read
Here is an article that I found interesting. Stresses the importance of a good plan and using good quality materials and making sure everything is built to code.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Home Sizes
Well sort of on the lines of another post I made, I read an article in the Fargo Forum about "not so big" homes. Interesting thing is this architect was born in England so she's quite familiar with efficient layout of homes as in Europe you don't get many gigantarian 2500 sq ft homes that seem to be the norm in the US the last 10 years. Not that I have anything against people building them if they want to and have the means to. My idea is you don't need to, because if a properly executed plan to have a home that you can expand and grow you can save yourself a lot of money. And really do you need a living room, family room and dining room and lately this trend has been becoming the norm with what is called the great room.
But so many people associate living in a small house with cookie cutter houses which leads me to my next point why anyone would spend $120,000 on a house that looks like everyone else in the neighborhood?? I think somehow some of these large home builders that build them have conditioned the human race to believe that this is the only way, and I would guess it comes from larger cities where developers (who are often home builders directly or indirectly) are in control of what goes on those lots. Think back to when American middle class built homes that weren't the same. Driving around Hillsboro I see houses (1500 sf or less even?) that look similar and most likely were built by the same builder hence giving them the same character but still different? Maybe they're more similar than they seem because they're not next door to each other I don't know, but that's besides the point there are a bunch of houses in between which are around the same size/year, but different and separates them so it doesn't feel so cookie cutterish!
Most home builders use some form of cookie cutter anyways, and granted it's a way to keep costs down to make affordable homes because they know what to expect and know exactly how much goes into a house they've built before. But it goes back to having a well planned out plan, notice how I keep going back to plan?!, to execute. This area is horrible at having that done. You can practically get your house built off a 8 1/2 x 11 sketch, your putting a lot of faith into someone doing it right and probably putting a lot of extra dough into it that you wouldn't need to, to achieve the same results. Hence the reason why people should research and plan until they're blue in the face and make sure their plan is executed to their desires and not the general contractors.
So this all wraps up with what kind of plan (blueprint/specs/contracts) you have. The less specific you get the more you leave yourself open to change orders because someone interprets the plan differently than what you intended, once it's in physically they will not change it usually, unless you can put forth a specific plan that says otherwise!, without coughing up some dough! Change Orders are almost always an automatic cha-ching in any level of construction so you start adding all the cha-chings up the food chain of construction (supplier-subcontractor-general contractor in some cases!) that can be a lot of molah out of your pocket! It's kind of like a legal form of scamming they hook you with a "sob story"(bad plan) and then they make off with your money with the change orders. That's were someone like me who would hate to see you seperated from your hard earned cash (unless you're feeling charitable I have a bank account you can deposit it into! :-D) for poor plans you can always contact me to find out more!
But so many people associate living in a small house with cookie cutter houses which leads me to my next point why anyone would spend $120,000 on a house that looks like everyone else in the neighborhood?? I think somehow some of these large home builders that build them have conditioned the human race to believe that this is the only way, and I would guess it comes from larger cities where developers (who are often home builders directly or indirectly) are in control of what goes on those lots. Think back to when American middle class built homes that weren't the same. Driving around Hillsboro I see houses (1500 sf or less even?) that look similar and most likely were built by the same builder hence giving them the same character but still different? Maybe they're more similar than they seem because they're not next door to each other I don't know, but that's besides the point there are a bunch of houses in between which are around the same size/year, but different and separates them so it doesn't feel so cookie cutterish!
Most home builders use some form of cookie cutter anyways, and granted it's a way to keep costs down to make affordable homes because they know what to expect and know exactly how much goes into a house they've built before. But it goes back to having a well planned out plan, notice how I keep going back to plan?!, to execute. This area is horrible at having that done. You can practically get your house built off a 8 1/2 x 11 sketch, your putting a lot of faith into someone doing it right and probably putting a lot of extra dough into it that you wouldn't need to, to achieve the same results. Hence the reason why people should research and plan until they're blue in the face and make sure their plan is executed to their desires and not the general contractors.
So this all wraps up with what kind of plan (blueprint/specs/contracts) you have. The less specific you get the more you leave yourself open to change orders because someone interprets the plan differently than what you intended, once it's in physically they will not change it usually, unless you can put forth a specific plan that says otherwise!, without coughing up some dough! Change Orders are almost always an automatic cha-ching in any level of construction so you start adding all the cha-chings up the food chain of construction (supplier-subcontractor-general contractor in some cases!) that can be a lot of molah out of your pocket! It's kind of like a legal form of scamming they hook you with a "sob story"(bad plan) and then they make off with your money with the change orders. That's were someone like me who would hate to see you seperated from your hard earned cash (unless you're feeling charitable I have a bank account you can deposit it into! :-D) for poor plans you can always contact me to find out more!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Home Show - SIP
Well the home show turned out well, I received quite a few people stopping by to talk. Hopefully some of those people turn into customers! I have been sick and family has been sick since the home show so it's been hard to keep up on this. Anyways I had someone ask me about SIP (Structural Insulated Panels).
I had to do a little investigating on these as I've only had one very indirect experience with them. I've heard of many good things about them though. They can be used on walls and roofs (I'm assuming floors somewhat too if it works for roofs?) so you can create an enclosed house envelope that is virtually sealed off from any air infiltration. Obviously the biggest problem with that is how do you get fresh air in and stopping mold problems! You'd definitely need your HVAC people to be aware of this issue, and use an air exchanger. From my research they say that the SIPs can be up to 60% times more efficient than your standard stick built home. Plus some studies show they're more structurally sound than stick framed, which makes sense if you've ever had hands on touch with the rigid foam insulation they use that stuff is pretty stiff and then you combine it with OSB sheathing would be pretty strong I would think.
The down side is their upfront cost is more, which seems to be the going story with a lot of new building products, but you save money down the road. The biggest problem from my limited reading is running electrical (during construction and after if you happen to do a remodel job) they put "convenient" chases in for the electrical but I imagine some planning has to be done up front to make sure that they're convenient and that they will work. Not sure how a remodel electrical project would go, seems like that is always the case until they invent wireless electricity, will probably always be a problem!
Just curious if anyone reading my blog has had any experience with the SIPs feel free to comment or you can shoot me an email at aretehomecm@hotmail.com! Thanks!
I had to do a little investigating on these as I've only had one very indirect experience with them. I've heard of many good things about them though. They can be used on walls and roofs (I'm assuming floors somewhat too if it works for roofs?) so you can create an enclosed house envelope that is virtually sealed off from any air infiltration. Obviously the biggest problem with that is how do you get fresh air in and stopping mold problems! You'd definitely need your HVAC people to be aware of this issue, and use an air exchanger. From my research they say that the SIPs can be up to 60% times more efficient than your standard stick built home. Plus some studies show they're more structurally sound than stick framed, which makes sense if you've ever had hands on touch with the rigid foam insulation they use that stuff is pretty stiff and then you combine it with OSB sheathing would be pretty strong I would think.
The down side is their upfront cost is more, which seems to be the going story with a lot of new building products, but you save money down the road. The biggest problem from my limited reading is running electrical (during construction and after if you happen to do a remodel job) they put "convenient" chases in for the electrical but I imagine some planning has to be done up front to make sure that they're convenient and that they will work. Not sure how a remodel electrical project would go, seems like that is always the case until they invent wireless electricity, will probably always be a problem!
Just curious if anyone reading my blog has had any experience with the SIPs feel free to comment or you can shoot me an email at aretehomecm@hotmail.com! Thanks!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Remodel or Build New
One of my relatives sent this blog post to me. It has an interesting take on the idea of building new vs remodeling. Although I would like to focus on building new in my business, but will also do major remodels also. In the early to mid 2000s people were building like there was no tomorrow. My coworkers and I wondered where are these people coming from that are building all these $200,000+ homes there was no way any of us could afford it and we were all making above the national average in salary. Obviously it was coming from lenders giving money out like free tacos at Taco Bell!
I've always loved walking into an older home that has been remodeled but hasn't lost it's character. Too many times I think first time homebuyers fall into the trap of buying a cheaply and hastily built cookie cutter that probably will be showing it's sign of age before they can turn around and try to sell it for the same amount of money that the same said homebuilder is selling a new home for to the next prospective first time homebuyer!
*I* truly believe that with just about any amount of money over $50,000 I could build you a quality UNIQUE "home". Is it going to be a mansion like Mr. and Mrs. Jones down the road definitely not! You can save your hard earned money and a few years down the road add on again and again and again. So come middle age you would have your "mansion" yet wouldn't be drowning in debt! Now there are people out there that could come out and pay for it all in cash too, all the more power to you, I have nothing against that either, I'll help you build your house too! Since nobody ever really told me how when or why about buildng/buying a house, we just all have this misconception that we have to buy the "mansion" to start with, and we don't.
I think that quite a few people have learned a painful lesson the last 2-3 years, no amount of credit is going to be enough in this world if we start living off credit. You have to control what you do have, and YOU can control on how you build/buy/remodel your next house! *I* will not be shoving a cookie cutter house down your throat saying this is the only option you have at this price, although your options may be limited!
I've always loved walking into an older home that has been remodeled but hasn't lost it's character. Too many times I think first time homebuyers fall into the trap of buying a cheaply and hastily built cookie cutter that probably will be showing it's sign of age before they can turn around and try to sell it for the same amount of money that the same said homebuilder is selling a new home for to the next prospective first time homebuyer!
*I* truly believe that with just about any amount of money over $50,000 I could build you a quality UNIQUE "home". Is it going to be a mansion like Mr. and Mrs. Jones down the road definitely not! You can save your hard earned money and a few years down the road add on again and again and again. So come middle age you would have your "mansion" yet wouldn't be drowning in debt! Now there are people out there that could come out and pay for it all in cash too, all the more power to you, I have nothing against that either, I'll help you build your house too! Since nobody ever really told me how when or why about buildng/buying a house, we just all have this misconception that we have to buy the "mansion" to start with, and we don't.
I think that quite a few people have learned a painful lesson the last 2-3 years, no amount of credit is going to be enough in this world if we start living off credit. You have to control what you do have, and YOU can control on how you build/buy/remodel your next house! *I* will not be shoving a cookie cutter house down your throat saying this is the only option you have at this price, although your options may be limited!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
What IS Arete Home CM Services?
I'm guessing there will be questions to the effect of "What exactly are you doing?" Well here is the answer to that question. My goal is to meet with people when they're in the designing stage of their new home/addition and help them get construction documents first for bidding and then to build off of, and finally record drawings of what actually was built! What are construction documents? They include the specifications, the blueprints, and the contracts for various parts of the project. The contracts lead into the other side of the business; management! With the management part I will be project managing the project for the homeowners so they don't have to worry about keeping the plumbers from putting drains through the electrical lines and vice versa! Also will be making sure the job is done right, as it seems these days shortcuts are becoming more common. As are mistakes due to people not realizing what they can and can't do. Also this will give the homeowner/buyer more control over the project because they ultimately will make the decision, I will just be an advisor. Hopefully they can achieve a much better quality home for a better price!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The beginning!
After many years of dreaming what would be my dream job and occupation and how I wanted to go about doing it. Last spring I was given the perfect idea that was close to what I was thinking I wanted to do. So now I've started and hopefully I can continue as I find home construction extremely interesting and enjoy helping people build their dream home! I will hopefully post updates on this blog of projects I'm working on and completed and also any current events and news that pertain to the residential construction industry. So spread the word I am looking for customers!
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