If your home’s layout doesn’t meet your needs, you’ve got two good options besides moving. You can change the floor plan by remodeling the space. The second choice is creating more room with an addition. Remodeling vs. a home addition is explored throughout this guide. […]
Adding living space to your home by expanding its footprint is an exciting project. But to get it done, a list of potential hurdles and obstacles must be negotiated. Here’s a step by step process and what to expect: Getting Permits: What it Takes You’ll need multiple permits for your project, as you surely know. The process begins with an application. Your local officials want to know how you intend to alter your home and whether it meets local requirements such as: […]
Building a home, even if you never swing a hammer, is a daunting task. But like a journey of a thousand miles, it begins with a single step. In fact, there are just 10 steps to building a home. Breaking down the process will prevent being overwhelmed by the whole. Not all these of steps apply in every case, so your journey might be a little shorter and less expensive. […]
Are you in the process of planning a home addition or major remodeling project for your home? If so, it’s imperative to know ahead of time just how much a new addition or a particular remodeling upgrade will cost and what value/property appreciation it will contribute to your home. By RNB Design Group Here is a list of the top 10 ideas/inspirations to make your home feel newer and more comfy by adding space and amenities that you and your family are sure to love! 🙂 […]
Major exterior remodeling upgrades such as building a new deck, adding a sun room or reshaping the landscape architecture on your property are exciting and fun, but these projects can go a lot smoother if you have a solid plan in place before any work is done. In many municipal districts i.e. local cities and towns, the local government will normally require a building permit to be “pulled” aka obtained prior to any major remodeling work commencing. Wait, What’s a Building Permit Anyways? A building permit provides a legal verification that the proposed project and its explicit plans meet the local building code requirements and state ordinances. Often times, many homeowners aren’t sure which projects require a permit and which don’t. Not surprisingly, most major projects do. It’s always prudent to contact your local zoning office to double check if your upcoming project(s) will require a permit. Doing this in advance can streamline the process, as approval can sometimes take weeks. When is the Building Permit Required? As a very general rule of thumb, most municipalities go with a figure of $5,000. If your project is priced at over $5,000, then plan on having to get a building permit. But, even if it costs less than that, you may still need one. Remodeling projects where building permits are almost always required include: yard fences over 3 feet tall, room additions, decks, garages, sheds, new windows and siding (to name a few). Upgrades that normally don’t require a permit are: installing hardwood floors or carpeting, minor electrical repairs, interior painting and/or wallpapering. What Happens If I Don’t Pull a Building Permit? Not having a building permit pulled for a project that actually needed one can have major repercussions for you later on. For instance, if you decide to sell your home at some point in the future, then any major upgrades for which the permit was not pulled, could open you up to a law suit, unless you disclose all the “unapproved” upgrades prior to the sale. If a home inspection or appraisal discovers an “unapproved” upgrade (especially, if on top of not having the permit pulled for, the upgrade in question is not in compliance with the local building code), then the buyer’s loan could be denied until or unless the project is remedied in such a way that a proper building permit is obtained. In other words, a time consuming process that could cost the seller a lot of money. There are also potential issues with your home insurance company denying a serious claim and nullifying your policy for non-compliance with the local building code requirements i.e. not pulling the permit and knowingly engaging in unauthorized improvements to your property. A Site Plan Can Help You “Hack” and Speed Up the Whole Building Permit Obtaining Process Part of what obtaining a building permit for some of the larger, outdoor home improvement projects may be significantly less painful — less costly — less time consuming, if you provide a site plan to accompany the proposed renovation. […]
Spring is just around the corner, which means that now is the perfect time to start planning to tackle your next major home improvement project! 😉 With that being said, here the top 20 big ticket home improvement ideas, plus their costs including materials and professional installation. 1. Building a Garage: Detached vs. Attached There is one important consideration to take into the account: building an attached vs. a detached garage. All things being equal a detached garage will cost more to build vs. an attached one. If you opt for a detached garage, expect to pay between $25,000 and $40,000 for labor and materials. But, on top of that, you may also have to plan additional expenses for plumbing, electrical wiring, and heating, if you want to use the garage for more than just storage purposes. The average cost to build a detached garage is $40 per sq. ft. […]
A garage is one of the most-commonly overlooked structures when it comes improving and remodeling a house or buying a new one. More attention is paid to the inside of the house and the garage is just something that’s supposed to exist. Because of this superficial attitude, many home owners later realize they should’ve taken a second look at the garage before making the purchase or a major home improvement decision. Luckily, it’s not difficult to build a new garage. It’s a significant investment however, which is why you have to put a lot of thought into this project. We are here to give you a hand in finding out what you really want. Let us present 15 garage plans, each with its pros and cons. The most common dissatisfaction reasons relate to the size of the garage, because you may say “it’s fine, I don’t have much stuff anyways”, until you have to actually fit everything in there. That’s often when you realize that you have a lot of stuff to store, which may force you to park the car in the driveway. 😉 Drive-thru garage Images via The Garage Plan Shop Here is a 4439 sq. ft. drive-thru garage on a slab foundation. The gable style roof has a truss frame. The front of the garage is made of brick whereas the other walls can be made of wood. The inside of the garage is not compartmentalized in any way. Building 1 sq. ft. of brick wall costs $ which is higher than the price of 1 sq. ft. of wooden wall. The garage can shelter 1 car and it has 2 entries at either side of the building. This design is suitable for properties with access to 2 different streets. The plan costs $500 and the cost to build is estimated at $200,000 because of its huge size. 1-Car gable roof garage Images via The Garage Plan Shop Here’s a much smaller gable style garage on slab foundation. The property measures 424 sq. ft. featuring one large door for vehicles and one smaller door for human use. There are no interior walls and the roof is built on stick framing. The design is perfect for those who want storage space and enough room to shelter a car from bad weather. There is a considerable amount of empty space left along the wall after you park the car inside. You are free to add cabinetry, a counter and even a workbench. The space can be used to open your own car repair shop if you give up on keeping your own car inside. The garage walls are made entirely of brick. You will see this design more often in European countries because Americans prefer wood as building material but why not bring some innovation into your neighborhood? The plan costs $350 and the estimated cost-to-build rises up to $22,000. Modern 1-car garage with sloped roof Images via The Garage Plan Shop This design offers 432 sq. ft. of unheated space on monolithic slab. The roof is framed with truss trusses featuring a rather contemporary design that fits modern houses. Gable style roofs are known to be perfect for rainy or snowy areas because the slope doesn’t not allow snow and/or rain to stop on top of the building. This type of roof design serves this purpose too, but not as well as gable style roofs. There’s a door dedicated to human use, which is a great idea considering the garage is not attached to the house. The walls seem to be made of a combination of wood and brick that go well together. The plan costs $250 and the construction price rises up to $24,000. […]
Building a deck expands your living space outdoors. Just think about all the parties you will throw and all the quiet nights you will spend hanging out with your friends and family on your beautifully-designed and well-built deck! 😉 Here are 15 great examples of deck styles to get your wheels turning. We will also present the costs associated with each deck design, whether you hire a pro or choose to go the DIY route, so you can keep your feet on the ground while your design thinking and imagination are going wild! 😉 Low Budget Deck Design for DIY Enthusiasts Image via Decks.com If you have a small backyard and you don’t want to cut a lot of green space, this deck is the best choice. Building a deck is more convenient than a patio if you’re working on uneven terrain or rocks. You can build a deck as small as 16’x14′, so that you minimize material costs. The least expensive option is pressure treated pine. The materials would cost roughly $2,000. Another great option is redwood that adds about $300 to the material costs. This low elevation deck gives you the space to add a table and a few chairs where you will be free to enjoy a cold beer with your friends. Deck with octagon pergola Image via Decks.com You need more space than earlier to build this deck considering that the smallest size available is 26’x18’6″. The small space on the left easily fits an averagely sized grill. The outdoors furniture goes under the 12’x12′ octagon pergola that not only looks great, but also shades you from the burning sun. It’s not necessary to put chairs and a table in there, you could opt for benches that surround 5 sides of the octagon or a small outdoor sofa with a coffee table in front of it. There are all sorts of options, all you need is imagination and of course, money. The materials required to build this 364 sq. ft. deck cost at least $4,000, if you use pressure treated pine and as much as $10,000 for exotic hardwood. […]
Sunrooms, sun porches and sun lounges, they all mean the same thing. It doesn’t really matter how you call it, we are talking about a room with large windows, and sometimes even a glass roof called conservatory designed to allow plenty of natural light in. Sunrooms are normally additions built and adjoined to the side of a house that faces south, the more south-facing exposure you can get the more light and warmth will get inside the room. If this concept sounds good, we might have just given you an idea for your next home improvement or a fun DIY project! 🙂 Let us be your source of inspiration and share the following 15 sunroom designs to get you started. Sunroom with blinds Image via Homedit At a first sight, blinds may seem to be against the very concept of sunrooms but if you take a moment to think, you will realize it’s actually a brilliant idea. Maybe there are moments when you want some privacy. It’s obviously hard to get that when most of the walls are made of glass. Blinds solve this problem elegantly and also improve the looks of the room. You can’t say that they don’t go perfectly with the furniture in this photo. The cost of a 15×15 ft. sunroom starts at $15,000. Before we introduce the next design, let’s quickly mention some boring, yet absolutely necessary element to consider for your project. […]
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