Learn how to spend your money wisely when building a home and get the features you want. Tips and articles about building ideas, good reading if you're planning to build a home.
Because custom built is often synonymous with dream home, property owners may want to make more choices about how and where their money is spent than is usually possible when working with a traditional builder. Whether they want to choose special features, hire certain subcontractors or even do some of the work themselves, owners may prefer to hire a construction manager to control final construction decisions.
Structural engineers specialize in the design of buildings, including housing. Whenever there are modifications or repairs done to existing construction, or framing for additional space, a structural engineer will be part of the picture. Their services also are needed for altering roof structures, such as adding trusses.
There is more to building than sweat and sawdust. Whether building a custom home, adding a bonus room over the garage or remodeling the kitchen, your friendly local building department must be taken into account. You must anticipate their input, and add to your schedule the necessary time for approvals, processing, re-drawing of plans and re-working the changes required to meet code.
Q: I am preparing a 5 acre plot for a manufactured housing community and I am wondering how many homes are the legal limit per acre and what else is required to establish such a community. I have asked others in the industry, but they are tight-lipped as to what is required. Where else can I go to obtain factual information?
Q: I'm in the process of building a new two-storey home. It is already framed and due to a dispute with a lumber company, I might get stuck with about 88 extra sheets of 3/4 inch tongue and groove plywood. I also have about 200 sheets of extra 1/2 inch sheathing.
Should I go ahead and use up the plywood to make a stronger, thicker floor? I will have a lot of hardwood for the finish floor, and some ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathrooms.
Kit homes, also known as Building Systems, consist of modular, panelized or log building components produced in a quality controlled environment. Because modular and panelized homes can be constructed in a factory while the site is being prepared, construction can often be completed within four to eight weeks.
This information can clarify and help answer some questions about planning ahead for home building.
This information can clarify and help answer questions about panelized homes.
Panelizing is the process of taking lumber, pre-cutting the lumber to size and producing a panel in a factory, then designing it for assembly at the building site (basically, the process of making wall sections in a factory instead of out at the construction site).
This information can help clarify and answer questions about timber framing.
The first thing to think about before you decide to move your home is whether it's practical.
Manufactured housing now accounts for more than one in every four new single-family homes sold each year. The modular building system uses assembly line efficiency to build a house without the structure being exposed to rigors of climate and weather. Mass buying of material, assembly line efficiency and a climate controlled atmosphere results in a superior product for less money.
Manufactured modular homes offer a cost effective alternative to conventional construction methods.
Log homes can be quite energy efficient. In some cases, a log wall will outperform a conventional wall frame for R-value, used in calculating energy efficiency. Each wall contains millions of tiny air pockets that store heat in the winter time and cool air in the summer, each radiating back into the room, resulting in greater energy efficiency for the same square footage as a conventionally built home.
Q: I have been trying to find a contractor in the Atlanta, Georgia area that has the expertise and knowledge of leveling a home that was constructed in the 1950's. I have exhausted all my resources and was hoping you could help me. What kind of damage (i.e. drywall, bathroom tile, etc.) will result from leveling a home? Thanks in advance.
Finding the right individual or team of professionals to plan, draw and build your new home can be a lengthy process because there are often no clearly defined boundaries among various home design professionals. Whether you decide to hire someone to design your home and another to build it, or find one firm to do it all, you need to find professionals who understand the nature of your project and can serve your needs. The more time spent during the hiring and planning phases, the fewer problems you should encounter during building and completion.
The best way to do this is to interview several different kinds of building industry professionals. Determine how well they understand your budget, timing and availability; whether their portfolio of past projects reflects your personal tastes; and how much involvement you want in the process. Home Advisor can help you locate a variety of designers, architects and contractors to discuss all of your options.
The following information can help answer some questions about excavating and grading.
Homeowners usually decide to build a new home to be able to choose more options than they can find in an existing house or to live in a specific location. For something very unique, they could choose a timber framed, log, panelized, or other type of "kit" home. These homes are constructed with "building systems" prefabricated in a factory or other controlled environment, then delivered to the building site for completion. However, the vast majority of homes built in the United States are conventionally framed on site from the ground up.
Here are some of the differences between milled log homes and handcrafted log homes.
Hybrid modular buildings offer some degree of customization to modular units for less expense than designing or adapting custom plans by adding panelized or site-built extensions such as such as decks, porches, sunrooms and garages.
Q: We are currently building a cabin and have been told by a sub-contractor that [store name deleted] sells only fourth grade cut materials. Is this true?
Q: I need help. I am trying to find a manual to study for a general building contractor license. Can you help?
The design process is the most important part of building your new home. No matter how good your blueprints are, no matter how competent your builder, your plan must be well thought out and logically developed to ensure a well constructed home that meets your needs, your lifestyle and your unique characteristics. A great home is one that you are happy to wake up in every day, which is efficient in its layout and usage, that is interesting yet practical, and that brings joy into the very basics of living.
Log houses are often built from kits that include all framing, walls, roofs, windows, doors - everything but the foundation. There are more than 200 manufacturers; the method of construction depends on the maker.
Anyone who has experienced getting into a car that's been sitting in the summer sun all day or overnight in the winter appreciates the benefits of a carport. Metal carports can be added to any residence or commercial site. They provide protection for cars, boats, recreational vehicles and sun protection to exposed walls.