January 30, 2014

Residential Remodeling

When we buy a house we are excited because we finally stopped renting that tiny apartment we lived in for so many years. Everything looks pretty and new, but as the years go by our house starts looking outdated and is no longer pleasant to get home at the end of the day because we got bored of our own house! That shouldn’t happen. We should be happy with the place we live in and we should invest in it because it´s our house and it´s worth it. However, our house is not the only important place we have to take care of. We live in our house, but we also live in this planet and we should take equal care of our planet.

If you are thinking about a residential remodeling, you should also take into account factors that will benefit or reduce harm to our environment and our planet. We are all aware of the horrible things our planet is going through and about how serious global warming is. A lot of people think they shouldn´t bother because one household is not going to make a difference but you have to know you are not the only one! Day a day, more and more people are becoming more aware of the importance of taking care of the environment and are taking measures to be more eco-friendly and reduce waste and emissions.

As part of your residential remodeling, you should consider adding more insulation to your house so that your home is more energy efficient and wastes less of it. You can add solar panels, geothermal HVAC systems, and water reclamation systems. Little by little, all these things will make a difference. Another good idea is to get triple-glazed windows, whose seal is more resistant and they don’t let the AC escape, thus they waste less energy.


If you are really interested in doing all these things, you should look for a construction company that has green building principles. There are some companies, like Red and Blue Construction, that care about the environment and can give you plenty of advice on how to make your home more energy efficient at the same time that they can make remodeling changes to enhance it! 

January 21, 2014

Designing Your Dream House



There are so many reasons why you should design your own house and build it instead of just buying any house you find. That way if you kind of have an idea of what you want you won’t have to settle for anything less. You can hire a construction company and let them know exactly what you want for your house and they’ll do it for you.

Maybe you are the kind of person who’s always dreamt about designing your own house. Maybe you want a big kitchen or a mini living room in your bedroom where you can relax and talk to your spouse without having your children running around or maybe you want to add a convertible couch in your kid’s room for when friends sleep over. Those things probably wouldn’t be possible if you bought a house because most rooms in new houses don’t have enough space for all that, unless they’re like a million dollars.

Furthermore, if you decide to build your own house then you will be able to hire a construction company of your preference. You will be able to inspection the construction process as it moves forward, and if there’s something you don’t like you’ll be able to correct it on time. Since you’ll be able to supervise the entire construction process, you will make sure that all building codes are followed.  Plus, believe it or not, many times it is way cheaper to buy land and start constructing with a construction company of your choice than a buying a house.


But always remember that if you do decide to design and construct your own house, you want to avoid getting the cheapest general contractor or construction company you find because that would put you at risk of getting lousy work done and you might not be satisfied with the results, so try to get a well-known construction company. 

January 13, 2014

Commercial Remodeling

Commercial remodeling can be expensive, thus many business owners put it off for as long as they can. Walls get dirty, the paint starts peeling off, but it can hold a little longer, right? They think that way because they don’t want to spend money on painting the entire building and much less undergo an entire commercial remodeling. It takes years to make business owners finally decide to remodel their company and when they do, they tend to go for the cheapest construction company nobody has ever heard of.

If you own a business you understand the need of cutting down expenses and saving as much as possible but it’s good to remember that you always get what you pay for. Hiring a construction company with a strong reputation might be pricier but the quality of their work will be noticeable. Also, remodeling your business is not an expense but an investment. More people will be attracted to your company if they see renovations, so you will get back the investment you made while renovating since you will have more customers interested in your business.

The main reason why you should hire a professional company with vast experience is because commercial  buildings are subject to several building codes and regulations that a cheap construction company may not be aware of or may not follow! You never know when you are going to receive an inspection and if they find out you are violating any building codes you might be required to pay fines that will be a lot more expensive than the money you would have paid for a reputable construction company.        

If you happen to be an entrepreneur then you probably had to make a lot of effort to be able to set up your business and you don’t want its reputation to be damaged by a sloppy construction company. Your business deserves the best and you shouldn’t trust an unknown construction company with something you worked so hard to get.                                                                                                                          

January 10, 2014

Construction Contractor Insurance

Construction projects are really expensive, whether it is that you are building a house or maybe a new facility for your business. I understand the impulse to cut down costs in any way possible. You may want to buy cheap materials, or get more affordable subcontractors. But what you must keep in mind is that you always get what you pay for. Those cheap materials will eventually break or deteriorate a lot faster than more expensive, high quality ones. Also, subcontractors that request lower wages tend to have less experience, and less knowledge about what they are doing.

Did you know that residential and commercial contractors are required to have a construction contractor insurance? I think a lot of people who are in need of contractors are home builders that don’t really know much about the construction industry and aren’t really aware of the requirements that contractors are supposed to meet so they just go for whoever they find. However, this may result in unpleasant situations for all parties involved.

Contractor insurance offers protection to both the contractor and the clients. If there’s any damage or injury
 on persons or property then they can rest assured that the insurance will cover those damages. And the contractor doesn’t have to worry about having to pay for any damages caused during the construction process. Another big plus and a major reason why all contractors should count with insurance is that the insurance doesn’t only cover the client and the contractor, but they also cover third parties. Construction sites can be dangerous to anyone who just happens to be nearby and if a random person or object like a vehicle get injured or damaged, the insurance will also cover that.


Insurance will certainly save you a lot of trouble in case an unfortunate accident were to happen. So next time you are looking to hire a contractor make sure to ask if they have a contractor insurance! 

January 7, 2014

DIY Construction Management Fail!



Nowadays, do-it-yourself projects are becoming more and more popular. Everyone loves do-it-yourself projects because they can be fun, entertaining, and because you can learn how to do different things that you never thought you were capable of. However, there are certain things that you should leave for professionals because they require more knowledge and expertise. 

When it comes to construction projects you need to hire people who are qualified for the project but you might be inclined to act as the general contractor and be in charge of coordinating the project and the workers, just like me. So let me tell you my story:

When I was younger I bought a house which was incredibly small, but at the time it was the only thing I could afford. As I was able to save some money over the years, I decided to make an extension and build two more rooms. I created a budget myself and bought all the materials needed for the project with the advice of one of the workers. It’s important to point out I found the subcontractors online and I failed to request for any license or proof that they were qualified for the job. 

So my plan was to oversee the project even though I wasn’t available all day because I had another job. But still I thought I could coordinate the workers and make sure they were doing the right job. When the job was done everything seemed alright and I thought “another successful DIY project completed”! Days later I started noticing that the plumbing job wasn’t good at all. 
For some reason, the water pressure was terrible. It was impossible for two people to take a shower at the same time! And that was something I never thought about checking because I really didn’t know what I was supposed to watch out for.

Also, since I didn’t know what materials I should get one of the guys I hired was the one who advised me on that and I think he chose really low quality products. Just a few months after the job was done the wall in the rooms started peeling off. This really taught me that when it comes to big projects that cost thousands of dollars it’s better to pay a professional to ensure quality because the truth is that there are things we just don’t have the knowledge for.