A few months ago, my friend (who I’ll call Clare for the sake of this true story) was in the position to choose a contractor for the small, charming century-old house she gutted and is bringing back to life. Clare got full bids from two contractors. Contractor Artisan’s bid was more expensive by 10s of…
Everyone likes a deal. A steal. A feeling that you just saved more money on your remodel than anyone in the history of the world. But sometimes that quest can bring regrets. That’s what happened to Charles Chang, who did a complete remodel on a very trashed property for about $40,000. See the whole story…
Perhaps you’ve heard this quip when a spacecraft is launched: “There goes the lowest bid.” In my mind, trying to get the lowest bid for a remodeling project is just as foolish. And a lot of contractors agree with me. Gayler Construction explains very clearly how buying remodeling services is not even remotely like buying a…
Here we have two identical windows on the same wall in a bathroom. A spider has built a web on one window (top), but not the other (bottom). Do you wonder why? It’s all about air leaks and food. Spiders don’t choose their home sites like we do. They don’t check Zillow for nearby home prices,…
Vernon McKown, co-owner of Ideal Homes of Norman, Okla., is a pretty enlightened green builder whom I heard speak last week at the International Builder’s Show in Orlando. The topic was how to build affordable green homes and Vern made a shocking statement: He said he’s quitting all green-building rating systems programs. That includes Energy Star…
If you already think a remodeling contractor is entitled to an item titled “Markup and Profit” in the bid, you can skip this post. But if you cringe at this concept, and try to negotiate markup and profit out of the bid, keep reading. As far as I can tell, there are three major types…
Here’s an embarrassing situation: Your air conditioner stops working so you call out the repair company. When they arrive, they’re puzzled to see a bare concrete slab where your air conditioner used to be. Your AC has been stolen. This happens and not infrequently, unfortunately. Thieves can sell the copper in an AC unit for…
In most communities, garage sale signs are so ubiquitous as to be a nuisance. After all, most of us have too much stuff and we need to get rid of it. And these days, to pocket some cash is a happy thing. But in New Orleans, which got flooded in 2005 when the defective federal…
Each year, following the release of Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report, we see a slew of headlines telling us “It Doesn’t Pay to Remodel Your Home.” But despite the naysayers, a home-renovation project can still be profitable — even in this current market. As any savvy DIYer will notice, the costs of the…
Will you get your money back on that bathroom remodel when you sell your house? How about that new deck? How much will that increase the value of your house? For hard numbers on how much you’ll get back from your remodel, you can’t do better than the Cost vs. Value Report put out each…