Building your own home can be exciting yet nerve racking experience. Paying attention to detail throughout the construction process will help streamline the process and increase your ultimate satisfaction with the home. Here are eight little things not to forget when building your new home.

Ample High Performance Lighting - Be sure to install ample high output energy efficient lighting in high use areas. This rule absolutely applies to kitchens and bathrooms. If installing recessed lighting, be sure to several lights through out the kitchen or bathroom to avoid shadows. Chandeliers, track lighting, florescent lights or under cabinet light will all work fine. Just be sure to install plenty of them in high use areas.

Insulate Your Garage - Most builders only install insulation within interior walls of the home that face the outside of the house. Generally, builders do not insulate the exterior walls of your garage. Forget this tip and your garage will be hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. Have your builder insulate the exterior facing walls of your garage before the drywall is installed. Better yet, do it yourself to save some money.

Electrical Outlets Under Eaves - If you like to install lights during the holiday season on your roof line, be sure to install electrical outlets under the eaves to simplify installing the lights. Also be sure to install a switch to turn the lights on or off from inside your home near the front entrance. When you are up on that ladder on a blustery winter day, you will be thankful you can just plug the lights in with minimal extension cords and flip the lights on or off with a switch from inside your home. Speaking of holiday lights, install an outlet near the mantel of your fireplace too.

Double Coaxial Connections in Wall Jacks - Given the popularity of high definition televisions and digital video recorders, be sure to run two coaxial cables into each wall jack where you may want a TIVO or DVR unit. This will allow you to record one show and watch another simultaneously. Forget and you will need to drop that second coaxial line later which can be very tricky after drywall is installed.

Gas Line In Utility Room - Even if you plan to use an electric clothes dryer, it may be prudent to install a gas line into your utility room to allow for a gas clothes dryer in the future. Although gas prices are on the rise, if you have a large family and do many loads of laundry each week it may be cheaper in the long run to use gas. If you do not add a gas line in the utility room, an electric clothes dryer will be your only option.

Seal Your Garage Floor - Consider sealing your garage floor before moving into the home. Concrete sealer is available in do-it-yourself kits that will protects your garage floor from deterioration caused by road salts and prevent stains due to oil and other fluids. It also adds to the aesthetics of the garage and may make your home more marketable when you sell in the future. You might also consider a drain in the floor of your garage.

Ample Height for Shower Heads - This may seem like a no brainer. However, if you forget to raise your shower head to a comfortable height during construction, you will have to squat or bend over while you should be relaxing under a nice warm shower.

Automatic Pool Water Filler - When installing a pool or spa, remember to hook the pool fill line into your sprinkling system so you can automate adding water to your pool. This is especially convenient in the south where water evaporation rates are high in the summer. This will allow you to set one zone of your sprinkling system to add water to your pool. You then simply tell it to run 10 or 15 minutes once a week.

The character of your home will often shine through in the details. Paying attention to the details, such as those noted above, will help increase your satisfaction with your new home and should help simplify your lifestyle.

For more home improvement and remodeling related tips visit: www.inhomeimprovements.com

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ORGANIZE! To make the job easier and ensure your percentage of good ideas is as high as possible, you need a strategy to organize your information. Use a three-ring binder or expandable file folder. You must keep copies of all contracts, change orders, invoices, receipts, and permits. These will be invaluable if you have disputes with your contractors and when tax time comes around. Other sections to consider are ideas from magazines, quotes, contractor contact info, and so forth.

You can purchase an organizer at www.remodelingorganizer.com

Don’t be afraid to play designer. Many amateur home designers come up with great ideas, and since you are living in your home day after day, you can have better ideas than the pros. So get out a pencil, make 100 copies of your current floor plan, and sketch out all the alternatives. It doesn’t matter how great or bad they are, experiment with alternatives. At this point it’s free, so enjoy!

But don’t get too wild and crazy. You are almost always better to stick with a traditional size and shape in a home, both for resale value and cost for your remodel. Having a kitchen on the second floor may strike you as a clever and unique solution, but if it means moving the gas, electrical wiring, and plumbing up to the second floor, this change will add significantly to the project costs. And don’t install bright orange tile on all the floors: If you have to move unexpectedly, most prospective buyers will deduct the cost to replace it from their offer.

Figure out what you can do yourself. Have contractors itemize their quotes to determine which phases of your project you might be able to do yourself and which ones you want to hire someone to do. Tasks you might consider doing include project management, demolition, rough electrical wiring, installation of cabinets, fixtures, and appliances, and finish work. Tasks you should probably leave to the pros include foundation work, framing, installing sheetrock and breaker boxes, and connecting your home to the electrical service.

Consider practice remodeling. If you aren’t quite ready to commit to doing part of the work yourself, get some hands-on experience. Find a small project around the house and tackle it yourself, such as putting a floor in the attic or building shelving in the garage. Or offer to help out a neighbor or volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity project. These experiences will give you a firsthand look at the work. Alternately, you might take an education course at Home Depot, Lowe’s, or another building material store.

Tips for finding a contractor:

Always make sure your contractor is fully licensed with state and local governments. Make sure the license is valid and up to date?do not rely on the contractor’s word. You should contact your state, county, and city governments for information on the contractor’s license. The website www.contractors-license.org lists licensing requirements for all fifty states. Also make sure the contractor is fully insured and carries worker’s compensation, liability, and property damage insurance.

Follow this contract check list: Every contract should include:

Contractor information including name, address, telephone numbers, license number.

A list of what the contractor will and will not do?for example, the tasks you have chosen to do, such as painting or demolition.

All materials, sizes, colors, specifications.

A dated copy of all drawings and diagrams. If changes need to be made during the project, they should be made to these documents and initialed and dated by both you and the contractor.

Start and finish dates.

The times work will start and finish and the days of the week that workers will be at your home.

How change orders will be handled.

A warranty for one year.

A binding arbitration clause.

A statement of how the contract can be canceled.

A statement that the contractor will provide affidavits of final release, final payment, or final lien waivers from all subcontractors and suppliers.

Use the Remodel-or-Move Calculator to estimate your costs. Available at www.remodelormove.com, this calculator will give you an estimate by including information about the rooms that will be remodeled, the level of finish that you want, how you will manage the project, and where your home is located. Because it is fully automated, it allows you to try a number of different combinations of materials and room changes quickly, and it’s free.

Dan Fritschen is the creator of http://www.remodelormove.com, a homeowner support organization that helps homeowners become better informed so that they can make the right decision on whether to remodel or move. He is also the author of the book Remodel or Move? Making the Right Decision, available from ABCD Publishing, LLC. He can be reached at dan@abcdpublishing.com

If you like to cook, or even if you just do it from necessity, having a homely, organized, and modern kitchen is probably important to you. Although, the traditionally kitchens are still out there, there are so many new, modern elements that can add luxury and class and convenience to any home. Kitchens have changed with the way humans have changed in the last few years. We have become more demanding of our time and having less of it to spend cooking. Many of us are on the move, always busy, looking for time saving methods. Then, there are those of us who are more interested in having a stylish kitchen, rather then workable. Others, prefer the look and feel of a country kitchen. With so many options out there and so much to consider, it is easy to become frustrated.

Consider your options and your needs when remodeling or even building a kitchen. Your options for kitchen equipment will be the first priority. What do you need and want in your kitchen? Do you want state of the art appliances or will ordinary models do? Do you want two ovens as opposed to the standard one? Dishwasher? What type of refrigerator will you want? Side by side, drawers under the counter? Maybe a larger freezer section? Also to consider is the amount of work surface you will need. Maybe a center island would provide extra room for preparations? Would you like a breakfast nook? Do you want all of your dining area to be in the kitchen or do you have a dining room? How many people will you plan to serve on a regular day? If you have children, you will want to ensure their safety in regards to appliances and counters.

Yet another thing to consider is space. How much space you have will depict what you have room for. Cabinets and pantry style storage is important as well. Perhaps you like modern style kitchens. An option for space here is to use more of a mobile kitchen. From the entire work surfaces and cooking surfaces to just appliances, many things within the kitchen can be mobile. Manufactures make products that can literally pick up and go at a moments notice.

Once you have your kitchen needs and appliances set, consider the style you are going to decorate it in. Maybe a country kitchen is the look you like. If so, adding some rustic items to your collection would add charm and a relaxed feel. A big farmers table and chairs would be an added touch. Is the space you are working in outdoors? Outdoor kitchens are also a big hit these days. Just about any type of appliance and cookware can be made to work outdoors. Grilling is the most thought of outdoor cooking style, but it is far from the only.

There are many stores that specialize in kitchens as well. Kitchens Etc and KITCHENS are two. These places offer an immense amount of options for whatever style you are looking for. Some carry large appliances as well. Small utensils, cookware, even decorations can be found in just about every make and model. You can shop these store online if you cannot find one near you. They make a great way of adding to or helping to remodel any kitchen. Definitely a place to start when looking for ideas of what you want your new kitchen to look like.

About The Author

Mike Yeager, Publisher

http://www.a1-kitchen-cabinets-4u.com/

mjy610@hotmail.com

The classic way for homeowners to increase the value of their house is by remodeling existing rooms or adding on to its current plan.

Some choose to build recreation rooms and studies while others add new appliances, fixtures and cabinets to enliven rooms and make their home more attractive to future buyers.

But, when should you decide to stop sinking money into a home and buy a bigger place? And how much rehab is too much when it comes time to recovering remodeling costs through a home sale

For instance, if you?ve just spent $1,000 remodeling your living room and didn?t expand your small bathroom, the chances of increasing the number of interested buyers are slim.

With these concerns in mind, I can offer a few tips for those struggling to add value to their home.

First, always protect the character of your home. Nothing sticks out more than a new addition that is in a completely different architectural style. Be consistent. Recognize your home?s character and stay within its framework.

The most financially rewarding areas to remodel are usually the kitchen and bath. Newly re-done cooking spaces and cabinets can attract more buyers and may command a slightly higher price for the home than a comparable one on the market. Simple repairs that are made to last will bring you the biggest returns upon sale.

Enlarged bathrooms are the most popular attraction for new home buyers, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Today, the most popular additions for younger buyers are sunken whirlpool baths and showers. But be sure to install modest, solid amenities. It?s easy to quickly over-spend on bathroom fixtures.

Buyers are, by convention, more interested in above-ground living space ? not basements, yards and walkways. Swimming pools can be a poor investment if installed for the sole purpose of increasing a home?s value; it?s rare that a pool?s cost will be recovered in a home sale. It can also be a negative feature for potential buyers with very young children.

Replacing worn carpeting, tiles and wood floors can give your home an immediate advantage over similar properties in the area. Updating paint colors in all areas of your home can also prove beneficial.

However, it?s recommended that you use neutral colors, such as gray, beige and off-white when adding new floor and wall coverings. Fewer buyers will then turn away because of differing tastes.

Stay simple with your remodeling and look at your home as though you were the buyer. Chances are that if you find the upstairs bedroom could be brightened by a larger window, potential buyers will probably feel the same.

Don?t go overboard. Concentrate on improving two or three deficiencies in your home. More than likely, the time and money you spend adding quality to your home will be rewarded with greater profit at selling time.

About The Author

W. Troy Swezey is the author of ?REMODELING YOUR HOME: HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul & Associates, he has helped many individuals with their real estate needs. Visit his web site to download his free e-book, ?REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED.? http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com or mail to: TroyC21@usa.net

With today?s new building procedures, our homes are more dangerous than ever before!

Scientific evidence now shows that the air inside our homes is 2-5 times more polluted than the air outside. And because we spend about 90 percent of our time inside, indoor air quality has become one of the top environmental health threats in the country.

With today?s new construction practices, buildings are no longer made to breathe. Pollutants trapped inside our home can cause chronic symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, skin rashes and itchy eyes. Some pollutants may have more serious effects, including asthma and cancer.

While this seemed like a good idea at the time, buildings are now made so air tight that the pollutants produced in the building accumulate and have no way to escape.

On of the major problems to arise in recent years is black mold, and it?s become a nationwide epidemic. It?s now responsible for destroying the lives of thousands of unsuspecting victims. And until we find out how to control this menace, the situation is only going to get worse.

If you want to find out how to wipe out the black mold threat in your home, be sure to sign up for this upcoming no-charge, consumer awareness teleseminar.

It?s called?

The Unadulterated Truth About Black Mold: What You Don?t Know Is Destroying Your Home And Your Health

Here are just 4 of the strategies that will be revealed on the call…

Last year, we bought this big ol’ 1887 house. We are just now coming to grips with the magnitude of the upgrades planned.

With a baby on the way and Little Lady all of two years old burning calories faster than pillagers burn the Amazon rainforest, how tough can upgrades really be?

Ever since we bought the house, my wife has been urging me to tear that thing down.

That thing, at the foot of our lane, had been a shelter to keep kids dry while waiting for the school bus. It had seen better days. Like when paint could still be seen on the wood. Like when it stood upright ? taller even than the weeds! ? before gravity won the battle.

That thing was our very own Roman ruins … minus the Roman part, of course. So I finally tore it down.

What? my wife asked. You tore it down?

Yup.

But how will people find us, now?

We had used that thing as a marker, even a beacon. Turn right on County Road 7, and just keep going until you see the eyesore. You can’t miss it. That’s us.

Houses grow and age just like people. Sometimes the old gets in the way of the new. Sometimes you have to rip things apart to build them up.

Recently, I was ripping apart a couple walls of the soon-to-be nursery. I assured my wife it would be a two- to four-hour job. To avoid inhaling an overdose of plaster dust, she and Little Lady escaped to exile at Grandma’s for the afternoon.

Twelve hours later …

The clock ticked past midnight before those two to four hours showed me mercy. Little Lady and her pregnant mom wisely chose to remain in exile overnight. Instead of resting my weary muscles, I had a jungle of ? hack, hack - plaster dust nearly a foot deep to dispose of. Beach party, anyone?

If tearing it all down took so long, how many hours will it take to put up the new walls, including the wall overlooking the staircase? (Did I mention I’m afraid of heights?)

How long will it take to cut and place the trim (baseboards, casing, crown molding, and a new window sill ? I broke the old one trying to pry loose a lathe strip)?

How long will it take to hang a new door? To sand the old floor? To clean up the big mess? To lift the wallboard to the second floor? To return to the store for more nails or to replace lumber I wreck or to pick up a few dozen items I forget? To replaster the corners I plaster wrong the first time (and the second and the third and …)?

I sat my wife down for a heart-to-heart. Honey, we have a business to run, a toddler to nurture, family members to help, a house to clean on occasion, and a jungle that will need mowing one of these days. We need ductwork to thaw our bedroom this winter, the foundation needs crack-filling and this nursery would take Hercules many long days of hard labor to complete. I don’t know if we can find time for all this before the baby is born.

Maybe we should put something off, my wife suggested.

Great idea! I said, looking at my agenda. Now, let’s see. How long do you want to delay the delivery?

I ducked just in time.

The easiest thing to reschedule turned out to be my sleep. Right now I have a house to upgrade. There’ll be plenty of time for sleep next year. That is, if I don’t grow too old in the meantime and need to be torn down myself.

About The Author

The author is David Leonhardt, The Happy Guy. To receive his column weekly in your inbox, sign up at http://TheHappyGuy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html.

Visit his home page at http://TheHappyGuy.com.

Info@thehappyguy.com

ORGANIZE! To make the job easier and ensure your percentage of good ideas is as high as possible, you need a strategy to organize your information. Use a three-ring binder or expandable file folder. You must keep copies of all contracts, change orders, invoices, receipts, and permits. These will be invaluable if you have disputes with your contractors and when tax time comes around. Other sections to consider are ideas from magazines, quotes, contractor contact info, and so forth.

You can purchase an organizer at www.remodelingorganizer.com

Don’t be afraid to play designer. Many amateur home designers come up with great ideas, and since you are living in your home day after day, you can have better ideas than the pros. So get out a pencil, make 100 copies of your current floor plan, and sketch out all the alternatives. It doesn’t matter how great or bad they are, experiment with alternatives. At this point it’s free, so enjoy!

But don’t get too wild and crazy. You are almost always better to stick with a traditional size and shape in a home, both for resale value and cost for your remodel. Having a kitchen on the second floor may strike you as a clever and unique solution, but if it means moving the gas, electrical wiring, and plumbing up to the second floor, this change will add significantly to the project costs. And don’t install bright orange tile on all the floors: If you have to move unexpectedly, most prospective buyers will deduct the cost to replace it from their offer.

Figure out what you can do yourself. Have contractors itemize their quotes to determine which phases of your project you might be able to do yourself and which ones you want to hire someone to do. Tasks you might consider doing include project management, demolition, rough electrical wiring, installation of cabinets, fixtures, and appliances, and finish work. Tasks you should probably leave to the pros include foundation work, framing, installing sheetrock and breaker boxes, and connecting your home to the electrical service.

Consider practice remodeling. If you aren’t quite ready to commit to doing part of the work yourself, get some hands-on experience. Find a small project around the house and tackle it yourself, such as putting a floor in the attic or building shelving in the garage. Or offer to help out a neighbor or volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity project. These experiences will give you a firsthand look at the work. Alternately, you might take an education course at Home Depot, Lowe’s, or another building material store.

Tips for finding a contractor:

Always make sure your contractor is fully licensed with state and local governments. Make sure the license is valid and up to date?do not rely on the contractor’s word. You should contact your state, county, and city governments for information on the contractor’s license. The website www.contractors-license.org lists licensing requirements for all fifty states. Also make sure the contractor is fully insured and carries worker’s compensation, liability, and property damage insurance.

Follow this contract check list: Every contract should include:

Contractor information including name, address, telephone numbers, license number.

A list of what the contractor will and will not do?for example, the tasks you have chosen to do, such as painting or demolition.

All materials, sizes, colors, specifications.

A dated copy of all drawings and diagrams. If changes need to be made during the project, they should be made to these documents and initialed and dated by both you and the contractor.

Start and finish dates.

The times work will start and finish and the days of the week that workers will be at your home.

How change orders will be handled.

A warranty for one year.

A binding arbitration clause.

A statement of how the contract can be canceled.

A statement that the contractor will provide affidavits of final release, final payment, or final lien waivers from all subcontractors and suppliers.

Use the Remodel-or-Move Calculator to estimate your costs. Available at www.remodelormove.com, this calculator will give you an estimate by including information about the rooms that will be remodeled, the level of finish that you want, how you will manage the project, and where your home is located. Because it is fully automated, it allows you to try a number of different combinations of materials and room changes quickly, and it’s free.

Dan Fritschen is the creator of http://www.remodelormove.com, a homeowner support organization that helps homeowners become better informed so that they can make the right decision on whether to remodel or move. He is also the author of the book Remodel or Move? Making the Right Decision, available from ABCD Publishing, LLC. He can be reached at dan@abcdpublishing.com

It is important to be a very careful consumer when it comes to home improvement contractors. For instance, I had a case where my client, an elderly and blind woman, signed a contract and paid $30,000.00 to a home improvement company that disappeared with all of her money! Unfortunately, the company was a scam operation, my client lost her life’s savings and it will take some time in court before my client may ever see her money again however, her mistake will be a lesson to all of you because this article explains how to protect yourself from home improvement fraud.

Before signing any contract with a home improvement company, first ask that company for its license number and check it out with your State or County Consumer Affairs’ Business License Division. Find the License Division on the web or call information and get their number. You want to find out (1) the name and address of the company associated with the license number given to you, (2) if the company is currently licensed and the license expiration date and (3) whether any complaints have been made against that company. The answers to those questions will help you determine if you want to proceed with signing a contract. Make sure both the contractor and the company he works for are licensed to work in your State.

If your going to sign the contract then make sure certain things are included pursuant to your understanding and as required by your State?s Home Improvement Business Law. The contracting company’s name, address and phone number should be printed on the contract. Also, it is important that the contracting company’s home improvement license number is printed on the contract and that it is not different from the number you called and inquired about with Consumer Affairs. Lastly, make sure that all of the work to be performed is listed in the contract and that the approximate start and end dates of work are included. You should put a penalty clause in the contract regarding the contractor?s failure to timely complete the work because contractors are notorious for starting jobs and then leaving for a few days or weeks to do other jobs while you sit and wait in your dismantled kitchen for him to return. Once the contract terms are satisfactory then the contract should be signed by both you and the company’s representative.

An example of a consumer protection law is New York?s General Business Law ?771 (GBL) requiring all home improvement contracts shall be in writing and contain certain terms of payment, fees for services and materials and start and completion dates, among other terms. GBL ?771 is a consumer protection statute to prevent the misunderstandings between contractor had consumer and to protect the consumer from overreaching of the contractor, such as charging for work that was not agreed upon. GBL ?771 limits the contractor who disregards its written contract requirements to satisfactorily proving to a court each and every item of work he did and the reasonable value of each item by detailed invoices, timesheets and proof of hourly rates, among other proofs. So, if the contractor who failed to put your home improvement work in writing attempts to collect $20,000.00 from you, he has to prove the value of his services in detail before scaring you into paying an amount you had no idea about. New Jersey?s Consumer Fraud Act and the Home Improvement Act protect the consumer even more by denying the contractor from recovering any monies if he violates any of the consumer laws AND he will pay three times the amount of damages (called treble damages) to the consumer for his failing to obtain proper permits or licenses or any other violation of those laws.

Lastly, protect yourself by not paying 100% upfront. Most contracting companies ask for a deposit upon your signing the contract. I suggest that you put down as little as possible and arrange a payment schedule with the company where you will pay a certain amount as certain work is completed. Of course, always get a receipt, signed by the company and stating the date and amount of any monies paid to the company if you pay anything in cash.

This article is certainly not all inclusive and is intended only as a brief explanation of the legal issue presented. Not all cases are alike and it is strongly recommended that you consult an attorney if you have any questions with respect to any legal matters.

Any questions and/or comments with respect to this topic or any other topic, contact:

Law Offices of Susan Chana Lask
853 Broadway, Suite 1516
New York, NY 10003
(212) 358-5762 Susan Chana Lask, Esq. c 2004

About The Author

Susan Chana Lask is named in the media as New York’s high powered attorney. She practices sucessfully all civil, criminal & appeals cases in State & Federal courts nationwide. http://www.appellate-brief.com

scl@appellate-brief.com