Extreme How To Home Improvements Do's/Don'ts - BBB Before selecting a remodeling contractor, you should carefully plan your project from start to finish. For example, if your project involves a room addition, determine exactly what your needs are, how the room is to be used, and what you want the completed job to look like. It is a good idea to coordinate your color schemes and draw a simple floor plan using miniature tables and chairs to lay out the room arrangement. Be specific in explaining to the contractor what you want, and be sure to approve any architectural plans that are involved in the remodeling job before the contractor begins the work. It is extremely important to compare costs before making a financial commitment toward any home improvement project. Discuss bids in detail with each contractor, making certain you understand the reasons for any variations in the prices. Ask the remodeling contractor for local references and find out if these customers were satisfied with the contractor's work.
AsktheBuilder.com - Do it Right Not Over Cons. Reports: How to Choose a contractor Last reviewed: June 2009 Call the Better Business Bureau or a local consumer-affairs agency for complaint histories of the contractors you're considering. One or two gripes shouldn't necessarily induce you to look elsewhere. But be wary of a contractor with more problems than that. You'll also want to check with the appropriate agency to see if the contractor is properly licensed and insured. Licensing won't guarantee success, but it indicates a degree of professionalism and suggests that the contractor is committed to his or her job. When checking references, ask whether the contractor is insured and, if applicable, licensed to do the work. No matter how you find potential contractors, be sure to ask for a list of previous customers; then call them or, better yet, visit their homes to look at the work. Would you hire this contractor again? You might also ask the contractor for a list of his or her building-material suppliers. Do you need a general contractor? Evaluating bids
Roof Framing 101 Roof framing is one of those carpenter skills that appears quite complicated, and indeed, some roof designs are difficult. Roofs are basically five types: shed, gable, hip, gambrel and mansard. Another common design in the Northeast is the “saltbox,” which is a gable roof with one longer side. These days “cut-ups,” or roofs with a lot of valleys, dormers and other features, are increasingly popular. In many cases with purchased house plans, the details of the roof construction, including rafter design, are included. Roofs are framed in five basic designs: shed, gable, hip, gambrel and mansard. In order to build any but a shed-type roof, including trusses, you’ll need to first determine a few factors; the span, rise, run and line length. The framing of a basic gable roof is based on a right-angle triangle, and the various roof framing components fit the triangle. You will also need to know the desired pitch of the roof.
Remodeling safety How to keep your family out of danger during a remodel Last reviewed: March 2009 Lumber, cinder blocks, dirt piles, and holes. To children, a construction site can seem like a playground—even when Mom and Dad have warned them about safety issues. These tips will help keep your family safe—and your project running smoothly. Keep children safe Home-remodeling expert Danny Lipford, owner of Lipford Construction in Mobile, Ala., knows how attractive construction areas are to young children. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) recommends designating an area away from the work site for play and toy storage. Communication with the pros is also very important. Lipford recommends that parents introduce kids to the project foreman, especially if they are at home while parents are at work. Be sure to find out when large equipment or orders of building materials are being brought on site. Your contractors are not baby-sitters, says Everett Collier, president of NARI. Work outside
Attic Vent Calculation - On the House Question My home has no eave vents, but it does have three gable vents (14 inches x 14 inches each). The roof is 5-in-12 pitch, has R-30 insulation and covers 1500 square feet. Could you tell me how to calculate the proper amount of attic ventilation? Clem Answer Actually, you can disregard pitch and insulation value for this calculation. Check with your local building department.
Tools for hiring a handyman The Web opens the door to more choices, but careful screening is the key to success Last reviewed: March 2009 If Mae West were around today and in need of some help at her home, it's entirely likely the legendary quotation attributed to her would now read, "A good handyman is hard to find" And she'd be right. But even with this proliferation of Web resources, hiring the right professional isn't a snap. "Handymen are advertising all over the place," says Sheila Adkins, director of public affairs for the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Even when people hire someone in whom they have faith, the results often belie their expectations. We're not sure whether Mae West ever found the man she was looking for, but there are several steps you can take to ensure that you find and hire a handyman who'll do right by you. And now, on to Step 1: Create a project list.
Roof Venting Benefits You Year Round - On the House While the value of venting roofs is widely debated, there are benefits for unfinished attics all year long. Today you’ll learn the dos and don’ts of venting roofs and how to prevent some common goofs. In summer, venting provides relief from intense heat buildup. It helps to cool the house below and prolong the life of shingles overhead. In winter months, it helps prevent roof ice damming and excessive moisture buildup, which can structurally deteriorate all it touches. The best venting provides continuous gentle airflow from the eaves at the bottom, up each set of rafters to a ridge vent running along the peak above. Finally, while opening your home to fresh air, they should not provide easy access for rain, snow or critters of all types and sizes.
Remodeling Complaints: Consumer Reports Last reviewed: August 2010 The economic downturn has meant an upturn in contractor quality. "As the industry has pulled back, only the best of the best in communities have survived," says Craig Smith, CEO of ServiceMagic.com, which connects consumers with contractors, architects, plumbers, and other home-service pros. But even good pros can give clients headaches, and vice versa. So we asked homeowners and contractors to tell us their troubles. Homeowners sound off General contractors were significantly more aggravating than subcontractors such as plumbers, electricians, and painters, though not quite as annoying as the cable or satellite guy, according to a nationally representative survey of 913 homeowners conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Contractors' pet peeves "Kids and pets," says Michael Hydeck, president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. Keeping the peace Once the work gets under way, keep in touch every day.
HomeTips | Expert Home Improvement Advice Home repairs you shouldn't ignore Use our expert advice to stop trouble in its tracks Last reviewed: June 2009 This article is the archived version of a report that appeared in June 2009 Consumer Reports magazine. You might be tempted to put off fixing your home until the economy rebounds. The trouble signs are easy to spot, provided you know what to look for. 1. "If there are 10 things that can go wrong with a house, 15 of them have to do with water," says Bill Loden, a Madison, Ala., home inspector. The soil around the foundation should slope away from the house at least 1 inch per foot for 6 feet or more. 2. Roofs are the most vulnerable to water infiltration, given their exposure to the elements and the laws of gravity. Siding is also susceptible to leaks, especially where it meets windows and doors. 3. Termites and carpenter ants gravitate to moist soil and rotting wood, another reason to make sure your gutters are in good shape and soil around your foundation is graded properly. 4. 5. More red flags
Don't Forget to Clean Here When it’s time for spring cleaning, you think of opening all the windows, letting the fresh breezes replace the stale air in the rooms while you sweep and mop and dust the surfaces ignored all through the winter. But there are more shadowy areas in your home that need attention. Spending just a few minutes on these five often overlooked spots will transform your space into a cleaner, more liveable environment, perfect for spring and summer fun and relaxation. The Refrigerator Who knows what’s living in those jelly jars at the very back of your refrigerator shelves? Food keeps longer in the freezer, but it can still pass a useable date. The exterior of the refrigerator needs your attention, too. Your Beds and Pillows Sure, you’ve cleaned all your linens, packed away all the heavy blankets, and changed your sheets but there’s a little more cleaning to be done around your bed. Sometimes laundering your sheets and blankets isn’t enough. The Computer The Trash Can Your Vacuum
Repair or replace it?: Home improvement product repair, repair costs. You're hosting Thanksgiving but it's your range that's taking a holiday. Do you call for repair or scramble for a replacement? To help you make the right decision, as part of the Annual Product Reliability Survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, we asked 13,477 subscribers to share their experiences with 20,613 broken products. Our repair-or-replace timelines, which draw on the experiences of all those thousands of subscribers, can help you decide. A few highlights: If your appliance is eight or more years old, usually it makes sense to buy a new one. Although most readers' appliances weren't under warranty when they broke, if your equipment still is, you'll probably need to call a factory-authorized repair shop. If your large appliance is out of warranty, call an independent contractor. CR's Take Close to 3,102 readers told us about experiences with 4,585 broken products. • A third of survey respondents didn't seek repairs or quit along the way.