Month: February 2014

A Cool Idea to Save You Money!

If you would like a cooler garage and attic to help save you money, you’ll like this product from CoolMyGarage.com which we install for our clients. It is a fan that we mount in the ceiling of the garage. It runs on a thermostat, and turns itself on when the garage temperature reaches the temperature you set. The outside air at near ground level is pulled into the garage though intake vents, then goes through the fan and into the attic which pushes the super-heated air in your attic out the attic vents. Read more

When Remodeling Desire Clashes with Budget, Draw up A Master Remodeling Plan


Most of us don’t have the budget to do all the remodeling projects on our homes we dream of at one time. So we pick and choose our remodeling projects as need, money and time allow. This can become a frustrating and arduous process, filled with pitfalls such as doing things out of sequence and causing unnecessary hurdles and costs, and ending up with a lack of cohesiveness throughout our home.

The key to having a successful long term whole-house remodeling project is a master remodeling plan that addresses your home as a whole, keeping the big picture in mind. By keeping your entire home in mind as you do individual projects, you can ensure the projects make sense in the process and the overall goal you are trying to achieve, whether the projects are completed together, or with years in between. Read more

Egress Windows: Three Things You Should Know and Check


I was recently called out by a city plans examiner for not having an egress window to code in an addition we are about to build. Egress windows are windows designed to function as an escape route in the event of a fire or other emergency, when a door that you would typically use becomes blocked. Egress windows are required in all rooms that humans inhabit and that don’t have a door going to the outside, typically bedrooms and living rooms. This got me thinking about the many times I see rooms in client’s homes with no egress windows, or a window that is blocked or doesn’t function. In the case of my plans, I had the window sill too high on the one I was trying to get passed. Read more

The Three Things You Should Be Concerned About When You Hire a Remodeling Contractor

When I talk to prospective clients, I always tell them to focus on three things while they are in the contactor selection process:

  1. Make sure you understand exactly what you are going to get.
  2. Make sure you understand what the project is really going to cost.
  3. Make sure you understand how long the project is really going to take.

Make sure you understand exactly what you are going to get: At a minimum, the contractor should provide you with a very specific scope of work and specifications. If it is a major project with structural change, drawings and renderings should also be provided. It is your responsibility to understand the presentation from the contractor. Not everyone can—or cares to—understand construction specifications and plans. If that is your case, ask someone you know who would understand these documents to look them over and see if they make sense. Read more