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Finding the Ideal Commercial Foundation Contractor

Are you running a small construction company? Finding the right foundation contractor is an important part of it. Here’ how!

 

All Photos By: Upsplash

Running your own small commercial construction company can be very rewarding, but you also have to be very organized. There are many things you have to organize with this type of business such as project management and budgets, deadlines and schedules, and finding the right contractors to work with you on your projects. This includes finding the right commercial foundation contracting service, which forms a vital part of the construction project.

It is, of course, vital that you find the right provider for this crucial aspect of the construction project. This means taking a range of key factors into consideration to help you make the right choice. By doing this, you can benefit from being able to make a more informed decision, and this can have a huge impact on the success of the project, your ability to stick to deadlines and budgets, and your business reputation. In this article, we will look at what you should consider when it comes to finding the ideal commercial foundation contractor.

What You Should Consider

You need to take a few major factors into consideration if you want to ensure you find the ideal commercial foundation contractor for your project and your business. Some of these are:

Consider the Costs

One of the things you must do is consider the costs involved, as it is vital to stay within budget with your commercial construction projects. So, you need to ensure the provider offers competitive rates but will also work to high standards. Make sure you do not base your decision on cost alone, as this could end up working out more expensive in the long run if they do not do a good job.

Look at Availability

You must try to stay on schedule with commercial construction projects, and this means that you need to check the availability of the provider. It is vital that they can work on the days and at the time you need them in order to stay on track with the project, so make sure they are available and will definitely be available on all the dates required.

Determine Reputation and Reliability

Reputation and reliability are vital when it comes to this type of contractor, as the commercial foundation contractor plays a pivotal role in the project. You should take some time to look at reviews from other construction businesses that have used the same contractor, as this will give you a better idea about reputation and reliability. You can then enjoy greater peace of mind and make your choice with greater confidence.

Consider Experience and Credentials

You also need to look at the experience levels and the credentials of the provider to ensure you have someone who knows exactly what they are doing. You cannot afford to take chances with those who do not have the necessary experience and qualifications with something as important as commercial foundation work.

Looking at these factors can help you to find the ideal professional for your project.

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How to Make Your Basement Less Scary

Decorate your basement into a cozy living area that you will love to hang out in. Here is exactly how to do that!


Photo By: Metro Building and Remodeling Group LLC

When I was a kid, nothing scared me more than having to go down in the basement of our house. Dark and dusty with few windows, a cold dirt floor, and noisy furnace clanking away in the corner, it seemed like the kind of place a person could wander into and never come out of! Nowadays, of course, I know there’s nothing to be afraid of down there. But that doesn’t make the basement any less intimidating. Often overlooked and relegated to nothing more than storage, most basements are ugly, inhospitable places. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There are numerous benefits to renovating the basement. For one, it will probably cut down on your kids’ nightmares. But it can also add value to your home. When it comes time to sell, you’ll get a much better answer to the question “How much is my house worth?” if you put work into making your basement less scary and more swanky. Here are three ideas for how to do that.

Make it a real room

By that I mean treat it no differently than you would any other room in the house. Instead of being an afterthought, approach your basement as a place where you might actually want to spend some time.  First things first: that means upping your standards for the floor, ceiling, and walls. Still sporting a dirt or concrete floor? Lay down some tiles, laminate, or carpeting. Is the ceiling a rickety mess of exposed beams, pipes, wires, and jutting nails? Cover it up by installing ceiling panels, or at least make it a bit easier on the eyes by painting the pipes, bundling wires together and wrapping them in insulation, and trimming those nails. Are your walls rough and uneven? Hide them behind wood paneling or hire a contractor to build smooth, flat walls over them.


Photo By: FBC Remodel

Get rid of that chill

It’s not just that basements look uncomfortable that makes them so scary, it’s that they feel it too. Being below ground results in basements that are often cold and damp. Even worse, that’s exactly the kind of atmosphere that attracts bugs, mice, and other household pests. Give those tiny li’l squatters an eviction notice with an electric space heater and/or dehumidifier that will help get rid of the goosebumps that pop up on your skin whenever you come downstairs.

Improve the lighting

It’s not easy brightening up a place that’s underground, but anything’s better than a single dangling lightbulb with a pull-string. You’ll be amazed at how much more inviting your basement becomes, and how much extra space it actually offers, with better illumination. If you only have one or two small windows, see if it’s possible to either add more or enlarge the ones you have. Using mirrors as décor can help by reflecting even a small amount of natural light all around the room. Your best bet for improving your basement’s lighting situation, though, is by adding more electrical options. Even a one or two overhead lights, a few well-placed lamps, or a couple light strings can have a major positive impact.

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7 Budget-Friendly Ideas to Refresh Your Home

While the idea of a renovation always sounds good in theory, when you begin thinking of the price tag, it can quickly become discouraging. Here are some budget friendly ways to make it happen!

Photos By: Architectural Digest

If you feel that your home is not nearly as comfortable as it used to be, you may want to consider trying out several less expensive and less permanent options to liven things up before jumping to the idea of completely renovating a room or even your entire house. Doing this has the potential to save you a fair amount of money and time, especially if you end up finding a change that breathes some fresh life into your home without the need for a complete overhaul.

Change the Lighting up

Rather than contacting builders, plumbers, electricians, and architects, you might want to consider getting in touch with just the electricians to help you out with the lighting. Changing out the lighting in your home can do a lot to make the place feel brand new again. From replacing the bulbs in your light fixtures to purchasing different fixtures for your home, you will have a lot of options to choose from and only one professional to rely on rather than five. This will not only be a lot easier to handle at once, but it will also be much more budget-friendly.

Add an Outdoor Room

It won’t be the same as renovating the whole house, but getting a team of house builders to build an outdoor room can bring about the same energy of having something brand new added to the home. Outdoor rooms are wonderful if you have the space for them, as they can allow you to take in the fresh air outside while still retaining the same homely feeling of being at your own house. But, best of all, all the builders will need to do is install a simple pergola to keep the rain out and then it will all be done. From there, you can spend time picking out furniture, décor, rugs, lighting, and anything else you want in your new room to make it feel perfect for your home. It may not be a full renovation, but it can feel like one.

Consider Painting the Walls (or Installing Wallpaper)

This is a task that you won’t need any help from home builders for. A fresh coat of paint or some new wallpaper can easily make the rooms of your home feel new again, especially if you choose a vastly different colour than the previous one. Additionally, these tasks can become fun family projects to be completed over a slow weekend. Combined with changing up the lighting of your home, you can make your home feel as if it is a completely different building without blowing thousands of dollars on renovations.

Add New Door Handles

This minor detail might not seem like much at first, but in a room full of door handles, drawer pulls, and cabinet knobs, changing all of these can be just enough to create that excitement of having a big change in your home. More often than not, the best room to do this to is going to be your kitchen. This job is quick, inexpensive, and easy to complete. Pairing it up with a lighting change and a paint change can also help to create a bigger impact without spending money on a full renovation of your home.

Rearrange Furniture

While this tip takes much longer to complete than others, the results will be well worth it in the end. When you take the time to rearrange all of the furniture in your home, creating places with a lot of open space in the centre, then you can feel as if you are entering a room that is completely brand new. After all, you will be getting used to a layout that wasn’t there before. This can also be a great way to get some mild exercise in for the day as well, making it a beneficial project to take on over a weekend.

Work on the Windows

Windows are a big part of a house’s appearance. Because of this, it can be a noticeably large change to make some changes to your windows. Whether you choose to update the window treatments themselves or you want to add a new set of blinds and curtains, or you want to do a bit of both, you can rest assured that creating a new look for a room you are regularly in can give you a similar rush as renovating the house does for a complete fraction of the price.

Thoroughly Clean the House

Last, but not least, you can consider giving the house a thorough cleaning. This can be combined with rearranging furniture for a much better effect. Cleaning out the house, moving things around, and so on can create the sense that changes are being made to the home. Not only will your home look cleaner in the end, but you might even find things that you had thought had been lost.

There are plenty of different ways that you can breathe fresh life into your home without dropping thousands of dollars and weeks of your time on a massive home renovation. Instead, you can live comfortably in your home without putting your budget in pain using these budget-friendly suggestions.

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What’s the New Normal Look Like for Real Estate Post-Coronavirus?

There’s no doubt that the post-coronavirus world is going to be a lot different, but what does that mean for real estate? Are we ready for the ‘new normal?’


Photo By: Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc.

In just a few months, the coronavirus pandemic has altered the lives of Americans, our businesses, economy, and morale. As we go forward, it’s going to be challenging trying to get back to some semblance of normal. But, what does that look like? What will the ‘new normal’ look for the real estate market and how agents conduct business? Let’s take a look at some of the ways we could see how real estate might change in a post-coronavirus world.

Unemployment is putting the real estate market in distress

There are plenty of reasons why people move to big cities, be it for an opportunity, employment, or a fast-paced lifestyle. However in light of the pandemic, these large cities, with their dense population, are experiencing higher unemployment rates as local businesses shut down. Las Vegas’ unemployment increased by 2.6% between March 2019 (4.2%) and March 2020 (6.8%), for example. Since people are losing their jobs without real relief from the federal government, real estate sales are down, homes are being foreclosed on, and rents aren’t being paid. As a result of this, people are likely to jump ship and relocate to recession-resistant cities like Bay City, Michigan, Pueblo, Colorado, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Photo By: Justin Doyle Homes

Agents may use virtual tours and open houses more often

Typically when we think about real estate online, we think of property listing sites like Zillow or Trulia. When we see a house we like, we ask our real estate agent to make an appointment so we can have a walk-through. However, social distancing and stay-at-home orders have made that nearly impossible. That’s why many realtors are using 3D virtual tours and host live walk-throughs via FaceTime or Zoom. By doing virtual tours, person-to-person contact is reduced significantly. Buyers can look around the property without actually being there. Sellers don’t have to worry about potential buyers coming into their space and possibly spreading the virus.

Photo By: Vero Beach Magazine

Interest rates for mortgages may continue to drop

At the moment, Freddie Mac reports the average mortgage interest rate is 3.28% but that doesn’t mean they could go even lower! Unfortunately, while this would be a great time to take advantage of the incredibly low rates, many mortgage companies have changed their requirements for approval. For example, JPMorgan Chase has increased the minimum requirements, which means borrowers will need to have a 700 and above FICO credit score and 20% down payment. When you combine this with the fact that people have lost their jobs, there’s little economic relief, and bills will get further behind… People’s credit is going to suffer, therefore making it a lot harder to be approved for any type of mortgage.

Home certifications, inspections, and appraisals are modified

To continue along the home sale process, homeowners will need to get a variety of certifications, inspections, and so forth. Although the country is slowly starting to open back up, some municipalities are still keeping their doors closed. This means that some of these things are being held up. Some places can have these certificates waivered, but that could come back to bite you in the rear. The coronavirus is taking everything we thought was normal and is changing it in some pretty big ways. Many businesses, especially real estate, rely on front-facing interactions — the person-to-person engagement to get the deal completed. And, while we want to hope that our lives will get back to the normal we’re used to, we don’t truly know what’s in store for us. All we know is that technology is going to be playing a big role, for better or worse.

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Why Vinyl Flooring is a Great Choice For Your Kid’s Bedrooms

Designing your child’s bedroom can be a really fun part of renovating a home and can also help your children express themselves creatively. As with all the other rooms in the house, getting the flooring right is a vital part of the design!

Photo By: Lauren Rubin Architecture

Vinyl flooring has some significant benefits which make it an excellent choice for any kid’s bedroom. In this article we’re going to explore some of the benefits of vinyl, specifically for use in a kid’s bedroom, and why it’s not just for use in the kitchen and bathroom!

Range of colours

Kid’s love colour and having a floor which can be bright and colourful is really appealing. Vinyl tiles come in a huge variety of colours and can be installed in a large number of different patterns. While your kids might not think the flooring is as exciting as painting the walls a bright colour, there is definitely scope for them to express themselves with vinyl flooring. The tiles can be used to create interesting patterns or simple designs depending on what they like.

Photo By: Kate Taylor Interiors

Soft underfoot but durable

Having a floor which is soft underfoot is really important for any kid’s room. Playing with their toys on the floor is a big part of any child’s development and having a floor which is soft enough for them to do this on is vital. Vinyl flooring is made using several different layers, and this allows it to have a soft upper layer while remaining durable. This is also important as any flooring in a house with young children needs to be durable and able to withstand drops and children playing with toys directly on the floor.

Underfloor heating

Making sure children’s bedrooms are warm and family friendly is so important for obvious reasons. One of the ways this can be achieved is with underfloor heating. To get the most out of underfloor heating, you need a flooring material which will not inhibit the heat getting into the room. Just as in bathrooms and kitchens, where underfloor heating is also popular, vinyl allows the heat into the room and creates a lovely warm space. It also means your children can play with their toys on the floor without getting cold in the way they might with other materials.

Photo By: Harriet Forde Design Ltd

Easy to clean

Accidents are going to happen with children, whether it’s dropping a cup of juice or a plate of food. Having a floor which is quick and easy to clean is really beneficial for any parent. Particularly when children are young, and they’re learning to crawl and walk, you want to be sure the floors are as clean as possible, so they aren’t at risk of getting germs in their mouth from their hands. This includes the floor in their bedroom. Unlike materials such as carpet, vinyl is very straightforward to clean and requires no special machinery.

Not only will vinyl be a practical and long-lasting option for your child’s bedroom floor, but it looks great, and you can get really creative with designs. It may be more commonly associated with kitchens and bathrooms, but luxury vinyl flooring is an excellent option for bedrooms and around your home in general.