Showing posts with label Residential. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Residential. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Know the Costs That Comprise a Residential Construction

Residential construction consists of sky rocketing costs. Once you decide on having your residential house built or a part of it constructed, you should also be decided to shell out a good amount of money. Although monetary aspect is an important factor in building a good house, you must be wise enough to choose contractors and builders that will not set high mark-ups for materials and labor costs.

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Knowledge is power. It does not necessarily mean that you know all the sides of construction but you must at least have an approximation of the costs. There are available online residential construction costs calculators which let you generate detailed material and direct costs estimates in consideration of your house designs.

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Generally, residential construction costs are categorized into soft and hard. The soft costs include labor and materials while soft costs include title insurance, appraisals, architect's fees, etc. There are important variables accompanying the basic residential construction costs. These are the quality, cooling, heating, material used, shape, geographic area and design features.

All the variables enumerated above are essential in estimating your costs. It will be best to decide first on the design of your house before entering into any construction agreements. Listed below are some questions to start with your design and cost estimation:

1. How many corners will your house have? Outside perimeter's shape is necessary to estimate the total cost of construction. Take note that more complex shapes correspond to added expenses due to complicated structure of floor area. Most residents have four, six, eight and ten corners; other outline includes the garage area.

2. How large will be your living area? Of course, smaller houses with small living areas entail lower construction costs rather than large buildings. Measure the living area and estimate the construction cost of the area including annexes, lean-tos and other addition but exclude the basement, attic, and porch.

3. What is the quality of your house? Residential houses depend generally on quality and one important cost variable to achieve this is the quality of construction. You can either choose to have the best at high price or low quality at low cost. The quality of foundation, exterior walls (i.e., wood, brick, metal), exterior finish, windows and doors, roofing, bathrooms, kitchen, flooring and plumbing are the dimensions wherein high quality construction must be applied.

4. Will there be a balcony, exterior porch, attic, basement or garage? How many? Additional room and structure entails additional costs; aside from the materials to be used in building them. Decide on the number of attics or porches necessary for your house.

5. Where is the location of your house? Those houses built by merchant builders in suburban areas and housing tracts carry less residential construction costs than those built in metropolitan areas. For example, New York new house construction is 34% more expensive than the 19 next largest cities of Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, etc.

6. What cooling and heating system will your house have and how many? Most houses have central cooling and heating systems, while other houses have cooling or heating unit designed to cool and heat only one portion of the house. Included in the heating and cooling system are wall and floor furnaces, through-the-wall coolers or window, and baseboard electric heating; all adding to your construction costs.

After conceptualizing your house and designing it, it will then be the start of your estimation. The estimate might only be for simple house and exceptionally decorative houses will really cost more. You can seek the help of a reliable house builder in the cost estimation. Residential construction costs will still vary on the owner and online cost estimator can aid you in planning to construct your dream home.

Know the Costs That Comprise a Residential Construction

Cynthia Olga writes about unfinished cabinets lowes and hickory kitchen cabinets

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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Large and Oversized Door Handles For Commercial and Residential Properties

Many commercial businesses including restaurants, shopping malls and small businesses utilize large swing doors for their main entrances. These doors are traditionally constructed from metal, glass or heavy woods that require heavy duty door pulls to open and close. Large and oversized door pulls can be plain or decorative and depending on the material, easy to use or extremely difficult. The last thing a business owner wants it to make it hard to enter their establishment and choosing a door pull that is easy to grasp and aesthetically pleasing is a great way to create a welcoming environment for customers.

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Solid brass construction is the best choice for most door hardware because it is strong, resistant to tarnish and normal wear and tear and can be cast in a variety of different patterns and finishes. Other metals tend to become easily damaged and will need frequent replacement over the years. Unlaquered brass will age over time so if you are searching for a finish that will remain the same color, make sure it is lacquered.

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Design is a critical element in creating a theme in any business or home. An Italian restaurant for example, may have a very rustic theme while a modern shopping mall could be very contemporary. Every detail counts and choosing a door pull that coordinates with your theme will bring the interior and exterior designs together easily. Research the architectural style and history of your building if you are renovating an existing property and search for door hardware that is designed in that style. It is not necessary to use actual antique hardware because will have already endured years of use and could break more easily - many realtors will offer reproduction pieces that use the original moulds so the design is authentic and would have been originally used. During many historical renovations it is important to find alternatives to the original door hardware and this is a great solution to find reliable hardware.

Heavy traffic areas require heavier duty pulls as do heavier doors. Take the weight of the door and the expected amount of usage into account before selecting a design. Consult with a contractor or designer for suggestions if you are unsure - it is important to err on the side of caution.

Swing doors can utilize a pull on either side of the door if it is bidirectional or a push plate on one side and pull on the other side for unidirectional swing doors. If replacement pulls are being installed it is important to measure to the center to center distance of existing mount holes and choose a pull that is compatible. Consult with the manufacturer regarding the weight of the door pull for larger or oversized items - heavy door pulls can be inappropriate for lighter weight doors and may cause the door to swing open and closed unpredictably.

Small details matter during any renovation or new construction project and taking the time to choose suitable door hardware can make the difference in a good design and a great design. Ask questions if you are unsure about anything and remember to pay attention to all measurements. Large and oversized door pulls are available online and in many retail hardware stores.

Large and Oversized Door Handles For Commercial and Residential Properties

Kohn Coleman born in Michigan - received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 2000. He is president of LookInTheAttic & Company online at http://www.LookInTheAttic.com and authors numerous articles and publications on historical architecture.

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Thursday, August 4, 2011

Residential Closet Doors - Traditional to Modern in an Instant

Your home can benefit from the installation of residential closet doors. This is because the modern design are such that they fit into any existing home décor. And they are also inexpensive which means that you get to enhance or improve the look of your interior home without running to the bank.

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And what is great, today's doors are available in different attractive styles and designs, with many of them easy and quick to install. If you have limited room space, you may opt for the sliding, bifold, according or folding style. Small spaces also benefit from mirrored or glass closet doors because they bring in additional light as well as create a visual illusion of a larger area.

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Louvered interior doors are great decorative options as well as to enhance the flow of air in your room. The French models are perfect to bring affordable elegance and sophistication into your home.

Another notable feature in today's versions is their flexibility. They are designed in such a way that you can install them anywhere in your home-bathroom, bedroom, laundry, utility, pantry, dining room, hallway and linen room to name a few. Plus, their contemporary design makes them the best replacement for your old, bulky walk in closet or wardrobe. Here are some residential closet door ideas available from different online retailers (pineshutters.com, homedepot.com, etc).

Wooden Decorative Room Door with 0.6mm-thick Steel Plate Inside:

A dream of any designer, this door features leaf thickness of 4 centimeters or 3 and ½ centimeters, 06 millimeter thick cold rolled steel, wooden frame and hinges and lock. The standard frame is 830 millimeter by 2,022 millimeter.

The Amherst Café Door:

This café-style door has a traditional design and is constructed from clear Ponderosa pine, smoothly sanded. It has 2-inch full stiles, 6-inch top rail and 2-inch bottom rail. It is delivered to you ready to be painted or stained.

Spectrum 24 In. - 36 In. x 80 In. Via Fruitwood Folding Door:

This door is one of the perfect choices to make if you are looking for value for your money. It brings durability in it solid vinyl panel and flexible vinyl hinges. What is more, this door is maintenance-free and fits openings from 24 inches to 36 inches wide by 80 inches high. This door comes fully assembled with model number HVS3280F.

Pinecroft 735 Series 30 In. x 80-1/2 In. Unfinished Optique Bifold Door:

This decorative glass door in bifold style is constructed from pine croft and designed for quick and easy installation. Any designer would love the glass design of this door as it brings additional light, class and elegance to any home. The assembled dimensions are 1.38 inches deep by 80.5 inches high by 30 inches wide.

These are just some of residential closet doors that you can find on the Internet. More choices are offered by Ikea, Home Depot and Lowes. Keep in mind that prices vary depending on options and retailers so take your time browsing through myriad replacement closet door options.

Residential Closet Doors - Traditional to Modern in an Instant

For more info concerning Residential Closet Doors, pay a visit to http://www.residentialclosetdoors.com.

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