Once you’ve settled on a contractor for your home remodeling project, there is still some work to be done and clarified before any remodeling work begins. It is important to review the contract and clarify anything that you don’t understand with the remodeler, or even your attorney. There are several things the work contract should […]
Consider Remodeling to Fit Your Aging Needs
Growing old means an alteration in lifestyle for many aging Americans, though one thing that is typical is a desire to stay in comfortable surroundings rather than move into a nursing home. If a home is becoming too uncomfortable and incapable of meeting the changing needs that come with age, a home remodeling may be […]
Dig That Basement Remodel
When it comes to remodeling, basements have some good things going for them. For starters, a basement is already structurally laid out and will usually already have stairs leading to the main floor. That’s a good place to start. Basements also bring challenges with them, particularly if you’re looking to create a basement bedroom. Basement […]
A 3-Ton Air Conditioner Will Rarely Give You 3 Tons of Cooling
There are several reasons why a three-ton air conditioner won’t actually provide three tons of cooling, beginning with the clarification that three tons doesn’t represent weight but rather cooling capacity. This article will provide three explanations as to why a three-ton unit, or any other unit really, may not be providing exactly as much cooling […]
Why Do We Measure Air Conditioner Capacity in Tons?
While an HVAC contractor may know that a four-ton air conditioner does not in fact weigh four tons, but rather represents the capacity of the unit, there is a sense of consumer confusion on the subject. Put simply, the measurement represents the amount of heat an air conditioner can remove from a space in one […]
Rental Market Continues to Strengthen
Recent data from the Survey of Market Absorption of Apartments (SOMA) showed that the number of privately financed, nonsubsidized, unfurnished apartments have continued to rise as of the end of 2012. The report showed 31,600 completions of building with more than five apartments in the fourth quarter, with was up from the third quarter, and […]
Owner and Contractor Built Housing Share Falls
The beginning of 2013 has shown a fall in the number of houses built on an owner’s land, whether the owner or builders serve as the general contractor. The amount of homes started in this manner numbered 25,000, a 4% decrease year-over-year according to Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and […]
Consumer Confidence Soars, But Expectation of Income Growth is Flat
Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan recently reported that consumer confidence in the housing market raised 10.6% to a seasonally adjusted 84.5 on the Consumer Sentiment Index in May. This was revised upwards from preliminary estimates of 83.7 that were released earlier in the month. The Conference Board reported a similar increase of 10.4% […]
Taking the Environmental Sting Out of Concrete
Concrete is widely used today for construction, although it has a large amount of carbon emissions during manufacture. Concrete has been used in construction for centuries, however, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently announced that some researchers working in Naples, Italy, took samples from a 2000-year-old Roman breakwater that showed the concrete they used […]
Tankless vs. Tank vs. HPWH—10 Year Costs Estimates—Large Custom Home
The two largest utility loads in our homes are heating and cooling, closely followed by water heating. With water heating still bearing a large load of our utility costs, it’s important to discuss which water heater is the best for your home. There are many variables to consider and many different types of units available. […]