Archive for the ‘Building’ Category

What is the best way to build a low-cost home that doesn’t harm the planet? Most materials such as concrete and steel are highly processed and transported long distances, making them unaffordable to millions who are in need of housing. These high-tech materials also cause a great deal of harm to the environment. The answer is to utilize locally available, low-impact natural building materials such as earth, stone, straw and small diameter wood. This article explores several methods of using earth and sustainably harvested wood to cut housing costs to rock-bottom prices. And because the techniques are user-friendly, they are ideal for do-it-yourselfers.

Earthbag building: Like other earth building methods, earthbag building is simple to learn and extremely low cost. It has evolved from the military’s use of building durable, blast and bullet resistant structures with sandbags for 100 years. Modern-day builders are using the same basic process of filling and stacking bags to build beautiful houses, offices, shops, schools and orphanages. Earthbag buildings are resistant to mold, fire, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, insects and rodents.

Since the main building material is earth, which is often free or very low cost if delivered, structures can be built literally dirt-cheap. No expensive equipment is needed. Most people already have the basic tools around their home – shovels, buckets, garden hose and ladder. The building process is so simple that unskilled workers can learn each step of construction just by watching for a minute. Earthbag building is extremely adaptable and can be used to build almost any shape imaginable, including domes, vaults, roundhouses, or more typical square or rectangular designs.

Small diameter wood: U.S. forests are currently overcrowded and prone to forest fires. Millions of acres are destroyed each year to fires and disease. Gleaning small trees from the forest in a sustainable manner actually improves the health of the forest and reduces forest fires. With an inexpensive firewood permit (about $20), anyone can obtain wood for building their home. Most of this wood usually goes up the chimney to heat homes, but it is much more valuable when turned into useful products with a long life. All the wood for a house can be obtained this way at much lower cost than buying dimension lumber from a building supply center.

One option is peeling the bark off and using them in the round for pole frames. Wood in the round is much stronger than sawn lumber and requires less processing. With a portable mill or chainsaw attachment, do-it-yourselfers can also mill their own wood for beams, joists, studs, trusses, purlins, window and door frames, trim, cabinets and furniture. Where I live, builders are culling standing dead trees (sound wood) from the forest so as to avoid the time and effort of seasoning the wood. In addition, using sustainably harvested wood as described here is more aesthetically pleasing than conventional stud walls covered with sheetrock. The beauty of the wood is left exposed, honoring the tree from which it came.

Tamped earth floors: Traditional poured earth floors can last for many centuries, thereby saving a small fortune on wood floor framing and replacement of carpet and linoleum every 15 years. Earth floors look like leather once finished and are extremely beautiful. (They’re being used in trendy, custom homes.) However, poured earth floors take a long time to dry, making them impractical in all but hot, dry climates.

Tamped earth floors use less water and dry much faster. These floors can typically be walked on one or two days after installing. The building process involves screening road base or other appropriate soil through 3/8″ mesh. This mix is spread out in 2″ layers and tamped level. The process is repeated until the desired height is reached. Material for the top coat is screened again through 1/8″ mesh. The top coat mixture is hand-troweled and burnished, using just enough water to bond well. After the floor has thoroughly dried, seal with several coats of linseed oil thinned with turpentine.

Earthen plaster: The most beautiful wall finish I’ve ever seen is earth plaster. If you’ve never seen earth plaster before, you may think of dreary brown walls. Do an Internet search for “earth plaster” and you’ll see the amazing results. Because there are many kinds of clay, there’s no limit to the range of colors, textures and special effects. One popular method uses mica in the plaster to create sparkling, brilliant walls.

Earthen plaster is the probably the most user-friendly wall finish. In many cultures women, children and the elderly have done the plaster work for centuries using just hands and basic tools. The key to durable earthen plaster is wide roof overhangs of about 36 inches. Keep rain and snow off the walls and it will last a long time, requiring only minor touchup.

These are just a few ideas to get you started thinking about using natural building materials. Thanks to the Internet, now it’s very easy to learn about these and other low-cost building methods. Additional articles on the above topics are available for free on the author’s websites.

Owen Geiger, Director of the Geiger Research Institute of Sustainable Building at http://www.GRISB.org has co-authored http://www.EarthbagBuilding.com to better focus and keep track of the rapid growth of this novel building method.

Author: Owen Geiger
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Creditcard Currency Conversion Fee

Home building cost overruns can plague any home building or remodeling project. This occurs so frequently that it is recommended you include a 5 – 10% contingency fund in your budget. This will be used for items that you will have no control over, such as problems found with the land once excavation has begun.

Use the 5 tips in this article to control home building costs & minimize cost overruns.

Tip 1: Planning Your Home Building Costs Take the time to plan on paper what you want your house to look like. When doing your budget, visit stores to look at appliances, fixtures, cabinets, flooring, etc. In doing so, you will have a clearer idea of what you want and more importantly, what it will cost. Then, build that amount into your budget so there are no surprises later.

Tip 2: Specify Home Building Materials When working with a contractor, be sure that the specific materials you expect to be used are included in the bid and subsequently, in the contract. If your plans say wood floors and you are expecting teak and get oak, your recourse is limited because you did not specify it in writing.

Tip 3: Change Orders If you take the time to plan your home building project on paper before breaking ground, you can minimize the number of Change Orders. Change Orders frequently increase the cost of your project because they were not planned for in the original budgeting. If you agree to a change order and there is an expense involved, you are responsible for those costs unless the contractor has agreed he will pay for the change. Depending upon the extent of the change, it can involve modifying the original plans and having the local building authority review the changes including the labor and materials. Always keep an eye on any changes to the original plan and design and take the time to determine the financial impact of the change on your project. Changes to construction projects represent the single most common reason a project goes over budget and/or the completion is delayed. Take the time to plan before you build.

Tip 4: Size, Style and Shape of the Home These three factors can significantly contribute to the cost of building your dream home.

• Size – Work with even numbers and have your home size rounded up or down to increments of two (2) feet. This reduces wasted materials. Also, build a home no deeper than 32 feet to eliminate the need for specially designed trusses.
• Style – Typically, it will cost less to build a two-story home than a one-story home of similar square footage. A two-story home will have a smaller roof and foundation. In addition, plumbing and ventilation are more compact in two-story homes.
• Shape - Having more corners and angles will increase the amount of labor and materials needed to build your dream home. A rectangular or box shaped home will cost less to build.

Tip 5: Two Most Common Times for Cost Overruns The beginning of your home building & construction project – when you are doing excavation and possibly putting in a well. You won’t know what is under the ground until you begin to excavate. If you are drilling for a well, you will have no control over how far down you will need to drill for water. This is where having a contingency fund is essential.

The second most common time for a cost overrun is near the end of the project when you are selecting your finishes, i.e., cabinets, counter-tops, lighting and plumbing fixtures, flooring, appliances, etc. If you took the time to shop around before you did your budget, you can more easily stay within your budget when you do your final selections.

Cost overruns are common in any home building project, but with knowledge and planning they can be kept within manageable boundaries.

Chuck Warrender, an experienced custom builder, opened UBuildIt in 1988 to show people how to become Owner-builders and save money or gain equity on their own custom home building and remodel projects. Chuck designed the UBuildIt System for Owner-builders who want to build more home for their money by directing their own construction projects. UBuildIt’s Construction Consultants guide Owner-builders every step of the way and provide a proven system, professional advice and trusted resources. UBuildIt now has over 100 franchises across the US. Learn more about Chuck and how to build or remodel your own custom home at UBuildIt.com

Author: Chuck Warrender
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Duty on LCD/Plasma TV

The housing industry has grown exponentially in step with our country’s population growth, and these days there are plenty of options for the type of home you can build. You hear terms like mobile and manufactured, modular, panelized, and stick-built. What’s the difference in the way these houses are built and their costs?

We’ll start with an easy one, Stick-Built Homes. These are your traditional homes. They are built on site, piece by piece, stick by stick. They are highly customizable, versatile, and the most common type of home built. They also take the longest time to build, and are typically more expensive per square foot. As a result of being built on the site and the time it takes, the home is open to the elements and is subject to delays. Anyone who has passed a construction site in the middle of the winter, with a half built home on it, realizes the problems this may pose. Now, imagine that home was yours. Not too pretty, huh? When you build in the Carolinas, weather plays less of a role, as winter isn’t as severe and many building crews work late into the year. However, even in North and South Carolina you’ll have to worry about rain, especially near the coast. When building materials get wet, they start to warp and develop mold. Concerns about weather damage, innovations in factory-line production, better availability of materials, and a greater desire to control costs have led to the growing popularity of the building systems described below. All the remaining types of housing are constructed indoors, and shipped to your building site in one way or another. Most present some type of cost or time savings over traditional stick-built homes, but may have other drawbacks.

The term pre-fabricated came into use in London after World War Two, as a housing solution for displaced families. Pre-fabrication is a term used to refer to all the types of housing that follows, as all are pre-fabricated, in a factory, off-site and put together on-site. The most important thing to remember is these styles of homes are built inside, with climate control and levels of quality control in place. This style of home building is starting to be referred to as “systems built homes” by the National Association of Home Builders. Building systems are used to save time, achieve more consistent quality, and decrease the need for specialized labor. The company, Carolina System-Built Home, builds All American Homes (which has a plant in Rutherfordton, North Carolina), and is based out of Lexington, South Carolina. You can find them at carolinasystem dot com.

Mobile homes and Manufactured homes are married in history. When a person says mobile, typically negative connotations are thought of: hurricanes destroying large tracts of homes, value depreciation, and poorly built homes. The term mobile home actually refers to homes, built on a chassis with wheels for transportation, prior to 1976, when US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations were put in place. After 1976, this type of home, one with a chassis, has been referred to as manufactured homes. So, you wonder, even with the fancier name and regulations, will these homes still blow away in a heavy storm? These days, with the regulations set upon them, manufactured homes are of much greater quality. There are still concerns regarding stability under high wind, and value depreciation. But overall, manufactured homes are of better quality, safer, and more accepted than they used to be. Nowadays there are double-wides and triple-wides, further enhancing the livability of manufactured housing. In addition, as manufactured homes are subject to Federal regulations, they are exempt from local building regulations. This may make getting the home on the ground easier and faster, but can enable people to sacrifice quality. Local building regulations are good because they make sure homes are built to withstand regional influences of weather and other variables. Manufactured homes are subject to local zoning regulations. Some properties are restricted from putting manufactured homes on them. If you are looking for a first home in North Carolina or South Carolina, buying a manufactured home is a great way to get your foot in the door. You can live in the area for a while, get to know it and then move to a different location you like, without the full investment a traditional home would entail. If you have the money to spare and the inclination, you might consider renting the manufactured home after you move.

Modular Homes, which are often confused with manufactured homes, are quite close to stick-built homes. These types of homes are now being widely accepted throughout North and South Carolina. The sections of the home, referred to as modules, are constructed in a factory, and assembled on site, with the help of a crane and construction crew. Because the home is transported via highway in set pieces, there are limits to the design configurations the home may take. Some people are adverse to the idea of their home being subjected to the bumps and bruises of hundreds of miles of highway travel. In the past, securing loans for modular homes was difficult, but that problem has been largely reduced, as banks are becoming more familiar with the process. Typically with modular homes, all of the finishes are included in the factory construction. Some home owners object to this practice, as there may be a high mark-up and a limit on the options available. Modular homes must adhere to the local building regulations where they will be sited. Overall, modular homes are of good quality, and very similar to stick-built homes. A North Carolina based modular home builder is Professional Building Systems, based out of Mount Gilead. You can visit their website at http://www.pbsnc.com.

Panelized homes are another higher quality option for factory built homes. Panelized homes differ from modular homes in that the walls, roofing, and flooring are all assembled in a factory and then put together on the site. Greater options exist for flexibility of design, and less stress is placed on the home during transit. Finishes and appliances are selected, purchased, and installed by the owner/buyer on site. Panelized homes take longer to finish on the site than modular homes. Some people like panelized homes because of the sweat equity they can put into them, and therefore save some construction costs. Panelized homes are also attractive to green minded people, as they eliminate a large amount of the typical waste associated with building a home. Typically, the panels contain high quality insulation comparative to stick-built or modular homes, although attention must be paid to the joining of the sections to limit leakage. Panelized homes must adhere to the local building regulations where they will be sited. Visit http://www.valubuild.com to learn more about panel built homes.

Costs:

General estimates regarding pre-fabricated homes figure a 20 to 40 percent savings over traditional stick-built homes. However, this figure can be highly misleading. With modular homes, increased size also means increased costs, as more trucks are required to transport the homes and more cranes and men are required to construct them. Panelized homes face the same challenges in regards to transport, and depending on your leg work in your local area, the cost of your finishes and labor can vary highly. Manufactured homes are by far the cheapest up-front, but decrease in value over time. This is changing, but be aware of it. Since they are built to HUD standards established in the 1970′s, manufactured homes are typically not as well insulated as modular, panel, and stick-built homes. Because they are built in all types of weather, stick-built homes often require more maintenance during construction than factory-built homes. The quality of stick-built homes also varies, even within the same builder, as weather conditions affect the home.

Overall, stick-built homes are the most time consuming and expensive, but they are also the most customizable and easiest to acquire financing for. Panel built homes are the second easiest to acquire financing for, as some of the actual building occurs on site. Panel built homes are often considered the best insulated, and have a bit of a savings advantage over modular homes. Modular homes are quicker than panel homes to move into, and provide the greatest ease of construction, while maintaining high quality in structural quality and insulation. Manufactured homes are by far lightest on the pocket on the outset, although future depreciation skews this figure. They are also the quickest to move into, once you’ve found a suitable site.

No matter which way you go, homes where some or all of the components are factory built have clear advantages. It’s a growing market, and you’ll do well to be familiar with it. Save yourself time, money, and wind up with a home that you love, quicker than you thought possible.

Visit www.PlacesOfValue.com for more articles on best places in North Carolina and South Carolina, relocation made easy, top retirement communities, cost of living, and designing and building your Dream Home.

I’ve spent over 30 years finding the best real estate locations for major corporations. These companies have made hundreds of millions of dollars based on the locations I’ve selected.

I’m a professional real estate site locator and location analyst. During the last 5 years, I’ve been researching the growth of towns in North and South Carolina, for the relocation of my family.

I’ve studied hundreds of towns to find those areas which are still affordable, have a high quality lifestyle, and the potential for future growth.

My purpose is to share what I’ve found with you and help you find your Dream Place in the Carolinas.

Author: Bob Bencivenga
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Hybrid and Electric Cars

To get a building constructed can be very easy if you follow these steps I will be explaining to you. Before you begin at all or planning to do anything is better you know what is involved on that thing, and in your plan know how much you are going to spend,and you need to know the numbers of people you’ll be using so that you don’t end up paying people on your site that didn’t work for the day.

There are stages in building constructions that you must follow and requirements of labor varies but have it in your mind that anybody you bring to your site, work or not, they will have to be paid. And in case your first plan doesn’t work you can try another one.

A lot of books are out there advertising new innovations on building, you may be surprised to find out that what you need right now are right in those papers , and you have more opportunities of alternatives.

The reputation of your professional or contractor; how honest is he and which of his past jobs can he point to? who can stand for him, or recommend him to carry out your job. Make sure this person is actually qualified for the job.

Whatever you estimate, our economy is besiege by unending inflation, you will always be expected to spend more at the end of the day, so earmark 20% of the estimate for your building for exigencies, though make sure you don’t stretch your budget to the limit, or what is the essence of a shelter if you don’t have money to provide food for you and your family?

It is important you approve your building plan because of future occurrences, the government can decide to turn your building to a road, what will you use to fight back or at least be paid compensation for your property. If you are a businessman with an approved plan you can turn your property as a collateral to obtain loan from the bank to help your business.
You and your contractor must have written agreement on a specific task he is to
perform and also documents amount you pay him and always let him sign under to confirm amount of money you have paid to him, if you fail to do this, the probability is very high that you’ll quarrel over money with your contractor as the job progresses. I have seen several cases of this. If you feel what he’s charging is a bit on the high side is better you price lower and find out how your building will reflect the amount of money you are paying. Though the cheapest price is not always the best and the cheapest at the long run may end up being the costliest.

The safety of your workers on site is very important to avoid disaster let your contractor stipulates his health measures for his workers especially in a large building.

When you are not sure of a step you are about to take, please don’t hesitate to ask the professionals before you embark on it, it may ruin your plans when you don’t seek advice, and local contractors and professionals can be of immense benefits also when you need them at short notice. Remember you are employing and creating a job by giving out your project to be managed by a professional who may actually be your friend, but in this case this is business and should be treated as such.

When purchasing materials, always go for the best quality and don’t hesitate to ask for discounts, you will be shocked by the amount of money that will be returned to you.
When your contractor is offering you a deal that is too sweet to your hearing and too generous to your purse then you may be heading for disaster. Building work is not always as smooth sailing as some people will make you believe.

You can also save cost unknowingly when you build the biggest possible size you can afford as it will cost less if done at the initial stage rather than as extension later on especially when you are sure of your capabilities.

There is no need for being unnecessarily apprehensive to get your building completed very fast, be patient to watch out for favorable weather when building and also give room for waste management, so that you don’t end up having no space for your septic, refuse and other wastes. Whatever kind of material you are purchasing make sure they will be ready when you need them and always make sure of the presence of services on the site before you purchase them.

Where you keep your materials is also important, are they safe? Using an artisan (bricklayer, carpenter, welder etc) to do the job of a professional like Architect, Structural Engineer etc. is not advisable on your site make sure everyone is qualified for the job at hand and don’t allow any contractor to decide for you because you are the boss and pay only when the job is satisfactory however, don’t cut corners because it will cost you more later.

You can get the best quality of materials in Nigeria, you may not need to go abroad for this, don’t accept poor quality material or workmanship for your job.

Omion Emmanuel is an architect that has great passion for online marketing, He uses the medium to teach young Nigerians on how to effectively build,manage and supervise their building projects.

He is more at home with construction industry of his native country Nigeria.

He specializes in Residentials and Bank building design and Construction.

He is best called Nigerian online building management pro.

[http://www.buildingcontractorsecrets.com]

Author: Emmanuel Omion
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
US Dollar credit card

Not everyone can buy the dream home they want, maybe if you win the lottery. So how do you realize that dream?

Well one way is to build your own, and to do that you are more than likely going to need a home building loan. Today’s financial products have become more flexible and geared to the needs of lenders.

As an example, when you look at personal loans, not the ubiquitous highly competitive unsecured loans, which are offered by almost every single lender. The unsecured type are normally never offered over £25,000.00, which won’t really help with a full building project. A better alternative are the personal secured loans, these are geared to the equity that you have in your existing property and will reflect a better interest rate. This type of loan will release equity to get you started, and will need to be factored in when you finally come to sell on.

A self build project can save 20-30%, as you make savings that the builder would normally build in for himself. There are specialist lenders who have specific products with the benefit of staged payments for example. With these you draw down the required proportion of the whole only as and when it is needed. This also means that you are only paying interest on the part of your home building loan that you are actually using.

Finding the best secured loans, or specialist self build products is all down to thorough research. Just as is the critical step of finding the right plot to build on or sourcing the quality building products at the right price. So before you commit to a second mortgage home loan or the like, do your homework on all aspects of building your dream home, not just the variance of one investment property loan compared to another.

10 other important things to research and cover

Planning

Architects

Design

Building Materials

Tradesmen

Heating methods

Building Regulations

Insurance

VAT Reclaim

Alternative building methods

Brian Long is the the author of numerous articles. He has an MBA and writes about various finance and investment related topics. For more information on a Holiday Home Loan, Investment Property Loan, Home Building Loan, Business Investment Loan or Home building visit (Second Home Loans). http://www.2ndhomeloans.co.uk

Author: Brian Long
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Benefits of electric pressure cooker

A lot has been said on how the sub-prime crisis and the ensuing credit crunch have impacted new construction projects on timelines. That said, building design work has never stopped for a moment, what with architects and building designers working overtime to come up with modern and trendy designs for the latest building projects. The result – You could find a lot of modular building systems and eco building products showing up on the design sheets.

Here, for your information, are top 7 building design trends in 2010

1. Safety and security clearly top the list - If the September 11 attacks brought about a positive enforcement to building structures and their safety, it is in the fact that safety and security took precedence over other parameters in building designs. More stringent codes for building standards ensured that buildings were completed to be proof from wind, earthquake, other natural disasters and man-made catastrophes too.

2. Priority to accommodate the need for updated information systems - A lot of lessees have been demanding the need of increased bandwidth in their buildings. That’s probably why you would find developers working overtime to look at the wiring and ducting of the building. This may eat up some space, but developers and building designers aren’t willing to compromise on this aspect.

Increased electrical capacity, fiber optics connectivity, and the heating and air conditioning mechanisms are the need of the hour.

3. Green buildings, of course - More and more designers and developers are working on how buildings could get green. Energy efficiency and cost savings in energy is driving a lot of designers to work on green designs. Given the fact that these buildings provide fresh air, closer connect to nature and a whole host of other benefits, developers seem to giving a lot of importance to this aspect too.

4. Light, ventilation, space and other natural elements - No tenant today wants to move into a room that is congested. People just don’t want to be stifled for space, which has forced designers and developers to make sure that the rooms are spacious enough and well-ventilated. A lot of buyers are paying attention to the configuration of the rooms. Ones with more columns are seemingly getting rejected on count of them eating up some space.

5. Enforcing the brand of the company, key too - The focus on having their office space as a way to reinforce the company’s brand has forced a lot of buyers to look at buying properties that fulfill these conditions. The subtle message delivered by the brand identity does enough to motivate employees and also strike a good relationship with clients too.

6. Collaboration works even in this day of telecommuting - Although telecommuting seems to be more of a trend what with about 40 Million telecommuting from their homes, latest building projects seem to address the face-face interaction aspect. As a result, you would find a lot of building design work revolving around having dens, meeting places in offices.

7. Creating comfort at workspace - Some years back, offices were more of recreational areas than being strict office spaces, by the traditional stretch of imagination. Agreed that the dot-com bubble bursting has had its own effect on some business owners, but the fact that some recreational space does wonders for employee motivation hasn’t been lost on business owners. As a result, you would find a lot of buyers looking for these facets to be integrated in their office spaces.

Apart from eco building projects and modular systems, you would find that buyers of today are increasingly sensitive to the price they pay. Most importantly though, they also wish to have full value for the price paid.

Will Andrews is a Building Design and Engineering Consultant with more than 10 years of experience in the Building Design and Construction Industry. For more details about any building products information please visit at- Building Products Directory.

Author: Will Andrews
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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