Posts Tagged ‘Construction Projects’

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

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
Provided by: Guest blogger