Experience with microclover? New construction yard
Fam of6
6 years ago
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Kaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoFam of6 thanked Kaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)Fam of6
6 years agoRelated Discussions
HELP! New Construction Lawn Seed or Sod?
Comments (3)DO NOT TILL, just to follow up and agree with neliaz. If the contractors left your soil surface uneven, then the box blade is the universal solution. If you sod, you can do that any time from now on. If you decide to go with seed, wait until mid June. Bermuda seed needs hot soil (not hot air) to germinate. That would give you many more months to worry about erosion. Until then you can just mow the weeds and practice taking care of it like it was Buckingham Palace. Seeded bermuda and sodded bermuda are two different varieties of plant. They do not mix well in a yard, so think about that before you go buy any seed. Never seed bermuda to patch up a thin spot of hybrid (sod) bermuda....See MoreNew Pool Construction very Frustrated! Help!
Comments (3)Why did you sign anything after the fact? That they hit rock would have been their own stupidity. Now it's costing you. If they dug too deep, the damage is on them. Play hard ball. They are. The broken decking should have been realized as a likely event, IMHO, you should have seen that one coming. That they would only make you pay for the 20% of undamaged is almost reasonable except they only left 20%. They should have covered it all. You can't leave 20%. That's ridiculous. The irrigation is normally toasted during this process. These guys will not pussy foot around when digging. If there is no Due Date for the delivery of the finished pool, you have no control over when they show because you have no leverage. Like I said, play hard ball. They are. Scott...See MoreWhere can I cut costs on new home build based on your experience?
Comments (28)Pick out the wow factor item in your house early in the process and then design around it so you don't have various items all competing for attention with each other. If you have the knockout fireplace, surround it with simplicity so it can be enjoyed. Use classic materials like oak floors, but don't go crazy and pick extra wide pieces that are more expensive to install. Use whatever roofing material which is typical in your area, not some unusual material that requires extra training to install. Keep the size on the smaller side of average for your area. There is always a good demand for well designed, normal sized houses. Combine functions where practical and avoid duplicate spaces...breakfast room, kitchen island with stools and a separate dining room is just unnecessary. Skip the guest suite if you don't have guests often and design a builtin Murphy bed in the den or office for occasional use. Don't go crazy with the master suite...a fireplace in the bedroom is not necessary, nor is a shower big enough to fit a queen sized bed. If separate closets are important to you, include them but don't just blindly add that item to the list because you have seen it in some model home Analyze your lifestyle and how you live in your current house as you will probably continue many of the same habits in the new space. No need for a fancy stove and scads of counterspace if you don't like to cook....See MoreShould I buy a new construction home in a new community
Comments (28)opaone- Not sure where you live, but those economics don't apply in most of the areas I'm familiar with. One of my daughters has seen the market value of her 1930's home increase by about $500K in the last 5 years. Another daughter just bought a 75 year old house -- that has not been remodeled --- for more than ten times it's original cost...and it was a bargain. My first house was a 1950's suburban rambler that I bought for $45K in 1974, did some remodeling to, and sold for over $700K 15 years ago; the buyer started an update, but decided to sell 5 years after that for $1.3 million, even though parts of the remodel were only half done. My neighbor across the fence paid about $400K for a 1960's split level 8 years ago. He has done nothing to it other than paint the exterior, and expects to be able to sell it soon for at least twice what he paid. Some people do want new houses, but many people prefer the charm and building material quality of older homes. As long as they have been maintained, older home values keep increasing over the long term. I have been through more than one market cycle where my home lost value on paper, but it's always more than recovered. In fact, I've always lived in the suburbs and have done much better with buying and selling homes than any other thing I've invested money in. I'm sure some suburbs decline, but, in areas with decent economies, suburban homes still increase in price as young people are priced out of the urban market. They seek out these homes as their longer commutes make them less expensive than a similar house close in. The lower suburban price doesn't mean the houses are falling apart. I agree with you on the trend for people to want things close by and not have to drive as much, but those types of communities and infrastructure are starting to be built where I live by savvy developers who have figured out where our aging demographics are taking us. And these types of projects, while they may not have all the amenities of living right downtown, do offer an alternative to the grittier aspects of big city urban life. In fact, we have good friends who just sold their beautiful downtown condo with spectacular views to get away from noise and panhandling, and move to a home in a nearby suburb where many things are no longer within waking distance, but the living environment is more pleasant....See MoreKaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
6 years agoKaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
6 years agoNHBabs z4b-5a NH
6 years agoFam of6
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoKaillean (zone 8, Vancouver)
6 years agoFam of6
6 years agoUser
6 years agoJane Smith
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoSunny K
3 years ago
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