Tips to save some bucks on new home construction
Jay S
4 years ago
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Comments (33)Oh one more thing which I meant to ask before... Does anyone know a good way to clean that white line off our rock that sits down in the water? We've been told it will probably keep coming back, but we just want to be able to clean it up a little bit for special occasions. I tried some other recommendations that seemed to work a little bit. There has to be an easier way??? I guess you can't use a water softener or you'll get problems, or at least that's what Aqua Pools told us - can any water experts confirm that please or offer some suggestions. We love our rock, it's a paneled rock that looks nice down underwater, but we just wish somebody would invent a way to clean that line up....See MoreGetting ready to wire new construction.....any tips/suggestions?
Comments (10)Install receptacles for outdoor holiday lighting (under eves, near doors and windows) Install multiple receptacles in the area where cell phones and PDAs will wind up in the evenings so the chargers can be plugged in. This can be in a cabinet. Install extra receptacles in the bathrooms(GFCI protected of course) so that shavers, curling irons, and blow dryers can be left plugged in rather than having frantic plugging and unplugging going on every day - ESPECIALLY important if you have several young ladies in the house. If you have towel warmers and such in addition to all the hair tools a second circuit in the main bath may be a good idea. Place receptacles in bedrooms, living room, and family room areas so you don't have to disassemble beds or furniture to access the receptacle (my favorite is the receptacle centered behind a headboard that winds up with several lights, clocks, electric blanket, etc. etc., all hooked up with extension cords) Wire the ceiling fixture boxes for a fan(fan rated box, extra wire so light and fan can be controlled separately). Put in ceiling boxes in bedrooms even if the architect has convinced you to use switched receptacles for floor or table lamps. About 2% of the work I do is installing ceiling boxes in new houses. Consider remote controlled outside lights so you can turn on lights from a keyring remote late at night, and well lit areas around all entrances including garage doors and inside the garage. Consider more than just the required outside receptacles so 100 foot extension cords aren't necessary for trimmers and such. Run conduits for extra circuits from the panel into easily accessible places in the attic and crawl space/basement. ENT, a flexible plastic conduit often called Smurf pipe or tube, is great for this. Let the builder and/or electrician know if you are even considering under cabinet lighting. If anybody owns any power tools at all make sure the garage and maybe a basement area has plenty of receptacles for them. They propagate and all need receptacles, even if battery types (chargers). Consider a central vacuum. If you are undecided put in pipe and wire in areas that will be impossible to get to without ceiling and wall damage later. Put extra receptacles in potential arts and crafts rooms....See MoreNew Construction Home: Pay Cash vs Construction Loan
Comments (4)Yes to your own RE attorney. Yes to a methodology of lien release tracking. Yes to setting up a construction draw schedule even if you don't have a loan. Your builder should know when he needs draws and design a schedule for you. Planning is everything. Know what you want and stick to it. Strangely enough, once the foundation is dug, a lot of risk diminishes. If there are no rocks or water, your foundation costs drop off. Shop around for other lenders. You only need a construction loan. Not a construction to perm. They are different. It's good to have a line of credit in your back pocket when building. I suggest you explore a home equity line of credit on your current home. If you need it, you have it. If you don't use it, you were prepared. Lenders will love you. They love to lend to people who don't need the money. And, they love lending to people who already own the land. Expect and prepare for cost overruns. Construction lending is high risk and you are lowest level of risk of a high risk endeavor. Make the lenders compete for your business....See MoreMost bang for buck with seed saving options for new garden?
Comments (21)I don’t have a massive garden and have a very picky family so don’t grow near the variety of things many others do. I try to plant things that are more expensive to buy at the store and not use the space for cheaper to buy veggies or more sprawling plants. I grow a lot of sugar Snap peas and not as many shelling peas cause the sugar snap or snow peas fresh are very expensive (and not as good frozen) but frozen shelled peas are fairly cheap and tasty. My boys love green beans and I grow a lot of pole beans - longer harvest period so good for fresh eating over an extended period. Mother in law does bush beans so they ripen at the same time as she cans most of them. Bean and pea seeds are also incredibly easy to save and plant the following year. A few plants of the “yard long” beans make for great additions to stir fry and I’ve saved the seed and replanted successfully. Peas would need to go in the ground quite soon but beans you’ve got a few weeks. I do plant lots of tomatoes - I like a variety and trying different kinds, and homegrown are so much tastier than store bought. Many of mine are hybrids, but some are open pollinated. I’ve saved seeds in the past but tend to lose track of my plant tags so cant well document what I’m saving. For fresh salsa I love having an orange variety in the garden. I’ve had yellow in the past but didnt much care for the tarter flavor. There are a wide variety of maturity periods - I plant some earlier smaller varieties and some longer maturity ones. If you want to save seeds then look for ones that are classified as open pollinated or heirloom or standard rather then F1 or hybrid. I also plant some leaf lettuces, Mostly because I’m the only one in the house that eats it and when I buy from the store it often goes bad before I finish it. Growing let’s me go out and pick enough for a meal as needed. But it’s also a cost effective veggie - can get pricey at store Especially for healthier greener varieties. No clue about saving those seeds though - I just buy as needed. Lettuce seed is cheap and tiny so you get a lot. Kale and spinach Are great options too, but I don’t grow them any more as one of my chemo meds seems to make my stomach adverse to them now. I get a ton of squash off a single bush of yellow straightneck or crookneck squash. The varieties I grow are heirloom and breeds true from saved seed. I also grew a tasty bush zucchini last year but I think it was a hybrid. (Dad‘s regular zucchini vines were a sprawling mass last year - would not have worked well in my raised beds). I’m not a cucumber eater and no one else in my family eats pickles so I can’t help with those at all, sorry - not something I’ve even attempted to grow on a whim. i also grow a lot of onions but not from seed so I can’t help there. Garlic I’ve just bought a bag at Costco, planted the biggest cloves, harvested and replanted the biggest the following year. I doubt that’s the most advisable LOL but seed garlic is crazy expensive so I tried that way first. Normally you plant in fall but I’ve also planted early spring and just got smaller bulbs - still super tasty. However it’s getting quite late for garlic now. If you have space somehwere for a permanent asparagus bed it’s a great perennial veggie and early for us cooler zones. But i wouldn’t put it in your raised beds. Also as someone noted early be careful with herbs. Cilantro self seeded super easily and took me years to get rid of. Mint and oregano were almost invasive and reappeared for years too - glad it was in a long wooden planter box rather than my garden beds that I rotate! Other stuff I haven’t had a problem with though. This spring especially in Michigan it’s challenging to get seeds or even harder plants. Online sources are pretty wiped out and shipping isn’t as fast as normal. Hopefully in a month or so and you can get some seedlings about the time it’s perfect for getting tomatoes in the ground in our area. You might be able to find seeds at the grocery - I‘ve seen some at Kroger and added some to my pickup order at Meijer a couple weeks ago. If you can find some in the next few days you could still start inside. I have no idea how close you are to the state line or if you are doing any shopping at all, but I was able to get some nice tomato seedlings and larger plants at one of the farm stores here in Indiana when I was picking up animal feed a few weeks ago. Lowes also had stuff when we went to get roofing materials so hubby could repair a leaking roof for an elderly neighbor. Not advocating going out and about but if you are at the grocery or hardware store anyway you might find something. Heck, if you’ve got some fresh tomatoes or peppers at home you could just plant the seeds from them for this year. When I started my tomatoes a few weeks ago I sowed some seeds from the mini peppers I bought at Aldi cause I didn’t have any seeds at home for those (had plenty of old tomato seed packs) and they sprouted well. May not be be exactly true to the parent but I’ve done the same in the past and got edible little peppers. Good luck with the new garden area!...See MoreD E
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Mark Bischak, Architect