General architect questions (New Hampshire)
3 years ago
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Annuals that do well in Northern New Hampshire
Comments (3)Granted I'm a couple of zones warmer than you but I'm still in New England. I suggest you check out Swallowtail Garden Seeds website for ideas that will meet your requirements. Another suggestion is that you winter sow the seeds in recycled containers. Winter sowing is a USDA sanctioned method of growing from seed. There is a winter sowing forum here on GardenWeb where you can check out the FAQs, get ideas/suggestions, ask questions & generally learn as much as you need to know about growing healthy annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs & vegetables from seed without grow lights in your basement. There's also a GW seed exchange forum where you can trade for seeds rather that buying commercial seeds. Here are a few perennials (I don't bother with annuals) I grew from seed via winter sowing in 2012: Lobelia cardinalis/cardinal flower Gaura lindheimeri/wandflower Catananche caerulea/Cupid's dart Echinacea purpurea/purple coneflower Blanket flower & bee Gaillardia/blanket flower (species)...See MoreGeneral cost of building trend question
Comments (17)"I can't imagine any county increasing values..must be so they can increase property taxes." If you are referring to my earlier post in which I mentioned that several counties around here had five year increases in property valuations, your assumption is incorrect. By law, Tennessee counties are not allowed to increase taxes by increasing the valuations. When a county completes its five year reassessment, it must adjust its tax rate so that total tax collection remains unchanged. A 21% increase in average valuations essentially means the tax rate must be decreased by the same 21%. There are winners and losers in the shake out, since some properties go up (or down) more than others, but overall it comes out even. If the pols want to increase property taxes, they have to do it by voting publicly for the increase. They can not get it in through the back door by means of a reassessment. Tennessee may be the only state in which that is the case....See MoreLocal Architects in northern New England: questions!
Comments (6)Hi, Larissa, Architect fees in our area average 7% to 8% of construction costs, but that's for larger projects than yours. Fees on smaller projects tend to be a higher percentage of the total construction cost. If the architect design fees you are being quoted exceeds your budget, you'll need to shift gears. I suggest you consider local design/build contractors as an alternative. They are more likely to have a portfolio of homes similar in style and scale to what you have in mind. Like architects, their design competencies and fees will vary. Do your homework....See MoreHangers - A general question about them
Comments (59)My 2 cents... If you feel like the builder is not on the up and up, speak to a construction attorney. Don't ignore your gut. If something smells rotten, there is a good chance it is. I understand the desire to educate yourself, but frankly there is not enough space or time here for you to bridge the knowledge gap between you and your builder. Your best bet is to engage someone who is already capable of reviewing your documents and the charges. Now a word on cost plus contracts. A cost plus contract does not remove the builder's duty of due care. A builder can't simply omit items from the estimation/bid process and then add them to the project along with their markup and be more profitable because he was deceptive or negligent in the bidding process. That is not how contracts work. It is entirely possible and reasonable that you were over budget because items went up in price, but there are several concerns with items that should have been in the bid being omitted. Having said that, scope matters. I didn't see where you discussed the cost of the entire project, but a $30,000 omission on a $3,000,000 project is unlikely to be material enough to be a breach of due care. On the other hand a $30,000 omission on a $150,000 project would likely be a breach of due care. Good luck...See More- 3 years ago
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