Archive for April, 2011
Real estate 6 Ways to Go-Green for You and Your Home
One of the best and most effective ways to go green is by making eco friendly adjustments to your home.
Making eco-friendly home improvements is easier than you may think, and the benefits to your health and the environment can be dramatic.
Looking for green-friendly home improvement contractors? How about some tips on making your house an eco-friendly one? Do you want to “go green” when remodelling your home? There are various ways to make eco-friendly home improvements. Here are some eco-friendly options.
1. Hire “green” professionals. If your remodel is a serious undertaking, like redoing an entire kitchen or adding a family room, you most likely will hire a host of professionals, such as an architect to design the project, an engineer to review your plans, and a general contractor to manage the construction. Hiring the right professionals is your first opportunity to make environmentally friendly choices. Begin by asking friends and neighbors with remodels you like for the names of professionals with experience doing “green” remodeling. When you meet with professionals, ask to see examples of their work and to explain what makes it environmentally friendly. Experts will know more about the toxicity and sustainability of certain products, as well as how to take advantage of natural light and heat, reduce consumption, and lower energy costs.
Tags: energy costs, friends and neighbors, general contractor, home improvement contractors, home improvements, planning stage, remodel, Remodeling, toxicity, usable materialsRelated posts
Home Remodeling – The Agreement Between You and Your Contractor
It is extremely important that you understand the concept of “selective amnesia”. Verbal agreements and phone conversations often tend to result in mild to very severe cases of this phenomenon. The more money in question the more severe the malady. Without clear and concise written documentation of the intent and obligations of both the homeowner and the contractor things can and will get out of hand, tempers will flare and lawsuits are likely to ensue. In the absence of proper and clear documentation a disagreement or dispute becomes a “He said-She said” argument, or essentially your word against his. Nobody ever really wins in this situation. The old reliable “But what I said was not really what I meant” copout can be frustrating and very costly to everyone involved.
Getting everything possible in writing is about the only way to prevent this from happening. This enables both parties to clearly understand (and/or be reminded about) their obligations. A concise, simply stated fact, requirement or description is very difficult to argue with in or out of court.
Tags: contractor agreement, correct interpretation, disagreement, flare, malady, phone conversations, residential contractors, tempers, verbal agreements, written documentationRelated posts