construction – Advanced Home Inspection of New Hampshire

Red Flags To Look For When Hiring a General Contractor and The Best Way to Avoid Renovation and Construction Disasters!

At the ripe age of 26 and with a great level of naivete and hubris I embarked on the process of building a home. My then husband and I decided that we would be perfectly capable of being our own general contractor. This I believe now is a clear sign of the hubris of youth! We thought that because we had grown up in the area where we were building and knew a lot of people that we would be able to easily find subcontractors to work on our home build. This assumption turned out to be our downfall and a true life lesson. We ended up hiring friends of the family to paint, the father of one of my high school friend’s father as a finish carpenter and a plumber that came highly recommended by our neighbors. In a perfect world this would have all added up to major savings and the security of knowing the people you were working with. However, this is not a perfect world and in the end we often couldn’t get a hold of my high school friend’s father and after charging us for a ridiculous amount of copper piping the plumber that came so highly recommended disappeared and with him all of the pipe.

Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck- Renovate Your Kitchen and Bathroom!

Maybe you have just purchased that diamond in the rough, the house with the good bones and beautiful architecture, but the bathroom tile resembles Pepto bismal and your kitchen has army green linoleum that matches the ancient appliances. Or perhaps, you have lived in your home for years and now that abundance of oak in your kitchen has gotten old or the once glorious jet tub ceased to sooth your aching muscles long ago or you plan to sell your house soon, it is probably time to make some changes to your home. There are many things to consider when you approach either of these type of renovations. Perhaps, after careful consideration you may decide you want to renovate both of these spaces.

The Consultant in Your Corner: What is Required to Become a 203k Consultant and Why You Need One!

Fifteen years ago I built a house in Gilmanton, NH. We were young and had a limited budget, so we decided to be the general contractors and often the construction workers as well. We cleared the land, mapped out the foundation, hired all of the contractors, filled out all of the paperwork and the list goes on. We used word of mouth and our own limited vetting skills to hire contractors, plumbers, electricians, and carpenters. I am sad to report that more than one of the “professionals” that we hired did not complete their work, didn’t show up on the days they were scheduled and requested payments that far exceeded their initial bids. Our lack of experience and knowledge cost us lots of time and money! In hindsight, I would definitely hire a general contractor, I wish I had, had someone to guide me through the complex process.