Thinking about adding extra square footage to your home?
Or just a few minor remodeling projects you’d like to wrap up before summer ends?
Regardless of whether you’re going to tackle these projects on your own, or you’re going to hire a professional remodeling company, here are two tips to keep in mind BEFORE you start your next project.
Remodeling tips from the Pros
The first thing to consider is whether or not you need to pull permits for the work you’re thinking of doing in or around your home.
- Changing a bathroom vanity?
- Reconfiguring the layout of your master bathroom, including reworking the plumbing?
- Adding a deck or sun-room to your home?
Pull those permits
As you can imagine, making simple changes to your home like swapping out a vanity doesn’t require you to pull permits.
However, for the other two examples listed above you do.
Any remodeling company worth hiring can tell you whether or not you need to pull permits based on the type of project you’re considering for your home. In fact, we handle all the necessary permits for our customers. After all, you have better things to do than handling red tape, right?
Now, you probably already know this but it bears repeating. The reason for pulling permits is to protect you and your family from loss and financial hardship.
For example, say you add a new deck to your home and don’t complete the necessary paperwork. Will your insurance company handle any claims for loss or damages to your new deck, say from a fallen tree, or any liability payments should someone get hurt because they fell from your deck during a summer barbeque?
The short answer is, probably not.
The town you live in wants you to pull permits because they want to maximize tax revenue, and protect themselves against possible future lawsuits down the road.
So, in the final analysis, get those permits pulled (or let us do it for you), and if you’re not sure then call and ask us and we’ll give you our professional opinion.
There’s just no reason to cut corners here.
After all, if you’re going to do the job, do it right the first time.
Follow all building codes
When it comes to any type of home addition, even installing a deck on the back of your home, make sure you follow building codes.
And have the work inspected by your local building inspector (if required).
Though building codes vary from town to town, there is a reason they’re on the books. Believe it or not, building codes are designed to protect you, the homeowner, by providing acceptable building standards. And any licensed contractor should know the codes as they apply both to your project and your town.
In fact, in many cases it’s best to build beyond the standards.
How can you know if the contractor you’re thinking of hiring will follow the standards?
On one hand you can’t tell, it comes down to reputation and trust.
However there are some tell-tale signs. Let’s say you get multiple bids on a job. And one or two of them are MUCH lower than the average. Now let me ask you something, how do you think they can complete the project for so much less money then anybody else?
By cutting corners, that’s how.
And when it comes to construction the #1 way that shoddy remodeling companies cut corners is through material costs. Perhaps they use cheap or substandard materials. Perhaps they use less nails, hardware, etc. to properly build out the structure.
The old adage ” you get what you pay for” applies in most cases, especially when it comes to getting work done in or around your home.
Now, if the home improvement project you’re thinking of doing is a DIY project and you’re not sure of the building codes as they apply to your situation, call and ask us.
At the end of the day any work done to your home should increase functionality, and possibly its value as well. Building codes serve to protect the financial investment you’ve made to your home. And should you decide to put your home on the market down the road you want (and need) your home, and any projects you’ve done, to pass inspection.
Makes sense, right?
Schedule your free in-home consultation today
If you live in Westchester County, NY and you’re thinking about getting some work done in your home, consider giving us a call.
With more than 50 years experience we have completed hundreds of home improvement projects — just like yours. To schedule your free in-home consultation you can click the link for our website (www.remodeling-consultants.com) or give us a call at 914-381-6900 today.
Care to see some samples of our work, or read some happy customer testimonials? Visit our facebook page (and considering “Liking” us as well)…
We look forward to hearing from you.
