Irvine Construction Blog
Are Energy Retrofitting and Historic Preservation at Odds?
With a large percentage of homes having been built before modern energy-efficient fixtures were available, there’s a lot of potential for beneficial energy retrofitting in single-family homes. However, if your home is considered historic—or you just want to preserve its original character—it can feel as if you’ll be sacrificing your home’s historic features when you make upgrades. But thanks to advances in energy retrofitting capabilities, as well as with a little extra work on the part of you and your contractors, you can complete an energy retrofit without compromising your home’s historic preservation needs. Review the Requirements If your home…
4 Tips for Designing a Home Office When Working From Home With Kids
Even as the restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic recede, many workers are still doing their jobs from home permanently. If this describes you, you may be considering renovating part of your home into a home office. And, if you’ve got kids at home, taking them into consideration when designing your space is essential. Here are 4 tips for designing a home office that’s serviceable for you but also welcoming for your kids: Identify Your Space Whether it’s a dedicated room with a door that closes, a closet in the playroom, or a space that you can cordon off a bit…
How to Deal With Lead Paint in Your Historic Home Remodel
Once a staple of interior painting, we now know that lead-based paint is dangerous for anyone exposed to it for too long. Children and pets are the most vulnerable, but healthy adults and the elderly also can experience lead poisoning with enough exposure. If you’re planning a remodel of your historic home and suspect (or know) that you’ve got lead paint, here’s what you need to know about keeping everyone safe during the process. Identify Lead Paint You may know that you’ve got lead paint in an area you’re planning to remodel, or you may just suspect that you do…
How the Housing Market Is Impacting the Remodeling Market
The housing market is notorious for constantly changing. One week it’s looking up for buyers, the next it’s dominated by sellers. This contrasts with the remodeling market, which has been steadily increasing for many years now. Still, these two markets affect each other in many ways. If no one is buying new homes, they are more likely to renovate the homes they already own. And if everyone is preparing to sell, they may want to spruce up their places before they go up for sale. If you’re thinking about changing your housing situation, you may be wondering which is right…
Hidden Costs to Look Out for When Renovating Your Home
Home renovation projects can be pricey. That’s why it’s so important to create a realistic budget and stick to it. If you’re planning on doing some construction to your home, you’ve probably already considered the price for the designer, contractors, and materials. But there are a few hidden costs that many people forget to consider. These charges can add up, and if you don’t include them in your original estimation, you’ll end up way over budget. Here are 5 hidden costs to look out for when you’re renovating your home: The Land Surveyor A land surveyor is the person trained…
4 Tips for Preparing for Your Selection Meeting
Building your own custom home is an exciting process for many homeowners. Because you’re choosing where everything goes and what it will look like, this means you’ve got nearly complete control over every aspect. From the overall layout right down to the cabinet pulls, there are dozens – if not hundreds – of selections and decisions you have to make during the custom home building process. Part of the custom building process includes the selection meeting. During this meeting, you sit down and make all the final design selections for the interior and exterior of your custom home, including flooring,…
4 Ways Renovating Your Historic Home Can Be Cost-Effective
The decision to renovate your historic home may be a difficult one, especially if you’re looking solely at the price tag. However, while knowing what you can reasonably afford before you sign a contract is important, it shouldn’t be the only consideration when making your final decision. In fact, even if the cost of your renovation seems high, the benefits of your renovation may far outweigh the sticker price. Here are 4 ways that renovating your historic home can be cost-effective: Your Neighborhood Many historic homes are located in neighborhoods full of similarly historic properties, and may even be located…
6 Tips for Building & Renovating With Resale Value in Mind
Undertaking any home building project, whether you’re building new or renovating an existing home, is an expensive venture. While most homeowners make decisions on what to do and not do in their building and renovations based on what they want and need, thinking about the resale value of any design choices is a good idea. Even if you may not be planning to move any time soon, putting a bunch of money into changes that, down the line, are going to hurt your home’s resale value isn’t a sound practice. If you’re planning to build new or renovate an existing…
When to Save & When to Splurge on Your Home Renovation
Every home renovation project comes with a budget, and it’s inevitable that your budget won’t cover everything. By balancing your budget, you can maximize your home renovations while still ending up with completed projects that will last years. So, where do you save and where do you splurge on your home renovations? Splurge on Bathroom Fixtures You can find cheap faucets and shower heads easily, but the drop in quality isn’t worth saving the money. When you purchase high-end bathroom fixtures, you don’t have to worry about things such as water pressure, frequent replacements, or leaks that lead to eventual…
7 Pitfalls to Avoid When Buying an Historic Home
No one can deny that historic homes are gorgeous, but you should always be cautious before purchasing one. For every pro a historic house offers, there’s a hidden con to counteract it. The good news is you can avoid being sucked into a money vacuum purchase by becoming aware of the cons before you purchase the home. Here are some of the pitfalls of a historic home you should always keep in mind and look for: Strict Rules Homes in designated historic districts come with strict rules. Many times, historic homes are in disarray before they are purchased. You may…
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