Here are tips on how to build cheap raised garden beds with cedar or concrete and how to plant in them! Every time I open a plant catalog or see a television commercial for sale-priced $99 raised garden bed kits, I cringe! You don’t need to spend that kind of money to build your own four-by-four-foot bed or even a 20-foot-long one. Building Raised Garden Beds…
Endeavor Homes provides everything you need (except concrete and pipes) to build your own real, custom home on your lot. Not manufactured or modular, it will increase in value over time, as will any custom home. Delivered on your schedule in an average of six deliveries, Endeavor pre-frames the walls in clearly identified sections and provides a schematic plan…
I truly wish we had done more research on Toll Brothers and read more of these reviews prior to purchasing our lot in Massachusetts. To say that we are disappointed, frustrated and upset would be an understatement. The reason we did purchase with them is that land by/around the Boston area is very hard to come by so we felt that given the cost of the land and…
Traditional homes are expensive. And unlike your ancestors, building your own home with your own two hands simply isn’t something you have time to do. With all of the red tape involved with permits and building codes, people often hire expensive builders to do the job for them. But pole barn homes allow for an easy and affordable way to build a home. What Are…
A number of people have asked me about building their own solar panels from individual solar cells and asking for my opinion on a number of web sites that make claims that you can build enough solar panels to power your home for around $200. I have a huge amount of respect for people with the aptitude and the ability to build their own equipment. These people…
Home building is physically demanding work and manual material handling may be the most difficult part of the job. Manual material handling includes all of the tasks that require you to lift, lower, push, pull, hold or carry materials. These activities increase the risk of painful strains and sprains and more serious soft tissue injuries. Soft tissues of the…
Carefully Select the Builder: Before hiring a builder, drive past their previous jobs and speak to the homeowners. Ask if the builder had good follow-through, whether the job was completed on schedule and on budget and if they were pleased with the quality of work. Also, check the builder s relationships with subcontractors and supply houses — essentially find…
Trends for each Australian state vary when it comes to building your own home. Many of the larger developers already have pre-determined floor plans which make it easier when trying to plan the layout of your new home. Some builders once the plan has been chosen will not allow any changes to be made to the actual structure other the home, others will be more…
What do the experts say you need to do and know for a smooth build out? To make the project a little easier to wrap your head around, here’s some advice from construction professionals. Do your research This requires doing a little homework. To start the building process right, you’ll want to do the following: Conduct extensive online research to make sure you’re…
Building a house takes many things– tools, patience, several cases of beer, and most importantly, a plan. In the last couple of years I’ve worked with a number of tradesmen and contractors, and even though I only threatened to bury one of them in the backyard once, I still recommend that anyone undertaking a project like this has an understanding of what it really…
What affordable options are out there in the Kenyan market? The model that a prospective home owner chooses – from a detached house to a high-rise apartment – depends on a number of factors, which include but are not limited to taste, preferences and available funds. However, each of the housing models has special requirements in terms of special planning and…
LaMar Alexander had the perfect life before things came crashing down around him and he had to find a new way of living. Sometimes it’s the things that life throws at us that make us into who we are actually meant to become. Such is certainly the case for LaMar. Read his story down below of how he went from a normal life to homelessness, then to off-grid self…
Custom building is all about the details. You literally need to think about every aspect of functionality for your style of living. For our custom build, now that the roof is done, we have the electrician starting to mount and cut outlet boxes, install recessed lighting cans, and run the hard wires to where the electrical panel is located, and to all devices…
The simple life is slower and you have to get used to things taking more time, but when you do, it s bliss. In the morning I make tea, usually ginger. Then depending on the season I make juice from the oranges, pears, pomegranates or grapefruits that grow nearby. I feed the wild kittens. They keep other creatures away, they re very useful and so cute. I try to…
Accurately estimating home-construction costs requires using the blueprints for your new home. Estimating the cost of building a new home helps plan for the features you want, while staying within your basic budget. American home-building calculations exclude the property price, planters, driveway, sidewalks and landscaping around the property. The estimate also…
Photo 1: The foundation. PHOTOS: MATT SCANLON The four of us spent that December 25 in quiet celebration. The next day came the party. Fifty-six people arrived to help us bring in the season, and to run their hands over the shapes and marvel at the expansiveness of the space. They discovered what Juliet and I had years earlier: a dome makes people stand in wonderment…
Find out how much modular homes really cost to build. Watch our informative video on price per square foot costs for a prefab home. When asking how much a modular home will cost to build, many different sources will give you many different answers. Some companies will tell you that they can build you a home for as low as $35 per square foot, but what they are…
The recent post on passive houses sparked an interesting discussion about the costs of ultra-efficient homes. Passive houses are meant to be affordable — that is, the incremental construction costs pay back in energy savings in a fairly short time period — but those relative cost calculations really only apply in a European context. Germany, the birthplace of…
To get high end finishes you want now but cannot afford, just phase them in over time. Plan your ideal finishes but break the work (and expense) down into stages. You can finish a kitchen without cabinet knobs and pulls and install them next year, or paint the countertop backsplashes and tile it later. Despite over 30 years of home building experience, there…
In the last decade the cost of building or buying a home has increased dramatically in Costa Rica. Why? The country is more developed than its neighbors so prices and the standard of living are higher. Also the price of building materials has risen significantly. So, the question is whether an affordable method of building homes exists for budget-minded retirees…
Designing and building your own home using shipping containers can be a fun and financially rewarding experience. As the cost of housing and building materials continues to increase, and the concept of up-cycling is more readily embraced, people all over the world are turning to the humble shipping container to cut their building costs. Not only are shipping…
The thought of building a brand-new home for the family can seem financially out of reach for many homeowners, which is why finding dependable and affordable house plans is such an integral part of the process. Just as purchasing an existing home without breaking the bank is about studying the landscape and building a reasonable list of wants and needs based…
Are you considering major renovations or an addition to your home? Do you spend weekends wandering models in new home communities? You may be surprised to hear that building a new custom home where you currently live can be an affordable or even a cost effective option. Renovations Major renovations to your home may result in very costly unforeseen expenses…
If you own your own home site (in Central Florida), or are considering purchasing a home site, Florida home builder Showcase Homes brings the same great attention to detail and professional services to building one of our homes on your lot. One of the premier builders in Central Florida, Showcase Homes has nearly 50 years of dedicated home-building experience…
