Metal Trim Work

We recently did an exterior trim renovation job for a customer in Milford:

Before: 

The house was resided a few years ago in vinyl. The white J channel and some of the short cuts tell you we didn't do that job. But we're here for the painted wood trim, which has seen much better days.

 

During:

Some peeks at the work in progress:

After:

 

The customer was very happy.

The Best Time of Year to Hire a New Hampshire Renovation Contractor

In New Hampshire, the best time of year to hire a contractor for renovations is late December and January. On average, you get the best value for your money at this time of year, along with the best

selection of contractors and the most scheduling choices.

We've found that most homeowners don't plan ahead. If there's good-weather work to be done on the outside of a house, a typical homeowner will wait until good weather comes and then call a contractor. So contractors are flooded with calls, and (as a hedge against lean times) choose the most profitable jobs. The homeowner pays a premium price, and even then is often put on a waiting list.

In late December and January many contractors experience a lull in their work. We're still busy, partly because we had such a long waiting list, but that's not always the case at this time of year. Generally speaking, if you call now, you're more likely to get the work done when it works for you, and get the best price, too.

There are three kinds of jobs you'll want to line up at this time of year:

1. Indoor work. Kitchen upgrades, interior repairs, closet reconfigurations, etc., can be done any time of year. But in warm weather, your indoor project has to compete with roofs and other fair-weather work.
2. Outdoor work. Call before the rush and schedule your warm-weather project, and you'll get in ahead of the procrastinators.
3. Storm work. Just as you wouldn't wait until it snows to find someone to plow your driveway, you shouldn't wait to find someone for roof shoveling. The same goes for post-storm repairs. If you're on a storm work reserve list, you'll have someone to take care of your house if anything should happen.

Of course, whenever you call a contractor, you should do your homework. Click here for some tips on finding the right contractor for your project:



Best value for the money

Best selection of contractors

Best choice of scheduling

Finding the Right Contractor for Your New Hampshire Construction Project

How do you find the contractor who's the best fit for your project? Here are a few tips:

• Price: It's a good idea to do a little research and get an idea of about how much jobs like yours
  
  should cost. Then, when you get estimates, you'll have something to compare their prices to. Beware of estimates that come in significantly underpriced. While it's always possible that the contractor simply made an arithmetic error, it could also mean that she doesn't understand what's involved in doing the job.
• Experience: Talk with the contractors you're considering hiring. Ask questions about the work they've done in the past, and ask how they've overcome the type of problems they might reasonably come across in your project. Ask for the phone numbers of a few satisfied customers.
• Communication: Sometimes a contractor will give you a good price and have experience doing the kind of work you need done, but will still not be a good fit for you. There's still one more essential area to check out, and that's communication. Does the contractor understand your vision of the project? Do you understand how he proposes to get it done? Do you have enough rapport to be happy working together?

Thanks,

New Hampshire Construction

Looks Like We're in for Another Cold Winter

The Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting another cold, snowy winter this year.

We wish we could tell you that you suffered enough last winter, so you're going to be rewarded with a mild winter this year. Unfortunately, the predictions are saying the opposite. Maybe it's like sports: win one challenge, and your reward is the chance to train for an even bigger one.

But if you're thinking of resigning yourself to another winter full of ice dams and frozen pipes, think again. Most of those problems don't actually come from cold temperatures or lots of snow. They happen when houses aren't ready for New Hampshire winters. The good news is that if a house is built right, you won't need to shovel the roof or worry about structural damage, even if we get as much snow as we did last year.

The bad news is that the majority of houses built in New Hampshire are not built like that. Sometimes this is due to the ignorance of the builders, but more often it's because they knew better and still chose to cut corners to save costs.

What can you do to help your house weather the weather this winter? There are just four major things to address:

• The roof. Make sure the sheathing and the shingles are in good shape. Check the rafters to ensure that they are close enough together and thick enough for your roof type and slope, and that none of them is cracked or rotting. Replace anything that's damaged or worn out, and shore up the structure if you need to.
• Strength of the structure. Be sure that your strong roof has a strong house and foundation to sit on. Remember that the purpose of all the structural elements of the house is to safely transfer that weight to the earth.
• Sealing up drafts. A lot of times, frozen pipes and other winter damage is due to leaks where warm air rushes out of the house or cold air blows in. Look for little cracks and holes, especially around doors and windows, and where the main house meets the foundation.
• Insulation. From the foundation to the roof, there's no substitute for insulation. Insulation, along with ventilation, prevents ice dams and dangerous icicles. It reduces material stress due to expansion and contraction, and it can protect your pipes from freezing.

While every house has different needs, most winter issues fall under one of these categories.

Thanks,

New Hampshire Construction

Shopping Tips: New Hampshire Construction Contractors

Shopping for a New Hampshire construction contractor? Here are a few tips to help you choose one you'll be happy with.

• Experience. Construction seems to be the business everyone wants to be in right now, and its popularity has attracted some people who are new to the field. It's a good idea to keep this in mind when looking for a contractor for your project. Ask questions like "How many years have
  
  you been doing this? Have you done any work in the area that I can look at? Can you give me some references?"
• Understanding and Communication. There's nothing worse than coming home to find your addition going in on the wrong side of the house. Of course, this is an extreme example, but you'll want to make sure you and your contractor are on the same page.
• Honesty. Obviously, you'd have to be a mind reader to know for sure whether a contractor is being honest. But you can watch for red flags, such as inconsistencies and stories that don't check out.
• Control. You'll want to make sure that the contractor you're hiring is actually going to do the work, or at least be fully in control of it. You don't want to go through the trouble of finding an experienced, honest contractor who understands your needs, only to have the actual work done by someone else. 

Building projects can be stressful, but if you follow these four pointers, you'll have a little bit less to worry about.

Thanks,

NewHampshire Construction

The Real Deal on New Hampshire Construction Contractor Licenses

Lately, we've been asked a few times if we're licensed, so it looks like it's time to set the record straight:

The State of New Hampshire does not require (or offer) licensing for building contractors. The only construction-related contractors who need licenses in New Hampshire are electricians, plumbers and asbestos abatement contractors.

So beware of advertisers who say they hold licenses that don't actually exist. Yup, we've seen them!

Thanks,

NewHampshire Construction

Commonly Confused Construction Terms

When you're ready to start a building project, whether you're going to hire a contractor or do it
yourself, communication is key. Knowing what to call everything can help you avoid expensive misunderstandings with contractors and suppliers. Here are a few commonly confused or misused construction terms and their meanings:

Joist/Stud: A joist is one of a set of beams that support a floor, deck, or other horizontal surface. A stud is one of a set of posts that make up the frame of a wall. The difference: joists are horizontal and studs are vertical.

Board/Plank: The difference between a board and a plank is thickness. Put simply, if it's at least an inch and a half thick, it's a plank; if it's thinner than that, it's a board.

Cement/Concrete: Cement is heat-treated limestone. Mix it with water and gravel, and you've got concrete. You can't build anything out of cement alone. It's a powerful binding agent when activated by water, but it needs something to bind. That's where the gravel comes in.

Beam/Post: These are both strong structural elements designed to support a lot of weight. The difference is that beams are horizontal and posts are vertical.

Truss: A truss is a sub-structure built to support weight without the need for a lot of posts or load-bearing walls. Trusses are often used to support roofs in buildings where a lot of open floorspace is desired. Don't confuse it with trust.

Soffit/Fascia: If you stand under the overhang of a typical New Hampshire roof and look up, you'll see a sort of outdoor ceiling called a soffit. Now, step away from the house and look for a trim board running along the roofline. That's the fascia, also called fascia board.

Tread/Riser/Stringer: These are all parts of a set of stairs. The treads are the part you probably notice the most, because you walk on them. The risers are the vertical boards that go between the treads. Not all stairs have risers. The stringers are the diagonal planks that form the main structure of the stairs.

Rafter/Purlin: Both these terms refer to the beams that form the structure of a roof. The difference is which direction they run. On a gable (peaked) roof, rafters run from the ridge (peak) to the eaves (bottom of roof/top of wall), whereas purlins run parallel to the short walls of the house. Purlins are not used in traditional-style modern houses, but are usually found in post-and-beam construction.

Sheathing/Siding: Sheathing is attached directly to the wall studs. In modern houses, it's usually made of OSB. In older houses, it may be plywood or even pine boards. Over the sheathing goes the housewrap (Tyvek is a popular brand), and over that goes the siding. The siding is the exterior finish of the house.

Baseboard/Baseboard heater: A baseboard is a piece of trim that runs along the bottom of a wall next to the floor. It's usually made of wood, but in commercial buildings, there's a popular type of baseboard called cove base, which is made of rubber or vinyl. A baseboard heater is a heater, usually electric, designed to be installed just in front of a baseboard.

Banister/Baluster: A banister is a stair rail, and balusters are closely-spaced supports that hold up a railing. A related word: balustrade, a railing with its supporting balusters.

Screw/Bolt: A screw is used by itself, but a bolt is used with a nut.

Cut/rip: Again, the difference is which direction it's going. Cutting goes across the grain of the wood, while ripping goes along the grain.

Did we miss any? Add to the list! What word confusions have gotten you in trouble?

Thanks,

New Hampshire Construction