Do You Need a Building Permit?

A lot of homeowners and small business owners ask me if going through the time and expense of 

getting a building permit is really necessary for their project, even if it is legally required. The answer is yes, and here's why:

If you're caught, it could cost a lot more than the price of a building permit. Let's get the nasty one over with first. We'd like to think that most New Hampshire municipalities won't throw the book at you, but it's certainly better to be on the safe side. And the point is that legally they have the right to impose the consequences if you choose not to follow the law.

Building permits are actually there for a good reason. Have you ever had to stop quickly in a downtown area because suddenly there was a truck parked sideways across the street in front of you? This is one of many dangerous situations that happen because towns have not always issued building permits. In this case someone built their loading dock too close to the street. Those laws are not put there to harass property owners or infringe on your rights; your town just needs a way to coordinate the rights of all the different people who could be affected by all its building projects over the years.

Is Your House Ready for Winter?

We still have some warm days, but the weather is changing, and before we know it, it will be winter again. Now is the time to start preventing heat loss this winter. A well-prepared house means a warmer and safer family, lower heating bills, less air pollution and and a smaller contribution to climate change. Take a few minutes and make sure your house is ready. Here's what to look for:

The roof:  

On the outside, there should be no missing or damaged shingles. The lines of the roof should look straight, with no sags or bumps in it. On the inside, look for signs of water damage.

The door and window frames:

Look for cracks or gaps that can let in a draft. Home improvement stores sell draft detectors if you want to pay for them, but generally speaking, old window frames that look like this:

will be drafty until they are wrapped in metal trim like this:

And while we're on the subject,

Windows:

Make sure your house is equipped with thermal windows with low-e glass.

Insulation:

Be sure your house has enough insulation to keep your heat inside this year. Check the attic, the walls and the basement.

Foundation:

Look inside and outside and check for large or new cracks.

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring is a very popular choice with homeowners right now. It improves the value of your home both financially and in terms of quality of life, and with a little care, it lasts and lasts.

Mark recently installed hardwood flooring in place of carpet in a customer's living room, front hall and stairway:

First he removed the old carpet, exposing the plywood subfloor.

He installed 2 1/2" floorboards, 3/4" thick.

Apparent color variations are caused by changes in lighting conditions.

The finished living room floor. Minimal care will keep this floor beautiful for quite some time.

The front entry

The stairs looked like this when Mark got to them.

He started by removing the carpeting.

He used one-inch-thick premium oak for the treads.

Applying the finish really brings out the beauty of the grain.

The stair stringer is exposed here.

The treads are in place. New balusters will be next.

White risers are popular now.

The finished stairway

--New Hampshire Construction

Custom Garage

These New Hampshire homeowners are understandably proud of their beautiful property, and wanted a convenient equipment storage solution that fit well aesthetically with the house and land. The result was a 16 x 24 custom garage built just the way they wanted it.

 

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