Lenny | Colony Home Improvement

Confused About Building Permits? Newton Home Improvement Contractors Have the Answers

February 16, 20160

Get the permits you need through home improvement contract.rs

Home improvement contractors can help you get the permits you need.

Building permits can be confusing for a lot of people. After all, building permits aren’t something the average person typically has to deal with, unlike professional contractors. Regulations governing these permits aren’t uniform. They can differ from state to state and, because counties and cities can add to state requirements, rules and regulations can vary from town to town. In some places like Newton even something as seemingly innocuous as putting up kitchen cabinets requires you to fill out a permit application and pay a fee to the city.

When you are working with a reputable eastern MA home improvement contractor, you don’t usually have to deal with obtaining building permits. A good contractor usually handles that sort of thing for you or gives you close guidance on the right way to get it done if, for some reason, you prefer to do it yourself. In fact, it should raise your suspicions when a contractor won’t handle the permits. It can mean there is a license or insurance problem since license information is required on the building permit application and workers’ compensation insurance information must be filed with electrical permit applications.

A Building Permit Offers Confirmation

The regulations governing building permits are based on a locality’s building codes, zoning laws and other restrictions that may be at play, such as land covenants and home owner association rules. This group of regulations governs construction and structural safety standards, land use restrictions, community standards, fire safety code and regulations, restrictions and standards governing sewage, water, sanitation and electrical work. Building permits offer confirmation the plans for the work have been reviewed by local officials and judged to be in compliance with all applicable regulations and standards.

The right permits are needed for custom built home plans.

Custom built home plans require the proper permits.

Types of Permits

Depending on the project, there may be multiple permits required. The specifics of a construction or remodeling project will determine the types of permits required. That’s one of the reasons its often easier for Newton home improvement contractors to handle the permit process. They know what the work entails and what permits they need so there’s less of a chance of delays due to error or missing paperwork. Simple remodeling projects with no electrical or plumbing work often require only the basic building permit.

When building a home using custom built home plans in Newton, expect to need a handful of permits, including one allowing a generator at the site during building, if it’s needed. Local contractors deal with permit officials frequently, building professional relationships over time. They know exactly who is in charge of what and are up-to-date on permit requirements. Contractors working regularly in an area are often extended a little professional courtesy, allowing them to get permit applications through the approval process a bit quicker than the average non-professional person.

Contact us to learn more about what types of home repairs require local building permits. What may be fine to do without a permit in one city may cause trouble in another. Always use reputable contractors to avoid the costly problems that can arise from improper permits.

Your Hingham Home Improvement Contractor Can Help You Design the Perfect Front Door

February 11, 20160

Choose the right front door with the help of a home improvement contractor.

Your home improvement contractor can help you choose the right front door.

Curb appeal matters, impacting the overall attractiveness and even value of your home, making your choice in a front door an important one. However, security and function are also important considerations when choosing this door. If you are adding or remodeling a porch, updating an entryway or simply replacing a door that has seen better days, talk to your Hingham home improvement contractor about the best front door options for your home. That way, you’ll have a better chance of finding a door that is a great fit for you and your home.

Define Your Perfect

Some people find front doors with lots of glass attractive, perhaps having their eastern MA premier home remodeling team frame the front door with additional decorative glass panels set into the wall above and to either side of the door. They may use stained or frosted glass for both style and privacy or may just let the sun shine through. Others may frame the door with decorative glass, but prefer a solid wood or metal door without windows. Some use no glass at all, relying instead on decorative molding, stylish hardware and other accents or a distinctive door shape in a fine hard wood or use rich or vibrant colors to create visual appeal.

Style isn’t always the highest priority. Many people take a more utilitarian view of their front door, and consider strength and security to be the most important factors. They look at a glass door and see a security risk, the possibility of broken glass and unauthorized entry. For them, the perfect front door is heavy and strong, features top-quality locking mechanisms and is resistant to tampering. They may look toward reinforced steel cores and have less concern about color and style.

For others, the perfect front door is one that prioritizes function over fashion. They want a door that is well insulated and draft-free, helping to keep heating and cooling costs down. They may talk to their home improvement contractor in Hingham about adding a practical storm door to their front door for added protection against drafts in the winter with sturdy screens to let in cooling summer breezes. Their perfect front door is low maintenance, retaining its good looks without repainting every few years and resists stains, scratches and scuffs. A fiberglass door with a insulating foam core may best meet their front door priorities.

Choose a new front door for premier home remodeling.

Your front door is an important part of premier home remodeling.

Front Door Priorities

Decide what your top front door priorities are and ask your contractor for suggestions. Your contractor may be able to suggest a highly secure steel door that also offers an attractive style or recommend a door that offers red hot curb appeal but is also designed to provide a higher degree of security. You might just find the trendy, stylish front door you fell in love with is also designed with tight weatherization in mind.

Contact us to learn more about the different types of doors on the market and how to choose the front door that best meets your style, security and function priorities.

What’s Trending for Southeastern MA Home Remodeling for 2016

February 9, 20160

Choose the right tiles with the help of home improvement contractors.

Home improvement contractors can help you choose the right tiles.

Don’t make any home improvement plans before you see some of this year’s creative and exciting remodeling trends. Gloriously retro Art Deco geometric designs are already a hot trend this year, as are fabulous fusions and deep, rich colors. Another 2016 trend to watch is luxurious, stylish outdoor living spaces designed for multi-seasonal use. Personalized, artisan, one-of-a-kind designs are another big trend this year, something the top custom home improvement contractors in Wellesley and the surrounding areas specialize in creating.

Art Deco Is Hot

Popular between 1920 and 1940, Art Deco’s bold lines, geometric patterns and symmetry often combined futuristic fantasy with elements of pre-modern art and ancient, mystical geometry theories, such as the golden mean. Art Deco design elements can feel as modern as they do retro, especially when using modern colors or as an accent to an otherwise sleek, gleaming modern space. Art Deco fusions are also trending, such as the combining of southwestern Navajo styles and motifs with Art Deco geometric symmetry.

Make great changes with premier home remodeling.

Premier home remodeling can make some amazing changes.

Tile Is Trending Big

Tile is indeed trending this year, but not just any tile. This year’s tile trends are all about fabulous throwbacks. Expect to see round penny tiles showing up everywhere, on floors, walls and ceilings, in bathrooms, kitchens and even bedrooms. These remarkably versatile tiles are being used to create retro looking floors and walls, as whimsical accents, such as flowers and swirls, adding a bold splash of color to a light, cool monochromatic space, and to create one-of-a-kind mosaics. Those mosaics may serve as back splashes in the kitchen, decorate an over-sized luxury shower or be the centerpiece design of a foyer floor.

Encaustic tiles are another trending retro tile. These tiles feature geometric designs that are formed not by painting the tiles, but by using different colors of clay in their making. These tiles are being used on floors and walls in gorgeously complex and richly colored geometric designs reminiscent of Islamic Byzantine art. This isn’t the sort of thing you can call in the average, run-of-the-mill tile guy to handle. For this type of floor or wall design, you want to call in a southeastern MA premier home remodeling contractor.

The Great, Elegant Outdoors

The trend toward well defined, stylish outdoor living space is growing. What’s new this year with that trend is bringing elegant, luxurious interior design outdoors to spaces that are designed not just for summer use, but for spring and fall as well. Many offer a greater degree of protection from the elements than the casual classic back deck or back porch does. Gorgeous fireplaces, furnishings that are opulent in look and feel, yet resistant to the elements: these are among the important design trends home improvement specialists in Wellesley expect to see a greater demand for during 2016.

Should You Invest in a Fixer-Upper? A Dover Home Improvement Contractor Can Help

February 4, 20160

Renovate a home with the help of a home improvement contractor.

A home improvement contractor can help you renovate a home.

There are several factors to consider when weighing the merit of investing in a fixer-upper. Naturally, the number of renovations the home will require and how much those projects will cost are major considerations. After all, the true price of the home is its purchase price plus the cost of a home remodel in Dover, not just the bargain price of a home in need of work. You’ll need to run your numbers carefully before making a decision.

Adequate Return on Investment

When considering the purchase of a fixer-upper primarily as a financial investment, you’ll need to carefully assess the balance between the purchase price and the costs involved in renovating the property. Whether you plan to flip the house by remodeling it and selling it for a profit or you are investing in it as a rental property, you’ll need to do the math to see if you will be able to earn a worthwhile return on the money you invest.

It’s a good idea to add 20 to 25 percent to your estimated remodel budget to cover any unexpected repairs that may come up during the renovation process. That’s because, as almost any Dover home improvement contractor can tell you, sometimes when you open up a wall or begin what by all appearances is a small fix, you can discover a larger problem lurking under the surface. You could, for example, expose the wiring in a wall during the process of moving a wall switch to a more convenient location and find evidence other wires need immediate replacement.

A home remodel can help you create a beautiful home.

If you buy a fixer-upper, you need a home remodel.

Home Investment Is Different

The numbers run a bit differently when you are thinking about buying a fixer-upper and renovating it to live in. If this is going to be your long-term home, gaining a better quality home at a bargain price may be more important to you than what the return on your investment is going to be in hard numbers after five or 10 years. After all, if it is your home, you aren’t looking to sell it within that time-frame anyway. The deciding factor is what the home is worth to you. A fixer-upper can be transformed into a gorgeous custom-designed home when you have an expertsoutheastern MA premier home remodeling and additions contractor handle your renovations.

Ask the Experts

If you don’t have a lot of hands-on home improvement project experience, it can be difficult to accurately assess the condition of a house to determine just how much remodeling and repair it needs. Talk to local expert contractors to learn what types of damage to a home tend to be the most problematic or most likely to run into unexpected costs. Ask about what types of renovations are most cost-effective when it comes to increasing curb appeal or home value. Investing in a house is serious business so take your time to gather facts and work your numbers before making any final decisions. Contact us for more information about renovating houses that may need many repairs.

Benefits of Building a Garage Apartment in Brookline, MA

February 2, 20160

Is a garage apartment part of your custom built home plans?

Custom built home plans should include a garage apartment.

Space needs often change over time, requiring residents to either upsize or downsize a home. A garage apartment can be an ideal way to meet those changing space requirements, whether you’re considering room additions in Brookline or looking to downsize. A garage apartment can be as simple or luxurious as you choose to make it. It can be designed to serve as a temporary living space, for long-term living, as a home office or as recreational space, depending on your needs.

More Living Space

Families often grow and change, sometimes in unexpected ways. A tough economy has led to an increase in the number of adult children returning to live at home after college. Sometimes young married couples return to parents’ homes while saving up to buy their own house. Perhaps it is time for an aging parent to join the household. Choosing a garage apartment over room additions in Brookline has the advantage of privacy and a greater degree of independence for the soon-to-be residents. That can make the living arrangement more comfortable for everyone involved.

Guest Quarters

A garage apartment is an excellent option for short-term or long-term guests. If you have visitors who come during the holidays or vacation season, they can enjoy the visit without the added expense of staying in a hotel. If you’re building a home, you may want to include a garage apartment in your custom built home plans in Brookline. When your in-laws come to stay or your adult children visit home with their own children, the ones you’ll want to spoil and send back to their parents, you’ll have the space you need.

Room additions can include a garage apartment.

Consider a garage apartment for your room additions.

Special Use

If you have a specific use in mind for your garage apartment addition, talk to your local southeastern MA home improvement contractor. They can help you custom design the space to create exactly what you need. For instance, if you are envisioning an art studio, sewing room or home office, natural lighting, smart space-saving storage and built-in amenities can maximize productivity and comfort.

You could use a garage apartment to increase your income by designing a rental unit with your local contractor design. This apartment can be designed with an entrance separate from your garage entry for maximum privacy for the tenant and you. Using a skilled professional builder is important for this type of project because vehicle fumes must not make their way into tenant living space. Be sure to check local zoning laws before making this investment.

Ready to Down-Size

If you are ready to downsize, you might want to do the opposite – custom design an easy-to-care for, low-maintenance garage apartment for yourself and rent out your house. That home rental could significantly add to monthly retirement income for seniors who no longer want or need all that space. This arrangement can be a creative way to reduce monthly expenses or increasing monthly income without having to increase weekly work hours.

Author: Lenny