Remodeling projects do not always have to involve knocking down a wall or tearing out some antiquated bathroom fixtures.

Often a great looking remodeling project can involve updating a few key items within a home and putting a fresh coat of paint in the right places to give the project a “Brand New” look.

Ms. Peggy – she insisted that we call her by her first name – wanted a fresh new look for her kitchen, living room and bedrooms.  She knew she wanted granite counter tops and new appliances for the kitchen, but she didn’t want to spend all that money and be left with an outdated look for the rest of the house.  We worked with Ms. Peggy on developing several options for updating the kitchen and den area, replacing the old closet doors throughout the house, and painting the interior and exterior.

Here’s where we started…

The first item to trash was the existing ceiling tiles.  In a house this old, you have to make sure that certain materials are tested for asbestos and disposed of properly.  Fortunately these ceiling tiles came back negative for asbestos , so we were able to tear out the old ceiling and install a new drywall ceiling.

This kitchen remodel focused on 2 specific areas

1) NEW GRANITE COUNTER TOPS

2) NEW APPLIANCES

The refrigerator Ms. Peggy purchased was about 6″ wider than the existing one, so we had to modify the wall cabinets.

The existing cabinets are at least 15 years old.  Can you pick out the new cabinet – finished to match the existing cabinets?

Slapping on a fresh coat of paint always helps spruce up any house, but bringing in professional painters to paint the interior and exterior makes the project look brand new.

We also replaced the old and dated closet doors in the bedrooms and hallway.  Although the new closet doors are nothing spectacular or custom, they achieve an updated, modern look for the home without breaking the budget.

This project was great fun and our client, Ms. Peggy, was an absolute joy to be around on a regular basis.

For more BEFORE and AFTER photos, click here.

Are you trying to maximize your budget, and want to know how to achieve your remodeling goals?

Call REDBUD Construction Services 865-250-9172

We would love the chance to serve you and tell others what a joy YOU were to work with.

Vapor barries and various forms of insulation should be a the top of your list of items to determine when designing a project.  Anyone planning a project with an exterior wall or roof needs to consider the best way to keep moisture out and conditioned air in.

RCS has listed below two products from the DuPont website that you may want to consider.

Wrapping a home or building in a weather-resistant barrier is not just good sense, it’s good building practice. Because it helps combat water, moisture and air infiltration that are any structure’s worst enemies. Allowed to penetrate behind siding, wind-driven rain and moisture can saturate walls, creating a breeding ground for mold, mildew and wood rot. The properties of DuPont™ Tyvek® do not support the growth of mold or mildew. Air infiltrating from outside can create comfort-robbing cold or warm spots while increasing heating and cooling costs.

DuPont™ Tyvek® acts like a windbreaker and wrapped over the sheathing and under the exterior siding—cut out around windows and doors and taped securely at the seams—resists air infiltration and water intrusion and makes for a more comfortable, energy-efficient home or building.

Here are two products that can increase the performance of your home or project against the elements:
DuPont™ RoofLiner with Elvaloy®:

“Trusted for its excellent durability, DuPont™ Elvaloy® has been incorporated into a new premium roofing underlayment that provides superior durability and protection against leaks compared to roofing felt.”

Here are some advantages over roofing felt.

DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™:

“… helps to regulate the radiant energy of wall systems for increased comfort and reduced energy costs. In winter, DuPont™ Tyvek® ThermaWrap™ helps keep radiant energy that’s accumulated in the wall sheathing from releasing to the exterior. In summer, the metalized surface reflects radiant heat out of the wall, helping to keep the interior cooler. Reducing radiant heat flow through the wall system is particularly important at the studs, plate lines, joists and headers where conductive heat flow through the wall is the greatest. This not only saves energy and reduces heating and cooling costs, it also changes the dew point in the wall to help reduce the risk of condensation which can lead to mildew, mold and wood rot in wall cavities.”

For more information about remodeling or new construction and incorporating DuPont™ Tyvek® elements into your new space, CONTACT REDBUD Construction Services at 865-250-9172.

From Lakehartwellrealestate blog, Julie Haley with All Hart Realty, discusses what to do and what not to do in order to get your home ready for a high return sale.

“The American house of 2008 will be smarter, greener and sleeker than before. But here’s the trick: Homeowners want a home that will work now–and 10 years from now.”

Here’s a run down of what’s hot — and what’s not — for your home in 2008.

What’s In

The destination bathroom

The huge bathroom getaways tempt you to linger and are outfitted with everything from wine chillers and espresso machines.

The smart house, operated by phone

“One tend that I think is pretty clear is that we are finally moving towards more tightly intergrated systems in the home that do allow for greater automation of certain functions, whether that’s controlling the temperature or lighting,” says Kurt Schrf, vice president and principle analyst of Parks Associates, a market research and consulting company that studies emerging consumer technologies.

Turning the house inside out

The trend of bringing the indoors outdoors is accelerating dramatically.  People are often extending radiant-heat floors outside, under patio flagstones.  The goal is to extend those shoulder seasons in order to sit longer by the giant fireplace that have become even more popular, or to cook in the extensive kitchens that anchor many of these outdoor spaces.

The return of glamour in furniture and decor

The whole idea of glamour is a little bit of a reaction to what is now still a very strong trend toward an appreciation of fabrics that have what you might call imperfections in them,” says Davis Remignanti, lead design consultant at Furniture.com. Remignanti refers to rougher fabrics that have sprung from the green movement, and to wood finishes with knots and grain.

Concealed appliances

More homeowners are opting to hide kitchen appliances such as the dishwasher and refrigerator. Some people think that appliances are ugly. What’s making it possible to hide a fridge behind cabinet doors is technology, which allows a big appliance today to be “broken apart” into separate, smaller pieces.  The kitchen is evolvingand is becoming an aesthetic room.

Home elevators

Elevators are starting to appear–and will only proliferate–as baby boomers age.

Bold fabrics

Smaller-scale furniture is in, and as furniture gets smaller, “it can sustain a larger and lager pattern without looking ridiculous, says Furniture.com‘s Remignanti. So a hot trend for 2008 is using large-scale patterns on fabrics and floors and wall coverings. “If you’re choosing a pattern over solid colors, make it big and bold,” he says.

What’s out

Living rooms

Dark and heavy

…the trend is moving toward a little more modern, a little fresher, lighter, brighter, open, use of new materials.

Mosaic tile

The tile is such a personalized design statement that it scares off would-be home buyers who may not have the same taste. The cost and waste to remove intricate mosaic is overwhelming to buyers, especially if it has been recently installed.  Even the most expensive but not agreeable tile could kill an otherwise acceptable property.

The Taj Ma-ceiling

For years, tall ceilings inparted gradeur to a home and were a signal that the homeowners had really made it. Those soaring ceilings don’t impress prospective home buyers the way they use to.

Read the full article here.

CONTACT REDBUD Construction Services at 865-250-9172 to discuss the trends that will maximize the re-sale vaule of your home.

NARI Knoxville will be hosting a series of seminars during this exciting 3 day remodeling show.

Here is the schedule of Seminars.

REDBUD Construction Services will be leading the “How to Choose a Remodeling Professional” seminar 11am-12pm on Saturday September 6th and partaking in the “Q and A Session” at 4pm.

Come by the NARI Knoxville booth and meet the professionals that will be constructing your next project.

Event Info
Knoxville Convention Center
701 Henley Street
Knoxville TN
Adults $5.75
Seniors [[62+] $4.75
Kids [6-12] $375

For more information call
865-622-7686

NARI Knoxville will be hosting a series of seminars during this exciting 3 day remodeling show

Saturday, September 6
11:00 How To Choose A Professional Remodeler
12:00 N Green Remodeling 101
1:30 Remodeling As Your Needs Change With Age
2:30 What To Prepare For When Remodeling
4:00 Sustainability In Concrete
5:00 Consumers Question The Remodelers – A Q&A Session (Shawn Van Dyke with REDBUD Construction Services will be participating in this seminar.)

Sunday
12:00 How To Choose Floor Covers
1:00 Energy Efficient Appliances
2:30 How To Choose A Professional Remodeler

Event Info
Knoxville Convention Center
701 Henley Street
Knoxville TN
Adults $5.75
Seniors [[62+] $4.75
Kids [6-12] $375

For more information call
865-622-7686

[This post originally appeared on the Redbud Construction Services Construction Managment blog...]

You may have a garage full of tools, a truck with empty Mt. Dew bottles in the bed, and your Saturday afternoon free for This Old House, but, a General Contractor, these do not make.

Everybody says that you can save money by being your own General Contractor, but what no one says is how much time it will take out of your normal daily life and the value of that time. Yes, you may save money, but like any complicated process, it may not be worth it.

You may want to consider the following items before embarking on this new adventure:

1. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT.

Construction Management is a term that is used to define the duties of a professional that is often hired by the Owner to manage the entire scope of a project from beginning to end. A Construction Manager will refine the scope of a project, prepare a preliminary budget, and design a realistic schedule that can be achieved. Acting as your own General Contractor, these duties fall to you. You may choose to hire a Construction Manager, but remember, you are trying to save money. If you do decide to act as your own General Contractor, hiring a Construction Manager may be the only way to ensure your project is a success. In your role as a Construction Manager you should be able to review a set of plans and determine a range for the project budget, find errors or omissions in the plans, prepare sub-contractor schedules, and determine the scope of these sub-contractors.

2. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF LOCAL CODES.

Just because you have a set of plans does not mean that they meet your local codes. Planning a remodel or renovation?…when you uncover something you did not expect, you may have to bring it up to current codes before proceeding. Do you know the individual inspectors in your area? Many General Contractors have built relationships with the individuals that will inspect their projects. A certain level of trust has been established with these individuals, and many times an inspector who has experience with General Contractors they know will actively work with these Contractors to solve problems in a very cost-effective way. Acting as your own Contractor on a single project, you may not have the opportunity to establish this type of relationship with your local inspectors. In order in keep the project moving, you have to make sure that the required inspections are scheduled and performed in a timely manner. An experienced Contractor will know what can be “covered-up” and what must be left “open” in order to complete the work properly.

3. YOUR EXPERIENCE IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATION.

Depending on the size of the project, you may receive a lump sum price for a certain scope of work on your project, but other work may be a time and material type of contract. If you do not fully understand these terms, you will need to educate yourself on what they mean and what items may be open for negotiation. Contracts are not only about money; they include schedules, retainage, insurance requirements, and substantial completion requirements. There’s a saying, “Everything is negotiable”…but it may not serve your project to ‘beat down’ your sub-contractor to save a few dollars. You should have the knowledge to determine what is a good price, a fair price, and a ridiculously great price. Here’s a hint…do not go with the ridiculously good price. There’s another saying, “You get what you pay for.”

4. YOUR NETWORK OF SUBCONTRACTORS AND TRADE PROFESSIONALS.

How are you going to choose your sub-contractors…yellow pages, trade magazines, word of mouth, or hours of research and interviewing potential sub-contractors? Good General Contractors have, among other things, a vast network of design and trade professionals that they can call with little notice and have them perform certain tasks in a very timely manner. The Owner acting as their own General Contractor, usually lacks this network of professionals. The Owner acting as the General Contractor can build this type of network, but for a single project this may take more time than the project allows. And you have to realize that a General Contractor has built this relationship over a long time and several projects. These relationships are what you are paying for when you hire a General Contractor. No matter how much knowledge you may have in the areas of the items above, you only create these types of relationship over time… a lot of time. You have to know what sub-contractors to hire, when to schedule them, and what preparations have to be completed prior to them showing up on the job site for them to work efficiently.

5. YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MATERIAL SUPPLIERS.

Getting the sub-contractors to show up at the right time is one thing, but getting the materials on the site is another. Your Big Box home improvement stores have just about everything you need for your project, but material suppliers have better prices and they perform delivery much more often than the Big Boxes. These material suppliers usually require in-house accounts, which you can set-up, but again, this takes time and planning. And the question to ask yourself, “Can I get a the same deal on 100 sheets of drywall as the General Contractor that orders thousands of sheets from the same supplier?”

6. YOUR ABILITY TO MANAGE MULTIPLE TRADES AND TASKS.

General Contracting is an art of multi-tasking. On any given day at your project site, you have to able to direct one sub-contractor’s work, meet with another sub-contractor to get a quote for his work, solve the unforeseen problem that arose that morning, contact the sub-contractor that was supposed to be on-site two hours ago, choose your finish materials, and pay material suppliers and sub-contractors. And finally you must inspect the work put to make sure it was installed properly.

7. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES.

You have to know the techniques used to install materials and how changes to the work may affect the work by other trades. A simple and inexpensive fix during the rough-in phase may prove to be costly during finishing. Although most quality sub-contractors perform very well, mistakes are made. Your ability to recognize these mistakes and have them corrected will determine the efficiency of your project. In construction most things can be fixed, but a General Contractor’s ability to avoid these mistakes is why you pay them. When you are your own Contractor, this duty falls to you, and the General Contractor should pay for mistake made under his contract. You’re the General Contractor…you’re the one paying for the mistake.

8. YOUR AVAILABILITY TO MAKE CHANGES AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ON THE SPOT.

Acting as your own contractor is exactly that. Acting. You have to be able to answer questions during the time in which the work is being performed. Some questions can be answered over the phone, but like most things in construction, you have to see the situation in order to provide the best solution. If you are spending a majority of your time performing your profession, then you will not be able to make the critical decisions for your project in a timely manner. Changes are part of every project. What if you change your mind about the design? What if a situation arises that is not shown on the plans? Do you have the ability to address these items in a way that minimizes costs and schedule impacts? The General Contractor will be represented on the site enough during the project to clearly define and solve any problems that arise. If you are not able to perform this duty, you should reconsider your decision to be your own contractor. This will save you time, money, and headaches.

9. YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULING.

Simply put…you have to know when, where, and how long each task will take and how to schedule these tasks so that your sub-contractors will be working efficiently. Who works in that area first….the plumbers, the electricians, or maybe the framers need to install the blocking? The plumbing may be rough-in, but who installs the vents through the roof, the plumber or the roofer? The rough-in is complete, but will the drywall sub-contractor add the dead wood at the perimeter of the ceiling to attach the board to? Does the electrician have the specs on the heating unit so they know the power requirements and has the HVAC contractor routed the drain lines so that they do not interfere with the plumber? And who works in that area first? Coordination and communication is the key to a successful project, and your understanding of Construction Scheduling is vital in this process. Often a quality General Contractor will have a Program established to deal with the scheduling and coordination of sub-contractors’ work. This Program takes most of the guess-work out of the equation. You probably do not have a Program designed.

10. YOUR ABILITY TO TRACK AND CONTROL THE COSTS OF YOUR PROJECT.

You should know what something costs before you buy it. But a construction project is always changing. How do you control the cost? EXPERIENCE! Knowing the difference between what has to be done and what can be worked around will save you money in the end. For the person acting as their own Contractor, hopefully, this will be kept to a minimum, but it’s rare. On any given project you should be able to know what is being spent on a daily or weekly basis and how you manage and track those costs will determine the amount of money saved. You have to know whether it is less expensive to perform some work yourself or pay a professional. What you save by doing the framing yourself may easily cost you more in the end if items are missing, incorrect, or if things change.

CONSIDER THIS:

The money you save on your project by acting as the General Contractor will not be from a deal on materials, efficient work from the sub-contractors, or from the quality of work. You will save money on your project by not charging for your time. Tom Silva from This Old House says it best:

I suppose you can save some money — if you don”t charge for your time, if nothing goes wrong, and if all the work is up to par — but there’s no guarantee. Part of my job is to get the best prices from the subs that work for me, and they’re willing to offer those prices because they know the job will be organized and I’ll tell them exactly what I expect them to do, which saves them time. And they know that if they do a great job, I’ll have other work for them in the future. A one-time GC doesn’t have that kind of leverage.

The point of this article is not to discourage you from acting as your own General Contractor, but to educate you on the things to consider before you take that step. Managing a construction project is a detailed and complicated process, and the first step is to prepare.

Call REDBUD Construction Services and speak with us about how we may serve you as the Designer and General Contractor for your project…865-250-9172.

[The first meeting, held July 31,] was a great success.  We had about 40 people – it was standing-room-only!  We worked so hard to get the word out and get this started, and we were thrilled with the turnout.

Redbud Construction Services was in attendance at the meeting and is an active member in NARI Knoxville.  We look forward to meeting you at the upcoming Knoxville Fall Remodeling and Log Home Show, which will be held Sept. 5, 6 and 7 in the Knoxville Convention Center.

Come by the NARI booth and tell us about your latest project.

The end of the summer is quickly approaching and with that are those long summer nights…the type of nights where the heat pump runs all night long trying to keep up.  Well, the good old heat pump is about to get a break for a few weeks until those cold autumn winds start to blow.

I know it sounds funny, but summer is the best time to winterize your home. WHY?:  You can schedule your contractor/handyman before the demand rises and his/her schedule is open a month or so in advance.  Just as lawnmowers and outdoor furniture on going on sale, heaters, furnances, and other seasonal items will most likely go up.   Adding insulation and sealing cracks will not only serve you n the cold months…it will help keep you cool until those autumn wind begin to blow

Here are some of the easy DIY tips for winterizing your home:

• Inspect the exterior of your home.  Check the roof, the gutters, the facia boards, siding, and foundation.  How does it look….clean, rotted, any cracks?  Make a list and get this work done while it’s still warm outside.
• Seal/weatherstrip doors and windows.  Also check any spaces under your doors.  Install door sweeps if needed.
• Clean HVAC filters, ducts, coils and furnaces/chimneys.  Have your HVAC equipment serviced…this is the equavilant of having a tune-up on your car.
• Insulate.  Adding proper insulation to attics, walls, and floors can help those bare toes from feeling winter’s bitter bite on those cold mornings.
• Don’t forget to drain that hose bib and disconnect the hose.

Some of the above items can be handled by the least experrenced DIY’r, but the services and cleaning of your home’s mechanical systems should be left to the professional.

Call you contractor today about any of these projects you might need to get started in the next two months.  If you aren’t sure if something need to be fixed or replaced, take a picture and e-mail it to your contractor/handyman….he/she doesn’t have an e-mail?….Send your questions and pictures here and we’ll try our best to help you out.