Construction Blog -

Understanding Zoning Laws: A Guide for Property Owners and Developers

June 25, 2023August 17, 2023admin

Zoning laws are essential for governments to regulate and manage land use by defining property uses within a given geographic area. A team member from Jilly Plumbing shared their thoughts with us on how property owners and developers must understand these regulations to ensure their activities comply with local rules. Read more on their website here https://www.jillyplumbing.com/boerne/

The first step is to learn about the zoning regulations in your jurisdiction. You can typically find this information on your city or county website or contact them directly. It’s important to note that zoning laws vary between cities and counties, meaning what is allowed in one part of the state may not be permitted in another.

Key Research Areas

When researching zoning laws, you’ll need to pay attention to several key elements:

Use categories: Determine what type of use is allowed in a specific area.
Setback requirements: These rules determine how close to other structures and roads you can build a structure.
Height limits: This determines the maximum height for a building or structure in certain areas.
Lot size: This defines the minimum area for development, such as residential lots and commercial buildings.
Parking requirements: This describes the space required for specific uses, such as businesses or multifamily dwellings.

It’s also essential to consider special regulations in your jurisdiction. These could include restrictions on noise levels, air pollution, water usage, or aesthetic features like landscaping and signage. Additionally, some jurisdictions may require specific permits or approvals before beginning development.

Parting Shot

Understanding zoning laws is an essential part of any real estate development project. Property owners and developers must know the local regulations to ensure compliance and avoid costly delays or fines. With proper research and preparation, you can ensure your projects move forward efficiently and seamlessly.
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What is the Correct Size for a Master Bedroom?

January 16, 2023January 16, 2023admin

The main bedroom is among the vital space in every home. Therefore, it is critical to choose the right size when deciding on the main bedroom. Read this article to learn more about the ideal size for a primary bedroom and other essential considerations.

When selecting the correct size for a primary bedroom, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Your lifestyle and needs will determine the amount of space you need for this space. Also, your home’s size and layout influence the dimensions you use for the main bedroom. Other factors include the number of people using the room and how much furniture you plan to have in the space.

The Ideal Master Bedroom Space

To ensure that your primary bedroom is comfortable and functional, start by measuring its length and width. Generally speaking, most experts recommend a minimum floor area of 200 to 250 square feet for two adults to share a sleeping space comfortably. If possible, aim for a space that allows enough room for a seating or lounge area or a desk or other workspace.

Consider Furniture Size

The size of your furniture also plays an essential role in determining the optimal dimensions for your main bedroom. If you plan to include a king-sized bed and several other pieces of furniture, you may need more than 250 square feet to ensure everything fits comfortably and leaves enough space for movement. Conversely, a smaller space can work fine if you use a more petite bed frame or only minimal furnishings.

Ultimately, it’s all about finding what works best for your living situation and ensuring that the room meets your needs. With enough planning and consideration of all factors, you should determine the right size for your main bedroom. Also, talking to an expert contractor can help you plan the available space to get the main bedroom that caters to all your needs.
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Is Home Building Worthless?

September 20, 2022May 18, 2023admin

After a long walk with a fellow blogger friend of mine that happens to be one of the top few plumbers, San Antonio Texans call when they need a trusted pod piper. Owning a home is the desire of many people. However, not everyone will get to own a home. You may wonder whether building a home is worth it for you who hope to become homeowners. Well, building a home can never be worthless for many reasons.

A Home as Shelter

A home is your shelter. The shelter is a primary need. Building your house guarantees you and your family that you will have protection. After constructing the home, you won’t have to worry about becoming homeless. The assurance of a bed, a kitchen, and a roof over your head is priceless.

You may ask about the possibility of renting instead of building your own home. Indeed, you can rent a house, and it will provide shelter. However, you will need to pay rent and other bills to live in that house because it is not yours. Building your home makes you a homeowner, and hence no squabbles over unpaid or late rent payments.

Your Home and Stability

Building your home is also a great source of stability for you. You may be planning on starting a family. Constructing your home will ensure that you have a safe and secure place to start the family. You can build a house based on the size of the family that you hope to have. Can you imagine having a young family with no place to call home?

For retirees, building a home can never be worthless. After working for many years and retiring, you need a place to rest and spend your old age. If you had built a home before retirement, you would enjoy the transition because you won’t have to bother people for shelter.

Take Away

Home building can never be worthless. A home is an asset that keeps appreciating. You can even decide to sell the house later to recover your money if you wish.
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How to Start Building a House

May 19, 2022May 19, 2022admin

Constructing a new home begins even before laying the foundation. When building a house, you need a good plan and find an honest builder with a proven track record of delivering excellent results. This article outlines the steps to follow when starting to build a house.

Site Preparation

After acquiring your piece of land, proceed to prepare the site for the construction project. How you do this depends on the lot’s condition to build a house. During this process of site preparation, you carry out a few tasks, including the following:

Setting up a toilet.
Clearing the area of all vegetation.
The construction crew creates site access.
Setting up the site store for safe storage of equipment.
Setting up a mix station.
Applying and acquiring the necessary permit.

If you diligently do the above tasks, your site is now ready for the next step.

Lay Foundation

Once your site is ready for construction, you can now lay your foundation. During this process, you carry out a few tasks too.

The construction crew excavated the foundation.
Await the construction project approval and warranty inspection
Lay and arrange any reinforcement mesh and bars in the trenches.
Get authorization to proceed with your construction after warranty inspection.

Construction of the Superstructure

We all agree that this is the most exciting stage when building a house. Again, this stage follows a few requirements, which include;

Installing drainage and vent pipes.
Filling floor beams with concrete.
Infill floor beams with blocks.

Constructing a home is very exciting. That’s why you should follow the correct process to avoid doing things the wrong way due to this excitement. Once you build the superstructure, you’ll continue creating the walls and the roofing structure. Working with the right experts will also make constructing your dream home a seamless experience.
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Top Tips for Planning a Construction Project

December 14, 2021December 14, 2021admin

Whether it’s a small extension or a multi-million construction project, you need to plan it to ensure its safe and efficient execution. Proper planning is essential because it helps in saving time and money. No matter how large or small your construction project is, follow these tips to ensure adequate planning.

Communicate

Communication is crucial in construction. That’s because it keeps everybody on the same page. With clear communication, you can handle most issues that arise during a construction project. Therefore, maintain clear communication between all stakeholders to ensure collaborative management. Through communication, a contractor can know when supplies will arrive. They can also know when subcontractors or tradespeople will complete certain phases in a construction project. Thus, communication enhances the collaborative management of a project.

Plan Continuously

A project manager coordinates project execution. They also pull different aspects of the construction project together. As such, a project manager is a lynchpin that should be involved in continuous planning. And project planning starts before the building process and continues throughout. That’s because the initial construction project plans may need ongoing revisions.

As the project unfolds, the project managers reviews and revises what happens next. As such, the initial plan requires adjustments along the way. And this makes ongoing planning necessary for the successful completion of the construction project and achievement of the set goals.

Ask Questions

Construction project management entails observing and asking questions. That’s because you need to know what the involved stakeholders are doing. What’s more, you should experience and witness what happens at the construction site. If anything unexpected happens, you need to ask questions. Essentially, you should understand what and why the involved stakeholders do in every phase of the project.

In addition to these construction planning tips, use modern and automated budgeting and reporting tools. That way, you will have all the necessary data in one place. Also, accessing information about the project will be easier when you use innovative systems.
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Common Mistakes in Construction Contracts

January 19, 2021January 19, 2021admin

Signing a contract is one of the most important things when it comes to a construction project. A construction contract stipulates what is expected of the involved parties. With a contract, you can take legal actions if the contractor fails to meet their part of the bargain.

Unfortunately, contract mistakes can make this document null and void. That’s why you should be careful to ensure that you’re not signing a document that is dogged with mistakes. Here are some of the mistakes to avoid in your construction contract.

Neglecting Insurance

Insurance is among the most important elements in a construction contract. If you neglect insurance when signing the contract, you put yourself at the risk of court proceedings, huge costs, and damages. To avoid this, make sure that the contract caters to the following insurance policies:

Developer insolvency
Employer’s liability
Public liability

Vague Timing

You want your construction project to be completed at a specific time. Therefore, make sure that this is included in the contract. You can even make sure that the contract indicates when specific project milestones will be completed.

Avoiding vague timing in the contract will help you avoid construction delays. This is very important, especially if your contractor has multiple projects at the same time.

Bad Payment Schedules

Don’t pay your contractor a lot of money upfront. Ideally, you should only pay the contractor after they have delivered some results. Paying upfront puts you at the risk of losing money because the contractor can run out of funds.

Therefore, agree on a payment schedule that is based on project milestones. Thus, you should only pay the contractor for the completed work.

You should also not forget little things like how waste will be removed from the construction site, the payment method that will be used, and the quality of the materials to be used in your project. Pay keen attention to everything that you feel can cause issues down the road.
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A Beginner’s Guide to the Construction Industry

September 10, 2020September 10, 2020admin

A construction project involves different parties. These parties play crucial roles in the construction industry. If you’re new to the construction industry, here is what you should know about its operations.

The Client

Construction projects start with clients. The client decides to invest in a construction project. A client can be an individual that wants to build a home, a property developer, a private business, or a local authority. The client decides what they want to build and the timeframe of the project. This decision can be influenced by the goals, purpose, and budget of the project.

Consultants

Once the client has decided to construct a building, they reach out to consultants. These include cost consultants or quantity surveyors, architects, civil and structural engineers. They can also talk to electrical and mechanical engineers. They present their construction ideas to consultants to get advice.

Consultants advise the client on construction design, costs, and regulations. A client can depend on consultants for advice on different aspects of their project. What’s more, a client can hire consultants to handle every aspect of the project.

Contractor

Once the client has talked to different consultants, they move on to pick a contractor to handle their project. The contractor works with different consultants used by the client. These can share details of the design while providing information about the structure that the client wants. After the consultation, the contractor discusses the timeframe for the project with the client. The consultants leave the contractor to complete the project.

Subcontractors

In most cases, contractors hire subcontractors to help with different aspects of the project. Subcontractors are specialists with specialized knowledge or skills. These handle different aspects of the construction project.

For instance, a contractor can hire different subcontractors for the following works:

Reinforced concrete
Structural steelwork
Plumbing
Electrical works
Foundation

Subcontractors work under contractors to complete the job they are hired to do.

If you have an upcoming construction project, make sure that these parties are involved to ensure the successful
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Important Provisions of a Construction Contract

February 27, 2020June 8, 2022admin

Accordingly to a recent blog post, I read from a renowned part-time blogger is that the value of a construction contract is to ensure that the interests of both parties involved in the project are protected from its start to completion. The provisions of a construction contract are the specific terms that highlight the obligations of the parties involved and other essentials of the project. Nevertheless, the following are the most important provisions of a construction contract.

Work Description

When planning a construction or renovation project, you may have a lot of expectations regarding the scope of the work to be done. But, you should not make such assumptions when writing a construction contract. To avoid misunderstanding and disputes with construction workers, the contract should clearly describe the specific works that you need and, which the contractor has agreed to perform.

Besides, the works described in the construction contract should also adhere to the existing building codes and project plans. A precise description of the scope of the work will eliminate any future disputes regarding the obligations and responsibilities of the contractor.

Provision for Delays

Time is a critical aspect in every contract and, that is why it must specify how long the project will take from start to completion. However, delays do occur and could negatively impact your project. While delays caused by natural events are exempted, a construction contract should provide a way for resolving delays resulting from the negligence of either party. The provisions should outline the amount of liability that the contractor or project owner is entitled to in such events.

Terms of Payment

This is an area of concern for every construction worker when signing a contract. Many disputes usually result from disagreements with the terms of payment. The contract should clearly show the costs of the project, how and when they will be covered, who will issue the payments as well as the specific payment methods.

Generally, all the provisions of a construction contract are important to the success of the project. But, you should be very keen on the ones discussed above to ensure that your project runs smoothly according to plan.
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Behind the Build- The Invisible Matters the Most

December 27, 2019December 27, 2019admin

When building a new home, invisible things are the most important. Whether you chose custom cabinetry or paint shade, the planning time will probably be spent on deciding the décor details to include. That’s because small touches can make a home fully customized.

However, you don’t have to focus on the look of a home at the expense of its structural integrity. You also need to pay attention to the structural integrity of the building. And, this is largely dependent on the quality of the construction materials you use.

What Holds Everything Together is Important

Modern homes are mostly constructed with stick framing. This method uses 2×4 treated limber on the house frame. Large oriented strand board sheets cover this frame. The outer wall can also be made of plywood. Nevertheless, quality lumber is capable of withstanding a home weight. Wood can be acclimated before framing to prevent cracking or warping of lumber due to moisture.

What’s Beneath the Floors is Important

High-quality subfloors are very important because they provide stiffness, stability, and strength. They can also prevent squeaking, warping, and bouncing. Subfloors can affect the finished floor’s aesthetics, regardless of the used material.

Therefore, choose the materials used on the floor carefully. Your contractor can help you choose the most ideal materials for the floor and subfloors.

What’s Inside the Walls is Crucial

Insulation reduces changes in temperature and airflow between the interiors and outdoors. This reduces energy expenses while enhancing comfort. Insulation level depends on the materials used to build the walls of a house. Therefore, choose quality materials to build the walls of your house.

What Piping is Made of is Important

Plumbing is an important part of a home. It provides water for the washing machine, sinks, showers, and dishwashers. Therefore, piping forms an important system of a home. It’s important to use pipes made of quality materials. The most ideal piping materials are made of durable materials.

Before you start building a home, have these things in mind to make wise decisions in every step of the construction project. Always bear in mind the fact that the quality of the materials you use will affect the overall quality of your home. Therefore, work with a home builder that understands the importance of choosing quality construction materials. That way, you will end up with a sturdy home you will love to call home for years. Check out one of my fav’s, this site is the future for pro tips on the basis on construction.
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Why winter is the Best Time for your Construction Project

December 7, 2019February 27, 2020admin

Many people usually don’t plan to do much in winter. The weather outside is frightful the last thing you want is dealing with a contractor in the cold. When you come to think of it, you’ll realize winter is the best times of the year to start your home renovation or new construction project. The cold weather outside serves to make the construction process much easier than you might think. Of course, you can still experience a few challenges but, with proper planning you can overcome them. Here are reasons why you should begin your construction in winter.

Better Bids

Wondering why you’re likely to get better bids for your project in winter? Well, this is the off-season in the construction industry. There’s typically less construction happening at this time of the year which means there’s less demand. On the other hand, supply is high. Most people avoid cold-weather builds. This gives you an opportunity to save money as many construction companies offer discounts and reduced rates.

When a contractor has their schedule clear they have sufficient time to sit down and run their numbers before providing you with an accurate and uninflated bid. More bids means more competitive pricing.

Shortened Permit Waits

No work can begin until the local municipality approves the home designs and plans submitted. You realize that permits can affect the commencement of a construction project as they take time to obtain. The fact that there’s less construction happening in winter means there’s reduced wait times at the municipal permit office. Your plans will be approved faster and the contractor can start working on your project.

Less Downtime Due to Scheduling Disputes

With less construction work happening in winter, there’s less competition for the general and subcontractor’s time. Most construction projects experience delays and miss deadlines because of the time spent trying to resolve conflicts with subcontractors. A delay in one task can have a domino effect on the entire project. In winter, subcontractors can easily focus on the work and ensure their part is done, thereby reducing downtime and delays. As a result, your project will be completed on time.

Better Availability of General and Subcontractors

General contractors and subcontractors have their schedules almost free in winter due to the reduced amount of construction happening. Many people prefer undertaking renovation and construction projects in the warmer months. Contractors are, therefore, more available to focus on your construction and deliver on time.

Contractors are more willing to give you a price break in winter as they’re looking to keep their staff busy even as the fill their schedules at this time of the year. There’s nothing as frustrating to the project owner as extending a construction deadline. Winter seems to be the best time to start your project as you can start and finish the construction well within the designated time frame.

Take time to find the right construction company that’s committed to successfully completing your construction or renovation project, and to your satisfaction. Hire a reputable contractor who has the knowledge, expertise, and experience to deliver quality work.

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