House – Native Plant Center

Five Tips for Choosing a Home Builder

August 22, 2016March 25, 2018 Cassandra Terry

WP Post Looking to buy a new home? Before you get swept away by exciting floorplans and finishings, don’t forget to review the builder. With over 5,000 licensed home builders in Ontario, how can you decide which one is right for you? Here are five tips to help you make an informed choice before you sign your purchase agreement:

Check the builder’s record

Check the Ontario Builder Directory on Tarion.com to confirm that the builder is actually registered to build new homes in the province. All licenced builders are searchable, and the directory provides a 10 year history of their work. It also shows whether the builder had any homes with warranty claims, which Tarion needed to help resolve. Unlisted builders may not have passed the technical test based on the Ontario Building Code regulations, or may not have provided the financial securities necessary to build homes in Ontario—and are likely building illegally.

Search online

Explore the builder’s website and other online media to get a better sense if they are a good fit for your needs and expectations. Information such as new-build neighbourhoods, floor plans, unit layouts, special features, construction schedules, customer service practices and cost are all at your fingertips.

Take a tour

Visit the sales office and model homes or suites to get a feel for the builder’s work, and meet face-to-face with employees from the company. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions and gather information. Keep in mind that builders use model homes and suites to showcase their best work. Often the upgrades and finishings you’re looking at don’t come standard in their new homes or condos. Pamphlets and brochures are available to take away, so you can revisit the experience later.

Go explore

Visit communities where the builder has already finished construction and ask homeowners if they would recommend the builder. Was the builder attentive? Did they stand behind their construction work — both before and after possession? Were there any construction delays and, if so, how were they managed? Did they respond to service requests in a timely manner?

Ask around

Talk to any of your family, friends or neighbours who may know of someone who has recently purchased a new home or condo. Ask them what their experience was like, and if they’d recommend their builder. You can also ask for references in online or social media communities. There are many active home-related sites where experiences are shared about everything from décor selections, to construction delays, and the after-sales customer service.

By doing proper research, you can find a reputable builder who will stand behind their work throughout the construction process—and for years after your home is built. For more tips on buying a new home, visit Tarion.com.

Read original article here: http://www.articlesbase.com/construction-articles/five-tips-for-choosing-a-home-builder-7396828.html.

Maintaining Your Concrete Driveway

March 22, 2016March 25, 2018 Cassandra Terry

A new concrete driveway is always an excellent addition to add great value and curb-appeal to your home. Here are a few maintenance tips you may want to follow to help you keep your driveway in great shape (and looking like new!) for years to come!!

Seal The Surface

All concrete driveways should be sealed immediately after its initial construction, to assist in protecting the concrete surface. A good quality concrete sealant should be re-applied every 12 to 24 months – this helps in keeping the protection of the sealant strong at all times.

Clean The Driveway

Concrete driveways are usually at high risk of staining from oil, other gasoline products, tar and dirt. Normally, a fresh oil stain can be removed using soap and a household scrubbing brush. Don’t use a wire brush as they can damage the concrete surface. After you have scrubbed the stain, wash the affected area with water from your garden hose. If this treatment does not work, you may need to use a pressure washer to remove the stain.

Avoid Heavy Weights

The average concrete driveway can easily handle the weight of a car, minivan or even an SUV. However, we recommend that you do not allow larger motor vehicles to be parked on your concrete driveway. Rather, let these larger vehicles park on the street, or elsewhere. This will help prevent the possibility of cracking of the concrete as a result of the increased stress and pressure from these heavy vehicles.

Ice And Snow Removal

Obviously, this is only relevant in colder climates – we don’t get much snow here in Phoenix, but I thought I would include it for readers from further North in the USA!!

Always try to remove snow from driveway surfaces as soon as possible, as the effects of freezing and thawing may create cracks in the driveway. Avoid using de-icing chemicals to help melt the snow or ice from your driveway. Chemicals like these often penetrate the concrete surface and damage the surface below. The best way to gain more traction on an icy driveway is to use sand. Resealing your driveway in the Fall will help to protect it from the harsh effects of the winter season.

In most circumstances, normal, scheduled maintenance of concrete driveways can be handled by local concrete contractors. Always use a highly skilled and well-trained professional concrete company so you know that your driveway is always protected with the very best products on the market. We recommend that you check with AAA Concreting to see if they can provide on-going driveway maintenance in your local area. This way you can keep your driveway and the entrance to your home in the best possible condition for a long time to come.

Hiring An Experienced Concrete Contractor To Inspect Your Driveway

What Are The Advantages Of Installing A Concrete Driveway?

Why it’s important to take the environment into account when building a house

February 27, 2016March 25, 2018 Cassandra Terry

When building a house most people tend to concentrate on the final design of the house and fail to take the environment into consideration. As the world is going green to save the environment, it is important for each and every person to play their part. This is why it is necessary to take the environment into consideration when building a house. Thanks to technology, there are various ways to build a house by causing minimal damage to the environment. In order to know the reason as to why you should consider the environment when building a house, you need to take a look at the importance. The main importance of considering the environment when building a house include;

Health

Once we build a house we end up spending most of our time in doors. When you take the environment into consideration, you end up creating a healthy environment both indoors and outdoors by create a pollution free environment. This creates clean air both in and out of your home. To learn more about this ensure that you visit http://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profiles/blogs/consider-the-environment-before-building-a-new-home.

Legal implications

Due to the environmental damage levels, most countries have ended up creating laws against destroying the environment. There are certain rules that should be followed when building a house. Once you break these laws you end up risking jail time or hefty fines.

Beauty

When building a house, we all want it to be eye catching and beautiful. The simplest way of ensuring that this is achieved is by maintain the natural environment around you. Once you do this, you end up getting a greener environment that you will enjoy spending time in.

These are just three of many reasons as to why you should always consider the environment when building your house. There are several ways of doing this the simplest one being choosing the proper building materials. In order to learn more about this ensure that you visit https://greenbuildingsolutions.org/Main-Menu/What-is-Green-Construction/Environmental-Issues-in-Construction.