The footing is the support for the entire structure.  Unless the property is located in a flood zone or in an area know to be problematic, in Florida we typically rely on either 1] SPREAD FOOTINGS and stemwalls, if required, meant to retain and reastrain the soil they contain or 2] ...

  What is the single update you can make to your home that would result in the most significant increase in the value of the property? Every home-owner wants to know the answer to this question. Given how much you have invested in the property, emotionally and financially, this is ...

In Florida, much of our extraordinary real estate growth is tied to the waterfront and the coastal zone homes that line our waterways.  Due to the flood zone regulations born in the 1980s, and growing harsher by the decade - our "conforming structures" are required to be ...

The BUILDER'S LEVEL and TRANSIT are tools that have been in existence for a long time.  The main difference in the two is a LEVEL provides a method of finding a transferrable point of height [ELEVATION] and transferring that point to other locations horizontally [every point you shoot ...

I truly thought this was going to be an interesting article - I was mistaken!   The fortifications specifically mentioned in the article are code required or LARGELY done already, by better builders! Ring shank nails to hold down the roof sheeting - why would anyone NOT use ring shank ...

I found myself engrossed in an article by MSN Money titled "The U.S. is in the top tier of house sizes internationally - and not just because of McMansions".  The article is mildly interesting and quoted some rote statistics like  The average American home is in the 1600...

This article in Sunday's paper describes the tremendous volume of multi-family FRAME construction and it's financial allure.  I argue that this is terribly wrong and extremely shortsighted.  WOOD IS NOT YOUR FRIEND IN FLORIDA!   Take a look at the 3 - 4 story buildings featured in the ...

Like most folks, I was struck by the photo of the heavy construction in this article. As I read the article, I realized how terribly misguided this particular effort is in most cases. It is certainly a misguided effort in this case.  The article quoted $225,000 of work to complete ...

It happened again this week - I saw two projects that were very badly compromised, due to water intrusion.  The fix was both difficult and expensive, which is heartbreaking considering that doing it correctly initially is both cheap and easy. You just have to pay attention to the basics.&...

In construction we are constantly faced with “how to connect [A] to [B]”.  A-to-B could be almost anything and we are ALWAYS faced with using both a material and an attachment method that carries or transfers the intended applied load and does not compromise the material we ...

One of the most serious potential constraints to remodeling is the existing roof framing and what is load bearing! The vast majority of homes built in the past 45 years have roof trusses. Before 1970, both roof trusses and conventional roof framing were used and prior to 1950, almost all homes had ...

I recently spent an enjoyable couple of hours with a very sharp young man who is looking to offer a valuable service to realtors in our area.  We put our heads together and came up with the OFFER OF A LIFETIME, that costs you NOTHING!  It has a ...

Almost everyone likes to save a buck.  Many customers are drawn to the big box store ads showing named brand items at much cheaper prices than licensed tradesmen charge for them.  The two trades that have the hardest sell are PLUMBERS & ELECTRICIANS.  Customers see the advertised ...

All renovations and remodels require that the HIGH POINT of the existing rough floor be located before any meaningful reconstruction is started.  Kitchen renovations/remodels are perhaps the most common residential projects and finding the high spot of the rough floor is absolutely imperative!   Why is locating the ...

Have you ever looked at a finished door and wondered what you COULD NOT SEE?  Typically, people see the door slab, the inside face of the door jamb and the casing - but what lurks beneath? Most interior doors are hung on jambs that are 3/4" thick.  The ...

"As the twig is bent, so grows the tree."  It's an old adage that is particularly on point in construction.  The end product starts with a proper layout - this is 100% true and a constant, whether laying out a skyscraper or a bathroom remodel.   ...

In just this past week I have gone out on two completely unrelated estimates for jobs where owners are trying (pretty much in vain) to solve severe water issues!   To be clear, water intrusion is an issue that contractors must constantly be vigilant about, throughout the entire building process. &...

FEMA has completed their new flood maps and it is only a matter of time until they are implemented.  This, coupled with the Biggerts-Waters Act signed into law in 2012, [whose implementation has been DELAYED after shocking the public] will be the chickens coming home to roost for property owners ...

When designing a home a person is often faced with the need for MORE space in a given room [e.g. the kitchen].  A floor plan is much like a jigsaw puzzle in that you are trying to arrange rooms that flow together and FIT together in a space ...

Volume area rooms (rooms that are 2-stories tall) are very alluring and the open feeling they create is hard to duplicate.  From the scenic overlook to an entry foyer or living room below or a featured musical instrument [piano or harp] viewed from the entry looking up - these ...

In any home, existing or to-be-built, there are areas that are NOT living areas.  [Examples of these are garages, entries, porches, lanais, pools, elevators, etc.].  Each of these has a cost to construct but NONE of them are counted as "built areas" when calculating the "...

EFFICIENT GEOMETRY AND ITS DIRECT EFFECT ON THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION Most people either immediately or eventually ask the question “how much do you charge per square foot”?  Best guess, this their attempt to rationalize construction costs in a manner that sort of reflects the way real ...