Good question.  This can be a hot topic between general contractors who are required to have business and state contractors’ licenses, constant maintenance on continuing educational units, and endless bills that all make it almost impossible to compete in cost with a homeowner simply hiring subcontractors all on their own!

However, one of the beautiful blessings about living in this country is the freedom to improve our property with little to no restrictions from the government to our choices.  That is one of the most wonderful privileges we enjoy for the American Dream.

I have worked with many clients who have acted as their own general contractor on a simple remodel, house addition, or building a new home.  Many of them have done a great job.  Have maintained a good schedule with teh subs, controlled costs, and made product decisions without delaying the project.  However, there have been many more homeowners who have come to me after the completion of the project to tell me that if they were ever to do a project like that again, they would hire a general contractor.

If a homeowner can dedicate a full-time job amount of their schedule to building their home, they will be able to do maybe half of what a general contractor typically can do as successfully.  They will have an easier time with change orders, making appointments with subcontractors at any convenient time of the work day.  But, unless the home being built is very very large, the homeowner will almost never be able to compete with a general contractor when it comes to offering a consistent amount of work to the subcontractors.

What do you think?  Do you feel that the homeowner is the best person for the job when it comes to being the general contractor, or that they simply have to place to do so?

Where were you when 9/11 happened?

I was in Alaska.  My wife had been doing some early morning exercises.  She woke me up to let me see the second plane hit the world trade center building.  After such a tragic event, I went to work only to find almost everyone is a virtual shock.  We prayed as a company for everyone involved in the terrible situation that we were witnessing long distance. 

We honor the emergency personnel, our great soldiers, our political and military leaders, and many others who continue to make our country safe so that we can enjoy our freedoms.  Those freedoms allow us to blog, call anyone we want, remodel our homes if we wish, make big mistakes, big corrections, worship God in our own right mind, and many other rights now shared throughout the world.

God bless us as we continue on our path to improve the livelihood of ourselves, our children, our grandchildren and on.

So, think about where you were when Nine-Eleven happened in 2001.  Then, please share with our site visitors, and some of the lessons that you have learned since then, as well as some of the great blessings of freedom that you also appreciate.

May we never forget!

If you own a home in Washington County, Utah, you received a Tax Assessment green card (for lack of a better word) in the mail noting the value of your home.  It also identifies what your home was worth last year compared to this year, as well as the difference in what you are paying in taxes.  My home dropped approximately 27% in value, however my taxes remained the same.  On the radio program yesterday, we had a poll, and the decrease percentage in home values was not consistent in the county, which I find interested.  But, more importantly, the taxes on the properties also varied.  One thing was consistent, however, and that was the fact that the taxes were at least the same or more than last year.  Comment on this and share with us how your home is weathering in this tax storm…!!!

We decided it was a good idea to continue the discussion of remodeling nightmare experiences.  Feel free to share what the experience was, the difficulties, lessons learned, and what you would do differently.

Which Comes First, The Kitchen or the House?
by Shad Johnsen, CKD
As featured in “Southern Utah Homeowners’ Magazine” May 2006

Homeowner’s question is “When is the best time to start working on the kitchen design?”. This question usually comes from homeowner’s in various stages of the new construction process. I have had this question from as early as three years prior to breaking ground, to the house is painted, and doors and trim are done.

Considering that a home purchase is usually the largest purchase in a person’s lifetime, and that the kitchen is the most important element in the home; not to mention the most expensive, then I usually recommend to begin as early as possible.

Countless times clients have returned to their architect, after consulting with me on their kitchen parameters, to make changes to walls, window, and doors. Many of these clients have mentioned later that they were so glad that we caught the recommended changes at that stage.

Have you ever heard of designing a house around a kitchen? If you haven’t, you will. When the kitchen is the most important room in the home, it is very natural to begin the complete home design process by finalizing on a kitchen plan first, then working out the following items because of their communication with the kitchen:

1. Bring Home the Groceries: The garage placement is important because of the travel distance for groceries. It also is very common for the kids to come home from school through the garage to the kitchen for afternoon snacks. The kitchen accumulates the most garbage in the home, so the shorter the disposal distance the better.

2. Heat it Up: I don’t know many people who like to dine in the heat. Because many homes are now designed with the dining room (space) adjacent to the kitchen, some forget the affect that cooking will have on the comfort level of the dining space. Remember good (and effective) ventilation in the kitchen can help with this.

3. Washing Clothes and Dishes: During a recent kitchen design workshop, the topic of laundry room location compared to kitchen location came up. One of the builders in attendance suggested that it was more important to have the laundry room closer to the bedrooms than the kitchen. Two of the women immediately emphasized that the laundry room and kitchen work hand in hand during the typical household chores and routines. This is probably why you see laundry units being built into kitchens in Europe concealed behind cabinetry.

4. A Real Fashion Statement: Unlike the the old hidden away kitchens of the 50’s, Many homeowners prefer their kitchen to be visible from the entryway, because they want their kitchen furniture to be noticed by their guests as an important statement of their tastes and style.

5. Makin’ it Great: The great room couldn’t be a great room if the kitchen was not included. It becomes the anchor to the dining room, living room, and more. The flow of air, noise, and smells all are things to consider when planning the kitchen and great room.

Do what works best for your project. Just don’t forget that changing the kitchen in advance, is mostly a change in ink on paper. Waiting until after the project is done is a whole different scenario. That is what keeps me in business!

This is the new home of The Radio Remodeling Show! Please return often for great tips on your household projects!