Providing Landscaping Services in Bridgewater, Whitehouse Station, Basking Ridge, Hillsborough, Montgomery, Bernardsville, Readington, Califon, Tewkesbury, Oldwick, Clinton, Hunterdon and Somerset counties in New Jersey since 1980

Archive for the 'Homeowners' Category

How to Find a Good Contractor

Published by
admin
at March 2, 2006 in Home Improvement, Contractors, Homeowners, Gardening and Landscaping. 0 Comments

We know how difficult and frustrating it can be to find an experienced, qualified contractor or tradesmen/women! I am sure most of you have heard many horror storries from friends and family and most of them have probably been true! But it doesn’t have to be that way. While it’s not easy to find a competent, ethical, do-right contractor to work on your home or business, it CAN be done so read on for some practicle advice!

Real world information is very hard to find when you are starting your search. Newspapers and and magazine artlces mean well but none of them are able to provide you with real testimonials and experiences of previous customers who worked with any particular contractor.

We have put together a quick checklist for you below:

GET REFERRALS!

The best way to start is through friends and family. However, these referrals need to be qualified and checked as well. For example, your friend might have used a great contractor for her garage addition but may have no idea whether the company is also experienced in kitchen cabinets and tile replacement. You need to find out whether the referred company is also experienced in the specific job you are interesting in getting done.

Hardware stores and material manufacturers are also a good resource. But once again, make sure you check references and portfolios.

Engineers, architects and other contractors in similar industries are also an excellent resource. Once again, check all references and experience regardless of how good the referral sounds.

Spend some time and research each candidate. Check with the search engines for anything you may find. And most imprtant of all, trust your instincts.
For a good resource, try a Contractor Referral Service called QuoteCity.com which is located in Metuchen, New Jersey. This service pre-screens contractors and matches up homeowners who are interested in receiving quotes and estimates from qualified contracotrs in their area. Excellent service for those who do not have countless hours to spend on doing research and finding references, etc. There are many other contractor referral services available online. Just do a Google search.

PREPARE BUDGETS AND SPECIFICATIONS

If you are serious about finding a good contractor, it will be imprtant for you to be realistic about your budget and the work you can afford to complete.

Any professional contractor and tradesperson will appreciate the fact that you have prepared your specifications in advance and will be more responsive as a result. He/she will also be able to quickly determine if you can afford what you want, will help determine how much of what you want is possible with your budget and you’ll have the assurance that everyone you’re interviewing is pricing the same job. Many times, contractors seem unreliable or unresponsive because customers do not seem serious about the work they need done or have no idea how much things will really cost. Do your homework in advance and you will get a much better response.

CHECK REFERENCES!

We CANNOT stress enough how important this step is!! Before you give your final word and sign on the dotted line, make sure you follow these steps:

1. Make sure your contractor is INSURED for both Worker’s Compensation and General Liability. Don’t take the contractor’s word or accept a copy of an insurance binder from the contractor. The only secure way is to get the name of the contractor’s insurance carrier, look the number up in the phone book yourself, then call and ask for a Certificate of Insurance. The carrier will be happy to send you one in the mail.

2. Check the contractor’s professional associations. For example, contractors who are members of NARI (The National Association of the Remodeling Industry) are usually the type who take pride in their professional credentials.

3. Find out how long the contractor has been in business. Many small businesses go out of business in less than a year. Make sure your contractor doesn’t run out of capital on your job.

4. Call the company’s bank and find out whether their account has been handled responsibly.

5. Find out how long the contractor has been working with his crew? A long-time crew is a sign that your contractor treats his workers well and that there should be no revolving door on your project. You want to avoid the “learning curve” new employees bring to a project in progress as much as possible.

6. Find out what will be handled by the contractor’s staff and what will be subcontracted? Get names of the subcontractors and call them. Ask if the contractor pays on time? How reliable is he? Also ask for the names of suppliers and check out the contractor with them.

7. Find out how many other projects the contractor will be working on simultaneously if you choose to hire him/her. Will the contractor be able to devote the time you need to your project?

8. Ask the contractor to provide you with references of projects similar to yours and call them up.D id the job stay within budget and on schedule? Was the site kept clean? Did the contractor pay his bills? Would you work with this contractor again? Ask if you can visit to see the results of the project.

And finally, just like anything, go with your gut feeling. For more info on how to find a good contractors, come back for the second part of this article where we will discuss how to negotiate a good contract before beginning the work!

Good luck and happy building and remodeling.

OTHER INTERESTING IDEAS:

Buying furniture has never been so easy. If you want contemporary furniture, all you have to do is lookup in Google. Not only will you find quality furniture links, but will also come across various other furniture options. A number of furniture stores maintain their sites on a regular basis, featuring the latest household furniture catalog as well. Then there are sites based on modern furniture as well. However, when looking for something specific, like office desks, one should go through desks office furniture guide before purchasing indoor or outdoor furniture.

Want Curb Appeal… Play Dress-up

Published by
admin
at February 23, 2006 in Homeowners, Real Estate and Landscaping. 0 Comments

Curb Appeal

“Curb Appeal” is a very powerful term used in Real Estate, usually leading homeowners to believe, that drastic changes are necessary in order to sell their homes. Unfortunately, most sellers usually either spend too much on their property makeover, or ignore the laws of curb appeal all together. When trying to sell a home, both of these mistakes can cost you.

Here are 4 tips to better curb appeal, that won’t break the bank:

1. A view from the road: Many people perform their house hunting by driving around the neighborhoods they would like to live in. It would be a shame if they decided to stop at your neighbor’s house instead of yours because they simply couldn’t see it from the road. Unless your house is set back a long distance from the road, has a privacy fence or a screening of trees; make sure the limbs of all your front yard trees are pruned up in a way that your house is clearly visible from the street.

2. Size matters: Another important factor in viewing a home, is the presentation of size. Especially important in ranch and cape style houses is the relationship between the size of your foundation plantings and the size of your home. Overgrown shrubs and trees along the foundation of your home can block up to 50% of the view of your house, including windows. This will dwarf your home, making it look smaller than it actually is. Pruning or removing overgrown shrubs and trees can make a world of difference in terms getting your home noticed.

3. Keeping it clean: Most people would agree that a sloppy presentation on the outside is a fair indicator of a sloppy presentation on the inside. People are judged by their cover, and so is your house. So if you want to be sure your home is looking its best for weekend viewing, follow these steps:

3a. Cut the lawn on Thursdays. A fresh cut before the weekend makes a huge difference in appearance. Plan your cutting on Thursday to build in a rain day. Hire a company if you can’t do it. You will probably need them to take care of maintenance until you close on the house, while you are in transition to your new home.

3b. Remove all child and pet toys from the yard.

3c. Maintain weeds in planting beds, walkways, driveway and along street curbing.

4.A Touch of Color: Fresh annuals and perennials planted in flower pots or in landscape beds, will be a refreshing welcome those who visit your home. Be sure to consult your local nursery or landscaper, to select the right flowers for your zone.

Good luck and happy selling!

Installing Peal & Stick Tile in 4 Easy Steps

Published by
admin
at February 17, 2006 in Home Improvement and Homeowners. 0 Comments


tiles

STEP ONE:

First you must start with a clean, flat and dry surface. You can lay the new tile over the old tile or linoleum but the old surface needs to be secure to the floor and it needs to be thoroughly cleaned and dry and free from any irregularities. If you are laying the tile down on a plywood or luan surface that has been nailed down it is imperative that you secure the nails from working themselves back up and through the tile. This can be accomplished with using a fast drying substance such as Bondo that is used on cars to repair cracks and dents. It dries very fast and hard and will secure the nails down permanently from popping back up. This is a very time consuming process but must be done if nails have been used. Remove the molding that is running along the walls so that you can install the tile directly up to the wall.

STEP TWO:

Your second step is to find the center point of the room. You can accomplish this by using a tape measure and a chalk line. Measure the width of the room at each end and make a mark exactly half way across the room splitting that end of the room in half. Go to the other end of the room and do exactly the same. Secure the end of the chalk line to the first mark with a small nail or if you have a friend working with you have them hold the end of the chalk line very securely to the first mark. Stretch the chalk line across the room to the other mark and pull the line as tight as you can and then hold it securely on the second mark you made which is dividing the width of the room in half opposite the first mark. Lift up on the chalk line and let it snap back to the floor leaving a nice straight line of chalk which divides the width of the room exactly in half. Go through the exact same process dividing the length of the room in half and snap a chalk line which will divide the length of the room exactly in half. It does not matter the size of the room, this chalk line process must be used as you need to start your first tile exactly in the center of the room and work out from there. This process should have left you with a clean, dry and flat surface with 2 chalk lines that are 90 degrees apart from each other or a simpler way of saying would be that they fit exactly on corner of the first piece of tile.

STEP THREE:

The third step is to start installing the tile onto the floor. Take your first piece of tile and turn it over to the thin paper side. You will notice that there are arrows on the paper all pointing in the same direction. The reason for this is so you get all the tiles pointing in the same direction during installation. Keep this in mind as you install each square that before you peal the paper off the back that you check the direction of the arrows first and rotate the tile accordingly. The first tile that you will put down will go exactly where the chalk lines cross in the middle of the room. Put the corner of the tile exactly on the crossing point while lining up each edge with the chalk line and press the tile down. The positioning of the first tile is very important and at this point can be shifted slightly to make it exactly line up with the chalk lines. Take a bakers wooden rolling pin and roll and press down on the tile as you roll over it to secure it to the floor. Be careful not to shift the tile while you are doing this. Now take each new tile keeping in mind the direction of the arrows and put it tightly up against the first tile on the floor and carefully set it down. Roll over each tile with the roller securing it to the floor keeping all edges tight and lined up. Do not rush this process as the tighter the fit the better the finished job will look.

STEP FOUR:

The fourth and final step will be cutting the edges to fit up tightly against the walls. For this you will want to have a large thin board to use as a cutting board, a sharp construction knife, a metal straight edge and a measuring tape for all the odd corners you might run into around cabinetry and doors. Use each tile as a template sliding it up to the wall with the paper still on it keeping in mind the direction of the arrows. At this point the arrows need to be pointing in the opposite direction of what they normally go. The reason for that is when you measure and cut the piece off the finished piece you will be rotating it back so that the cut edge goes up against the wall and will be covered up by molding. At this point all the arrows will be going in the same direction. Work your way around the room taking your time with each piece keeping it tight and rolling them out and securing them tightly to the floor. While you are doing this process you will find areas where the adhesive is on the surface of the tile and this can easily be removed with a cotton swab and some finger nail polish remover.

Replace the molding around the room and you have a new floor.