While you are planning out a remodeling project on your home this fall, have you considered how the cost of the remodel is going to affect you. It is fairly easy to price and get a list together of who much the materials are going to cost you, but have you considered the cost of any mistakes or problems that you may encounter along the way. While it has been said that when planing out the cost of a remodeling you should include an extra 20-30% extra of the total cost for any unexpected costs that come your way, there are 8 types of costs that can catch you off guard.
Higher Property Taxes: If you are putting a major addition on your house, you will be increasing the assessed value of your home and that means that you will have the chance of having a larger tax bill to pay. An Assessor gets a copy of your building permit application and have the ability to determine if the project will increase your homes value upon completion.
Hidden Horrors: If you find unexpected guests living in your homes walls while you are starting your home remodel project, you will have pest control costs to add into your budget. Making sure that your prepare yourself for any: mold, faulty wiring or plumbing, asbestos or any other problems that may lie under the surface of your home is always the smart idea because you do not know what lies beneath your home till you start to take parts of it down.
Offsite storage: If you do not have a place to store the items of the room that you are remodeling then you will have to find somewhere else to store the contents of the room and that can end up being costly. Depending on how much and how big the items are, it has the possibility of costing you hundreds or dollars a month to store them elsewhere.
Building code quirks: Depending on where you live, the building codes will vary and these will mean that you will have a set things that you will need to have done before the permit will go through. Knowing what these requirements are will save you a lot of money especially if it means that you will need to hire a contractor to do the work for you.
Utility bills: You should expect your utility costs to go up while you are remodeling your home because of the extra electricity, heating and cooling costs that you will have going on through out the project.
Eating out: If you are remodeling your kitchen you will not have the ability to cook meals like usual, and it can end up being costly eating out while the construction is going on.
Pet boarding: Depending on the type of pets or how they are you might have to pay to have them stay elsewhere while the construction is going on for their safety.
Dumpsters and portable toilets: Seeing these items in your contractors estimate should not surprise you because they will help your contractor keep and maintain clean job site during the construction.
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Homeowners insurance is an insurance policy that protects you financially in the event that your home and property is damaged in a covered peril, or in the event of a covered lawsuit. Perils that are typically covered by a standard home insurance policy include fire, wind, lightning, hail and theft. While no one plans on losing their home or possessions to any of these perils, it unfortunately happens every day. Homeowners insurance protects the investment you have made in your home by providing you with coverage for specific hazards.
All of us at Scurich Insurance Services will help you get the best coverage on your California Homeowners Insurance Policy. Fill out the form below and one of our helpful and friendly agents will contact you to answer any questions you may have regarding your insurance policy.
As seen in: The Washington Times 5/24/2012 by Michele Lerner
There are many different ways that you can redo your home’s interior to make it more eco-friendly with either big or small projects around your home. One of the first things that you can do while beginning one of these these home renovation projects is to locally obtain or purchase your materials or reuse materials that you already may have around your home. Local products are anything that you can get within 500 miles from your place of residence.
Here are a few different eco-friendly ways that you can update your home:
You can recycle and update furniture and other items you have around your home that have sentimental value to you to give them a whole new appearance.
Reusing furniture for another use is another good way like making a kitchen table into a coffee table or bedroom dresser into an entrainment center
Using products like reclaimed wood (if coming from a local source), IceStone, Terrazzo is considered to be eco-friendly because they are all products made from recycled material