contractors | Yakima Furniture

General Contractors Tips – Carpeting a Basement

August 30, 2022 Comments Off

When you’re remodeling your basement, carpeting is often on your mind at least for part of it – especially if you’re building out a space that’s going to be used for family gathering and entertainment. Before you jump at the first carpet choice that looks good however, take the time to consider what you’ll really be using that space for. Likewise, talk with some general contractors about the best carpet choice for your design ideas.
Carpeting for a Playroom
Growing families with small children often require a lot of space for romping, fun, playtime and the mass amounts of toys. If you plan on remodeling your basement to turn it into a playroom then you should consider a quality, durable carpet that will stand the test of time.
A second option for a playroom is carpet tiles. Tiles offer easy installation and maintenance, and should the carpet need replacing you can just go after the problem tiles instead of tearing up the entire run of carpet in your basement or play area. While quality tiles are expensive, you’ll save on maintenance and replacement down the road. Buying some extra tiles ahead of time will ensure that you have them on hand if there’s an accident or damage later on – allowing for quick replacement.
Installing Carpet Tiles
Carpet tiles are a great DIY project once general contractors have finished the rest of your basement. The first step is to ensure that you have a clean floor, free of debris, and level. Review the layout of your basement and find the center of the room or area. You can do this by pulling chalk lines from corner to corner. From here, locate the centers of the walls for the playroom in the basement. Connect the midpoints of all walls that face one another with chalk lines again.
After you have the chalk lines, you can start laying carpet tape over those lines as well as the room perimeter. Once your lines are in place you can begin laying carpet tiles, starting from the center of one wall and working your way to another. Depending on the size of the room or basement area and the layout, you may need to cut some tiles to fit snugly.
Carpeting a Game Room or Family Room
If you’ll be turning your basement into a game room or other gathering area then you can expect a lot of high traffic – more so than a kids play area. An indoor/outdoor carpet designed to withstand high traffic with shoes is a good idea here. If you prefer something that’s more comfortable then you may want to make the extra investment and go for a more plush but highly durable stainmaster carpet. The added plush is comfortable on feet, adds the right atmosphere to a family room and cozy’s up any basement.
There are a lot of carpet styles on the market, so choosing the right style and color for your basement will be difficult. If you’re stuck, run over your design ideas with a general contractor and get their input. Likewise, you can speak with friends and family to check their experience with carpet installation and carpet preference.

Things You Should Look For With Remodeling Contractors

August 22, 2022 Comments Off

Whether the homeowner is do-it-yourself savvy or would simply prefer leaving everything in the hands of experts, the homeowner at one point or another would need the help of home remodeling contractors for their home renovation needs. Whatever project it may be: bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling or even custom-built additions to your home – the right kind of contractors would be available to tackle all your home improvement needs.
However, choosing the proper contractors for your home remodeling project is not as simple as choosing the lowest bidder but it should take into consideration several other factors and elements to ensure that you have the right people to do the job. Making a choice without putting extra time and thought into the selection process would find you ending up with sub-par results that will not only be inconvenient for the whole household but would also entail extra cost.
Considerations to Take in the Selection Process
When choosing contractors for your home remodeling project, you should take into account the fact that these people will be coming in and out of your house more frequently during the course of the project. Security would be a number one reason so you must enlist the services if reputable companies that are registered in your state’s Better Business Bureau. Another thing to consider is that the project may be undertaken while your household is normally living their lives under the same roof, so it would be best if you can get along well with your contractors and their crew.
A safe way of choosing home builders is to get recommendations from friends and family, particularly those whom they have worked with in the past. You can also ask your real estate agent, your architect or your interior designer for other recommendations and they would surely recommend someone whom they have worked with on previous projects and can get along well with.
Understanding the Functions of Contractors
In the strictest sense, a contractor is someone who agrees to perform some work for you as part of a legally binding contract or agreement, but the term has been used extensively in the construction industry. A project usually involves some bidding where a contractor declares a proposed budget that can include the materials, the labor costs, payments for subcontractors, and the overall contractor’s fee.
Depending on the scope of work, contractors have the option to hire qualified subcontractors to help them complete the project. These subcontractors may be construction specialists who are focused on a particular type of work like cabinet making or plumbing, which may be beyond the specialization of the contractors themselves. However, the quality of work and overall management of the subcontractors would fall under the responsibility of the contractor and he shall be liable for any work done by these subcontractors.
Contractors are also expected to work closely with the architects or interior designers and should discuss any design elements that needs clarification or confirmation. This is why it is important that during the bidding stage, the contractors should understand the scope and complexity of work required, particularly if there are several custom design elements inclusive in the work. The success or failure of the home improvement project would depend on this.

Important Considerations to Make Before Choosing General Contractors

June 28, 2022 Comments Off

One of worst mistakes that homeowners could make in their home building or home remodeling projects is to choose and hire general contractors based on how low they offered their bids for a particular project. Hiring a contractor or a home builder with the lowest bid does not guarantee that you will get a high level of quality, an efficient construction schedule, good materials and even security.A�
Although cost-effectiveness is an important aspect in any home remodeling project and would be an important and vital factor in the selection process for general contractors, it is not your only or sole basis for selection. There are other considerations to make that involve checking out the company and getting guarantees of their work. This should be your basic process whether you plan to build or renovate a home in Boston, Massachusetts or anywhere else around the nation.A�
On top of that, there are certain qualifications and standards that your general contractors should adhere to, including green building standards and practices. These requirements are being applied by government entities in their own construction requirements and these should also be applied to domestic applications as well.A�
Green Building Qualification of Your General ContractorsA�
The concept of environmental practices or what is more commonly called as green building has been an old concept already used in the past but it recently gained more attention and popularity in recent times. In line with this, the U.S. Green Building Council developed a Green Building Rating System which is more commonly known as the LEED certification. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is an important qualification that your general contractors should have.A�
General contractors that are qualified for LEED certification are expected to use environmental-friendly methods and procedures during their construction projects, including activities for home renovation or home remodeling. Such practices include the construction of energy-efficient structures, as wells as reducing or even eliminating the volume of waste materials generated within a construction site.A�
There are four levels of certification in LEED and this includes the Certified, Silver, Gold and the Platinum levels. General contractors with certain levels of LEED certification would be ideal for your home remodeling project, particularly if you are keen in having an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient home. The result would not only be good for the environment, but with your finances in the long run as well.A�
Other Considerations for Selecting General ContractorsA�
Aside from LEED certification, there are other considerations that a homeowner could rely upon when trying to decide which general contractors to hire for their home remodeling projects. These considerations include:A�
* Membership in a reputable association or organization such as the National Association of Home Builders. As a member, general contractors are required to provide company information which will be scrutinized by the association in order to gain acceptance as a member. Homeowners can get required information from the association regarding a particular contractor.A�
* Check for any consumer complaints lodged against your general contractors from your state or local Better Business Bureau. Should there be a complaint, try to get in touch with the complainant and know the nature and reason behind the complaint.A�
* Avoid entities that have no apparent documented records in any associations, organizations or even in the Better Business Bureau. You might be dealing with a building scammer.A�
* Get as many bidders as you can, with three as a minimum. An indication of reputable companies would be a bid that would be at least closer or slightly higher with the rest of the bids. A bid that is considerably low than others are questionable in nature, so be careful and ask a lot of questions and background checks.A�
A home renovation or a home remodeling project is a worthwhile endeavor particularly if you have the design and the budget in place. However, you would need qualified general contractors who will get the job done and give you the results that you are expecting.

General Contractors

April 19, 2022 Comments Off

It’s Easy To Find The Right General Contractor For Your Project
You’re ready to renovate and you know you need a General Contractor, but how do you find the best one for you? With a little work, you’re sure to find someone who’s just right for the project you have planned. By taking a methodical approach to the hiring process, you can avoid those nightmare tales of construction you’ve heard about.
Before you start looking for the right company to update your home, take a trip down to your local planning department. You can speak to a professional there about the requirements you’re going to have during your project. They can let you know what plans or surveys you’ll need and what kind of permits will be necessary. They may also tell you of specific companies with numerous successful inspections in your area.
When looking for a construction company to hire, start with word of mouth referrals. Someone you know is most likely to give you an accurate account of their experience. Check with the Better Business Bureau, local Chamber of Commerce, or Associations. There are websites devoted to construction referrals as well, and might provide more information than the yellow pages.
Once you’ve compiled a list of potential companies, do a little research. The most important verification is the license. Most state licensing boards have a website where you can look up license, bonding, address, years in business and complaint information. Based on this, check with the firms to find out about liability and disability insurances.
Make appointments to review the work with several potential bidders. Verify that the companies you are hoping to work with are the ones showing up by requesting a photo ID and the contractor’s license. Provide a detailed list of all the work to be done and request written quotes and contracts from each. This will ensure the bids include the same work. Make sure to request that the contract include a projected payment schedule and completion time line.
While reviewing the bids, remember most state boards recommend avoiding a bid that is significantly lower than the others as this could be a sign of a problem with the company. Review any workmanship guarantees, as this might make a seemingly higher quote much more valuable. Make sure the bids are inclusive of all the work you want done as well. This will prevent an unwanted cost increase later.
You’ve picked one reputable company and signed the contract. Because you have a schedule and a guarantee, rest easy knowing the general contractor will protect the company name by ensuring the contract is upheld. Enjoy your new renovations.

Remodeling Contractors – Their Role in Transforming Your Home

August 16, 2021 Comments Off

Remodeling ones home has become an extremely popular trend these days. Getting the right person who can do it for you is not very difficult any more. But you have to keep in mind that you are entrusting your most valued possession to a completely new person. Thus you have to be sure that you have chosen the best remodeling contractors available to transform your abode.
Remodeling contractors are experts in various fields of work. Some specialize in bathroom or floor renovation while others are skilled in altering your dens or game rooms. It is always better to select a designer who specializes in the area that you want remodeled. They can assist you in deciding what the alterations that you want are done.
Even though there is no dearth of such people today, the best way to select an ideal remodeling designer is to get their names form friends or acquaintances that have just got their homes redone. Once you get a list of some reputed contractors, you can fix an appointment with some of them and then decide who will be best suited for your requirements.
You also have to remember that these people will have to visit your home a number of times and so make sure that they are extremely reliable and trustworthy. These designers will have to employ subcontractors to aid them in completing the task that is assigned to them. They are completely responsible for any errors or drop in quality in the work that that get done and have to manage the remodeling process expertly.
Remodeling contractors will also need to mingle personally with architects or interior designers to get a clear cut view about what has to be done. So these contractors have to really get an idea about the actual work that they are going to undertake before giving their quote. The ultimate turn out after remodeling will to a great extent will be ruled by all these factors.