How do I start building my new home?

So you think that you would like to build a new home? Let me try to briefly help you understand the critical processes of building your new home.

First of all, are you going to consider this new home your "home for life" or an "investment property. Typically if it is going to be your home for life then you might consider that you may spend more money as you will wish to acquire settings that will fit your tastes, I.E. custom tile or marble, custom wood working, large rooming, and custom blueprint designs etc. On a investment property you will probably only wish to have normal grade materials, minimum design features, and feasible  marketing features enough to quick sell or rent.

Next, we always get a question over the phone or a website inquiry of "How much would this cost"? Be aware that if a contractor can tell you that cost over the phone or email reply they may not be very credited as a home builder. The following will show the ways to get your accurate cost for your new home.

To start, you have to envision of how you want your new home to look like. A good way to start on this process is sketching out a floor plan on a piece of paper. This does not need to be accurate as it will help you and your preferred contractor/architect understand what you would like to see as your new home. Another way is to view floor plans via the internet and get ideas from those. You may even wish to purchase them which should include a full set of code compliant building plans. Each of these ways will help you to get an idea of the square footage of your new home which will allow your contractor to estimate materials properly.

Have you already purchased the property for your new home? This cost should be added in above the cost of the new home itself. Will you need a well, septic system, possible ground excavation? We recommend that you would call a contractor to help you decide these items. Also you should contact the city,county, and/or the neighborhood associations to help you understand the rules and codes you may need to follow in the process of building your new home.

Choose a good contractor that can show you homes that they have already built. See if they an accredited company with the Better Business Bureau and if they have any complaints or bad ratings. Make sure that the hold and carry proper insurance liability. Klein Developments takes pride in the fact that we work on quality and Not Quantity. A lot of times we end up re-doing  poorly built homes built by companies that choose quantity over quality. So please choose your contractor carefully.

Thank You for reading our Blog and come back soon for more valuable information on any of your construction needs. Also feel free to call us anytime at 314-322-7896 for advice.

What is Green Construction?

As a general contractor, I'm often asked what the heck is 'Green Construction?'.  Simply put green construction is the process of construction that promotes energy efficiency and environmentally friendly building materials.  This means minimizing the environmental impact of construction in all phases of the 'green construction project'.  To do so requires general contractors to use environmentally friendly products such as recycled materials which help reduce waste.  You may be wearing right now a good example of what could one day help someones green construction project--unless you have some 'fancy solar paneled hat' I'm guessing you didn't realize the jeans your wearing can be make a great insulator for your home.  The folks at Blue Jeans go Green, a company that specializes in turning everyday products into materials for green construction, estimate over 600 tons of denim have been diverted from landfills to help insulate thousands of homes.  Many of these homes, including those being built by Habitat for Humanity ( a great cause by the way), convert denim into UltraTouch (TM) Denim insulation that is distributed to communities in need across the country to be used as home insulation.
 There are many other factors involved in Green Energy Building. Some of these will be our own renewable energies as the following:
1: S.I.P. (Structurally Integrated Panel) Construction {These are prefabricated wall sections already insulated with a styro-foam based filler}
2:  Solar energy (panel systems collecting solar light and transforming into electric to power your home)
3: Geothermal energy ( a series of piping buried underground that will collect the earths natural 60 degrees temperature and fan forced into your home creating a lower heating and cooling cost)
4: Hydro-electric power ( a system that will utilize a near by running water source to generate electricity via turbine technology)
5: Wind Energy ( simple wind mills that will use natural air currents to generate power and preserve into a battery type system that will then be converted to the normal voltage your home needs to operate)
6: Off the Grid  construction using Adobe built walls for construction (a mixture of  clay mud, grass, and roots to build walls).


These are all new Green Energy Construction methods that may help you in determining your renewable energy sources. Please follow our blog as we will describe all of these in great detail to help you better understand Green Energy Building.


Klein Developments in St. Louis, Missouri can help you with your next green building project.  Give us a call at 314-322-7896 and let us help you make your next construction project green.

photo credit: Wayne National Forest via photopin cc

Is Your Contractor Accredited with the BBB and why is this important?

Hi there, and welcome back to Klein Developments Blog. Today we will focus on the Better Business Bureau (also known as the BBB).  We wish to help you understand why they are so influential on your next construction project.

First let's start off with the BBB's personal quoted Mission which may be found on their website www.bbb.org .

"BBB is an authority on trust in the marketplace.  BBB sets and upholds high standards for ethical marketplace behavior.  BBB accreditation is a coveted honor earned by elite businesses and charities.  BBB is a valuable resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities.  Our free BBB Business Reviews and BBB Wise Giving Reports help you make the right purchasing or donation decision.  BBB is also a significant distributor of consumer and business education information and tips and alerts about marketplace scams.  And BBB offers dispute resolution programs for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints."

"The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 113 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than 3 million local and national businesses and charities.

The Council of Better Business Bureaus(CBBB) is the network hub for BBBs in the US and Canada. Like BBBs, CBBB is dedicated to fostering honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers -- instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all."

Now lets define how consumers, contractors, and the BBB all work together. First and foremost the BBB is you the "Consumer" and we the Contractor"s'  referring relationship.  For you the consumer the BBB will provide you with ratings A-F about the company that you are inquiring about.   Ratings A-F will be based on many factors including past history with the BBB--for example if a consumer is unsatisfied with the work that the contractor performed. As in school A+ will mean that the contractor has no complaints and an F rating is a Fail.

Next, we need to focus on what makes a Company/Contractor have a rating. A+ will mean that their are no complaints and an F rating will mean that this company has had many complaints and has not resolved them. Often this happens because there is no Construction Contract or a very ill-defined contract. It may be caused by verbal agreements which you the consumer should never participate in.
A Professional Contractor will always provide you with a detailed Professional Contract to be signed in agreement by both parties. This will allow you the Consumer and the Contractor to be on the same page.

Now that you understand ratings, lets work on what "Accreditation" means. When a symbol like this

 

is shown on a website or construction document it will constitute that the Contractor is Accredited by the BBB. The BBB does not investigate each contract, but only the contractor. This means that the Contractor must go through a series of back-ground checks and investigations that may include the following: No criminal records for the Contractor and it's employees, any complaints registered with the BBB. making sure the contractor pays all due taxes and maintains employment and unemployment status, Qualifications such as Licenses and Insurances and much more. All of these allow our company to be Accredited with the BBB and to say the least we pay the BBB for this Accreditation.

In closing we would encourage all consumers needing construction projects to visit the BBB at www.bbb.org and view their simplified system of  Accredited Businesses that they may call and inquire about their projects. Hopefully you will find that companies website to further discover the contractors potentials relating to your project.

We are happy to know that you have viewed our Blog today and we hope it has been informational and helpful. If you should have any more questions or are interested in hiring a contractor for your next construction project, please visit us at our website.  Please join our next blog as we will focus on a mini-series of blogs helping you to understand your home building projects.

Permits, why do we need them?

Welcome to our informational blog on permits--when and why you may or may not need them.

To start off we have the answer to your #1 question "What is a permit for?". Permits are designed and legislated by the ordinance of the city, state , or municipality that you reside in. They serve several functions, the first being that they protect you the consumer on your construction projects. You may ask "In what Way?". The answer to that question is that they will make sure that your chosen Contractor will perform your construction project to a "correct Set Construction Standard". This means that your Contractor may not be able to come in and just throw your project together. The Contractor will have to work by a set of construction rules that we will refer to as "Code Compliant".Hereby Code sets the proper Building and Construction standards and practices . If you have chosen your contractor according to our previous blog on "Choosing Your Contractor" then you can be safe assured that they will already be knowledgeable in Code Compliancy.

In addition your Chosen Contractor will be responsible for obtaining these necessary permits. They will schedule, at necessary points of your project, to have your city inspector come to your project and make sure that it has been performed to these set standards. Your Architect or Contractor will provide the plans necessary to obtain the permits, have them approved by your city or municipality, and execute the entire inspection process to the final, finished construction project..

Lastly, Permits serve a couple of other reasons. One being that they will let your city or municipality know how much money that you have spent on your rehab or construction project. Unfortunately they will increase your personal property taxes by increasing the assessment value of your home. Yes, we have to pay these taxes...but GOOD NEWS --you have increased the equity value of your home. This may help you in paying your mortgage early, take out or refinance for future construction projects, or to simply up-crease the value of your home for re-sale.

Our #2 question asked is "When do you need permits?". The rules on obtaining permits will always vary from city to city or municipality however we can sum it up for you in describing some of the most code compliant demands for permits as follows: Any construction project that processes a load bearing circumstance I.E. removing a wall that may be holding your roof up, concrete foundation work that would support load bearing walls on an addition, or any garage or out-building projects that will be considered Load-bearing.
You will need permits for any process that will require a Licensed Electrician, Plumber, or HVAC Mechanic.
Other common instances when a permit is needed will be fences, retaining walls that are beyond minimum requirements allotted by your City or Municipality.

Ending we would encourage you to call your city or municipality to describe your construction project and they should be happy to let you know if you will need permits. In addition you may also call a Contractor, hopefully BBB Accredited, that may to give you this helpful knowledge. Speaking of BBB Accredited companies please join our next blog on the Better Business Bureau, its functions, and why they are a very important resource for your Home Construction needs and projects. Thank You and see ya next time.

How to choose your Architect

Hello and welcome back. Today's blog is informational for you on "Architects" how to choose and when you do or don't need one.  First of all we need to help you the consumer understand the Architects job and performance. In the construction industry we consider Architects (when needed) to be first. They should be able to possess the following traits, options, and qualifications.  A free consultation on your project including an appointment for viewing and/or meeting.  A sense of design for your project upon your consultation. An on site estimation of what it may cost to draw the plans needed for your project.  If you have already chosen a contractor then you should have them present at the consultation to Expedite questions and process.  The architect must draw your plans to meet city codes and ordinance.

The architect may have several different designs to draw for you to review and then you present them to a contractor and some changes may need be made at this time. Once this process is done your architect should be able to provide you with a "construction plan" that would allow your contractor to estimate your project.  Your now chosen contractor may have corrections or submissions needed in your plans.  If so, the contractor will submit to architect before final drawings are completed.

Now you are ready for your final drawing to be submitted for your review. Upon your approval of the final plans, the architect must now provide you with at least five sets of these plans. These plans must possess the architects Licensed Seal that is also signed by the architect on every page and every set.  Congratulations! You are now able to let your contractor take the plans to your city building division and have approved. Once done you should acquire one set of signed and sealed copies (by the city) for your own personal record and reference. The contractor shall hold one. and the city may hold the other three copies. Once your contractor and you have agreed on the cost then you are ready to begin.

The next small part of this blog is to inform you as to when you do or don't need an architect.
In starting please discuss your project with a reputable contractor. Pending reason why your contractor may say you need architectural drawings should be: If your project will disturb load-bearing or structurally related parts of your home (i.e. a wall that if you want removed may make your roof fall). If not then you may not need the architect and depend on your contractor to draw appropriate drawing to acquire permits.....WHAT???? I STILL NEED PERMITS ....DAWG-ON-IT.
Yes you may still need permits so this is why our next blog is going to help you understand when, why, and when you don't need permits depending on the city ordinance and building division where you reside.
We at Klein Developments thank You for your participation in reading our blogs and hope that our information is beneficial to each and everyone of your specific construction needs.

How to Hire a General Contractor for you Home Improvement and Home Building needs

Hi there welcome to Klein Developments.  This blog entry will give you information on choosing the best contractor in your area.

We will start with the beginning process.  Most consumers utilize the internet to query about specific construction jobs needing to be performed using "job specific keywords" on your search for the right contractor will help.   Once you have located the contractor section for your specific needs, try to choose at least five to call.  Write down a list of specific questions to ask about your construction work needing performed.  If possible, try to have samples of materials or pictures that you like.  Interview each contractor on the phone and see if they seem informing, personable, and professional.  Your ultimate goal at this point is to choose three contractors to give estimates on your construction project.  Once you set appointment times, then do your own background checks on the contractors; an example i.e. BBB.org, Angies list etc.  Now finally you have your appointments set and your chance to personally interview each contractor.  On these final interviews your contractors should possess the following:  number one is going to be intelligence once seeing the construction work that you need to have performed. Number two contractors should arrive at the agreed upon time. Number three clean presentation. Number four business cards.  Number five detail oriented as far as measurements. Number six and appointed time that you may receive your estimations.

Be prepared your contractor may need to take pictures to provide best estimate for your construction project.

Ok! Now your estimates are in on their timely manner.  It is time for you to go to work.  Number one compare the estimates that you have received "apples to apples".  Make sure that details are congruent with your previous interviews.  Number two check qualifications including references.  Number three compare pricing, and if anything is questionable then be sure to call the contractor with your concerns.  They should revise your estimate if needed.  Number four check credentials as far as licensing and insurance before make final decisions.  Number five feel free to call your chosen contractor for any additional questions--after all they are working for you!

You are now ready to hire your chosen contractor.

Klein Developments extends their wish to have the greatest construction experience with their chosen contractor.  We thank you for checking our blog this week and check back for our next blog entry on Architects-When you need them, and when you don't.

Welcome to Klein Developments

Hello thank you for visiting our site.

We have created this website to help you all interested in construction for your residential or commercial needs.  We are impressed that you have visited our website and we hope that it will be informing to you about our professional company.  We are creating this blog so you may hear our weekly construction tips.
These commentaries will give you an A - Z knowledge and helpful hints on your home remodeling or new home construction.

Please check back next week for our "Choosing the Correct Contractor" tips.

Thank you for visiting us and we always welcome you questions or comments.

You may contact us any time with your questions at 314-322-7896 or 636-667-7007.

KleinDevelopments.com