Bricks & Stones

     Sometimes you have a brick or stone area that you do not like the look of. When this is the case you may only have to remove and replace the brick or stone surface with new brick or stone and not have to replace the base.

     However in most cases if the brick or stone is damaged it is due to the fact that it was not placed on a sound base. In this case it is necessary to tear up the base slab and install a new one. Once you have a good base you now can put down any type of stone or brick to replace the old.

     You can also choose to install a new finish on the surface of the base slab. This can be done with many products that can be applied right on top of the slab and create a finish that looks like stone or brick. Also many types of non-slip finishes can be applied. Let me know and I can get you samples of these products.

     Got something you need looked at? Call me at (818) 548-8760 and I’ll come by to check things over and give you a free estimate. 

Your Home Remodeling Costs . . .

   Below you will find 6 variations of construction costs, with descriptions of each on the following -

Costs include General Contractor's Overhead and Profit and Fees.
Land costs, financing and other real estate related costs are not included.
NEW CONSTRUCTION

Per Square Foot Cost
Economy – $90 - $110
Fair – $110 - $125
Standard – $125 - $140
Custom – $140 - $165
Estate – $165 - $200
Luxury – $200 and up…

    IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE COSTS...

         . . . there are other factors that can change the overall square footage prices:

JOB SITE CONDITIONS COSTS
There may be EXTRA structural, soils, foundation, retaining walls, etc.  These Items, if needed, will add to the over all cost.   For example a “Hillside Home” would require more foundation, caissons or retaining walls.

REMODEL and/or ADDITION CONSTRUCTION COSTS
There is also the addition of demos to the above cost. All of these items can add to the cost.  For example adding a second story over an existing house would require making the existing structure stronger in framing and foundation to support the second story.  There would then be repairs after those changes.

· Economy
         This class of residence is constructed to meet code requirements and to provide adequate accommodations. There are no special features that make the residence attractive from the exterior and the interior finishes are minimum. These residences are usually square or rectangular (box shaped) with dimensions focused on easy and simple installation. The windows, doors, kitchen cabinets and plumbing fixtures are clearly inexpensive and installed with little concern for appearance. The quality of workmanship is indicative of inexperienced workers with minimum professional supervision. Emphasis, during construction, is placed on speed of completion. These residences are constructed from stock plans.

· Fair
         This class of residence is constructed to meet code requirements and to provide adequate accommodations. There are a few features that make the residence attractive from the exterior. The interior finishes are minimum with a few features. These residences are usually rectangular (box shaped) with dimensions focused on easy and simple installation. Any projections or adornments are simple and inexpensive. The windows, doors, kitchen cabinets and plumbing fixtures are inexpensive and installed, suitably, but with little concern for appearance. The quality of workmanship is indicative of experienced workers working in an "assembly line" environment.

· Standard
         This class of residence is constructed to meet and exceed code requirements and to provide comfortable accommodations. There are usually several features that make the residence attractive from the exterior. These features are standard but significant enough to give a residence an individual identity among similar residences. The interior finishes have several distinctive features. These residences usually have design enhancements that are functional and efficiently installed. The windows, doors, kitchen cabinets and plumbing fixtures are standard quality and carefully installed. The quality of workmanship is indicative of experienced workers working in a "structured" environment with several levels of quality control and accountability.

· Custom
    This class of residence is constructed to exceed code requirements and to provide attractive and comfortable accommodations. There are usually several special features that make the residence attractive from the exterior. These features are modifications of standard and introduce uniqueness to the residence. The interior finishes have several special features. These residences usually have design features that clearly indicate that care was taken to give the residence the appearance of special architectural design. The windows and doors are carefully manufactured of high-grade materials and are carefully installed. Kitchen cabinets and plumbing fixtures are "built-in" and above standard in quality and installation. The quality of workmanship is indicative of experienced workers working in a "controlled" environment where attention to detail has precedence over speed of completion.
 
· Estate
    This class of residence is constructed to meet the individual requirements of the design architect and/or owner. They normally exceed code requirements and provide unique, attractive and comfortable accommodations. There are many special design features that make the residence attractive from the exterior. These features are unique to the residence and clearly give it a special identity. The interior finishes have many special features. These residences have design features that clearly indicate that care was taken to give the residence the appearance of special architectural design. The windows and doors are carefully manufactured of high-grade materials and are carefully installed. Kitchen cabinets and plumbing fixtures are "built-in" and above standard in quality and installation. The quality of workmanship is indicative of experienced craftsmen working in close cooperation with an architect or professional designer. Attention to detail takes precedent over all other considerations.

· Luxury
    This class of residence is constructed to meet the "unique and demanding" individual requirements of the design architect and owner. They normally exceed code requirements and provide "one of a kind," attractive and comfortable accommodations. There are many special design features that make the residence attractive from the exterior. These features often consist of special and unconventional building materials and craftsmanship that dominates the appearance of the residence. The interior finishes have many expensive features that include exotic woods and hand made ornamentation. The windows and doors are carefully manufactured of high-grade materials and are carefully installed. Kitchen cabinets are crafted from exotic wood and plumbing fixtures are "built-in" and superior in quality and installation. The quality of workmanship is indicative of experienced craftsmen working in close cooperation with an architect or professional designer. Attention to detail takes precedent over all other considerations.

Need a Home Remodel?  Contact me by Telephone, visit my Web site at www.newcastleremodeling.com for more information and a free gift card!

License #978915.

Phone: (818) 548-8760

What About Decks?

   Exterior decks are most commonly made out of redwood. Redwood is best to use as it stands up to the sun and water much better than any other wood. The next best wood to use would be cedar.
   Putting a deck together is actually pretty simple. The biggest cost is the material as redwood or cedar are expensive types of wood. The first thing that has to be built is a base for the finish deck to be attached to. This base will van in construction depending on the shape of the area that the deck is to be on. The basic thing to remember is you need a solid foundation and then build up a level or split level base from that solid foundation.
   Once there is a base, then the finish deck can be put onto that. The finish deck can be made of 2 inch by 2, 4 or 6 inch wood, 1 inch by 2, 4 or 6 inch wood or even a combination of these woods. The most common is 2 inch by 6 inch with a space of about 3/8ths of an inch between each board.
   A deck can be put any place where you can imagine it would be nice to have a flat area or split levels of areas that are connected by steps. There can be steps from level to level, handrails for looks and for safety in areas where someone could fall, built-in benches that match the deck, planters that match the deck, holes cut around trees that come through the deck, decks that are built on top of a concrete slab, decks over land areas, decks put onto balconies and anything.
   If you put in a deck, or if you already have a deck, the most important thing is now to maintain the deck so that it does not crack and get water damage.
   All that is really necessary to do is to seal the deck every year. It is best to do this sealing just before the summer as that is when it will get the most sun and will tend to dry out and get the most damage.
   The fastest and easiest way I have found to seal the deck is to use a garden sprayer (the kind you pump up) or a sprayer that is similar to that kind of sprayer that is better designed to spray the sealant. The kind of sealant that you want to use is an oil type that soaks into the wood and prevents water from getting into the wood. After you put the sealant on, you will find that water will bead up on the wood like a new wax job on your car. The type that I advise and have had success with is called "Thompson's Water Seal". When you put the sealant on, it is important that you cover anything under the deck that you don't want to get water sealed as it will soak into cement and cause it to be discolored. Besides, it can't be good for plants. First spray under the deck on the support boards and any wood that you can get to that is under the deck. Next spray the top of the deck and spray into the cracks between the boards. It is good to fully coat the boards well as the more sealant that the boards soak up the less water can get in and the longer the wood will last. Not to mention that the wood looks a lot better when the sealant (which is an oil) soaks into the wood. Well that's about it, have a great summer.

75 Years Ago Today . . .

It was 75 years ago today that many brave men placed their lives on the line to free a continent from the grip of a terrible man. Take some time today to reflect and commemorate those heroes of  D-Day!  - Randy