The 5 Most Important Things to Consider When Choosing a Danville Home Remodeler

Choosing the right contractor can make the difference between a successful Danville home renovation project, and a disaster you’ll be fuming about to friends and family for decades to come. But for those who are new to home renovation, the actual steps to finding, vetting, and hiring the right contractor can be a mystery. If that’s you, you’ll want to keep these five incredibly important considerations in mind for choosing a great home remodeling contractor.

1. The Best Re-modelers Work through Referrals

One reason finding a great general contractor can be tough is that the best workers are constantly busy thanks to referrals. Each time they complete a project and leave behind a satisfied customer, that customer tells their friends and co-workers, who then call the contractor and work with them in the future.

Unfortunately for those looking for a contractor, this also means the best contractors are typically not the ones buying billboards or mailing out flyers. To find them, ask around and see who your neighbors and acquaintances have used in the past and if they liked the work. You should also check online reviews relating to any candidates, and look into their certifications, licenses, and their BBB profile.

2. The More Specifics You Have, the Better Their Estimates Will Be

Price estimates can be tricky, and while a generic remodel cost estimator can get you in the right ballpark, your contractor will always be able to give you more accurate numbers. However, contractors (no matter how experienced) aren’t mind readers. If they don’t have enough information to go on, they won’t be able to give you accurate numbers in return.

So, In order to help them (and yourself) out, it’s important to be as detailed and clear as possible regarding your decisions, wants, needs, materials, and more. If you are committed to a particular countertop or flooring material with a high price point, this will allow your contractor to include those extra costs from the start—and to suggest similar, more affordable, or more durable options you may want to consider.

3. The Lowest Bidder May Not Be the Right Choice

You get what you pay for, and that means that abnormally low bids for a project should immediately raise red flags. Are they going to rush through the work? Use cheap materials? Get the measurements right?

When it comes to your house, you can’t afford cut-corners or half-measures, so choose a contractor who charges you what they’re worth and does good work that you won’t regret.

4. Payment Schedules Shouldn’t Be Contentious

Paying your contractor shouldn’t be difficult, and if they make it so you may want to reconsider your choice. Generally, you pay 10% up front and the remaining amount in 25% increments spaced throughout the project. The last 15% is turned over when the project is completely finished.

If a contractor asks for 50% up front (with or without promises of deep discounts for one reason or another in exchange) it means something funny is probably going on.

5. It’s Not Just About the Work, It’s About The Way They Work

If you’re torn between two contractors who both get great results, try to find out how they both operate during the construction itself. Will they come and go unexpectedly, working into late hours when you need the house to yourself or your family? Do they take efforts to protect your home’s entryways and hallways when they’re on the move? Do they raise dust and leave your home difficult to breathe in?

You deserve to be comfortable during your project, and satisfied with the results afterwards. The small team at Building Pros works hard to deliver a signature “clean remodel” with minimal dust and disruption to your life, and we go above and beyond to make sure that each of our customers are satisfied. If you would like references, we would be happy to refer you to prior customers in your area. Call 925.838.7767 today!

 

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The 10 Hottest Trends For Bathroom Remodels In 2016

A great bathroom is paradise, a place where you can feel comfortable and at peace as you prepare for the morning blitz, or relax in some hot water after a long day. But bathrooms don’t age well and that means that far too many of us are living with dated, dingy, or even disgusting bathrooms on a daily basis.

If that’s you, it’s time to check an online bathroom remodel cost estimator and see if an upgrade is in your budget. Then take a look a look at these top 10 hot bathroom trends for 2016 for the direction or inspiration you’ll need.

1. In-Bathroom Media

The world gets a little more digital and a little more wired every day, and the trend is creeping into bathroom design as well. Instead of old-fashioned shower radios that eat batteries, today’s bathrooms are being designed with waterproof speakers, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and flat screen TVs perfect for catching up on a great TV show from your bathtub.

2. No-Threshold Showers

As the population ages, more and more bathroom design is starting to change in response. Showers designed without thresholds eliminate a very common tripping hazard for older individuals and they’re also much easier to clean and less likely to mold. When combined with glass walls, the effect is surprisingly seamless and elegant.

3. Smart, Open Storage

Open shelving started in the kitchen and it’s since moved into the bathroom to great effect.  Open shelves are perfect for holding perfectly folded towels, a selection of guest toiletries, or a built-in hamper. Just be sure you have a few closed cabinets around for your personal toiletries.

4. Trough Sinks

Freestanding, extra-long sinks are a perfect solution for a problem that’s plagued married couples for centuries. Instead of sharing a single sink or doubling costs with his and hers sinks, the extra-long design looks modern and gives everyone plenty of room when they need it.

5. Deluxe Showers

Fully enclosed, floor to ceiling glass showers are a fixture of honeymoon suites around the world, so it’s no surprise they’re more and more commonly appearing as part of home remodels and new construction. The seamless glass is easy to clean and the experience of using one is always memorable.

6. Square fixtures and Square Showerheads

Contemporary design celebrates geometry and clean lines, including square fixtures. The shape adds a visual point of interest and looks unique and trendy when compared with traditional round designs.

7. Clean White Colors

When it comes to bathrooms, clean is everything. This makes white the color of choice for modern designs, often highlighted with a gentle accent color.

8. Water-Efficiency

Water conservation is here to stay, which makes water efficient sinks, toilets, and showerheads standard features for modern construction.

9. Freestanding Tubs

Freestanding tubs are retro, classy, and make a statement. Newer designs may harken back to traditional claw-foot designs, or take a new approach with soft curves, clean lines, and ergonomic design for the perfect soak.

10. Bold Tile Choices

There are more choices for new and exciting tile design today than ever before. Options include ceiling tiling, mosaics, 3D tiling, wood, stone, and much more.

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6 Ways To Pay For Your Dream Home Remodeling Project

While any old generic remodel cost estimator can help give you an idea of what your next home remodel may cost, deciding on how you’re going to pay for it is another issue entirely. Fortunately there are a number of good options available and if you’re careful and do your homework you might find that your ideal project is far more budget-friendly than you thought!

1. Refinance your Home

Interest rates are still astonishingly low, which means that if your mortgage is more than a decade old you may able able to lower your monthly payments by refinancing your mortgage. In particular, a cash out style refinance can give you the funds you need to refinance an area of your home by using your home’s equity against an additional amount borrowed (often up to 80% of your home’s value).

2. Take Out a Home Loan

If you want to use your home equity but avoid the trouble or interest rate changes that come with refinancing you may want to consider a Home Equity Loan. A home equity loan is essentially a second mortgage which uses your home’s equity as collateral, and usually has a slightly higher interest rate than your primary mortgage. However, interest payments are tax deductible and you still receive a hefty lump sum of money perfect for reinvesting in your nest egg.

3. Home Equity Line of Credit

A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) is yet another way to use your home’s value to get funding to improve your home, but it isn’t a mortgage or a refinance. Instead, borrowers receive a line of credit that they can borrow against up to, often 80% of their home’s value less the amount of their home loan.

A HELOC is a convenient way to pay for improvements, and not just because many HELOCs come with a credit-card style payment card you can swipe at any hardware store. Take up to ten years and use your HELOC to pay for whatever you need to improve your home during the remodel. During this time you’ll build up a balance that you make small monthly payments on. After your draw period ends you enter a repayment period, and then pay off your balance over 15 years or so. Interest payments are tax deductible, and borrowers have a lot of flexibility in how they use their balance.

4. Personal Loans

The three methods above all come with favorable tax advantages. But they’re all using your home as collateral against your loan. That means that if, for some reason, you can’t pay your lender back, they can foreclose and take your home.

Personal loans are an alternative, and if you have good credit you may not need to put any collateral down at all. Plus you can usually get personal loans with much shorter repayment periods, which can be helpful if you’re trying to limit how much you pay back in interest.

5. Use a Credit Card

Credit cards are yet another option. They’re convenient, easy to use, offer rewards points, and you have endless flexibility when it comes to deciding what you buy and how you spend your funds. However, the interest payments can quickly get out of control if you aren’t able to pay off your balance every month, so think carefully before swiping.

6. Savings and Cash

Even if you can’t cover the entire amount, each dollar you have in hand to pay for your remodel is one less dollar you’ll have to borrow and pay back, with interest, in the future. But saving can be hard, and it means putting up with a bad bathroom or crummy kitchen for even longer.

Consider all your options and remember that it’s up to each homeowner to weigh all their options carefully and decide just how long they want to wait, and how hard they want to save, before they make a change. And don’t forget, most reputable remodeling contractors will help you create a budget before the project starts and will be a good sounding board when looking at financing options.

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Planning a Kitchen Remodel: Where Do You Start?

At Building Pros, we love the effect a great kitchen can have on a home, serving as to a crossroads and meeting place where families are eat, play, and grow. But because so much happens in the modern kitchen beyond simple cooking, it can make kitchen remodeling a special challenge.

Of course, just because it may be a challenge doesn’t mean you should give up on the kitchen of your dreams. You just need to dare to take the first few steps.

Step 1. Prioritize

Instead of worrying about colors, designs, or inconvenient walls, take some time first and consider, with pen and paper, what exactly you want to do in your new kitchen. There are a few questions you can ask yourself to help:

• Entertaining: do you frequently host events?
• Cooking: how elaborately and frequently do you make meals for yourself or your family?
• Workspace: When someone needs a flat workspace, will they want the kitchen counter?
• Storage: How much food do you keep on hand and how many family members will you need cups and plates for?

Deciding on what you want your new kitchen to accomplish can help direct the rest of your design process and let you (and your contractors and designers) know whether you need a lot of counter space, open lines for entertaining and conversation, extra prep or storage space, more cabinetry, high-end appliances, and more. Once you have your priorities, the rest falls into place.

Step 2. Budget

Next it’s time to make some estimates and begin the process of balancing what you want, and what you can afford.

Of course, as a homeowner you probably don’t have a clear idea of how much labor, counters, or cabinetry cost. But knowing how much you are willing to spend is an important place to start, as it will allow your contractor or designer to quickly and easily tell you what is and is not possible at your price point.

You may also want to try our online Kitchen Remodel Cost Estimator for some ballpark numbers.

The feedback you receive may cause you to up your budget (remember, a majority of the value of the work comes back to you in home value), downsize the scope of your remodel, or delay the project until you can save up more money to do it right.

Step 3. Find a Good Contractor

A good residential contractor does more than swing a hammer, and it’s hard to underestimate the positive impact a committed, creative, experienced team will have your remodel project. For instance, the team here at Building Pros of Danville, CA helps navigate clients through remodel process from start to finish, with samples, design services, ordering, construction, cleanup, and a warranty on our work.

Ask your friends and neighbors who have worked with us before, view our gallery, and check our reviews. You’ll see what a difference our experience, diamond-certified customer service, and clean construction practices can make.

To start your home remodel project today, call 925-838-7767.

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Building Pros

Building PROS is a fully licensed and fully insured general contractor with a combined experience in the remodeling and building trade of over 50 years.

It is their mission to provide a timely, efficient, and an exceptional service that will save their clients money and time. Because of the service provision, it’s important for Building PROS to develop lasting relationships which will always be built on foundations of trust.

They are headquartered in Danville, California and cater to the entire East Bay area. What Building PROS Do Building PROS afford a complete array of building services catering to home remodeling and custom home building projects.

They embrace the concept of “green” and always ensure they focus on energy efficient approaches in their work. Furthermore, they take a particularly comprehensive approach to ensuring that your home is built to the original high-level specification. Within their customer service repertoire, they provide routine maintenance, general contracting services, home asset management planning, home remodeling, and new home building.

The Building PROS Team The team at Building PROS are not only experienced but are also highly skilled in home remodeling, home design, and home construction in general. The crew come with a huge amount of experience in the construction trade and are among the very best in the area.

The staff maintain the following industry-recognized licensure and certifications: EPA Certified Renovators for Lead Safety (EPA) Renovation, Repair and Painting (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) Construction Management Degrees (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo) Licensed CA General Contractor CSLB #957091 Envelope & Building Analyst (Building Performance Institute) Remodelers Advantage (member) Building PROS only ever select the top-rated and most dependable subcontracting teams with which to work.

All subcontractors are fully licensed in any trades that necessitate licensing and they likewise carry appropriate insurance, including workers’ compensation and general liability. Needless to say, Building PROS always take pride with respect to their customer service.

Prior to work commencing, the team at Building PROS will prepare numerous design alternatives and discuss them openly and clearly with potential and current clients. This way, you are assured of getting precisely what you want at a price that lies securely within your budget.

The company works out every cost which is broken down in terms of square footage, and so you can understand exactly what it is that you will be paying for. What Makes Building PROS Unique? Their honesty and integrity: They write it. They say it. Then they do it! Cleanliness: They always make sure that every customer enjoys what they term as a “cleaner building experience.” Superior communication: All quotes and contracts come with detailed specifications, architectural drawings, and clear pricing.

The company is available by e-mail, cell phone, and text, 24/7. Empathy: The company have experienced almost everything there is to experience in the trade and are emphatic to their customer’s needs. Long-term relationships: Most of Building PROS clients are repeat customers. Client references are available to prove this. Building Pros