Q. The ones I have found so far are either too complicated...I don't need an inch by inch grid, or just too limited in choices. I very much appreciate your respectful, dignified answer to my question AND the valuable site information. Thank you!

A. Am I understand you correctly? You like pictures? Sample Plans? Virtual remodeling sites while impressive - often do little in actually helping a homeowner understand what they want other than leading them to an interior kitchen designer along with passing on wild ideas. Try these simple websites. Kitchen Planing Pictures http://www.brandsconstruction.com/CopperminePhotos/index.php Bathroom Designs http://www.homeplansforfree.com/Free-Bathroom-Floor-Plan-Design-Layout-Pictures/index.php Detailed details sound like they are too much for you - still for happiness when the project is complete - Understanding your goals now really is very important! New Kitchens 101: Free Kitchen Planning Lessons http://www.brandsconstruction.com/Blogb2/blog5.php Wishing you the Best!

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Q. I am thinking of buying a shell property in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Philadelphia. I would like to get a contractor to gut the whole thing and make it to my specs. Essentially, I want a garage on the first level; new kitchen, half bath, and LR/DR on second level; and 1-2 bedrooms and full bath on 3rd level. I don't really know much about the home buying process, nor do I have any experience or expertise in gutting a home. However, it seems like a viable option to at least think about...any ideas on costs, timeframe, what I will need to do/have done would be helpful.

A. Reality check time: I have bought and renovated 3 old homes doing about 75% of the work myself and 25% with contractors, though nowhere near to the extent you are talking about and have also been a construction manager for almost 30 years. Yet I would hesitate to undertake what you are talking about. First, there are the financial issues. You won't be able to get a conventional mortgage to do this since there is no existing property value to secure the loan. Do you have at least $100,000 cash or established equity to start this project? Second, you need to be aware of the permitting and zoning requirements for the site you've chosen. Depending on the area you may run afoul of things like historical conservation rules and restrictions on such things as integral garages. Third, you need to be aware of hidden problems with an older structure you are planning to gut like foundation settling, structural integrity, lead paint and asbestos remediation. If it is an urban townhouse with party walls you will have to deal with issues involving the adjacent properties as well as restrictions on noise and working hours for your contractors. Fourth, you will have to register plans with the city building authority which will likely have to be "sealed" by a registered architect or structural engineer. Since you say you know nothing about this process, you will have to hire a builder or architect to design the house to make sure it meets structural and mechanical system codes. Fifth, if you have no experience with hiring and negotiating with contractors, you risk substantial cost over-runs and coordination problems -- overseeing such a major project is an unbelievable headache, a full-time job in fact, even if you know what you are doing. There are countless details of scheduling, assuring materials are there on time and that contractors are working as planned. Are you planning to be on site full time to watch over the work? And, not understanding the process, will you be able to tell if it is being done correctly? Chances are you would have to hire a general contractor or builder to oversee the entire project. Even in a down market like Philly, I would estimate this project would cost you from $250,000 to $300,000 and take 12 to 18 months. More, in fact, in time and money than building an entirely new home from the ground up. It might be possible to get something going through some kind of "urban homesteading" grant program if such is available in your city, but don't expect this to be a cheap or easy process. I'm sorry to sound so negative because I am actually a big proponent of saving and renovating deteriorated urban properties and neighborhoods, but realistically this is only really "viable" if the person undertaking the work has a good bit of experience with construction and renovation OR has bottomless sources of money to pay others to deal with the complex processes and red tape that are involved. If you feel up to it, bless you! But it will be extremely stressful and costly and you need to be prepared. I recommend that you immediately start watching as many of the renovation programs as you can on HGTV and the DIY network. A few good ones are "Holmes on Homes", "Renovation Realities", "Income Property" (though that last one makes it look too easy but at least you get an idea of budgets.) I just heard that there is a program on one of the networks tonight where a team is going to be gutting a foreclosed home -- that might be a good one to see as well.

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Q. The potential work includes foundation repairs and converting a basement to a room and possibly adding a second bathroom. I'm not sure where to start with something like this. Thanks for all the great answers!

A. Call a remodeling contractor for an estimate. They will send someone out to give you a ballpark estimate (not binding) of what they think the costs will run. You can also obtain a listing of previous customers (references). Call these people and find out what their experience was like (Did the job get done on time? What did they think of the general contractor's people or the subcontractors? Was the job done on budget, or did they keep adding on things? Would they recommend this company to you? that sort of thing). The references usually include an address. If it's close by, go see the work for yourself (from the outside, of course). Be wary using remodeling contractors where just a couple or handful of guys do all the work. The bigger name builders generally use the same subcontractors for all of their jobs - they have enough work for the subs to work for them exclusively. So, you won't get your job put on the back burner by some independent subcontractor that works for multiple general contractors. This avoids unneccessary delays. The bigger general contractors also have connections with suppliers, since they purchase so much materials. This avoids delays caused by inavailability of specific materials. For the plans, start with the general contractor. Many of the bigger builders are what they call design-build companies, where they have in-house architects who can draw up all of the plans. They will also know how much each design feature they add costs to implement. If you go to an architect first and get all these cool little design features added, you might find that they're too expensive to actually implement. You then have to go back to the architect to have the plans changed - at an additional cost. If you're thinking of going by price alone, be warned: the cheaper the price, the less priority you will have with the contractor. The two or three guys who do it all may quote you a price about 10% cheaper than a big builder. But, their estimate of 6 months might turn into 1 year. I went with Marrokal Construction here in San Diego for an extensive remodel (gutting and completely rearranging the house). They said it would take 5 months. It took 6. But, many people I talked with before hand said they would be surprised if that much work took less than a year, because delays are all too common with a lot of fly-by-night contractors,

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Q. My husband and I want to put our house on the market. We are planning to build a new home at Medina Lake where we own land. We thought we should find a builder and finalize plans before putting our house on the market. Not sure how the timing would all work. Anyone been here before? Our first choice of builder right now is Design Tech. Any opinions? BTW, we are looking for a custom home builder, not just a build-on-your-lot builder.

A. Hey a san antonian on yahoo questions haha cool.....nice lake been there a few times. I never even heard of that company. just get a company with a nice long back ground....they usually walk you through it.

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Q. We're building on a large extension and had some input from an interior designer. She recommended strongly that we use a local lighting consultants to advice on type, placing etc of lights. We've never heard the term before and our friends think we're mad to spend money on this. Has anyone used one and if so would you recommend it? Phew, that's a lot of questions Gare - I'll have to think about them. Makes me wonder if the LC idea is more suitable for a total new build or a suite of offices. We just don't want to make any mistakes - maybe we just need a better interior designer!

A. Hey Crosbie, Good interior designers and architects can do a fair lighting layout. I hope I have not dissuaded you from making the appropriate decision. I have wired homes with 5 lights chosen by me, 10 new lights chosen by an architect, to over 400 lights with a professional lighting designer and complete home automation. They all looked great when done. Yes and no. The size of the addition, budget, and other things will help to determine. Questions to answer first: 1) What is your overall budget? 2) What will the lighting consultant charge? (If you have an architect, they normally incorporate all design features) 3) What will the cost of the fixtures and layout they specify cost? (they tend to lean toward high-end, whis is great if money is not the object - see 1 above) 4) How large of an area is it? 5) How many rooms and type of rooms? 6) Does the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) in your area mandate specific type(s) of lighting in certain areas? 7) At what point does it make sense to hire a consultant? 8) What other homes have they done in your area? 9) Will they provide you with a list of three people who have had comparable projects completed in the last year, people you may contact? 10) Are you looking at automated systems, such as Lutron, Litetouch, Crestron, etc? 11) What are your lighting needs, mood, accent, general area, art, scene? Perhaps an electrical contractor proficient in homes of your home's stature could do what is needed without the designer's input, this is Design/Build. However, if you want concise competitive bids, you need to have all of the plans in place. There are lots more. If you can modify your question (can this be done) to incorporate some of these, that would be nice. I will be glad to be a little more specific then, if you like.

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Q. I just want to put the ones that I have on paper onto the computer but I haven't been successful so far. Is there any program that I can use to put these blueprints on the computer that are free?

A. Start your research here; http://www.google.com/search?q=free%20house%20design%20software&sourceid=groowe&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 A Decorating & Interior Design Web Site Dedicated to Advice, Books, Services, Products, & Articles for the Home http://myinteriordecorator.com/ Make it a great day!

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Q. I am looking to build a home and i want to design it on an online blue print but i dont want to have to pay for it! what sites can i do that?

A. There are a lot of sites with floor plans on line, you can always take one of them that is close to what you want and customize it. Try zdnet.com they have lots of share ware and free ware that you can down load. I sure hope you are knowledgeable in the building trades because designing your own home can become a very daunting task. There is a lot you have to know about engineering, codes etc. Good luck.

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Q. I need some basic steps and any pitfalls to avoid.

A. Depending on your budget, there are different ways to go. If you have money to burn, you may want something unique. If not custom builder may cost you more. I think you need to start out by understand what kind of a house you want and what is available on the market. Visit a few reputable developments in your price range first. There are only so many ways to design a house and these developers have learned the pitfalls of what not to do in a house. They often have brochures with their different models. Look through them and pick out the features and floor plans you like and start from there. A lot of the builders, unless they are volume builders, will work with you and make customization of their existing plans to fit your needs. They will also work with you on the elevation to make it look unique. Best of all, since they know the basic house already, they know their cost down to the last nail and can give you a better price. If none of those fit your life style, then you need to get an architect and draw something up. This will cost you not only in architecture fees but in construction cost. Since the bouse is custom design, the builders are not as familiar with its cost as compared to those he builds regularly. He will add in a little more cushion to compensate for any potential screw ups. When you finalized your plans , bid it out to at least three builders and compare. As for the architects, they are not all alike. Some are very good in drawing a georgous home but the cost of building them may be prohibitive. Others, we might call them "builder's architects" understand the cost and usage of material and may save you money. Check with your prospective builders and they will tell you. Simple example, the wood for your patio overhang run at 8 ft or 10 ft lendth. The cost between these two lengths are substantial. Now if the guy design a patio overhang of 9 ft, not only you pay a premium for the 10 footer, you have waste and you incure labor to cut off the excess. Now for the builder...never let them get ahead of you as far as money is concerned. They don't build for profit. They build for cash flow. If you have a mortgage, make sure you follow the draw schedule and make sure you have a hold back after the final draw, say about 5% to 10%. This way he will have no choice to come back and finisg the punch list. Otherwise, he is gone. One of your major reasons for cost over run is change orders. Every time you do that it will cost you. Be as detail as can be going in and resist any changes. That is the only way to stay in budget. If you have change orders, make sure you know how much it is going to be in advance and get it in writing.

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