When my first child had an accident at home, I realised we hadn't childproofed the house as well as we could have. Thankfully, they were fine, but I learned my lesson and began a thorough inspection of my home and garden. I got to work addressing the various hazards we had overlooked, and I started this blog to help other parents think objectively about the hazards in their own homes. I post about a variety of topics, such as pool safety, choosing a safe garden fence, storing medication and cleaning products, window and door locks and kitchen safety for kids. I hope you find my blog useful and informative.
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Childproofing Your Home And Garden
Steps to Help You Choose the Right Home Builders
Ana Gonzales
Your choice of home builders is one of the most important considerations to make if you intend to build your home. However, with a little planning and research you can end up with builders who perfectly meet your unique requirements. There are many factors to consider when selecting a home building firm, but this article outlines eight of the most important ones:
Determine what you need
Not all builders can proficiently construct all houses. Many builders specialize according to building materials used, price range and home styles. Find builders who can build the kind of home you want.
Experience
It's important to consider the past record of your potential builders prior to hiring them. That being said, don't be too quick to discount a new construction firm – especially when the team is made up of experienced personnel. Everyone built their first house once.
References
All home builders (except first-timers) should provide a list of referrals/references for your perusal. Call these previous clients and find out whether or not they were satisfied with the work done, with reasons for their answers either way.
Licensing and insurance
This is not a requisite in every place, but ensure that you only use licensed home builders if your state requires it. In addition, ensure that the building firm and its workers are insured for all eventualities that may arise in the course of their work should they be hired.
Design leanings
Much like the first point, don't choose a builder whose portfolio is made up of design styles that are vastly different from what you would like. While there are builders who are conversant with a variety of home design styles and architectures, look for one who has significant experience building the kind of home you want.
Service and warranty
You want to look for builders who give a structural warranty of ten years and above, as well as those who respond promptly and courteously for services under warranty – the references from (3) above can shed some light on this.
Resale value
Good home builders have their reputations preceding them. Look for builders that construct homes which retain value over time, even if you don't think you may ever want to resell. One idea is to look through Realtor listings for mentions of builders – there's only one reason a realtor would put a builder's name on their ad: they're good.
Reconnaissance
Finally, make a point to visit homes constructed by that builder – both new and much older homes (if you're dealing with an experienced builder). You may need to make an appointment if it's a private house, but there's no substitute of getting a look and feel of work done by your potential builders. Look out for signs of quality as well as attention to detail.
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