CAT | Owner-Builder
Building Decks? Don’t Do This!
6 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Fix it!, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
A lot of folks will be building decks this spring. Why not. It’s a great project for the DIY’er. A deck is relatively simple to build and can be completed in just a few weekends. And as for the savings…they can be in the thousands. Unfortunately, I have seen quite a few of these DIY […]
Building Your Own Home: What is the Liability?
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
In a recent post, Owner Building: Risks vs. Rewards, we talked about the specific risks you’re exposed to when building your own home. One of the risks we talked about was the liability associated with the project. The truth is, the building process is dangerous. A perfect example of this is the home builder in […]
For the Owner Builder: Seven Things to Never Say to Your Subcontractor
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Fix it!, Owner-Builder
Armchair Builder is all about helping the owner builder save money on their building projects. In addition to helping you save money, we also like to help protect you from the unscrupulous people in the building industry. I don’t want to give the impression that all people in the building industry are bad…quite the contrary. […]
What is Drain Tile?
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Fix it!, Great Products, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
Drain tile is one of those terms we hear a lot when talking about foundations. But what the heck is it? Is there really any tile in drain tile? If you have a wet basement that needs to be repaired or plan to start a new building project soon, you should familiarize yourself with the […]
Build Your Own Home…Is it Possible?
2 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Save Money
…… Can you really build your own home or addition? But don’t you need a license? These are two of the more frequent questions I get from friends as a professional builder. The quick answer is yes and no. But if you are serious about wanting to build your own home or addition, we should […]
Owner Building: Risks vs. Rewards
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
Owner building isn’t for everyone. As with anything worth doing in life, there are risks and rewards associated with it. Having built hundreds of homes for other people, while also being an advocate for owner building, I’m a reasonably good candidate to give you the major good and bad points to think about when deciding […]
Owner Builder: What Does it Really Mean?
6 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Save Money
Owner Builder Defined You may have heard the term owner builder tossed around but you’re not really sure what it means. Since Armchair Builder is about helping people save money by becoming owner builders, let us give you our best definition. An owner builder is anyone who decides to take control of their building and […]
Every now and then someone asks me…why build green? This is one of those questions where you have to decide whether to give the long or the short answer. There are so many positive things that come out of green building that pay both the homeowner and the environment back with huge dividends. But one […]
Home Building Process: Project Planning
3 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
The home building process can be complicated. It involves a great deal of planning and design prior to digging the hole for the foundation. By getting the key players involved early on, your project will be built exactly how you want it and will provide years of trouble free enjoyment. Here are some tips for […]
Green Building: Changing Attitudes
1 Comment | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder
I was in a green building seminar this past week and one of the people attending mentioned that changing the building industry is like trying to turn a cruise ship. It’s an overused cliche…but VERY true. The one thing you’ll find if you are building a new cutting edge project is that certain subcontractors don’t […]
