November 12, 2013 One of the big benefits of building a new home is that everything will be installed to meet the latest advances in the building code. But some of you might not be ready to build your dream home just yet. In the mean time, how do you know if your current electrical […]
Seal Up Your New Home Properly
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Quality Check
My wife absolutely hates bugs of any kind. I’m personally more concerned about drafts that are constantly trying to make their way through the exterior walls. Whether you want to keep pests out or just want to keep your energy bills low, it’s important to do a thorough job sealing up the exterior walls in […]
If you’ve spent any time at Armchair Builder, you know our goal is to help owner builders any way we can. From how-to video and articles, to downloadable digital resources, we offer tools for the owner builder to save money while creating the home of their dreams. Frequently we are asked to provide suggestions for […]
Four Ways to Lower the Cost of Your New Home
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Owner-Builder, Save Money
If you’re like me, you like to shop several stores before giving up your hard earned cash to buy something. Besides shopping around, I also look for alternatives for getting the job done more efficiently. We work too hard for our money to just throw it away. It’s good to apply this same type of […]
Building a Home: A Step by Step Guide
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Save Money
We are proud to announce that we’ve just published a new e-book, Building a Home: A Step by Step Guide. This resource combines all of the articles from our blog series, How to Build a Home, into one neat package. From choosing a lot and obtaining a construction loan through all of the phases of […]
Owner Builder Success Stories
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Owner-Builder, Save Money
ArmchairBuilder.com regularly shares builder tips and secrets for those that want to take on the general contractor role for their own new home. Today we want to share with you some owner builder success stories to show how real people are making their dream a reality. So if you are one of those people that […]
Why would anyone in their right mind buy a perfectly good new home and start remodeling the day after closing? Well, the truth is, it happens all the time. The reasons for tear outs in new homes run the gamut from the desired product not being offered to builder option prices being too high. Let’s […]
One of our readers contacted us yesterday to share a huge success story. Did you happen to see our article last year covering melting vinyl siding? In case you didn’t see the article or the video, the main point covered was that newer windows that are positioned just right can reflect the sun into intense […]
Installing Tile with Bondera
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Great Products, Owner-Builder
It’s been over a year now since we completed our tile project with the Bondera product. In case you don’t know, Grace Construction Products…the makers of the popular roof underlayment Ice and Water Shield, sell a product called Bondera that takes the place of traditional mortar for tile installation. We decided to use the product […]
Foundation Drainage, The Major Quality Components
0 Comments | Posted by armchairbuilder in Build Your Own Home, Quality Check
One question I’m often asked as a builder is…“What’s the proper setup for a quality foundation drainage system for a home?” Whether you’re building a new home or repairing your existing place, there are a few key items that should be in place to prevent problems. Things like stone placement, footing drain tile and filter […]
