Friday, April 27, 2012
Reasons to hire an architect: We found a home!
Reasons to hire an architect: We found a home!: Here is the home we selected to purchase and finally a seller agreed to accept our offer. The home is 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom home with a...
We found a home!
The outside is lacking in appeal; I think this is the reason my husband and I aren't necessary very excited as we look at the pictures of our new home. But what we do have is the ability to transform this ranch style home into something else. I can't wait to take possession to start the transformation. Now we are faced with the question and a need for a plan. Hmmmmm, where do we start? Where do you think we should start?
Leave a comment below on where you think we should start on the house.
- Paint?- what color?
- New Garage door or clad it?
- Shutters, remove, paint?
- Fascia (it is the undulating trim board hanging from the roof edge) Remove?
- Remove the two tone rockscaping?
- Roof- new color, different type of roofing?
- Bars- Remove?
landscaping and porch?
modern ranch or....
vintage ranch style?
Monday, April 23, 2012
What no windows?
While biking around on earth day while house hunting we rode past this home. It is modern style home with board and batten which was badly in need of some paint. But something else struck too. I had to stop literally in the middle of the road to take a photo. It was a busy road so I apologize that the photo is not better.
Anyway, what had struck me about this modern looking home was the simple fact that there was not a single window on its street facing side: NO WINDOWS? Yes this house has many issues but simply adding windows which dramatically improve how it feels from the outside and and what it is like from the inside.
There could be a few reasons why they didn't use windows on this side: 1- simple cost cutting measures
2- concerns from sound from the road
3- south facing windows
The cost of a window installed would range $500 (done by yourself) $1200-1500 (depending on quality, size, and labor costs). If this room doesn't have another window or if that other window is small you might have a very dark room, one in which you might need to have the lights on. You might save enough alone on electricity to pay for the window. Trust me adding a window would have this house look more appealing and the interior of that room feel more connected with the outside.If traffic noise was the reason behind omitting the window originally, you can buy windows that have high quality sound rating it is called an STC. Look for windows with a rating of at least 40 and you won't hear much of anything outside that window.
If it is because the window is facing south or even worse west facing, there measures to be taken to reduce your house overheating from unwanted sun. Windows now have a rating for that it is called the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient which is expressed in range between 0 to 1. This rating can relate to the glass with in the window or the whole window assembly. You can also create an overhang that will block unwanted angle of the sun but still provide light into the room. There is a myriad of screening options but it is preferential to use these screens on the outside of the building rather than inside with reflective blinds. Because you want to keep the heat on the outside of the structure if you are trying to block it and prevent it from moving into the building. I write another time on passive solar heating, and its relation to the type of windows you might use.
Here is a cool chart to help you select the correct windows for your area.
http://www.efficientwindows.org/selection.cfm
Links on SHGC: http://www.efficientwindows.org/shgc.cfm
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Garage batman style
In many places garages are a commodity and frankly in every house I have ever owned I have never had one. Now that it is my husband and I, I am dreaming of a garage. Don't tell the environmentalists I know- I will lose my green credintials.......shhhhhh! So as I gaze at each listing of possible homes for us. I dream of the garage we might have.
I dream. Will it be for two cars and be able to hold our surf boards, bikes, skis and other recreational needs? Can it all be neatly organized and allow for me create art work, work tables and tools organized on the wall, everything is neatly organized.
Am I really asking too much? I see a garage in the listings for the houses for sale. I check that it actually exists on google satellite. But then I get to see inside the garage and realize it has been converted. Which I will now call the most depressing work environment ever. I just couldn't imagine working in a dark space with no windows, no fresh air, and awful light from the fluorescent above. Work spaces should be inspiring and light filled. It also doesn't help this one is crammed full of stuff and it has cubicle walls? I just feel sad for the people who choose this to be their work space.
If I can't have my garage in the garage, maybe I could get a batman style garage. I can only imagine the look on the neighbors face when you have your car emerge from this. What a cool border between you and your neighbor this is even better than a garage.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Is this your house's best side?
Take a look at the first impression this homeowner is giving guests, future buyers and even their neighbors. Ugly eye sores (RVs/ trailer/ snowmobiles/ anything up on blocks) should be stored somewhere out of sight. As beautiful as you think your recreational toys are, it might be very likely that your neighbors do not have the same taste. 
The addition of black to the color palette makes the house have a little more pop to it. Now if you want to be really wild and crazy; you can go bold like reds, greens, or black but take time to really make sure you love the color because it is going to be bold.
When choosing exterior colors, take the sales price of your home into account. Certain colors, especially muted, complex shades, attract wealthy or highly-educated buyers, whereas buyers with less income or less education generally prefer simpler colors. A complex color contains tints of gray or brown, and usually requires more than one word to describe, such as "sage green," as opposed to "green."
On the other hand, simple colors are straightforward and pure. Generally, houses in the lower price range sell faster and for higher prices when painted in simple colors like yellow or tan, accented by white, blue, or green trim." Source for more information- http://ezinearticles.com/?Using-Color-Psychology-to-Sell-Your-Home&id=4263
In terms, of making a first impression what really counts? There are many schools of thought on this. You should first decide who your audience is. Is it for you, is it for a future buyer, or is it competition to outdo your neighbor?
For all conditions- a fresh painted look, new roof, and well planned and maintained landscaping are the keys to a good first impression.
The safest route is to pick neutral (beiges, grays, soft yellows) colors inside and out in terms of resale value; stay away from soft shades of red and orange (pink/ peaches). If you want to push things a little more and still remain safe you can add the combination of black and white to your house along with the neutral color. Here is am example.
The addition of black to the color palette makes the house have a little more pop to it. Now if you want to be really wild and crazy; you can go bold like reds, greens, or black but take time to really make sure you love the color because it is going to be bold. Here is piece I found on the psychology of exterior colors: "The Psychology of Exterior Colors
When choosing exterior colors, take the sales price of your home into account. Certain colors, especially muted, complex shades, attract wealthy or highly-educated buyers, whereas buyers with less income or less education generally prefer simpler colors. A complex color contains tints of gray or brown, and usually requires more than one word to describe, such as "sage green," as opposed to "green."
On the other hand, simple colors are straightforward and pure. Generally, houses in the lower price range sell faster and for higher prices when painted in simple colors like yellow or tan, accented by white, blue, or green trim." Source for more information- http://ezinearticles.com/?Using-Color-Psychology-to-Sell-Your-Home&id=4263
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Are you armed with the right tools?
Turns out the market is heating up a bit. We didn't get the house we had put an offer on. The offer that won the property was cash only and higher than ours and could close in 10 days rather than the standard 30 days of closing. I guess we are California 'poor' since we don't have 100's of thousands of dollars in cash in hand. I jokingly mentioned to my husband we should take a loan out of 401k's for the home. He simply said while he enjoyed my design creativity he simply was not into my money creativity, which made me smile.
One thing that surprised me about buying a home in 2012, was that the experience and rules of buying a home have changed. We thought we were doing well with having high credit scores and plenty of money to put down on a property. All of this turns out to be not enough. So I would advise new buyers to be even more prepared. It really starts with finding a qualified real estate agent to assist you in the process and to arm yourself with some new tools.
Our agents have done a great job of arming us with comparable information and have been patient with us to find the right home. Select an agent who has at least 9-12 years of experience in the particular area you are property hunting. Ask friends and family for referrals is your best bet and have short interview them them to find someone who is easy to work with and knowledgable. Great agents will steer you clear of areas and properties that are a waste of time.
Two new tools that exist are zillow and redfin; keep in mind these don't replace agents. They are free apps you can install on your phone, tablet and computer to see local properties for sale and get the information you might see on a typical property listing (in the M.L.S.- stands for Multiple Listing Service). Plus these apps track information that can be hard to track down. Information might include: selling history, gas/ elec, comparative market analysis, and so on.
Another thing to consider, is if you are having trouble seeing the vision of remodel on certain properties hire an architect to consult with you to walk through your favorite properties. They can help you see the remodeled properties potential and give you ballpark numbers on construction cost which will provide you with more accurate information when making offers on properies. An architect can provide this service for simple hourly rate (rates range from $70- 150/hr) and get the level of detail you need to make an informed decision. If you need more information the architect can put together rough sketches of floor plans and elevations and/ or 3D model. They can provide you with the right tools to make the property into something that suits your needs.
My husband and I starting looking at homes that could be remodeled because we realized that the house flippers in the area were not doing us a convenience. (House flippers by homes that need work and do the minimum and put a little flash on them and then resell them hoping to make a profit). If anything we saw little value in what they did, and saw ourselves having to pay a premuim for their services. In the end we would have done the changes in more design sensible manners. Some of the house flippers bad examples were they added on rooms just large enough to considered a bedroom, added bathrooms or other rooms in layout that disrupt the flow of the home, choose really ugly landscaping and on and on....
Buyers are not properly prepared most often to see homes for their true value. Instead buyers often see 'finishes' and are attracted to 'granite countertops.' It is like judging a book by its cover in the end. You might have a fancy looking book. But does it function? Does it have flow? This is also where an architect can help you see the true house. A quickly drawn floor plan can be help client's walk through the home to see its incompetencies and assets.
Arm yourself with the right team, including real estate agent and architect, and the right tools will make the property buying experience much more pleasant. Oh and more importantly as much cash as possible......!
http://www.zillow.com/
http://www.redfin.com/home
One thing that surprised me about buying a home in 2012, was that the experience and rules of buying a home have changed. We thought we were doing well with having high credit scores and plenty of money to put down on a property. All of this turns out to be not enough. So I would advise new buyers to be even more prepared. It really starts with finding a qualified real estate agent to assist you in the process and to arm yourself with some new tools.
Our agents have done a great job of arming us with comparable information and have been patient with us to find the right home. Select an agent who has at least 9-12 years of experience in the particular area you are property hunting. Ask friends and family for referrals is your best bet and have short interview them them to find someone who is easy to work with and knowledgable. Great agents will steer you clear of areas and properties that are a waste of time.
Two new tools that exist are zillow and redfin; keep in mind these don't replace agents. They are free apps you can install on your phone, tablet and computer to see local properties for sale and get the information you might see on a typical property listing (in the M.L.S.- stands for Multiple Listing Service). Plus these apps track information that can be hard to track down. Information might include: selling history, gas/ elec, comparative market analysis, and so on.
Another thing to consider, is if you are having trouble seeing the vision of remodel on certain properties hire an architect to consult with you to walk through your favorite properties. They can help you see the remodeled properties potential and give you ballpark numbers on construction cost which will provide you with more accurate information when making offers on properies. An architect can provide this service for simple hourly rate (rates range from $70- 150/hr) and get the level of detail you need to make an informed decision. If you need more information the architect can put together rough sketches of floor plans and elevations and/ or 3D model. They can provide you with the right tools to make the property into something that suits your needs.
My husband and I starting looking at homes that could be remodeled because we realized that the house flippers in the area were not doing us a convenience. (House flippers by homes that need work and do the minimum and put a little flash on them and then resell them hoping to make a profit). If anything we saw little value in what they did, and saw ourselves having to pay a premuim for their services. In the end we would have done the changes in more design sensible manners. Some of the house flippers bad examples were they added on rooms just large enough to considered a bedroom, added bathrooms or other rooms in layout that disrupt the flow of the home, choose really ugly landscaping and on and on....
Buyers are not properly prepared most often to see homes for their true value. Instead buyers often see 'finishes' and are attracted to 'granite countertops.' It is like judging a book by its cover in the end. You might have a fancy looking book. But does it function? Does it have flow? This is also where an architect can help you see the true house. A quickly drawn floor plan can be help client's walk through the home to see its incompetencies and assets.
Arm yourself with the right team, including real estate agent and architect, and the right tools will make the property buying experience much more pleasant. Oh and more importantly as much cash as possible......!
http://www.zillow.com/
http://www.redfin.com/home
Monday, April 9, 2012
10 Tips to decide if you are ready to buy a home to remodel
A Little about our story:
I think the hardest thing is waiting and trying to not get to excited about any one particular property. The market has changed and we have found ourselves not being able to make offers on certain homes because the other buyers were buying with 100% cash........ no financing. No financing means no risk to the sellers so those buyers can be in a better position to purchase. We have also found ourselves competing with house flippers.
One of the current homes we made an offer on today I had initially disregarded. I was new to the area we are living in California so I didn't feel comfortable in a particular neighborhood that was on its upward sweep to being a really great neighborhood. I also jumped to conclusions about surrounding properties. Only later after looking more seriously at the neighborhood did I see the trend in house prices increasing with watching several houses be flipped and resold during our time looking for homes.
We have settled currently on a house that needs some work. We realized it would cost us less to buy something that needs a little work than to buy one in really good condition and then add on work spaces for either myself or my husband. We both work from home so we need spaces that you can't always find in typical real estate. So now we are paying a lower price and have money to refinish a home to make it our own and more importantly fit our needs. I am very excited about this but trying to not get to excited while we wait to hear back from the seller.
We did hear that the seller was more interested in our offer because we want to live in the home. The other 12 offers and I do mean 12; want to remodel and sell it again. Some are cash offers as well but with this seller they are more interested in people wanting to live in the home. We find out on thursday what happens.
If we get this house I show you the before and after photos and the remodeling projects as they unfold. But before we put the offer in we had to ask ourselves 10 serious questions.
1. How much money do we have to remodel the home?
2. What will need to be done before we can live there?
3. Does our offer allow enough time to have these things done before we move in?
4. Gut check- are you sure you want to do this? Check your list- if it gets too extensive this might not be the right house or project for you!!
5. Are there particular items that can be back ordered or need to be ordered ahead of time? (i.e. kitchen cabinets usually are a few weeks out)
6. Do I have a list of contractors that we can solicit pricing from?
7. How much if any of a remodel can we live through?
8. How long of remodel are we willing to live in?
9. Do we have the time and energy to devote to select materials and making design decisions?
10. Do we have a good architect who can help create a master plan so that we don't have to redo projects and waste money?
If you want assistance on your project; I would be happy to help.
Best,
Vanessa
www.studioplank.com
I think the hardest thing is waiting and trying to not get to excited about any one particular property. The market has changed and we have found ourselves not being able to make offers on certain homes because the other buyers were buying with 100% cash........ no financing. No financing means no risk to the sellers so those buyers can be in a better position to purchase. We have also found ourselves competing with house flippers.
One of the current homes we made an offer on today I had initially disregarded. I was new to the area we are living in California so I didn't feel comfortable in a particular neighborhood that was on its upward sweep to being a really great neighborhood. I also jumped to conclusions about surrounding properties. Only later after looking more seriously at the neighborhood did I see the trend in house prices increasing with watching several houses be flipped and resold during our time looking for homes.
We have settled currently on a house that needs some work. We realized it would cost us less to buy something that needs a little work than to buy one in really good condition and then add on work spaces for either myself or my husband. We both work from home so we need spaces that you can't always find in typical real estate. So now we are paying a lower price and have money to refinish a home to make it our own and more importantly fit our needs. I am very excited about this but trying to not get to excited while we wait to hear back from the seller.
We did hear that the seller was more interested in our offer because we want to live in the home. The other 12 offers and I do mean 12; want to remodel and sell it again. Some are cash offers as well but with this seller they are more interested in people wanting to live in the home. We find out on thursday what happens.
If we get this house I show you the before and after photos and the remodeling projects as they unfold. But before we put the offer in we had to ask ourselves 10 serious questions.
1. How much money do we have to remodel the home?
2. What will need to be done before we can live there?
3. Does our offer allow enough time to have these things done before we move in?
4. Gut check- are you sure you want to do this? Check your list- if it gets too extensive this might not be the right house or project for you!!
5. Are there particular items that can be back ordered or need to be ordered ahead of time? (i.e. kitchen cabinets usually are a few weeks out)
6. Do I have a list of contractors that we can solicit pricing from?
7. How much if any of a remodel can we live through?
8. How long of remodel are we willing to live in?
9. Do we have the time and energy to devote to select materials and making design decisions?
10. Do we have a good architect who can help create a master plan so that we don't have to redo projects and waste money?
If you want assistance on your project; I would be happy to help.
Best,
Vanessa
www.studioplank.com
Saturday, April 7, 2012
How can I tell if this is the right house for us?
Here are 4 things to help you decide if the home is right for you.
It is easier to make the decision if you can leave your emotions out of the buying decision, which can be hard to do since we get attached to the 'idea' of home and life we would lead there.
When purchasing a home, I would agree in having a realtor provide a lengthy list of comparable homes that have sold recently in the area. Use a seasoned realtor, and get referrals or recommendations on any realtor that you are considering using. It is even more ideal to have a realtor who is really well connected who might know of houses going on the market before they even do. (This is especially helpful in a hot buying market).
As an architect, and a fellow home buyer (currently) I will share with you the criteria I use for buying my home. This is my second purchase but my first together with my husband. It was difficult at first trying to figure out how to judge the homes for us. But here is the list we used.
1. Does the house have a good arrangement of rooms that match my lifestyle? To me- the home's connection with the outdoors is really important.
2. If the home's room arrangement doesn't meet my immediate needs how much needs to change? (If I am rearranging several rooms this isn't the house for me- it isn't worth the money.)
3. Rate the home on the following on their importance (1-5) And Check out what the each home offers you terms of these.
daylight-
versatility-
entertaining-
walkability-
storage-
4. As a last item-we added personality. Does the home have personality? If so does it fit us? If it doesn't, is the home conducive to allow us to add some character and personality?
It is easier to make the decision if you can leave your emotions out of the buying decision, which can be hard to do since we get attached to the 'idea' of home and life we would lead there.
When purchasing a home, I would agree in having a realtor provide a lengthy list of comparable homes that have sold recently in the area. Use a seasoned realtor, and get referrals or recommendations on any realtor that you are considering using. It is even more ideal to have a realtor who is really well connected who might know of houses going on the market before they even do. (This is especially helpful in a hot buying market).
As an architect, and a fellow home buyer (currently) I will share with you the criteria I use for buying my home. This is my second purchase but my first together with my husband. It was difficult at first trying to figure out how to judge the homes for us. But here is the list we used.
1. Does the house have a good arrangement of rooms that match my lifestyle? To me- the home's connection with the outdoors is really important.
2. If the home's room arrangement doesn't meet my immediate needs how much needs to change? (If I am rearranging several rooms this isn't the house for me- it isn't worth the money.)
3. Rate the home on the following on their importance (1-5) And Check out what the each home offers you terms of these.
daylight-
versatility-
entertaining-
walkability-
storage-
4. As a last item-we added personality. Does the home have personality? If so does it fit us? If it doesn't, is the home conducive to allow us to add some character and personality?
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Which is worse?
A. Airplanes landing
B. Airplanes taking off
C. Views of freeways
D. Sounds of freeway
E. No grass
Of all the places we have been looking at we have tried to rate the following on scale. Is it bearable? Or is this a deal breaker? I think for each home buyer and home owner there is a list of things that is personalized for that situation. I never before had to think about airplanes. I was usually too busy focusing on fun things like access to hiking and biking trails. But living in an urban area is very different. You have noisy neighbors, nosey neighbors, homeless people, RVs and other outdoor equipment, and parking issues. The list goes on and on.
We did learn a little a bit about airplanes and their noise. First of all, the constant sound of airplanes from 7am-11pm at night going off every 1minute or so, was enough to drive me completely crazy. The home we stayed in briefly that had planes taking off was new construction but it was not constructed with the right materials. Architects will create a list of performance criteria for project and this should include a STC rating of at least 40 or higher on the windows. We did also learn this. They are quieter in landing than taking off by a significant difference. And the noise they make on clear day is quieter than the noise they make on a cloudy day. Also every city has a plan for dealing with the sound issues from the airport. So search the internet for your specific measures. Here is one example. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/planning/aeronaut/documents2/soundinsul.pdf
I am still hoping we find a home with some grass that has more sounds of birds than traffic or airplanes noise. Maybe we will be lucky enough to even get some hummingbirds.
B. Airplanes taking off
C. Views of freeways
D. Sounds of freeway
E. No grass
Of all the places we have been looking at we have tried to rate the following on scale. Is it bearable? Or is this a deal breaker? I think for each home buyer and home owner there is a list of things that is personalized for that situation. I never before had to think about airplanes. I was usually too busy focusing on fun things like access to hiking and biking trails. But living in an urban area is very different. You have noisy neighbors, nosey neighbors, homeless people, RVs and other outdoor equipment, and parking issues. The list goes on and on.
We did learn a little a bit about airplanes and their noise. First of all, the constant sound of airplanes from 7am-11pm at night going off every 1minute or so, was enough to drive me completely crazy. The home we stayed in briefly that had planes taking off was new construction but it was not constructed with the right materials. Architects will create a list of performance criteria for project and this should include a STC rating of at least 40 or higher on the windows. We did also learn this. They are quieter in landing than taking off by a significant difference. And the noise they make on clear day is quieter than the noise they make on a cloudy day. Also every city has a plan for dealing with the sound issues from the airport. So search the internet for your specific measures. Here is one example. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/planning/aeronaut/documents2/soundinsul.pdf
I am still hoping we find a home with some grass that has more sounds of birds than traffic or airplanes noise. Maybe we will be lucky enough to even get some hummingbirds.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
hi i am ugly- tile close up, it did exist!
We also later learned there were two houses in this gated community and they looked exactly the same. The neighborhood around this place turned out to be little rough. So this house might have a tough time finding new owners. Do you ever feel bad for the houses?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)