Water Management or How Water Can Drown a Great Construction Plan

Posted by David A. Markham - 23/11/09 at 05:11:52 pm

It is inevitable. The setting is the client, architect, contractor meeting. We are discussing the design development drawings for building the new estate home. Construction start is many months away but program elements must be decided upon far in advance in order to move forward with design. At some point in the discussion we come across that one bit of program that always gets my defenses up; the exterior deck placed directly over indoor living space.

These decks are quite desirable to clients as private outdoor retreats or lookouts or even gardens for unusual plantings but they come at a price that in the long run cannot be entirely prevented by even the most experienced and well-intentioned contractor. Water intrusion will eventually become an issue.

Water is one of nature’s ways of reclaiming man’s constructs. Every system that either prevents water intrusion into a building or carries and delivers the liquid to a place of use has a lifespan. It may be a lifespan longer than the average human life, but it will cease to adequately perform its duty at some point.

The point here is not to discourage clients from including special amenities in their high-end design plans. It is to highlight the potential pitfalls of their inclusion and the costs associated with their proper construction, continued maintenance and eventual replacement. Decks over living spaces violate a combination of basic rules; don’t walk on the roof and don’t invite wind-blown rain into sensitive places (Sensitive places would include deck-to-wall intersections over the 150-year-old Steinway). To properly plan for the construction of this sort of amenity, the contractor must take into account the coordination of the desired materials with the correct systems to prevent water intrusion. To properly prepare the client for the deck, the contractor must explain the reasons for the costs of construction, maintenance and possible future replacement. Informing on what to expect is, as they say, “Where the waterproofing meets the flashing”.

Water is necessary and luxurious to our wants and needs but its barriers and conduits must always be questioned and tested. Swimming pools, pot fillers, swimming pools, roofs, air conditioner condensation, waste pipes, windows, aquariums, indoor hot tubs, decks over living spaces, storm drains, gutters, even potted plants, are all potentials for water intrusion. This list doesn’t even come close to being complete, but all must be handled delicately in the planning and management of expectation and execution.

As an owner, when considering any sort of home improvement always associate each facet with the word “water” and ask the hard questions. Do I need this amenity? Can I manage it properly once the project is complete? As a design professional, one must always double check the potential for water to play a role in any system design.

As a builder of high-end estate homes, the checklist for any and all building system analysis starts with the word “Water” followed by a frank discussion with both home-owner and architect and an AAA rated insurance policy.

Tax Credits for Home Improvements

Posted by David A. Markham - 19/11/09 at 04:11:32 pm

Tax credits are still available for home improvements that increase energy efficiency, generate power or harness geothermal heating and cooling. If planning property improvements or just looking to go a bit greener, the following Information may help.

Basic Home Improvements

Home improvements include qualified Insulation, Windows, Exterior Doors, Skylights, Roofing, HVAC improvements, Biomass Stoves, etc.

Unless Congress extends the deadline, all improvements must be installed and in operation between January 1, 2009 and  December 31, 2010 to achieve the credits with exception to solar power generation, geothermal heat pumps, solar water heating and generation by wind which has a deadline of December 31, 2016.

Improvements must be to the principle residence of the taxpayer and can be claimed on 2009 return for work done in 2009 and 2010 return for work done in 2010. New homes only qualify for generation, geothermal and fuel cell systems shown below.

Credits are generally worth 30% of cost with a maximum aggregate credit of $1,500 for all qualified improvements for the 2 year span of January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010.

Manufacture Certification Statements are required to be kept on file to qualify in case of audit.

Power Generation/Geothermal/Fuel Cell

These improvements include Geothermal Heat Pumps, Solar Water heating systems, Photovoltaic systems, Residential small wind turbines and Fuel Cell systems.

Unless Congress extends the deadline, all improvements must be installed and in operation between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2016 to achieve the credits.

Improvements must be to the principle residence and/or second home of the taxpayer and can be claimed on the tax return of the year put into service. All maintenance and recurring costs qualify through tax year 2016. New homes qualify for the tax credit for these systems.

There is no maximum limit to the amount that can be claimed for tax purposes.

Manufacture Certification Statements are required to be kept on file to qualify in case of audit.



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Selecting your contractor-part two

Posted by David A. Markham - 09/11/09 at 04:11:39 pm

Once you have some or one potential contractor, move along to the interview process to see if there is a fit. Topics to consider:

References, References, References:

When discussing your project with potential contractors be sure to collect a list of references with whom you will be able to call and discuss qualifications. Most clients of large, estate-type homes may not allow contractors to show their homes to potential clients and that is understandable. However, they or their representatives will likely easily discuss the experience they had with you over the phone. It is important once again to gauge the size and complexity of the project in order to compare the experience that the reference had with the experience you are expecting.

Consider LOCAL experience:

In places like San Francisco, where neighbor input, view obstruction and permitting issues often become hair-raising, having a builder on board who has experience in the City can make a big difference. Other municipalities may not have such constraints but using a contractor that operates in your general area will assure that he knows the pool of local subcontractors and is familiar with the construction norms of that area.

Company longevity is important:

A contractor who has been through various building cycles can be a better predictor of outcomes. Having some time in a referral-based business means loads of feedback from existing clients on how their design decisions have panned out and how products have fared. In addition, most tenured building executives have built several homes for themselves or done some speculative building so have the ability to look at things from an owner’s perspective.

Project and Field Management:

Let’s face it, no matter who you contract with, you need to know who is actually building or remodeling your home? The management team is the single most important facet of what your contractor is offering. This team will be the driver of Quality Control, Schedule and Cost Management. When interviewing your potential contractor, ask about the project manager and/or field superintendent that will be slated to run your project. What qualifications do they possess? How long have they been with the company? Will they be running more than one project at a time? Once the contractor has been selected and the preconstruction phase is underway, it is important to meet and establish rapport with this team. The relationship is priceless.

Who takes ultimate responsibility?

A valuable contractor will generally be performing multiple projects at all times. Each project, large and small, should have a management team in place whether full or part time depending on size and complexity. That team answers to the owner of the company or in larger firms, an operations manager. This manager takes ultimate responsibility within the firm based on the terms of the contract and should act as an advocate for the client when assessing the interim health of the project or as hard decisions arise. By avoiding contractors where the owner or operations manager is also the project manager you ensure a healthier chain of command and a single point of reference for managing expectations.

Understanding of Budget vs. Quality vs. Schedule

It is fairly cliché in the industry but having a firm grasp on the basic construction triangle is a key to understanding how the process works. The triangle consists of budget, quality and schedule. If a low budget is the priority, top quality and a fast-paced schedule may have to be sacrificed to an extent. Conversely, if top quality or unusual finishes are of utmost importance, the budget and/or schedule will need to be extended. Any number of combinations can occur, all causing the push and pull of the triangle. Understanding these relationships and better yet, feeling confident that your contractor understands these relationships help a great deal in fulfilling your wants and needs in a newly constructed home.

Selecting your Contractor

Posted by David A. Markham - 04/11/09 at 04:11:24 pm

Very few things in life are more stressful than home construction or remodeling.  Everyone has heard contractor horror stories – delays, poor workmanship, unexplained costs.  Unfortunately, there is no “homeowners bill-of-rights” when it comes to contractors.  Therefore, consumers have to trust their friends and trust their gut when it comes to choosing a builder.

Many people have buyer’s remorse after it is too late to stop a project.  So what are the appropriate questions you should ask a potential contractor?  How do you perform due-diligence to ensure that the people that will be in your home and in your face for the next several months are a good fit for your project and your life?

Here are a few suggestions you may want to follow before you begin the building adventure of a lifetime:

Have the contractor on-board early in the process:

All facets of a complex project tend to become even more involved once construction begins. Get your contractor assigned to the team early enough so they become an integral part of the process, and to reduce the number of surprises after construction begins.  Budgeting at various stages of preconstruction with common-sense building strategies can assure that you are getting what you want without compromising later.

How do I research and select the contractor that is right for my project?

Finding a contractor is preliminary to selecting a contractor but an important step in the process. Assembling that list of contractors to discuss a potential union requires some research. Investigate sites on-line such as Yelp or Angie’s List, call on friends or neighbors that have done recent building and consult with your design team on possible contractors. All the while, focus on referrals that have done projects of similar size and complexity. The style of the home is of less consequence than difficulty and quality level.

Look for the continuation of this article next week…




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