By Michael Purser
How many times can a wood floor be sanded? There seems to be universal agreement that the magic number is three and that could spell problems for any house built before the 1950s. After the original sanding when the house was built, many homes got their second sanding during the ’70s and ’80s when wall to wall carpet fell out of favor with homeowners. This means that any more sanding from that point on can be the final one with few options to consider. For the last 35 years, most of my work has been on old floors and I think I can provide you some insight. (more…)
December 13th, 2008
By Carl Seville
Build it green or build it wrong.
Yep, I said it. Green is right. If you don’t build green, you are doing at least some of your work wrong. Not all of it, but certainly some of it. If you are building everything the right way, then you are probably building green, or very close. I am totally over the nay-sayers who don’t believe that you can seal a crawlspace or build a house very tight.
I gave a presentation on Green Building last year in Michigan and there were two old-school builders who consistently argued with me, insisting that they could never do the things I was suggesting — all of which were fairly standard high performance building techniques. During this exchange, another builder stood up and asked the group if their business was slow. Almost the entire room raised their hands, agreeing that business was off. The builder said that he built green, did most of the things I was talking about, and he had a one year backlog of work. After hearing that, the two old codgers left the room and let me get back to my presentation. Unfortunately for them, they could not deal with the idea of so much change and had to move to the denial stage. (more…)
November 15th, 2008
By Rick Schlosser
Fore
closure rates are approaching an all-time high and as a result, the market appears to be dominated by foreclosed or bank-owned property. Conventional wisdom seems to be that buyers can purchase a foreclosed property from a bank for a substantial discount, in some cases as much as 40 percent of the original asking price. Then logically, it seems to follow that the smart buyers who made this great deal with the bank will be the proud owners of a $500,000 house that they purchased for only $300,000. They can live in this house and when it is time to sell, they will make a huge profit or in the case of investors, they can do some modest cosmetic repairs and “flip” the house for $500,000. (more…)
July 2nd, 2008
By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.
With the economic instability we are currently experiencing, homeowners are showing an interest in alternative approaches to refurbishing and caring for their wood floors. Recoating is proving itself as a high value an economically practical option. This is an ideal way of upgrading the look and value of your home without the chaos or traditional refinishing. It is environmentally responsible, dustless and has a very rapid turn around time. Compatible with fully occupied house and families with active lifestyles recoating has proven itself to be very successful in “staging” homes for resell. It is also ideal for engineered or prefinished floors with tough original factory applied coatings that are in bad need of repair. Recoating is the perfect complement to Rosebud Co.’s services that preserve and protect floors without sacrificing excessive amounts of wood. (more…)
January 31st, 2008
By Freda Stephens
Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty
The Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty Relocation Division is focused on providing service ab
ove and beyond the expectations of home buyers and sellers with an emphasis on enhancing the entire real estate experience. The fully staffed Relocation Department is dedicated to meeting the needs of home buyers and sellers beginning at the initial consultation and ending with a successful closing. Visit our webpage at www.cbbullard.comOffering the highest level of customer service and an impressive market share, our award winning department provides: (more…)
September 10th, 2007
By Sandy Boda
Executive Officer, Home Builders
Association of Midwest Georgia
Just like
the human body, your home is made of parts, all working in unison, many unseen and unthought of during the course of your daily life. From the roof to the foundation, and from the front door to the back, a home consists of literally thousands of components.
Ideally, these components might all have an unlimited life expectancy. But given the realities of day-to-day use, how long can a home owner reasonably expect a home component such as a window or roof to last? (more…)
August 1st, 2007
By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.
Engineered wood flooring is the hottest and fastest growing segment of the wood flooring industry. Formerly called “prefinished”, this rapidly expanding selection is not only large, it can be confusing and intimidating to wade into if you don’t know what to look for. Let me highlight a few differences, point out some of the pluses/minuses and give you a sense of direction before you head into a showroom. (more…)
July 21st, 2007
By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.
The last 20 years have seen some dramatic changes in products for finishing wood floors. At the top of this list are waterborne polyurethanes. These finishes provide superior performance, are easily maintained and provide homeowners better options than ever before. For these reasons, I am recommending and using waterborne urethanes over all my work. It has been on my own floors for over ten years and I wouldn’t consider any other product.
Many homeowners have either never heard of this product or have gotten mixed messages about its quality. Let me give you a little background information.
(more…)
July 1st, 2007
By Steve Bayliss
Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty
For most Americans, the home they own and live in is one of the best investments they ever made! Tax benefits and appreciated values have traditionally made residential real estate a sound vehicle for creating wealth. So why do most of us only own one property?
There are many reasons, but let’s just say that not everyone has the time or the inclination to be a landlord. For those who are so inclined, some of the best opportunities exist right now to buy rental houses at bargain prices that may never be seen again. For the rest of us there’s a great alternative investment opportunity that is often overlooked. It’s the vacation home. (more…)
June 27th, 2007
By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.
If you are a wood floor contractor and working on an older home you get accu
stomed to a frequently asked question: “How many more times can my floor be sanded?” Thirty years ago, the question might not have been considered too important. That is not the case today. With the increased popularity of wood floors and how much they appreciate the value of a home, homeowners are going to greater lengths to keep their floors in top notch shape. And this is taking a toll. (more…)
June 18th, 2007
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