Irvine Construction Blog
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Exploring the Value: Is Adding a Sunroom Worth It?
The idea of adding a sunroom to one’s home often evokes images of relaxation, natural light streaming in, and a cozy space for enjoyment. Yet, like any home improvement project, it comes with questions about its worth. Is the investment worth the benefits? Let’s delve into the considerations to determine whether adding a sunroom is indeed a valuable addition to your home. Enhanced Living Space One of the primary reasons homeowners opt for a sunroom is the promise of additional living space. It provides a versatile area that can serve various purposes, from a tranquil reading nook to an entertainment…
4 Tips for Choosing a Site for Your New Home Construction
When most people start their home building journey, they often overlook the importance of finding the right piece of land to build on. Selecting the perfect property can be a daunting task. Here are 4 helpful tips to keep in mind. Identify Your Needs Beginning to look for a property can be overwhelming, so one of the first things you can do to help is narrow down your options. You can do this by identifying your needs and focusing on properties that fulfill those. Some questions to ask yourself are: Is there a specific state, county, town, or zip code…
One-Story or Two-Story? 6 Things to Consider
When you’re looking to build a custom home, there are a whole host of decisions that need to be made. Among one of the first – and most important – decisions you have to make is whether to build a one-story home or to go for a two-story house. There are many pros and cons to each choice, and sorting through them all can be frustrating. To help you figure out which option is best for you, here are 6 important things to consider when deciding whether to build a one-story or a two-story home: Cost This is one of…
5 Things You Need to Know about Adding a Second Story
You love your home. The layout, the schools, the neighborhood – Everything about it is perfect. Except … It’s too small. If you want to stay in your home but have more room for your growing family – or just to be able to have that home office – you want to add on to your home. In most cases, this means you have two options: Building up or building out. For homes that have maximized all their horizontal space, or homes where adding additional foundational work is impractical, adding a second story is the way to go. But before…
Can I Modernize My Historic Home’s Siding?
When renovating an historic home, much of the focus can be placed on the heavy-hitters – windows, floors, and fixtures – while other things are put by the wayside. Many historic homes are drafty, and much time is spent debating and picking out new windows and whether to add insulation to the walls. However, the siding of your historic home can contribute just as much to its energy-efficiency as the windows, and it’s often left to a last-minute decision. Depending on how well-kept your home’s siding was, you may need to fully replace it, which poses the question: Can I…
5 Things to Remember When Choosing a Floor Plan for Your Home
Building your own home means you get to decide what style and features meet your needs and the needs of your family. You’re limited only by your imagination and your budget, meaning you aren’t locked into any one design. One of the first decisions you must make when building your own home is the floor plan. How many rooms do you want, where will they be located, and what purpose will each room serve? You have the freedom to decide whether you want to use a pre-designed floor plan, completely create your own, or make modifications to an existing plan….
What Can I Expect From the Design Plan Process?
When you’re planning to remodel or add an addition to a house, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Questions about budget, time, or even possibility can keep some people from moving forward. At Irvine Construction, we break down the process of designing a remodel or addition as seamless as possible. Here’s what you can expect from the design plan process: The first steps involve a consultation over the phone with one of our specialists to talk over your desires for your remodel. Giving us a few ideas to work with will help us prepare for a face-to-face meeting, as well as…
4 Qualities to Look for in a CAD Firm
You’re on the hunt for the perfect computer-aided design (CAD) firm to help you draw up the plans for your dream home. Lots of places say they’re great at CAD, but how can you separate the ones who are just talking and the firms that are truly good at what they do? Here are 4 key qualities of a great CAD firm: Technical Competence Just because a firm says they “use” a certain type of software doesn’t mean their designers know all the ins and outs of that software. You want to find a firm that knows the software…
What is a Demolition Plan and Why Do I Need One?
Demolition of structures on property may be necessary to build a more up-to-date and safer structure in its place. Demolition, though, can be a risky process no matter how necessary. Because of the risk associated with demolition, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established a set of guidelines to be followed when conducting a demolition project. These guidelines are designed to protect the safety of all workers on the property as well as the safety of the structure going forward. One of the guidelines is proper planning, and the first step of that should include an engineering survey,…
3 Steps You Need to Take Before Designing Your Home
Designing your future house is a thrilling experience – you get to have creative control over the place you and your family will turn into a home. But before you jump headfirst into sketches, materials, and everything that goes into the design process, you need to take 3 important preliminary steps before the real fun begins. Figure Out Your Needs Think about what kind of home you want build. You most likely have a location already picked, but if not, think about the long-term implications of where you want to live. If you are planning to have children, is the…
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