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Tag Archives: building a home

How was it Measured?

05 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by Make your Home your Haven! in News you can USE!

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Baton Rouge Real Estate, Baton Rouge Real Estate Trends, building a home, Home Ownership Tax Benefits, Housing Market Trend, measuring a house, Relavent Real Estate News

 

iStock_000013045174Small 250.jpg

In an attempt to compare homes, one of the common denominators has been price per square foot. It seems like a fairly, straight forward method but there are differences in the way homes are measured.

The first assumption that has to be made is that the comparable homes are similar in size, location, condition and amenities. Obviously, a variance in any of these things affects the price per square foot which will not give you a fair comparison.

The second critical area is that the square footage is correct. The three most common sources for the square footage are from the builder or original plans, an appraisal or the tax assessor. The problem is that none of sources are infallible and errors can always be made.

Still another issue that causes confusion is what is included in measuring square footage. It is commonly accepted to measure the outside of the dwelling but then, do you include porches and patios? Do you give any value for the garage, storage or other areas that are not covered by air-conditioning?

Then, there’s the subject of basements. Many local areas don’t include anything below the grade in the square footage calculation but almost everyone agrees that the finish of the basement area could add significant value to the property.

Accurate square footage matters because it is used to value homes that both buyers and sellers base their decisions upon.

Let’s say that an appraiser measures a home with 2,800 square feet and values it at $275,000 making the price per square foot to be $98.21. If the assessor reports there are 2,650 square feet in the dwelling and the owner believes based on the builder, there is 2,975 square feet, you can see the challenge.

If the property sold for the $275,000, based on the assessor’s measurements, it sold for $103.77 per square foot and by the owner’s measurements, it sold for $92.44 per square foot. Depending on which price per square foot was used for a comparable, valuing another property with similar square footage could have a $30,000 difference.

The solution to the dilemma is to dig a little deeper into where the numbers come from and not to take the square footage at “face value”. It is important to recognize that there are differences in the way square footage is handled.

 

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Trying to see the light at the END of the tunnel!

05 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by Make your Home your Haven! in Our New Home Construction Journey!

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Tags

building a home, directions on home construction process, house ideas, ideas for building a new home, ideas for home construction, New Construction, new home ideas, new homes

image

 

 

The word “progress” can play tricks on you!  When I last wrote on how the construction, on our home in Frost, was coming, the pace had picked up even though the clean up was not so much fun. 

  The AC,  Morgan Mechanical      morgan mechanica;        Plumbing,      dubois plumbing company   

and Electrical  Rainbow Electric Inc    24644 LA Hwy 16Denham Springs, LA 70726   had been completed. We also had to meet at the house with the Cabinet Maker and begin the measurements for the install.  (More on that later)

Yeehaw!! 

Once we had checked those items off the list, our local supplier….image 

was quick to deliver the insulation and get it installed.

.image   image image  imageimage

We decided to add some additional insulation for sound barriers between the living room and master bedroom, and the living room and bedroom two, (my office / grandkid room) to eliminate noise from those areas while in the living room, or trying to sleep in the master bedroom.

So bring on the noise baby girls… POP can sleep through anything now!  image

 

OK…. Insulation is in the HOUSE!!  next up will be the sheetrock, and of course some rain, rain , and rain, so we had a little set back but not too bad and then the last week of March the skies became blue and bright and the team with Francisco got to work.  Here is what we have NOW……..

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BEAUTIFUL SHEETROCK
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While all this was taking shape I suddenly realized I had to get off the stick, or better yet off of PINTEREST, and make some real decisions on lighting, color, granite, marble, and more color, and style, and quit dreaming and finalize some of this stuff. 

Feeling a little anxious, and that could be because I could not make up my mind, although I know exactly what I like and do not like, I needed support and who better to get that from than the Queen of house building herself… my big SIS ,,,,CC… Yes from Sisters Tak’n Care of Business!   carol and janice new 

AND

with that, my brain went in about four different directions, but finally I started with GRANITE… and made a beautiful find at a local granite dealer in BR…. I think out of all of the things I had to pick this was the one that made me smile the biggest.  I am going to hold that decision in my pocket until the install, but I cannot wait to see it in my new kitchen and to show all of you. New color?… well a color that I have not seen in any home, and that is saying a lot, since I am in a lot of homes in the surrounding parishes.  Got a good deal and I think it is going to be BEAUTIFUL.   OK I will stop all of your eyes from rolling now, for those of you who are reading this.  

Since I had been looking at light fixtures for well,   FOREVER,  I knew what I wanted, the problem was finding them and staying within the budget.  Oh I have been forgetting to mention that word.  Making sure everything you want and need stays in that margin is not fun, but well worth the effort when you cross the finish line and can say.’” I came in on or UNDER budget.”  

OK… the lights.  After a two week ordeal of online looking, meeting with two different local vendors, and browsing three or four stores in town I finally finished thinking about and put it on paper. 

Most of the lights will be bought from image and image  I did order online from

…. image,     image, and image  I fell in love with the clear glass look, which are hard to find, and also the Edison bulb.  Once I saw something I liked, it was hard to find a replacement, so hence the difficulty of ordering from five locations.  Usually that is not the best case scenario to consider, due to the difficulty of making sure that you are not ordering more of what you need, or not enough, and having to return if needed.   I shopped “the LOOK” first and then prices, and am very happy that I made the effort to break from tradition and order with a “do it myself” style.

Here is a sneak peek of some of the items that I have chosen…………

image    image  image    favorite kitchen 

 

Now onto the paint…. Once you have your counter choice it is time to decide on wall and trim colors, as well as back splash, etc.  My sis has a great lady …. Jeanne, at Pro Source… that gave us great ideas and helped me decide on wall color, trim, backsplash and the all important glass tile for some BLING…….

THANKS JEANNE FOR YOUR HELP..  Here is a little video of what they offer…

image

PRO SOURCE

Throughout this process I did meet with two other marble companies and we have decided on installing cultured marble in the bathrooms.  Very nice looking and cost savings, good choice since I did a little splurge on the kitchen granite. 

You can get remnant granite for your smaller bathrooms that would not be too bad on the budget.  Most of us have one, (a budget) but if you don’t,or yours is larger than mine… I say go ahead and put whatever makes you happy in the bathrooms.

Color for the marble became am issue, and I was struggling with the paint color.  Jeanne at Pro Source gave me a suggestion so I decided to do it.  Here it is, and I am hoping that this might help me make up my mind…. soon.  The colors are hard to tell from the picture but they are {anew gray for the walls and ceiling, porpoise for the kitchen island, neutral ground or creamy for the trim} Choices from Sherwin Williams Paint

 135136IMG_2469IMG_2466

 

I love grays and am determined to have that color in my house, but am worried that it might clash with my floor color and existing furniture and décor.  Always trying to break from tradition can sometimes give you gray hair.

My bother-in-law….image Chris Dubois…better known as the decorating in law, who now lives in Washington state and works for a decorating company, has given me some advice on color…. “Grays and Golds are coming together so it is OK to put them in the house.”  He also helped out with the light fixtures and encouraged me to use old looking items along with some that are more formal.  So some of my choices are reflecting that advice.  Another pocket reveal will be something that we are having made for the dining room.  Thanks to Chris’s connections in Clinton.

Bricks were ordered a few weeks back from image image in Baton Rouge.  We chose Acadiana Q/S brick color.  That decision was pretty simple since we like the look of OLD BRICK, but cannot add it to the budget, this brick gave us the closest look overall.  We are very pleased with the color and are anxious to see the final product. If you are having trouble picking brick from the store, drive around some of the newer subdivisions and find one that you like.  Get the address or better the lot number and simply tell the brick company where the house is and they can usually tell you what kind of brick is on the house. 

Here are a few pics as the progress of that faze unfolded. 

IMG_2468IMG_2467IMG_2464IMG_2463IMG_2460

 

The bricks are just about finished and the vinyl should be next… we are waiting on Cabinets Sad smile

Hopefully they will be delivered on April 12th… but until then we are on HOLD! 

The cabinet maker will be worth the wait b/c he builds a great cabinet.  Another great referral from cotten custom homes.

 

Once trim and cabinets are in, the painter can come in and give us some color on the walls… Rainbow

Speaking of color.. that has been fun (NOT) I think I am overthinking the color situation…

Just take a look at another color layout that I stared at for two days.  IMG_2470

I think I have it narrowed down though, I really need to so I can move onto the next thing.. paying my taxes!Crying face

Until then…. I hope you are enjoying the updates.  I like being able to see it all in print, makes me feel like all of this is real.  Getting anxious but I know….. that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 …. and Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.) Until then… BE Blessed!  LIG because he is Alive.. Happy Easter!

528

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What a Difference a MONTH makes!

09 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Make your Home your Haven! in Our New Home Construction Journey!

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

building a home, house ideas, New Construction, new home ideas, new homes

After a long fall and NO rain we began January with a closing on the 6th and now, one Month later, we are seeing walls and real rooms take shape!

BUT…. first we have to have the cement delivered!  So on January 30, 2012 the first of 10 cement trucks arrived, and as fate would have it the only day, that week, that it did not rain!   YIPPEEE….

cement truckIMG_2334IMG_2333cement truck two

 

Delta Concrete out of Denham Springs did a great job that morning getting in and out of our driveway and also dealing with all the new construction on our road in front of our house.  It was a lot of fun to watch all the excitement and Alex called it “Cement Day”  Well here are the results, of what Delta and the crew with Alfredo completed. 

                                                                              

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Finished Cement
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IMG_2350     Since our plan is to have stained concrete floors, it was important that we had a smooth finish.  We were very pleased with the results… Cannot wait to see color on the floors in a few weeks.  Another decision yet to make! Thinking of going with Malay Tan with a bit of Black mixed in.  The good thing about stain colors, you only have a few to choose from, so that makes your decision a little easier.  Thank goodness!!! I seem to be having trouble making up my mind on a few things so I will need some input from my daughters and sisters, if I can get them to fit me in their busy schedules. 

Now that we have the cement, it can rain and well IT DID!  ALL WEEK, but on Monday the sun was out and Robert Jones and his crew showed up before dawn ready to frame the house.

    IMG_2352  IMG_2354  

and Holmes Building Materials showed up with our lumber right on time! holmes building

After day one we were very excited to see the lay out of each room and of course I began to place furniture right away.  Thinking I might need to buy a new sectional!  More decisions to add to the already long list.       Here are a few pics of what we have as of 2-8-2012…   

          

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Seeing Progress!
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Now that we have things rolling……  we have to decide the floor, brick and shingle colors along with making more phone calls to the subs, and getting them on schedule.

I think Cotton Custom Homes can help out with some of these choices…. Already getting tips from the pro!  Thanks Gerald and Carol!     cotten custom homes

  Lots of note taking and check list still to come!      

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Closed and Moving Forward!

23 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by Make your Home your Haven! in Our New Home Construction Journey!

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

building a home, denham springs building, New Construction, new home ideas, new homes

mccleary title office We closed on January 6th, 2012 at McCleary Title in Baton Rouge at 11616 Southfork Ave.…http://www.mcclearytitle.com  mc title logo  Thanks to Steve Landy and his team at McCleary we were able to move forward with the closing that had been delayed since November 2011.   There were outstanding issues with right-w-ways and title that had to be dealt with but once we had those issues resolved Steve closed on the house very quickly and without any more problems!  A big thank you goes out to Steve for guiding us and keeping everything on track.  Once closed RL Bennett surveyors confirmed out NO Work…. and off we go.  NOT to forget that our local branch hb_logo of Denham Springs is our go to source. Thanks to Craig Coleman our loan officer.  Thanks for hanging in there with us while we worked out our issues. 

NOW, on to the important things at hand.  What to do next??  Call the framer Robert Jones and meet with him to determine when we can form the slab, and of course we had to deal with the decision of post tension or not to post tension.  Solution… call back  Chris Hoyt, our dirt man and remove some of the mound and bring it back down a few inches. 

Now water permits, Port a Potties, follow up with Holmes Building Materials in Denham Springs and Chris Knippers.  holmes building referral from my brother-in-law Gerald Cotton    cotten custom homes       and have the form material delivered. 

OK!! we are ready to go…. Oh wait a minute the former has to go to MS. to finish a job but will be here for the weekend….

No problem we can finish up with concrete prices and checking out the new Boracare Termite treatment with Salvants Pest Control.    salvant

Now that we have the temporary electric pole taken care of with Rainbow Electric and Jonathan Williamson we are ready to begin the visual work of seeing the layout!

So as you can see Robert Jones and his crew were busy on January 21,2012…. ,exactly three months to the day that the mound was formed, here are the pic results along with the start of plumbing from our famous plumber… at…. Dubois Plumbing Company!  Thumbs updubois plumbing company

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Day of Form!
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Next up on the planning is slab survey, Lobell’s Engineering,  check ordered with, Hancock Bank, (Craig Coleman)  hb_logo    and decide on our doors and windows with Holmes Building Materials in Denham Springs.

 

photo

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Dubois Plumbing Co. Work!
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Next we will be getting the diggers out….Open-mouthed smile, and the slab poured!  RAIN RAIN GO AWAY COME AGAIN WHEN WE CAN BE INSIDE TO PLAY!

Cannot wait to be able to post more!  Of course decisions about shingles and brick color are next along with wall color, trim color, cabinet color, stained concrete color,  Whew.. time to take a break and go to pinterest for some therapy time! and OH sale some houses…. Hope you enjoy my ranting’s and seeing our progress!

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Our First Home Construction Journey!

19 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by Make your Home your Haven! in Our New Home Construction Journey!

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

building a home, New Construction, steps in building a home

I am writing this blog after a few friends and family members ask us to keep them updated on the progress of the building process, and since we have a BLOG anyway I thought what a great opportunity to connect with others who might enjoy and appreciate someone’s perspective and experiences throughout the journey.  Since this is of course mine and Randy’s first construction we are somewhat feeling our way through.  We do understand some of the steps since I am in Real Estate with Sisters Tak’n Care of Business

carol and janice new      and we own a plumbing company  24390_103608156348719_100000986064125_31999_2066849_n    where we do mostly new construction and commercial work, but we quickly found out there is a lot more to this adventure than meets the eye, so lucky for us my brother-in-law is also a contractor “Cotten’s Custom Homes”

cotten custom homes

and he graciously has allowed us to incorporate him on this project.  Having a knowledgeable, experienced contractor on board gives us peace of mind.  

 

As we began to consider, if this was our time to move forward, b/c we had only been thinking about this for ???? years

                                                                                                                                                    RANDY AND JANICE WEDDING 2-3-1979.

We decided to start and the process started with a call to the lender on October 5th, 2011…

We knew that interest rates were at an amazing ALL time low and we might not ever see this again in our lifetime.  So ….since the land was available (the kids had bought their house and moved) we felt the first test was getting the interest rate where we wanted, and if that went through, that would be our sign that the planning should begin.  I am a believer in Jeremiah 29:11….”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  and in all things.. good and bad… we give God the glory.  If this was the plan, that our Big Daddy had for us, all things would work out.  The banking process is TIME consuming and they want everything, including your first born.  Yes, seriously the paper work was daunting and there were days I was more confused than sane, on how to fill out and gather all the docs that were requested, but somehow after 500 emails, unaccounted phone conversations… we had managed to pile all the paper work together and get the approval where we felt at peace.  After our first test was cleared, and all indications were go, we began the hunt for the perfect plan….Ha HA.. as if that existed. 

So the hunt for the perfect house plan began…  IMG_1497  Here are a few of the ones we considered, not counting the plans that we looked at while visiting online and Architects. After hours of looking and hunting, and discussing, and thinking, and re-thinking, and meeting with Architects, and..OH yes keeping it under a certain sq. ft. we found the ONE… Plan # 09-169 Madden Home Design.. (picked up on October 11,2011)….and of course we still tweaked a few things, and added some sq. ft. on, but basically this is it.

IMG_1499 NO this is MILA who is rather interested in the new house.. all of the time…

This is the Plan…             

IMG_1498    IMG_1501

THREE BEDROOMS W/LARGE OFFICE.. FRONT VIEW AND REAR VIEW

OK, so we have the plan… now what?   First stop permit office to pick up the “Packet” for New Construction guidelines for permits.   IMG_1502

The process began with filling out multiple papers and then delivering a set of plans to the Parish Permit office, October 17,2011…and yet there were more forms to fill out once we arrived.  We were told the process of submitting the plans and approval could take three weeks, so now we wait… Well kind of. 

Our attention has since turned to getting bids on lumber, electricians, and formers, and framers, to start.  We will get to the rest ASAP…After numerous road trips dropping off plans from Ponchatoula to BR, we now wait on the bids to come in.  Oh and we are also waiting on the bank to finish their paper work for closing.  There is a lot of hurry-up and waiting going on during the process.

Now this brings us back to the place where we have decided to build…. That is another whole story blog, but basically after buying land in Livingston, off of Madison Ave and Red Oak, we changed our mind and decided that we just could not leave the land that we have lived on for the last TWENTY-SEVEN years.  The land on Madison and Red Oak is now for sale… HINT HINT, if anyone is interested!  Beautiful by the way, and the neighbors are to die for.  The best…. Gerald and Carol Cotten.. (:

Now that we had another 2.3 acres to add to our one acre we felt complete peace and JOY at the decision to stay HOME!  

Since we know guys love to play in the dirt, Randy wasted no time in getting our local dirt worker, HOYT’S TRUCKING AND DOZER SERVICE, out to begin the dirt work and pond digging on October 18,2011.. Here are a few updated pics of the process so far.

View Land Development

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We are loving what we see!! And yes the excitement has set in!   

As for now I am just starting to think about colors, lighting, counters, flooring, fixtures… OK I have been thinking about that for some time, but now that this has become a forever decision I am feeling the pressure.  So onto Pinterest I go, and that in itself has become an addiction. I need someone to narrow down the choices and give me three to choose from.  Here are a few of my likes…..  If you go to Pinterest you are going to see that I am all over the place on choices.  Help will be needed at some point.

View Just thinking out loud

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OK, that is all for today..back to my real job as a Realtor, Carol and I have two houses to list tomorrow and I have plenty to do!  Update coming when more choices are made, and more work is complete.  Hope you guys enjoy… I think I will use this as a stress reliever in visualizing just how far things have progressed. 

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