Did you know you can save a bunch of money on your new wine bar by using a freestanding wine chiller?  How about saving hundreds by building a glass countertop instead of using granite?  It's true.  We saved over a thousand dollars on our latest project and you can to.  Check out our latest article and videos to find out how...Wine Bar Installation, Part I and Wine Bar Installation, Part II.

Leaks can occur in your roof due to the formation of ice dams.  Basically, the snow over the attic portion of your roof heats up and melts, runs down the roof and then freezes at the cold eaves.  As the snow over the attic continues to melt, it runs into the ice dams at the eaves and builds up and starts to work it's way back up the roof.  Unfortunately, the roof isn't designed to handle water going up it...the shingles are layered to shed water coming down.  Check out this article on Ice Dams for prevention steps.

There's a quick repair that any homeowner can do to stop a squeaking floor.  It can be done with a few simple household tools and an hour of your time.  Stay tuned to our blog next week for a quick video showing how to bring silence to your home.

Softwood lumber prices were up 24.8% in January compared to last year.  This is the lumber used to build and remodel homes.  How will this affect your new dream home project?  The average new home uses an about $15k in lumber so your costs could increase close to $4,000. 

Why are prices going up?  Basically it's due to the increased demand from new housing starts (up 36.4% in January over last year) and because North American lumber production is at its lowest level since the 1980's.

How Long Does it Take to Build a Home?   Six months?  Twelve months?  A whole bunch of things affect the time it takes to build your new dream home.  In this article we discuss all of the items that can affect build time and give you the typical time to build the average home.

Want to Add Brick to Your Home?   Adding brick requires special design considerations including your foundation, roof, and framing.  And it costs $10-13 to install on a new home.  So you might want build your home to make it easy to add in the future...

The latest steps covered in our How to Build a Home Blog Series...

• Send Out Bid Packages:  These can save you big money on your new home.
• Review Bids:  Comparing bids involves so much more than price.  Here's how professional builders do it...
• Revisit Overall Budget:  Don't end up with a partially completed home and a depleted budget.  This step is essential to avoid this problem.
• Negotiating:  Want some tips for getting the absolute best price for your new home? 
• Sign Contracts:  This step in your new home building project will save you major hassles so do it right.
• Plot Plan:  What's a plot plan and how is it used when building a home?  We cover costs, major components, engineering...etc.
• Building Permit:  What do they cost?  What is required to get one?  Why do they call it "pulling a permit"?
• Construction Schedule:  This document will save you time and money when building your home. 

Do you have a home building or repair question?  Why not ask us?  We try to answer emails daily.  Shoot your questions over to info@armchairbuilder.com and give us a shot.  It's free...for now anyway.