Using the square footage in your basement can be the cheapest useable square footage in your house. OK, what does that mean to you? Simple, if you want to save money, and I mean a lot, use the basement square footage as part of your home… not just what holds it up. Think about how much it costs to build your basement, with its only functions being to hold up the rest of the house… and to store your furnace, hot water tank, and all the things you can’t get rid of. Also, think about how large it is. If you are designing a ranch, it is as big as the rest of your house. In other words, you are living (upstairs) on top of another whole house (basement)… but not taking full advantage of what it has to offer you. Why?
I’ll tell you why. It doesn’t feel as comfortable as the rest of the house. Your basement is usually cold, dark, damp and smelly. The only people who live down there are spiders, the kids when they play, or the teenagers when they want to rebel and don’t want to live with the rest of the family. They think that makes independent now, or at least they are until it’s time to eat and get the laundry done.
It doesn’t need to be this way. By using energy-efficient systems like ICF’s, PWF’s, concrete stud basements, light gauge steel framing and more, you can build a basement that feels as good, if not better, than the floors above it… and, save you money as well. If you are building a foundation (basement) anyway, why not build it energy-efficient and eliminate part or all of your second floor? The added cost to improve the basement is far less than the savings of an entire floor. I’ve designed houses where this thought process has cut the overall cost per square foot by as much as 50%. That’s not a typo.
One of my favorite examples involved a single woman that was going to be the project manager on her own home. The design was a 1400 sq ft 2 bedroom ranch on a lake that had a partial walkout basement using PWF construction. In this case, what I mean by that is the grade really didn’t slope enough for a true walkout, but since she was only building one floor, I was able to elevate that 1st floor enough to get her about 8 ft to grade… thus a full walkout. On the street side, you just slope the grade up to the porch and you’re all set. Now, her cost (this was back around 1995) to build the entire house was around $115/sq ft. This included everything except finishing the basement. If this is where she stopped, she would have had a 1400 sq ft 2 bedroom, 2 bath house with an unfinished walkout basement.
Now, here’s where the fun begins. She finished part of her basement, or about 1000 sq ft (the rest was for the furnace, etc…), which gave her 2400 sq ft of useable/livable space. When you add the cost to finish the basement to the cost of the upstairs, the cost per sq ft dropped all the way to $70/sq ft. This is the best way I know to make a home more cost-effective to build… and when you build your home with energy efficiency in mind, you win on all fronts.
So, what to do with the money saved? Well, you can upgrade other areas of the house… like the kitchen or master bath, or add a fireplace or hardwood floors. You could always just not spend it or invest it too. The choices are your’s, but you now will have choices that you wouldn’t have had before. You see, energy efficiency can be very cost-effective, with the right design decisions.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Villeneuve
Technorati Tags: Bloomington Real Estate Agents, Bloomington Real Estate Market, building a new home, cheapest square footage
Although owning a house is one of the American dreams, many have regretted making such a purchase. This is because of the things they did and did not do during the purchasing process. If you do not want to end up regretting your decision to buy a house, then make sure that you consider the following common mistakes when purchasing a house:
Purchasing a house beyond their budget:
Many think that a few hundred off their budget will not hurt. However, they do. Bear in mind that the amount you are looking at is only the actual price of the property. You will need to settle other fees and charges before you can close the deal. Moreover, this will contribute to your monthly mortgage in the future. Additionally, you will incur more expenses in the incoming months due to home ownership.
Failing to anticipate the cost of owning a house:
As mentioned earlier, many buyers would just consider the actual price of the property. Many would fail to include in their budget the down payment for the property. Just because some lenders would allow that you do not make any down payment, does not mean that you should not. If you do not make any down payments, your monthly mortgage will be higher. You will also pay higher interest rates. Aside from the down payment, you should also include in your budget the monthly fees for repairs and maintenance and other monthly expenses related to owning a house.
Not doing enough research:
When purchasing a house, you need to do a lot of research. There are so many things you need to research about when you purchase a home. Among them is the location of the property. You should research about the neighborhood and the current crime rate of the community. In addition to location, you also need to research about the market value of the property and see to it that it is not overpriced. You can use the information you have gathered to make an acceptable offer.
Purchasing a property in a bad location:
As mentioned above, you need to research about the location. Some homeowners would not pay much attention to location, as they are very particular with the design and the price of the property. Remember that you will live in this house everyday and if it away from public transportation, you will have difficulty traveling daily. See to it that the location you pick is safe and suitable for your lifestyle.
Skipping the home inspection:
Many skip this especially if the property is cheap. However, if you do not inspect the house, you will not be able to assess the work that needs to be done. You will not know if the property is properly priced as well.
Skipping the final walk through:
It is also a bad idea to skip the final walk through, as this will be your last chance to check the house and to make sure that the seller kept his part of the bargain.
Not having a real estate agent:
If you are well versed with purchasing the property, then you can purchase your ideal home without professional help. But if this is your first time to buy a house, hire a competent agent to help you.
You should enjoy your home purchase rather than regret it. To avoid any problems, make sure that you do not commit the above blunders.
Consider the Tempe Real Estate and the Tempe Condos in your next purchase.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roby_Hicks
Technorati Tags: Bloomington real estate, Bloomington Real Estate Agents, buying a home, mistakes homebuyers make
Using the square footage in your basement can be the cheapest useable square footage in your house. OK, what does that mean to you? Simple, if you want to save money, and I mean a lot, use the basement square footage as part of your home… not just what holds it up. Think about how much it costs to build your basement, with its only functions being to hold up the rest of the house… and to store your furnace, hot water tank, and all the things you can’t get rid of. Also, think about how large it is. If you are designing a ranch, it is as big as the rest of your house. In other words, you are living (upstairs) on top of another whole house (basement)… but not taking full advantage of what it has to offer you. Why?
