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Michael K. Walker, a veteran remodeler in Sarasota, Fla., points out two danger signs along the horizon: permitting lag time and new wind-zone insurance requirements.
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For homeowners looking to remodel, zoning and architectural regulations can be an awful burden, delaying a project's start by weeks or even months until compliance issues are addressed and designs are approved by local officials. Working in Boston and Cambridge, Mass., where notorious bureaucracies...
In most cities and districts, the permitting process can be time-consuming, with contractors or their employees spending hours in municipal buildings awaiting confirmation. Hiring an expediter can be a cost-effective way to process a permit and free up staff for more skilled work.
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The National Association of Home Builders and the U.S. Green Building Council have locked horns over which of their respective green building standards should dominate residential construction. This confrontation, regardless of its outcome, presents another opportunity for pro dealers to...
Zoning laws made it necessary for the owners of this Canandaigua, N.Y., lake-front home to amend their plans for a proposed outdoor swimming pool and make it an indoor pool. To fit the pool on the site, local remodeler Cutri Construction had to locate it in the rear yard, and then connect it to the...
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Current remodeling orthodoxy says bids are a thing of the past. But for some, including Atlanta remodeler Wright Marshall, architect-based bid work is still an essential part of the business.
Shouldn't the building department bear some responsibility for keeping everything running smoothly?It's starting to happen. Trends both inside and outside the industry - along with the overall rate of technological advancement - suggest that permitting will become increasingly easier.
Most remodelers, however, are stuck - at least for the time being - in a world where permitting is an imperfect process. The good news, however, is that there are steps you can take to keep the permitting process as painless as possible.
Scott and Jennifer Ericson remodeled their home in Lake Oswego, Ore., two years ago, but the family's remodeling challenges originated in 1957, when their low-slung bungalow was built in the midst of a lakeside building boom. Back then, half a century ago, zoning laws at the lake were pale or...
Since the 1960s vinyl siding has been sold as an exterior that doesn't need painting. But the color was prone to fading and the material was susceptible to damage from weather or windblown debris.