The answer is “yes”, but you MUST know a few things first. First of all, the biggest mistake most homeowners make is to assume that they can build on top of an existing concrete patio foundation without doing some investigating first. Most concrete patio’s are only about 4″ thick (the same as regular sidewalk). And…
Even in our nation’s slow economy, smart homeowners know precisely where to invest their dollars for higher investment returns: remodeling or adding square footage to their homes. Today’s homeowner/ investor is likely to focus on the energy efficiency of their home, environment friendly building products and increasing the overall property value of their homes. Most…
Another popular trend in the United States housing market is converting an existing attic into livable space such as an extra bedroom or an office. It makes sense to use existing attics if the attic has enough height and space to be used as living space. Most attics were not originally intended to serve as…
If you are like a lot of clients in San Antonio that call me about converting an existing attic space into living space, then read on. The fact is that with the economy the way it is, it may be beneficial to convert your existing attic into livable square footage. There are a few key…
Adding a Heat control window film to the inside of your home windows will help keep rooms cooler. It is almost like tinting your vehicle windows, but for your house instead. The heat reducing window coating helps reflect the ultraviolet rays from the sun as well as radiant heat and as a result, can help…
Framing a home or building can be described as the skeleton of the structure that sits on top of the foundation. (see picture to the left) Wood or metal studs are used to make the the structure of the frame. All interior walls, exterior walls, ceiling rafters, door and window openings are all cut…
A building setback or building setback line on a survey, site plan or plat in regards to land development is the distance the building is setback from a street, alley, property line or road. Building setbacks are set up by land developers and local Planning and Zoning Offices and are different for every subdivision. If…
What is a joist? A joist, in construction, architecture and engineering, can be defined as one of the horizontal supporting members that run from wall to wall, wall to beam, or beam to beam to support a ceiling, roof structure, or sub-floor. An easy way identify them is to go up in your attic and…
