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Articles > Expert Advice

Expert Advice

		Value Beyond Cost Per Square Foot Many people who look at a production builder's furnished model home ooh and aah about the floor plan - it feels so big and open. They fixate on the floor finishes: This Brazilian cherry looks almost edible. They gape at the beautiful kitchen countertops: My friends will be jealous; at the big rooms - this bathroom could fit 20 of my best friends; and at a host of other details. Read more...

		2008 House Plan Trends: What's Hot, What's Cooled How has the single-family house changed over the past 10 years, and what are the emerging trends? Read more...

		Building or Remodeling? The holidays are the perfect time to use your present home as a design tool for planning a new house. Read more...

		That Fabulous Kitchen: Is It Functional? Every homebuilder knows that a gorgeous kitchen will sell a house, but sometimes fabulous kitchens can be impossible to work in. Read more...

		Balancing Design Needs With Resale, Budget Concerns The designer is supposed to be the expert in houses, but you're going to live there. If the design runs counter to your perception of what you need, don't be too intimidated to speak up. Read more...

		Durability Is a Big Deal What's required to ensure that your new house will look as good when your mortgage is paid off as it did on the day you moved in? The answer is a focus on durability. Read more...

		Shining Light on Color Options in CFL Bulbs Every green-building expert says the easiest way to make your house more environmentally sensitive is to change all the light bulbs, replacing your incandescent ones with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Read more...

		Building Green with Common Sense Although these have been embraced by more and more home builders, there is still much confusion among the public as to what makes a house green. One way to keep things straight, Johnston said, is simply to remember to "use common sense to make sense. Read more...

		Saving the Planet: Sustainable Home Building In conversations about home building these days, I often hear the terms "sustainable approach" and "sustainability." What exactly do they mean? Read more...

		Stealing Space for Storage Most new houses do not have wall niches, nooks and crannies, generous stair landings or that proverbial "space under the stairs." New houses tend to have neatly squared off rooms. The only way to garner space to store the things you want close by is to steal it. Read more...

		Primer on Paint Picks: Price, Performance and Pigments A gallon of paint can cost as little as $15 or well over $100. What's the difference? The paint-can labels are not very informative. Many companies don't list their ingredients. Even when they do, you have to be a chemist to understand them. Read more...

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Source: COTNET

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