Virtually any addition or remodel requires a Building Permit from your Town. Owners are under a false impression that they can escape a local tax increase based upon the improvements. This may be true until the next reevaluation. Towns are required to reevaluate all properties every ten years with a statistical review every five years. [...]

It all begins at home. There we’re surrounded by an awesome but practical life shaping power. This simple everyday power can work for or against your life. Used poorly, it can weigh you down in oh so many ways. On the other hand, it can also add workability and achievement to your life. Nobody tells [...]

Where can you shut off your water or electricity to your whole house? If you don’t know, you should. It will likely be in a time of emergency that you should not have to think, but only react.

Let’s start with the water system. You walk in the door and there is water coming from the [...]

Whether you live in a new or old house, you may be experiencing a squeak when you step on a certain area of floor. What the heck causes that you ask? More importantly, how can I fix it?

The cause of the squeak is almost always two pieces of wood rubbing together. In antique homes, flooring [...]

If you are looking to purchase a new home and are sure you want an antique structure, I’m not going to talk you out of it. I will however, make you aware of some baggage that comes with the new territory. Very old homes have history that just oozes out of the walls and probably [...]

What is your New Years Resolution??  Sure you can lose weight, get in shape, launch a business or find a new job. But haven’t you also procrastinated long enough about buying a home?
How long has it been since you upgraded your home with a new roof, spiffed up landscaping or pulled some other home improvement?
And [...]

Almost every construction contract including both new construction and remodeling, will include allowances for particular items to be purchased and installed. Why are these necessary, and how will you judge if they are sufficient without going over budget? Let’s get into the details.

With some assistance from you contractor, you can specify what type of windows [...]

If you are considering a move……….now is the time folks.  Our government is giving away cash!!  Here’s a great article explaining the deal!
Move up, move down, move sideways; it just doesn’t matter. Whichever direction you move, financially, you may still qualify for the new tax credit available to current homeowners. It is unfortunate that the [...]

We are very excited to be a part of the ShorelineOutAndAbout experience and delighted to provide articles from various sources that give our readers “News you can Use”…….We hope to provide valuable information to Buyers and Sellers alike and would welcome your inquires. Here is a great article for Home Sellers and provides a [...]

Joe plumber has overbooked himself for tomorrow and then gets an emergency call on top of all of that. Clearly, at least one client is getting blow off. Guess who? Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Most licensed trades subcontractors have a mixed work load between Contractors and Home Owners. The Contractors feed them [...]

As many of us age, the desire is to retire and stay in our own homes as long as humanly possible. The reality of day to day living change slowly from daily tasks that we don’t even think about to ones that get progressively more difficult. As we get more unsteady on our feet, the [...]

 
 
The Shoreline Out and About Division of Festivities (Formally the Friday Night Happy Hour Group) would like to extend its warmest greetings to all of our loyal readers on this very first day of 2010 ! Last year left many of us with limited or no work, and took the lives of too many when [...]

Finished floorings choices generally fall into three types. Carpet, tile or stone, and wood are common choices. There are many types of each. Let’s talk about each one of these and where they could or should be used.

First is carpet and is sold by the “Yard”. This is a three foot by three foot [...]

The potentially least expensive “additions” of useable square footage is to finish a portion of your basement. A few walls, sheetrock, paint, drop ceiling, carpet, a couch, and a really big flat screen; and voila! New living space! Shoo the kids down there or escape yourself, whatever works for you. OK. Remove the rose colored [...]

Many of you know me as a Building Contractor (and hopefully all around good guy). Some may not know that I was previously a Police Officer and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). I will combine all of my life’s experiences to convince you that every home should be protected by a centrally monitored burglary/ fire alarm. [...]