Your next few months constructing your new home could prove to be a time consuming and daunting task. You must recognize that it is difficult, if not impossible to have everything go smoothly. When buying a home while it is under construction you must have some key notes available. First, the contract of purchase and sale must be clear and very detailed to outline your expectations. It must describe the specifics including the details of the labor and materials used to satisfy your buying agreement. These stand from of construction contracts are available and these forms of agreement are designed to provide an enforceable agreement between the seller (builder) and the buyer.

If your developer asks for a deposit (which he will) make sure that it will be deposited into a trust account. If the agreement should default, the deposit should always be returned back to yourself. If the developer wishes to hold your deposit as a stake holder, the return of your deposit may be more difficult. In addition to the standard contract of purchase and sale, you should include a specifications sheet and the plans for the house. Building contracts are long, complex documents. Both parties (builder/seller and buyer) should obtain legal advice prior to entering into a building contract.

Do the walk though! Insist that prior to possession date, both parties conduct a walk-through of the property prior to possession date. Make sure that all the work is completed and agreed upon. At this time, both the seller and the buyer should sign and date the list. Copies should be given to both parties, realtor’s and lawyers involved. The crown has developed a program in 1998 called the Home Owners Protection Office. Essentially it is designed to protect the quality of construction in a new home development. This office licenses residential builders and building envelope renovators, monitor’s the provisions of mandatory third-party home warranty insurance and researches/educates the residential construction industry and consumers.

If you are the owner of a leaky home, the HPO will administer no-interest repair loan programs and PST relief grants for owners. They’re set up to ensure that no one has to lose their home due to the cost of repairing a leaky home. The reconstruction loan program provides no interest loans to homeowners and housing co-op’s who are unable to pay for the cost of repairs.

Your warranty includes a minimum of two years on labor and materials. Five years on the building envelope which includes water penetration. And ten years on the structure. In order to minimize confusion about warranties, the HPO created this 2, 5, 10 year home warranty insurance logo. It’s now used in the marketing campaigns of your local realtors and builders in the Residential real estate market of British Columbia homes. This should take place when you first occupy the home. You could always find more information on this topic by visiting www.hop.bc.ca

Finally make sure that your realtor inserts a clause clearly stating that the occupancy certificate must be obtained on or before completion date. However, landscaping and other outside work can still be in the process of completion. Your occupancy permit merely allows you to move into your new home! We hope this article helped you think of some things that you might not normally know. Please do not rely on this article as a guide or legal advice as you should always consult your lawyer or local realtor for advice, they are the expert.

Thomas Berten
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/building-real-estate-new-home-construction-tips-53685.html

Interested in expanding your living space? If so, you may want to consider building a deck. When done correctly you can create a great transition between your home and your backyard. But you are not limited to just that because decks can be built anywhere in your yard if you please. However, regardless of where you place your deck it is important to build it with the proper planning and design. Below you will find some helpful tips to building a successful deck.

You should begin by choosing your deck type. You have a plethora of options when choosing a new deck. You may choose to have an outdoor patio deck attached to your home or perhaps a multi-level deck that is attached to the family room or kitchen. Common types of decks include above ground pool decks, composite decks, and roof decks. Furthermore, destination decks are another option. Destination decks are detached from your house and generally located in a special place with a view. Often time’s homeowners will have winding paths leading to their destination decks and have connector decks joining the pathways. For most yards, you are only limited to your imagination with the type of deck you build.

Before deciding on your deck design, it is important to consider how you will be using your deck. Will your deck be a place to grill and barbecue, tan and exercise, or a quiet place to sit and read a book? Will you be having lots of deck parties with lots of family and friends? Do you want to include a hot tub on your deck? Will you need privacy? If privacy is an issue then you will need to plan the proper landscaping around your deck. Regardless of how you plan to use your deck, it is essential that you take some time and think through what type of deck design will perform the way you need it to.

The size of your deck is the next important factor. Put careful thought into the size of your yard with relation to the size of your prospective deck. Also, consider how many people will be using your deck regularly. Furthermore, when deciding on the size of your deck, be sure to use two foot increments because lumber is cut to 8′, 10′, 12′, and 16′ lengths. You will save yourself money by making the lengths exact, not to mention the scrap materials that you won’t be bothered with. It’s a good idea to drive 4-foot stakes at the approximate corners, and then tie string between them at about the height of the railings to give you a visual idea.

As far as materials are concerned, you have several options. The most common material is a wood deck, but be prepared to put lots of time into maintaining your wood deck. If you do decide to go with natural wood for your deck, high-end lumber options with quality performance include cedar, redwood, ipe and mahogany. If wood isn’t the route you want to take, other materials include composite decks, aluminum decks, and concrete decks. Trex and TimberTech are common brand names for composite decking.

Lastly, you will need to decide on whether you will be designing and building your deck yourself or hiring a professional. Regardless of who is building it, it is very important to first check with local building code requirements, permits and inspections that may be needed. You will need to contact the local building department to find out whether you’ll be required to have a building permit, and what kind of plans you’ll have to submit. Keep in mind, not every township or county requires a permit. One major advantage to having qualified deck builder work on your project is that they understand the legal side of how to build a deck and can help ensure building code requirements are met.

Liz Wood
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/building-tips-for-your-deck-project-84598.html