Hamilton Building Services

People are often drawn to craftsman style homes because of the quaintness and charm of a craftsman home. It seems like the more roof peaks, detailed trim, and contrasting colors there are to a home, the more of a cottage feel a home has. Unfortunately, these features are not usually cheap. In fact, the more of these detail added to your home, the higher your price point will be.    Lucky for you, we have some suggestions on how you can slash these costs if you're dead set on having a craftsman style home. First and foremost, the materials you decide to use will ultimately make or break your budget with this kind of home. To counteract high building costs, do your research. With all of the new and upcoming advances in the technology behind building materials, you should be able to save money if you choose carefully. For instance, fiber-cement siding is an excellent substitute that resembles real wood and stucco siding. It's also becoming more common to use authentic-...

Talking about the cost of quality typically makes people think about the pricetag associated with getting exactly what you want out of a new home build. There is, however, a whole other side to this train of thought: What is the cost of NOT building a quality product? What are the repercussions to taking shortcuts and paying less up front? Are they severe? Take into consideration a few key points drawn from a study performed by the Integrated Building and Construction Solutions organization: Cost of quality can account for 8% - 15% of total construction loss The cost of correcting deviations from a specification was 12% of a construction project's total cost The cost of rework in commercial construction is 12.4% of total contract cost, and it’s 4.1% in residential construction The cost of quality management is 1% - 5% of total construction cost

There are lots of ways to make your home look more expensive than it actually is without breaking open the piggy bank. This kind of thinking is especially helpful to those with children who may, over the years, have accidents around the house causing things to eventually be replaced. Image via www.lowes.com Laminate Wood Flooring - Hardwood flooring is gorgeous, but let's face it - between the kids and the dogs there's just no saving it. As an alternative to real hardwood floors, you can install laminate flooring that appears wood. Laminate wood floors not only look attractive, but they will also help you stay within your budget and last longer because they're meant to take everyday wear and tear. Laminate wood flooring can be as cheap as .25 cents per SQ FT at Lowes . Image via www.downhomeinspiration.com DIY Window Valance - Window valances are commonly used to cover up the ugly metal bars that hold up your curtains. At a low cost, you can mak...

Adding value to your existing home is always a good thing, especially if you're considering relocating and you may want to sell your house. Here are a few ways that you can add to your home's value on any budget!    Have your home inspected. If you're interested in selling your house in the near future you will definitely need to look into having a professional inspector visit your house to tell you if there are any internal issues in your home's structure. Discovering hidden problems that you may not be aware of is always best when you find it early. Paint your house colors that appear neutral and calming. Depending on how much you need to paint, this should be a relatively low cost. Look for a coupon or a sale on a neutral color paint so that you can make your home's interior more appealing to a wider array of people. Put in low-maintenance landscaping. Shrubs, simple stonework, a flowerbed or a tree can add to a home's value. When it comes to...

We all know how important it is to spend time with the kids, but sometimes family fun can get pricey. Here are 8 activities you can do with your kids that won't drain your wallet. Image via www.whattoexpect.com Go to the library - Most libraries have special times just for kids, but you can visit and read books together at no cost at your leisure. Take a hike - Look up a trail, path, or whatever you have nearby, and check it out. Spending time together in nature can be an excellent bonding tool between parents and their children.  Visit your local firehouse - Usually if you call ahead, you can set up a time with a fireman to take your kids in to see the trucks, hoses, and operations of a real firehouse.  Game night - Dig out those old board games, form teams, and relive your childhood memories of playing games like Monopoly and LIFE. Watch a baseball game - Check online or ask your kids any local baseball, softball, soccer, etc., games are going on. Games th...

Saving money can be a challenge; for some, more than others. We researched several different strategies to save money, and we think we've come up with a pretty full-proof way to save $1,378 in 1 52 weeks, or one year. The idea of the 52 Week Savings Challenge is to gradually save more each week. Under this strategy, you would save $1 the first week, $2 the second, $3 for week three, and so on. If this works for you, great. The issue with this method  is that most people who are tight on money have a hard time saving money towards the end of the year, so during the colder months when money is tight, you're supposed to be saving larger amounts of money.  As an alternative, make one big chart or list that is numbered 1 - 52. Each week, save the max amount that you can afford, and check off that amount. For example, week one you might save $40, and the next week when you have more expenses only save $4. The idea is to condition you to learn to save money each week. If ...