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Written by Barbara Kavovit
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Transforming existing raw space into an extra bedroom, a playroom, or a guest or master suite is an affordable way to make your house bigger. You can also winterize an unheated sunroom or porch to transform a two- or three-season room into a year-round retreat. You can transform a two-bedroom, two-bath house into a "new" three-bedroom, three-bathroom house just by making your unused space livable!
Be Your Own Project Manager
Finishing the existing raw space in your home for livability requires the help of specialists in several trades: plumbing, carpentry, electrical, and others, including flooring and possibly stoneworking for tile work. So while it's not a do-it-yourself job, you can manage the project yourself and become your own general contractor. That way, you'll save money and choose and work with the tradespeople whom you really like. Managing the project gives you tremendous control over personnel, quality control, and finishes.
You're the boss! Here are the basic steps you'll want to follow:
* Set aside some time
Expect to spend from 1 to several hours a day for several months dealing with some aspect of the renovation. Managing the transformation of any space in your home does not require you to be on-site every minute, but you do have to check in often, inspect the work as it progresses, pay bills, consult with the tradespeople who are on the site, coordinate with and schedule the tradespeople who need to come in, make sure the site is organized safely and in a way that protects workers (and therefore your liability), monitor rubbish removal, and troubleshoot.
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Written by freshome
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This unbelievable home was designed by Substance Architecture and is located in Iowa, USA. The project consisted in turning around the architecture of a home initially built in 1941. Everything was rearranged and reorganized in order to create a unified living space with a high level of functionality. The overall results are stunning in matters of both aesthetics and functionality: a construction that communicates with the outdoors through numerous small windows, some of them located within the roof, housing the latest modern design creations. The interiors are minimalist, with arrangements that are complementary in matters of color, making everything look tasteful and spotless. We particularly like the white rooms with inclined walls, which are the “playful” part of the residence. There are many fun details to discover while looking at the photos and we can’t hardly wait for your reactions.- via Arch Daily
by freshome |
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Written by ESTHER FUNG
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SHANGHAI—Average housing prices in China fell in June for the first time in 16 months, official data issued Monday show, marking a long-awaited turnaround in the nation's overheated property market.
The nationwide index of urban residential property prices, which covers 70 cities, was down 0.1% in June from May, the National Bureau of Statistics said, marking the first such month-on-month decline since February 2009.
The property price index for June was still 11.4% higher than the same time a year ago, an increase that slowed from the 12.4% rise in May.
Investors are watching these figures closely for an indication of whether China's government can rein in a hot property market without stalling the country's resurgent growth.
Real-estate analysts say they expect further declines in prices and sales in coming months. That, investors worry, may intensify an economic slowdown that began as the government began phasing out the massive spending program it mounted amid the global financial crisis.
Beijing's stimulus spending fueled the boom in real estate, which became one of the biggest supports for China's economic recovery in the past year. But cheer for the quick resurgence turned into fears earlier this year that the government could be inflating an asset bubble, and sparked discontent at rising housing prices among many Chinese.
In April, China's government made several moves to restrict housing-market speculation.
On Monday, China's housing ministry reaffirmed those moves, which included requiring higher down payments and mortgage rates for many home buyers, limiting purchases by nonresidents and accelerating construction of affordable housing. The ministry denied rumors that these measures might be canceled and said the policies are still being strictly implemented.
On Thursday, Beijing is due to release broader economic indicators for June and the second quarter, which are widely expected to show China's economic growth easing from the first quarter's rate of 11.9%. Market participants will be watching that data for clues of whether concerns about sagging growth in gross domestic product could lead Beijing to relax some of its real-estate-cooling measures.
"We don't see a change in official policy yet, but we're expecting banks to start making more mortgage loans by the end of the year. The GDP number will be a telling sign of whether it could happen sooner," said Michael Klibaner, head of research at Jones Lang LaSalle in China.
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