According to this article, modular homes are one of the fastest growing sectors of the residential community:

Homebuilders are learning that there is a very ‘green’ side to modular homes. Factory-built homes are more “green” than most site-built homes. Steven Winter, of Steven Winter Associates, is chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program which, rates homes for green certification on a number of criteria. Says Winter, “Because they’re built in a factory and much of the lumber is pre-cut, there is less scrap and waste; the cut-off pieces are often ground up and recycled; the central location of a factory means no wasted transportation to get workers to an isolated job site, so there’s a savings in fuel and energy. So, in a whole array of material savings attributes, time saving attributes, energy savings attributes, systems built homes go a long way toward achieving green objectives.”

The National Association of Home Builders credits modular homes as being one of the fastest-growing segments of the residential construction industry, growing by 48% from 1992 – 2002. In 2004, a reported 42,700 modular homes were built in the United States, and in the northeast, modulars account for 1 out of every 10 homes built.

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A worker’s comp policy can generally be purchased in one of two-and-a-half ways. First, the employer that has hired the employee can purchase the worker’s comp policy. In our case, if L&O purchased the insurance then the worker couldn’t sue L&O. However, that policy would not protect others. Therefore, if the person that was driving the forklift was employed by the general contractor, another subcontractor or even the property owner, then the employee would still be able to sue any of those entities.

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According to the Statesman, the smaller improvements are better:

Even a minor, mid-range kitchen remodeling project in the D.C. area would cost about $21,000, and a major “upscale” kitchen upgrade would cost $110,521, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2007 Cost vs. Value report. That report seeks to estimate the costs of common remodeling projects and how much of the investment will be recouped at resale.

“To sink those kinds of dollars into a property that you are planning on leaving is very risky,” said John Wuestman, a broker and an owner of suburban ReMax Advantage Realty. “Any thought of recapturing 100 percent of that isn’t true. … It’s more like 70 to 75 percent.”

Payoff for recent remodeling projects at resale varies depending on the project, Remodeling found. That mid-range kitchen upgrade, for instance, would add about $17,000 to the home’s resale price, recouping about 82 percent of its cost. The upscale version would add about $85,000 to the bottom line, for a 77 percent payoff on investment.

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The mood seemed to be in favor of maximizing what you already own in a market when home sales are soft nationwide, vendors noted. People were looking for ways to cut their utility bills and add new amenities, such as sunrooms.

“People are definitely investing in their homes and fixing up what they have,” said Kevin Gattung, special promotions manager for Peoria Siding and Window.

He said attendance has doubled at the shows he has attended in Illinois so far this year.

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The Washington Post has an excellent article that talks about the problems that appraisers face with these questions. It isn’t an exact science:

If there are foreclosures nearby, or home builders offering deep discounts, or desperate sellers setting their asking prices 10 percent lower than the most recent closed sale, your appraised value will be lower. One problem is that some neighborhoods haven’t had many sales over the past six months or so. When that happens, appraisers have to look for something similar in other neighborhoods. For example, Loizou said, if the neighborhood is near Metro, he might search for comparable homes that sold recently near a different Metro station.

If your appraisal comes in surprisingly low, verify that the comparables the appraiser used are truly comparable to your home. “If you have other comparables, we can have the appraiser look at it,” Eul said.

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In fact, some recent studies show that as many as 62 percent of Britons took on home improvement projects to boost saleability — including off-road parking, installing new gardens, and building apartments over garages. The Telegraph has more

For example, creating off-road parking will cost you as little as £650, but could earn you in excess of £10,000 if you choose to sell. Putting in a landscaped, family-friendly garden will cost £900 and can earn a savvy seller £6,000. However, before you reach for the hammer and spade, it is important to realise that not all renovations will pay for themselves. For example, according to RICS, installing a basement could cost you £50,000 but might only make you a measly £4,000 when you sell. While reinstating original chimneys and fireplaces might seem like a great way to bring back period features, it does not add any additional value, according to RICS.

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As one of the largest paving stone installation firms in Southern California, Pacific Pavingstone Inc of Sun Valley knows a thing or two about staying ahead of the competition. Competing companies rely on different marketing strategies in an effort to win customers, but one that Pacific Pavingstone strongly opposes is marking up a job in order to claim that they are offering a discount. It has become a common practice in numerous industries, not just the paving stone installation sector. In fact, it’s almost an accepted “fair business practice” to mark up a paving stone pool deck, patio or driveway bid to appear to give a large, but completely artificial discount. In Pacific Pavingstone’s eyes this is anything but fair. The company regards it as downright deceitful. If Pacific Pavingstone offers a discount, it really is a discount. Upholding honest business values is testament not only to the individuals who manage and work in the company, but to their product. In less than a decade, Pacific Pavingstone rose to the number three position in its market, with thousands of paving stone driveways, walkways, pool decks and patios installed.

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Salzmann said the fine provision has been included to emphasize the importance of getting the work completed on time.

“It is there to make sure that contractors know we need to have this done quickly, and once work is begun, we expect it to be done in a timely manner,” Salzmann said.

The 90-day completion date will be set once the contract is awarded, Salzmann said. Demolition proposals must be submitted by 2 p.m. March 12, when they will be opened at City Hall. Prospective contractors must also pay a $100 fee.

Sealed proposals are now being accepted by engineering consultant John Stinemire in his office at 15 Railroad Ave., Salzmann said.

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“Being a property owner for almost 40 years in the city of Newburgh, I know how much it costs to renovate a bathroom,” said Broadway resident Dick Peterson. “They have a guy in the mall who says that he will come in overnight and put a bathroom in. But $32,000 is probably more than many people in this room make in a year.”

Local 589 Firefighters Vice President Ed Diller, however, has a different opinion about the situation.

“For people to come up and say that there is something fishy about these quotes is outrageous. The building is over 100 years old; nothing gets replaced in a 100-year-old bathroom cheap. We have holes in walls where we have cardboard on to prevent bats from flying around in the bunkrooms where the firefighters sleep.”

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The American Chronicle has published four tips on these very topics. They range from asking the company for photos beforehand to get an idea of their work to considering the longterm stability of the project.

Tip 3: Consider the “resale” value of bathroom, kitchen, floor or patio projects. Long term use and mass-appeal outweigh trendy, in-the-moment design schemes. Will your kitchen update or bath remodel look move-in ready to future homebuyers? Will it look good to you in five years? Does it have classic appeal or are you putting a little too much of your own personality into it? Let your wilder side show in decorating accessories and paint that are easily changeable as your taste or circumstances change, not in more permanent design elements and furnishings. If you want your family initials in the center stone of your new patio, buy a generic stone at the same time so you can swap it out if you decide to sell the home.

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