19Jan Interior Designer by Lee Seward Home Remodeling, add second story addition, building a house, buying a new home, Construction, construction companies, construction contractor, construction contractors, Contractors, Custom Homes, fix and flip, flipping florida, flipping homes, florida homes for sale, for sale by owner, general contractor services, Home For Sale, home mortgage, houses for sale, Housing Market, improve sales in real estate, investing in real estate, licensed contractors, local building contractor, local construction company, market trends in real estate, new home construction, new home florida, new homes for sale florida, Paint, real estate market, Rebuilding Homes, Remodeling, Renovation, Repairing Home, small construction companies, Uncategorized Is the Contractor holding you back? Details in your Design Expensive? The Contractor is an Extension of your Creativity We see and hear it all of the time, “I wanted to do this but the costs were to much so we removed it.” Simple is easy and boring Symmetry Regardless what you imagine, don’t let yourself be restricted by simple. Not Complicated If you have experience and an open mind the work really isn’t complicated and there are ways to make it fit the budget. You Control The Designer is in control of the style and the contractor finds a way to make it happen. Be You Let Iridium Help Private Commissioned Residences For the Discerning Designer 561-597-0021
31Dec Reoccurring Flood Damage by Lee Seward Flood damage, building a house, Construction, construction companies, construction contractor, construction contractors, Contractors, Custom Homes, general contractor services, Home Equity, Home Remodeling, Housing Market, licensed contractors, local building contractor, local construction company, new home construction, Paint, Rebuilding Homes, Remodeling, Renovation, Repairing Home, small construction companies, Uncategorized Home DIY Flood Prevention 101 Here are some tips to keep water where it should be Did you know that “INSANITY” is defined by doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? Replace drywall, install new cabinets, moldings, flooring, furniture…wait for it….BOOM! the next storm surge (not hurricane) your home is damaged again. Be angry at those property owners who drove past your home and created a wave that gets your house wet. How dare they leave the house they own to get away or go the house they own to check damage. You have every right to be upset, you just replaced all of the damage created from the last flood and now your home is damaged again. If your house flooded from a storm surge and you only replaced everything, you could be INSANE. You need different solutions to stop future water damage.Where was water infiltration entry? How high was the surge and water level outside and flood water inside? What height (off the floor) are the entrance doors to the house? Take this information and create a plan. Most likely the height of the water level caused the damage. Raise all of your door entrances up as high as possible. Replace the space above your doors to installing that space below your doors. Add a landing outside to enter, and one inside if needed. Waterproof the lower elevation of your home, the entire perimeter. There are many waterproof membranes that can be applied as paint and will stop any water from entering. Besides being easy to apply, you can also paint over so it is not visible. Build the grade around your house up, add planting beds to buffer water and make sure you waterproof continuously behind and higher than the beds prior to creating the beds. Your garage, raise everything off the floor, be sure to waterproof the all of the walls 24″ up and to the concrete slab. Remove HVAC units, water heaters anything in the way and replace after applications are applied generously. Cover the entire concrete slab, be sure to raise the entrance door from the house to the garage to the max and add landing as needed. Raise your exterior doors to create a buffer below. This work may be involved but if you do it once correctly you won’t have to do it again unless something huge came through. If your home has 8ft ceilings and you door sits on the floor of your home, you have these options:Option 1 remove the lintel and replace with a laminated wood beam that is short in height and fat. Use the difference in height to raise the door with cement infill and waterproofing. A typical door is supporting 1 or 2 trusses so a 4″-5″ tall laminate beam is suffice. Option 2 remove the lintel and open the ceiling up inside, install a flush header above the block walls and joist hanger the trusses into the beam for support. put your door to the ceiling line and add the space below with cement and waterproof to bottom of footing. Option 3 open the ceiling, remove 2-4 trusses entirely, create a reverse gable roof and infill with framing. Raise your door 2ft and create an entrance outside and inside. Be certain to waterproof your exter to the bottom of your footing or at the least to the top of your footing well below your concrete floor elevation. What is the cost? What is the amount of work involved? Slightly more than the work to replace what is damaged. So if you do this work while you are repairing your home the cost is nominal and you would not feel it. You would stop the stress worrying about flooding again, you would also increase your homes value. When you have a claim on your home it is noted and recorded. Your premiums and future owners premiums will be higher and it will be an issue later. Recap, doing the same thing and expecting different results is Insane. Give us a call we provide free estimates and we can help you. 561-597-0021
18Nov Remodeling by Lee Seward Home Remodeling, add second story addition, boost real estate earnings, building a house, buying a new home, Construction, construction companies, construction contractor, construction contractors, Contractors, Custom Homes, florida homes for sale, general contractor services, Home Equity, Home For Sale, home mortgage, houses for sale, Housing Market, HVAC Design Critique, investing in real estate, licensed contractors, local building contractor, local construction company, market trends in real estate, mortgage rates, new home construction, new home florida, new homes for sale florida, Paint, Property For Sale, Real Estate, Rebuilding Homes, Remodeling, Renovation, Repairing Home, small construction companies, Subcontractors Considering Renovating Spring 2024? Most people start considering remodeling projects and renovations in the spring. Here are somethings to consider:Create an overall plan Build your teamObtain pricing from your GC Leave enough time Create your overall plan and if needed do the work in stages. By staging the work you can do things that fit in your budget now or within your time frame between vacations or school etc. Build your team, You may think you need a designer or architect first. You really should put everyone in place early before you start designing. I have seen to often when I deliver a price to a client and they are shocked by the number. They tell me it is impossible the cost should be that much, when actually the cost is really the same cost I would pay for my home. What usually happens is a client will negotiate the Architect to charge $X percent over the cost of the project. The client provides a target construction budget and the drawings are suppose to reflect that. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. Client’s many times cause increased budget costs. It is easy to love something drawn on paper, not so much when it blows up the targeted budget. On my end I would rather be involved early and give input to numbers while the design develops. If I understand what my client wants to spend I can help with value engineering while the plans are developed. How do you hire a GC early and protect yourself? Interview and screen your GC candidates. You want transparency and trust, knowledge, willingness to work and proactive. You can lock in your GC based on a percentage fee over cost. You can also hire a GC for pre-construction work and send the final plans out for bid to make a final decision. We usually wrap our pre-construction into the project rather than bang up the client for a few hours of time. Time, drawings and design can take 3 months easy. Between selection and review and revision that is a generous time frame. Then permits can take another 2-3 months depending on the work and sometimes longer. Add the time to make GC selections and such and y0u could lose 8 months in preplanning and prep time. Goodbye spring! Remodeling Build your team and select a General Contractor who is knowledgeable and can provide you preliminary numbers.Inside tip: The process of hiring a GC or Architect, Designer etc. is the same process and challenge we face when hiring subcontractors. We look for proactive attitudes, details written on paper, fair pricing, professionalism, and really try hard to weed out the BS. Construction Budget Details matter, when your G.C. provides your estimate there should be line items with details. You should be able to see what is going into your project and the cost for each item. If you receive one line item with one cost for the entire project…stay away! Some GC will submit very few line items and one price. They may tell you this and that is included, but if you choose someone who cannot put the details on paper you put yourself in a bad place. We stay away from subcontractors who try to do this with us. The gray area is where all the trouble sits. Full details reduce anxiety, surprises, opens up communication, and if everyone is on the same page then you eliminate problems. New Homes Everything should be transparent when dealing with finances. This image is a budget for one of our projects based on renderings we received from the Architect. We have also contributed costs allocations prior to receiving money from this client. Our clients are able to login and view the finances and details associated with the projects we are completing for them 24-7. When you are seriously considering a new home or remodeling project you should put thought into the entire design. Know the cost as you design so you do not over design or over build for your neighborhood.Stage the work based on financial decisions and how you have to live during the work. It may be better to move out short term or work on one floor (or area) at a time. Make certain you know what is included by the estimate and not what someone is speaking to you. Have everything listed with a value, this makes changes later much easier. Tile to plumbing fixtures, cabinet design and drawer count, hardware to ceiling light counts. Details, details, and more details. Give yourself time to plan and then execute the work, we spend more time planning the work then executing the work. Who wants to live in a construction zone longer than needed? Plan ahead of time as this saves you the most money and grief. Transparency, if your contractor is not transparent then stay away and part ways. To often clients listen to the sale of the project and jump into contracts that have no real explanation or detail of what the work includes. Some contracts have pages of what is not included and how the contractor is not liable for anything. That is a sign to stay away and pump the brakes. You can easily end up paying a deposit or your first invoice that reflects 50-70% completion of the contract work and only have 5% actually finished on site. 5-10% deposits are standard anymore than that beware. Progress payments are for progress. If there has been no work on your property then you should pay nothing. Be Careful to pay only for what you have received or what has been completed on your home. Do not over pay your contractor and only pay for what was completed. Typical Itemized Estimate Renovation Set yourself up to enjoy the process and succeed. New homes, remodeling, and renovating can and should be fun. Work with people who know what they are doing and remove the stress and drama from your project. If you are considering remodeling or renovating or even building a new home please contact us as we would enjoy working with you. 561-597-0021 or info@iridiumdev.io
10Nov Collaboration by Lee Seward real estate commission, become a realtor, boost real estate earnings, Construction, Contractors, Custom Homes, Flood damage, Home Equity, Home For Sale, Home Remodeling, houses for sale, Housing Market, improve sales in real estate, Paint, Property For Sale, Real Estate, real estate agent, real estate license, real estate market, Rebuilding Homes, Remodeling, Renovation, Repairing Home, Subcontractors Florida Realtor Referrals Custom Homes We are currently in search of esteemed real estate agents to collaborate with. Our objective is to establish a long-lasting partnership with you, by providing excellent contracting services for your clients, thereby elevating your reputation to an envious level. With over four decades of experience in construction, constructing homes and apartment complexes for distinguished personalities, we are a valuable asset to your team and we do not operate out of the back of a truck. It is said that the friends you keep are a reflection of yourself. That is why we pride ourselves on being the perfect choice for referrals. We are more than capable, professional, and honest. We also offer remodeling loans which cover the cost of home improvements. This can prove advantageous when a client wishes to sell their property at a better value. Furthermore, we realize the importance of determining what is valuable real estate and worth renovating. We provide our professional opinion regarding prudent investments and offer options, irrespective of whether we lose a project. Helping people make sound decisions is more important than adding another project to our year. Custom Home Built for Tommy Hilfiger Custom Home Built for Judge Judy Remodeling-New Homes-Renovations Our firm, unlike our counterparts, distinguishes itself in multiple ways. We take the utmost pride in our professionalism, politeness, intelligence, expertise, transparency, and fair prices. These values are discernible in every interaction we have with our clients. We comprehend the significance of knowledge and utilize it to provide efficient, time-effective resolutions that save our clients money.Our quotations are credible, transparent and are bound by ethical standards. We maintain our commitment to our clients without any hidden charges or deceitful practices. We present thorough and specific breakdown of every item that makes up the project scope, along with corresponding costs that are shared with you and your client, and finally, our fee is added to the end, leaving no room for ambiguity. Our business model is rooted in honesty, integrity, and impartiality, and we will continue to demonstrate this attitude in upholding our clients’ interests. Our Referral Fee We offer a referral fee to our network of agents, because we believe in economy of scale we reduce our fee and offer a portion to our realtors keeping our price competitive to the clients. We offer the fees based on the size and scope of the project but our network agents are always generously rewarded. If you have a client who is seeking a remodeling or renovation job or even considering updating a home to sell, please give us a call we look forward to working together. 561-597-0021
13Sep How to Perfect a High Gloss Ceiling by Lee Seward Paint Modern Masters High Gloss Paint You do not need to have a +$25M residence to have high gloss ceilings. In this article I am going to tell you how we perfected the application of Modern masters Metallic High Gloss paint. These pictures do not do this paint justice. Just like a metallic paint on a car, Modern Masters has metallic paint for your home. The color and sheen changes with the lighting and it looks amazing. Let’s jump into cost, is this expensive? Really as any paint, the cost is not from the material as it is the labor. A few cans of paint will not break the bank. If you have never applied this type of paint the labor cost to do the right job is timely. Gloss shows everything just like a car finish. Slight imperfections are magnified, and in this application it doesn’t show until you apply the last layer. In fact when you apply the metallic paint and view it, you really do not get the full visual and it is definitely not gratifying. The gloss clear coat changes that mood and will make you proud or break you down to crying. How to avoid crying? I am going to share my trick that changed everything for me with this paint application. First you need to buy the roller for this paint and you need to roll the paint on properly or you can also spray it on, we had great luck with both. Prep, this paint is all in the prep, walls, millwork, or ceiling makes no difference, prep, prep, prep. Every little imperfection is magnified after the gloss coat dries. What are examples of imperfections? Taping compound and drywall texture, if you do not skim coat the entire area you will see every location of compound and it will look horrible. I am not going to cover obvious dimples and such as any paint shows this, I am talking about the level of the application of compound. You will see minute lines fro trowels that are really hard to see in natural or artificial light. You will see where compound is heavy or lightly applied basically you see everything. To apply Modern Masters, you have a primer application, you then check the area with natural light and also artificial light. Touch up the areas needed and then prime again. When you are totally good with the prep you apply the base color. This stage you are 2-4 coats in depending on the prep and you must view in artificial and natural light as it changes perspective. When you are happy with this stage of work you then apply the modern masters with the metal flakes. Once this has dried entirely you then apply your high gloss and we usually applied two coats. This is when you take everything down, you have the lighting trims installed and window covering off. Now you’re moment is here, happy or sad? Quicker Method There is a faster way to get to the first application. Apply your primer and take care of touch up. Spot prime and apply a high gloss paint that is the same color of the base coat. This allows you to see the gloss finish prior to the last layer. It is very helpful and do not expect to nail your prep the first round. Your eye has to be trained for the slightest defect because when you apply the full process it will show everything. We also used swedish putty that we purchased from McDermott Pain in Greenwich Ct. They will ship it anywhere. This takes care of minute lines or scratch marks from sand paper and is easy to apply. It is also great for millwork to hide nails, and joint lines. After all of the labor the finish is amazing and if you have a lot of natural light the look is really nice. Colors change with lighting and furniture along with reflections of light from other rooms. Good luck and any questions feel free to contact us: info@iridiumdev.io