METAL ROOFING PRICES - COST EFFECTIVE?

Okay I found an article on Metal Roofing and Metal Roofing Prices, the article is written by Wade Tobins. It helps with both the positive and negative aspects of metal roofing. But at this point we don't have much choice, it's metal roofing for us, because of the affordability of metal roofing prices!

METAL ROOFING ARTICLE

In the past metal roofing was considered the luxury that could
not be availed by all the home owners. Only the ones could this
who could afford to hire a professional contractor to install
the roof. But nowadays more and more people are attracted
towards doing their home's roofing themselves. Metal roofing has
proved to be the ideal choice for the low pitched roofs. In the
low pitched roofs, metal sheets are sealed together and placed
on the roof. Of course there are some positive as well as
negative aspects of having the metal roofs but not if you chose
the better metal roofing solution for you according to your
needs and environmental conditions.

Metal Roofing Ideal for Low Pitched Roofs

Metal roofing is considered ideal for the low-pitched roofs because it comes
with many benefits like metal roofing can fairly cope with the
extreme weather, it has less weight and is exceptionally durable
and it is non-combustible. These things add more value to the
beauty and the good look of the metal roofing.

Metal roofing is also considered to be ideal for the low pitched
houses because it comes in a variety of metals like aluminum,
zinc, copper and stainless steel. The metal is selected
according to the environment and weather. These metals can be
colored to any shade according to the needs of the building and
desire of the owner. Also these metals can be repainted too.

Metal roofing is extremely durable and is corrosion resistant.
They are light weight therefore they do not inflict any damage
to the inner materials of the roof. Once installed, the metal roofing
does not need to be changed for more than 50
years and they are covered by warranties that long. Metal
roofing solution is cost effective as it does not need much
maintenance. Also this keeps you free of any worries about your
roof anymore. Metal roofs are also pest-resistant. Low pitched
roofs are mostly flat or they have lower slopes therefore they
should have the way for water to sweep down. This is also made
easy by the metal roofing as they are completely safe in all the
weathers like rain, snow, hail and heat.

Installation of the Low Pitched Metal Roof

Home owners should consult the professional contractors to get the metal
roof installed for their low-pitched roof to avoid any future
complications like drainage problems and other installation
issues which can rise if you attempt to install the roof on your
own.

About the author:
You can also find more info on
http://www.homeroofinghelp.com/Cost_Of_Metal_Roofing/"
Homeroofinghelp.com is a comprehensive
resource to known about metal roofing.


Well I found this article informative, especially about the life span of a metal roof! The author recommends that a roofing contractor be called in to fit the roof, which might be a good idea, but my husband and I fitted our own roof on a previous house and never had a problem... So if you feel up to a bit of DIY, you could save yourself a bundle of cash! We have also found some great kitchen lighting ideas which we will post later on when we redo our kitchen electrics.

Susan

METAL ROOFING PRICES

Hi Everyone,

Our plans are submitted, being the layout of the house. Now the finer details. Which roof do we use? Metal roofing prices seem to be the most reasonable. But then again which metal roofing prices? Their is plain old corrugated iron, the IBR and copper roofing material.

Now corrugated metal roofing prices seem to be the cheapest initially, but then I hear they rust and you'll end up having to replace them. Now the IBR Metal Roofing Prices are slightly higher initially, but they come ready coloured, so no cost of paint. They also age much better. As I've said before on this Blog... we're on a shoe string budget, but I do think the slightly higher IBR metal roofing prices are definitely worth it in the long run.

I'm now going to try and find an expert or an article or something to see what they have to say about various roofing options as so far I only have the word of various sales people. I'm looking for an unbiased person, who can give good advice about metal roofing, as this will help us decide whether its worth paying slightly higher metal roofing prices!

Let's see what we find this afternoon!
Susan

GREEN BUILDING

As we begin planning our new home, one of the avenues we've been exploring is Green Building. Now this means different things to different people. To us Green building means, taking as little from the environment as possible, using our own resources and doing no harm. A tall order!

We are considering a number of different above ground pools as well and the intex pool seems to be one of the better ones around. As we haven't yet decided on which pool to order we've decided to go with an inflatable pool this summer. There are quite a few things to keep in mind when considering which above ground swimming pools are best. Every year that I've had to look after a pool I've never known which swimming pool chemicals to use. I'm told that pool covers make a big difference and as our evergreen trees tend to shed their leaves throughout the year we've been looking at which swimming pool covers will best suite our pool.

But before we get into that let's get back to green building.

When we mention green building, you can do as little green building or as much green building as you like. We'll be exploring many avenues shortly, from solar power to water conservation, but in the meantime I've found an article by Gregg Hicks, which I thought might give you all an overview of Green Building. Have a look and see what you think...

Green building almost seems like a fad these days. With all of the emphasis on helping the environment, it seems like being as environmentally conscious as you can is the popular thing to do. But when it comes to green building, there are a lot of ways to change your current living or work environment into something more energy efficient. Here are three ways that you can add green building to your life as well as to your home.

Water conservation is the first step in green building. Because the heating and cooling of water is something that takes up a lot of energy, you need to find new ways to perform these tasks. There are a number of 'green' solutions for this problem. Some homes install systems that are solar powered in order to heat and cool water in this way. You can also choose to recycle your water through your home in order to limit the use of water each day. This kind of system will take the water from your daily showers, clean it, and then put it back into use in the home for washing dishes, for example. You can also create a system that catches water from the environment to help you get more water.

Green Building

Next in green building is to create energy efficient electricity. Though everyone would like to install solar panels on their home, it's not always cost effective for home owners. Solar panels are expensive and installing them to provide constant energy to your home is not always the best option when you don't live in a sunny environment. Talk with local solar energy providers to see if this is an option for you. If not, or if you're just not ready for solar power, you should look into changing your light bulbs to halogen bulbs and buy energy efficient appliances. These appliances will have energy efficiency stickers on them.

Another great way to add green building to your life is to consider the waste that you create each day. Instead of simply throwing out everything, you will want to create a recycling setup that collects recyclable items. You will also want to find a compost container that will allow your food waste and paper products to be turned into rich fertilizers.

This article was written by Gregg Hicks of http://www.reliableremodeler.com which provides Internet-based home improvement information and services. Offering homeowners a simple, quick, and free way to access, qualified home improvement remodeling contractors.

We'll be bringing you more green building techniques as our blog progresses!

Enjoy your green building....

Susan

Why Buy Stock House Plans Vs Custom?

Hi Everyone

We've reached the finally house plan stage with our new house we're building, and needed to make a decision, do we hire an architect and draw up Custom House Plans or do we go online and buy Stock House Plans. I've never done this before so my first stop was to find out the advantages and disadvantages of both Custom House Plans and Stock House Plans. I found this article by Kevin Carden. This helped me decide, I hope you find it useful!


Why Buy Stock House Plans Vs Custom?

When a person begins the process of building a new house, there are many different aspects that need to be addressed including: where to build, what size home to build, what features to include, what items are the most important to have in the home, what costs should be included in the budget, what are the design - build timeframes, who will build the home, and a host of other issues.

After these initial questions have been successfully answered, the next item that must be addressed is that of house plans. There are two basic types of house plans that can be purchased, custom or stock, with each having distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Custom Houseplans

Custom house plans are just as the name implies. The house plans are custom drawn to meet you family's specific needs. The plans are normally drawn by a licensed building designer or, in some cases, a licensed architect in a geographic location close to where the 1.) owners live, or 2.) home will be built. The process is, normally, much more involved and time-consuming since the owner's specific requests will need to be integrated into the overall design of the home. Many times these type "special" requests can present significant challenges to the designer of the home, which as a result, may take additional time to resolve.

Since the home is being custom designed, specifically to meet the needs of that one person/family, the costs associated with the development of the house plans tend to be significantly larger than those for a similar set of stock house plans. However, in some cases, the custom house plan may be the only viable option based on the client's needs, home location, special building considerations, etc.

Advantages:

- Homeowner can get exactly what they want in home design
- Special needs can be addressed in the design (i.e. extra large garage for boat, larger than normal master bath, handicapped access, etc.)

Disadvantages:

- Significantly more costly than stock houseplans
- Longer, more arduous process to develop
- Significantly more time consuming to produce (i.e. many meetings necessary with designer over several month period)

Stock House Plans are, by contrast, home designs which have been developed to fit the needs of a particular group of the general populace. They are not custom designed for a particular person, but rather, standardized for the needs of a larger group.

Stock homeplans normally include the "most requested" features including square footage, room dimensions, floorplan layout, amenities, and other like features. These house plans provide an excellent value when compared to the corresponding price of a set of fully custom house plans which may exceed several thousand dollars.

When you buy a stock house plan, you're not paying for the countless hours spent drawing up a plan, re-working the plan, and finalizing drafts. You're paying a reduced fee for a single re-use of that plan.

Advantages:

- Significantly less expensive
- Minor plan modifications can usually be made by the original designer or a local designer for a minimal charge.
- Very simple and quick purchase process
- Can submit the plans for a building permit the day after receiving

Disadvantages:

-Not as extensively customizable

In conclusion, I would recommend trying to find a stock house plan, first, at a reputable online house plan broker website such as House Plan Central.com. There are thousands of stock house plans available online, and House Plan Central.com offers a huge selection of unique house plans in many different architectural styles.

More likely than not, you'll be able to find what you're looking for by doing a simple search. With so many plans available to choose from, it's a safe bet that you won't see your house plan replicated in your area. And if you find a plan you like, but want to make a few modifications - no problem! Most of the plans available at House Plan Central.com can be modified to your specifications.

Determining whether your particular needs merit custom or stock house plans is, ultimately, a personal choice based on your particular situation. Both types will provide you with the information that you need to successfully build your dream home.

Kevin Carden is a publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources, the most famous being http://www.HousePlanCentral.com . House Plan Central has a large collection of home plans and unique house plans in different architectural styles, from the nation's top house designers.

If you're in the planning stage have fun and dream, dream about what you would love in your house, and make it happen!

After all that I bought a software program and designed my home myself, and then got it signed off and all the engineering stuff done by an architect, it turned out to be the cheapest option, and I got EXACTLY what I wanted.

Happy House Planning.

Susan