Residential Construction Price Guides

Residential construction price guides are available in most major libraries for the asking. Plan your remodeling projects and residential building projects with these guides in hand to get a grip on building costs. Keep your budget in check with these publications, which offer regional and city adjustments for your area.

Contain Building Costs

Contain building costs by pre-selecting each item and feature in your new home. Home building costs could easily soar if you depend on builder allowances. Construction costs can be held closer to budget if you take time at the start to know what you will put into your new home.

Deicing Facts

Nothing seems to generate mail like failed concrete surfaces. There are many myths out there about deicing salts and scaled or spalling concrete. People think that salts hurt concrete. Contractors hide behind this weak excuse when a driveway or sidewalk fails. The simple truth is that strong, properly placed and finished concrete can resist salts and freezing temperatures for many years.

Concrete and Cold Weather

Jello® and concrete - you both mix a solid with a liquid in order to get the final product, right? But while Jello® uses the coldness of the refrigerator to harden, concrete actually slows hardening in cold temperatures. This can be disastrous if you don't take the right precautions. Read about why this happens in the following column.