A lawn sprinkler system is one area around the house that many homeowners think they can easily adjust and repair when things go awry. What is it to fix? A broken sprinkler head, busted pipe, or malfunctioning timer appear easy to fix because the homeowner has seen irrigation technicians repair broken parts in just moments. This is the know-how trap that gets many homeowners in trouble because they fail to realize that repetitive work in these areas makes these technicians experts at what they do.
Four years ago, when the Lake County School System and the Villages Charter High School started making plans to start construction academies, students who wanted to pursue not college-bound programs in construction had no place to go. After a decade of malaise in the construction industry due to the economic collapse of 2008, an inflection of construction growth collided with an industry in which the base labor had shrunk dramatically because of age and the economy. Simply put there were not enough people for the construction demand.
For the last several years, off-the-grid and green housing has been politicized by the political parties as some type of litmus value test pitting generations against each other. This is a shame as much of the world is turning toward green and renewable building and energy to secure economic futures and break the shackles of Mideast oil. Like it or not, America is moving to green energy and renewables because it makes sense, and as the technology evolves the affordability makes these new technologies enticing. There is an abundance of wind, solar, and hydro renewable energy sources in America, and all that is needed is enhanced technology to harness it.
There are just some homeowners who do not want to follow the rules when it comes to construction projects, however, hiring a licensed contractor who permits the job is the basic rule of any construction project. The construction lien laws implemented by the State of Florida were done to protect the consumer, not the contractor. Yet, there is a belief by many homeowners that construction and lien laws were only adopted to charge fees and slow down projects. The most important aspect to understand about these laws is that if you don’t follow them, you and your project are financially at risk, and you will have little recourse if the contractor fails to perform.
The huge runup in lumber pricing in the spring has gotten the attention of homeowners, builders, and subcontractors, and most equate these cost increases as the main cost of housing. While it is important, lumber pricing is not the main driver of home prices. Don’t be fooled by assuming that new home prices are coming down anytime soon.