Things To Do In SW Florida

Bathroom Remodeling Planning and Ideas for 2018; a detailed Guide to get it right the first time.

Bathroom Remodeling Planning and Ideas for 2018 will walk you thru questions like where to begin, what to buy, how much it will cost or how long will a bathroom remodeling project take? By writing in segments; one week we will discuss cabinets, and the next week tile and so on; you will get “bite” size chunks of information that you can then use to make informed decisions about your project. We will cover such topics as:

1. Cabinets
2. Tile
3. Countertops
4. Fixtures
5. Faucets and tub/shower valves
6. Waterproofing
7. Things hidden behind the drywall: exhaust fans, insulation, electrical wiring & plumbing to name a few.
8. Lighting
9. Medicine cabinets and vanity mirrors.
10.  Glass surrounds & shower doors
11.  Towel bars and grab bars
12.  Doors and trim work
13.  Painting

And after we have covered all of the material items it will be time to talk about how we go about getting all those things into your new bathroom. With such topics as:

1. To permit or not to permit
2. Contractors or doing it yourself
3. How long will I be without my bathroom
4. How much will this cost
5. Punch list and job close out – what to expect
6. Warranties and the other fine print

After we finish with this blog you should be armed with enough information to go out and make informed decisions about your project. So sit back, and enjoy the read. Don’t forget to follow our blog; Bathroom Remodeling Planning and Ideas for 2018, so you can be notified when the next update hits. As always, if you have a question, feel free to contact me at: Info@sunsetbuilders.net or 239-233-2152. Lastly, I ask for your assistance in providing accurate information. Please let me know if you have an issue with something I have written; it is entirely possible that I could have “old” information as the construction industry is constantly changing itself. My ego is in check and I value all input! read more

Don’t use This Guy to do work for you… He ripped us off!

Does this title look familiar? I see it and many others like it every day on various social media sites.

Unfortunately, I see this title just as many times and likely from the people that posted the first time. Foregoing the potentially obvious problems of people working in the construction industry in Florida without proper licensing and insurance; I want to tell you the number one reason why you should only hire licensed professionals to do your work. In short, THE CONTRACT.

Contracts come in all shapes and sizes and they include as much or as little as the creativity of the person writing it. There’s an old adage that says, “contracts and fences make for good neighbors” or something like that. A good contract should contain the answers to the following questions; Who, What, Why, When, Where & How. A great contract will provide extremely detailed answers to these questions.

To illustrate this a little better I want to go back to the social media post of the unhappy couple that felt as though they got ripped off on their bathroom remodeling project. Why do they feel this way? Simple, they feel they paid for something that they didn’t receive. I am certain, when they first met with Mr. Low Price, he assured them that he could do the job and it could be done in a matter of days (if not hours), and this was all that Mr. & Mrs. Unhappy Couple heard! Little, if any, details of the project were ever discussed. So, Mr. Low Price is walking away with one idea and Mr. & Mrs. Unhappy Couple walk away with another idea. The odds of a project like this working out to the benefit of both parties is very small. Likewise, the odds of Mr. and Mrs. Unhappy Couple making the second post above, about 1-2 weeks after Mr. Low Price starts the job, are very high. read more

DIY Dryer Repair

IT WENT THUNK! THEN IT WENT CLUNK!

If you own a tool box and know how to use the tools inside of it, chances are you have had a friend or relative call you up and ask you to come over and fix something and upon arrival you realize they have already tried – and failed to complete the repair.  This was the case for me a few weeks ago when my mom called and invited me over for dinner.  For those of you not familiar, my mother is the queen of getting things done by other people; she can even make you happy that you “volunteered” to do whatever it was she wanted done.

I arrived promptly 15 minutes late for dinner and was surprised to find that mom had invited more guests to the table.  As I sat down, one of the guests was explaining to the rest of the table that they would have to go out tomorrow and buy a new dryer because something went terribly wrong with theirs early that day.   In an attempt to be polite, I inquired as to the fate of their dryer and was told that in an attempt to “get at” some built up lint in the back of the dryer (you could see it sticking out of those holes) they had decided to remove 3 screws located on the inside of the dryer and on the back of the rotating drum.  After the third screw was pulled out the drum “fell” and made a solid “thunk” noise when it came to rest.   Realizing something had gone wrong but not knowing exactly what they decided to remove three more screws from the inside of the dryer and on the back of the rotating drum.  Once again, after the removal of the third screw the drum fell again only this time it made a much louder “clunk” noise before coming to rest. read more

Fix Air Leaks Around Doors and Windows – Are You Cooling Your Neighbors Space?

The Case of the Door that Would Not Close

Recently, in a meeting with my web designer, she complained about the gap in her front door and the fact that it was allowing so much cold air out of her home.  After a brief inspection of the door, I concluded that my friend was doing more than her fair share to cool Mother Earth.

What was the problem you may ask? Warped door jambs?  Missing Insulation?  Threshold loose?  NOPE, none of the above.  My friend’s problem was the result of two screws that had come loose.  Not to the point where they were sticking out and noticeable but just enough to let the strike plate slide forward preventing the door from closing tightly against the weather-stripping. The result of these two loose screws could easily add up to hundreds of dollars on her electric bill over the course of a year.

As a General Contractor, I am asked into homes to look at renovation projects and often see things like the loose screws mentioned above.    I mention the various things that I see to the home owners and the responses I get typically fall into one of two categories; 1) oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to fix that, or 2) Oh man, I have never seen that before, I’ll have to look into it.  Each response, while different, are essentially saying the same thing; “thanks for pointing that out, I’m not going to do anything about it right now”.  Knowing the normal reaction, I asked my friend why she chose to fix the “minor” “maintenance” issue.  “I do not wish to pay for cooling my neighbor”.  Now here is someone that truly understands the indirect costs of home ownership. read more

People spend a lot of time in their kitchens. For the most part, a kitchen is the heart of a home. You cook there. You eat there. You prepare food there. Kids do their schoolwork there. You host parties there.

Since a lot of time is spent in this room, it makes a lot of sense for this room to look its best. You want a kitchen to reflect your needs and wants. if your kitchen is looking a little drab, outdated or doesn’t fulfill the needs of your household, it may be time for a kitchen renovation – even a small revamp can make your kitchen look and feel entirely different.

Whether you want your cabinets to be a new color, a new kitchen layout, or just a paint job, our team at Sunset Builders & Maintenance can get the job done! We can create you your dream kitchen! We will design and renovate you a kitchen that will suit your every need. We design beautiful kitchens.

From the initial planning to completion, we work with our clients every step of the way. We work with them on decisions about countertops, backsplashes, sinks, faucets, appliances, handles, cabinets, seating, doors, plumbing, lighting, flooring, colors, and more. read more