Smallwishes.com - Free gift registryWritten by Joe Piagentini
We realize how hard it is to go out shopping for someone’s birthday or wedding or another holiday not knowing what to get them. We know all time that is involved in doing that process. You have to find free time during week, fight traffic on your way to store, try to find something they like, stand in line, drive all way back home only to hope that they actually like gift that you got them. Wouldn’t it just be easier if they sent you an email of things that they liked, go to smallwishes.com, pick out a gift they have on list, buy it, and have it delivered to your door in a couple of days? I thought so.We live in a rushed society with hardly any time for ourselves any more. Why not make it easier on your friends and family and let them know what you would really like and help them save time in process? You know, even if you said you wanted nothing for your birthday, they are going to get you something anyway so it might as well be something that you want, right?
| | BUDGETING YOUR LOG HOME: Where do you start?Written by Mercedes Hayes
The Log home industry has matured these last many years, but there is still a lot of confusion about how much a log home costs. Naturally, everyone wants to know cost of log package; however, budgeting only starts here. If you are shopping for a milled log package (as opposed to hand-crafted, which is a totally different category), difference between one manufacturer's price and another is minimal when compared to total cost of structure. Here are some reasons why: - Other materials. The logs themselves only form a portion of material costs of home. Once log walls are erected, you still have to worry about a floor, a roof, windows, doors, plumbing, kitchen... list goes on and on. Some manufacturers quote a "weathered-in shell" which includes logs, windows and roof - all elements that enclose building (protecting house against weather). Other manufacturers only quote log package, and leave it to contractor to provide other materials locally. When pricing a log package, make sure you are comparing "apples to apples".From our experience, price of Logs only constituted approximately 1/5 of total price of finished structure. As for rest... it's a high-end custom home, and like any custom home, your cost is limited by your imagination - and your budget. You decide whether to use hardwood floors or carpet, marble counters or formica, a metal roof or asphalt shingles. No log home company will offer these products to you. Unlike a Development contractor who offers you a limited selection, you choose everything yourself, from doorknobs to toilets. Once you start factoring in all these items, you will discover that there isn't a whole lot of difference between a log home any another home - except for exterior walls. - Local price differences. We built our log home in New Jersey, which tends to be a lot more expensive overall than much of rest of country. The same house in Tennessee would cost considerably less in lumber and other materials. Also consider that labor costs vary wildly as well. A very big part of your budget will cover labor, because this home will be built entirely by hand. Your contractor may not have to peel or notch logs, but he will still be placing logs one at at time, making sure walls are plumb, drilling holes for wiring, cutting settling gaps above windows and doors, possibly fitting roof frame one board at a time. Your builder is most critical part of project, and it's not necessarily a good idea to go with cheapest quote. Do you really want him to cut corners to stay within a low quote?
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