Author Archives: dsquared

Wet Basements: Problems & Solutions

There are few things in life more nerve-wracking than a wet basement. By “wet,” we don’t necessarily mean a basement that has flooded. That would be stressful enough, yet easy to fix with a wet vacuum. Rather, wet means damp — just wet enough to cause odors and mold, yet not enough to easily fix with everyday appliances.

Why Basements Get Wet in Florida

Wet basements are fairly common in Florida. While in other places they may be caused by the melting of wet snow, in Florida they are due to the pervasive rain and humidity. If the basement of your South Florida home is wet, one of two culprits is usually to blame: condensation or runoff.

Condensation

The Problem

It’s easy to see how condensation may lead to wet basements (especially in Florida), where the air is particularly humid. Condensation is the opposite of evaporation (liquid turning into vapor due to heat). Moist air leaks from the warm outdoors into the cool indoors whose walls and pipes lack sufficient insulation. It turns from vapor into liquid again, manifesting as puddles or droplets on the floor.

The Solution

A basement that is wet from condensation must be dealt with immediately to prevent mold, mildew, rust, and a whole host of other problems. The first thing you should do is open any windows and turn all the fans on in the basement. For problems of a larger scale, you may even want to invest in a dehumidifier.

The key to avoiding condensation is maintaining a balanced temperature between the indoors and outdoors. As stated above, a major cause is lack of insulation, so make sure to have your local home maintenance service perform an installation.

Runoff

The Problem

Being the state that rarely stops raining, it is no surprise that Florida is also home to many a wet basement caused by runoff. Many may wonder, “But isn’t that what downspouts are for?” The answer is yes, that is exactly what gutters and spouts are for. However, they have to be in good shape in order to effectively divert rain runoff from your home and your basement.

The Solution

Make sure your downspout isn’t clogged, as the overflow can easily send water leaking into your basement.
As mentioned in our post about installing interlocking paver stones, effective runoff requires a slope of at least 1 vertical inch for every 1 foot away from your house. Grab a measuring tape and make sure your slope is consistent with these measurements.
It may be the case that your wet basement’s foundation is leaking. Check your local hardware store to see which caulk would be most effective for patching it up, given its material and the size of any cracks in it.

How To Install Interlocking Paving Stones

If you find yourself wondering how to install interlocking paving stones, there is good news for you: this is a project that can be done DIY, using only a few simple tools and a day of hard work. Here’s how to do it.

How to Install Interlocking Paving Stones

To go about this process, you will need the following materials:

Paint (for landscaping purposes)
Shovel
Tamper or compactor machine
Mesh screen
Edging material
Hammer
Sand for bedding
Paver sealant
Measuring tape
Gravel
Rubber mallet

Step 1: Clearing the Area

First , you will obviously have to choose which paving stones you want to work with. It’s also a good idea to take measurements while you go shopping. Then, demarcate the area to dig up with landscape paint.

Excavate the existing soil using a shovel. You may want to consider investing in a tiller if you find the soil to be too hard to dig up. Dig about 8 inches deep, as this is the “frost line” below which frost will not damage your pavement.

Step 2: Edging

Next, tamp the floor to soften up the moisture. Then, lay some mesh screening over the surface you’ve dug up. This will prevent weeds from growing in your area.

You will need to install some edging, which can be made of anything from plastic to brick or stone. This will preserve your paving area (for post-paving) while also clearly marking the area you want to pave (during the process) as your landscape paint may erode.

Step 3: Laying the Foundation

Lay your foundation of gravel. Every 4 feet from your home, slope the gravel about 1 inch. This will direct drainage away from your house’s foundation. Then, spread about 2 inches of sand over the gravel smoothly and evenly.

Step 4: Installing the Paving Stones

Finally, install interlocking paving stones over the bedding of sand. Start in a corner and fit the stones in their desired pattern from there. You may need to readjust the bedding as you go, removing even a few grains of sand so the stones are nice, flush and even. Seal the stones in place with some paving sealant, then hammer them in . Continue this process and voila — you have a brand new pavement walkway installed!

What Will Custom Home Construction Look Like in 2015?

Custom home construction is an exciting and dynamic industry, always changing with the cultural, economic and aesthetic landscape it inhabits. Year after new year, it changes as new homeowners take a liking to new and upcoming trends. Now that 2014 is behind us, we at CCM are excited to see what this new year brings us. Here are our predictions for what custom home building will look like in 2015!

What Custom Home Construction Will Look Like in 2015

Going Green in 2015

First and foremost, it’s impossible to deny that more and people are going to make their home green in any way that they can. There’s no reason to doubt that this trend will continue in 2015, and not just for moral (i.e. environmental) reasons. There are also practical benefits to “going green”: some evidence suggests that green construction costs less and improves homeowner satisfaction.

It’s All About the Bathroom

Bathrooms are often the focal point of luxury home building. Why is this? Because it is both easy and highly desirable to incorporate an atmosphere of luxury into your bathroom. How else would you describe a jetted bubble bath, heated towel racks, and even an HDTV rack in the far corner? Many homeowners have recognized this potential in custom home construction, and many will continue to do so in 2015.

So Long Asphalt! So Long Concrete! Hello Pavers!

We can’t say that concrete and asphalt are “so 2014” — after all, paving stones have long been a staple of custom paving in South Florida. In 2015, it looks like this trend will be catching on elsewhere. More people realize that their pavement, driveways and walkways have been neglected for far too long. After all, why spend so much time and money beautifying the inside of your home only to pave your driveway with unattractive, cracking asphalt? Why put the effort into custom home construction only to have your outside as banal and commonplace as everyone else’s?

Each new year brings with it new opportunities: an unknown future waiting to be explored. For our part, we can’t wait to explore the exciting possibilities 2015 will bring for custom homes.

Putting the “Luxury” in Luxury Home Building

What puts the “luxury” in South Florida luxury home building? Is it the glass, the countertops, the appliances, or the floors? Is it floor plans customized to your every desire, down to the finest details? What about the exterior — rock gardens, hardscape pavers, and landscape designs?

What Luxury Home Building Is

The answer is all of the above — and so much more! The beauty of custom home construction is that it takes into account all your wishes and directs them toward one end: life in a house of luxury.

Building a luxury home is a huge enterprise that takes into account far too many elements to list here. However, CCM is happy to provide you with a few ideas for luxury home building from the inside-out. Here are a few jumping off points.

Bathroom

Fixtures & Accessories: Consider adding a spa and/or jetted tub, heated racks for towels, steam-free mirrors, multi-functional and/or low-flow faucets and fixtures, and bidets.
Design: Incorporate bronze, glass or natural stones into tiles and surfaces of your bathroom.

Ceilings

It’s easy to overlook the potential of adding luxury to the ceiling, However, no other part of the house has more potential to showcase the magnificence of luxury home building. Consider construction with such materials as:

Faux wood
Urethane & PVC
Plaster

Kitchen

Kitchens are one of the most expensive spaces to renovate and remodel, but they are also one of the most essential — and luxury home building is no different. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, for it is where meals, parties and other events center in. Therefore, your kitchen speaks to your entire home. Add some luxury to spill over into your whole house by retiling and resurfacing your counters. You can also design your kitchen to maximize space and eliminate clutter.

Living Room

Finally, your living room has just as much — if not the most — potential to enhance the luxury of your home. You can add style and appeal by:

Carefully selecting the furniture that will furnish your living room
Making sure to install a fireplace, the centerpiece of most living rooms
Customizing your room with tiles, columns and millwork

Can You Install Paving Stones Over Asphalt?

When it comes to custom paving in South Florida, there is no doubt that paving stones reign supreme. The advantages of paving stones vs. asphalt are many: asphalt cracks, melts and retains a hot surface temperature. This is why so many South Florida homeowners choose interlocking stone installation from inception. Yet, what about homeowners who have already paved their driveway with asphalt? Can they install paving stones over the existing asphalt?

Should You Install Pavers Over Asphalt?

The answer is yes, you can install pavers over asphalt. But should you? It is debatable. In South Florida, warranties for paving stones over asphalt are rare because of the hot temperature, which may cause the asphalt to melt.

How To Install Paving Stones Over Asphalt

Yet, installing pavers over your existing asphalt driveway is still better than removing the asphalt and starting from square one. This can be timely and expensive, as you will need to:

Check with your local government’s regulations for asphalt disposal
Jackhammer the asphalt bit by bit to break it up
Shovel each piece of asphalt into a wheelbarrow to dispose of it

So, it is often easier to simply install paving stones over asphalt. This process is not much different than the normal procedure for custom paving in South Florida. Here is what we do:

Repair and cracks, divots, etc to make sure the asphalt is in as good and level a condition as possible.
Since your driveway will need to sustain a larger weight for vehicles, we install a 1” class II base of bedding sand with a depth of 4”.
Place a board around the perimeter of your driveway.
Use a plate vibrator to force the paving stones into the sand bedding and push the sand up between the stones to interlock them.

Voila — you have installed paving stones over asphalt, killing two birds with one stone in the process. On the one hand, you’ve saved yourself the time and headache of removing asphalt from your driveway. To boot, you’ve also installed paving stones, an infinitely more attractive and aesthetic custom paving arrangement.

Why Build a Custom Home in South Florida?

If you have ever driven through Highway A1A and seen the beautiful, luxury mansions that look over the Atlantic shoreline, you know one thing: there is no shortage of upscale housing. Whether in Delray Beach or Highland Beach, this is true. So, you may be wondering why you should build a custom home in South Florida at all?

Aesthetic Considerations

The answer is quite simple: custom home building isn’t just about luxury. It’s also about getting exactly what you want in a luxury home. This is only guaranteed when you build a custom home in South Florida. Any other luxury home may look nice and have many features you like, but it may not be 100% to your wants and needs. The following are only a few examples of what we mean by this.

Floorplans & Layouts

This is what the typical floorplan of a house might look like.

Blank floorplan of a custom home in South Florida

This is the floorplan of a custom home in South Florida.

Look at these two floorplans and the first thing you will notice is that one isn’t even a floorplan at all! And this is precisely the point. When you build a custom home in South Florida, you start from absolutely nothing. You get to customize each aspect of your house — from the tiniest detail — right from phase one.

Paving & Landscape

For truly luxury home construction, what’s outside is just as important as what’s inside. That’s why so many homeowners in South Florida are turning to custom paving and landscape. A particularly important area is driveway and walkway paving. Take this for example:

There is no question that both houses are upscale and beautiful, but only the left picture with interlocking custom pavers truly compliments the quality of the house.

Practical Considerations

There are dozens of practical advantages to building a custom home in South Florida, such as:

Particular needs of the homeowner such as wheelchair ramps
Better resale value
More flexibility on land usage

Green Construction

Finally, one specific practical consideration in the realm of South Florida home construction is how to your home green. In this area, there is no question that you get unparalleled advantages when you build a custom home in South Florida. When you have 100% control over the building process, you can determine everything from your energy source to more environment-friendly housing components. For example:

While pre-built homes come with certain appliances, you can install Energy STAR components.
Greener landscapes and garden work.
Many homeowners consider windmills unattractive and will therefore no sell a home that has them, but you have the option of installing them if you deem environmental concerns to be more important.
Installing solar panels.
Choosing natural gas as your energy source.

Prefab Homes & South Florida Custom Home Building

Prefab homes (prefabricated homes or “prefabs”) are often associated with mobile homes, but they certainly have a place in South Florida custom home building. In fact, you might say they are the true method and style of custom home building! What are prefabs, and what makes them so special?

Prefab Homes & South Florida Custom Home Building

In a technical sense, prefab homes are manufactured off-site and then put together on-site. To illustrate, this is the traditional method of custom home building in South Florida:

By contrast, this is part of a prefab home that already has whole walls and rooms pre-built: This helps to distinguish prefab homes in South Florida from other ones. However, it tells us little about the difference between prefabs and mobile homes. Yet, as all upscale homeowners know, there is a big difference between luxury and mobile homes. The true difference comes from the style of prefabricated housing.

Prefab Homes & The Style of South Florida Custom Home Building

What truly distinguishes prefab homes in South Florida is not the way in which they are made. It is their style that distinguishes prefabs from transportable homes. Separately producing individual components of a custom home gives homeowners the option of a highly complex and modern design. The individual components can come in 3 primary varieties:

Panels – individual pieces of the housing structure such as walls and floors.
Modules – whole rooms that come pre-built.
Sections – whole sections of a house that include entire rooms such as the master bedroom, closet, bathroom, etc.

The Advantages of Custom Building With Prefab Homes

For custom home builders in South Florida, the principal advantage is less work and effort. However, this doesn’t mean a decrease in the quality of your luxury home! There are many advantages that you may find interesting.

Design

Stylistically, prefab homes make for both easier and more customizable design:

Easy Design: Many homeowners find it easier to design their custom home when they have the prefabricated building blocks right in front of them. They don’t have to imagine what a particular room will look like when it’s in front of their eyes.
Custom Design: Prefabs also allow South Florida homeowners to get more creative with their design. By streamlining the process, they allow you to choose one style for your bedroom, another for your bathroom, and yet another for your living room.

Green Construction

Prefab homes are also widely commended from their environmental friendliness. Having its components separately produced makes it easier to add green features after construction. For example, it is much easier to install solar panels on a prefab. There is also a growing trend of building entire prefabricated houses out of green materials. A good example of this is the luxury Perrinepod.

What You Should Know About Prefab Homes in South Florida

Prefabs come in many different shapes and sizes. They are a truly custom option for luxury home building in South Florida. However, because there are no two alike prefabs, there is no universal standard for building one.

Certain prefabs (or all prefab homes in general) are prohibited in neighborhoods and housing communities. Therefore, if you are interested in custom prefab home building in South Florida, make sure your contractor knows the local zoning and permit regulations.

Finding a Contractor for Kitchen Remodeling in South Florida

A contractor for kitchen remodeling is one of the most frequently requested roles of custom home builders in South Florida. However, not all remodeling contractors are the same. If you are a savvy homeowner, you want nothing but the best.

Finding a Contractor for Remodeling

Luckily, we at CCM are happy to offer our 20+ years’ expertise and give you some guidelines. Here’s how to find the best contractor for kitchen remodeling in South Florida.

Licensing

Nothing separates the good, the bad and the ugly more than credentials. For kitchen remodeling contractors, credentials means first and foremost their license. What is a license and what information does it convey?

Experience – In order to get licensed by the Construction Industry Licensing Board, a South Florida contractor must have experience. Remodeling is a trade. Like other trades, nothing is more crucial than hands-on experience. A contractor for kitchen remodeling can have all the technical knowledge in the world…but unless he has been trained by a professional, all his formal education is irrelevant.
Insurance – Licensing also requires that a contractor be insured, which also implies that his is financially responsible. This way, you (the customer) are indemnified against any property damage or bodily injury that occurs on the job.
Accountability – Last but not least, a contractor for kitchen remodeling ought to be accountable. The Construction Industry Licensing Board does this by enforcing standards and recommending disciplinary actions against any violations of its code.

Any South Florida contractor worth his salt will have a license — but it may be up to you to ask for it. And just in case you were wondering, CCM’s license no is CG-C059921.

Reviews & Referrals

Licensing is good as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough. An experienced, licensed and insured contractor can still provide bad customer service. For this reason, we recommend using reviews and referrals when seeking a South Florida contractor for kitchen remodeling. Ask your friends and family who they have had experience with. Also, utilize sites like Yelp and Angie’s List for their reviews. There are also sites specifically dedicated to remodeling, renovations and home additions. Houzz and Thumbtack are just two good examples, and you can check us out on both!

Iron Out the Details

After reviewing their references and credentials, you will have found the right contractor for kitchen remodeling. The only thing left to do is iron out all the details and fine print. Here are some matters to attend to:

Review the contract and make sure it’s fair. Get a second, professional pair of eyes (e.g. from a lawyer) if you desire. This is your money, so you have every right to make sure everything is up to scratch.
Make sure the contract includes:
- Price and payment schedule
- An outline/plan of the project, its scope duration, etc.
- Detailed and organized scheduling
Go over and thoroughly scrutinize all legal matters such as dispute resolution, payments, lien and warranties. This is extremely important, so don’t overlook it!

And there you have it — you have successfully found a contractor for kitchen remodeling in South Florida! If you would like to see how CCM measures up to its own standards, don’t hesitate to call us. We perform remodeling, renovations and home additions in all of South Florida. For kitchen remodeling in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, or Boynton Beach, call us at 561-436-3679 today!

South Florida Custom Paving: Pavers vs. Concrete

South Florida custom paving is all about you — what we can do for your driveway, walkway or patio? At CCM, experience has taught us one thing about customer service: custom paving isn’t simply about short-term benefits such as up-front cost and aesthetics. It’s also about giving you pavement hardscapes that will add value and beauty for a lifetime.

Why We Use Pavers for South Florida Custom Paving

For this reason, we use paver hardscapes for our custom paving services. We have over two decades of experience in the South Florida custom paving industry which gives us the expertise to know which paving materials provide superior quality. Let’s have a look at how our custom paver stones compare to concrete alternatives.

Custom Paving With Concrete

Along with asphalt, concrete is one of the most popular methods used in South Florida custom paving. It’s also one of the materials that has been in use the longest. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of using concrete:

Advantages of Paving With Concrete

It’s low cost per square foot makes concrete one of the cheapest options for South Florida custom paving. In addition, it has the advantage of familiarity and traditional paving appearance.

Disadvantages of Paving With Concrete

Concrete in South Florida custom paving example

Concrete will inevitably crack, which makes it a poor long-term choice for a South Florida custom paving project.

However, concrete is prone to cracking. There are multiple reasons it may crack, such as:

Heavy loads (such as large cars)
Concrete shrinks
Weather/changes in temperature causes expansion and contraction

The constant cracking of concrete is even more problematic for South Florida custom paving jobs because cracks occur at random. This requires multiple repairs at any given time, which makes it extremely difficult to preserve a uniform paving style and color.

Custom Paving With Stamped Concrete

Stamped concrete is a newer and more aesthetic material that has become popular in South Florida custom paving. “Stamping” concrete refers to texturing or forming it into a pattern that less resembles concrete and more resembles bricks, stones, etc.

Advantages of Paving With Stamped Concrete

The primary advantage of stamped concrete is that it doesn’t look like concrete, which is often considered unattractive. This makes it not only better looking, but a more customizable option for South Florida custom paving.

Disadvantages of Paving With Stamped Concrete

As odd as it may seem, the benefits of concrete pavers lead to even more disadvantages than regular concrete. They are still prone to cracking, but it is even harder to patch the cracks while still maintaining color and style. This creates with irregularities in the concrete which are even less attractive than the patches and repairs in concrete.

Why Choose Custom Pavers for Your South Florida Custom Paving?

With custom pavers (a.k.a. paving stones), you get none of the problems with cracking and repairs that concrete and stamped concrete cause. Pavers are individual stones, which creates natural linkages and makes them less prone to cracking due to weather. They also provide these extra advantages:

Lifetime guarantee backed by warranty.
No wait after installation (unlike concrete, which must wait 3-5 days).
More customized appearance.
Extremely strong and durable.
If repairs are needed, individual stones can be replaced. This eliminates ugly cracks and patches.

Call Complete Construction & Management for premier South Florida custom paving, using only the finest custom pavers! Call 561-436-3679 today!

Custom Paving in South Florida: Asphalt vs. Pavers

Custom paving in South Florida isn’t just a matter of pavers vs. concrete. Another popular option is asphalt. It is similar to concrete and stamped concrete in a number of ways. Both concrete and asphalt are poured and flattened, whereas custom pavers are installed. Asphalt and concrete are also considered cheaper options for custom paving in South Florida.

Custom Paving in South Florida: Asphalt vs. Pavers

There are both advantages and disadvantages of using asphalt for custom paving in South Florida. However, we think that CCM’s custom pavers make for a better overall paving experience. Here are the reasons why.

Advantages of Custom Paving With Asphalt

Inexpensive
Restricts buildup of dust
Can pave over and be paved over
Efficient water drainage
Unaffected by ice*

*Asphalt’s immunity to ice build up is a principal advantage over concrete, which will crack when ice thaws. However, for such hot climates it is not relevant to custom paving in South Florida.

Disadvantages of Custom Paving With Asphalt

Despite its cheapness and other advantages, asphalt does not compare to the value the pavers we use for custom paving in South Florida. Appearance and surface quality are two of the many areas where custom pavers outshine asphalt.

Appearance

cracking makes asphalt an unattractive choice for custom paving in South Florida

Like concrete, asphalt will inevitably crack over time.

Asphalt is poured to create a smooth, black surface. This immediately makes it seem unattractive for luxury homes in South Florida. Even if homeowners can get past the plain appearance, it’s important to realize that asphalt will not remain that way. Like concrete, it will crack over time.

Surface

There are also two features that make asphalt particularly unappealing for custom paving in South Florida:

Melting
Surface temperature

Asphalt is extremely temperature-sensitive, as anyone who has stepped barefoot onto a blacktop will undoubtedly attest to.

Why We Use Pavers for Custom Paving in South Florida

Only stone pavers provide true style and elegance for custom paving in South Florida luxury homes. Whereas asphalt looks plain, custom pavers are made to look customized and extremely intricate. They also last for a lifetime, forever adding to the value of your house. They come in different sizes, shapes and colors, which allows CCM to really put the custom in custom paving.

For the best custom paving in South Florida, call Complete Construction & Management at 561-436-3679 today!