As of April 22, 2010 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is instituting new regulations requiring contractors working on homes built prior to 1978 to follow practices designed to minimize the exposure of residents to lead hazards. Schachne Architects & Builders is registered as an EPA Certified Firm to perform renovation, repair, and painting work on pre 1978 homes.   If your home was built prior to 1978 the home owner by law is required to recieve from the certified contractor an EPA brochure titled "Renovate Right" which includes facts about lead and lead safety in the home.  The home owner is required...Read More...

A prospective client contacted us inquiring about the cost to repair a home built with tainted Chinese drywall.   The 3,400 s.f. two story home built by a large developer in south Florida has been sitting empty and he was investigating the purchase at a reduced rate.  I informed him about the many issues and associated costs that would help him make the decision  to purchase or look for another home.   Numerous articles have been written on the alleged damages that have been created due to the installation of the tainted Chinese drywall.  During the building boom between 2003 and 2007 many homes were built with the tainted...Read More...

This past weekend I attended the National Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Atlanta and was disappointed with the turnout.  Unless you live in a cave you are aware the economy has effected the construction trade quite significantly.  Last years event in Chicago drew upwards of 60,000 attendees.  This year they were hoping for 30,000.  Past shows were well attended by small remodeling and building firms as well as designers walking the convention center floors with their clients.  They were nonexistant this year.  It looked like there were more vendor personnel than attendees.  I was told that most of the vendors also...Read More...

During a house renovation a few years ago on the intercoastal waterway in Ft. Lauderdale the owner decided he wanted larger impact windows than what was chosen.  Unfortunately we were left with a number of windows that could not be used.  We determined that the best use of these windows was to either donate them or try to find a user for them.  We listed the windows on the internet and found a builder in the Bahamas that was in desperate need of impact windows.  Purchasing impact windows in the islands is difficult and costly.  When the builder came...Read More...

With the downturn in the housing market there is one good thing that is taking effect.  The industry is seeing a decline in demolition of older homes in older established neighborhoods and the so called McMansions being built in their place.  The stigma of the large house that fills out the lot is a thing of the past.   The scale of these houses usually interrupts the scale of the residential neighborhood.   Most home buyers think that bigger is better.  What they don't understand is good home design offsets voluminous spaces that actually use more energy and serve no purpose.  A good...Read More...

About once a month I get a telephone call from a person that is usually in a frantic, nervous,  and agitated state.  Before I even ask them whats going on I know the answer.  Typically they tried to build something and got "red tagged" by the building department for building without a permit.  They thought they could save a few dollars by doing it themselves, or had a relative or friend who would do the building on the weekends for pennies on the dollar.  We all try to save money on our homes but this is the wrong avenue...Read More...