Is your drinking water safe?

Owner’s Representative Shelia Kuhn dubs Rick Allen as the “Guru of Water”, and judging by Allen’s extensive resume, it would be hard for anyone to contest that title. Allen has been in the water industry business for over 30 years, starting a production company for homebuilders back in 1982.  Throughout the years, Allen has shifted through the changing tides of the water industry, from working on complicated custom home systems to starting his own business (Water by Design) to pioneering the first production home builders’ option program offering whole-house water treatment.  Nowadays, Allen prefers working with his clients on a more personalized level, which is how he first connected with Kuhn.

Both Kuhn and Allen enjoy tackling big, challenging custom home projects, a shared penchant that brought the two together in the industry.  They have worked together on many projects, and Kuhn confidently regards Allen as one of her most trusted contractors for anything water-related.  Readmore…

Consult an owner's representative before starting any remodeling work.

At the best of times, the real estate market was a complicated and hard-to-understand industry, and what with the upset in the market over the last few years, it’s become even harder to fathom.

If you have your heart set, or a definite need, for new surroundings, the real estate market may have your stomach in knots. Have a baby on the way? Want to downsize now that the kids are in college? Perhaps you’ve been dreaming of that perfect master bathroom or bedroom suite?

Buying the ideal home that’s in your mind’s eye might not be the only solution. Right now, the market is ripe for remodeling, says the HanleyWood Remodeling Cost Vs. Value Report, 2010-11. And don’t just think about remodeling your own home—look into buying one of the many short sales or foreclosures on the market, and molding it into the home you’ve always wanted. Readmore…

A home in San Clemente sliding off the slope

In our last blog, we talked about how Owner’s Representatives can help their homeowner clients solve tricky property issues.  Today, D&S Kuhn, Inc. has another client in Ranchos Palos Verdes facing a similarly difficult situation.

The owners of a $4.5M property in Ranchos Palos Verdes recently found a startling document—a geographic report from 1986 indicating that the bluff on which the house was situated is unstable, and that the foundation could not be fixed sufficiently to hold up the property.  With only 10 days left in escrow, this was an urgent matter! The owners flew out from Texas to meet with Shelia Kuhn, president of D&S Kuhn, Inc., to see what magic she could work for them. Readmore…

Homes along the Beach Cities coastline usually need some soil and foundation investigation.

Many issues can arise during the process of purchasing a home, and contrary to popular belief, real estate agents do not know everything to help their clients through the many ins and outs of this process.  What happens when obscure issues come up?  Enter an Owners Representative.  Aside from being a helpful liaison between homeowners and contractors, Owners Representatives also lead a not-so-secret identity of investigative agents!  Before any construction even begins, Owners Representatives do extensive investigative research on a property to help homeowners and potential buyers with whatever issues that may arise.

Shelia Kuhn, president of D&S Kuhn, tells us of her current case with a Laguna Niguel property that is beginning to shift and crack due to a soil issue.  The fiduciary engaged Kuhn’s services to help determine exactly what was happening to the soils and the foundation of the home. Readmore…

LED lights have been used in this bathroom for task lighting

In the previous blog we met green-building expert Kevin Kelly, who gave us a brief rundown on eco-awareness and sustainability trends in home building and construction.  Kelly returns today to elaborate more on the increasing popularity of green building, its future, and what you can do in your own home to promote sustainability.

Nowadays, increasing energy efficiency in homes has become synonymous with certain trends such as solar power, where homeowners and builders install solar panels that directly covert sunlight into electricity. Though solar power technology has improved (both technologically and aesthetically) in the last decade, Kelly advises to wait several years for the technology to further advance. Readmore…

Recycled glass countertops

Kevin Kelly was introduced to Shelia through Matt White Custom Homes, an award-winning custom builder in Orange County.  They use Kelly for his expertise in green building, an area he’s been studying for some years now. He currently holds LEED AP certification, a Building Analyst certification from the Building Performance Institute, plus certification from the West Coast Green Building Institute.

Eco-awareness is something that Kelly has returned to after years of conflict. He started out as an Environmental Studies major in college, but joined the construction world when he started in the workforce. “But the two always seemed conflicting to me,” said Kelly. “Now green building and sustainability have brought these two parts of my life together in a way that’s really nice.”

As many of us have noticed, sustainability is the way the whole world is going, and Kelly is relieved: “Our cars, our grocery bags—even the beer we drink! People are embracing and accepting sustainability like never before. It’s becoming the norm.”

He laughs when he remembers the green building conferences when they first began. “It was like Woodstock,” Kelly quips. “Now all the big companies and corporations are there, big building suppliers are there. They recognize its importance.” Kelly points out that every company that produces a product now makes a green version too—because if they don’t they’re missing out and losing a huge section of the market. Readmore…

Kevin Kelly, a Green Building Consultant from Newport Beach, has known Shelia Kuhn for six years or more, and worked with her on several jobs, including her own home. He’s consulted with the top contractors in Orange County, and has seen the effect that D&S Kuhn, Inc. can have on the process of a remodel or residential construction project.

“The most important way that Shelia adds value is in helping the owners and contractor by being an independent, objective party,” explains Kevin. She can explain the process to the owners without getting emotional, and yet talk to the contractors in their own language, using her experience and knowledge.

Plus, Kevin adds, the owner has faith in the message that Shelia delivers, as she’s a neutral party. In contrast, they may be wary if the same message came from the contractor, as many homeowners expect that they have an ulterior motive.

“I don’t know how much trust people have in contractors—for good reason,” Kevin says. “There’s a lot of press about the ones that aren’t licensed or do bad work.” Again, this is how Shelia can help the process—Shelia is a bridge from owner to contractor, keeping information flowing between the two. She can offer support to the client and at the same time translate their wants and needs to the contractor. Readmore…

We’re on our final installment in our series on how to save money during home construction.  Read on for some last minute tips on how to save every penny during your home remodeling process:

Evaluate Your Property Before You Buy: Before you settle a deal on property, run a complete construction analysis on the area and determine the property’s setbacks and city requirements for construction.  A property’s foundation is crucial when determining your budget to home remodeling. For example, if a house rests on a slant, its construction costs could skyrocket to $700,000, as opposed to $300,000 if the house were already on a flat plain.  Property characteristics are crucial when remodeling a home.

Be Careful When Bidding: When bidding on property, the lowest bid does not necessarily mean that it is the cheapest bid.  Sometimes bids are low because contractors have not thoroughly assessed the project, which means that you might end up paying more to make changes later down the road.  Contractors also have different methods of bidding.  Be sure to do a complete analysis of each bid, breaking down each line item, to see what is included in every bid.

Similarly, be specific when negotiating fees, prices or value engineering with your general contractors.  You may have specified to your electrician that you want to save 15%, but he might go about this in different ways than you might have envisioned (different materials, differing methods of wiring, etc).  If you want to maintain your materials but still lower your prices, know that it can be done!

Negotiate Wisely: You need to assess all of your bids and look at all the line items to see which ones are negotiable and which ones are too high.  For example, some contractors can charge upwards of $160,000 for stucco, when in reality the price should be closer to $110,000.  Research your options and become familiar with pricing so that you won’t end up overpaying.

We know that you might feel apprehensive about taking on board another person for your project, but we can assure you that hiring an Owner’s Representative will be well worth the investment.  Equipped with a formidable amount of knowledge about the construction industry, Owner’s Representatives can help you evaluate your properties, assess your bids, and negotiate with contractors to help you execute a successful remodeling plan that fits your budget.  If you are ready to hand off all of your home construction responsibilities to an Owner’s Representative, you can do so with confidence by contacting Shelia Kuhn at (949) 400-5951 or by email.

Presenting our next installment of our home construction money-saving tips. This is the second in a series of blogs were we examine the areas of home construction that usually present problems to the homeowner, and discuss ways to keep the budget under control.

Know the differences between all the contracts that you are signing: There are hundreds of ways to engage in a project, and also hundreds of different contracts that contractors might present to you during your home construction process.  Not all contracts are the same!  Cost-plus contracts, fixed-fee contracts, contracts that are in your best interest… Make sure you read through all of the fine print before signing your dream home away.  Being meticulous ensures that you know exactly what you are getting yourself into, and can also save you a lot of money. Readmore…

If you’ve read our post about what an owner’s representative is and thought to yourself that you wouldn’t need that kind of assistance, you may want to think again. Just like it’s better to hire a plumber to install the new sink and faucet you picked out for your kitchen—sometimes you need to hire a person with the right tools and skills to make sure the job is done correctly, the first time, without a lot of excess costs.

Case in point: a couple came to me recently for a consultation about the experience they had just had with their remodel and general contractor. Both husband and wife were extremely smart and savvy people who are top-level executives. When they started looking for a general contractor to work on their remodel, they used a service that reportedly checked the licenses, insurance certifications and references of all companies listed through them. Readmore…