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Build Your House Yourself University

Wish you knew more about the biggest investment you will most likely ever make? Build Your House Yourself University (byhyu) will teach you to save money and make smart decisions about the construction of the place you and your family will call HOME. We will help you understand residential construction— simplify and demystify the design build process. You’ll come away with successful strategies for building your own house, with or without a general contractor. Become an educated consumer, even if you prefer to buy, rather than build a new house. Complex construction jargon and best practices will be explained in easy to understand terms. It’s not the typical DIY (do it yourself) show. You will learn how to MANAGE the labor, not DO the labor for your new house. Join me, Michelle Nelson, host and fellow informal residential construction student. I’ll share the research I find on home design and building as I prepare to build my home. Together, our community of future home builders, will learn the tips, tricks and trends of experienced contractors and industry experts. I’ll interview owner-builders and construction professionals. During our mini lessons, I’ll inform you about framing, flooring, windows, insulation, kitchen cabinets and countertops…almost anything having to do with new construction homes. You’ll hear about energy efficiency and green building too. There will be product reviews in which you will be introduced to cutting edge, as well as, tried and true products and services. And in keeping with the university theme, episodes will end with short, fun quizzes. If we do our due diligence BEFORE we start construction, we will actually start construction with the most difficult part of the project behind us. Let’s put in the time, effort, preparation and research BEFORE we break ground and building our homes will be much easier and more enjoyable.
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Now displaying: February, 2017
Feb 22, 2017

Even if you want a simple home, without over-the-top features, adding surprising, or unique elements will make your home more interesting and distinctive.  All homes should have some degree of the wow factor.  Things that make your house different from your neighbors’. So, in this week’s mini-lesson, we’ll cover a list potential wow factor features that you can include in your house.  But, only consider adding those things that resonate with you.  Don’t feel any pressure to add something just because it’s on trend, impressive or popular.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Feb 15, 2017

Pipes and plumbing fixtures are found everywhere in a new house.  Pipes run out of the house, under the house, within walls of the house, and finally arrive at many different fixtures, like sinks, toilets and tubs. Some pipes carry water and others carry gas.

Pipes are made different materials, either metal and plastic, and each material has its pros and cons.  We’ll talk about the pros and cons of different pipe materials and I’ll tell you what you can request from your plumber to keep your pipes quiet and to eliminate the noise of an upstairs toilet flush that can be heard by you and your guests while you’re sitting downstairs.  I’ll also give you a list of some things to consider to help improve the quality of your plumbing job.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Feb 8, 2017

Because your home’s plumbing is used every day, several times a day, you want to make sure that you get quality products and materials and that those materials are installed by a reliable plumber. 

This week’s mini-lesson help you give you a basic overview of your home’s plumbing system and it will give you some advice on what type of plumber and plumbing fixtures you should choose for your new home— whether brand name fixtures really are better than off-brand ones and whether it’s ok get your plumbing supplies from a big box store.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

Feb 1, 2017

This week, I’ll tell you about the home design trends that I saw a couple of weeks ago at Design and Construction week in Orlando.  In preparing for this episode, I reviewed episode 5, called Home Trends 2016.  All the design features that I mentioned last year are still relevant in 2017, so talk a listen to episode 5 to hear what those features were.  But, 2017 brings with it some additional home design trends that you may want to include in your new home.   Plus I’ll tell you about a pro secret that I learned from a seasoned builder.

Show notes at BYHYU.com

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