When it comes to new homes there are actually two kinds of contracts that your builder uses when it comes to pricing them? These contracts are either fixed price contracts or cost-plus.  If this is your first time buying a home read on below to know more.

Fixed Price

One contract your home builder in Portland Oregon will use is the fixed price contract. The builder like Creekside Homes basically will factor in all of the possible costs that will be incurred in the construction of your home. This includes both labor and material costs and then he will present you with the total cost.  The price at the bottom is the amount you will pay him once the home is done.

Benefits

Probably the biggest advantage you will get from the fixed price contract is that it protects you from cost overruns.  Say, your project goes over budget for some reason like price of materials going up or the builder did not foresee any material shortage and have to buy more expensive ones, he will be the one to absorb the expense not you.

Drawbacks

While it is true that your builder will absorb any cost overruns or extra expenses he will pocket all the money should he come in under budget.  The other issue with this contract is that you will just be presented with the final price of the home so to speak and you will never know the cost of labor and materials he actually incurred. If the builder is unscrupulous he could cut corners and use substandard or cheaper materials or lower quality workmanship in order to come in under or at budget.

Cost Plus

Another type of contract your homebuilder in Portland Oregon will offer you may be the cost plus type contract.  Unlike the fixed price contract, the final price may go up or down depending on what costs are actually incurred.

Benefits

With this, you will know all the cost and profit of the builder and if the project comes in below the budget you will pay less money once construction is completed.  The fact that the builder’s profit is not threatened if the project goes over budget, chances are he will not sacrifice quality to protect his profits.

Drawbacks

If the contractor fails to estimate accurately, you could end up with a much more expensive home than you thought.

In Conclusion

Both contracts are ok in their own right; it really depends on what is comfortable for you and your custom home builder.  In the end, the contract that is right is the one that you sign without any apprehensions.

It can get pretty hot and humid for people who live in the South. Texan summers are usually scorching hot, for instance. Besides, this inevitable seasonal discomfort, there are soaring energy bills that may prove somewhat hard to manage. As such, this article highlights a few guidelines on how to reduce summer energy bills. Read on to discover the top 5 tips for reducing your Texas electricity bill. These tips are brought to us by EnergyPromoCodes.com – our favorite Texas electricity promo codes site.

1. Use Programmable Thermostat

Did you know that you could save up to $180 every year by using a programmable thermostat? While this figure holds if you use your thermostat well, the Energystar.gov describes such thermostats as a fantastic trick to help you limit your energy consumption. Since we are all forgetful, this appliance minimizes electricity consumption by automatically adjusting the temperatures, even when you’re away. To acquire a great thermostat for the hot season, visit the local stores and get a long-lasting brand that fits within your individual budget.

2. Set Your Air Conditioners For Beyond 78 Degrees

Due to the technical fact that air conditioners cool at a uniform rate regardless of the settings, it’s advisable to turn it on when it’s really necessary to do so. In fact, 78 degrees are the recommended temperatures for the hot summer months. By setting your air conditioner for 78 degrees or higher, you’ll stay cool and keep your rising energy bills under watch. In a similar vein, see to it that the air conditioning systems are immediately switched off in the evening when temperatures are low.

3. Do Proper Maintenance on Air Conditioners

If your air conditioners do not operate efficiently, they’re likely to use unnecessarily higher amounts of power. Therefore, you should undertake regular and painstaking air conditioner repair to ensure that power doesn’t go to waste running inefficient internal cooling devices. As a way of keeping your conditioners at peak efficiency, make sure that the filters are changed at least once every three months. On other occasions, the hitch may not be about the filters. This means that you should keep a watchful eye on your system so as to detect any possible malfunctions as soon as they occur.

4. Use Blinds/Shades

To minimize the amount of heat entering your house, you should use blinds or shades to keep it well at bay. As such, blocking direct sunlight means that you don’t have to use extra electricity units powering any cooling appliances. Even if you find blinds/shades rather expensive, use your creativity to prevent excess sun exposure. The whole aim is to keep temperatures within tolerable levels and thus preclude the need for turning on any electricity-powered cooling apparatuses.

5. Plant Trees

Instead of using more power running air conditioners and fans during hot summer months, it’s more affordable to grow shrubs around the house. Particularly, make sure that you plant such shrubs or trees near the windows and the sunnier sections of your home. There are really no specific rules – simply position the trees at strategic positions where they can shield your house from direct sunlight. However, these plants should be grown a few months before the hot season sets in so that they’re able to protect your house against the searing summer sun.

Taking your medication properly is extremely important  when considering your health. But many Americans make the same common mistakes that put them or their loved ones in danger. We have some very good tips to help keep you and your family safe with proper medication handling.

Keep It Secret

This may seem to be too obvious to mention but all too often people will tell others such as friends or neighbors what medication they take or where they keep their meds. There are hundreds of thefts reported where friends or family members have robbed a love one of their medication. This is more likely when drugs such as narcotics and pain killers are involved. You should only trust your immediate and responsible family members with the information concerning your medicine.

Keep Them Locked Away

Keeping your medications out of reach from small children and pets is just as important to taking them everyday. Drugs that work for the following should most definitely be kept out of sight from small children and have caused death: Medications that lower blood pressure or regulate heartbeat, any type of diabetes drug, prescription pain meds such as hydrocodone are lethal to children and are the leading cause of drug death by infants, antidepressants are the second highest drug killer for children, muscle rubs, eye drops, and nasal sprays can also do great harm to a child.

Here are some tips on how to keep your medications safe from children reach:

• Medication lock boxes – These are great ways to keep your medications safe. There are some that are password protected and come in travel sizes for easy use during trips. Here is a great video from MedSafe about locking medication boxes as well.

• The higher the better- For smaller children its easy to keep them away from dangerous drugs by simply putting them in a high and hidden place such as the top of your closet or atop high pieces of furniture.
• Safety caps- There called safety caps for a reason: to keep your child from even being able to open the pill bottle.
• Put it where you found it – Its always important to put all medication back in its hiding spot right after use and when it is out, don’t let it out of your sight. It also doesn’t hurt to check for pills that may have been dropped on the floor after use.
• Talking to your children – Many parents neglect to even tell their children that drugs that are dangerous to them exist in their own home. Proper education for young children is essential in assuring they don’t mistake a pill for a piece of candy.

Read The Labels

Far too many Americans today misuse their medication by not taking it as prescribed by their doctor or as RX label provides. In 2013 over 50,000 deaths were related to some sort of drug related abuse. We understand that not all overdoses are the result of drug abusers but an unreasonable amount of people had succumb to death by mistaking or misunderstanding their medical doses.

Always Be Prepared

Always be prepared for an emergency – If you can’t prevent a problem, at least know the best ways to fix it. The Poison Help Center number (800-222-1222) is always available to help in emergency situations. They even insist caregivers call even if you only have suspicions that your child may have gotten into dangerous medication including soaps and detergent.

10 Essential Interior Decorating Tips

Interior decorating is really a significant part of a residence and there are a number of interior design tips that one may use to achieve an attractive as well as well-maintained ambience in the home. It does not take a great deal to make the interior part of a room appealing and it is often reasonably priced as well. You don’t need to purchase many things; all you require is an excellent eye for the details, color, and also pattern coordination. Of course you can always hire an interior designer as well. In the subsequent paragraphs, we will mention 10 essential interior decorating tips.

10. Make Use of Mirrors Appropriately

Mirrors can easily make a compact space appear larger, however, it is not that straightforward. They perform best by reflecting the light. This could be the color of the wall or even the reflected light. Be familiar with what is actually reflected in the mirror by positioning yourself in different parts of the room. In fact, mirrors will decrease visible space since they often reflect the incorrect things.

9. Highlight Vertical Lines

We sometimes overlook that a room features a vertical axis. Add items to the space to cause your eyes to shift upwards from the furnishings. Huge vases with tall branches, floor lamps, full-length curtains, vertical paintings, long mirrors, or stacked paintings, and mantles are possible options.

8. Match up the Furniture to the Room’s Dimensions

In case your room is compact, pick smaller sized furniture. Apartment size couches, armless chairs, etc. can make the room seem much more spacious. Consider getting a bench instead of a traditional coffee table.

7. Get Indoor Plants

Whether you’re trying to add a statement piece or simply prefer to fill an empty corner – bringing indoor plants provides depth as well as a persona to virtually any room. It could provide the much-needed color to several rooms or even break a professional looking decoration.

6. The Small Painting Technique

In case you end up with an artwork or artworks which seem small in the living room while hung on top of a sofa, you will need this trick. Rather than placing them in the middle – hang them on both sides. You would be amazed by how nicely that works aesthetically.

5. Lighting

Lighting is essential in just about any room, particularly in a small room. Keep the window blinds light as well as airy in order that sunlight will be able to shine through or have curtains which can be drawn back to allow the light flood in. For the evenings or when there is little natural light, utilize extra lighting in every room. A darkish corner is an excellent place for a floor lamp. Wall sconces occupy very little space and could be used to emphasize specific parts of a room. Lights above artwork add an extra layer of illumination and also emphasize the artwork. Perform a visual check to confirm that all the four corners of the room have sufficient lighting.

4. One by One

In an urge to finish off with your designing, you might be enticed to purchase all the components at the same time. Avoid that no matter what, as generally you would purchase items that simply fill up space. As an alternative, spend some time and only bring in the items you adore, slowly yet steadily. The truth is if you are beautifying by yourself it is a wise decision to do one particular room at a time.

3. Take a Photograph

Anytime you are noticing something too meticulously, it is possible to lose sight of the bigger view. When you’re decorating it is advisable to step back and then observe the room. Even better, take a photograph and this can help you evaluate the weak spots quicker.

2. Avoid clutter

Discover interesting methods to store the items which are required in a room, e.g., baskets, storage cubes, covered decorative boxes, and so on. For example, a particular room might have a beautiful wicker basket that serves as an end table. There is a box covered with fabric on the shelf and the espresso table features a lower shelf that can be utilized to store boxes, books, baskets and so forth. Often the greater space you have, the more items you build up. Try to keep shelving sorted out.

1. Ensure to have a center point in the room

The room should have a focal point which can draw a person’s eye to it immediately when entering it. For example, you can easily exhibit a beautiful artwork, an antique vase, a few art figurines or perhaps an architectural object.

Summary

Decorating your property is a job which is worth it in case you decorate smartly. There numerous times in which a residence is decorated but it turns out to be an awful blunder. While you beautify your house, keep the above-mentioned suggestions in mind which will make your job much easier. Comprehend the fundamentals of interior decorating and going back to the basics is always a great plan whenever you get caught on a particular task.

Here is some more great tips for decorating a small bedroom.