It is not always the best solution to transfer or buy a new house simply because you are tired of how it looks. You might be bored of the atmosphere at home and you are looking some place where it would give you a totally different experience. Well, there are several ways on how to cope with this boredom. Remodeling your place can be a great and feasible solution. In fact, you do not need to hire an interior decorator just to materialize this plan. There a lot of DIY home improvement ideas which you can apply to your house for a totally different set up.

You can always improve any part of your house which you think is already too outdated. You might want to consider the basement first then slowly go up until you reach the attic. But do not get too much excited about it. There might be countless ideas which go over your head right now and you do not know where to start. So, to keep it organized, just read the pointers below for few DIY home remodeling ideas.
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Posted in: Home Improvement
Tags: home improvement ideas, interior decorator, painting, remodeling project, wallpapers

Kitchens are highly valued by most homeowners. This is among the areas of the house that can significantly affect its value. This can also influence the decision of a buyer to purchase a property or not. This is why it is important that homeowners take care of their kitchens. They have to see to it that it is an ideal place for food preparation. It should also be a great place for families to bond.

Keeping the kitchen updated can be a challenge especially if it has not been redecorated for years. This makes the design trends very helpful. However, before learning about the many trends of kitchen designs, it is important that you consider essential factors first.

The different factors you need to consider before updating your kitchen:

Among the most important considerations you need to make is your budget. The budget can influence your project in many ways. This is why you should also allocate your budget properly. This will affect the purchases you will make as well as the other sub-projects for the kitchen update. All of these are essential to maximize the amount you have identified and to avoid overspending.

Before you come up with a design, you should also check the different areas in the kitchen that have to be repaired. There might be mold formation under the sink or water damages around your dishwasher. You might also need to replace your faucet. For the update to go smoothly, you need to check all areas of the kitchen before starting.

The space is also an important consideration. Are you going to increase the space there? If you are, how are you going to do that? Will you need to destroy a wall or use a space of another room? You need to decide because this will significantly affect your budget.

Finally, you should also consider your design plan. There are several trends you can follow. But before you mimic the trends, see to it that it fits your lifestyle.
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Posted in: Home Improvement
Tags: kitchen designs, kitchens, updating your kitchen

You probably know that boosting your home’s curb appeal is one of the most important ways to maximize its value. But that doesn’t mean you need to take on a pricey job like replacing the windows or installing a blue-stone walk. In fact, you’ll probably get a bigger bang for your buck with upkeep that costs a few hundred dollars at most — like touching up the paint, mulching planting beds, and staining fences and decks. “A lot of buyers expect to invest in big projects to customize the house, but no one wants to deal with deferred maintenance,” says Rick Wohlfarth, a realtor in Cundy’s Harbor, Maine.

Another advantage of these maintenance projects: Since they generally involve grunt work rather than serious expertise, you can save some cash by doing them on your own. Or if sweat equity isn’t your thing, it’s easy to find someone to handle the project at a very reasonable cost. The key is knowing what supplies to use and how to get the work done right, whether you’re doing it yourself or farming it out.

Touch up the paint outside

Why now: Aside from making a home look a tad, well, neglected, peeling paint lets moisture and ultra-violet light get at the wood siding. That means more paint is going to come off and, after a couple of seasons of exposure, your house won’t hold new paint well either, making a full paint job a pricier proposition.

What do buy: Go for the most expensive paint in the store ($30 to $45 a gallon). While it may be tempting to buy the cheap stuff instead ($15 to $20 a gallon), the high-quality pigments and binders in top-drawer paint make it last five or more years longer than economy products, according to Bud Jenkins, professor of paint chemistry at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. Take a chip of existing paint to the store, and an optical computer will match the color. Ask for water-based paint, which is easier to use and more environmentally friendly than oil-based products. One gallon will be plenty. You’ll also need to spend another $40 for a gallon of premium oil-based primer, which will make the paint stick better.

Get it right: Don’t try to touch up more than a few isolated spots that are peeling — if your exterior has more than that, you’ll need a full-blown paint job, which should be done by a professional and typically runs $3,000 to $6,000 and up. Otherwise, simply remove any loose paint in the troubled areas with a scraper, and then use a polyester brush to apply one coat of primer to any raw wood followed by two coats of paint.

If you want to hire: House-painters generally won’t do touchups unless they’re fixing a previous paint job of their own — in which case, they may not charge you at all if the job was under warranty and it’s been only a couple of years since it was done. Failing that, your best bet is to hire an experienced handyman, who will cost you about $100 to $400.

Mulch the yard

Why now: A fresh layer of mulch provides visual contrast to the plants in your landscape, giving foliage and flowers eye-catching pop. Mulch also promotes healthier plants all year round because it keeps water in the soil and provides nutrients as it breaks down.

What to buy: Skip the bags of mulch at the home center ($3 to $4 each) because you need more than can fit in even the biggest SUV. Instead, spend $35 to $60 per “yard” (including delivery) for mulch at a landscape supply yard; it will be a local product, which is less likely to introduce invasive diseases or insects into your garden (a risk with bagged mulch that has been trucked hundreds of miles from its source). Cedar, pine, cypress, and hardwood are all equally good, so pick the look you like. But make sure to get 100% bark, since whole-log mulch can release plant-damaging compounds into the soil. Expect to use five to 10 yards of mulch for the typical lot, says landscape contractor Joseph Hillenmeyer of Lexington, Ky.

Get it right: Use a garden spade to cut a nice clean edge in the lawn around the beds. Then use a pitchfork, wheelbarrow, and rake to lay a two-inch thick mulch bed. It’ll take a weekend of hard labor to complete the job in an average half-acre yard.

If you want to hire: Since there’s little skill involved, a handy-man or even a laborer can handle this job. You’ll pay around $500 to $1,500 for mulch and labor on a half-acre lot — or up to twice as much if your yard is heavily planted.

Seal the decks and fences

Why now: Unless it’s a tropical hardwood like teak, all outdoor woodwork needs protection from the elements. Otherwise you’ll be shelling out $1,000 to $2,000 for new decking in a few years.

What to buy: Seal with stain, not paint, which would require you to scrape and sand every time you need to refresh the job. Use oil-based stain, which will soak into the wood and minimize the prep work for the next coat, says Ernie Sears, a Manassas, Va., deck and outdoor product manufacturer. Expect to spend $20 to $35 for a gallon of premium oil-based stain; choose a solid stain for a painted look or a clear stain for a natural look. Make sure the clear stain contains chemical UV-blockers to prevent wood degradation from the sun. You’ll also need wood cleaner ($25 a gallon) and a soft-bristled scrub brush or a power washer ($50 to $100 for a one-day rental) to remove dirt, mildew, and any remaining finish before staining.

Get it right: Good news for the home-improvement-challenged: Staining a fence is one of the most DIY-friendly jobs out there. Drips or spills land on the ground, where you can just scoop some soil over them.

If you want to hire: Some painters specialize in this job — and just about any handyman will tackle it. Either way, you’ll pay $500 to $1,000 for a typical deck or fence — unless you can use Tom Sawyer’s trick to get the kids to do it for free.

Posted in: Home Improvement
Tags: curb appeal, maintenance projects, new paint, paint job, peeling paint

Just a few years ago you could count on getting the bulk of your money back for almost any home-improvement project you took on. Today merely replacing a toilet seat can feel like throwing caution, and cash, to the wind. According to a study from Remodeling magazine, the average return on value for an upgrade declined from 87% in 2005 to 64% in 2009. But these six new rules will help you maximize your return on your remodeling investment.

Repairs get the biggest returns

The smartest money now goes into “undeferring” needed maintenance. That’s because while buyers might appreciate enhancements like Jacuzzis and Sub-Zeros, they won’t tolerate a house with a leaky roof or antiquated plumbing. “If a property is known to have issues, today’s buyers won’t even look at it,” says Austin real estate appraiser Jim Amorin.

And trying to keep problems a secret can cost you big-time. If buyers discover them during inspection, it’s now common practice to ask sellers not only to pick up the tab for the repair but also to pay a penalty to compensate the buyer for the inconvenience of having work done.

So the $20,000 you saved by putting off a roof repair, say, could turn into a $30,000 credit to the buyers at closing, says Amorin.

Remodeling beats adding on

McMansions have gone the way of the SUV — and large additions don’t pay off either. “There’s been a fundamental shift toward quality over quantity,” says Warwick, R.I., real estate agent Ron Phipps.

Having a big, formal living room plus an everyday family room is less desirable than having one multi-use common space. So rather than adding on, you’re better off repurposing existing square footage by reconfiguring the floor plan or capturing unused basement or attic space.

Want an eat-in kitchen? Knock down the wall between the kitchen and dining room ($2,000 to $8,000, depending on whether it’s load-bearing or contains plumbing). That will instantly create a large eat-in kitchen and give the whole house a more open feel — without a huge investment to make up at resale.

Eco-friendly upgrades can save cash

Some green improvements pay you back long before you sell your house. Install energy-efficient features, such as EnergyStar appliances and extra wall insulation, and you’ll see lower energy bills every month.

Add in the federal tax credit of up to $1,500 that lasts through 2010, plus many local rebates and tax incentives (see dsireusa.org), and the work may pay for itself in just five years. Green features are also increasingly a selling point, says Phipps. “Most people in the market right now are first-time homebuyers in their thirties, and they’ve been raised to care about carbon footprints and being ecofriendly,” he says.

The best way to go green is with a while-you’re-at-it job: When it’s time to replace your furnace, for example, upgrading to super-efficiency might add only $500 (after tax credits), compared with standard new equipment, but it will save you — and your buyers someday — $150 or more in annual heating costs.

Tech infrastructure trumps cool gadgets

Home electronics seem like a deal, since prices have fallen about 50% over the past three years and continue to drop, according to Stephen Baker, president of industry analysis at NPD Group, a market research firm.

Still, that doesn’t change the fundamental problem with expensive built-in technology: Put in a $10,000-plus dedicated home theater today, and something better will come along tomorrow and make your system look as if it’s from the Mesozoic Era. With buyers seeking any excuse to low-ball their offers, they’re not going to reward you for an out-of-date system.

Tech infrastructure is different, however. Anytime you’re opening up walls for a construction project, have cabling and Ethernet ports installed. At about $80 a room, it’s a low-cost way to provide the capability for whatever technologies come along.

Let the Joneses be your guide

During the boom, you could be the first on your block to have a luxury kitchen, spa bathroom, or in-ground pool and count on others following suit. And even if the neighbors never took your lead, there was plenty of equity growth to cover your costs.

Nowadays that fudge factor is gone. “You really have to keep your house’s amenities in line with the neighborhood now,” says Kermit Baker, director of the remodeling futures program at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

If other houses on the block have real marble countertops, by all means add one to your house, but if everyone still has faux blue-marble Formica from the ’70s, you’re not getting your money back.

Also, keep your projects design-neutral so they’ll appeal to the greatest number of people. Choose neutral colors and traditional electrical and plumbing fixtures unless your house has a modern architectural style.

The new payback time is five years

As with any volatile investment, the longer your time frame, the lower the risk. Don’t take on a big project if you’re likely to move in less than three to five years. There’s just too much chance that any money you put in — aside from necessary repairs or superficial cosmetic work — could be lost while the housing market continues to meander.

But if you plan to stay awhile, don’t delay starting a project. Home improvements are a bargain right now, with contractors bidding 10%, 20%, even 40% lower for the same work than just a year or two ago, says Bernie Markstein, senior economist for the National Association of Home Builders.

Grab them while they’re hungry for work and make it clear that you’ll be getting multiple bids so they’ll be motivated to undercut one another’s prices. You’ll fulfill the first rule of investing: Buy low. Then hope that when you’re ready to move, you can sell high.

Posted in: Home Improvement
Tags: home improvement project, real estate agent, real estate appraiser

The housing bust and subsequent tightened credit market put a damper on many homeowners’ grand renovation plans.

Now, though, it looks like things might be about to change. Spending on home remodeling is expected to bottom out this quarter and pick up in 2010, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. The center’s latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA), released last week, projects annual declines in spending to ease from the current rate of 12% to 3.1% in the third quarter of 2010, as remodeling fundamentals turn positive. (The indicator started seeing year-over-year declines in mid-2007.)

Owners spent an estimated $109.7 billion on home improvements in 2009, down from $120.1 billion in 2008. The center forecasts that number to reach $110.9 by the third quarter of this year (for the four previous quarters).

Part of the reason for the turnaround forecast has to do with the housing market in general, which is by some measures showing signs of stabilization.

“We’re seeing people seeming a little more comfortable – specifically, people willing to work with larger jobs, do larger investments in their home,” says Bruce Case, president of Case Design Remodeling, a home-renovation firm based in Washington, D.C. Whereas about a year ago, most of Case’s clients signed up for smaller, need-based projects (like fixing a leaky roof), now they’re reaching a little more into the want-based projects, such as remodeling a bathroom or adding an extension.

“But we’re still seeing cautiousness,” Case says. “People don’t want to make a mistake.” Indeed, a still-tight credit market is curbing some homeowners’ ability to borrow for remodeling projects.

For homeowners who are thinking about giving their place a facelift – to either increase resale value or just because they want to transform the basement into a fourth bedroom – there are plenty of pitfalls to avoid.

“Even though there might be an upswing of work in 2010, it’s going to be slow. Homeowners have to figure out how to buy a new kitchen, how to pick a contractor, and figure out how much to spend,” says Shawn McCadden, an independent consultant to the remodeling industry in Groton, Mass., who used to own a remodeling business.

Here are a few things to keep in mind before you pull the trigger on a remodeling plan and invite the plumbers and electricians in.

Discount may not equal deal
Just a few years ago, a homeowner planning a renovation could make calls to three different contractors asking for estimates and not one would respond. With the changed market came a silver lining for homeowners who could still afford to renovate: contractors who returned calls and offered lower prices.

But the lowest price on a job may not always be the best deal. Consumers should be wary of heavily discounted prices, says McCadden. It may be a sign that the contractor isn’t running his business properly or is cutting corners. “If a contractor is spending your deposit money on a job he’s finishing, he may not even show up at your house, or he might not be there to take care of warranty work when the job is done,” he says.

When interviewing contractors, ask not just about the work but how the work will get done, says McCadden. Ask how they’ll manage the house, how they choose materials and how they’ll hire plumbers, carpenters and other workers.

DIY projects
The days of easy financing that enabled homeowners to pay for pricey remodeling projects are gone. Home-equity loans are much harder to come by these days, says Bruce Brown, a certified mortgage planning specialist at Pulaski Bank Home Lending in Kansas City, Mo.

So with an eye to saving money, many homeowners want an a la carte remodel: For example, owners do the painting or buy some of the materials while the contractor installs the new cabinets and does the electrical work. Owners are looking for places where the remodeler can bring most value to the project, says Case. And they’re willing to get their hands dirty if it means a lower bill.

But if you want to do part of the work yourself, be realistic about your skill level. Don’t try to install a new staircase if you’re never picked up a hammer. You’ll also have to accept responsibility if something goes wrong: “If you buy the paint and it peels off two years from now, it was your responsibility to provide the right material for the contractor,” says McCadden.

Lead regulations
As of April 22, contractors doing repair and renovation work in homes built before 1978 will have to comply with new Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Pre-1978 homes must be tested for lead. If lead is found, certain practices must be followed for projects that will disturb lead-based paint, including laying down new carpet, putting up curtains or painting.

If these new safety guidelines apply to your home, be prepared for a sea of plastic coverings – and a higher price. These new rules “will be a game changer and will be an additional cost to do the work,” says McCadden. It requires containment in the work area to prevent the spread of dust as well as specific cleaning and cleaning-verification practices. The EPA says the regulations will cost contractors an average $35 per project, including costs for materials, such as plastic sheeting as well as labor. McCadden says that’s a gross underestimate. “It’s misleading for homeowners who might think a contractor is gouging them on price because of this extra cost,” he says.

On this, too, homeowners should ask prospective contractors about their plans. The EPA advises that homeowners find out if their contractor is trained to perform lead-safe work and to review a copy of their training certificate.

Posted in: Home Improvement
Tags: grand renovation, home improvements, home remodeling, home renovation, Housing Market, remodeling a home, remodeling projects, resale value

HomeGain.com, one of the first websites to offer Web-based free instant home values, announced that it has released the results of its nationwide home improvement and home staging Home Sale Maximizer survey.

HomeGain’s recent survey shows the top do-it-yourself home improvements that Realtors recommend to home sellers. HomeGain received responses from nearly 1,000 Realtors nationwide and configured a list of the top 12 do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvements that cost under $5,000 and benefit sellers most when they sell their homes.

According to the HomeGain survey, the top five home improvements that Realtors recommend to home sellers based on cost and return on investment (from highest to lowest ROI) are:

1. Cleaning and de-cluttering ($200 cost / $1,700 price increase / 872% ROI)
2. Home staging ($300 cost / $1,780 price increase / 586% ROI)
3. Lightening and brightening ($230 cost / $1,300 price increase / 572% ROI)
4. Landscaping ($320 cost / $1,500 price increase / 473% ROI)
5. Repairing plumbing ($385 cost / $1,250 price increase / 327% ROI)

Cleaning and de-cluttering continues to rank as the top suggested home improvement (since the survey was originally conducted in 2000), recommended by 98% of Realtors, costing less than $200 and returning a value of nearly $1,700 to the home’s sale price, or an 872% return on investment.

“Many Realtors agree, especially in a buyer’s market, that sellers who make these recommended home improvements often get their homes sold faster and at higher prices,” stated Louis Cammarosano, General Manager at HomeGain. “We have customized our Home Sale Maximizer online home improvement tool to help identify and prioritize the projects that can increase the salability and selling price of a home.”

Rounding out the top 12, the list of low cost, do-it-yourself home improvements includes: updating electrical, replacing or shampooing carpets, painting interior walls, repairing damaged floors, updating kitchen, painting outside of home, and updating bathroom’s.

The home improvement projects with the highest price increases to a home’s resale value are updating the kitchen ($1,200 cost / $2,850 price increase), followed by painting the outside of the home ($900 cost / $1,815 price increase) and home staging ($300 cost / $1,780 price increase).

“Inexpensive cosmetic home improvements and basic improvements greatly enhance the value of the home,” stated Carol Wilson of Carpenter Real Estate in Indianapolis, IN, HomeGain AgentEvaluator member since 1999.

Posted in: Home Improvement
Tags: free instant home values, Home Improvement, home improvements, home sellers, home staging, realtors, return on investment