Jun
28
What are the best upgrades for resale value to an older ranch home in rural upstate New York?
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | 1 Comment
We live in a small village in upstate NY. An older community of older houses. There is a big seasonal community on a nearby lake, with many pricey homes. Our house is a very well built 1952 ranch. It has wide crown molding throughout. Hardwood floors everywhere but kitchen & baths. Redid the bathrooms 2 years ago in nice but not magnificent manner. The floors are in good shape. We recently had the house repainted. The kitchen cupboards are in good shape & not really dated. We have 2 fireplaces, 1 in the living room & 1 in the basement. The basement needs to be refinished. The back/side porch was remodeled into a family room w/French door about 20 years ago, it has carpeting which we are going to rip out & replace w/floating wood flooring. We recently put new sashes in all the old Anderson windows. I would like a deck. We have a large yard. My husband is interested in putting a metal roof on the house when it next needs one and I am adamantly opposed. Any ideas for the best upgrades?
Jun
28
Looking for an appraisers answer how much would the following raise the appraisal on my home?
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | 1 Comment
We are in the middle of a major remodel on our home, the following are things that we decided to change after the original appraisal was done how much more do you think these items will add to our appraisal,
*2 New -100 gallon Hot Water Heaters Electric
*New Septic Tank
*25 extra sq ft
*Retaining walls around 80% of the house with landscaping and flower gardens inside them
*all new plumbing
*all new bathroom, sink, bath tub with tile shower walls, tile flooring, toilet, and sheetrock.
I am trying to figure out if we go a little over budget if these additional things that we decided to do will increase the appraisal value? Thanks in advance for your answers
Jun
28
DIY Computer shutdown on itself, and can’t get it back to normal?
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | 1 Comment
I just put all the parts together, and I pushed start button on the Computer case. It worked at first, and all of the sudden the Computer shut down by itself when I was installing XP. When I restart it again, my screen is not showing up anything (The screen is in power saving mode). The whole computer is doing what is suppose to do. The graphic card is running, the power supply is running, the HD is running, CD ram is working, and the light on the motherboard is on. The Memory stick is doing fine too. By the way, the Green light and the red light on the computer case is not showing up either. It was on when the first time I started it.
This is what I have:
AMD x2 3.0GHz
Geforce 8800GTS
250 GB SATA
Motherboard: ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI
500 W power supply
Memory: GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
People suggest me to take all the parts out and reseat them, but what if that doesn’t work?
Jun
24
Where do you go when you are buying a new Home Appliance?
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | 2 Comments
I am looking for a new washer/dryer and potentially remodeling my kitchen.
Jun
24
I am a beginner in DIY jewellery so i hope you guys can help me out. What metal do you recommend to use for headpins/earring hooks???????? 1) Bronze alloy 2) Silver plated 3) Gold plated
Which is the best in terms of non-corrosion/rust(very important!!!) mallaebility(sp), durability, allergy senstive and just general long wear without side effectsIm trying to make a pair of earrings. Also, do you know a good thickness for the heapins? I really don’t want a thin, breakable metal and i want the thickness to accomodate most beads. i would appreciate any advice.
Jun
24
Is it safe to build a shower next to a breaker box in your home?
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | 4 Comments
We are remodeling our bathroom,and we are going to build a custom tile shower and realized that where we need to make our “wet wall” access panel to the plumbing,right next to it is the back side of our breaker box. Is it still safe to build the shower there?
Jun
23
10 Steps To Successful Home Remodeling
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | Comments Off
Step 1: ***** your current situation
Do you have the funds, time, and patience to remodel your home? Does it make sense to remodel or simply move into a larger home? According to the American Homeowner Foundation, moving can be extremely expensive, typically involving a 6 percent commission on the sale of the current home, plus another 2 to 4 percent for closing, moving, and other costs. This organization suggests that if you like your present neighborhood, you should instead look into what improvements you could make for 8 to 10 percent of your current home’s value before you seriously consider moving as an alternative to remodeling.
Step 2: Decide how long you intend to stay in your present home
Are you remodeling so you can sell faster or get a higher sale price? Or are you remodeling to create a more comfortable environment for a long-term situation? The answers to those questions will determine how much money you should spend and the scope of the remodeling project you should realistically undertake.
Step 3: Start defining the areas of the home that you want to change.
You should have some idea of what the remodeling project will entail before you call a contractor. Cut pictures out of magazines. Make a list of rooms that need to be altered and the reasons for those changes. This information will help speed the design phase of your remodel.
Step 4: Clear plenty of time on your calendar for the project.
It’s unrealistic to attempt to remodel your entire kitchen the month before Thanksgiving! You should establish a realistic timetable with your contractor that allows for delays due to weather, supply shortages, or other glitches that may occur.
Step 5: Find a reputable contractor
The only way to protect yourself during a remodeling project is to hire a professional contractor. Make sure that you choose a contractor who is insured, licensed, and a member of a professional trade association.
Step 6: Create a budget
Decide how much you can realistically to sell, your budget should not exceed any projected increase in market value of the home that is the result of remodeling. If you plan on staying in the home for a lengthy amount of time, you should spend a little more to get what you want.
Step 7: Request a comprehensive proposal from your contractor
The proposal should tell you how much the project is going to cost and what types of products will be used. If you proposal comes in above your budget limit, talk to your contractor about other options. Sometimes you can accomplish the same look with other products or design techniques.
Step 8: Get a complete, written contract before the work begins
The contract should cover the description of the project, timetable, payment schedule, types of products, etc., with provisions for the responsibilities of the contractor, subcontractors, change order procedures, warranties, and alternative dispute settlement clauses.
Step 9: The payments to work stage
Be very wary of any contractor who wants a large amount of money up front. Normal contracts split payments by decreasing percentages of total cost and are tied to significant work stages in the project. Please note, however, that a large amount of money is usually required at the start of kitchen remodels to cover the costs of ordering appliances.
Step 10: Take a deep breath and keep your perspective
Remodeling can be noisy, time consuming, and disruptive to the normal home environment. It’s important to keep your sense of humor and stay focused on the end result, not the process that takes you there.
By: Clive Chung
About the Author:
Also check out Home Remodeling Plans to learn everything about how to remodeling your home.
Jun
22
How can I be happy with my home? I want a new home but don’t want a big mortgage?
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | 2 Comments
I own a townhouse that is not attached to any other houses.
It has:
a 2 car garage
1650 square feet
3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths
a small backyard that is the size of a huge patio and I wouldn’t really call it a “backyard”
NO front yard since it’s a hill and plants
I will have the mortgage paid off next year. My house was built 20 years ago so its really dated.
My friends have huge fancy homes. Obviously they have huge mortgages too. I am sometimes bummed out since my home is not as nice as theirs.
Do you think if I did a little remodeling I would feel happier with my home? The home owner’s only allows simple remodeling like updating the kitchen, replacing tile, painting, etc.
I was thinking of gutting out the house and replacing everything with updated stuff since my tile, kitchen and everything else looks very 80’s.
Any ideas? I don’t want to be house poor like my friends because I want a newer home, but I want to be happy with what I have.
Thanks
Jun
20
what do you think is the most effective element to improve on when remodeling a house?
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | 2 Comments
What will add to the house’s value the most? Also, what is the easiest/cheapest way to add value to a home?
Jun
19
What action should I take against bogus design consultant?
Filed Under Do It Yourself (DIY) | 5 Comments
I was contacted by a man who obtained my phone # from a Home Remodeling Show about some windows. He doesn’t have a license, but business cards printed “Design Consultant” saying he does windows & more. He came to my house measured for windows, got paid 1/2 the money & also constracted w/me to do a bathroom. He hires people rather than do the work himself. There were & are still problems w/the bathroom job, but as that was being done he said he didn’t have enough money to finish the jobs & asked me to pay him the remaining money. Well STUPID me, I did!! Now I have an unfinished bathroom & no windows. He met w/the death of his wife & I have tried to wait for him to come through. This all began in late July/Aug. & now it’s April & he never mentions finishing the bathroom, & goes for weeks w/out any mention of the window installation. I don’t know what I can do if anything. I would appreciate any suggestions.