Remodeling

From Exterior Porch to Interior Space

2010-06-02T20:56:00.001-05:00

If you need additional living space and your home has a porch, you’re in luck!

Enclosing that porch could be a simple, cost-effective way to gain the space you want.

You can gain space without eliminating the yard. Side porches can be easily converted into home offices, play rooms, or den/family rooms. Rear porches are ideal for adding space to extend your kitchen. Sometimes people would like a space for overflow during the holidays. With energy efficient windows, any porch can be converted into a room that you can use all year round.

Give us a call to set up a consultation. The porch’s location, its wall and floor materials, and the condition of the existing foundation will influence the ease or difficulty of modifying a porch. Consider, also, a wood-burning stove. New models are efficient, attractive, and can heat a large room easily. We can help you decide how best to supply heating and cooling to your new space.

If you have a home with a porch and need additional space, you have all the ingredients you need to create a beautiful new room. What’s keeping you from getting started?

Garage organization

2010-04-18T15:12:00.001-05:00

Are you spending more and more time outside as the weather warms. Does everything in the garage end being pushed in the corner during the winter? Do you have to shuffle things around to get to the lawn mower, or kid's toys?

There are many different solutions to keep things organized and off of the floor for easier floor cleaning. Modular wall slatting is a popular unit for hanging all those odd-sized items such as tools, mops, brooms, skateboards, extension cords, golf bags and more.In addition, there are baskets and containers that can be freely arranged on the wall to hold balls, toys, and a wide selection of items.

Efficient garage storage designs include a variety of cabinet types and sizes. Everything in your garage can be available at your fingertips. A workbench to hang small hand tools and work on projects. Lighting ususally can also be added easily also.

Screens are available for most overhead doors so you can entertain in the garage while still be protected from the sun or weather.

2010-04-12T11:44:00.003-05:00

Spring is the perfect time to give your home a check-up

2010-03-07T08:10:00.000-06:00

Spring is the perfect time to give your home a check-up. Every home needs some maintenance each year, and most people do about one home improvement project a year. As you look ahead to the best months for exterior repairs and remodeling, a little planning can save you both money and time.
Change the batteries, inspect, and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Clean your gutters. Debris in the gutters can clog and cause overflow problems with the spring rains. Put on downspout extensions if necessary to get water away from your foundation walls.

You should also check over your deck once winter starts to fade. The winter can cause decks and railings to crack or split and should be replaced in the spring with new wood. You can also apply a wood protecting finish to the wood to prepare it for rain.

Check for damage to your roof. Signs include missing, curling, cupping, broken or cracked shingles. Pooling or ponds of water that fail to drain from flat roofs may indicate low areas and inadequate drainage.

You can get air conditioning unit checked out and serviced. Some HVAC companies that will offer a yearly service plan. Also, you should replace your air filter.

Inspect trees for broken branches. If the limb is high up, hire a licensed arborist. If you can reach it from the ground, take it down using the three-cut technique, which prevents bark from tearing and creating an open wound on the trunk

Ice Dam

2010-02-20T07:41:00.003-06:00

When the weather starts to warm, ice dams can form on the roof causing leaks and ice.
An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas.

What causes ice dams?
There is a complex interaction among the amount of heat loss from a house, snow cover, and outside temperatures that leads to ice dam formation. For ice dams to form there must be snow on the roof, and, at the same time, higher portions of the roof's outside surface must be above 32° F while lower surfaces are below 32°F. For a portion of the roof to be below 32°F, outside temperatures must also be below 32°F. When we say temperatures above or below 32°F, we are talking about average temperature over sustained periods of time.
The snow on a roof surface that is above 32°F will melt. As water flows down the roof it reaches the portion of the roof that is below 32°F and freezes.

The dam grows as it is fed by the melting snow above it, but it will limit itself to the portions of the roof that are on the average below 32°F. So the water above backs up behind the ice dam and remains a liquid. This water finds cracks and openings in the exterior roof covering and flows into the attic space. From the attic it could flow into exterior walls or through the ceiling insulation and stain the ceiling finish.

Some steps to help prevent ice dams:
First, make the ceiling air tight so no warm, moist air can flow from the house into the attic space.
After sealing air leakage paths between the house and attic space, consider increasing the ceiling insulation to cut down on heat loss by conduction.
Roof ventilation can help maintain uniform roof temperatures, but if the long-term actions described here are done effectively, then only small amounts of roof ventilation are needed to maintain uniform roof surface temperatures. If heat transfer has been reduced substantially, then snow will build up on the roof and cover natural roof ventilation systems, reducing attic ventilation rates. Natural attic ventilation systems are needed to dry the attic space and remove heat buildup during the summer. Power fans are not recommended.

Condensation on new windows

2010-02-12T18:30:00.002-06:00

Water forming on new windows is because one of several things is happening. The temperature of the inner glass surface is at or below the dew point for the amount of humidity in your inside air. The humidity of your indoor air is quite possibly much higher now with your new windows because the air leaks around your old windows were eliminated once the new windows were installed.
Several conditions can increase condensation problems. If you close drapes over windows, this can cause the glass temperature and the temperature of the air between the drape and the glass to become cooler, making condensation more likely. If the thermostat setting is dropped substantially at night, this will cause an increase in relative humidity and may increase condensation. This condensation should vanish once the temperature rises in the morning.
The best way to deal with condensation on high-quality, double-glazed windows is to reduce indoor relative humidity to no more the 40 percent. You can do this by using kitchen or bath exhaust fans until condensation disappears. The fans will be more effective if you open a window elsewhere in the house to provide replacement air. Be sure that the fans you use exhaust to the outside, instead of going to the attic or just recirculating air within the house.

Questions to ask your potential remodeling contractor

2010-01-18T13:30:00.000-06:00

Good question #5: What can I expect for cleanup? That’s really not a very good question, because everyone always promises to clean up thoroughly. It’s finding people who actually fulfill that promise that’s hard. But at least if you ask it, you have the promise to remind the contractor of if he doesn’t live up to it.
Better question #5: Tell me exactly what I can expect for dust protection and cleanup – and put it in writing. Okay, that’s not a question – it’s an order. But it’s the type of order you should give. It beats the heck out of vague verbal promises in terms of getting actual results. Make sure you reach an understanding about what to expect throughtout the project, not just at the end. And, clarify how your contractor plans to keep the unavoidable dust confined to the work area, not drifting through ths space you're living in.

Questions to ask your potential remodeling contractor

2010-01-05T11:14:00.000-06:00

Five good ones, five better ones, one best one (by Thorn Jarvis)

Good question #4: Who will be working on my home? Are they professional tradespeople or day laborers? Employees or sub-contractors? How long have they worked for you? Can I trust them in my home?

Better question #4: Who will be working on my project – at my house and in your office? The difference between this question and the “good” one is that it recognizes you’re paying for more than the people who show up at your house. Behind them should be support staff, helping organize and coordinate the work. When you call the office, do you get a helpful person or an answering machine message? Will everything you discussed with your previous company contact person get accurately conveyed to the people doing the work on site? Will the right people, with the right materials and equipment, show up when you were told to expect them? Coordination and communication are critical to a successful remodeling project.

Questions to ask your potential remodeling contractor

2009-10-30T11:20:00.003-05:00

Five good ones, five better ones, one best one (by Thorn Jarvis)

Good question #3: How long have you been in business? Past history is one indicator of future expectations. The failure rate of building contractors is staggering, even in normal economic times. Consider your situation if someone does shoddy work in your home (which you may not discover until after they’re paid), and then disappears from the scene. In some cases, the cost of repairing poor work, or the “collateral damage” caused by substandard work, can far exceed the cost of the original shoddy work.

Better question #3: How long have you been in the remodeling business locally? Working on your home while you live there is completely different than building new homes. And blending new renovations with the imperfections of many existing homes requires a finesse that people used to new construction may not possess. The downturn in new home construction has prompted many contractors who used to do new homes to “turn into” remodelers, some literally overnight. It’s a tougher transition than most people realize. And if new home construction picks back up in a few years as expected, will that “overnight remodeler” be available to provide service on the work he did at your home?

Kitchen Remodeling Tips (Part 1)

2009-10-28T20:30:00.009-05:00

A kitchen remodeling project is a major undertaking. Make sure you take the nessecary steps to make sure it is as streamlined as possible.

Questions to ask your potential remodeling contractor

2009-10-22T14:16:00.001-05:00

Five good ones, five better ones, and one best one (by Thorn Jarvis)

Good question #2: Are you licensed? When you ask this, you need to know that the State of Illinois does not issue licenses for general remodeling contractors. There are, however, licenses for some of the specialized trades that often work on remodeling projects, such as roofing, plumbing, heating/air conditioning, and electrical.

Better question #2: May I see a current copy of your license? And while you’re on that topic, ask What professional associations do you belong to? Trade groups like the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), National Association of Home Builders Remodeling Council, and Guild Quality, help screen out the fly-by-night contractors in a way somewhat similar to licensing. And by the way, the current status of all licenses issued by the State of Illinois can be verified at www.ildpr.com.

(This is the second installment in a six-part series. Stay in touch for the next "good" and "better" questions.)

Questions to ask your potential remodeling contractor

2009-10-15T14:38:00.004-05:00

Five good ones, five better ones, and one best one (by Thorn Jarvis)

Good question #1: Are you insured? You know you should ask this. You may not know why. The “why,” in short, is if something bad happens on your job such as an injury or accidental damage to your home, and your builder is not properly insured, the liability could fall on you.

Better question #1: May I see a current copy of your certificate of insurance? If you don’t know what you’re looking at, ask the builder to explain it. It should show evidence of coverage for both worker’s compensation insurance (covering injuries to workers on the job) and commercial liability insurance (covering other hazards such as the risk of damage to your home in the course of doing the work). The certificate may also show automobile coverage or “umbrella” coverage. Look for a large dollar amount of coverage between general liability and umbrella, such as $2 million or more. (Ken Spears Construction carries $4 million.) And don’t compare the value of your project, or your house for that matter, to the coverage limit – there are hazards covered by general liability insurance that could far exceed the value of the project or your house. Coverage limits for workers compensation insurance, however, are set by law, so as long as that coverage is in place, you can consider yourself protected on that front.

Make sure the contractor's coverage is current. In these hard times, some contractors who carried proper insurance in years past have let their policies lapse; and some of these may unscrupulously claim to still have coverage.

(This is the first installment in a six-part series. Stay in touch for the next "good" and "better" questions.)

Amercian Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

2009-07-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 went into effect, there has been a lot of questions, what does and does not qualify for home improvement activities.
From mechanical equipment in the basement to insulation in the walls, there are plenty of opportunities to invest in building products that will help earn tax credits.
In some situations high-efficiency roofing is great investment option. Typically everyone thinks of windows, insulation, but often missed is the value of roofing. Cool shingles can add to the price, but the government will pay for half right now and the rest will be returned within the first quarter of the shingles life span.Here are some of the requirements and deadlines for remodeling energy improvements and equipment http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits#s1

2009-06-22T09:12:00.002-05:00

Thinking about refinancing your home to take advantage of low interest rates? Think about your future home improvement needs before you sign on the dotted line.

Mortgage refinancing may provide an ideal opportunity to pay for a home improvement project, large or small. Whether it’s something you’ve been wanting to do for a long time, or a more recent need, rolling the cost into a refinanced mortgage may be far better than financing separately later.

The key is to look ahead to anticipate the needs of your home in years to come. Will a changing family require changes to your home in the next few years? Are any major components going to need replacing soon? Will energy-efficient improvements pay for themselves in reduced utility bills? Will an improvement make the home more marketable when the time comes to sell it? It only makes sense to consider your longer-term home needs while you’re working out long-term financing.

If you need some preliminary input from experts on the feasibility or cost of a project in order to address it with refinancing, give us a call at Ken Spears Construction. We are more than glad to provide early input into the process.

Tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements

2009-06-10T09:24:00.005-05:00

If you’re interested in improving your home to make it more energy-efficient, you have a rich uncle willing to help pay for it: Uncle Sam.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also referred to as the “stimulus package”), signed into law on Feb. 17 of this year, includes Federal tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements such as new windows, doors, insulation, roofing, and heating and air conditioning systems. The credit is for 30 percent of the cost of materials, up to $1,500.

The products installed must meet certain standards of energy efficiency in order to qualify for the credit. There has been some confusion over what products qualify, especially in the case of windows. The Federal government standard for windows has actually changed three times since February.

The “final answer” on windows is, effective June 1, 2009, replacement windows must meet a stringent standard for insulation (U value of .30 or less) and resistance to solar heat gain (coefficient of .30 or less).

A tax credit which was in effect in past years had a lower standard of qualification – that is, that the windows be Energy Star rated. Energy Star is a sort of “seal of approval” by the federal government that says products are “energy efficient.” You may have seen it on household products like appliances and lighting. There is also an Energy Star standard for windows, which many windows meet. But that does not guarantee that they’re good enough to qualify for the tax credit. The Energy Star website puts it this way:
“… not all ENERGY STAR qualified homes and products qualify for a tax credit. These tax credits are available for a number of products at the highest efficiency levels, which typically cost much more than standard products.”

If you find that confusing, you’re not the only one. And the rules for insulation, roofing, and heating/air conditioning systems can be even more confusing. The bottom line is, the tax credit can provide substantial help in paying for home improvements, but “doing it right” requires some guidance from informed professionals.

At Ken Spears Construction, we’re working hard to learn all the details and stay up-to-date on rules that are sometimes changing day-to-day. We aren’t tax advisors, but we can help make sure you get the right products and the right documentation to qualify, as well as being the right product for your home and lifestyle. We can also deliver top-quality installation, so you reap the full energy savings and improved appearance to your home, as well as the tax advantage!

2009 Guildmaster with Distinction

2009-03-02T14:46:00.004-06:00

Guild Quality has just announced that Ken Spears Construction, Inc. has just been awarded the 2009 Guildmaster with Distinction Award. Ken Spears Construction achieved a recommendiation rate of at least 90% and a survey rate of at least 80%. Check out the Guildmaster page at www.guildquality.com

Warm up a creaky old house

2009-02-19T11:06:00.001-06:00

Warm up a creaky old house – for free
Now you can roll the costs of tightening up a drafty home into a mortgage, save on your monthly utility bills – and then take a tax credit.

Think a thick sweater and dialing down the thermostat are the only ways to save on a budget-busting winter heating season?

A relatively unknown financing option called the "energy efficient mortgage" might help you keep your home cozy as well as keep the bills down. And after the first of the year, Uncle Sam will even kick in incentives, in the form of tax credits, for home energy improvements.

Created by Fannie Mae, the EEM dates back to the Carter administration, though the program was updated in 2002. The tax credits are included in the 2005 energy bill.

With an energy efficient mortgage, a home is inspected and scored by a certified energy rater for about $300.

Then, the cost of improvements, such as a new furnace, more insulation or newer windows that would improve the score, is rolled into the loan.

Even though mortgage payments are higher, lower utility bills result in a home that is cheaper to operate. Lower monthly bills also enable the homeowner to qualify for a larger mortgage.

A double bonus for homebuyers
Michelle Desiderio, senior product developer at Fannie Mae, thinks the energy bill and the energy efficient mortgage program can work together for the benefit of homeowners.

Under the new energy bill, homeowners can also claim a tax credit of 10% of the cost of certain energy improvements, up to $500 total. Homeowners who install solar technology get more generous credits: 30% of the cost, up to $2,000. Such tax credits, which can be claimed on 2006 and 2007 tax returns, can be considered as additional income in loan qualification, Desiderio says.

"There's a great market impetus as a result of this new energy bill," she says. "If you're looking to buy a home next year, you could look to an EEM either for purchase or refinance and get the double benefit."

"It's a good marriage for existing homes," says Steve Baden, executive director of RESNET, a national organization of home-energy raters.

Last fall, Imelda Ramirez and her husband Felipe Lopez used an EEM to finance the purchase of their Lansing, Mich., home. The main energy improvement was a dual-fuel furnace, which switched between gas and electricity, depending on which was the most efficient. Ramirez said last winter's heating bills never even got into three digits.

The furnace and other improvements added $5,000 to the couple's mortgage. But they expected to net an annual savings of $740 thanks to the lower utility bills.

"We were really pleased at what we were paying in comparison with what other people were paying," says Ramirez.

An expensive winter ahead
Joel Wiese is a mortgage broker at Indigo Financial in Lansing, Mich., who specializes in EEMs. He handled the Ramirez-Lopez mortgage last year. Since Hurricane Katrina, Wiese said he's seen an increase in inquiries about EEMs from both home buyers and builders -- and not just from gung-ho environmentalists who would be attracted to an EEM in any case.

It seems there's a higher percentage than of average people who are thinking about it," he says. "Americans don't change until they feel pain, and this is going to be a painful winter on heating bills."

Imelda Ramirez says she's grateful that her family made their energy improvements with the EEM, given the grim outlook for energy costs.

"Just looking at the numbers, if it does go up 40%, that's something we can support. I'm just not worried about it," she says.

To encourage customers to check out the EEM, Wiese says his office is considering offering a challenge to customers: He'll pay closing costs if they don't save money.

"We feel pretty confident we can do it in every case," he says.

EEMs are available as fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages. Buyers can also refinance their current loan with an energy efficient mortgage. While interest rates generally remain low, buyers should run the numbers to insure that the energy savings will offset the costs associated with the new loan. EEMs typically provide the most savings on older homes.

Look at the fine print
Saving money is in fact a requirement of an EEM. Borrowers can spend up to 15% of the value of the home on energy improvements. They must deliver greater energy savings than the upfront cost.

EEMs are particularly attractive to buyers looking for lower-priced properties, either as buyers or investors. Lower prices usually mean older homes that are typically less well-insulated and are more likely to have leaky windows and doors and inefficient appliances. By fixing those flaws with EEM financing and realizing lower monthly operating costs, a buyer can afford a bigger house.

Also, the cost of the improvements is added to the appraised value, rather than taken out of equity, giving the buyer an immediate stake in the property.

The key with both an EEM and the new tax credits is making improvements that will save on energy costs. Those usually aren't visible or otherwise considered an enhancement to the home -- things like tightening the house with weatherstripping and caulk, adding more insulation, and installing newer furnaces and air conditioners.

New windows are one of the improvements that can make both an aesthetic and functional difference. But the tax credit for them is capped at $200. Other qualifying improvements, including new furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters, are capped at $300.

"I think everybody should get their $500," says Ed Pollock, team leader in residential building research at the Department of Energy. But since homeowners still are on the hook for 90% of the improvement cost, "People need to be intelligent about what they do," he says.

Baden says he expects that the tax credits will spur homeowners to use rater services, in order to decide what improvements are worthwhile.

"The smart homeowner would. It's their money. They're putting up 90% of the cost, and I think it would be well worth it for a smart homeowner to see what the best improvement is" he says. "Not all improvements are equal in terms of cost effectiveness."

Tax credits are also available to new home builders, but the bar is higher. A credit of up to $2,000 is available if the home's heating and cooling load is reduced 50%, which must be verified by a third party like an energy rater. That's an aggressive threshold, Pollock says. "The builders I have talked to are not too excited about it."

By Cari Noga, Bankrate.com

Cost vs. Value Trends

2009-02-08T20:03:00.000-06:00

This year’s Cost vs. Value results extend last year’s trend toward higher returns on smaller, lower-cost, maintenance-related projects. Siding and window replacement projects once again occupy seven of the top 10 rankings for cost recouped, partly because they are often necessary repairs and involve durable, low-maintenance materials that improve curb appeal, and partly because, at a construction cost of between $10,000 and $14,000, they are among the lowest-priced projects in our survey. The high value of window replacement projects may also indicate that rising energy prices continue to influence remodeling decisions. Although the payback period on replacement windows can vary greatly, in homes with windows more than 15 years old, new windows not only reduce maintenance and boost curb appeal, their higher insulation levels and greater air tightness also improve a home’s energy efficiency.

Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report 2008-09

2009-02-07T15:48:00.002-06:00

The results of the 2008–09 Cost vs. Value Report are surprising. A sluggish real estate market, and an increasing number of foreclosures while our survey was in the field this summer, led us to expect that the ratio of a remodeling project’s cost to the value it retains at resale would drop substantially more than the 8.02% (6.1 points) decline experienced in 2007.

What the 2008–09 data show, however, is a slowdown in the decline of the average cost-value ratio across all projects to only 3.86%, just 2.7 points down from 2007 (see “Percentage Recouped at Resale” graph).

Even with a mild (2.67%) increase in 2007 construction costs, it seems likely that if house values were plummeting as far and as fast as media reports would have us believe, the Cost vs. Value results should have been much worse. Instead, these results suggest that instances of steep home-value depreciation occurring in some parts of the country, particularly those with widespread foreclosures, have led to conclusions about the weakening of the overall existing home market that, while certainly not unfounded, could be exaggerated.

A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) suggests something similar, while making the case that elements of the current housing crisis are overblown. In the 55-page report, entitled “The Foreclosure-House Price Nexus: Lessons from the 2007–2008 Housing Turmoil,” authors and university professors Charles W. Calomiris (Graduate School of Business at Columbia), Stanley D. Longhofer (Director of the Center for Real Estate at the Barton School of Business at Wichita State University), and William Miles (Department of Economics at Wichita State), say that it can be misleading to use the extreme circumstances in a few states to draw conclusions about the country as a whole — at least as far as the relationship between increased foreclosure rates and house-price declines. They conclude that, despite a rise in foreclosure rates throughout the country, just 12 states are projected to see price declines of 6% or more through 2009.

The authors base their conclusions on data from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) house-price index, which they argue is a more reliable, useful dataset than the Case-Shiller Index, to which they compare it in their report. They note that the Case-Shiller Index omits 13 states and has incomplete coverage of 29 states, and they argue that it is biased in favor of more expensive homes. (The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are published monthly by Standard & Poor’s and Fiserv; a national index is published quarterly.)

Using data for each state going back to 1981, Calomiris, Longhofer, and Miles describe links among five variables: foreclosures, home prices, employment, single-family home permits, and existing home sales. In contrast to the aggregate national market, they believe state-level data make it possible to measure linkages using the frequent ups and downs that occur in state and regional housing markets. By concentrating on states, the authors claim, the study takes into account the effects of widely varying employment growth, an effect that continues to define important regional differences.

“Even under extremely pessimistic scenarios for foreclosure shocks, average U.S. house prices … likely would decline only slightly or remain essentially flat in response to foreclosures like those predicted for the 2008–2009 period,” the authors conclude, adding that “house prices are quite sticky, even in the face of high financial distress.”

Though the authors admit that “unusually tight consumer credit conditions or other factors” could cause steeper price declines than they estimate, they conclude that, “even when one proverbially bends over backwards to inflate estimated foreclosures and take account of ... their effects on house prices, there is no reasonable basis ... for believing that the housing wealth of consumers has fallen or will fall by much more than 5%.

Outdoor Living Areas

2009-02-03T14:06:00.015-06:00

As extensions of indoor living areas, patios and decks require accessories that will make these spaces as joyful and attractive as possible.

Outdoor Kitchens add to the real estate value of a home. Consider your cost in outdoor kitchens as an investment. Outdoor Kitchens have become one of the hottest trends in the past 5 to 10 years. Outdoor kitchens can cost anywhere from $ 3000 to about $ 15,000 but they are worth every penny.

The look and feel of an outdoor kitchen depends on your needs and how you would be using it in the long run. Make sure to blend your design with your house surrounding to add to the aesthetic appeal. Three common design of the outdoor kitchen grill island are the basic island, the L shape, and the U spape. These islands form the core of your outdoor kitchen. Accessories and aesthetics can be added as per your tastes.

A pergola gives a deck character and provides a focal point for decoration and
design. Pergolas are great for vines, other climbing plants and hanging baskets.

A deck is a quick and cost-efficient way to gain outdoor living space.
Also a deck is an ideal way to create a level outdoor area on a sloping site. There are many different materials to use. Composite material is generally maintence free, and has many different colors and sizes. Treated and cedar material is a less expensive option. These options are available with matching railings.

Kitchen Remodel

2009-01-30T14:54:00.006-06:00

Remodeling a new kitchen is a project you may only do once. So rather than begin by ripping out the old there are steps to take to make sure that you end up with a space that will produce lasting efficiency and pleasure.

The first step is to compile your list of "must haves" in your kitchen design. This is the time to put your ideas to paper. Some places to look are:

- Magazines
- Internet pages

Size: Now decide how big you want it. In either a remodel or a new build space is always finite so you may have to carve off some of the items to make room for the essentials. Remember the triangle between the refrigerator, stove and sink.

Cabinets and Appliances: These are the both the focal point and the prime functional features of your kitchen so take your time on deciding what you want. Style, color and size of the appliances are important because you can't easily change the cabinets once they are in place.

Hardware: A person first setting eyes on your kitchen will notice the cabinets first. But the hardware is next and should provide accents like the trim on a new car while being functional and allowing easy access. This includes self-closing drawer mechanisms and pop-out hardware which enables you to get at items stored in the back of bottom corner cabinets.

Countertops: Despite how much they cost or how good they look countertops are the work bench of the kitchen. Granite is today's material but it is costly. Placing a close second is cultured rock and acrylic polymers which can also be costly and, like real stone, are porous and susceptible to staining. Laminate is cheap, comes in a variety of colors and styles and is easily replaced for a change of style.

Backsplash: As much as the countertops do backsplashes can add the final touches to you kitchen. Your eyes are drawn to this surface as the defining measure of the kitchen. Metal backsplashes, like stainless steel and copper, are popular now but tiles are warmer and you can get them in hundreds of shapes and styles.

Flooring: As much as exotic flooring like cork is becoming popular tile is the all-out favorite because of price. However, as homeowners get older they find that cork it is warmer-looking and softer on the feet than tile.

Porch remodel

2009-01-28T15:10:00.008-06:00

Here is a screened porch tying into the existing house. It has composite decking with wood siding. The grooved ceiling has nice color contrast to the blue gray siding.

This is a porch that we are converting to 4 season heated living space. It will be insulated, drywalled, and windows installed. It will also have a roof over the door to protect guests from the elements.

Insulation and Air Sealing

2009-01-27T20:58:00.007-06:00

Air sealing is one of the most significant energy efficiency improvements you can make to your home. Air sealing will not just reduce energy costs; it will also improve your home's comfort and durability. Any air sealing efforts will complement your insulation efforts, and vice versa. Proper moisture control and ventilation strategies will improve the effectiveness of air sealing and insulation, and vice versa.

Air leakage, or infiltration, occurs when outside air enters a house uncontrollably through cracks and openings. Properly air sealing such cracks and openings in your home can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs, improve building durability, and create a healthier indoor environment.

It is unwise to rely on air leakage for ventilation because it can't be controlled. During cold or windy weather, too much air may enter the house. When it's warmer and less windy, not enough air may enter. Air infiltration also can contribute to problems with moisture control. Moldy and dusty air can enter a leaky house through such areas as attics or foundations. This air in the house could cause health problems

Fireplaces Add to Home’s Charm and Salability

2009-01-27T20:13:00.009-06:00

As we are in the coldest part of the winter, who hasn’t pictured himself or herself snuggled up next to their “significant other” on a chilly winter’s evening, getting lost in the relaxing warmth and ambiance of a fireplace’s dancing flames and crackling sounds from burning logs. Or, perhaps, you’ve imagined your little ones racing downstairs to the living room, where surprise-filled stockings hanging on the fireplace mantel await their tiny eager hands. Or, maybe, you just get mesmerized watching the roaring flames wander every which way, as the day’s tensions dissolve right along with the burning wood logs.

Also consider – adding a fireplace to your home will most likely benefit your bank account when you put your home on the market to sell – for those of you who aren’t planning to stay put for life. In fact, the National Association of Home Builders recommends the addition of a fireplace as one of the best home enhancements for giving you a great return-on-investment – to the tune of $12,000, roughly, or, according to other estimates, 10% additional in resale value for attractive, well-maintained ones. Many real estate experts also note that fireplaces are high on the
list of desirable home features sought by homebuyers. Besides, think about the amount of enjoyment you and family will gain from it in the meantime.
So, if you’re seriously ready to add a fireplace to your home, you may be surprised to lean there is more than one option available – unlike in your grandparents’ heydays, when your choice was limited to the old-fashioned wood burning-chimney combo, relatively unchanged for centuries. Today’s choices reflect consumer’s demands concerning creativity, design, size, and functionality.

Consider these fireplace types:

Wood burning or Masonry:
The traditional type of fireplace we’re all familiar with; uses bricks or stones as a building material; has a chimney and usually a mantel; perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing -- the focal point of the room, and oftentimes, the home; uses a damper device to allow air in and smoke out; not as efficient of a heating source as other fireplace types – most of the heat radiates upward and ultimately, outside; higher maintenance – requires periodic cleaning – dark, sooty film eventually builds up on the stone or brickwork; more costly than other types – $10,000 or so is typical.

Gas:
The most popular choice – uses ceramic logs (they don’t actually burn) to simulate real ones; visually appealing; low maintenance; flame action resemble wood burning flames; much less costly than its traditional counterpart – some units can be installed for around $1,000; some models are actually designed to effectively heat a room; can be installed within an exiting traditional type fireplace; some come with remote controls, complete with thermostats, oxygen depletion sensors, and carbon monoxide detectors, making them extra safe; uses natural gas or propane; more economical to operate than the traditional type; no extra space needed to store wood logs.

5 recession proof remodeling projects

2009-01-27T11:20:00.013-06:00

These high-performance, lower-cost improvements add to your fun now and improve your home's value down the road.
By Marilyn Lewis of MSN Real Estate

As house values drop across much of the country and loans become harder to get, homeowners are finding themselves with fewer easy-money options for lavish remodels. Instead, they're going after projects that cost less at the outset or garner practical savings -- or both -- and hold their value when it comes time to sell.

Rather than grand kitchen and bath upgrades that expand and rejigger floor plans, many homeowners in the middle price range -- that's under $500,000 in most markets --are ordering modest, practical, recessionproof improvements that build a home's long-term value while, for example, boosting energy conservation and allowing owners to settle in and enjoy the place, since they're unlikely to turn a profit on it right away.

Erik Anderson, co-owner of Anderson-Moore Builders in Winston-Salem, N.C., says clients tell him, "I'm going to batten down the hatches and fix this place up and live in my house for a while."

Data from Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report show that higher-priced remodeling projects are recouping less of their cost in 2007. In 2003, the average return on investment after one year for upscale remodeling projects was 82.5% of the cost to build. That dropped to 75.5% last year and to 70% in 2007.

At the high end of the market, however, lavish improvements live on. Paul Zuch, of Capital Improvements in the Dallas area, says about half his clients still pay cash for jobs that cost, on average, $500,000. Despite the report in Remodeling, "They want the heated floors and multiple body sprays and all the bells and whistles and tricks they can put into these projects," he says.

The rest of us, however, might want to consider these five recessionproof projects that remodelers say can boost a home's value down the road while garnering practical and immediate payback.

A pared-back kitchen upgrade
If you lust for a gorgeous new kitchen, take heart: You can get a handsome upgrade that won't require you to sell your children to pay for the project. You'll enjoy highly visible changes right away while investing in a higher resale price. Such scaled-back kitchen remodels earn back an average 83% of the investment, according to the Remodeling magazine survey.

To trim costs, confine the work to cosmetic improvements. Rethink fully replacing your existing cabinets. New cabinets are the biggest single item in a kitchen remodel; you'll save around 25% of the total cost by keeping the old cabinet boxes and replacing only the faces and hardware.

Save still more by staying within your kitchen's footprint. In his market, says Houston-area remodeler Dan Bawden, $35,000 to $40,000 will buy you a kitchen "face lift," including the installation of new cabinet fronts and hardware, a sink, drywall and paint, flooring, lighting and granite counters, and leaving $6,000 for new appliances.

By comparison, a full remodel of a 10-foot-by-10-foot kitchen -- moving walls and replacing cabinets, appliances, lighting and flooring -- costs about $70,000, says Bawden, who owns Legal Eagle Contractors (he's a remodeler and a lawyer).

What's your home worth?
Besides granite, he also likes working with Silestone, a low-maintenance quartz composite that's 10% to 15% less expensive than granite. (It has anti-microbial materials mixed into the binder, and you can cut food or place a hot pot directly onto it without marring the surface.)

"The trick," Bawden says, "is to do things that have high bang for the buck." Instead of choosing top-of-the-line everything, select just one or two treasured elements to splurge on for a personal touch: a kitchen or bathroom backsplash of handmade tiles, for instance, or a high-end sink mounted flush with the counter surface.

Pared-back bathroom remodel

Apply the same philosophy to remodeling the bathroom. Say you have a room 5 feet by 8 feet. To gut everything, install new cabinets, granite countertops, sink, tub and shower, toilet, tile floors, lighting, vent fan, paint, wallpaper and a new window, you'd pay about $18,000 to $20,000.

Here's the scaled-down version: Reface existing cabinets with new doors, drawer fronts and hardware. Top the counter with stone. Forget the new window. Leave the tub where it is and put new tile around it. Repaint or wallpaper, replace the toilet, vent fan and mirror lights, and install a new tile floor. The cost drops to between $14,000 and $15,000 -- a savings of about 25%.

If you're really on a budget, repaint the cabinets rather than refacing them. Install new knobs, towel bars, a stone counter, faucet and sink. Repaint the room and add a new light and vent fan. Tile the floor but not the tub. It'll cost around $6,000 to $8,000. Whichever option you choose, you've made changes you'll enjoy for years. A remodeled bathroom boosts the price of your home, and you'll recoup 78% of the investment on average, according to Remodeling's survey.

In-law apartments
Creating an apartment for aging parents or for adult children is another way to squeeze double benefits from a remodeling investment. Once the apartment is no longer needed, rent it out for extra income. (Just be sure to check with your local zoning department first.) Or use it as guest quarters, a teenager's living space or an exercise or hobby studio.

Bawden says he's done a few of these so-called mother-in-law additions in the past, but now there's "a gush" of requests. Many baby boomers, he says, are asking, "Do we want to blow Mom and Dad's savings on assisted living and completely deplete their resources in a few years, or do we want to bring them home?"

The huge baby-boom generation will be dealing for years with elderly parents, so an in-law unit is likely to be attractive to home buyers. But to be sure it will pay off in your area, ask an experienced real-estate agent.

Besides the savings from consolidating households, the added square footage adds to the resale value. Homeowners who spent around $98,000 on master suite additions earned back an average of 69% of the cost when they sold the house, the Remodeling magazine survey found.

In Houston, a one-time investment of $80,000 to $130,000 buys a 400- to 500-square-foot in-law addition, usually to the back of the existing home, Bawden says. He recommends a ground-floor living room-bedroom combination with a bathroom and perhaps a kitchenette. For older occupants, create a home that's navigable in a wheelchair, if necessary. That includes wide doors with no thresholds, bathroom grab bars, and closets, showers, kitchens and sinks that can be approached in a wheelchair. (Read "" to learn more.)

When adding an independent living space:

Make the transition into your home one that can eventually be closed and locked, with a wide, wheelchair-accessible door and strong casement.

Build a separate outside entrance with pavement for easy entry.

Make sure the addition is consistent in every way -- from the quality of workmanship and materials to the design -- with your existing home. A jarring difference between the house and addition can subtract from the resale value.

New exterior siding
Wrapping your house in a new, weather-tight shell of siding delivers a lot of zing for a relatively small cost. The exterior becomes new, which can distinguish your home in a crowded resale market. You can earn back an average of 83% on a $10,000 investment, plus your heating bills drop immediately. The higher fuel prices rise, the smarter you'll feel. Some siding products even have a bonus: little or no maintenance.

There are a lot of choices for replacement siding, including vinyl, acrylic, fiber cement, metal and wood. As you compare them, balance the cost, insulation, color durability, strength, ease of maintenance and, of course, attractiveness of each.

Bob Birner, vice president of Amazing Siding and Windows in Tomball, Texas, believes acrylic is the best recessionproof candidate because it gives the best look and most insulation for the least cost. You won't need to remove old siding, unless it’s rotted or damaged. Acrylics do a good job of mimicking wood's thickness and variability (pros call this the siding's "shadow line"), and acrylic comes with a foam backing that has an insulation rating of R-4 -- hard to match with other replacement sidings. (R ratings of 1-3 are typical for siding, with the highest possible rating being R 4.8.)

Siding costs vary depending on your home, your contractor, your region and the product you choose (an example is Crane Performance Siding). Acrylic replacement siding costs between $10,000 and $20,000, installed in his area, Birner says.

Acrylic is solid and low-gloss, unlike hollow vinyl siding, which has a plastic sheen. Colors are baked on in the factory, so you won't need to paint. Ever.

That's all some homeowners need to hear. "Most people say, 'You know what, I'll be happy if I never have to paint again,'" says Birner, who co-hosts a radio show on remodeling in his city.

A caution, though: Make sure you love the color. Because you can't paint over it. That's the color your home is going to stay.

For more flexibility, consider fiber cement (Hardie board is a popular example). Replacing siding with fiber cement runs roughly $15,000 to $25,000. You should remove your old siding, though, and add insulated sheathing for improved energy efficiency. The maximum insulation you can achieve with fiber cement is R-3, Birner says.

Replace your windows
Here's another double-duty investment: Jazz up your home's exterior by replacing old windows that bleed costly warmed or cooled air into the atmosphere. New windows that are tightly constructed and filled with insulating gases can make a big contribution to your home's energy efficiency and bring down your heating bill. They also dress up a home to pay you back at resale: On average, nationally, homeowners who spent $10,000 to $11,000 on window replacements recouped 80% when they sold the home, according to Remodeling's survey.

Window efficiency is rated by its "U-factor," from 0.1 to 1.2. The lower the number the better, and the more it costs. For Energy Star ratings recommended for your region, check the University of Minnesota Efficient Windows Collaborative's chart. But you don't really have to worry about U-factor comparisons. Just look for the government's Energy Star seal. If you don't find it, keep shopping.

An efficient, 3-by-5-foot window framed in vinyl runs between $500 and $800 installed, Birner says. Remember, though: You can't repaint vinyl.

If painting is important, consider windows framed in fiberglass, such as Marvin's Infinity line -- about $650 to $900 for a 3-by-5-foot window. Or, look at Andersen's Renewal line: These windows, framed in a composite material of reclaimed wood fiber and polymer, cost $700 to $1,000 for a 3-by-5-foot opening. You can even choose stainable wood trim for the window interiors, which adds at least 35% to the cost. (See a primer of window components.)

If your local building code requires tempered glass, budget about $150 more per window. To ease the pain, check here to see if your state offers rebates or incentives.

By investing in one of these recessionproof projects, you'll feel better about owning your home, even in the face of gloomy housing forecasts.

Basement remodel

2009-01-24T08:59:00.009-06:00

Are you faced with a dark, unfinished space that you want to become something you can actually enjoy? Don't know where to start? Remodeling your basement can provide a number of benefits such as increasing your living and storage space.

The first thing you need to decide is what you want to remodel your basement as. The choices are almost limitless and ultimately it will come down to your needs.
Some design options for renovating your basement include:

* Creating a family room
* Creating multiple rooms such as a den and a bedroom
* Creating a room where the kids can freely play
* Creating a home office space
* Creating an entertainment area with built-in bar area
* Creating extra living space and adding a laundry room
* Creating an intament area with a fireplace

Home Theater

2009-01-22T20:34:00.001-06:00

Home Theater:
Many options are available for building home theater rooms, including wall or ceiling mounting hardware, high-quality AV cables, surround sound systems and important accessories like power conditioners and surge protectors. Remodeling is a great time to build these components into the architecture of the room so the result works at its best and looks great.
TV Options:
Flat-panel TVs range in size up to 60 inches plus, and installation options are limited only by your imagination. It's possible to mount flat TVs on walls, in corners, over fireplaces, under kitchen cabinets or even behind bathroom mirrors. Media Center computers with large monitors also can double as a TV to create a multi-purpose workstation for a study, kitchen or child's room. And projectors, once reserved for the boardroom or home-theater enthusiasts, bring the big screen into the home for more families to enjoy.
Media rooms:
Remodeling is a great time to build-in surround sound speakers where digital TVs
will be located. For instance, 7.1 and 5.1 sound requires speakers in specific locations around the room. Most homeowners want these speakers built into the walls and don't want to see any wires. Permanently installing high-quality speakers, or at least the speaker wires, is easy to do during remodeling but very difficult and expensive afterwards. For media rooms with front projectors, special video wiring is required between the projector and the AV equipment.

Current projects

2009-01-22T13:17:00.002-06:00

This is a project that will add a third car garage, with a office and closet space in the dormer above.

2009-01-22T13:03:00.000-06:00

Are you looking to refinance your home for some home remodeling? If so, it is easy to do and there are many home refinance options; using the equity in your home for a refinance for remodeling is also a good idea as it is tax deductible. So, how do you begin?
Once you and your contractor have determined the amount of money for your home remodel, call your trusted loan officer, or lender, to determine which loan option is best for you. If your existing first mortgage is higher than the going rate, you may wish to refinance your first mortgage and draw out extra cash to pay for your home remodeling. If your current first is at a good interest rate already, you may wish to look at other options for the cash needed.
Two good options are:
A home equity line of credit—this is an equity line of credit that you can put as a 2nd instead of refinancing your first for your remodeling. The benefits of a home equity line of credit are that you only pay interest on the amount you draw out, you can pay down and borrow against your home equity line as needed, and you can usually get one for little or no cost. The downside is that the interest rate is variable so it may go up.
A home equity loan is also a good alternative for refinancing your first for remodeling as you can also get one for little or no cost. However, as a 2nd trust deed, the interest rate will be at a higher rate than a first mortgage. The difference between the home equity line of credit and the home equity loan is that the home equity loan is fully amortized, a 30 years due in 15 years, at a fixed rate of interest.

Selecting a remodeling contractor

2009-01-22T12:44:00.000-06:00

Get references from the contractors you are
considering.
-Ask for the name and address of pervious
customers. Check with those people who have had
work done and ask if it was satisfactory.
- Be sure the contractor has a permanent business
location and telephone number.
-Check the contractors credit reputation with local
banks or suppliers.

Be sure the estimate specifies the total price, the
terms of payment, the kind of materials to be used
and the expected time it will take to complete the
job.

Detailed job specification, which include a
description (brand names, colors, grades, styles and
model numbers) of materials, a list of all costs
spelled out clearly, and any architects or engineers
drawings, which are required.
-Start and completion dates. These should allow for
any reasonable delays, but should include a clause
allowing you to withhold payment if work slows down
for no apparent reason.
- A statement that all required building permits and
variances will be obtained by the contractor before
work is begun. The building permit is for your
protection. An inspector will make sure the finished
job meets all codes and safety standards and make
the contractor responsible for corrections.
- A guarantee that the contractor carries liability
insurance and has Workers Compensation
coverage, in case of accidents on the job.
- A statement of warranty on the work. Be sure it tells
if labor and materials are guaranteed, and for how
long. A statement that cleanup will be done by the
contractor should be allowed.
- A provision for credits if there are large amounts of
materials left over. On the other hand, you should
be prepared to pay for extra materials if the project
takes more than anticipated. Your remodeler should
provide you with a description of these extra costs in
writing, so that there are no surprises on your final
bill.
- The terms of payment should be clearly stated in the
contract.