Remodeling My Home

In a November 2007 survey(1) of American homeowners, 70 percent of respondents reported that Americans are starved for storage. Home additions, however, can cost upwards of $79 per square foot(2), and with prices rising on everything from food to fuel, this spend may not be feasible for many “starved” homeowners.

There is a significantly less expensive way to create more room for storage-constructing a high quality, weather-resistant outdoor shed from Lifetime Products. These sheds start at less than $15 per square foot and can be used as storage space, home offices, workrooms and more.

To use a Lifetime shed for storage, it’s as simple as assembling the shed, hanging shelves and hooks, and loading in the goods. To create a home office, work room or hobby space, people can treat the shed as if it were a room in the house and set up tables, desks, filing systems, etc. to make a personalized space for a fraction of the cost of remodeling.

Constructed of steel-reinforced plastic for strength and durability, Lifetime Sheds resist cracking, fading, and rusting and never needs painting. The natural, wood grain design of the plastic walls also provides a stylish look that complements most backyard living spaces.

Read more…

The sluggish housing market is prompting some families to remodel their homes instead of selling their properties and moving into larger ones. A basement is an excellent way to “grow” the space of a home.

Money can be saved for those who are handy and have the time to do some of the work themselves. For others, the easiest path is to hire a contractor to oversee the project. Here are some tips to help homeowners decide which option fits best.

Things to Consider

The first thing a homeowner should identify when deciding whether to remodel a basement is: what is the ultimate goal? If more space is needed, remodeling or finishing a basement is a good choice. Gordon Varney of Back to Perfection Flood & Fire Services says if the reason is to increase the value of the home, it’s probably not worth the money.

“With the economy and the way the value of homes are right now, if you put $20,000 or $30,000 into your basement you’re probably not going to get a good return on your investment,” Varney says.

Homeowners remodeling for the sake of increasing property values would likely get more by upgrading the kitchen, which is typically considered the most valuable piece of real estate in the home.

Read more…

Green living is highlighted at the Miami Home Design and Remodeling Show now through Tuesday at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach.

Featured speakers include:

• Courtney Cachet, a home improvement expert, will talk about a variety of green products at 3 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Steve Gonzalez, residential contractor and author, will offer tips on making home improvements on a budget at 5 and 7 p.m. Sunday and 1 and 5 p.m. Monday.
• Angelo Surmelis, host of Rate My Space on HGTV, offers design tips at 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
• Discussions on home protection with hurricane shutters will be held at 8 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Monday.

Products and furniture from around the world will be on display in the Convention Center, filling 230,000 square feet with ideas for residential remodeling and decorating.

Hours are noon to 10:30 p.m. Sunday; noon to 7:30 p.m. Monday; 6 to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

While looking through my travel magazines, I’ve noticed how wonderful the bathrooms are in some of the nicer hotels. How can I get that hotel experience for my own bathroom at home without blowing my budget?

The idea of creating your own getaway or spa at home has been sifting down to the homeowner for some time, and now there are more ways than ever to do it, says Mary Ann Downey, certified interior designer and owner of Mary Ann Downey Interior Design in Sacramento.

Downey recommends that you start by deciding the mood you’re after – exotic, outdoor, Zen, whimsical, classic hotel, or whatever appeals to you.

“Why not consider an enclosed private garden area outside a full-height window or pair of French doors?” she asks.

To carry the garden mood, Downey would consider using privacy panels that have ferns or grasses sandwiched between two pieces of resin as your windowpane or glass door inserts.

If your view is private already, then consider keeping your windows uncovered. “Just make sure you have something wonderful to look at, be it a raked Japanese garden or riot of bougainvillea color.”

Read more…

A shotgun-style house with rooms flanking a central hallway is typical in many parts of Louisville. Less typical is remodeling that home to give it an updated feel.

Gary Watrous, principle with Watrous Associates Architects, modified a shotgun-style house to expand living areas and add a sunny Florida room to enhance the home and create a passive solar environment. The home is one of seven structures on the American Institute of Architects Home Tour in Louisville on Sept. 7.

As tourgoers scoot around town to view different buildings, they’ll encounter fresh ideas for home remodeling. The tour includes two condominium buildings in downtown Louisville as well as five suburban single-family homes. The tour showcases local architects’ best design work of the year.

Watrous said the home he included on the tour, at 1606 Rosewood Ave. in the Highlands, is of special interest to environmentalists because it’s a green addition that didn’t increase energy costs. He specializes in passive solar construction, which differs from active solar construction in that there are no solar panels on the roof. Passive solar features take advantage of sunlight streaming through windows to warm rooms and reduce energy costs.

The two condo developments on the tour are Bycks Lofts, at 532 S. Fourth St., and Fleur De Lis, at 324 E. Main St.

Read more…

Remodeler Jamey Watt’s latest job was one that made his wife, Jamie, especially happy — he redid their kitchen. Often, the last house on the to-do list for a remodeler or builder is their own.

“We wanted to update it and increase the resale value of the house,” Watt said.

Americans spent more than $235 billion on home remodeling in 2007, a 1.9 percent from 2006, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The most requested projects have always been kitchens and baths, and those are also the most costly, according to local and national remodelers. A kitchen renovation can range from $40,000 to $100,000, according to Watt, owner of Watt Construction. His kitchen renovation was an estimated $85,000.

The Watts bought their 1963 fixer-upper house on several acres in west Mobile in 1995, then spent weekends and their free time over the next couple of years remodeling the 8,000-square-foot house.

They remodeled the baths, floors, bedrooms and a

mother-in-law suite, and updated the huge indoor swimming pool and rec room. But the kitchen was one room that hadn’t been redone.

Read more…

What better way to glean inspiration for your home this fall than to tour local homes and see what others have done? September and early October offer a myriad of tours, providing a chance to see some of the greater Seattle area’s homes - up close and personal. From historic city homes to newer suburban examples, and from complete remodels to tiny kitchen renovations, these tours offer ideas for every style preference - like a design magazine brought to real life.

Great Kitchen & Bath Tour, Sept. 20-21

Kitchens and baths often pose tough design challenges when it comes to remodeling. The Great Kitchen & Bath Tour will offer a look inside more than 20 Puget Sound area homes with fabulous ideas for these two types of rooms.

Kathryn and Geoff Garrison knew they would eventually remodel the completely inefficient, 125 square-foot kitchen in their Phinney Ridge home when they bought it six years ago, but it took four years to get the project rolling. The 1923 home, just blocks from the zoo, overlooks Ballard and Magnolia, but needed some redesigning to allow the family of five to function in just 1,600 square feet of living space. “The kitchen was closed off and separate from the rest of the house,” recalls Kathryn. “To really get the best use of space, we said, ‘Let’s call a designer.’”

Read more…

Profits at the big hardware centers, Lowe’s and Home Depot, have fallen, but not nearly as much as some had feared.

With home sales plunging, sales of appliances, fixtures, carpeting, lumber, plumbing and all the other odds and ends that homeowners buy to spruce up their places have also slacked off. Many remodeling projects are begun either to enhance a home’s “curb appeal” ahead of a sale, or are undertaken to make that just-purchased home perfect for its new owners.

The home-improvement industry has weathered the storm, analysts are saying. “The sector “may not fully recover for a long time, but we’ve seen the worst,” said analyst Brian Nagel of UBS Securities. See full story.
The home-improvement industry is now in the grips of two contrary trends: Many homeowners know they can’t easily sell their current home to move into something more appropriate, so they may be more inclined to add a room, or remodel the bath or kitchen in their current home.

The higher cost of traveling and going out for a good time will also encourage more people to spend their leisure time at home. Buying a new TV or putting in a pool might be the smart thing to do.
But the money to do that may just not be available.

Read more…

He’s been through tough times before, but Brandon resident Mark Mahon never anticipated that he and his 14-year-old son would have to live in the Chevy van he purchased to carry supplies for his home-remodeling business.

The van has been their home for the past three months.

Mahon can no longer remodel homes because of a back injury.

“Because of the pain medication I’m taking, I can’t pass a drug test to even work at McDonald’s,” he said. “I would give my right leg to get my back fixed so I could work again.”

A Brandon middle school counselor referred Mahon to Brandon’s Emergency Care Help Organization when he enrolled his son. He was at ECHO Wednesday getting groceries, school clothes and school supplies.

“Hopefully, this will get us through until I’m able to get food stamps,” he said. “It’s really tough. My life hasn’t been a bed of roses, but I never thought I’d be in this situation at the age of 45. We just pray every night and go on from there.”

Read more…

Whenever you close your eyes and visualize your home after the remodeling, your heart skips a beat. As soon as you open them and realize what it takes to get it done, your stomach goes topsy-turvy. Perhaps you need guidance.

LetsRenovate.com features a free five-step home remodeling guide that includes ideas, plans and a home improvement catalog for each room.

By clicking on the link to your target room, you can find information on products and services. The site’s directory has resources on government guidelines, consumer reviews and product showcases.

Other tools include a home remodeling-contractors search, checklists, home valuation, payback estimator, library of articles and a calendar for making home improvement decisions and managing your project. The site also offers calculators for estimating financing options.

Users looking for lenders and brokers can use the nationwide referral network segmented by city and state to help find the best rate and terms for home improvement and home equity loans.