There are many things to consider when adding on to a house. It is a very stressful process if attempted without a plan and a contractor. With any addition there are steps to follow and budgets to be kept to keep adding on to your home a smooth event. No one wants to end up like they do in “The Money Pit” where Tom Hanks and Shelley Long are hopelessly wrapped up in home improvement renovations that their life together falls apart. Any project needs a good start to lead to a stellar finish. The following eight steps will help guide you in the right direction.
1 Dream Big
Think about what you want adding on to your home to accomplish? Are you looking for more dining space, a new outdoor entertaining are such as a porch or deck or are you adding on to your home because of a new addition to your family? Rank the goals that you are looking to achieve and once you see the things that are a priority to you it might become clear that adding on a deck or adding on a porch for outdoor entertaining is more important that junior sharing his room with a new sibling. It is nice to figure this out before the renovations begin.
2 Follow Local Rules
It is important that in adding on to a house that you pull the proper permits for any and all projects that you are doing. The last thing you need is to start and have an outside wall torn off your home and local inspectors that put a halt to your project for improper permits.
3 Be Open To Change
What I mean by be open to change is thinking outside of what is already around you. Just because a sink or tub is in a certain position now does not mean it has to stay there. Often you can make big changes to the layout of a room with just tinkering where the stationary items are placed. Doors and window placement can also be changed which adds a dramatic difference to many home additions.
4 Expand Efficiently
This is a very simple concept. Sometimes we have space that is usable staring at us and we don’t even realize it. We had a closet in our dining room that really was not suitable for use except for storage. We stored the items that were in there in the attic and revamped the space so that we could sufficiently add a hutch without using any of the important dining space.
5 Add Angles To Add Interest
If you are living in a square the outside can be spruced up by adding dimension with angles. Your home does not need to be kept square. If you are looking at adding on a deck add dimension to your home by adding levels and more complex angles and lines.
6 Consistency Is Key
It is important to use materials that are as close as originally used on an addition. If you cannot find siding that matches exactly or find something that compliments the new addition. You don’t want it to look like an add-on. Any addition to your home should enhance your home and blend to the point that it is not obvious anything has been done.
7 Landscape That Makes Sense
Make sure you take into account the outside when adding on to a house. It definitely does not make sense to create a space in which you have to destroy half your yard to put it in place. For instance it does not make sense to add on extra windows if you have established trees blocking the light the windows were supposed to expose.
8 Keep Things In Proportion
This is a big one. Adding on to your home is about making more space however don’t build a 2300 square foot addition to a one car garage without thought of also expanding that. Things need to stay relative to one another in your homes addition.
There is a lot to think about when going into any home improvement project but even more so when adding on to a house. Plan the best you can, be as prepared as possible but hold on because there will be some rough roads along the way of any home renovation. That is my only guarantee.
When you purchase a home you go into it knowing there are things that you will need to change. That happens so that you can make it your own and make it your home. When thinking about remodeling your home there are several things to think about as you venture into these projects. You need to figure out a budget, how far you want to immerse yourself in renovation and the style that you are looking to achieve with your home renovation project.
Bathroom remodeling is growing fast as suppliers are offering spa like fixtures and home owners are looking to create a quiet retreat from the busy world in their very own homes. There are so many levels of remodeling when it comes to bathrooms. First you must decide if you are going to enlarge a bathroom gutting it and basically starting from scratch or are you happy with a coat of paint, new fixtures and some new lights. Of course a lot of this will depend on your budget and willingness to immerse in a complete remodel.
I would suggest creating a list of your wants and needs. Determine how much you are willing to budget for the bathroom remodeling project and exactly what you are looking to have on the outcome of the project.
Start with determining what types of faucets and fixtures you have verses what you would like. Look around the current room and ask yourself some questions. Do you like the current layout? Are the tub, sink and toilet all going to stay or are you interested in replacing them? What about the vanity? Is there enough space for towels or are you interested in adding a linen closet? Do you want the closet inside the current space or do you want to add a space on the outside of the actual bathroom? Other things that you need to ask your self is are you okay with tub surrounds or are you more interested in specialized tiling? All of these things will help determine if your project is capable of being done within your budget or if you need to wait or scale back expectations.
Also look into lighting. So many different options are currently available. Do you like the look of florescent lights or do you want a more natural light. Is there a window in your bathroom to provide natural light and you are looking to enhance the natural light of the room? Recessed lights are also very popular and can be done to also provide heating elements in spaces like stand up showers.
It is fun to determine paint. Paint will help create an environment in your bathroom. If you are looking for a sea/ocean feel verse a spa feel verse a fun kids space. Paint can change the mood without a lot of expense. If your budget is small think about trying to paint to see if that is enough change to create a certain feel for your bathroom setting. This might be a simple solution to a major bathroom renovation until you can afford the more luxurious renovations.
Budget is the number one factor in any remodel but especially in a bathroom remodel. Every dime spent adds up quickly. Often during a renovation we don’t take in to account the minor expenses like caulk or new electrical fixtures. Make sure expenses don’t sneak up on you with thorough planning before you contemplate an all out, full scale bathroom renovation.
The housing market is crazy right now. There are thousands of houses available and many first time home buyers scooping them up. It is the perfect time to purchase. When you start looking into a new home purchase you find yourself checking out a few basic qualities to determine if the house is right for you. We often check for bigger ticket items like the roof and the heating system. New windows are always a bonus especially if they are windows with blinds between the glass. How many times though to you walk into your dream home and see windows that are desirable? Not many.
That is not a problem anymore. With recent energy saving tax credits replacement windows are not such a drawback when considering the purchase of a new home. It is easier and less expensive than ever to purchase quality replacement windows. Many companies, such as Pella, offer windows with blinds between the glass which in my opinion save you money in the long run. Plus it saves extra money in the long run for you aren’t constantly replacing mini-blinds that break or curtain that become outdated.
Not only do companies now offer blinds between to glass they offer different options for home owners to choose from. Roller shades and decorative panels have also become popular lately. Decorative panels are a great option in bathrooms where you want light to flow through but are in need of privacy. Roller shades are convenient in bedrooms where maximum light control is optimal.
The great feature about all between the glass options is their ease of use, ease of cleaning and elegant look. Plus it doesn’t hurt that the kids and pets can’t get their stick little fingers and sharp teeth on them so it save the hassle of replacing window treatments. That is a huge bonus because window treatment shopping is expensive and a lot of laborious work to get them installed correctly.
The blinds between the glass are very simple to use. The cords are all encased and it is a simple pull and twist motion to have them open and tilt. Cleaning them is also a breeze. It is very infrequent in need but when it does need to be done it is very simple. All that is involved is unlatching the glass panel allowing it to swing freely and vacuum the blind, shade or decorative panel with the upholstery attachment on the vacuum cleaner. Not to mention the overall elegant look they give to your home. It allows certain open feel to a room that heavy curtains or blinds on the outside don’t.
When looking into a new home purchase and weighing the pros and cons of different homes don’t let having to purchase replacement windows be the deciding factor. With the options available and the credits that are available having windows, especially windows with blinds between the glass, installed is more affordable than ever.
We have had some crazy Michigan weather this year. The weather has gone from beyond cold with a ton of snow to rain and wind overnight. As many of you know with strange weather comes many natural disasters. One such disaster recently struck too close for comfort.
Our friends have a fireplace that they use quiet frequently. So when it recently was bitter cold they decided that it was a good idea to use the fireplace. That seems pretty harmless right? The thing is after the fire ashes were left. Our neighbor cleaned out the fireplace and put the ashes in a metal bucket which he then placed on the wood deck. Because the weather had been pretty windy and dry the wood was in ripe condition to use the heat from the metal bucket to create a smoldering fire. This fire smoldered for hours finally catching the floor joist on fire. By the time they had returned from work hours later the home was engulfed in smoke and the smoldering fire had caused major damage to their floor in the living room area which is off of the porch.
Added on top of the damage that was already created by the fire was the damage done in order to eliminate the smoldering hot fire under the house. Once the firefighters added the water the house literally disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Their first instinct was to run in and immediately start putting their lives back in order. Of course this is not necessarily the first action homeowners should take when they find themselves in a situation involving fire and smoke damage. Here are some tips to consider before rushing in to clean your home after a fire.
Tip #1 – Contact your insurance company. Your agent will be able to recommend a professional fire and smoke damage restorer. Often they will help with hints to prevent further damage.
Tip #2 – Once you have determined it is safe to enter into your home through and determine, with the professional fire restorer, go through the house and determine what items can and cannot be refurbished.
Tip #3 – Get the air circulating throughout your home. Open all windows, doors and have fans running at all times. If you are in the heat of summer it will be best to have the air conditioner running along with a dehumidifier. If fire and smoke damage happen to your home in the winter, run the furnace which will remove the moisture. Keep fans going and make sure to change the filters everyday to prevent soot build up.
Tip #4 – Dry everything thoroughly. Especially carpets, furniture and bedding. This will help prevent mold and mildew.
Tip #5 – Place cling wrap under the legs on all furniture involved in the fire. It is also important when dealing with items not directly involved in the fire that are still clean to cover them with plastic to prevent damage.
Tip #6 – Hire a professional to come in and deodorize the house. It is also important that heavy drapery be sent out to be cleaned. Soot is oily and stinky. You really cannot get certain bigger items fresh on your own.
Tip #7 – Take your time in repairing your home. A thorough job is always better that one done in haste.
I often wonder how women who are widowed or single do it. I think my wife would be lost if she had to keep up with all of the maintenance that needs to be done or checked on throughout the year. That is why I am so thankful I recently ran into a gentleman that does handyman repairs. What a great concept for a profession. Whether you live a lifestyle that leaves you running ninety percent of the times without time for household chores or you are a single person who needs help there are now people who specialize in handyman services.
There are many chores that I just do not want to do, chores that would be easier to hire someone else to do, someone that offershandyman services. Inside I cringe when I think about wasting an entire weekend repairing drywall. Sanding, filling, sanding again and then the waiting for it to dry before you can touch up the paint and surrounding wall. Who really wants to do these mundane household tasks? I am so happy that I can hire a professional to come out that specializes in home maintenance. Handyman offer professional services that normal household need not only major home renovations but the simple projects too.
Interior handyman services can include but are not limited to painting, trim carpentry, installing and replacing things like light switches and fixtures, repair windows or even installing new ones and even something like assembling a book shelf or any other type of boxed furniture. You name it handymen often specialize in it. Handyman services are available for all of your honey do list items.
On the exterior handyman offer services such as painting, repairing driveways, assembling swing sets, caulking windows and some even offer to hang those pesky holiday lights better yet taking them down. Who really wants to take those things down after the holiday buzz wears off?
Handyman services also specialize in room repairs also. Bathroom fans often need to be replaced which takes electrical knowledge as well as basic installation know how. Another thing that often happens in bathrooms is that tiles need to be repaired or replaced. These are projects that cannot be left undone as water will seep in and ruin the drywall if not caught and dealt with immediately.
Kitchen handyman services can be something as simple is changing out the hardware on the cabinets to installing a new countertop. Even installing a water purifier to your sink that is what is so wonderful about handymen. When it is something more complex than you want to give your time to you can hire a handyman to accomplish it. General contractors are often too wrapped up in large scale renovations to deal with the minor details that arise in home repair.
So much goes into home renovations. A lot is dependent on if you are choosing to do the renovations yourself or hiring a professional contractor to do the work. Many people will choose to do some smaller home renovations on their own leaving bigger remodels such as kitchens and bathrooms to the professionals.
No matter what you choose when it comes to your own home one of the first tips I can offer you is to stay organized and keep an eye on the progress of the work. Even if you are working on a home renovation by yourself you will want to keep a checklist on yourself to ensure the project does not drag on forever. Of course flexibility is often needed when it comes to set backs and ordering delays. Don’t let those things throw off the entire timeline of the project. If you are stuck because the flooring has arrived do not let that stop you from completing other finishing touches to keep the momentum.
One great organizing tip I received from a friend is to keep folders for each separate trade. If your project calls for you to have to deal with an electrician, a plumber, and a general handyman you would have three separate folders. In them you then would keep track of contracts, notes and conversations that have taken place. This way if you need to refer back to a conversation you have it at the tip of your fingers. This applies if you are the contractor or if you have hired someone to do the remodel. The great thing is that you will also have at your fingertips these references if you need them later on.
When dealing with different contractors you will want to make sure that your requests are spoken and written. Make sure, for instance, if you hire an electrician they know that so many outlets need to be within a room of each size. It is up to you that if you want them placed in certain areas that you make sure your electrician knows this. If you do not specify what you want they may not place them in locations that are desirable for the way that your room and furniture will be configured.
Another handyman tip is that if you have a painter in to paint the house. Remember that they will not automatically save extra for you to touch up. Make sure that you ask for a container of touch up paint. These are things that your contractor will automatically think of.
There are some areas that will bring you more return on your purchase. These areas include home renovations in areas where the water is such as kitchens and baths. These are areas that people will focus a lot of attention on when they enter your home. Another thing that people look for way before name brand fixtures are is trim work. Money spent on crown molding and trim work done in a professional manner will definitely make your money back in the long run.
Choosing flooring for your home is often one of the most important decisions you will have to make as a home owner. It combines all aspects of your home and you truly want the flooring throughout your home to blend with the style of the home as a whole. One thing that was odd in the house I grew up is that each room had different color and textured carpet. The kitchen flooring was berber, the living room was a frieze/shag and the bedroom carpet was plush. Another thing was odd is that my bedroom had red carpet, the boys had brown, the kitchen was white/blue/gray and the living area was beige. How did any of that tie our home together? I am sure the people who bought our home immediately tore out the flooring and replaced it.
Flooring does depend a lot on personal style. This is a surface that every day you will use. Family and friends will use the surface for walking on, sitting on, accidentally spill their drinks on and play on. It needs to be durable and practical for your family and friends. If you are the hostess of many family gathering is it really wise to have white carpet throughout your home? As you begin the processes of choosing your flooring take several things into consideration. First you must determine a budget, consider the size of the room, what is the usage of the room, do you have kids and pets and how long do you expect the flooring to last?
Kitchen flooring is always a fun area to consider. There are so many personal decisions to make. Several choices exist, linoleum, ceramic tiles, wood, faux wood and carpet. Carpet is not necessarily a popular choice these days. As with a bathroom, the kitchen takes abuse from moisture, spills and an abundance of traffic. If you are looking into living in this home awhile and hoping for high resale value buck up and spend the money on real hard wood. It is durable and long lasting. It can take a beating the aging looks like a natural progression of a home that is lived in. When you start to miss that new floor it is easy to call a local flooring expert out to refinish it bringing the luster right back into the floor. Linoleum is the least expensive option and ceramic tile is a great mid cost product to use that also holds up well. You might have to have the floor grouted again after several years of use but that is a fairly inexpensive project for your local handyman.
In bathroom flooring it is obvious that you need to consider a material that will hold up against daily use and moisture. Linoleum can be used but it is a short term material. Often linoleum will wear and date itself within seven years of installation. Better long term options are ceramic, limestone and marble. Again this is where budget and personal preference come in to play. Color and texture options are plentiful in any of the above mentioned materials.
Areas such as living rooms and bedrooms are areas that personal preference will take over. I have a thing for the comfortable look and feel of carpet. I think that with my children being small that they spend most of their time playing on the floor. Carpet provides the warm, comfy feel I enjoy in a living are. However many people really like wood floors with area rugs. This is a very good option for longevity but will be pricey to install. Wood can always be refinished which makes it the longest lasting option. Area rugs are inexpensive and can be used to add warmth to any room.
As with most home renovations flooring can increase the market of your home. Take this into consideration if this home is just a mere stepping stone. Don’t spend astronomical amounts of money on a floor that you will not enjoy. If it a home that you are looking to spend the rest of your life in consider the upgrades otherwise choose a mid grade option that will tend to be on the neutral side of flooring options. These will the resale value of your home in the long term. Kitchen flooring and bathroom flooring are areas that will change the perception of your home. This is often what makes or breaks a home sale so consider this before doing something radical like adding carpet to your kitchen like my parents did.
landscape design is more complex than one would imagine. When I was first doing the landscaping at our new house I thought I would go to the store pick out everything I thought was pretty, bring it home, slap it in and it would radiate the neighborhood. Little did I know that what ended up happening is that I bought a lot I plants and shrubs that were pleasing to the eye just not when lumped all together in my flower bed. I always have loved those carefree flowing flower beds but really there is a tremendous amount of work that goes into making them look like they are carefree flowing flower beds.
These simple tips will help you to save money and create a landscape design that not only compliments your home but also makes you the envy of the neighborhood.
The Five Basic Principles in Landscape Design
1) Harmony: This is the most important of all the tips listed. Harmony to any landscape design can be created by repetition. For instance when creating a border for the bed you would not want to layer the bed with a plastic edging and then switch and do another section with wood. It is best to keep the material the same. Another element that is important in creating harmony is to keep the different elements consistent size, texture and colors are all very important. Many people consider themed gardens to help create harmony in their landscape design.
2) Minimalism: This is for all of us beginners. It is important to start small and simple and build on later. For instance pick a plant you love and triple it. Then look around and find a bush that resembles the flower in shape, texture, color shade and chose that. Do not wonder around aimlessly buying every pretty plant that you see that is not minimalism. Start with a few items, come home set them up and begin expanding from there. Simple is for sure a good place to start. Remember that space fills in quickly as your garden matures.
3) Equilibrium: This is what helps create a feeling of balance. It helps your flower bed not to feel like a random jungle. Symmetry is useful in creating balance. Often you will find rows used. Taller plants take up the back and as you move forward the plants tend to get smaller turn into ground covers for edging. Another way to create equilibrium is to use small groupings throughout your garden.
4) Tints and Shades: By now you can see this is a common sense principle in landscape design. It is not important to have every color of the rainbow represented in your garden. Complimentary colors work best in creating a landscape design. Often we become kids in a candy shop when you let us loose in the garden section of a store. Try to resist the urge to mix orange with fuchsia. You get the drift.
5) Effortless Change: Make the transitions from one section of your flower bed to another seamless. What you don’t want to create is separate spaces for your garden. You want it to look and feel like it all flows together as one. You want it to appear that Mother Nature placed the plants in your yard naturally so that you create unity with the landscape design, home and yard.
Hopefully these tips will inspire your next landscape design project. It often helps when moving into a new home or replacing the old to clean out what you don’t like about the old before you go to the store. You might find once the rubbish that is not eye catching is cleared away that a few simple moderations can create a huge difference without spending a ton of money.
The summer time is supposed to be a time of relaxation, chilling out at the lake, spending quality time away from home. Yet with all the lawn maintenance that needs to be accomplished when you own a home your time is spent mowing the lawn, weeding the flower beds and mulching. Times like this I often wonder about getting someone to come in that offers landscape services. I know the expense is always in the for front of my mind but I know that later on when my kids are grown I will not remember all the time spent mowing my lawn but times at the beach I will remember.
So there I went on my quest to find reasonable lawn maintenance. I consider a neighbor buy that was looking to make some extra summer cash but then reconsidered thinking I wanted a professional to come out. They would be able to take care of everything. I did not want to do spring or fall clean up, pull weeds, edge or any of it. I knew the neighbor boy would keep it cut but I wanted to enjoy the space when I was home having weekend bbq’s. I didn’t want to look around and see everything that the landscape services provide still needed to be done in my own yard.
Finding a good landscape services company was not that hard at all. I knew I was looking for someone with reasonable rates, high quality work, references and a service company that would maintain a schedule around mine. I wanted the lawn mowed on Thursday afternoon so that the lawn would be fresh and spruced for us to enjoy over the weekend.
It was important that it was a contractor with references that could vouch for his character. The last thing I wanted was to bring in someone that was not able to work well with the neighborhood. What I mean by this is that he had to be respectful to the community members, be friendly to the children, come to work dressed appropriately and have a general attitude of one that is passionate about their work.
Quality is important to me. I needed a landscape service that noticed the weeds and when the mulch needed a refresher. I wanted someone who would work and be thorough without me standing over their shoulder to tell them what I wanted done. The first time we met for me to interview the landscape company we eventually hired we sat instead of me running the show the gentlemen asked me questions about what was important with regards to his services. He asked about the length I like the lawn kept at. He wanted to know how I like my bushes and trees maintained. It was also important to him that I fir with his style of landscape services.
After I ran a background check on the company and called a bunch of references I liked everything I saw and heard. Many of his clients had been referred to him through word of mouth. I found out he no longer advertised his services because clients were keeping his services year after year because he understood just what his clients wanted and needed. I felt lucky to have found him to care for all of my landscape services. It was a win-win situation for both of us. He can earn a living doing something he loves which is something I don’t desire doing for the time being. Maybe when I am ready to settle down and to use my summer for something other than having fun I will consider going back to maintaining my own yard but somehow I think I could get use to this instead.
Do you enjoy math, science and being outdoors? If these are three things you enjoy then you may want to look into a career in surveying, particularly land surveying. Surveyors are a major player in the development of construction sites. They help make available topographic site surveys, they stake out projects and once a project is complete they help to make certain that the boundaries were followed.
You can break a surveyors job into four sections they include field work, calculating, mapping and placement. I know that many people look at surveying as only field work. This misinformation most likely comes from the fact that we often see surveyors on the side of the road looking through a tripod instrument. Surveyors are brought in for many projects for many reasons. Let’s talk about each section of work a surveying job can be broken down into.
1) Field Work – We all know that this involves being outside taking actual measurements. Field work often involves very active, laborious work. Surveying requires long periods of time on your feet, climbing obstacles with heavy equipment. Weather conditions are often a challenge in the field. Surveyors work in hot, cold, windy and rainy weather.
2) Calculating – In order to calculate different objectives involved in surveying these professionals must use their detective skills. Surveyors look at data from history, the present and make educated predictions about the future to help in making calculations. In calculating it is also important that they decide the best use of technology to complete the field work from their calculations and data from land deeds and preceding surveys.
3) Plotting and Mapping – Surveying is an art that collects and plots out data on a map for lawyers, builders and architects. It is important that analysis is given to each and every detail to make sure it is accurate before a map is created. Any are of inconsistency is just not tolerated. Surveyors must have exact data for each project.
4) Setting – The last part of a surveyor’s job is to set out markers that map out the boundaries of the land and structures that will be placed on it. This is an especially important part of the job because several issues come up with land boundaries and as a surveyor you need to be absolute without doubt to prove that the boundaries you have set are in fact the legal boundaries of the property.
Issues have come about because of inaccurate boundary lines. Land surveying needs to be done in such a precise manner that problems do not arise later disputing land boundaries.