How to Save Money on Bathroom Renovations
Renovating your bathroom goes a long way towards giving your home an elegant look, so you feel proud as a homeowner. At the same time, it makes your home more attractive to a potential homebuyer, so your house gets out of the market fast. While this is the case, the downside is that bathroom renovations don’t come cheap, so many homeowners stay away from them. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to renovate your bathroom on a budget. Which are these ways? Here they are as given by home addition companies: Make use of what is already in place When you are looking to save as much money as possible, you want to make use of what is already available. Some of the available materials that you can use include: Bathtubs: Instead of replacing the bathtubs, simply clean them. For even better results, professionally clean and refinish them. Shower enclosures: These give your home a high-end look, and don’t have to install new ones. If you have a tiled enclosure, you simply need to thoroughly clean the tiles and grout. In some cases, you might need to patch down some worn areas. To give the shower enclosure a fresher look, stain the white grout darker. Do you have fiberglass or acrylic shower walls? Patch the dented or cracked spots. Toilets: You can change the toilet’s look by giving it a new toilet seat and lid. To add a touch of elegance, go with a wooden toilet seal or soft close model that doesn’t slum shut. Sinks: You can dramatically change the kitchen’s look by doing simple things. For example, if the porcelain is cracked, you simply need to repair it. Make use of paint Paint is cheap, and when you creatively use it, you can significantly transform the house’s overall look. Some of the creative ways to give your house a new look include: Create textured effects: You need to use two different colors to do this. Start with giving the entire wall a base coat in one color, then use a textured tool such as rag, sponge, or comb to apply the second coat. Paint the floor: When looking to give your home a new look, you shouldn’t limit yourself to painting the walls—also pay attention to the floor. Instead of installing new tiles, simply paint the old ones. To do this, begin with thoroughly cleaning the tiles with sandpaper, then apply a water-based acrylic primer. You should then top the primer with durable latex or urethane paint, and you have elegant-looking tiles. If you want to give your floor a tile look, use paint and stencils on wood or concrete floor. To do this, use sturdy porch paint and three coats of polyurethane. Use cheaper materials It goes that you will save a lot of money when you use cheaper materials on your remodeling project. For the walls, only use tiles in the wet area and paint the rest of the drywall. When it comes to the floor, use vinyl and laminate, as they are cheaper. If you love the stone look, go for […]
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Can You Build An Addition On A Mobile Home?
If you have a mobile home, you might have the impression that you are out of luck, and unlike your neighbors with traditional houses, there is no way you can increase or add value to your home. Fortunately, this isn’t the case. Can you build an addition on a mobile home? Yes, you can definitely do it, but before we proceed, we need to make one thing clear—there is a difference between modern and older mobile homes. Current mobile homes aren’t strict, but rather manufactured and modular homes built in the factory and transported to your preferred site. Manufactured houses are almost similar to a traditional house so if you feel that you need to make an addition to them, go ahead and find an experienced home addition builder and put up your desired structure. What additions can you make to your mobile home? Well, there are plenty of additions you can make to your home. The common ones being: Deck or porch If your mobile home doesn’t have an outdoor living area, you should go ahead and add a porch or deck to it as a way to improve the look and value of the house. You aren’t limited on the size of deck you can construct. It can be a small one to cover a small area, or it can wrap around the house, creating a large area for outdoor relaxing, entertaining, and barbequing. If you love being outdoors, but prefer sitting under a shade, consider constructing a sunroom. Add an extra bathroom. Most modular houses come with a single bathroom that can create logistical issues, especially if you have a growing family and you frequently have houseguests over. If your house is becoming smaller, consider getting an extra bathroom. Like the deck, you have plenty of options you can go with. You can add an adjoining bathroom to the master bedroom or add a powder room or half-bath to accommodate the mushrooming number of guests and visitors. There is no right or wrong way to go about it—it’s up to you to go with your preferences. Add a car parking area. If you don’t have a covered parking area outside your house, you are forced to carry your groceries and large packages long distances, which are inconvenient. Sometimes you are forced to regularly scrape snow and frost off your vehicle, especially if you live in cold climates. To solve this, you should consider building a paved driveway to the exterior of your mobile house. If you want to protect your car from the weather elements, build an enclosed garage. Build an entertainment room If you love your entertainment, nothing is preventing you from adding an entertainment room to your house. An ideal entertainment room features a large screen TV to watch movies, shows, and play video games and a comfortable seating area. As you can tell, this addition will cost you much more or even require more work than when adding a small bedroom or bathroom. Increase the amount of light getting into the house Sometimes you might not need additional rooms or extra space, but you […]
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Is It Safe To Live In A House During Renovation?
Is it safe to live in a house during renovation? If you ask this question, you must have a renovation project, but you don’t want to leave the house. Well, it isn’t safe to live in the house during the renovation, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t live in the house. You only need to put several tips in place. To help you out, here are tips to increase the safety aspect as given by home remodeling architects: Have a designated storage area When doing the renovation, you obviously will have renovation materials over. These materials can easily hurt you and your kids. To ensure this doesn’t happen, have a specific area where you store everything. If you are lucky to have a large house, you can have the materials in a specific room and cordon off your kids from going there. Be out of the house when the renovation work is going on Most of the risk is when the renovation work is going on. A hammer can slip and hit you, something might drop from the roof and land on you, among many other things. To protect yourself and your loved ones, make an effort to be out of the house when the project is going on. If you work from home, ensure that you are far from where the contractors are working from. Communicate with the contractors A house can be risky even after the end of the day when no work is going on. This is because the contractors might have accidentally left a tool in a precarious position, and it falls on you. Some of the construction materials might also be in risky areas, and they hurt you. To ensure that the renovation area is safe, maintain a clear line of communication with the contractors and regularly ask them whether you can go in the room you are renovating. Set designated areas To avoid accidents, have designated areas for the various tasks. For example, if you are remodeling the kitchen, stay out of the kitchen and set up a temporary kitchen. If you have a garage or covered patio, work with your contractor and set up the temporary kitchen here. The same thing applies to the bathroom, bedroom, or any other room you are making over. Limit the visitors coming over The last thing you would want for yourself is one of your guests getting hurt in your home. Even if you love hosting, you should minimize the number of people coming to your home. Of course, you will have some of your friends who don’t understand it, but you should explain it. Instead of coming to your home, you can start having your events in the homes of other friends that aren’t renovating their homes. You can also begin having your meetups in hotels or nearby parks. Plan a vacation If you have a small project that will be over in a few days, take a vacation, so you are out of the house and safe. Do you have friends or places you have always wanted to visit but have had no time? […]
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7 Home Remodeling Tips To Increase House Value
If you want to sell your house, you definitely want to get the best deal possible, right? Most home sellers rush to install new swimming pools, gazebos, and other expensive features. While these units increase the house’s value, they are sometimes too expensive that you don’t recoup your investment. And you don’t want this, do you? One way to get your investment back and still sell the house fast is to remodel the house. By doing this, you spend less and still increase the house’s value. Don’t know how to go about it? Here are expert tips given by home remodeling architects on what to do: Get creative with the garage. If you are lucky enough to have a garage, you can get creative with it and significantly improve the house’s value. Start with getting rid of all the junk there and turn it into an additional room. If it’s built onto the house, you can turn it into an office. If tied to the house and has a connecting door, remodel it into an extra bedroom. Do you actively use the garage? Add an extra floor on top, and you immediately double your space which, as you can guess, significantly adds to the house’s value. Make the most of the basement. If you are like other homeowners, you most likely use your basement as storage. Can you imagine taking a prospective house buyer to the basement and only find dirt and worn-out electronics? It’s not a beautiful sight, is it? Luckily, you can turn this around by getting rid of all the junk and turning the room into a usable room. You can turn it into an office, extra bedroom, game room, or any other room. Transform the attic Like the basement, many homeowners use their attics as storage spaces. If you are lucky to have a large house, the attic space serves as an extra floor that you can use to your advantage. You can turn the attic into a reading room, bedroom, extra living room, or other livable room. If you still need storage space, work with your contractor and install eaves in the walls. Touch up the bathroom Most homebuyers are highly sensitive to how the bathroom looks, so touching it up will go a long way towards making the house more attractive to housebuyers. There are plenty of things you can do to your bathroom: change the bathroom color, install new appliances, add paneling around the bathtub, add more storage space, among many other things. To ensure you are making the right addition, sit with your contractor and agree on what is valuable to you. Add more space in the kitchen. In most families, the kitchen is the hub of the house. Besides having the right appliances, the other important thing you should ensure your kitchen has is enough storage spaces. Work with your contractor and come up with ways to add as many storage areas for your kitchen as possible. This can be hidden cupboards, stand-alone pantries, breakfast nooks, and any other thing. Add a laundry room If your house is old, chances are […]
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How Can I Make My Home Addition Look Good?
Whether it’s a larger kitchen, an extra bedroom, or a completely new wing, homeowners add new space to their houses every day. While these home addition projects are good as they add the vital space, there is usually one big problem—in most cases, the home addition looks ugly and not part of the main building. How can I make my home addition look good? If you are asking this question, you want your new home to look and feel like an original part of the house, right? And the beauty is that it’s possible to do it. Some of the things you need to do as given by home addition companies include: Use the same building materials as the main house Many homeowners try to modernize their old houses by building an addition using modern materials. As you can guess, if the original house is old and made from old materials, building an addition using new materials makes the addition look out of place. To avoid this, build an addition using the same materials as the old house. If the original house is too old that you can’t find the same materials, consider using alternatives that will coordinate with what is already in the house. Remember that when you use different materials, you create a visually inconsistent outcome, which gives your new house an ugly look. Be cautious of the scale and proportion of the new addition If you can’t find similar materials as the original house, play around with the size of the new addition. Instead of adding one large block onto the house, build a few smaller houses of varying sizes that are less overpowering. This way, the addition will look like it has always been part of the house instead of looking like an out-of-place afterthought. Work with your contractor and find the ideal room size to add that won’t look out of place. Ensure that the architectural style of the new house is in harmony with the old house In the same way, you should strive to use the same building materials as the old house, you should strive to maintain the same architectural design as the old house. This is because using different designs will make the new house look out of place. As a homeowner, you should take your time and find an experienced contractor that understands the different architectural designs and how to pull them off professionally. Consider the house’s grade and slope. Ignoring the house’s grade and slope will give your property a visually jarring look as the addition doesn’t follow the land’s natural contours. Again, as a regular homeowner, there isn’t much you can do about this other than entrusting it to an experienced contractor. If the land slopes away from the original structure, the contractor should know that they need to step the foundation walls of the home addition down so that you don’t have an unsightly foundation wall sticking out from the ground. Work with the right contractor. The contractor you hire goes a long way towards ensuring that the new addition is as appealing as possible. The contractor […]
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How Can I Save Money Building An Addition To My House?
As much as homeowners love the extra space that building home addition brings, there is always the issue of cost as most of them don’t want to spend a fortune on it, so you will hear them asking, how can I save money building an addition to my house? Well, there are plenty of tricks you can use to your advantage. These tricks include: Do it yourself Do you have home-building skills? You shouldn’t waste money hiring a house remodeling professional. Instead, you should do the work yourself. Even when doing the building work yourself, ensure that you follow the right procedure and don’t cut corners. If you have the skills, you have the luxury of doing the work by yourself, but if you don’t the skills, you should hire a professional to build the house for you. When hiring the contractor, ensure that the contractor knows what they are doing. The last thing you want is hiring someone to botch up your work, and you have to redo it, which sees you wasting a lot of money. Although, you should be conscious of the price charged by the contractor, avoid an extremely cheap contractor, as the chances are high that they won’t do a good job. Source your own materials Did you know you can get the building materials at much lower prices on your own than through a contractor? The reason for this is that despite the contractor making money from the labor costs, they want to make a profit from the materials they supply you, so they mark up the prices. To save money, source the materials on your own. For example, if planning to have a kitchen addition, visit the home improvement stores and find cheaper countertops. If you don’t have a huge budget, find reclaimed materials for your project. Most contractors will do their budgeting while including the materials they will supply you, and if you decide that you will be sourcing the materials on your own in the middle of the project, the contractor may have to go back to the drawing board, and they might not be pleased about it. To avoid bad blood in your work, ensure that you let the contractor know beforehand that you will be sourcing the materials on your own. Shop around Whether you are looking for materials or a contractor, don’t work with the first company you come across—take your time, visit different companies, and see what they have. Many homeowners make the mistake of being in a hurry when doing their construction, so they rush to hire the first company they come across. Don’t do this as you end up spending a lot of money that you shouldn’t. The best way to go about it is to take your time and knock on several doors and see what is available. Sometimes you might not only find the company or supplies at a low cost, but also discover materials you have never heard about. Go the prefab way If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on new items, consider getting prefabricated materials. Some people […]
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4 Home Additions That Are Worth It
Building home addition is one way of making your home more attractive to potential buyers but like every homeowner, you want to get the highest return on your investment so you should build the right addition. If you are in this position, lucky for you as there are plenty of home additions that you can go with. Some of the best ones include: Two-story addition Have you heard the expression, “Go big or go home?” it works in home additions and if you have the money, you should build a two-story house as it will pay off in the end. According to real estate experts, building a home addition will see you increasing your return on investments by up to 65%. When you are building the home addition, ensure that you have an upstairs master suite and a downstairs living area which is what most homeowners are drawn to. You might be wondering why the two-story addition will make your house more attractive to potential buyers, right? Well, the addition increases the square footage of your house and since every homeowner is looking for a bigger house, they are bound to find your house more appealing. Kitchen expansion Another home addition project that will see you laughing all the way to the bank is a kitchen expansion project. If your current kitchen is too small or cramped, you aren’t going to sell the house at the top dollar that you are looking for. Also, refinishing the cabinets or replacing the old appliances isn’t going to cut it—you have to expand it. As you are planning the kitchen expansion project, you should note that sometimes you can go overboard hence making your house less attractive to potential buyers. For example, even if every homeowner wants a beautiful, decent-looking kitchen, none is interested in paying for the premium kitchen countertops so don’t use them on your counters. Also, no homeowner is looking to pay a premium fee for one-of-a-kind premium kitchen appliances. The most important thing when it comes to remodeling the kitchen is to expand its size. When it comes to the countertops and appliances, simply use the standard materials as using expensive unique products won’t give you the returns you are looking for. Bathroom addition Your home having not enough bathrooms can be a big turn-off to potential buyers so if you have the resources, consider adding an extra bathroom to the house. If the resources aren’t enough for a complete bathroom, add a half bath and it will still increase your home’s overall sale appeal. Real estate professionals report that adding a bathroom to your home can see you get up to a 53% return on investment. Like with the kitchen, don’t go all the way out when remodeling the bathroom as you might add some features that will make your unit less attractive to potential buyers. You might also spend too much money on a unit and fail to recoup your investment. To be on the safe side, work with experts that will help you find a balance. Adding an outdoor patio space Every homeowner wants a place […]
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4 Types of House Renovations
Different people renovate their homes for different reasons. Some do it to improve the functionality and appeal of the house while others do it to improve the house’s value. Are you looking to renovate your home but not sure the type of renovation you should go for? Here are four types of renovations you should consider as given by home remodeling architects: Basic renovations This is where you renovate the basic features of the house that everybody and anybody can see. The cool thing with basic renovations is you can do them without hiring a highly experienced contractor. You also don’t need to spend an astronomical amount of money on them. At the end of the basic renovation project, you should have functioning gutters, a roof that doesn’t leak, a dry basement, a solid floor, a reliable furnace, working retaining walls, and walls in top condition. You should note that you don’t have to replace the amenities. Simply focus on regular maintenance and if you have to upgrade the units, don’t spend a lot of money on them. If you are making the renovations to flip the house, make them in such a way that your house stands out from the competition but don’t make any unwarranted upgrades that will excessively exceed the other properties in the area. This is because this will scare off potential buyers and at the same time lead to you losing money. Curb appeal renovations These are renovations that people don’t focus too much on, but can significantly improve the selling of your house. We can say these renovations improve the appeal of the house and help the prospective buyer make the buying decision quicker. Some of the renovations of this nature that you can make include: applying a fresh layer of paint, cleaning the carpets, mowing the lawn, and replacing worn-out appliances. While you might be looking to significantly improve the appeal of your curb, be cautious of the additions you make. For example, this is not the time to incorporate bold designs into the décor. You also should be cautious of the lights you install. As a rule of thumb, don’t overdo the lights as you can break the bank or overrun your home circuitry. For an affordable and modern-looking house, install LED or recessed lights. If you are having a problem with this, consult an interior decorating professional. Value-added renovations From their name, these are renovations that add the most value to the house and at the same time give you maximum returns. These renovations as given by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) include new siding, new windows, and kitchen renovations. When done right, these renovations will help you recoup up to 80% or more of the costs. Other high-return renovations include: refurbished decks, upgraded bathrooms, and energy-saving improvements. Personal preference renovations From the name, these are renovations you make because you love or need them. If you are looking to sell the house, some of your potential buyers might not like the renovations, but you love having them. The most popular of these are: tennis courts, wine cellars, swimming pools, […]
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Going Green: What to Consider Before Installing Solar Panels
Thanks to the continuous technological advances, most people are able to enjoy a convenient life. Imagine life without kitchen appliances, cars, and even the phone you are using now. Imagine how you can live without electricity that gives light and power to your home and your personal gadgets. But modern advancements also come with a price, especially in the environmental aspect. Thankfully, there have been several alternatives that aim to lessen our carbon footprints. There are also home addition companies that also offer environment-friendly home addition design and material alternatives. Solar power: An environment-friendly energy alternative Perhaps you have already heard about solar power. For starters, solar power naturally comes from the sun. Meanwhile, solar panels are becoming more and more popular these days especially for residential use. If you are planning for a home remodeling addition or outdoor remodeling project, you might want to shift to solar-powered panels instead. It will be a huge step, even expensive at first. But it will be useful in the long run, and can even save you money along the way. Solar power is not a new thing and has been around for some time now. But it was only recently when it became more accepted in many home improvement projects. As mentioned, installing a solar panel can be expensive – it can cost as a brand-new car. But despite its high costs, more and more homeowners realize the benefits of solar panels. If you are planning to install one in your home, you can hire a home additions builder who is also familiar with solar panel installation. What to consider before installing a solar panel You don’t have to be an environmental activist to have a solar panel in your home. You can think of the several benefits it can give you in terms of savings. But before that, you should think about the following first before installing solar panels. Your home should be suitable for solar installation. You should know whether your home is suitable to have solar panels installed. But how would you know if it is okay to install solar panels in your home? There should be no huge trees or any structures that block direct sunlight. The higher your energy bills (before installing solar panels), the more savings you can get with solar power. You might also consider the direction your roof is facing. Some good directions should face east-west or north. What kind of solar panel should you buy? There are several inverters and solar panel brands available nowadays. Before you buy one, make sure you: Choose a reputable solar panel supplier that has been around for years. Get quotes from a couple of suppliers and compare them in terms of price, product quality, and other important terms. Consider the long run. Are you going to live in your current home for a long time, or move elsewhere after a few years? What should you know about warranties? Most solar panels usually come with 10, 15, and 25-year warranties. The warranties will work depending on the product’s performance and usage. Also, you should have an idea of […]
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Shipping Container Homes: What You Need to Know Before Building One
A lot of people dream of having their own houses with a garage area and a spacious backyard. Who doesn’t want to live in their dream homes with their own family? In fact, owning a house is one of the tell-tale signs of a person’s financial capability. For one thing, buying a house and lot or an apartment unit usually does not come cheap. Maintaining your home, especially if you will live in it for many years, is another story. You might have to contact home remodeling architects for your future home improvement projects. Don’t worry, there are a lot of home addition companies that offer affordable home additions. Do you want to live in a shipping container? Seriously, shipping containers? Those rectangular corrugated boxes used for large shipments? These are important items in transporting goods both in land and in the sea. But over the years, there has been a surge of used shipping containers awaiting a second chance. It might seem like a huge problem as it can lead to a huge amount of trash. However, several creative individuals saw a silver lining with these seemingly useless containers. One of which includes building a house using these containers. Apparently, not only shipping containers are used for cargo but also for building homes. You might have a lot of questions in mind right now. Is it hot inside? Is it even possible to have a complete home in a box-shaped shipment container? Is it sustainable in the long run? For these questions, you can consult architects builders especially if they have experience building a shipping container home. What to expect in a shipping container home For one, a shipping container house is made from, obviously, a shipment container. Shipping containers are usually available in 20 ft. by 8 ft. and 40 ft. by 8 ft. The former can provide about 160 sq. ft. of liveable space, while the latter can give you 320 sq. ft. domestic space. Some homeowners hire a home additions builder to turn a shipping container into a liveable home. On the other hand, some owners fuse several containers to make into larger houses or office spaces. The corrugated walls would usually be removed to add more space and invite more natural light inside the structure. Home designers have the opportunity to exercise their creativity in building a shipping container home. Shipment containers are usually budget- and environment-friendly. However, it is better to check the condition of the container before converting it into a liveable space. As for building permits, you might have to check your local area’s building rules and regulations. But most likely you have to make sure that the container will fit the land area and that it should meet your local area’s zoning and building restrictions. Shipping container homes: Pros and cons On the one hand, shipping container homes are budget-friendly. Building a shipment container house is a lot faster than building a concrete or wooden house from scratch. On average, a used shipping container costs around $1,400 and above. The former can be built as fast as three weeks, while traditional […]
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