It would be pretty unfair of me to throw all these bad ideas onto the table, without leaving you with a few good ones.

2.) Attic Bedroom: Basement finishes are fairly popular. But what about the top portion of the house? How many attic finishes do you hear about? Not so many, huh? All the more reason to look into this idea a little further. We’ve discussed the concept of utilizing available square footage in the most efficient way possible. Well, attic remodels are an excellent example of this very idea. These projects average around $50,000. While that may seem hefty, the average cost to add a new addition to a home will range from $40,000 – $90,000.

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The weirdest thing happened to me several years back.

I took a vacation to Arizona during the winter season and I stayed in one of those fancy-shmancy hotels on a hill. The resort was fantastic. It offered amenities such as slippers and bathrobes, pricey water bottles, on-site spa services and clean sheets. The shower soaps were sweetly scented and the bath towels were over-sized and plush.

Now. The ‘weird thing’ had nothing to do with the fact that I had been allowed onto the premises of such a a luxurious property. The ‘weird thing’ had everything to do with the interestingly hot floor space.

I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom to brush my teeth and to quickly evaluate what type of hair day I would be having. As I stood there on the ceramic tile floor, brushing my teeth, I took note that my feet were not being affected by the cold, tile surface. In fact, they were experiencing an unusual, yet pleasant, warming sensation.

Heated tile floors are absolutely fantastic. Their popularity may exist amongst high-end resorts, but more and more, homeowners are getting in on this fun little detail.

These systems are typically only about 1/8″ thick and they install conveniently on top of your sub floor. The system embeds within the thinset cement that is used to lay the tile. Lead wires will run from the heated mat to a thermostat (usually located in the gang box next to a light switch).

In terms of cost, you should expect to budget an average of $2-$3/square foot for installation. Additional fees will be required for electrical work (budget $300). According to our web research, a typical bathroom tile floor heating system will cost approximately $800.

Necessary? Probably not. Luxurious, sexy and fun? You betcha.

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I don’t know about you, but I think that Office Max is one of the greatest places on earth. I love the way it smells; I love the the layout; I love the customer service; I love the fact that they sell gummy bears by the bucket. But most importantly, I love the overall mission of the store “to help [their] customers do the best work.”

Next time you’re gearing up for a home remodeling project, hit up your neighborhood Office Max. Plan to spend twice the money you’d like to spend (it’s just more fun that way), and buy yourself a basket-full of supplies to assist you in organizing the three phases of your upcoming project: 1) The bid process 2) The project itself 3) Project completion.

These items should be on your must-have list:

Pretty, three ring binder

Colorful, three-hole tabs

Clear, plastic, three-hole sleeves

Phase 1 of your binder will house all ideas and planning resources. Collect paint samples, brochures, magazine clippings, and store them in your binder. You should also include all pre-project estimate information. Ask your potential contractors lots of questions and make lots of notes. Remember, the lowest bid is not always the best option and it may not offer the best quality materials. Don’t shop on price point.

Phase 2 of your binder will contain all contracts, receipts and change orders. Keep all receipts in some sort of orderly fashion. This will help you when dealing with returns, but it will also come in handy when you decide to sell the property.

Phase 3 of your project binder will wrap the project up. It will display before and after photos. Note: When shooting before and after photos, stand in the same spot for both sets. This will make your side-by-side comparison just that much more fun to look at.

OFFICE MAX: Elf Yourself
Our Fearless Leader, Pat Strand

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There is a difference.

I often hear home owners argue that they will not purchase a certain product or service because they are “on a budget.”  But the fact of the matter is, Budget does not equal Cheap.  When managed properly, the home improvement process can provide a satisfying return on investment.  This is not something that will typically be attained through frugality and penny-pinching.

• Keep yourself on track with guidelines and a spending barometer.  Keep receipts.
• Look at your house from the “Total Picture” perspective.  Purchasing granite countertops for the kitchen, when the windows throughout your house are costing you in energy efficiency dollars as you sit, may not be the the best decision for your overall investment.  THINK: Overall return on investment.
• The quality of help you hire is of the utmost importance.  Knowing where to draw the line between DIY and hire the help falls into this category, as well.  Hiring a friend to do the work for you is usually not the best idea (unless of course they are licensed).  Remember the old saying, “You get what you pay for.”  If you hire a professional that carries their own insurance and licensing, you are able to rest assured that your investment is covered – no matter what.  Can you say the same for your buddy that’s willing to “do it for a case of beer?”
• Keep the future homeowner in mind.  When choosing colors, appliances, accessories – Your investment will recoup the highest gains for you if you are able to do this.  Remember, taste is subjective.  Neutral, classic colors will do best.  Modern, trendy appliances, countertops and fixtures may backfire on you.
• Brand A costs a more than Brand B, but you know it’s a better quality product, and you feel a lot more comfortable with the contractor.  What do you do?  Remember the old axiom, “Go with your gut.”  As previously mentioned, the quality of the help you hire is of utmost importance.  Workmanship, attitude and character should all be factors of consideration, here.  Remember, you will essentially be turning over the outcome of your investment to these guys.  Paying a little more to ensure that you’re getting exactly what you need out of the process, should be considered best practice.

I found this funny sign on the web…

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Spring weather in Kansas is sure to bring its fair share of rainwater.  And evidently, plenty of folks are taking a completely ‘old school’ approach to the whole conservation/recycling initiative in terms of rainwater.  If you haven’t heard much about the resurgence of rain barrels yet, here’s an opportunity to learn a little more.

Although these barrels appear to be making a comeback in our parts, they’ve actually been around for hundreds (maybe even thousands) of years.  Rain barrels are containers that are designed to trap and store rainwater for later use.  Most commonly, rain barrels are made of hard, plastic containers that catch the water runoff from roofing and guttering systems.

Water harvesting is a very good-sense, practical and simple effort for any homeowner who might be looking towards creative, new initiatives that will save money and conserve resources.

Interested to learn more about the actual meat and potatoes?  Want to see some numbers?  Here’s a great formula I found online that breaks down the potential savings:

1. Measure the exterior length and width of your house (include roof overhang)
2. Multiply L x W.  For example, a house that is 30′ x 40′ will have 1,200 sq ft. roof catchment area
3. Multiply 1,200 by 0.6 (the portion of a gallon that will be harvested by one inch of water falling on one square foot of your roof’s surface)
4. Your 1,200 square foot roof catchment area will yield 720 gallons of water from 1″ of rainfall (30 x 40 = 1200 x .6)

Pretty cool, huh?  Now, you may not want to go so far as to start drinking your rainwater as the headline suggests.  Although, the material I read claims that rainwater is actually quite clean and would be acceptable as drinking water because evaporation serves as a filtration system to air pollutants and toxins.  Nonetheless, this water could most definitely be used on houseplants, flower beds, vegetable gardens, etc.

Check this link out to learn exactly how you can go about installing and using your rain barrel.

How Stuff Works.Com

Photo courtesy of “Bananallama.com”

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