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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4.) Garage Addition: This is another project that should be tackled only under the awareness that the average regain will average just above 62%. The average cost of such a project will amount to more than $58,000. Garage additions are labor intensive – They involve slab work, roofing, new siding, paint, doors, etc. Erecting a garage addition only differs from new home building in that it does not require insulated walls for HVAC purposes. Essentially, the garage addition process is no different than the building process of assembling a miniature house.

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3.) Backup Generator: The potential return on these puppies is just over 50%. If you purchase this one, accept the fact that that you are doing so strictly for personal usage. Do not make the purchase with much expectancy of potential future profit.

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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 was totally called out by my friend, @kylerohde today. He claims that most all homeowners are already fully aware of the winterizing “tips & tricks” that I blog about every year. Is this true? Is it common knowledge that you need to leave all of your faucets dripping during freezing temperatures and that you need to check your smoke alarm batteries?

Okay fine.

What about tools. Are you hip to the recommended winterization processes for tools? I bet you’re not, Sen. @kylerohde. Check this out:

OIL
When oil sits around for a period of time, it turns sludgy and makes an engine less efficient. It’s best to drain your tools of any oil and dispose of properly (i.e. not down your toilet or kitchen sink).

FUEL FILTERS
A dirty filter will force an engine to work harder than necessary to draw gas. Do you like to work harder than necessary for any reason whatsoever? Didn’t think so. The winter months are a good time to evaluate, remove and replace filters. (By the way, they’ll only set you back $5-$30 – A cheap date if I ever saw one).

SPARK PLUGS
You’ll find these bad-boys in your gas-powered tools. They ignite the air-fuel mixture that fires your engine up and they get dirty with repeated use. You can pull these out and clean them, or you can pick new ones up for about $3 a piece. Not sure about you, but I’d just assume swap the little suckers out. This is strictly personal preference, however.

FUEL
Fuel will degrade in a tank if left to sit idly for several months. Pick up some fuel stabilizer and follow the directions provided – don’t make up your own, that almost never works out in your favor (speaking from personal experience, here). The stabilizer will keep the gas fresh for about 6 months.

RUST
Your mower used to look all shiny and new, didn’t it? What happened? You abused it with stuck-on soil and muck. That crud traps moisture and when secured next to the metal for a period of time (uh, like a winter), then rust will form and degrade your shiny, yard tool. Before you stow your mow, give it a thorough cleaning. Pull out the putty knife and work with a wire brush.

LUBE
Hinges and moving parts should be sufficiently lubed before storing equipment for the winter season. This will prevent rusting and cracking. Wouldn’t it be great if they made some of that tool lube for humans?

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What do you know? The annual Remodeling Cost vs. Value report for 2009-2010 was just released and despite the track record of recent years past, a new trend is being established.

Hip, hip, hooray for Exterior Remodeling Projects!

Gone are the days of “best bang for your buck” in the form of Kitchen and Bathroom remodeling. It’s the remodeled exterior of your home that will now offer the greatest return, according to this year’s cost vs. value report. Seven out of the top ten high-yielding value projects on this acclaimed report are exterior remodeling projects.

Reason being? I’ll give you one guess.

The state of the economy has forced many homeowner to scale back on their projects in the name of frugality. Tax credits and energy efficiency incentives also aide in this outcome.

Folks are recognizing the importance of quality product vs. price of product (i.e. Most homeowners are now willing to pay more money up front for an energy efficient window that will help to lower utility bills in the long run). Projects are being recognized more and more as true investments.

Your Top Ten list is here:

1. Entry door replacement steel (128.9%)
2. Attic bedroom (83.1%)
3. Deck addition wood (80.6%)
4. Siding replacement vinyl (79.9%)
5. Minor kitchen  remodel (78.3%)
6. Window replacement wood (77.3%)
7. Window replacement vinyl (76.6%)
8. Basement remodel (75.4%)
9. Major kitchen remodel (72.1%)
10. Bathroom remodel (71%)

No, I did not illustrate this cartoon. Not a chance. I stole it from the web. Pulled it off of Google.

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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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You should plan to prepare 1 to 1.5 pounds of turkey per person. But if your family is anything like mine, you’ll plan on doubling that recommendation to allow for seconds, thirds and leftover turkey sandwiches.

Let’s assume, however, that your family falls in line with the “typical” American family. In this case, a 12 to 15 pound turkey will serve 10-12 people; a 15 to 18 pound turkey will serve 14-16 people; an 18 to 22 pound turkey will serve 20-22 people. (I am providing this data for those of you who hate math as much as I do).

Now, when heading to the store to buy your bird, I would like to offer two recommendations:

1. Buy Frozen.

A defrosted bird might be more convenient, but he’s also more expensive. Take the time to buy him ahead of time (this will actually support my second point, as well) and thaw him out at your house. The bird people suggest you allow one day of thawing time per 5 pounds of turkey. And since we all know that we cannot leave poultry laying around the house willy-nilly, we must keep in mind that this bad boy will be moving into our refrigerator for 2-4 days time. Toss the expired condiments, rearrange the bottom shelf and invite your latest family addition to hang out for a couple of days.

2. Avoid peak shopping hours like the plague.

Every year, I pre-plan my holiday meals with the best of intentions. I stock up on canned pumpkin, I hoard cans of Cool Whip and I load up on raw sugar-cookie dough, which I use to bake my famous homemade sugar cookies. But every year, without fail, I find myself hanging out at the local Lenexa Wal-Mart the day before Thanksgiving, fighting my fellow shoppers for the last can of condensed milk. It’s just ridiculous.

And I’ve thought to myself, “If the only people here were people like me – people who can’t seem to get it right the first time, no matter how hard they try – this store would be nowhere near the zoo it is.” So, I suggest you buy your holiday trimmings and your celebratory meats sometime between Independence Day and Halloween. This should keep you in the clear.

Then again, what do I know. I typically roam the aisles of Wal-Mart on Thanksgiving eve and Thanksgiving Day, and my homemade cookies are a total farce. (But for what it’s worth, I do make the icing…with condensed milk).

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Your first home is likely to be one of the most erratic learning experiences of your life.  You will probably learn about things that you previously had no interest in learning whatsoever, and you will spend far more money than you ever intended to spend from the get-go.  But the flip-side of this is that you will feel an immense sense of pride for every task that you complete, every wall that you paint, every toilet that you un-clog, and every mortgage payment that you make (well, that last one doesn’t always induce pride so much as stress, fear and panic – but you get the point).

Let me list a few tips for the Homeowner Newbie.  I know you’ve got a lot to take in, but take a glance:

1. Wires: Before you go fiddling around with anything electric, check-in with a qualified electrician (not just your buddy, Hank, who happens to be an expert at hooking up stereo systems).  Have them make certain that you have enough wattage to complete your project and that your wiring is up to building code standards.
2. Appliances: Don’t make the same mistake I made in my first home. Plan your new appliances and high voltage outlets accordingly.  Do not purchase a refrigerator that is too big for the far- end of the room, but is only capable of plugging into that far-end of the room.  And if you do decide to do that, be prepared to hire that electrician guy again for yet another job.
3. Home Safety: Make a checklist of all home safety devices, and assure that your home is up to par on all of them.  You should already know these things, but I will remind you, nonetheless.  You need smoke alarms (with batteries), carbon monoxide detectors, burglary alarms and/or a large/scary animal.
4. Windows: Check the caulk job on your windows.  Proper caulking around your windows will help to prevent water damage.  This will also help to keep unnecessary energy from exiting the home.
5. Fireplace: Older homes have nice, old fireplaces. Nice, old fireplaces have a tendency to be extremely non-energy efficient.  Consider upgrading its efficiency by installing an air circulation device or a pellet stove.  You might even consider getting a stone for your fireplace that will radiate heat, making it more efficient.

Name that movie:

Tom Hanks is first-time home buyer in 1986 ____________.

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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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