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.

Tweet This Post

5.) Sunroom Addition: 51% recoup on an average investment of $73,000. How do you like that for some depressing math? Sunroom additions fall into that category of inefficient use of space, right along with bathroom additions. If you’ve got a hankering for room addition investment, throw your dollars into a more valuable project like guest room suite for the sibling that won’t go away or a baby nursery that can be easily modified into a child’s room.

Tweet This Post

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.

Tweet This Post

One of my all time favorite quotes: “Just because they make it in your size, doesn’t mean you should wear it.” I have to remind myself of this when I go shopping sometimes.

Similarly, just because a home remodeling project is available for completion, doesn’t mean you should invest in it.

Not all home remodeling projects are equal. The annual Cost vs. Value Report offers great insight to homeowners who are interested in increasing the value of their home through various projects and undertakings.

This 10-part mini-blog series will expose insider tips on a daily basis. These recommendations will help guide you down the project management path for your home.

1.) Bathroom addition: Surprised? Take note, there is a significant difference in a bathroom addition vs. a bathroom remodel. On average, bathroom additions only recoup about 60% of their invested cost. This number does not deviate according to square footage of the project. Reason being, no matter what the size of the new space, this remodel will require a number of necessary costs that will quickly drive the cost of the investment. Consider the various expenses that would be involved in such a project: plumbing, HVAC, electrical, fixtures, flooring, shower/tub, etc.

The only situation in which a homeowner would be advised to take on a bathroom addition, would be one that adds the bathroom in order to meet neighborhood standards. If your house was constructed with just one bathroom, but all other homes in the area were built with three, you may consider the addition in order to better serve the overall potential value of your home.

BATHROOM ADDITION: NO-GO

http://2dsh.sl.pt

Tweet This Post

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?

Tweet This Post

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.

Tweet This Post

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).

Tweet This Post

I thought I might post a quick blog about our blog and our blogging efforts.

We started bombarding the blogosphere with our advice, opinions and recommendations earlier this year. And not only have we not been kicked off of the world wide web (surprisingly), we’ve actually been applauded. That’s right – Somebody other than us thinks we’re pretty cool.

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) publishes a bimonthly magazine, The Remodelers Journal, that is distributed to thousands of industry big-wigs across the nation. A couple months back, we received a phone call from a NARI Remodelers Journal reporter who had caught wind of our bad-ass blogging and social media campaigning.

The lady interviewed us and told us that she was going to feature Total Home in the upcoming magazine. Well, that upcoming magazine has been written, printed and distributed.

Do you know what that means? That means that your little, local remodeling company is the greatest remodeling company in the world! Okay. It may not mean that, exactly. But it does mean that we are kind of a big deal. Look out Hollywood, here we come.

Check out our article. Be proud of us. Feel free to help us deflate our overly inflated ego – but in regards to that last one, give us just a day or so if you could, we kind of like feeling like we’re something extra special.

Tweet This Post

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 ____________.

Tweet This Post

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…

Tweet This Post