Don’t Make These Remodeling Mistakes

Remodeling MistakesSpring time is fast-approaching, and with it comes do it yourself (DIY) projects. Just because it is cold and dreary out now doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be thinking about these upcoming projects and avoiding any remodeling mistakes. Take advantage of the fact that you will be indoors and do some brainstorming and prioritizing of the DIY projects you want to accomplish in 2012.

Zippy Shell recently published a blog highlighting The 4 Biggest Remodeling Mistakes and how to avoid these remodeling mistakes that we thought was pretty insightful. Here’s what they found: Read More

Some of the Worst Home Inspections Ever

This Old House has an incredibly disturbing, yet incredibly interesting series on their website titled “Home Inspection Nightmares“. It’s basically just a compilation of some of the worst home inspections and their findings, ranging from major mold issues to items such as zip ties and basketballs being used as stand-in hardware tools. There were leaks and leaky pipes (that’s a high water bill), hedges like this one that is overgrown and growing into crevices like chimneys, surprise and not welcome Read More

The Top 10 Projects to Increase the Value of Your Home

If you are considering moving into a “fixer-upper” type of home, are into the business of flipping houses, or are simply at a point in your current home where remodeling is necessary, the list of projects to increase the value of your home below will help you out. This list gives you insight as to which project have a higher return on investment than others. Some of the projects are major projects that require experts to come and help you tackle the project components. While others may be simple like gardening and enhancing your outside. If you love to garden and do not mind hard work, this may be a project for you to do it yourself. Some projects may appear to have a lower return on investment but in the long run they may help you sell your home faster and for slightly more money because they can differentiate your house compared to others in the neighborhood. A great project to consider is painting your house, both inside and out, can actually give you a huge return on investment and also give you a fresh look to your home.  It will help you determine where to start in the process by showing you which projects have the highest ROI (return on investment). Read More

How to De-Clutter a House Full of Kids

De-clutterIt’s common knowledge that kids have short attention spans. This goes for holding a conversation with a kid, watching T.V. with a kid, going to a candy store with a kid, etc., but it also holds true at home. If you have ever seen multiple kids under the age of five playing in a living room, you’ll notice that none of them ever play with a toy for longer than 5 minutes. And what do they usually do when they are done playing with a toy they just got out? Drop it where they stand and play with the next toy that caught Read More

Should you Do-It-Yourself or Hire a Professional?

DIY projectThere are some obvious benefits to taking on a home project yourself rather than hiring it done by a professional, the main one being that it is often times a lot less expensive. However, before you tackle a project yourself you should be aware of the potential “hidden costs” of a DIY project. Here is a small list of things to consider when deciding whether to do a project yourself or hire a professional. Read More