There are home upgrades which will add value to your house when you do decide to sell it. However, there are certain upgrades which might not make your house more valuable come selling time. Here are some of these upgrades. If you can do without them, then I suggest forgetting it.
Home Office
Let’s face it, not everyone needs a home office. It is nice to have one, though. However, come selling time, you might regret converting a bedroom to a home office. This means that there is one less bedroom to sell, and while the potential buyers can convert it back to a bedroom, they probably won’t want that job.
Colorful marble counters
You might be taken over by a colorful fit – one which “forces” you to spruce up the house with lots of bright color. Paint walls if you must, but when it comes to counter tops, avoid colorful marble or granite counters. These are not cheap to change, and what are the chances that potential buyers would love to have a bright green counter top?
Wall to wall carpets
Not everyone is into carpeting. For one, it is such a head ache to maintain. More so, you will probably have a stain here and there after years of living in the house. Come selling time, your wall to wall carpeting job might prove to be more of a liability than an asset.
The bottom line is this: upgrade your house the way you want to if you – it’s you who will enjoy the upgrades. However, if you are upgrading with the aim of selling later on, then think hard and carefully about the changes you make.
In my early teens Popular Mechanics and I had a short lived romance. I was exiting boy scouts and was enthralled with all things science and guru related. This article would have really been a favorite of mine then, and well it really hits home today.
25 Tips Every Man Should Know. included in this list is one of my favorite DIY activities which is Painting A Room
17. Paint a Room
Good paint jobs start before the first can of paint is opened.
Prepare the room by removing all hardware (door latchsets, receptacle and switch plates). Don’t just fill small holes in the plaster or drywall; enlarge them first so the compound can be pushed in place, and wet the hole to slow drying. Sand rough spots, wash dirty areas, then prime.
Paint the ceiling, then the walls. Use a 212-in. brush to cut in the finish color at all corners and against the trim. Switch to a roller, apply paint in a W pattern and fill it in. After you dip the roller in the paint tray, 70 percent of the paint comes off on the first downstroke; avoid splatters by starting at least 9 in. from the corner. Apply two coats.
Growing up I didn’t realize the things I was doing would later be neccesary skills in everyday life but it’s true. That’s what makes this a great article. I can imagine not everyone has a handy Dad to show them how to do all these things.
Finish by painting the woodwork and trim with a gloss or semigloss paint. It’s safest to mask off the walls beforehand, although pros often skip this step. If you do mask, use a tape designed for the purpose so the adhesive doesn’t pull the paint from the wall. Once the final coat dries, reinstall hardware.
I was watching TV late at night one evening when on came a guy who was trying to order doors over the internet. The company wouldn’t sell to him at a wholesale price. So what was the guy to do but setup a website,get a new phone #, and claim to be a company looking to order the very same doors. And guess what? He got those doors at a much discounted rate and ended up saving a whole lot. Even with the time spent building a website.
So if you are looking to save a few bucks setup a website, and start making calls I bet ya you can get a discounted/wholesale rate and save a bundle on improving your house.
It’s winter and slippery when wet signs bear more impact than any other time of the year. I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me that you’ve slipped more than once in your garage, although what you would be doing in your garage at this time of the year, I cannot imagine. As you might realize, I would rather be bundled up inside, warm and toasty.
Anyhow, if you have a slippery garage floor, here is what you can do to make it safer for everyone.
The basic idea is to add friction. Every engineer will tell you that friction is the solution for slippery surfaces, and a smooth concrete garage floor with some slush (probably from your car) cannot be any more slippery.
One thing that you can do is to get lots of non-slip tape from the hardware store. 3M is a tried and tested brand – get Safety-Walk. They have various degrees of coarseness, depending on what you need. For maximum grip, get the coarsest kind. The good thing about this tape is that you can put it practically anywhere. If your floor is not concrete (read: the porous kind), then you should buy primer first before applying the tape.
Of course, just because you have this tape does not mean that you should not clean up the surface of your garage floor. One major reason people slip is not only because of a friction-less surface – it’s because there are a lot of other things in the way. Your best bet is to make sure that your work area is clean and free of clutter!
Here’s another post inspired by a slideshow I saw at MSN. This time, it’s about one of the most important rooms in the house: the bathroom. I don’t know about you, but I consider the bathroom to be very very important. It should be a place where you can relax and pamper yourself no matter what. According to experts, homeowners are starting to see their homes as a place where they can escape the harsh realities of life and the bathroom being turned into something like a spa is part of that. So here goes some of the bathrooms that may be dreams for now…
Space-age steam shower
Isn’t that gorgeous? I can already imagine myself spending hours in that shower. And why not? It has six water jets that can massage your body and they’re all fully adjustable, too! More so, the unit has controls for lighting and has a built-in FM radio as well as capabilities to be connected to your own sound system.
Luxury tubs
There are many of these in the market today, and they come in all shapes and sizes. I particularly like the idea of having a bottom that forms to fit your body shape. Name it, you’ll find it for sale somewhere. Just be prepared to pay the price.
Audio massage while you bathe
Taking a bath isn’t complete without music, is it? This bathtub from Kohler integrates music into the bathing experience. You may opt to choose from the settings or use your own mp3s to soothe the stresses of the day away. It also makes use of chromatherapy for added relaxation.
June is here and those of you with green thumbs know what that means! It’s time to get out your gardening paraphernalia and spend lots of wonderful time outdoors in the garden. Here are some things to get you started.
Get splashes of color.
One of the things that I really like about gardens are the bright splashes of color here and there. If you want “instant” color, go to the nearest nursery and get yourself several pots of colorful annuals that are already in bloom. Now all you need to do is place them in strategic spots in your garden. This will help those of you who might be pressed for time.
Get perennials for long term beauty.
If you have the time and patience – which I am pretty sure you have – I suggest you get some perennials, as they are perfect for June planting. Over the next few months, these plants will give you much pleasure as they grow and become mature. If did some perennial planting in the spring, you can also take the time this month to separate them to prevent overcrowding.
Make a vegetable garden.
If your family likes vegetables, your best bet is to make a garden of your own. While you can always gets vegetables from the market, there is much to be said about harvesting your food from your backyard. This is your last chance to plant squash and cucumber. Corn, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers should also be planted ASAP before summer gets well underway.
Happy gardening!
One of the best times to sell your home is during spring. Everything just seems to be better in this season and even the moods of people are affected by it. Of course, you might need to get some work done as the winter might not have been exactly kind to your property. Before you sell your house this spring, follow these simple steps for better chances of making a good deal.
Wash, wash, wash!
It’s not called spring cleaning for nothing. I would suggest washing your windows and walls till they shine and sparkle. Oh, and do it both inside and outside. If you want, you can even use some furniture or glass cleaner to give things an extra sparkle. Oh, and don’t forget mirrors as well. There is nothing more attractive to a home buyer than a sparkling clean house.
Cut, trim, and then cut some more
If you have vegetation in your yard, then make sure you deal with this before showing off your property. Trim bushes that need to be trimmed. Cut down branches that block sunlight or block the view from windows. And do make sure that you rake the dead leaves away. You might like the “naturalistic” look but not everyone appreciates that!
Get hordes of yellow flowers
Studies show that yellow flowers entice people to buy more. Whether or not the data is true, it will not hurt to transplant flowers to fill your window boxes and yard. You do not even have to stick with yellow flowers only. Go out and gather all those bright flowers and see the difference they can make.
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,351,646652,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()
If you own the house you live in, then you have a lot more options as to maximizing your kitchen space. Indeed, you can even do a bit more construction. I have to warn you, though, you might have to set aside some money in order to carry out these projects.
One, free up wall space. If you have large sliding doors or doorways to the kitchen that are taking up more space than necessary, why don’t you consider using that space for something else? I think that one door way – a swinging door perhaps? – would be sufficient. What can you do with the wall space that you can create if you make your door smaller? LOTS! How about some shelves? Maybe counter tops? Your imagination is the limit!
Two, extend space away from the house. If your kitchen wall faces nothing but space outside of the house, then you have more options. Knock parts of the wall down and extend the kitchen to the yard. That might cost something steep though since the contractor would have to build a new foundation and all that stuff. You might want to create a “hanging space” instead; something like a bay window. This can be used for storage but even if you didn’t use it that way, the window would create an illusion of space by bringing in more light.
Three, declutter! I don’t know about you but clutter seems to easily pile up in my kitchen. I am pretty sure that if I threw away some stuff, the kitchen would seem much bigger.
var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,351,646433,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()
For people who like to cook and eat good food, the kitchen is the central place in the house. And if your kitchen is not that spacious, it could present a big problem. This is exactly the case in my relatively new apartment and it has been bugging me for quite some time. Here are some tips that all of use with small kitchens just might find handy.
Lose the table
Perhaps it has something to do with image or upbringing but some people have the tendency to bring in a humongous table into the kitchen. It could be that these people have dreams of having a huge family one day. But for now, while there are only 2 or 3 people living in the house, I think that it would be good to just get a small table – that would be enough for daily use and free up some space in the kitchen as well.
Annex adjacent rooms
If you are already tight on space, why not make your dining room and kitchen one big room? Knock down walls if there are any and create one spacious area where you can prepare food, congregate with the family, and eat at the same time? Though the idea may be repulsive to some, ponder on it a bit more and you just might find yourself liking the idea of having more space to move around. Oh, this is not limited to the dining room. Take a look at walk in cupboards, pantries, and the like.
Are you hosting Christmas dinner or lunch for family and friends this year? I feel for you, if you are. I know that it is supposed to be a time of giving and good cheer but if you are the host family, the task can be a daunting one. You already have the not easy task of preparing the meal but you also have to think about the Christmas decorations as well as making sure your house is respectable. You still have a couple of weeks left – counting some weekends. Perhaps you can embark on small home improvement projects before the big day? Here are more easy tips for you.
Set aside one day for all the small repairs that you need to do.
I am sure that you have more than one minor repair that needs to be done. Let me check my house. I have a leaky faucet, some window caulking needs fixed, and the screen door has a hole. These are all small things and it would be more time efficient to deal with them all in one day if possible. Do a once over and check all the small repairs and prepare to work on them in a day.
Redo your floors.
I am not saying that you should change to hardwood if your floor is made of tiles or vice versa. What I am trying to tell you is that you should make sure that your floor is extra shiny (if wood or tile) or that the carpet is spic and span. A clean looking floor does wonders for the house!
Make your house look good from the outside.
If the outside needs a coat of fresh paint, try allotting a whole weekend for this. If this is not possible – which is the case in many places in the US at this time of the year – then add ornaments and accessories that will spruce up your curb appeal.
