Home Improvement: Redesigning Your Basement

There are times when the rooms you have are insufficient and you look into home improvement methods to convert any available space into a room. One of the best options for this purpose is your basement. Often the basement is used more as a storage space and can be easily converted to create a good study, office, or at times even a bedroom, depending on your requirements. Depending on the conversion you propose to make, your budget will also vary.

Planning Cost and Requirements

Before you estimate the cost of conversion, you need to ascertain the actual requirements. Ascertain what space you want to create as part of your home improvement project. If it is a study or office, the space can be manipulated with minimal expenses. However, if you are looking at converting your basement into a bedroom or adding bathrooms or toilets, then your expenses will increase accordingly. The other factors that affect your budget are the electrical connectivity required, need for water connections and related plumbing, extra furniture required, etc. If you intend to fix air conditioners or heater, then the corresponding electrical work and additional appliances or material would add more cost to your home improvement plans. As in a home construction project, you can get an estimate from a builder or contractor to ascertain the actual cost of converting your basement.

Electricity and Plumbing

A study or office room does not require much manipulation of space. The electrical and plumbing work is also minimal unless you think of adding a toilet or bathroom to this space. You can use existing furniture or even visit some second-hand furniture store for the purpose. However, the scenario changes if you are looking into a home improvement plan that involves creating a bedroom or guest room. In addition to furniture, you need to think of plumbing and sanitation, electrical fittings, air conditioners or heaters, etc. Lighting should be planned not only for the new room but also for the stairways leading to your remodeled basement. This is to prevent any risks of accident while climbing up or going down.

4 Home Improvement Projects for the Bathroom

The bathroom is among the most used rooms in your house. Many things in the bathroom can need replacing or spruced up from time to time. Are you wondering what you can do in your bathroom today to make it look better? Below find 4 home-improvement projects for the bathroom.

Bathtub

The bathtub often needs to be replace or resurfaced depending on the type of tub it is. This is often a job for a professional to do because of the plumbing and other tricky adjustments. If you have a porcelain bathtub these can be resurfaced instead of replace if they are not in real bad shape. A tub can begin to leak if allowed to continue to wear out. Then you will have a floor to replace too. So check your tub today to see what wear it shows.

Toilets

Toilets are one thing that with a bit of elbow grease and limited know how you can even replace. You do need to know how to remove the old toilet and the old sealing ring. The sealing ring can be made from wax even though there are other kinds too. You will need to buy a new toilet and sealant ring to do this project. The people at the home-improvement store near you can explain what you need to do. It is quite easy and fast to do. Then you just have to properly dispose of the old toilet.

Sinks or Vanities

The sinks or vanities can need replacing once in awhile in the bathrooms. Sometimes just the sink needs replacing and other times the vanity in sits in has to be replaced too. All the plumbing has to be disconnected before you remove either one. If the vanity is to be removed it will have to be gently taken from the wall and the floor to which it is attached. Once it has been removed clean up all debris. Now you are ready for the new one to come in that you purchased. Now if the sink only has to be replaced make sure to get the right size sink to replace it. Then undo the plumbing and cut of scrape the caulk from around the sink. Then lower the new sink in and attach all the plumbing back up. Re-caulk around the sink. You are set to go.

Flooring

If your flooring is ripped, starting to pull away from certain areas in the bathroom too much for just a simple repair, or if the tile floor is showing too much damage, then it is time for new flooring. It is crucial for you to have a waterproofed floor in the bathroom. So having the whole covered securely with some type of flooring is important. This type of home improvement should only be done by you if you are experienced at installing flooring or if you go get some training in how to do it properly.

Doing any of these home-improvement projects on your bathroom will help preserve the value of your house. It will also allow you to more comfortably use your bathroom on a daily basis. Examine your bathroom for anything that needs to be fixed or replaced.

6 Home Improvement Projects That Can Boost Your Home’s Value

A lot of home improvement projects do not add value to your house especially when the market is down. In fact, there are projects that can reduce the asking price. Conversely, there are projects that can enhance the value of your property.

In here, you will learn which projects you should invest in. See the tips below; to learn the home improvement projects that can enhance the value of your home.

1. Indoor Systems

Prepare your home for buyers by repairing and improving major systems like the heater and cooler. Make all the necessary upgrades, replacements or repairs on all the major systems before doing other improvements. Other major systems include plumbing, heating, sewer and electrical systems, etc. Older homes may need big improvement on their plumbing and wirings. In addition, old roofing should be replaced with new ones.

Buyers will make sure that these systems are in great working condition by using a home inspector. They do not wish to go through the trouble of spending money on repairs and replacements in the near future.

2. Remodelling the Kitchen

As most people see the kitchen as the heart of the home, improvement on this area often pays off. You can get a huge return of investment on kitchen remodelling alone but make sure not to go overboard. Never make your kitchen more attractive than the rest of your house.

3. Additional Bathroom

There are buyers who consider the kitchen the focal point when choosing a home, and there are buyers who consider the bathroom as more essential. As this is the case, adding a bathroom or even just a tiny bathroom, can add value to your home according to experts at National Association of Home Builders or NAHB.

If your home only has one bathroom, then you can get back a huge part of your investment by adding another one. To find the right area to build your extra bathroom, take a look at any extra rooms or less used spaces in your home. You can use the spaces where your closets are located or spaces under the stairs. A full bathroom with a shower or bathtub would require at least 35 square feet, while a half bath room would require at least 18 square feet.

4. Adding Energy-Efficient Windows

A lot of buyers prefer homes that are energy efficient. Many get discouraged with homes having old single-pane windows. Making your home energy efficient, will make buyers think that buying your home will allow them to save money in the long run.

5. Boost Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is what attracts potential buyers to go inside your home. Ignoring the importance of enhancing curb appeal is a mistake many home sellers make. If you have enough budget, and your landscaping needs a lot of work, then consider getting professionals to do landscaping.

If you do not want to spend a lot on curb appeal then you can just remove debris, trim shrubs and trees. Take note, a bad curb appeal can result to a significant drop in the value of your home.

6. Basic Updates

The basic updates are the ones that can add the highest value to your home. Make sure to apply fresh paint, repair the roof, replace rooting wood walls and fences, and remove any dirt that you find. These basic updates can prevent deterioration on your home. Buyers prefer safe, healthy and solid homes and they will make an effort to find signs that the home is not properly maintained.

Regularly replace the electric wiring, repaint the exterior and interior and replace the plumbing in your home. These projects can keep your home in tip-top shape so when you decide to sell your home, buyers will see the efforts made in maintaining it.

A very important thing to remember when it comes to any home improvement project is not to overspend and go overboard. Partially, the value of your home is determined by the value of similar homes in your neighbourhood, so make sure that you do not make improvements that will make your home’s value highly over the average value of the similar homes in your area.

Simple Tips For Low Cost Home Improvements

Have you been thinking about remodeling your home? Keep in mind that you can often achieve your goal without a giant expense. Small improvements introduced in almost every room, including the exterior of the house can make all the difference.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Keep it clean and keep it simple!

A clean and neat house is appealing and eye-catching. You can start improving the appearance of your house simply by cleaning out the debris. Try making your garden look like an ideal place with some weeding and cleaning out the flower beds. Paint the front door to give your home a more welcoming feeling.

De-cluttering is also a part of cleaning, so get rid of things you don’t need to make room for new ones. The first glance is usually enough for a selective buyer to quickly estimate a house.

Does the exterior of your home need repainting? Is there a walkway that you can highlight by introducing some flowers? Remember to keep it simple. Focus on making things neat and tidy.

Two hot spots of every home:

The two most closely inspected rooms of a house are the kitchen and the master bathroom. If you are looking to focus on two hot spots, these are the interior rooms where the most value can be added during a sale, so make them look their best to increase your return on investment.

Is your kitchen may be in need of an upgrade? A well updated kitchen will dramatically increase the value of your home, so focus on spicing up this room to grab buyer attention. Renovating your kitchen using modern décor is going to instantly improve the value of your home. Many times a buyer will compromise on other rooms and will buy a home just because its kitchen is well-maintained and inviting.

The same holds true for bathrooms, especially the master bathroom. You will charm open house-goers with modern upgrades like dual vanities and soaking tubs in your master bath. Replace the faucets and clean up the bathroom counter. We would again emphasize on simplicity because for easy maintenance.

What to Invest in?

So, you’re done de-cluttering, cleaning and upgrading. What’s next? Well, if you are willing to make a good upgrade investment, it is recommended to divide your renovation plan into four parts to bring impressive improvements to your home. Here are the four areas you may want to seriously consider upgrading:

Lighting: If you are not satisfied with the lighting system in your house, replace it.

This would entail buying lighting fixtures and other equipment for each room to make it look consistent and attractive.

Plumbing: Many old homes have rusty pipes and some leakage in the plumbing that needs attention. Your home will not sell fast and at a price you have in mind if you haven’t already upgraded the plumbing system.

Flooring: Most people nowadays look for hardwood floors or alternatives that are easy to manage and provide health benefits instead of carpeting. Tiled floors are also fairly acceptable. If you think this improvement would bring you higher profits, make the investment without delay.

HVAC Replacement: Today new energy-efficient HVAC systems are being introduced to the market that incur a one-time cost and help you save huge amounts of money on utility bills. You can add a unique selling feature to your house by making this replacement part of your home improvement strategy.

What’s really worth repairing?

Remember that not all things are worth repairing; some need to be thrown out and others need to be replaced. This is a good principle to follow when staging a home.

Inspect every aspect of your home and then come up with a plan within your budget to bring a fresh crisp look to your home. You may want to replace outdated appliances in the kitchen with new modern models. Repairing old appliances is not an option. If your budget doesn’t allow an appliance upgrade, simply give the ones you use a color-boost to improve their appearance.

If you already have wooden floors installed at home, look for scratches and be prepared for some refinishing. Wooden floors are highly desirable, even if they are old and worn. Give them a little lift-up to make them more attractive and appealing.

Nowadays energy-efficiency has found its way into many of our systems including the windows. Home buyers look for the latest windows and other systems that are designed as energy-efficient since they provide a number of economical, health and environmental benefits. Replace your old windows for new energy-efficient windows to improve the value of your home.

If your bathroom floors are tiled, look for any flaws or cracks especially if the tiles are white or light-colored. These types of flaws are hard to conceal even if you arrange everything else very neatly. So, before investing in other bathroom accessories replace a cracked floor tile.

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