Doing home improvement work can be a way to spend a few free weekend hours or a driving passion that takes up every available moment. It can be valuable for your home, too. This could also be a huge problem too. This piece is great for helping you decide what projects to tackle, and it will keep you from making costly mistakes.
Before you buy your home, have a licensed professional do a thorough home inspection. By hiring a professional, you can find out what needs to be fixed without simply relying on the seller’s word or what you see. A third party professional is objective and can keep the process civil.
Go with a light tile when re-doing your roof. The lighter tiles will reflect more of the sun’s harmful rays and refrain from the absorption that is characteristic of darker tiles. This ensures you’re not spending a lot on air conditioning.
Think about your surroundings and perform improvements that are sensible. Making strange changes to your home that do not take its setting into consideration can cause problems when you want to sell. Stick with the things that are wanted and keep your projects acceptable to the climate in which your home is in.
Draft Excluders
You can use sealant strips or draft excluders to prevent heated or cooled air from seeping out around your doors. Draft excluders slide beneath the door to prevent hot air inside from leaking out during the winter, as well as keeping warm air in the summer. There is sealant stripping that can fit around a door frame, which will accomplish the same thing. You can get them at most hardware stores.
Buy yourself a tool called a drain snake for do-it-yourself clearing of plumbing pipes. One of the biggest advantages is the lower frequency with which you need to purchase drain cleaners. Novices may not succeed at using drain snakes, and therefore it may be wise to ask a plumber for a lesson first. Be sure that the snake you use is the correct size for the drain, or damage may occur.
When your home improvement plans call for major bathroom renovations, do yourself a favor and make plans to make your bathrooms handicap-accessible. Although it is not necessary to completely convert the bathroom now, preparing it for future adaptations as you grow older will be very convenient. Even if you eventually sell the property, the improvements you make will enhance the value of the home.
When renovating, a smart homewoner will spend his money on good quality materials and fixtures instead of expensive decor and furniture. The reasoning is logical; the decor and furnishings do not typically sell along with the home. Attractive and durable fixtures remain in the house and add quite a bit to the home’s resale value.
If you plan to paint your home consider doing that before anything else. You can avoid problems when you paint the walls before installing the new floor. No matter how well you try to protect your new floor, it will be almost impossible to avoid getting paint on it.
If you find water leaking through your ceiling, it’s a good bet you need a new roof. If you ignore it, it can lead to a bigger disaster. Search your area for a high-quality roof specialist, and have them inspect your roof. Ask them about insurance and a license.
Are you looking for a way to reduce your summer heating bill? You might want to consider window tinting. It’s easy to do this as a DIY home improvement project. This is also a great way to reduce energy costs, as well.
Paint your shutters and door with high gloss paint. Consult a color wheel and choose a contrasting color for your home’s trim for the most dramatic effect.
Be sure to have your contractor listen to what you have to say. Contractors have good insight but they also need to listen to any insights that you might have, they are working for you after all. The contractor that won’t take the time to listen to your needs and desires is not likely to perform fully as expected. Your contractor should be available to listen to everything you have to say.
A great method of transforming a room in a hurry is to add wall paneling. Paneling produces a dramatic change in the appearance of your home’s interior. It is economical and easy to install, and it can be removed later with a minimum of fuss.
Examine your lot to look for areas where the soil is low. Consider adding some compacted soil to these areas so your home isn’t damanged from erosion. Water digging away by the foundation can even seep into your house or rot wooden parts of your house.
Alway have popcorn ceilings examined for asbestos before removal. Asbestos is harmful to your health and needs to be removed by knowledgeable professionals. If your popcorn ceiling does have asbestos in it, you will have to find a licensed company to remove it for you.
Stainless Steel
Use a stainless steel taping knife if you are taping sheetrock. This will allow for easier clean-up. Those who buy a taping knife made of stainless steel, and practice proper cleaning and storage techniques, will have a tool that lasts a lifetime.
Make sure you really understand the costs or a project. Don’t underestimate it. You can never know how the project will go, and it’s good to be aware of any potential problems that may crop up. The more preparation you do at the beginning, the better equipped you will be to handle any issues that arise.
There are both positives and negatives associated with home improvement. Several home improvement projects can make your home more difficult to sell. By applying these simple rules of home improvement do’s and do-not’s, you can keep from making a disaster that you will be forced to live with.