Find A Contractor

Garage materialism is growing

Posted on June 8, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

Ever since the first suburbs were built, the garage became a measure of the financial prosperity of a family. At first there was one, then two, but now four garages are becoming the newest form of decadence in home building. A real estate agent would say that people have a log of gear and items these days so there is a huge demand for a place to store them. These garages, in some instances, may be larger than many apartments, housing more cars than ever. The third and maybe fourth family car is a necessity for families where kids stay home longer and the restrictions on street parking are one of the factors that point towards building larger garages.

Moreover, every man has his love for the ‘toys’ such as boats, jet skis, motorcycles, bikes, power tools and workbenches and these ‘toys’ need storage. A look into a three or four car garage may reveal tools, bikes, sporting gear, a workshop and a 25-foot boat. This visual degradation of the suburban landscape is an aspect of materialism that won’t stop turning any time soon.

Not everybody likes this trend. Some home builders spend the extra time and money on architectural plans
that can split these huge expanses of square footage into opposite sides of the house. A problem that appears
here is the problem of the house’s design after this transformation. The most aesthetical are the back-
loading garages but they require the use of the backyard space for turning radiuses. Side-loading garages need
wider home sites but can make the front of the house look enormous. With the current rising costs for land, in many areas this is not feasible in the long run. This is a sign of a mega-materialism, that is: if one is good five is better so more and more people understand only one thing: that a garage is not good unless it is as big as a basketball court.

When will it stop? Are we going to have the house attached to a garage ten times bigger than the house? Maybe it would be better for everyone to think twice before making such a commitmentwhen buying a house attached to the garage. Maybe it would be better if people would care about the simpler and more basic things in life than owning a four car garage.

Contractors and Paperwork

Posted on June 1, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

The world runs on paperwork, it seems. You can?t buy a house without destroying a few hundred trees for riders, contracts, insurance documents and mortgage notes. You can?t sign your kid up for a summer sport without signing riders, providing paperwork evidencing proof of insurance and reading participation guidelines.

Guess what? You?re in for more of the same when you hire a contractor. And that?s a good thing.

The centerpiece of this paperwork assemblage is your contract. This is what lays out terms and expectations. It?s the document that gives you legally enforceable rights if the contractor doesn?t perform, too. Even if your state doesn?t require a contract, get one.

Then start collecting. Collect any correspondence. Save copies of all receipts. If it has something to do with your home and it?s written on a sheet of paper, keep the paper. While you?re at it, start creating your own paperwork. Jot down notes about your communications with the contractor, especially any phone calls you may have.

The idea is to protect yourself in case something goes wrong. Your paper trail is more than just a bulging file box. It?s potential evidence. And it could save you a fortune if something should happen to go wrong with the job.

Garage floor remodeling

Posted on May 25, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

The garage is a very important part of your house. It is not only the room where you keep your car but it can be used also as a storeroom. In the garage you keep things that you do not use everyday or things that you want to dispose of later on. Sporting equipment is usually stored in your garage. Also, a lot of people use the garage as a laundry, a workshop or even as a home office. The growing importance of the garage has increasedthe number of remodeled garages through the past years. Garages are becoming an integral part of the house.

One of the things that need to be changed when planning to remodel your garage is the floor. Concrete floors serve the purpose of flooring but do not look good, even if you paint it, the floor will look bare. It is best to have a garage expert adviser to do the job. The best type of garage floor is made of specially formulated polyvinyl, this special material for flooring conceals cracks and protects the floor from getting stained. This flooring protects the floor from accidental spills: oil, battery acid, grease and any other dirt that gets into your garage. By making a few minor changes to your garage you can transform it into an attractive storage room.

Avoiding Ugly Home Improvements

Posted on May 18, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

Home improvement. Look at the second word for a moment. Improvement. Making things better.

If you?re home improvement project produces something unattractive, it?s hard to say that you really made anything substantially better, right? You need to avoid ugly home improvement efforts if you want to really maximize the value of your property and your quality of life.

How do stay on the right side of aesthetics? If you have a good eye, you?ll probably be fine. The problem is that the folks who have the worst instincts in this regard often have the worst taste. So, just to be safe, you?ll want to grab a few second and third opinions by people who aren?t afraid to tell you the truth.

Alternatively, you can follow an established plan. In most cases, the common blueprints an design schemes for common home improvement projects are, at the very least, visually acceptable. In many cases, they can be downright gorgeous.

If you?re serious about getting things done right, you might want to consider dealing with an expert designer. They can provide you with the insight and expertise necessary to create extremely attractive changes.

No matter what you do, do something. It?s not real home improvement if it?s unattractive.

Your workshop-garage heater

Posted on May 11, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

Why do you need a heater for your remodeled garage?
The answer for this question is pretty obvious: one of the
major disadvantages of using your garage as a workshop
or a home office is that it wasn?t meant for that. The
garage is the special place reserved for your car, the
garage is the room where you keep your lawn and garden
accessories.

If you start using this space for other projects that you
have, you need to deal with one of the major
inconveniences, that is warmth. During the summer you
don?t have to worry too much about this but during cold
seasons you might find some difficulties in continuing
your project because of the very low temperature.

You can find many ways to warm up your workshop-
garage. You can try one of the porcelain heaters; they
work great and can warm up a good area but they are not
meant to warm a large space for a long time.

Another solution for you would be to use a kerosene
heater. These heaters are easy to turn on, most of them
have an electric starter. It should have a thermostat to be
able to regulate the temperature also they have a specific
scent, they do function on kerosene! So if you think you
cannot handle this smell, a kerosene heater wouldn?t be a
good choice for you. They are quite dangerous for your
children, if they have access to the garage and you would
definitely want to ventilate very well the garage!

A very good and popular choice nowadays is a gas heater.
Of course you have to hire a professional to install it. You
can find a gas heater suited to your budget for remodeling
the garage. There are many models and almost all of them
are fairly inexpensive. The main advantage of a gas
heater is that it gives you a consistently warm
environment. They are available in both manual and
thermostatic control types. You would probably prefer a
model that has a thermostat, even though its price is a
little higher than the price of a manual temperature
control model. The only thing that you have to do is to set
it on a desired temperature and leave it to do its job.

There are two types of gas heaters: vented and vent less.
The vent less unit uses air from the room and the vented
model has a system that vents directly out of the garage.
The disadvantage of the vent less model is that you have
to keep the room vented at all times because the unit uses
the air from the room where it has been installed. The
main advantage for the both types of gas heaters is that
they have a pretty low running cost compared to the
kerosene and electric heaters.

Remember that if you choose to install a more advanced
heating system like a gas heater, you must ask for a
professional?s help.

(word count 497)

PPPPP

Safety: A Home Improvement Prerequisite

Posted on May 4, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

People undertake home improvement projects for a number of reasons. Generally, they?re excited at the prospect of making their home a nicer place. They?re motivations are strong and their desires to get a job underway are strong.

It?s important to remember, however, that there is often some degree of risk when completing a project. You may be using sharp tools. You might be dealing with heavy items. You could be exposing yourself to electrical wires or you might find yourself perched high up on a ladder. All of those situations, and countless others related to home repair and renovation can be dangerous.

That?s why good safety habits are a prerequisite to home improvement. Learn the right way to use your tools. Wear eye protection when the situation calls for it. Follow instructions carefully when they?re available. Pay attention to what you?re doing and always maintain a first aid kit nearby.

The advantages of home improvement are compelling, but they?re not compelling enough to justify injuries. Resist the urge to dive into a project with reckless abandon and follow all safety guidelines.

Attics and Energy Efficiency

Posted on April 27, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

Did you know that attics are often the least energy efficient part of a home. They?re often leaky and under-insulated. The amount of energy used in home heating and cooling that escapes through attics is mind-boggling. Many homeowners could radically reduce their heating and cooling costs simply by tending to their attics.

Unfortunately, it?s one of those ?out of sight, out of mind? issues for a lot of people. They don?t get to their attics often and attics aren?t the first place about which they think when minds turn to matters of home improvement. That?s unfortunate, because it should be a priority.

That?s not just because of the opportunity to save money and to be more environmentally friendly. It?s also because improving an attics efficiency is usually a very easy proposition. Insulation isn?t that expensive and it?s very easy to put into place. Taking a few hours to discover and seal leaks isn?t that problematic, either.

Many people think of attics with respect to home improvement only when they?re considering using the space for some other purpose. Turning the attic into an extra room is a great idea, but it?s worth getting up there to improve energy efficiency even if you don?t have additional plans for the space.

Organized garage

Posted on April 20, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

The garage is that one place where we all seem to love to be
disorganized, however the sooner you get organized, the sooner
you can make better use of that space. Organizing your garage
can be a tiresome task for many homeowners. When you think
about organizing your garage you should keep in mind that this
activity means to find a designated place for everything while
keeping your goods available for everyday use. The following
five steps compromise a simple system for garage organization.

Sort your garage items.
First of all sort and categorize all the items in your garage, for
this you should empty your garage and start sorting everything
into categories. Separate the tools from sporting equipment,
electric tools, etc. You will realize how much stuff you have
and only then you will be able to determine the best ways to
organize and store everything. Misplaced items in your garage
should be returned to their proper place. Also you should sort
the things that should be in the garage from the things that
should actually be in the basement, attic or better, sold at a
garage sale. Remember to recycle everything that you decide to
throw away.

Separate seasonal items and equipment.
A special rack should be installed to hang lawn maintenance
tools and to keep them accessible yet out of the way. If it is
near winter place snow related tools like snow blowers, ice
scrapers, snow shovels and also skis, snowboards and sleds
grouped together. Also the items for warm seasons should be
stored in a special cabinet. Near the beginning of every season
you should plan this activity and rotate the cold and warm
items places in the cabinet. For the other sporting equipment,
shelves and drawers should be designed.

Additional shelving and cabinets.
While organizing you should consider adding additional
garage storage space to help you maintain the organization.
Shelves and cabinets should be mounted on the walls. The
basic principle is to store the items that you use on a regular
basis in a way that makes them accessible every time you need
them.

Create efficient working area.
Installing a bench or a table would be a good choice if you use
your garage as a workshop. A sturdy tool chest and a pegboard
are great in storing your tools and keeping them easily
accessible.

Relocate trash and recycling bins nearby the garage.
To easily dispose unwanted items from your garage a good
idea is to relocate the trash and recycling bins near to your
garage entrance. This way you won?t be tempted to keep
certain items because the trash bins are too far away.

Now would be the time to hire a handyman to have cabinets,
closets and shelves built right into your garage. Invest in some
good storage units as described before and start organizing,
sorting and storing.

(Word count 480)

PPPPP

Used Home Improvement Supplies

Posted on April 13, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

Many homeowners have great home improvement ideas that they just don?t implement. The stumbling blocks to completion can take many forms, but one of the most common is a lack of resources. Money. If you can?t afford to convert that extra space in the attic into a spare bedroom, it just isn?t going to happen.

Some of these folks probably could get their projects underway if they?d realize a great trick for reducing home improvement costs: Securing used supplies.

Used tools will often cost a fraction of what the new stuff does. If you pay close attention to what?s out there, you can find tools that compare favorably to hardware store offerings for pennies on the dollar.

Tools aren?t the only place to save, though. You can often secure materials from reclamation stores and from other sources at a deep discount. Those old floorboards might have been part of a living room in a recently torn down home, but that doesn?t mean you can?t use them. In some cases, the older stuff is actually sturdier and of a higher quality than the new lumber yard materials.

By taking advantage of used supply opportunities, you can slash the cost of many home improvement projects. Those jobs that seemed out of reach may be able to fit within your existing budget.

Thinking Long Term About Home Improvement

Posted on April 6, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

Would you rather have someone give you a dollar today or ten dollars in a week? Unless you?re really suffering for cash at the moment, you?d probably bide your time to hold out for the ten-spot, right? Good thinking.

Strangely, however, people sometimes fail to apply that same logic to home improvement. Too often, they reach for the cheapest possible solutions even though a larger up front expenditure in better supplies or technology will produce a much greater eventual return.

They reach for the buck today instead of the ten dollar bill next week.

Home improvement should, when done correctly, create a more valuable home. It should push up the actual value of the property. In many cases, the things you do to improve your home will also allow you to save money. Energy efficiency is a perfect example. You can buy a new furnace that will pay for itself while cutting your monthly bills.

It?s easy to get caught up in the moment. That?s especially true when you want to make a change but aren?t able to afford the kind of supplies or equipment that will produce the best long-term return. In those situations, it?s hard NOT to just grab the dollar right away. A little patience, and a willingness to really invest in your property, however, can help you to hold out for the ten-spot.

« go back — keep looking »


Try Angie's List!

NorthernTool.com

Little Giant Type 1A Ladder

Remodel Your Bathroom