KITCHEN FIXES AND UPGRADES ON A BUDGET – FRESH PAINT, STAIN, NEW FAUCETS, & CABINET HARDWARE

” …today’s American kitchen — no longer a place to simply cook and eat, it’s now the “real” living room — a place for living, working and entertaining.

Given the current recession, it’s no surprise that consumers are saving rather than spending. And when they do spend, they’re doing so from cash on hand; rather than credit,” said Jack Suvak, senior director of research and insights, Moen. “This change in spending behavior has had a dramatic impact on remodeling projects. Most homeowners are choosing to perform ‘room lifts’ — small updates to personalize a room — rather than undertake major remodels.

…Plus, homeowners are choosing to personalize renovations to fit their needs, rather than update a room for the next family that will be living in the house. In the kitchen, this might include everything from creating solutions that better integrate the management of electronic devices…to creating ‘kid level’ storage areas…to adding safety features for aging boomers.”

Except from: MOEN… New Research Finds Homeowners are Renovating to Create “Live-In Value;” Rather than to Sell – April 26, 2011

Here’s a Handyman Tip: Whether you Do-it-Yourself or decide to hire a professional handyman, carpenter, plumber, electrician, painter, tile installer or general contractor…

Create a Plan and a Realistic Budget.

The plan should be influenced by your lifestyle and your personal style (Look at images in publications for ideas until you have a heartfelt “yes. that’s it!”) Creating a realistic budget does not necessarily mean sacrifice… often it means being a smart shopper. ( Shop sales in stores in person or online as well a internet sites such as ebay.com, Amazon.com, lowes.com, homedepot.com and more).

If you plan to Do-it-Yourself ( DIY) be honest with yourself about your skills and do what you can and get help with the rest.

 

Sell Your House – Make it Memorable – Create a First Impression and a Lasting Impression

With so many houses on the market, how do you capture a prospective buyers attention in a manner that is immediate and lasting?

Stage your home in a manner that reveals it’s most appealing features for a first impression that allows prospective buyers to imagine “making it their own”. Sometimes a buyer will just “know” they have to have this house and not want to take a chance on loosing it to another buyer. But with so many homes choose from, it makes sense to find as many ways as you can to make your house memorable.

How do you do that?

1. Look around and choose your homes best features and be sure they are presented in a clean, uncluttered, appealing manner. First impressions usually start at the curb, so take an objective look and correct and enhance your properties appeal.

2. Open your front door, pause, and take a good look around as if you have never seen this home before. If you do not see an immaculately clean, uncluttered, spacious, beautifully lit, color neutral environment, with appealing furniture and window treatments, create a detailed to-do list and get busy.

3. Kitchens are a big selling feature. There is a lot you can do to enhance your kitchen to create a great first and lasting impression. Clean, polish, shine and de-clutter. Countertops should have only a few items on them enhanced by an accent of color from a fruit bowl or flowers. Repair or replace countertops as needed. Organize the inside of your cabinets – box what you are not using. Investing in painting if walls and cabinets that are worn and tired looking will help you sell faster and put money in your pocket. Consider replacing the floor if it is very worn or torn. Upgrading faucets can make a kitchen feel new and updated with just a modest outlay of money.

4. Bathrooms are easy to enhance. Repair tile and grout. Make sure your sink, bath, shower doors and toilets are unbroken, immaculate and shinning. If beyond repair … replace. Paint if tired and old looking. Consider upgrading faucets, lighting and mirror as needed. Accessorize with fresh towels, a picture, a soap dish, and perhaps a small dried or silk flower arrangement on the countertop.

5. Doors and windows should all be operable, clean and fresh looking.

6. For all other rooms approach them as suggested in #1 above. Wash walls so they are clean or paint. Be sure to use NO VOC paint that is better to your health, the the health of future owners, and does not create noxious unpleasant oder.

7. De-clutter and de-personalize every room, closet, storage space and garage. This is a wonderful opportunity to lighten your load. Keep only that which you love, has value and is essential to you life. Donate to a charity of your choice. Find your local recycling center for the rest – earth911.com makes this easy.

Do-it-Yourself and/or get professional help.

See YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec7QCZAxidY

 

Painting Your Home – A Homeowners Dilemma Explored – “To DIY or not to diy”

In these challenging economic times many more homeowners are finding themselves needing to save money on home improvements. Many homeowners succeed and save, many say they did not know what they were getting themselves into.

Whether to Do-it-Yourself is actually a simple question to answer if you start with honest self inquiry.

Am I really handy with repairs and decorating? Do I have the time? Do I have the skills to do a professional job? Is this going to be too time intensive relative to what I can earn doing my own work. Is this going to be fun or a drudge. Is DIY really going to save me money in the end.

Being honest at this stage will save you money and frustration. Once you have your answer – which is not going to be a black or white one – then move into planning, educating yourself, budgeting, staging, and purchasing materials.

Once you get to this point in your thinking an planning most homeowners realize that they cannot do it all.  It at this point you take another moment to reflect and plan thoughtfully. Can you do it all or do you need some help. If you decide you need some help take the time to make good decisions about how much and from whom. Do you need a handyman, a general contractor, or a painter to get you project done right and on time.

So, if you are going to do it yourself, the main project you want to begin with is painting. This is a great place to do a diy project if you have the time and patience. Do yo have experience painting. If not find a good “how-to” blog or website. Imagine yourself doing what is being suggested. Are you excited.? Concerned?

The answer often depends on what needs painting. The outside of a house, or hard to reach places, has a lot more challenges than painting a bath or a key color wall in a room.

Do you know about painting products and supplies? If not “read” and learn.

Tip: Always use the best quality rollers (appropriate to pain and task), brushes, special repair tools and paint products.

Tip: Use the best quality paint. I recommend using NO VOC paint products that allow you to work without toxicity to yourself and your family. Choose a high quality product, pay a little more, and your paint will cover better, go on more smoothly, take less time to apply, clean up faster and last longer.

Good prep is key to a professional looking job. Remember that you need to: prepare walls; windows and doors; protect floors; fixtures; and cover furniture. You will need to clean, fix cracks, dings, holes, baseboards, door frames etc. as needed.

If you are already tired or concerned just reading this you have two choices: 1) be courageous and just do it, or 2) save yourself time. money and stress and get a pro to do it for you.

Video Excerpt from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIv9m16Wz4k

 

What Kinds of Projects Does a Handyman Do?

Wikipedia Defines a Handyman as…

A handyman, increasingly known as a handyperson or handywoman, is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, both interior and exterior, and are sometimes described as “odd jobs”, “fix-up tasks”, and include light plumbing jobs such as fixing a leaky toilet or light electric jobs such as changing a light fixture.

Handyman projects

The term handyman increasingly describes a paid worker, but it also includes non-paid homeowners or do-it-yourselfers. Tasks range from minor to major, from unskilled to highly skilled, and include painting, drywall repair, remodeling, minor plumbing work, minor electrical work, and furniture assembly (see more complete list below.) The term handyman is occasionally applied as an adjective to describe politicians or business leaders who make substantial organizational changes, such as overhauling a business structure or administrative division.^[1][2] In the past, handypersons have usually been men, and home repair tasks have been seen as a male-oriented activity, but handywomen are becoming more prevalent as well as women using the term handypersons to describe themselves.

List of handyman jobs

The list of projects which handymen can do is extensive, and varies from easy-to-learn tasks which take little time such as changing a light bulb, to extensive projects which require multiple steps, such as kitchen remodeling. Here is a partial list:

Air conditioner installation Appraising of property Barbecue pit maintenance Cabinet refacing Carpentry Ceiling repair Ceramic tile repair Cleaning Concrete work Countertops Curtain hanging Decks Door installation Door repair Drain cleaning Dryer repair Dryer vent cleaning Dryer vent installation Drywall Installation Drywall repair Electrical wiring Energy Updates Fan installation Fence fixing Fireplace cleaning Flooring Installation and Repair Foundations

Framing Garage door openers Garage doors General Maintenance Gutter Cleaning Gutter Repair Heating system tune-up Home inspections Home security systems Hot tubs and spas Insulation installation (batts) Insulation installation (blown-in) Lamp repairs Landscaping Lawncare Lockset adjustment Molding installation Moving Paint removal Painting Patio stone installation Pest control Photography Plumbing repairs Porches Remodeling basements Remodeling bathrooms

Remodeling kitchens Safety modifications Sealing driveways Senior Living Modifications Septic system repair Shelf installation Shelving Skylight installation Solar panels Soundproofing Sprinkler repair Sprinkler system installation Stain removal Staining furniture Stone work Storage area construction Storage area repair Swapping a toilet Swimming pool maintenance Tiling Wall building Waste and junk removal Water purification Water softening Window cleaning Window installation Window repair

Note: this is a partial list

Excerpt from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handyman