Add Value To Your Home

Things That Add Value To Your Fixer-Upper Home
by: Sarah Miller

http://homebuyerguide.blogspot.com/ http://houseideas4u.blogspot.com/

Things that add value to your fixer-upper home

Fixer-upper homes apparently need a lot of work to increase their market value. What things should you do to really make the most out of your renovation efforts thus increasing the value of your fixer-upper home?

Pristine walls – Fixing up your walls is an inexpensive way to increase the value of your fixer-upper homer. You can do the paint job yourself. Choose colors that will make the house “look expensive”.

Renovate the bathroom – It is known fact that a great bathroom will increase the value of any house. Homebuyers tend to take a look at the bathroom first so focusing on renovating this part of the house is a must. Adding another bathroom in the house can further increase its value.

Renovate the kitchen – Aside from the bathroom the kitchen is another part of the house that can increase its value. Home buyers, especially the ladies, take this as a major factor when considering buying a home.

Improve landscaping – Taking care of the lawn and making it look attractive will add to the value of your fixer-upper home. You don't need to hire professional landscapers to improve its appearance.

Don’t overlook the garage, closets and laundry – These three parts of the house are most of the time overlooked. As simple as them may seem, they can increase the value of the fixer-upper home because it adds convenience. Bedrooms with spacious closets are always attractive. Garage and pathway maintenance is also important. Lastly, a house with a laundry room will also increase its value.

Maintain windows – Cleaning your windows every now and then will help maintain its good condition. This won't increase the house’s value but it will help in maintaining its current value.

Change carpets – Nothing is more unappealing than dirty and stinky carpets. Carpets tend to acquire a lot of dirt and cleaning old carpet may not do the trick. What you want to do is change the entire carpeting for the house. This will make a big difference.

Remove clutter – Throw away excessive things that are eye sores. Excessive junk can make a house less appealing and lower its value.

In general, you should fix up the exterior first because this is what people see first and it will give them an impression that your house is a keeper and is of high value. This doesn’t mean that you should ignore the interior. Bottom-line, the most important part of the house that you should focus on to increase a fixer-upper home’s value are the bathroom and the kitchen.


About The Author

The above article was written by Sarah Miller on behalf of a buzzing online Home Improvement community where homeowners easily and painlessly find the right contractor for their home improvement projects and in turn, contractors can find the right Home Improvement Leads! Also check out the http://quotecity.com/ Blog for more related Home Improvement Articles and Ideas.

Remodeling Your Home On A Budget

by: Yvonne Volante If you've lived in your home any length of time, you probably have considered doing some remodeling. In fact, the National Association of Home Builders estimates that we will spend nearly $240 billion over the next year in remodeling projects. That's a lot of paint (not to mention nails, screws, plywood, tile, etc.)!
A recent article published in PARADE suggested 5 quick, easy, and cheap ideas for giving your house that look of a major remodeling: 1. Add a new backsplash in the kitchen. This can make you kitchen have a new look for a minimum investment. 2. Add glass in the bathroom. It creates a look of more space by opening up the tub/shower area.
3. Go outside. A new barbecue grill can liven up the forgotten square footage of your home.

4. Add or change lighting. A lighting professional can give some great ideas here. 5. Make-over you closets. Lots of kits and ideas are available at your local retailer. These are just a few of the many ideas which you can implement to give your home a remodeled look. By taking the time to visit a few of the local retailers (box stores and specialty stores), you can come up with some great ideas. Also, a visit to your local home show is a great source for generating ideas.
If you are considering selling your home, a minor remodeling job can be a great investment. While doing a major remodel might get you a small increase in your selling price, you definitely will get better value from a small job than from a major remodel. Remember, just because you like a peach colored paint in the kitchen, does not mean a prospective buyer will. If you do paint or add something else with color, stick with neutral tones and smaller jobs. You will get more bang for you buck. Naturally, doing the project yourself will save additional money. If you or someone in your household has the time, energy and talent to tackle the job, great. If you need additional tools (tile cutters, paint sprayers, etc.) be sure to check with your local store which may have tools and equipment to rent. Some of these outlets also offer seminars and classes which can be very helpful in giving you the confidence to tackle your project yourself. But if you are not a do-it-your-self type of person, consider hiring a contractor who specializes in small jobs. A good contractor can also be a great source for new ideas. Enjoy your newly remodeled home! About The Author Yvonne Volante, the author, is a big fan of home projects and writes for http://fhhome.com, which is the premier home resource on the internet. You can see all of the articles over at http://www.fhhome.com/.

How to Figure Stairs

Simplifying Stair Rise And Run Calculations

by: Mike Merisko


When I first started my career in carpentry, building a set of stairs seemed like a complicated and daunting task. We're not talking finished oak, curved or spiral staircases. I'm talking about your normal carpet covered straight run staircases or porch and deck staircases.

My first stair building experience sort of took the mystery out of it all. I didn't have to do much figuring because it was a deck replacement job. All I did was save the old stringers from the demo of the old deck. In doing so it all started to make sense to me. How the stairs were attached, the width of the treads, and how high each step was became less of a secret to me.

Anyone with the courage to take on this job needs only patience, basic math, a framing square and the ability to stand back and look at the big picture.

The first thing I look at is how high it is to the top of the landing or deck the stairs will be rising to. A comfortable step is in the 7 to 8 inch range. With this in mind I divide the height to the landing by seven. If the height to the landing is 70" then it will take 10 rises to get to the top of the landing. I used 70" to simplify this example. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred it will be 7" and some odd fraction. For instance if the height was 73 1/2", the rise would be 7 1/2".

When building stairs there is always one less tread than there is risers. In this case with 10 risers, that means there are 9 treads. When cutting my stringers, I like to make the cuts for my treads 10" long. At this dimension I can use a 2x12 for treads without ripping them to a narrower width. This gives me a nosing or overhang of 1 1/4". It also makes it easier to figure out how much room the stairs will require. In this case 9 treads X 10" = 90". The total run of the stairs is 90".

An example of how easy this works are stairs that go from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor of a house with an eight foot ceiling. This takes 14 risers at 7 and 5/8 inches (I've cut so many of these it is forever imbedded in my mind). This means there are 13 treads. Thirteen times ten is 130". I always made my stairwell opening 120". This lets 10" of the stringer (a full tread) sit on the deck or concrete floor. It also leaves plenty of headroom for the stairs below if there is a basement. The same well opening above (120") also gives you enough headroom.

This can seem like an overwhelming project. Like any other project, if you take the time and patience and a little thought you can acquire the ability.

(c) 2005 Mike Merisko www.sawkerfs.com

About The Author


Mike Merisko has been a carpenter for 26 years. Most of those years were spent in the homebuilding and remodeling industries. He was also in business as a carpentry and general contractor. While that is his forte, he also has experience in bridge building, commercial construction, and exhibit building which is how he earns his living these days. You can browse through articles by him and others at his website http://www.sawkerfs.com/.

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Concrete Stairs

Concrete stairs are little more difficult to build than a simple wood set of stairs. Concrete stairs will require basic forming skills and understanding how to finish concrete. There are a lot of different methods of forming concrete stairs and finishing the concrete. Concrete stairs can be elaborate and design as well as simply a few steps for landscaping.


Forming the stairs and knowing when to remove the forms at the proper time of finishing the stairs is one of the most difficult tasks involved. The stairs can be formed with plywood, 2 x 6 and 2 x 8 lumber with an addition to Styrofoam shaped designs. The Styrofoam shaped designs come in different shapes to allow for different staircase nosing which can really shaped the set of stairs.