Home Improvements That May Devalue Your Home

Making a few home improvements should normally be a sure fire way to increase the value of your home at resale time right? Wrong, not always. There are, in fact, some home improvements and home renovation projects that may make getting the selling price you want harder than had they not ever been implemented in the first place. Here are some home improvement projects to avoid.
Taste and Function Specific Kitchens

You are an avid amateur chef. You remodeled your kitchen and it now rather resembles the ones they use on Hells Kitchen, all stainless steel and professional equipment.

Personally you love it because it is so functional, but a potential buyer may be intimidated by it, especially if their culinary interests don't go far beyond making toast. You always want to appeal to the broadest range of buyers when selling any home and, if a potential buyer believes that it will cost them significant amounts of money to make changes to the remodeling initiatives you made, they may still make the offer, but it is likely to be for less than you wanted.

The same goes for bathrooms as well. Not everyone always dreamed of having a heart shaped tub the way you might have done...

Bright Paint Jobs

Most real estate brokers will tell you that giving your home a nice new coat of paint before you put it on the market is a good idea. But by new paint they mean a nice neutral color, not bright, bold shades that may intimidate some buyers. Save the bright red walls that looked so trendy on that home show for your next house.
Water Features

Added water features like in ground swimming pools, hot tubs or fountains may give you a lot of pleasure but, to some potential buyers, they can represent an extra expense and inconvenience they don't really want rather than an extra that they do. Once again, that will often cause them to offer a lower price because of the extra money they perceive that the water feature will cost them once they move in.
Bad DIY

They seemed like good ideas at the time - laying your own floor, installing your own cabinets and so on - and the results weren't all that bad. One or two mistakes here and there but you have learned to live with them.

The problem is while you may have lived with the flubs that occurred during your do it yourself project a potential buyer will probably not want to. And they will see it; home buyers develop eagle eye vision and demand a price reduction because they will have to be the ones paying to fix it.

The bottom line is that, yes, your home is your castle and if you want a heart shaped bath and bright blue walls in a restaurant style kitchen you should be able to have them. Just make sure that you understand the potential impact such things will have on your home's resale value before you get such projects underway.

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Home Improvements - On a Budget

Home improvement is a very popular past time for home owners for a number of simple reasons, for starters you of course want a beautiful and enjoyable home environment; small repairs and improvements are just little steps on the way to accomplishing this, which can aid you in enjoying your home life a little more, and seeing the visual improvements to our property's appearance can provide us with a great sense of self satisfaction. Small home improvements can also be a great idea for anyone looking to sell their home as they can improve the value of the home and help you to find a buyer faster.

Many home owners put off the idea of investing in home improvement because they consider it to be such a costly processes, however there are a number of ways of improving your home without a particularly large budget. The main investment would be your tools - buying high quality tools might be a little bit of a high cost process, however it does ensure that the tools last and perform the tasks they need to effectively. In the long run this does work out cheaper; buying one set of tools that will last you a lifetime rather than buying several sets of tools, each of which only last a few months.

Home Improvement is particularly important if you're trying to sell your home as most buyers will overestimate the cost of work on the property and reduce their offer on the property considerably more than they should really need to. Having the obvious tasks done and improving the general appearance of the property will encourage buyers not only to make an offer but also to make a higher offer. Think of yourself as a buyer and walk around you home making a list of the things that look bad, or if you're feeling too biased towards your much loved home ask a friend to do it, then work through the list of things either fixing it, cleaning it or replacing it. If you are looking to sell then stick to light, new, clean looks; simplicity and elegance sell better than something suited to your own individual taste, but of course if you are looking to improve but not sell your house you can comfortably decorate it in any style that suits you.

Start on the outside; often cleaning up your garden and the entrance to your home will cost very little but could make a huge difference. Cut the lawn, pull the weeds, clean the path, trim the plants, clean your windows and doors and perhaps give things a fresh coat of paint. Most of this requires a little bit of work on your part rather than needing you to spend any money but it can make a huge difference to the impression people have when they enter your home.

Make sure things are kept clean and organised inside your home. People, particularly buyers, hate clutter. If you're trying to sell move your stuff into storage until you have your next home; leave only enough to make the property look liveable. Buyers often have trouble seeing themselves in a home and take inspiration from the way the space was used previously, they can feel rather lost and intimidated when looking at a completely empty home and may be put off. Of course if you're home improvements are for yourself sell some of the old clutter you no longer need, this will give you more space and freedom.

One popular home improvement that can make a huge difference to a home is the addition of storage space. Lots of people have experienced the problem of not having anywhere to put all of your things. Getting new fitted wardrobes built into your bedroom is rather expensive, however shelves are relatively cheap and can add a lot of storage space; thinking about filling one wall with storage units like bookcases to provide a home office or library feel and provide a lot more space. Removing any wallpaper and adding a fresh coat of paint can make the space look new, stick to lighter colours to make your home appear brighter and bigger, this in itself will aid in adding to the value of a home.

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Finding The Best Home Improvement Contractor

So you finally decided to take on that home remodeling project. Good for you.

While I admit there is something about doing your own home remodeling, the first thing you need to ask yourself is whether you are truly up to the task. If, after doing some research and inner searching you decide that you need to have a true professional home improvement company do the job, there are a few things to do to get the job off the ground.

Figure Out Your Budget

Home improvement projects aren't cheap. Even the smallest of laundry room could cost over one or two thousand dollars.

If you know anyone that has had a similar renovation recently completed, you can ask them how much the project costed if you feel comfortable doing so. Otherwise, the best idea is to search online.

There are many forums and other websites that people talk about their home improvement projects. However, you need to know that prices are relative to the area which you live. It is best to do a local search so you have a better idea what it will cost in your area.

My rule of thumb is to double whatever figure I first thought of. I recently had a local home improvement company completely renovate my laundry room. I was estimating it would be around $1,000. Well, the final price was $2,000 after a $300 addition to the project after the original estimate was completed.

Find Local Contractors

This isn't the hardest task really. You can easily find a list of 30 to 50 contractor by using websites like Manta.com or the Yellowpages.com.

The problem is that much of the details on those sites are incorrect. After painstakingly building a database of contractors over an hours or two, there is nothing worse than finding out the information is incorrect. What a waste of time.

Of course you can do a simple search on Google for home improvement companies in your area, and that should get you a fine list. But the problem is that some of the best and most affordable company's websites aren't optimized for Google Searches. By using this method, you are finding the most internet marketing savvy companies, which usually means they charge the highest prices because they get the most calls.

Another option you have is to use a local website that partners in the with the top local home improvement companies. A site like this is PittsburghHomeImprovements.com. All you have to do is enter your information and they will provide it to their incredible database of the top home improvement companies in the area. All you have to do is sit back and let the companies call you.

Accepting A Bid

However you find your contractors and receive your bids, the next step is to accept a bid. While you might want to simply go with the lowest estimate, there are a few things that you might want review prior to accepting that bid.

First, how soon can each contractor start your project. If you are in a hurry, and the cheapest bid can't start for a month or two, you might be forced to go with another bid. Also, how fast will the project be completed. Some companies will over promise and say a job can be completed quicker than they can actually do it.

If one company's bid is quoted quite a bit quicker than all of the other contractors, you might want to either question that or go with another bid. I would always rather a contractor overestimate than underestimate the time needed to complete the job correctly.

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Home Improvement: Furniture Design Ideas for Your Home

Hallway

Designing a powerful and impressive front entrance and hallway sets the tone for the remainder of the house. The hallway needs to not only be both functional to greet guests and store belongings but also aesthetically pleasing. Traditionally, a hallway is a small and narrow space that requires a discerning eye to design both functionally and pleasing. Luckily, a boring and impractical hallway can be redesigned with simple and inexpensive home improvement projects.

To turn a poorly designed hallway into a practical and livable space thought must first be given to storage. Partitioning an area of the hallway for storing coats and jackets is a necessity by either constructing a small closet or using an armoire. For cramped or small spaces, a full-length mirror can be hung to increase the visual appeal of the room and its perceived size. Additionally, a small desk or chest can be used to store car keys, umbrellas, scarves and hats.

To create a warm and inviting atmosphere, choose artificial lighting to illuminate the hallway. Choose diffused lights that cast a softer glare and less of a shadow on pieces of furniture.

Living Room

In many homes, the living room is the most important space of the house as it is where families relax, dine and entertain. To make the room comfortable it is best imperative to divide the room into functional spaces. For example, the window is the ideal location for a relaxing sitting area. This zone can be further defined with a comfortable sofa, relaxing chairs, a coffee table and a television.

The dining area of the living room can be created closet to the door that leads to the kitchen. The space can be defined with an elegant dining table, chairs and a chandelier. When choosing furniture one must consider the size and décor of the room. Traditionally, the smaller the home the smaller the furniture should be and vice versa for a larger house.
After embarking on a home improvement project ensure that the quality of work is up to par by checking for any safety hazards. Furniture should not be blocking any exits and shelves, pictures and posters need to be properly applied to the wall with studs and nails to prevent injury.

Bedroom

The bedroom is the most important room of the house and needs to be placed in the quietest and most isolated part of the home. A bedroom represents a location for healthy sleep and a place for relaxation. Consequently, the room should be designed with the homeowner's personal preferences and desires in mind. The larger the bedroom the larger the bed should be; however, for smaller rooms the bed might need to be adjusted to fit properly.

For many homeowners, the closet may be the most important part of the bedroom and can be either freestanding or walk-in. A walk-in closet can be one of the best home improvement projects as it is a great way to build equity in the home. Today, many homebuyers want houses with large walk-in closets and having one can make the difference between a quick sale and a house sitting on the market for several months.

Nursey

Most importantly, a nursery needs to be designed with safety as the first priority. Ensure that electrical outlets are baby proof and that nothing in the room could cause a safety hazard to the child. The specific design of the room will depend on the age and sex of the child; however, common themes can include sports, princesses, dancing, vehicles and more.

The furniture chosen for the room is also age dependent with younger babies require a crib. The crib should have high enough rails that the baby cannot climb out of and hurt themselves while still providing a great night of sleep. Older children can opt for slightly larger beds that have movable mesh that makes changing the sheets an easy process.

Tables and/or desks for school-age children or for playtime make a great addition to any kid's bedroom. Additionally shelves can be installed to store books, toys and other items.

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