Comments for Home Improvement - Home Goods - Home Decor - Home Furniture

Comment on Room Remodeling – Q&A: How should I start remodeling my room? by apeweek

apeweek — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:56:34 +0000

I have done this by running wires through my basement. If you are on the ground floor, and over a basement or crawlspace, just drill small holes straight down, along the baseboard, and drop wires down. These holes are very hard to see, and keep the wiring mess off your floor.

From an upstairs floor, do the same but drill up into the attic instead, and mount speakers high.

If you really want to run wires through walls, you will need a “fish tape”. This is a very stiff wire, wound onto a reel, that you can use to push wires through holes in your wall. It does take a bit of experience (or practice) to make it work.

Also – something different – in sources, is a bedroom ceiling home theater setup, that lets you keep all wiring in one place, behind your bed.

Comment on Home Improvement Projects – Q&A: How do you prioritize home improvement projects for the resale of a home? by Ozark Woman

Ozark Woman — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:45:24 +0000

i recommend you watch the show on HGTV, RESALE DESIGN, they have the most interesting tips, from the real estate people to the contractors, and hopeful buyers. and they do it very inexpensivly too! Good luck!

Comment on Home Improvement Projects – Q&A: How do you prioritize home improvement projects for the resale of a home? by mickey

mickey — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:41:25 +0000

anything that prevents a house from being “move-in ready” has to be first on your list.
Dont give potential buyers any reasons to say to themselves: “that has to be fixed/changed/upgraded before i can settle in”
providing that the plumbing, wiring, shingles,and foundation are all intact and solid, then move on to the more cosmetic aspects: curb appeal is very important as its what gives a buyer the first opportunity to either like or dislike your house, this is especially true in the warmer months when the landscaping will be most obvious.
Neutral, but attractively balanced colors are extremely important. Stick to earth tones for the exterior. Flowers, shrubs, well trimmed hedges, manicured lawn are always important features to welcome and entice buyers.
In all my experience with real estate, the most important points to keep in mind when selling your house are: *remove personal clutter *avoid strong bold colors in paint and furniture (unless you know exactly who your target buyers are for your area and have a perfect sense of what they like).
*make sure the house is as spotlessly clean as you can manage
*if you think your house could use more storage,add built in cabinets and enlarge closets if possible. (storage space is very high on buyers wish lists)
*Having more than one bathroom is an extremely strong selling point, adding one will give you a real edge.

Comment on Home Improvement Projects – Q&A: How do you prioritize home improvement projects for the resale of a home? by Sam

Sam — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:50:50 +0000

Remember that kitchens and bathrooms sell houses. Make sure they are done in excellent taste first. Then paint the entire inside of your house to give it a fresh clean look. Paint with flat paint on walls and ceiling; semi-gloss on trim and doors, if they need paint also; on bathroom ceiling and walls use either satin or semi-gloss, and semi-gloss on trim. Use a soft and cozy neutral color color…not white because it makes the room feel cold not cozy. Make sure carpet, if you have any, is updated and clean. Adding more insulation …. Would that be in the walls or floors? That may or may not be something to spend money on. Make sure your heating and cooling system is working efficiently. If you don’t spend money finishing the basement you will need to have it spotless and clutter free. The rest of the house needs to be clutter free as well. If you have a nice yard for cook outs etc. then a deck would be a wonderful selling point or a patio. It depends on what is the going thing in your part of the country….deck or patio? That should be your deciding factor. Make sure your curb appeal is GREAT because your house is a cookie cutter you need to make it stand out from the others. If you don’t have great curb appeal you will not get people into your house……hence….no sale. Sounds like you have a nice house that just needs sprucing up somewhat. Good Luck!!! I know you can do it.

Comment on Home Improvement Projects – Q&A: How do you prioritize home improvement projects for the resale of a home? by Jim T

Jim T — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:18:05 +0000

The agent you have to sell your home should be able to tell you what would get you the most bang for your buck.

Comment on Home Improvement Projects – Q&A: How do you prioritize home improvement projects for the resale of a home? by HyperDog

HyperDog — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:27:55 +0000

Pretend to be a buyer walking up to the house for the first time (remember the old proverb about “first impressions”?).

So fix whatever you see that might be objectionable as you walk up to and into the house. Beyond that, kitchens and bathrooms are the number one place to put $ $ , assuming that there aren’t gaping holes in the walls and worn-out hardwood floors elsewhere.

Finishing the basement would be a big plus, then the deck. The insulation is invisible, and I would leave that for last, if at all. The buy may find out about it from a building inspection, but that happens after they’ve invested some time and have had time to appreciate the house, and is unlikely to interfere with the deal going forward.

Comment on Home Improvement Projects – Q&A: How do you prioritize home improvement projects for the resale of a home? by Darby

Darby — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:25:58 +0000

I think you would benefit from watching Home and Garden TV. They have a program called, “My House is Worth What.” You might go on HGTV web site and see what you can find. I’d skip refinishing the basement or adding a deck. If the laundry room is down there, you could probably spruce that up a little and add some organization to it. Instead of a deck, add a patio–that is, if you can walk right out to the yard with the benefit of a step. Tile and granite in the kitchen seems to be what everyone wants. Why don’t you make friends with a real estate agent and have that person come over and give you some pointers.

Ahh, stainless steel appliances.

Comment on Family Room Remodel – How big should a great room be? by lipstickshells

lipstickshells — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:44:02 +0000

My kitchen is about 14 x 20, and dining about 18 x 14 with a large fireplace in-between. My living area is to the side of that and it is I think 16 x 26, which is pretty much the same shape as what you have. It was a little odd at first, but it ended up working great. We have a family of six and so we need different “zones” to do things in so I basically split the room. I have the t.v. on one of the short walls with the seating facing that and that gives me room for the bookcases and chairs on the other side. This way we can all be in the same room but not right on top of each other. I also still have room for a small desk to put a laptop on if I choose to do that. It still looks very open (we have a modern style, so that is of importance). I do have one whole wall made of windows/doors so that could be part of it. I’m excited for you- good luck!!

Comment on Family Room Remodel – How big should a great room be? by Scott

Scott — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:46:31 +0000

That seems a tad small on its own – I would need to know the total measurement of the Kitchen and Dining Area, as well as the square footage of the house.

Alone, it seems hardly ample for a sofa, chairs, entertainment furniture, etc.

Edit:

With your newly added dimensions, the living portion of the room is proportionate to that of the kitchen and dining area.

However, it does not leave a lot of room for furniture and accessories.

Also, the dimensions are a little strange, I cannot picture an arrangement of living room furniture in a room of that shape.

I would have your architect draw up more than one set of plans or have a few architects draw up their ideas. You can then choose the layout that works best for you and your family.

A remodel is a big undertaking and it should not be done hastily. If you are going to redo your home, make sure it is done the way that you want it to be. Convey your ideas and concerns to the architect and maybe bring in a designer to work with the architect to make sure you are getting exactly what you want out of the space.

Comment on Family Room Remodel – How big should a great room be? by DEE

DEE — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:07:20 +0000

Kinda long….maybe 18 by 18 or 20 by 20