12 Tips for Hiring a Remodeling Contractor
October 17, 2010 by Erin Schedler · Leave a Comment
1. Get at least three written estimates.
2. Check references. If possible, view earlier jobs the contractor completed.
3. Check with the local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau for complaints.
4. Be sure the contract states exactly what is to be done and how change orders will be handled.
5. Make as small of a down payment [...]
Converting Your Furnace from Oil to Gas
October 15, 2010 by Erin Schedler · Leave a Comment
Now that you’ve made the psychological leap from an oil furnace to a gas furnace, grab your calculator and crunch the numbers. When you’ve recovered from sticker shock, subtract the tax credit the feds will give you until the end of 2010—up to $1,500—and remember the $1,120 off your yearly energy bill that the oil-to-gas [...]
Basement Flooding – How to fix it. How to avoid it.
April 9, 2010 by Erin Schedler · Leave a Comment
Solving wet-basement problems is one of the most important things you can do to protect the value of your home and health of your family.
If water can’t be diverted on the outside, it must be pumped out from the inside with an interior drain system.
Nothing poses a greater long-term risk to your home’s value than [...]
Should You Move or Improve?
March 30, 2010 by Erin Schedler · Leave a Comment
Whether to move or improve is a harder question to answer than it was a few years ago, but a few cost-benefit calculations can help you make the right decision.
What do you do when your family outgrows your house, or when the quirks you once found charming about the place just aren’t livable anymore? A [...]
2009 Cost vs. Value Report: Best Projects for Your Dollar
March 7, 2010 by Erin Schedler · Leave a Comment
2009 Cost vs. Value Report: Small Projects, Big Bang
View Cost vs. Value Statistics for the Pacific Northwest
Judicious home remodeling is still worth the investment, according to Remodeling magazine’s annual “Cost vs. Value Report.”
Uncertainty and restraint are the order of the day in this economy, and that sense of caution is reflected in home owners’ return on their [...]
10 Big-Impact, Low-Cost Remodels
March 7, 2010 by Erin Schedler · Leave a Comment
10 Big-Impact, Low-Cost Remodeling Projects
Here are budget-minded enhancements you can do to make your home stand out. (Article from RealtorMag.com)
1. Tidy up kitchen cabinets.
“Potential buyers do open kitchen cabinets and look inside,” says Morrissey. “Home owners can add rollout organizing trays so when buyers peek in, they feel like there’s lots of room for their stuff.”
2. Add or [...]
