This report is written for those people who may want to improve or update their own home so along those lines, I would like to give you an overview of the factors that may lead you in creating a more effective and successful home improvement project or plan of your own.
New lighting, mirrored vanity cabinets, G.F.I. electrical outlets, wallpaper borders, towel rings and bars are usually the finishing touch. Even a man can appreciate coming home to a spacious, clean, modern, functional and aesthetically pleasing kitchen and bath. One final note here: Be sure to caulk everything when you�re through. You�ll want to protect your new investment from rotting, from the inside out. Dampness and wood eating insects are your homes worst enemies.Next, lets look at remodeling the bathroom. Here again, we look to the feminine side as the women seem to spend more time here then the men. So with the ladies in mind concerning the upgrade, I will often bite the bullet and rip it all out, the tub being the only exception! If I can leave the tub in, the job is easier, faster and cheaper. However, if I am looking at an olive green or yellowed chipped up and rusting ceramic eyesore, than a new fiberglass insert with a sliding glass door is going on my list of items to buy at the local Home Depot.Let�s look at the kitchen first. Can you paint or refinish the cabinetry and change the knobs and handles to get the new look? Would new Formica laminate over the old counter tops with a matching
backsplash do the trick? Maybe a white ceramic sink with a new faucet will achieve the desired effect. Quite possibly you may decide to rip it all out. If that is the case, then paint the walls and consider tiling the floor also. Often times, adding some minor electrical and lighting upgrades will help transform and modernize the entire effort. Don�t forget the new built in dishwasher and plumbing as well.I choose to remodel more often than add-on because it goes much faster and the profits role in quicker too. If I need more space to live in, I simply remodel the house I�m in and rent it out for top dollar, and then get an equity line to buy a bigger house! When remodeling my own home I will attempt to do everything myself, aside from building cabinets or rewiring electrical circuits. As with everything else, if I get in over my head, I will concede defeat and call in an expert to finish what I started while I learn where I went wrong by watching them finish it up.Back to the addition. If you decide to add a room or two, it has also been proven that you can save about 30% here too by being your own contractor. I would encourage you to get a book titled, �How to Be Your Own Contractor,� as it will often take an entire book to give you a proper grounding on the subject. Just know this! It is entirely within your realm of ability to tackle the over site and scheduling that you would pay that 30% to the general contractor to do. If you feel up to the task, get a book and be vigilant. In the end, you will have that new addition at a significantly lower price.Another watchword to know is super-adequacy. That would be like putting gold faucets in a mobile home. It�s overkill and too high-end for the properties overall value, so the final decision on remodeling and additions comes down to balance and a happy medium being reached. Also, take into consideration the cost, aggravation, the net gain, the need for improvement, the improved quality of life, the suitability to all occupants taste, needs and desires and in the end the ability to receive a higher sales price.Here are a few insights into what to look for in a surge protector:I also would like to say Sherwin Williams has not paid me to say one word of this. It is for your sole benefit that I harp on it to the degree that I do, as it burns me to no end to see trusting people get ripped off and not even know it! 4. Seek maximum protection and insist on a surge protector that has a ground indicator light.Let us say you have considered the above and would like to continue towards the improvement. From here, we should consider the economic principle of what is called progression. Example: You have a 2-bedroom, 1-bath home, located in a neighborhood of more expensive 3-bedroom, 2-bath homes. In this case you could, with more certainty, add another bedroom and bath and expect to be able to realize or achieve the value from the addition�s expense as the more expensive homes around you will tend to pull the value of your home up along with theirs.The Voice Alert Driveway & Home Alarm System uses these tiny Sensor/Transmitters that detect motion or movement, and heat, up to 40 feet away. The Voice Alert detects movement by the change it causes in the background temperature, then, it transmits a radio signal to the Receiver/Speaker base station that movement has been detected. In English, this means if some punk hops your fence and tries to break in, the Voice Alert will let off a pre-recorded alarm in your voice!To set up the Voice Alert, you record your own voice alert messages depending on which area of the property you are covering. When the sensor detects movement, you are then notified with your own voice message. The Voice Alert allows you to record a maximum of six messages, and an unlimited number of Sensor/Transmitters can be installed, and assigned to those six zones. Each different message can be set to cover a specific area or zone of your property.When does it make sense to add square footage?Well, enough said. I hope you get the point on paint. Now another thing you can do to improve your home substantially is landscape it. Landscaping, if done right, can add up to 30% to the value of your home. I prefer to plant shrubbery and low maintenance hardy plants and trees of all types. A few flowers to add color and my job is done.Generally speaking, you�ll find that men don�t pay much attention to draperies, window treatments, flower boxes, state of the art appliances, Jacuzzi tubs, well-lit bathrooms, large closets or floral patterns of any kind. They often prefer brown and gray everything, with a big garage, a shed, a sprinkler system and a privacy fenced back yard for barbeques and lounging in private. Men also like low maintenance houses so they aren�t constantly being asked to fix or repair things. If left up to the men to decide, you would find that faucets, toilets, sinks, baths, floors, mirrors, cabinetry, appliances and furnishings would tend to be favored by their industrial strength qualities as opposed to beauty.Once the closet is done, I�m back patching and painting the rest of the room. Another smart thing you can do is to let the female decide on what color of Sherwin Williams brand satin super paint they would like to have applied. I always make sure I get enough paint to do the ceiling as well because when you�re on your back, you will be looking at it. Once the walls and ceiling are done, the ceiling fan with light kit and dimmer switch go in. Then the baseboards are prepared for installation before the carpet goes down. Usually I paint them a shade darker than the walls and tack them to the wall about one-half inch above the floor.The Voice Alert Driveway & Home Alarm System is a new, annunciation style system that uses wireless PIR (passive infrared receiver) sensors, transmitters, and a remote receiver/speaker base unit to surround your home with an invisible field that will detect and alert you to the location of anyone that comes on your property. An Annunciator is an electrical signaling device that is mostly used in hotels or offices to indicate the sources of calls on a switchboard; so they know what room number is calling. The Voice Alert uses a similar system to notify you as to where on your property the intruder is located.Let me begin by saying what a home improvement plan will not do! I have seen this happen more than once, so I will say this now. A home improvement project, addition, upgrade, remodel, or makeover will not make up for a troubled marriage. So for those that think home improvement may save a marriage, I�m telling you now that it will add more stress and it is a poor substitute for proper counseling.7. Choose a surge protector that offers coax line protection and has a specially designed digital satellite jack.#2. Does the current floor plan, layout or design of your home allow for a smooth flowing traffic pattern in, out and through the proposed addition?The bottom line is that a well-lit, light, bright and spacious kitchen, well equipped with modern appliances, plenty of storage space and decorative tiles, paint and window treatments, will add value and appeal to any home�s remodel plan.Get a surge protector that gives complete protection and has inputs for telephone, cable, electronics, switches, computers, as well as lights and kitchen equipment. Take a check list and determine what you need protected and then decide on the kind of surge protector whether it is simple or an advanced version. In case of any doubts get an professional consultant to help you. Many homes today are constructed with in built surge protection systems.This next tip alone will save you the cost of this entire book and here it is. Without naming any names, whether it be the manufacturer or the distributor of the product, there is a problem out there with what used to be considered top brand, quality paints. It has been said that some manufacturers have thinned out their paint and left their good name on, all in the name of allowing certain retailers the ability to sell hundreds of thousands of gallons a month at what appears to be a bargain price. Unfortunately, the consumer is fooled by the name and ends up coming back for more paint when they find that it takes more of the thinned out product to get complete coverage.#1. Is it physically possible, legally permissible, financially feasible? Will the new addition serve your intended purpose to the maximum extent?Jet tubs are the in thing, so I won�t rule them out as a possible upgrade. This decision again is based on the female as most men don�t take candlelit bubble baths or require a pulsating massage. Walls are painted with Sherwin Williams semi-gloss paint which creates an excellent moisture barrier to the walls. With regard to walls, by adding tile or laminate half-wall wainscoting to the lower three to four feet of the wall, you�ll add a nice touch. Since you have torn out the old toilet and base cabinet, now is also the perfect time to rip up the old vinyl and put down ceramic floor tile before the new fixtures are installed.#4. How long do you intend to stay in the house that this upgrade is planned for? Five years from now, will the addition return, dollar for dollar, the money you have spent to the sales price of the home if you sold it?The Voice Alert can monitor all six zones simultaneously. Users can alter their messages and place the wireless Sensor/Transmitters wherever they wish. A light on the base station will also light up to tell you which zone the Sensor/Transmitters detected movement. You can have an unlimited number of sensors per zone for larger properties.If you will visit my web site at www.magicbullets.com you will find a very special offer there. Thanks for reading, DanAs for the rest of the house, I will choose one-color paint and use it throughout all the remaining areas that are to be lightened and brightened. Earth tone, eggshell or tan sand colors are a neutral favorite of many, so unless you have a floor that is going to clash with it, earth tones are a safe bet. Speaking of floors, I will follow appraisal rules that tell me wood is better than carpet, except in bedrooms. And tile is better than vinyl. With that in mind, I will use tile and Pergo flooring everywhere else. Once the tile and wood are installed, I never have to replace it and maintenance is a breeze. The appraiser also looks upon wood and tile as an upgrade, so at the earliest opportunity, they are getting incorporated in my plans.6. An ideal surge protector must shut off all power to outlets when the situation is beyond its controls.1. Look for a surge protector with a lower UL rating. Always compare clamping voltages and check whether the rating reflects 500amp results.Now with the kitchen and bath out of the way, what do you feel is next? I myself spend on average about seven hours a day in the bedroom, so I tend to go there next. Once again, the closet is of importance to the ladies so I will look to paint that bright white, upgrade the lighting and install a closet organizing system to maximize the space that is available. A tip for the guys! Put in a shoe rack for the ladies, as most of you wouldn�t even think about that little upgrade.Surge protectors can be bought online at the best possible price. Top brands like Dynex, Belkin, APC, ACCO and more. Read all about surge protection online and know what you need to protect your home and office. Always buy from reputed online stores and comparison shop so that you get the best surge protector at the lowest cost along with comprehensive warranties.Now the reverse is also true, so you must consider the opposite case that is called the principle of regression. That says that if you over-improve beyond the value of the homes that are surrounding you, then those lower value homes will tend to keep the value of your home in the lower price ranges. So putting it another way, try not to pass the point of diminishing returns. In essence, saying that you can only improve so much before you reach a point where, for every dollar you spend, you will receive less of that same dollar back when you sell.#3. Will your lot size accommodate a larger dwelling and will the neighborhood surrounding your home support the higher value that you expend?A good rule of thumb to use is to try to get at least two dollars of increased value for every dollar you spend. Once you begin to approach �break-even,� then you should consider maintaining what you have as opposed to adding to it. A simple way to say it: Don�t over-improve!Has anyone ever told you that? If you doubt it, take a viscosity cup and run the super paint through it and then do the same with the other paint. After this test, you will need no further proof of which paint is going to save you time and money in the long run.
If you will visit my web site at www.magicbullets.com you will find a very special offer there. Thanks for reading, Dan
Author: Dan Auito
