| Are you in need of minor repairs or
home improvements? Following are several repair
tips that can be easily performed by most homeowners. |
| |
Drywall
Repair
Interior Painting
Tips
Sticky Doors &
Loose Hinges
Outdoor Lighting
Leaky Toilets
Best Rooms to Remodel
Renovation Expenditure
Expenses
Screens & Storm
Window Repair
Fixing a Leaky Pipe
Is your Remodeling
Contractor Insured?
Should You Plan a
Particular Home Improvement?
Natural vs. Man-Made
Materials? |
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| An E-Z Drywall Repair |
- Use a small saw to cut out a square around the damage.
- Cut a piece of plywood that will slip into the hole
and serve as a backing plate. Drill a finger
hole in the center.
- Slip the backing plate through the cutout and hold
it with your finger while screwing in a drywall screw
on either side.
- Cut a square patch of drywall from scrap about 1/8
of an inch smaller than the square hole you made and
glue it to the backing plate.
- When dry, use joint compound to fill the crack surrounding
the patch and the screws. Reapply more compound,
feather and sand until smooth and ready for paint.
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| Decorator's Painting Tips |
| Planning a painting project?
Here are some interior designer guidelines that will help
you achieve a desired effect. |
- If you've already decided on white walls in a room,
use the same shade in others to create continuity.
- To make a room appear larger, paint all the way
up to the ceiling. Paint up to within 12 inches
of a ceiling to lower it.
- If rooms are to be painted different colors, select
a neutral color for the hallway to reduce the possibility
of colors clashing.
- For a completely coordinated effect, tint the ceiling's
white with some of the wall's color.
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| How to Avoid Sticky Situations |
If your door sticks when you open it,
the hinges could be loose. Use a screwdriver to
tighten the hinge screws. If one or more screws
never get tight, you've got stripped threads in the wood
door frame.
Remove the hinge pins and the door. After locating
the loose screws, remove them and take the hinge(s) off.
Now take a toothpick, insert it into the stripped screw
hole and break it off flush with the edge of the hole.
Put the hinge(s) back in place, and replace the screws
which will tighten properly. Now you should be able
to open and close it without it sticking. |
| |
| Turn Up The Home Lights |
Outdoor lighting is an easy way to
enhance the nighttime appearance of your home. It
can also contribute to safety for passage through dark
areas, and add to security and resale value of your home.
Start your plan by drawing a bird's eye view of your property.
Plan to light pathways, walks, driveways and shrubs with
low voltage mushroom style lights installed in the ground.
One effective technique is to aim lights upward onto trees
or against walls behind shrubs to create silhouettes.
Activity areas and security zones call for high wattage
floodlights.
Weather-proof outdoor lighting fixtures are easy to install
and come in kits in a variety of styles including everything
you need except an outdor outlet... and your imagination. |
| |
| Leaky Toilets Mean Money Down the
Drain |
A leaky toilet can waste as much as
78,000 gallons of water a year. Toilet leaks are
often unheard and unseen. However, it's easy to
check if your toilet tank leaks water into the bowl.
Flush the toilet and carefully remove the tank lid.
Add a few drops of food coloring to the tank water and
wait about 15 minutes. If the color enters the bowl,
your toilet is leaking.
Whether you are planning to sell your home or stay, for
less than $10, you can easily replace the worn tank fill
mechanism without the expense of a plumber. New
units are often longer lasting, more leak-proof and simple
to install when following the manufacturers instructions. |
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| Remodeling Returns Vary From Room
to Room |
It's a known fact in the real estate
business that the return on investment for remodeling
is better for some projects than others. Before
undertaking your project, ask yourself, "How much
longer will I be here?" It may not make sense
to spend money on remodeling.
As a rule, you won't receive a dollar-for-dollar payback
for most projects at resale, if you are trying to decide
which rooms to remodel first, kitchens and baths scvore
the highest. Typically, the best payback is for
the addition of a second bath which can be as high as
100%. A complete remodel for existing baths and
kitchens range between 60 and 80 percent. |
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| How to Slice the Kitchen Remodel
Pie |
You've decided on a budget for remodeling
your kitchen. But where do you go from there when
planning the renovation expenditures? As a general
rule, count on dividing your total budget along these
lines:
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|
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| Cabintes |
37% |
Fitting/Fixtures |
14% |
| Labor |
20% |
Flooring |
8% |
| Appliances |
19% |
Windows |
4% |
Any structural, plumbing or electrical changes can add
significantly to your total cost. Whether you plan
a minor face-lift or a complete renovation, keep in mind
that kitchen remodeling will make a major contribution
to the enjoyment of your home as well as the return on
investment when you sell. |
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| Screens & Storm Windows Stopped
in Their Tracks? |
Aluminum and vinyl-coated aluminum
storm windows or screens designed to slide in and out
of place can often be stubborn. Use some silicone
spray lubricant or WD-40 on the window tracks. Be
careful not to spray it on the glass or latch mechanisms.
If this doesn't work, your windows or screens may be binding
in a frame that is no longer square due to settling in
the house. Try removing the entire frame/window/screen
assembly from the window and see if the screens and windows
slide easily in their tracks. If so, repositioning
the frames in the window using new screw holes may solve
the problem. This repair will be beneficial to you
now and when you decide to sell. |
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| Temporary Fix for a Leaking Pipe |
A pinhole leak in a water supply pipe
can be stopped easily until you or a plumber can replace
the leaking pipe section. Shut off the water at
the main shutoff valve. Take a sharpened pencil
or toothpick and jam the point into the hole and break
it off.
Next, wrap vinyl electrical tape tightly around the pipe
starting about three inches to one side of the hole and
finishing about three inches on the other side, overlapping
the tape by one-half. Turn the water back on and
check for leaks. This quick fix should permit you
to keep using the pipe until it can permanently be repaired. |
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| Be Assured - Check for Insurance |
Before hiring a remodeling contractor
to make an improvement in your home, be sure to ask for
proof of insurance. Often, licensed contractors
may be required to show proof of insurance when receiving
a building permit from local authorities. The law
weeds out less responsible contractors who may put their
workers and customers at risk by not meeting minimum standards
of coverage for injuries - risks that could cost you,
the homeowner, big money in a lawsuit resulting from a
worker's injury in your home.
Ask contractors for proof of: |
- Liability insurance or purchase of a minumum bond
- Contributions to the State Unemployment Compensation
Fund
- Workers Compensation Insurance
|
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| Planning Home Improvements? |
One of the best tips a real estate
professional can give a homeowner who plans to remodel
is to watch out for over improvement. That is, to
spend money making improvements that are more grand than
what the neighbors have. If you intend your remodeling
project to add to your homes resale value soon, be cautious.
Most buyers are wary of the most expensive home in the
neighborhood.
A good place to start when budgeting is a realistic consideration
of the price range and character of neighboring homes.
A $20,000 kitchen remodel will typically add only $17,000
(80% ROI) to your home's resale value. |
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| The Designer's Natural Option |
Inlaid wood mosaic, also known as parquet,
presents a natural alternative when considering new floor
materials. With it's reputation as the historic
choice of mansion owners, parquet wood floors have a high
perceived value which will enhance your home's appeal
when you sell.
Fortunately, modern parquet tiles with their factory-applied
finishes present a durableand elegant, yet surprisingly
economical alternative for today's remodelers. As
cost comparable to good-quality carpeting, you can add
the visual appeal of polished, natural wood to your home's
floors. |
