Successful Remodeling: Ten Tips for Keeping Your Sanity
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Article by: Dan Fritschen ORGANIZE! To make the job easier and ensure your percentage of good ideas is as high as possible, you need a strategy to organize your information. , How To Conquer Mold and Mildew Problems Use a three-ring binder or expandable file folder. You must keep copies of all contracts, change , Art Prints For Home Decorating orders, invoices, receipts, and permits. These will be invaluable if you have disputes with your contractors , Rodent Proofing Your Home and when tax time comes around. Other sections to consider are ideas from magazines, quotes, contractor , The Latest Furniture Trends Today contact info, and so forth. You can purchase an organizer at www.remodelingorganizer.com Don't be afraid to play designer. , Finding The Right Home Furnishing Store Many "amateur" home , Caring for Your Hardwood Floor designers come up with great ideas, and since you are living in your home , Caring For Your Air Conditioner day after day, you can have better ideas than the "pros." So get out a pencil, make 100 copies of your current floor , Upright Vacuum Cleaners A Really Powerful Clean plan, and sketch out all the alternatives. It doesn't matter how great or bad they are, experiment with alternatives. At this point it's free, so enjoy! But don't get too wild and crazy. You are almost always better to stick with a traditional size and shape in a home, , Art Prints For Decorating both for resale value and cost for your remodel. Having a kitchen , Fixing A Leaky Faucet - Determining Faucet Type on the second floor , Werner Buying Tips For The D5920 Extension Ladder Revealed may strike you as a clever and unique solution, but if it means moving the gas, , Rodent Proofing Your Home electrical wiring, and plumbing , The Different Roofing Materials Used for Flatroofs, Their Advantages and Disadvantages up to the second floor, , How To Find A Flat Roof Leak - Infrared Survey this change , Sharp Solar Solar Energy Manufacturer will add significantly to the project costs. And don't install bright orange tile , Save Money; Maintain Your Home on all the floors: If you have to move unexpectedly, most prospective buyers will deduct the cost to replace it from their offer. Figure out what you can do yourself. , Need A Vacuum Cleaner? Best Rated Vacuums Can Be Found Have contractors , Hiring Roofers Points to Consider itemize their quotes to determine which phases of your project you might be able to do yourself , Hydrogen Cell Generator For The Home and which ones you want to hire someone to do. Tasks you might consider doing include project management, demolition, rough electrical wiring, installation of cabinets, fixtures, and appliances, and finish work. Tasks you should probably leave to the pros include foundation work, framing, installing sheetrock and breaker boxes, and connecting your home , Save Money; Maintain Your to the electrical service. Consider "practice" remodeling. If you aren't quite ready to commit to doing part of the work yourself, , Changing Door Hardware - Can You Handle it? get some hands-on experience. Find a small project around the house , Propane Water Heater - Three Energy Saving Tips and tackle it yourself, , Caring for Your Hardwood Floor such as putting a floor , Laminate ing Is Built For The Twenty First Century in the attic or building , a Deck Selecting the Right Nails, Screws, or Fixtures shelving in the garage. , The Latest Furniture Trends Today Or offer to help out a neighbor or volunteer for a Habitat , The Latest Furniture Trends Today for Humanity project. These experiences will give you a firsthand look at the work. Alternately, you might take an education course at Home , Art Prints For Decorating Depot, Lowe's, or another building , Finding The Right Home Furnishing Store material store. Tips for finding a contractor: Always make sure your contractor , Why Air Cooler Hire Is So Important When You Take Management Decisions is fully licensed , Shopping Tips For Rustic Log Beds with state and local , Hanging Drywall governments. Make sure the license is valid and up to date"βdo not rely on the contractor's word. You should contact your state, county, and city governments for information , Reinventing The Speaker Bracket - The Conductive Speaker Mounting System on the contractor's license. The website www.contractors-license.org lists licensing requirements for all fifty states. Also make sure the contractor , How To Conquer Mold and Mildew Problems is fully insured and carries worker's compensation, liability, and property , Building a Deck Selecting the Right Nails, Screws, or Fixtures damage insurance. Follow this contract check list: Every contract should include: Contractor information , Vinyl Siding including name, address, telephone numbers, license number. A list of what the contractor , Fixing A Leaky Faucet - Determining Faucet Type will and will not do"βfor example, the tasks you have chosen to do, such as painting , Modern Metal Storage Buildings or demolition. All materials, sizes, colors, , Developing a Garage Addition Building Plan and Estimating Garage Addition Costs specifications. A dated copy of all drawings and diagrams. If changes , 4 Tips for Fireplace Efficiency need to be made during the project, they should be made to these documents and initialed and dated by both you and the contractor. , Fireplace Buying Tips Start and finish dates. The times work will start and finish and the days of the week that workers will be at your home. , Flooring Tips: Top 10 Care Instructions For Real Hardwood Flooring How change , How To Conquer Mold and Mildew Problems orders will be handled. A warranty for one year. A binding arbitration clause. A statement of how the contract can be canceled. A statement that the contractor , Caring For Your Air Conditioner will provide affidavits of final release, final payment, or final lien waivers from all subcontractors and suppliers. Use the Remodel-or-Move Calculator to estimate your costs. Available at www.remodelormove.com, this calculator will give you an estimate by including information , Add Value to Your Home With a Kitchen Remodeling Job about the rooms , Art Prints For Home Decorating that will be remodeled, the level of finish that you want, how you will manage the project, and where your home , The Heater that Heats My is located. Because it is fully automated, it allows you to try a number of different combinations of materials and room , How to achieve optimal sleep quality with a tempurpedic foam mattress changes quickly, and it's free.Dan Fritschen is the creator of http://www.remodelormove.com, a homeowner support organization that helps homeowners become better informed so that they can make the right decision on whether to remodel or move. He is also the author of the book Remodel or Move? Making the Right Decision, available from ABCD Publishing, LLC. He can be reached at dan@abcdpublishing.com |
  
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