Home Improvement Projects

Where to Start

People want to do home improvement projects all the time to increase the value of their home. Many people, however, do not know which project to tackle first when they have multiple projects to be done. Picking which project to do first can be decided by a number of things. Money and urgency are the biggest factors in this. If you have a hole in your roof, obviously you need to get that fixed before putting a shed up in your yard. But if you need new windows because the old ones are older than you and your bathroom looks like it's stuck in the 70's, you have a choice. Some improvements will be more time consuming than others and that should be taken into consideration before starting anything.

Before you Start

Do your research before starting anything. Whether you plan to do the project yourself or hire someone to do it for you, make sure you know what you are getting into before buying anything or signing any contract. Any home improvement job can be done by yourself or a company. Depending on the job will depend on what you need to not only get it done, but also how much it will cost. Check out different home improvement stores for varying prices as well as professionals. Ask your neighbors who did their project and how much it cost, if they are willing to tell you the price. If they did it themselves, ask how long it took and if they ran into any problems they didn't believe they would encounter. If they did encounter problems, ask them how they fixed them. On the other hand if they used a professional ask what they thought of the work the professional did. Knowing what you might be getting into is the best knowledge of all. And if it is possible, ask more than one home owner about the same project so you can compare notes.

Do It Yourself versus Professional

You have decided what project you want to do. You have done your research and have an idea what it should cost and how long it should take. Now you must decide if you want to do it yourself or hire a professional crew to do it for you. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Doing it yourself can be much cheaper because you aren't paying labor costs that are added to the professionals' prices. However you have to know that you will have ample time to fix complete the project and that you can live in your home comfortably enough while you do finish. Also if you run into a complication, you have to know how to fix it quickly so as not to lose any more time on completing the project. This can get expensive if you don't know how to fix it or are on limited time and money. Having a professional do it can cost thousands more, depending on the project, but you will have an estimate time of completion. And, the best part of all, if there are any mess ups, you are not responsible for fixing them. Well for the most part you won't be responsible. You will need to read the fine print on any contract you sign with a professional. Another advantage of having a professional is that the work is warranted.

Using the Professional

Once you decide to go with a professional, you should get multiple quotes before making your choice of who to use. Even if the company that did your neighbors windows comes highly recommended, your house is different and they may have different pricing specials now than when your neighbors had their windows put in. Get at least four or five quotes to see exactly what the professionals cost and the differences in how they do business, their warranty works, estimate for when they can start your project, and completion time frame. Don't go for just the big ads in the phone book. The smaller companies can be just as good and cost less than a big name. Most places give free estimates nowadays. No matter what, don't let any professional push you into using them before you have all the estimates you want. They may sound great as the first or second, but their job is to get you sign with them and convince you they are better than anyone else out there. Take everything they say with a grain of salt.

About the Author

D. David Dugan has a website, http://homeimprovement.divinfo.com to help homeowners find all the information they need about remodeling, home repair, building decks and carports, room additions, and more. He also actively participates in an article directory at http://www.articlemotron.com that has current and up to date information on many topics.

Home Buying 101 -- How's Your Credit?

Starting a home buying process means answering a lot of questions: How much of a mortgage can you afford? How are your cash reserves? How's your credit? What size house do you need?

The more questions you ask in advance, the smoother the process will be later on. So let's look, then, at one of the key questions from this list.

How's Your Credit?

As part of the home buying process, you need to take a good, hard look at your credit situation. Try to do this a few months before beginning your home search to prevent delays later on. Start by ordering copies of your credit report.

Credit reports are maintained by three credit agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. These agencies maintain any and all information pertaining to your personal credit -- payment habits (including late payments), bankruptcy and other issues.

Your credit score is based on the information in your credit reports, which come from the three aforementioned agencies. Three agencies, three reports, three credit scores ... all about you!

Get copies of your credit reports from all three agencies and review your scores. Fair Isaac's -- the organization that actually converts your credit reports into credit scores -- has a website where you can order all three credit reports at once: www.MyFICO.com. Here's a quote from the home page of that website:

"FICO scores are your credit rating. Most lenders base approval on them. You have three FICO scores, one for each credit bureau, and you can only get all three from myFICO."

The MyFICO website also explains how to interpret your credit score, what the score means to lenders, and what you can do to improve your score.

Don't be surprised if you find an error. It happens from time to time. To correct an error, contact the reporting agency directly. And don't delay -- it may take several months to completely correct the error and remove it from your report.

About the Author

Brandon Cornett is the editor of HomeBuyingInstitute.com, one of the Internet's largest and most respected libraries of home buying information -- more than 100 expert articles in 12 different home buying categories! Put this knowledge to use by visiting http://www.HomeBuyingInstitute.com.

home additions make great investments

Room additions can add square footage and value to your existing home, without the additional expenses incurred in the purchase of a new home. This is especially attractive to growing families. Most room additions consist of extending the size of your home by adding the new room to an exterior wall. Popular room additions are new bedrooms, dens, living rooms, dining rooms, and studies. Other popular room additions include increasing floor space by adding a second story room to your existing home, sometimes called a "pop-top." This can increase the value, functionality, and comfort of your home, without robbing you of lawn or garden footage. And yet more ideas for room additions are garages, carports, porches, decks, or sunrooms. In all instances, the value and equity of your home is increased along with its usability. A well-planned and executed room addition can make a dramatic difference, both in the livability of your home, and in its value. If you are thinking of adding onto your home, it's a great investment now and in the future. Enjoy the extra space you can utilize now and still get the added value in the future if you decide to sell your home.

About the Author

http://www.masterstouchexteriors.com Phone: 224-305-1990 Email: info@masterstouchexteriors.com

Wallpaper Removal ? A Quick And Easy How-To

A word of warning upfront, if you have a wallpaper removal task ahead of you?re your in for a bit of work. Make sure you set aside a considerable amount of time for this project as you may run into tough spots and problem areas that will eat up a lot of time. Removing wallpaper however, while not a fun task, can be done quickly and easily if you are prepared.

First get the room ready. Remove everything from the room that can be removed. This includes furniture and rugs where possible. When the room is emptied cover the floor with a drop cloth in the area you will be working. This will aid in cleanup later.

Now get all of your tools together:

? Goggles
? Mask
? Perforator
? Bucket
? Sponge
? Glue Dissolving Agent
? Blunt Scraper
? Sharp Scraper

Goggles and a mask are on the list first for a good reason. You will have little pieces of who knows how old paper with who know what kind of glue on it flying and dripping all over the place. Wear the goggles and the mask whenever you are doing the least bit of work.

I can?t underestimate the importance of the perforator. They come in a couple styles and sizes. Get the one that is most appropriate to the amount of paper you have to remove. The perforator is pretty simple to use. With a slight amount of pressure you roll it around the wall and it makes little divots into the paper. Be careful not to press to hard as you do not want to dig into the wall itself.

Next is preparing your solution. The commercial products work well, but I?ve had good results with warm water and vinegar. If you are going to use the commercial products, be sure to follow their instructions as to mixture ratios. For the vinegar solution, 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water is sufficient for most glues. Add more vinegar if you are having difficulties.

Ok, so we?re ready to start soaking the walls. Pick a spot, not to large, and get it thoroughly wet with your sponge and solution. Some people like to use a sprayer as well, but I find the sponge and a little pressure works better. Don?t be shy about wetting the wall. Your solution needs to soak through the paper and loosen the glue. You may have to repeat this step depending on your situation.

Now comes the scrapping. Use a blunt scrapper or even a putty knife to start with. You want to avoid nicking or gauging the wall underneath to save the trouble of spackling later on. Use slow even strokes to remove the paper. If it is loose enough it will simply melt off the wall. If not, wet it again. If you continue to have trouble, you may have to switch to the sharp scrapper. Be very careful though, of both your fingers and the wall!

Once all the paper if off, you may have to repeat this process to remove extra paper layers or even a glue layer that may be left behind. You want to get all the way down to the plaster or drywall. Then, spackle any nicks or holes smooth, clean up the mess and paint to suit. Oh, and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

About the Author: D. David Dugan has a website, http://homeimprovement.divinfo.com to help homeowners find all the information they need about remodeling, home repair, building decks and carports, room additions, and more. He also actively participates in an article directory at http://www.articlemotron.com that has current and up to date information on many topics