HOMES  -  IMPROVEMENTS
 
 

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

 
This section has more ideas than a carpenter’s toolbox has tools. Still, it only scratches the surface of the many home-improvement projects that you can do yourself. Granted you won’t save time – but you will save money.
 

Try to Do It Yourself

Unless the task is too dangerous, try your hand at minor home repairs, renovations, cleaning, even plumbing. You don’t have to be a carpenter to make home repairs, any more than you have to be an economist to figure out that doing some repairs yourself will save you money.

Keep good records of your home improvements. Hold on to every home improvement record in order to prove the adjusted cost of your home when capital gains taxes are assessed.

Be prepared to make emergency repairs. Household emergencies are certain to happen. You need to be able to keep a bad situation from getting worse. A power failure, a clogged drain, a leaky roof – don’t think they can’t happen to you. In order to prepare yourself for such problems, purchase and familiarize yourself with a homeowner’s do-it-yourself book. Such books are a great resource of preventative maintenance tips, too.

Fix a broken appliance. Find out what’s wrong with it. You may be surprised to find that repairing it rather than replacing it makes the most financial sense: “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

Remodel yourself. Try making your own small improvements to your living quarters. If you call someone in, you’re going to see a lot of your hard-earned money going out the door. Read that do-it-yourself book, and get some advice from the local hardware or home supply store.

Don’t own the most expensive home in the neighborhood. Making improvements to your home so that it becomes the showplace of your neighborhood isn’t a bright idea. When you go to sell it you will likely find your pricey abode has appreciated much less – in comparison with the money you’ve invested in it – than the more modest homes in the neighborhood.

Insulate your home. One of the more expensive aspects to owning a home is heating or cooling it. Insulating your attic is an easy and efficient way to reduce the costs of both.

Windows of opportunity. If you do not have storm windows or insulated (double-pane) windows, you are losing a lot of heat – and money – out of them. Replacement windows are difficult to install. A professional carpenter will be required. But be sure the quality of his or her work, as well as the quality of the windows to be installed, are first-rate.

Weather-strip your doors. If you feel a chill from a draft, think of the chill you’ll feel when you get your next heating bill. The simple use of weather-stripping to seal the trim around your doors will save you from such drafts – and high bills.

Install a dead bolt. Peace of mind and protection of valuables is the key ingredient to installing anti-theft dead bolt locks on all your ground floor doors.

Paint yourself. Whether inside or out, painting your home is great way to save a lot of money and feel that you’re accomplished.

Touch up rather than repaint. Touching up the eyesore spots in a room is a quick and inexpensive way to bring a living area back to life.

Check the foundation of your house annually. This isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Check for cracks, bulges, or excessive moisture on your basement walls.

Trim what is overgrown. Trees and shrubs engulfing your home can damage siding, break windows, clog gutters, and provide a squirrel an easy way to get into your attic. Cut back on such vegetation.

Clean the gutters. If you don’t clean out your gutters annually, they won’t drain properly. If that happens, expensive repairs could be in your future.

Clean your sewer pipes. Routing your pipes annually will save you from the unpleasant experience of sewage backing up in your house.

Clean house. If you want to decrease your household’s expenses, clean it yourself. While you’re at it, don’t throw out your vacuum cleaner bag. Empty it. You can get two or three uses out of single vacuum cleaner bag.

Home remedies. Use ammonia, water, and dishwasher soap or liquid detergent to remove stains (one part of each). Use baking soda instead of toothpaste. Use baking soda mixed with vinegar to clean your drain pipes. Make your own cleaning fluids rather than buying them – vinegar and lemon juice are great countertop cleaners.

Use grocery bags as trash can liners. Paper or plastic, they make great environment-friendly trash-can liners.

Recycle. Recycling is a financially smart thing to do. You don’t need to waste a fortune on items that you throw away – plastic trash bags – any more than you need to stock your shelves with a hundred and one cleaning solvents. Why not be more friendly to the environment and your wallet?
 
 

Professional Projects

There are times when the expertise of a trained professional will be required. But just because expertise is required, doesn’t mean expense is.

• Get several bids on home repair or improvement projects.
  

• Ask for competitive quotes.
  
• Request, receive, and follow up on references of recent work.
  
• Negotiate a further price reduction with your chosen contractor.
  
• Stick to your original plans – avoid the temptation to make expensive changes.

Don’t make foolish home renovations. A good home renovation is one that will add value to the home when you resell it. A bad one won’t. How can you tell the outcome of your investment ahead of time? Consider added living space, modernizing bathrooms and kitchens – these are smart moves. On the other hand, building a swimming pool – a major expense – won’t add much, if any, value to your house.

Don’t take out a home improvement loan. You can take out a home improvement loan, but it will cost you. Home improvement loans are similar to a collateralized consumer loan, in which a small amount is loaned for specific home improvements, rather than a sum issued against your home’s equity for purposes of your own design. Unlike an equity line of credit, the interest paid on a home improvement loan is not deductible.
 
 

Warning: Home improvement scams are on the rise. If you don’t know the contractor or home improvement company, and they can’t furnish you with references, then show them the door.