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Summer has arrived at long last, making it the perfect time of year for homeowners to start tackling their ever-expanding list of home improvement project ideas. Regardless of your budget, you may be surprised at the number of sustainable and eco-friendly renovation options that can make your home more comfortable and appealing than ever before. Here are just a few home improvement ideas that are affordable, sustainable, and perfect for summer.

Build a Deck, Patio, or Gazebo

Many homeowners feel as though building a deck is a daunting and physically demanding project to take on, but a basic deck can be constructed much easier than you think. In fact, a few standard carpentry tools are all you truly need to build a simple deck or patio. Not to mention, a deck maximizes your home’s outdoor entertainment space and overall comfort.

It should also be noted that these outdoor entertainment options are suitable for many different types of homes, including mobile homes and even shipping container homes. Steel shipping containers, which average a 25-year lifespan and require minimal maintenance, are becoming an increasingly popular housing option in many European countries. That being said, they may also be an affordable housing option for immigrants in the United States, which make up about 13% of the U.S. population. But whichever type of home you’re working with, decks, patios, and gazebos are a great home improvement option that offer significant ROI while optimizing comfort and outdoor entertainment options.

Remodel Your Bathroom

Some homeowners don’t see bathroom remodels as a ‘summertime’ indulgence, but even making a small upgrade to your bathroom can help keep you cool all summer long.

“When you think about how nice washing away a sweaty summer day can be, replacing old, worn out shower and bath fixtures with ones that do a better job (and may even save you some money in the long run) can be more appealing than a day at the water-park! As one of the most popular home improvement projects in the country, bathroom remodels are an investment that you’ll enjoy all year round, and in many cases, one that returns a large portion of its cost in added value to your property,” writes John Nunan on HomeAdvisor.

Even if you can’t afford a fixture replacement, you can make a difference just by applying a fresh coat of paint to your bathroom’s walls. Zillow’s 2017 Paint Colors Analysis found that homes with blue bathrooms sold for $5,400 more than expected, but don’t hesitate to choose any color you personally prefer.

Install Energy-Efficient Windows

It was estimated that U.S. improvement and repair expenditure amounted to about 326.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, and many of these improvements and repairs have goals that surround energy efficiency. For example, if your home has single pane or particularly drafty windows, replacing them can result in increased energy efficiency and curb appeal. There is also the potential for other financial benefits.

“Upgrading windows to more air-tight models can result in significant savings on heating and cooling costs and at the same time deliver an assured high return on investment. New wooden or vinyl windows can recoup the cost drastically at the time of resale. Moreover, you can also receive a green tax credit up-to certain percentage for this upgrade from your state,” writes Ronique Gibson on The Spruce.

When it comes down to it, summer holds endless opportunities for home improvement and increased sustainability. Don’t hesitate to make even small changes to your home this summer that can impact energy-efficiency.

Source

https://sunburntsaver.com/3-affordable-and-eco-friendly-summer-home-improvement-ideas/

Remodeling your home – freshening up a living space, replacing the bathroom tile, or renovating to improve your home’s value in anticipation of a sale – can be a worthwhile investment. Depending on the scope of your planned renovation, these projects can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands.

Financing your dream renovation depends on your credit scores – higher scores will lead to better interest rate offers on a loan.

Remember, as you take on debt to make home improvements, you may see an impact on your credit scores. The immediate impact will come from credit inquiries or opening a new line of credit. If your credit utilization increases because credit cards are used to make home improvements, expect to see it reflected in your scores.

Home equity loans

A common way to finance remodeling is with a home equity loan, sometimes referred to as a second mortgage. Like your first (primary) mortgage, this is a loan taken out against the equity in your home. If you have been paying your mortgage for a few years and property values have risen, there is a good chance you have accumulated a fair amount of equity in your home. A home equity loan can be a convenient way to turn that equity into cash.

Be mindful that while second mortgages are popular products at most banks and lending institutions, they often involve higher interest rates than first mortgage loans. That is because the term “second mortgage” has another meaning. If you were to default, any funds available would be used to pay off your first mortgage (the one you used to originally buy the home) before any payments are made on the second. If there is not enough equity to settle both mortgages completely, the lender in the “second” position may not get everything owed on that mortgage.

For this reason, lenders view both second mortgages and home equity loans as carrying more risk. Therefore, it is generally recommended to use this type of loan only if the interest rate is affordable and you will be able to pay it back. Of course, this reasoning applies to all loans.

Home equity line of credit

A home equity line of credit works in much the same way as a credit card. A lender gives you a borrowing limit, but charges interest only on the amount you use. You also have access to the funds when you need them, which is a big plus if your project spans an extended period of time.

There are typically no closing costs associated with a home equity line of credit, and although interest rates are adjustable, most are tied to the prime rate. Repayment timelines typically vary between eight and 10 years. Banks, credit unions, brokerage houses and finance companies all market these loans aggressively, so you should have no problem finding potential lenders.

Remodeling financing options

There are two government-backed loan products that are aimed at those planning to remodel: Fannie Mae’s HomeStyle^® Renovation mortgage and the Federal Housing Administration’s 203(k) Rehab Mortgage Insurance.

• Fannie Mae HomeStyle Renovation Mortgages. This program, administered by the government-sponsored mortgage company Fannie Mae, provides mortgages to homeowners and investors alike. Borrowers can use HomeStyle funds to pay for just about any remodeling-related expenses: inspections, engineering and architectural fees, permits and, of course, the renovations themselves.
• Federal Housing Authority’s 203(k) Rehab Mortgage Insurance. The FHA’s 203(k) product enables homebuyers and homeowners to finance (or refinance) the purchase of a house and any rehabilitation costs through a single mortgage. While some improvement loans have relatively high interest rates and short repayment terms, the 203(k) is an attractive option because it offers a long-term fixed-rate or adjustable-rate loan. The proposed renovations must cost more than $5,000, but the funds can be used to offset a relatively long list of expenses: construction, elimination of health and safety hazards, plumbing work, roof replacement and more.

Credit cards

Credit cards can be a tempting option when it is time to remodel, but proceed with caution. Unless you can avoid paying interest on the purchase – if you have a zero percent introductory rate, for instance – credit cards effectively add an interest charge (sometimes significant) to the renovation total.

The best credit card-financing scenario is to have a card that offers a cash-back reward and that you pay the entire balance before you incur interest. That brings you the benefits of cash back or points without adding interest to the cost of the remodel.

Source

https://blog.scoresense.com/credit-scores-and-home-improvement-financing/

COMMENT:

Renovating a house is an insight into what has caused our housing crisis.

The difficulty in getting tradies. There aren’t enough of them.

The price of gib. What costs us nearly $25 a sheet costs the Chinese $1.80. It all adds up to make a house more pricey than it should be.

And then there’s the red tape.

I just want to turn my bathroom into a bathroom, not convert it into a giant indoor fire pit. I’m not asking for permission to run a zoo out of the shower. It’s a room that will be used for exactly the same purpose it currently is.

But, I need council permission for that.

This means I need a shower curtain. The council wants a shower curtain to stop splashy people creating puddles that cause slips. Only, it sort of defeats the purpose of the doorless step-in shower I wanted.

I also need to replace the window glass. The council wants safety glass. It doesn’t matter that the renovation isn’t changing the windows. They’re staying exactly as they are. It doesn’t matter that the glass has been sitting perfectly safely in those frames for possibly a century.

The council wants safety glass because it shatters less dangerously. It’s necessary in case a window breaks. And in case someone then walks through the bathroom. And in case they’re barefoot. There’s a lot of “in case” to justify that safety glass.

Extensive research suggests no one has bled to death in this house from a giant foot slash since the estimated building date of 1905.

We’re supposed to be moving out of the house today. The builder’s supposed to start tomorrow.

Trouble is, we still don’t have consent. They say consent takes 20 days but it never does. The council wants more information. It has paused the clock. There are 3.6 days remaining before we can get consent.

But my builder’s waiting and my temporary accommodation is only available so long.

What’s happening to me is happening across the country. It’s happening to renovators, house builders and developers.

Builders waiting. Projects on hold. Unnecessary alterations and additions. And then there’s the cost.

What is essentially just paperwork has already cost an eye-watering $2300. If I was a developer I’d push up the house’s sale price to get that money back.

And that is exactly what they’re doing. There’s a horror story from the Tutukaka coast of a planned subdivision. The consent cost $1.4 million. It cost more than the land itself. That cost added $60,000 to the price of each house. But in the end, after years of fighting for consent, it was denied.

Red tape is only one of the reasons why houses cost so much in this country, but it’s a significant one. Master Builders CEO David Kelly quotes an estimate he’s heard that consenting makes up 20 per cent of the cost of a house build.

If this process was streamlined, or just knocked back into a shape resembling common sense, we could shave $100,000 off the price of a house that would’ve cost half a million to build.

Frustratingly, we’ve talked about cutting the red tape around building for years and nothing has changed.

If the Government actually dealt to this once and for all, they’d have a better shot at building those 100,000 planned KiwiBuild houses. The ones they’re planning build in 10 years. The ones people have entered into a ballot to buy.

We know those 100,000 will never be built in time.

We know because we’ve seen how the red tape works. In a decade this Government will probably find itself at exactly the same place I am right now. Clock stopped, tools down, 3.6 days left.

Heather du Plessis-Allan is on NewstalkZB in Wellington, weekdays, 8.30am-noon.

Source

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=12084029&ref=rss

Home Improvement is not only time-consuming but it often leads to huge expenses based on the work planning. So, a careful planning is essential to save both time and money. Moreover, an advance planning reduces stress into minimum along with allowing you to keep in your budget. Apart from this, setting a strong contract ensures an effective procedure by avoiding some common hazards and risks.

In order to get your Home Renovation done properly, you must plan in a realistic way or you may take advice from a professional renovation service. Whatever you plan, at first, you must follow below steps to give your home a better renovation:

At first, make some realistic goals adjusting with your expectations. This work demands inputs from a number of people with better coordination among them and a careful attention to that particular project. In such works, it is always important to avail with contingency and leeways. Moreover, be sure that the goals you have set, are better thought-out and realistic as well to be achieved.

Like the realistic goals make a realistic budget before the work starts. If your approach to the work is not based on well-thought and forget to give attention to your expenses, you are supposed to exceed your budget wasting the money. Try to do your research and shop around. But it is not always the best thing to accept the cheapest offer. Ask your shortlisted candidates for some free testimonials and example of their work. Some renovation companies often provide the customers a free estimate based on the project. So, you can ask them for an estimate.

Don’t get influenced by a company’s fancy website and their impressive sales pattern as more often they are found to be unlicensed. So, ask them to show their license or relevant certification, company’s insurance and their liability insurance. Don’t get relied on with the verbal contract, sign a contract when you are sure about the whole agreement as it will help you avoid any kind of misunderstanding. This will provide you with the ways to take legal assistance whenever you notice something going wrong during the renovation.

Hire a project manager while working with different professionals if you have no idea about the process. A project manager establishes a detailed project plan ensuring everybody up to the speed. Moreover, the person also ensures about the completion of each stage in time and budget. An efficient project manager is always ready to be involved in difficult conversations as the requirement and will do anything to avoid such conflicts.

In case of major renovations of different areas of your home, work must be done in a proper order like your roof is not completed, there is no way to remodel your room. If one portion goes wrong, other parts must be done with some compromises. So, it’s always advised to follow a process by figuring out the tasks to be done in a right order.

Listening to the experts is very important in order to achieve the goals you have set for your home renovation. If your contractor thinks that improvement is not possible and suggests an alternative, do not avoid it as you are paying them for this reason. So, it is always essential to consider their opinion and compromise according to their belief.

Some major renovations take time. So in such case, it is quite uncomfortable and stressful living in an incomplete house with the workers coming and going. So it will be a good idea to arrange an alternative living place.

Home renovation means full of dust and mess. Therefore, pack up the things or move them into another place of your home but make sure that you keep the essentials aside and pack up the rest things. In such case, if you have no space in your home, you can consider a temporary storage solution.

Giving access to your home to the contractors and their team can put you and your family at a risk. Workers will be coming and going all the day, so, it will be very tough to keep the track. In such case, it will be a great idea to get your security upgraded by adding programmable locks or alarms. It will provide a register of everybody who enters.

If you have kids, you need to handle this area carefully. Keep the children away from the work areas as it can be dangerous for them. Not only this, they can the work process. In order to avoid such problem, put up child safety gates or keep then anywhere else until the work is done fully.

During the home renovation work, it is quite natural of people’s coming and going and also bringing the vehicles with them. It will increase traffic occupying a lot of space and add noise. So, in order to avoid the conflicts, alert your neighbors in advance.

So, these are common basic facts to be followed while your home is under the renovation process.

Source

https://www.sooperarticles.com/business-articles/11-things-keep-mind-while-planning-home-improvement-1667801.html