How To Make Your Home Green

Many people these days are becoming concerned with making their homes green, and we aren’t referring to paint. Indeed, it’s possible to make your housevery eco-friendly. New homesare generally quite energy efficient, so it’s old houses that will benefit most from making a few simple changes. Here are a couple of easy tips that will help you turn your house into a more planet friendly place. Double Glazing Double glazed windows are a great starting point to make your house green. The thicker panes lock in heat reducing your heating needs significantly. This has numerous advantages as it will help save the planet, your wallet and keep your house significantly warmer in the winter. You can also invest in further insulation,which you can sometimes install yourself. This will provide some of the same benefits of double glazing without having to rip out your windows. Stop Wasting Water A low-flow water toilet is another good addition to an eco-friendly house. Homes currently use an enormous amount of water, much of which is wasted. By installing a low-flow toilet you can reduce your water use significantly. Go Solar Finally, you can install solar panels. While this may seem a little futuristic, it’s actually quite easy to do and can even be done with DIY kits. You can link the power gained through the panels to your water heating system. Once again you’ll benefit from lower bills and the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing a good thing for the planet. So there are a few handy tips to help you save the environment in your very own home. Above all don’t forget: by saving the environment you’re also cutting down on your bills,which is a winning combinationfor everyone.

Money-Saving Tips While Building Your Dream Home

Needless to say, a house construction project will cost you money. Building your dream home from scratch or renovating an existing structure will require proper planning and knowing where to get your resources from. If you live in the Chicago area, getting a home contractor Chicago company that respects your dream house’s needs when it comes to functionality, aesthetics and financial aspects make building it more meaningful and valuable to you. Of course, it will also help you save more money in the process. Here are some of the ways that can help you save money while building your dream home.

* Get at least three estimates. It may be time-consuming to shop around for contractors and ask for estimates, but it is also rewarding to know you’ve struck the best possible deal. If you’re serious about saving more money, spare the time comparing cost of jobs and supplies before you give the OK to your chosen contractor. In many instances, rushing only proves to be an expensive mistake and one you wouldn’t want to learn the hard way.

* Source your own materials. Your contractor may have their own suppliers, but you can save more money if you can find your own materials. For instance, a family member or a friend who runs a construction supplies store is willing to give you huge discounts for bulk orders. Most home contractor Chicago companies are willing to work with materials coming outside their own suppliers, so take advantage of discounts and deals whenever you can.

* Get on top of the construction schedule. Even if you have an engineer, architect, foreman and construction workers on site, you are still the boss in the project. It is only reasonable and rightful if you ask for the work schedule and check it from time to time to see if everything is going as planned. Communication is vital in the building process and it should begin before the project starts. It should be clear to you and your contractor what the expectations are. Communication also eliminates wrong assumptions which can also incur unnecessary costs in the future.

* Know what aspects of the construction that you can DIY. This tip is useful if you’re quite handy with the tools and materials in construction. You can opt to paint the walls yourself after the contractors placed the primer. This way, you are able to save labor costs incurred by your contractors’ hourly rate. However, if you’re doubtful of your skills, then it is best to leave the job to the home contractor Chicago company you’ve chosen, or else, you might have to re-hire them anyway to correct the flaws you’ve done yourself.

* Purchase eco-friendly furniture and appliances. After building your home, now comes the decision to purchase the contents inside it. Going green is a widespread advocacy that encourages people to opt for energy-efficiency and sustainability. You can opt for star-rated appliances that help you save a couple of dollars from your electric bill. Water-efficient fixtures in the bathrooms are also wonderful considerations. You can also go for eco-friendly cabinets and furniture in many areas inside the house.

Building a house and saving money while doing so is a simultaneous process, so it is important to be critical and conscious of every decision you make. Your home contractor Chicago company should be open about these decisions, and be able to accommodate your desire to have the home of your dreams without the unnecessary spending.

Building Your Own Outside Fireplace With An Outdoor Fireplace Kit

It’s always good to have a fire for warmth when winter rolls around. The newest pattern among new homeowners is having one outside, but it’s too costly to have someone else make it for you. DIY outside fireplaces are such an easy project that it may be performed by anybody willing to dig in and do the work. There are two ways to do this: build one from scratch or purchase a backyard Fireplace kit. Either approach, you’ll at the very least must get cement, stones, decorative tiles, and a fireplace screen to make one yourself.

1. Placement and Laws

Choose a spot that is far enough away your house and anything that may catch on fire easily. You also have to verify your local legal guidelines concerning home improvement to see when you not only can, but should you need a building permit to do such a thing.

2. Choosing the Right Fireplace

The easiest method to make one is to purchase an outdoor fireplace kit. These don’t come with all the material that you’ll need, however it should save you time and energy. Nonetheless, you can also find plans to make one from scratch for those who choose.

3. Build a Foundation

After choosing the right spot, clear away whatever debris is there and create a foundation utilizing concrete, cinder blocks, or whatever you want to use on your DIY outside fireplace.

4. Putting in Your Fireplace

No matter whether you’re following plans to make your own or the directions from the kit, begin assembling your fireplace. The difference between this and one for inside your house is the lack of a damper. It’s best to build the chimney as high as you possibly can and the opening a bit lower to prevent wind from swooping down. That can both make it troublesome to begin a fire and even blow sizzling embers out of the fireplace.

5. Try It Out

Before making it look nice, start a fire inside to make sure every little thing is to your liking. This may help you decide if you want to make the fire place taller or fix the inside of the chimney to let the smoke out from the top.

6. Enhance your Fireplace

This is the place the work stops and the fun begins. After finishing your DIY outside Fireplace, embellish it to your specification and/or let the paint dry (should you chose to use some).

That is all you have to do to make your individual outdoor fireplace. You may purchase plans and outside fireplace kits at your local home improvement store and online as well. The kits cost approximately $1,000 and the plans to make your own can be found online from free to around $30. Creating your own fireplace outside will not only put a smile on your face and your loved ones’s, but it also provides you a cause to spend extra time outside. Even if you don’t have a fire going

Dispelling Common Home Staging Myths

Home staging is catching up as a necessary process before your home is put up for sale in the real estate market. It involves setting up your home so as to appeal to your buyers and aids you in the sale of your home. A quick sale at the price that you decide is obviously beneficial to you as it is like a return on your investment.

However, most people have a wrong notion about home staging. They are either misinformed or uninformed about the whole process of staging your home.

This article aims to debunk some of the common myths that revolve around home staging.

Myth 1: Home staging can cost you a lot You cannot use a generic term like ‘a lot’ when it comes to home staging. Home staging costs differ from home to home based on the size of your property and the way you want it to be staged. Also, professional services are available to suit all kind of budgets. Professional home stagers offer you consultation and then provide you with a DIY list or get their team to stage your home depending on your budget.

Myth 2: Every room should be painted white or beige It is not necessary that every room should be painted white or beige. Only the main living room and the entrance should be painted in a neutral color. However, neutral doesn’t mean white or beige; there are other neutral colors that can be used that do not make your home walls look drab and dull. Besides, you can make up for the neutral walls by adding colorful rugs, cushions, wall art and accessories.

Myth 3: Home staging is not necessary if your home is well designed and decorated You may have used the best designer to conceptualize and design your home but when you put it up for sale on the market, you still need to stage it. The need to stage your home is not a criticism of your taste; your home needs to be staged because it has to have a wider appeal and should be able to attract a larger set of people so as to ensure that it sells quickly.

Myth 4: It is better to leave a house on sale vacant as it makes the space look larger This is a completely wrong notion. Usually, empty spaces look smaller and you do not understand the potential that a room holds when it comes to furnishing. Also, some rooms tend to have an odd layout and such spaces become questionable unless you can actually see how that space can be used up. Also, furnishing a room allows you to compartmentalize it thereby making it look larger than it is.

Basically, you need to remember that it is essential that you make a good first impression if you want the house to be sold quickly. A person needs to be captivated by your house and should instantly feel at home there. Home staging will enable you to do this and will ensure that your house is sold as quickly as possible.

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Top Ten Ways To Save Money Rehabbing A House

Rehabbing a house can be a very expensive task that can easily get out of hand and over budget. Today more and more people are looking for ways to save money remodeling their home. I’d like to share some of my insight and experience on ways to save money when doing a rehab property or flip piece of real estate.

Here is my list of the top 10 ways to save money Rehabbing / Remodeling a house.
1.Be Your Own General Contractor – Being your own general contractor could save you substantial money. However, I don’t recommend this approach to many people. You really do need some knowledge of the house remodeling industry before you try to take on this large of a task. You must have good negotiation skills, a sense for the construction trades, and an eye for design. If you’re successful at being your own general contractor you could save as much as 5% to 10% on your construction project.
2.Buying the right piece of investment property – can save you money when you begin your remodel project. The type of house you select can be one of the best ways to save money when you invest in real estate. Buying old or out of date construction types can cost you a lot of money because of the investment necessary to bring the property up to code. Choosing a simple rectangular house with simple roof lines and standard windows compared to a complicated geometric house can save you lots of money. Choose nice siding, paint and landscaping instead of an unusual house design.
3.Sweat Equity – There’s no better way to save money than to role up your sleeves and put some sweat equity into the project. Home Improvement and DIY are so popular today that most home owners have tackled a project or two trying to save money. You can take those skills and apply them to your remodel construction project. Most contractors will agree to let you do certain phases of the project if you discuss them before construction begins and identify those items in the contract. If you have certain skills that you feel comfortable with then discuss them with your contractors so you can save some money. I’ll discuss some of the more popular tasks below.
4.Job Site Clean Up – Helping keep the site clean is one of the simplest ways I know how to save money when remodeling a house. Having a clean and orderly job site makes everyone work a little more efficient and careful. Having the sense of an organized job site will ensure your project gets finished sooner with few problems and that means less money from you. Even slight delays in the project can mean substantial interest payments and temporary housing costs.
5.Salvage Materials – Using salvage materials will help you save money and it’s the Green Thing to do. Today there are salvage yards that specialize in recycling building materials. Things such as doors, windows, cabinets, plumbing and electrical fixtures are all available at very discounted prices. You’ll be saving money while helping out the environment so it’s certainly an idea worth considering.
6.Reduced Price Products – Buying floor models, remnants and slightly damaged products is one area that I’ve seen many of our real estate rehabbed save big money. Many building material stores sell discounted projects at huge summer time yard sales. When you’re looking for fixtures make sure to consider about floor models, discontinued models and even damaged products.
7.Painting – Most people that consider themselves DIY’ers have no problem painting. If you paint your remodeling project inside and out you can save $2,000 to $10,000 easily. Painting your rehab house is a project the whole family can help out with. I’ve seen people that have a painting party with family and friends and paint an entire house in one weekend.
8.Flooring – Flooring is another project that I’ve seen customers save a substantial amount of money on. Most types of tile and wood flooring a re easy to install with very little tools. Even if you can’t install the flooring yourself check out sales for discounted materials. You can often find discontinued material and use it to tile the basement or laundry areas.
9.Landscaping – Doing the landscaping yourself can save thousands of dollars. It takes very little skill to do and can save you a ton of money. Bring along friend and family to help. It makes for a great group project. Chances are you’ll save money and do a better job in the process. You can easily plant your own trees, shrubs flowers to save money.
10.Keep It Simple – I have seen too many investors and flippers over build a rehab project and finish it exactly the way that they would want it. The problem is that no two families have the same taste. I have often driven past these homes months later to find the paint a different color, the landscaped ripped out, or even worse, everything is dead. Build the project to meet the standards of the neighborhood and make sure that everything is clean, operational, and that the home is ready to move in. NOTHING MORE. Give them a clean slate to start their new life with in the rehab home you’ve remodeled. You waste a lot of money on things that the new buyer may not like. It is better for you to save that money and offer it to the buyer as an incentive for buying or to help them with closing costs. It will end up making the deal close faster.
Doing any one of these items the next time you build a new house can save you money. The most important advice I can give you is to be speak with your builder openly about these ideas. Tell your builder you’d like to save some money by doing certain tasks yourself. Most builders will be open to this arrangement so long is it’s discussed ahead of time and properly addressed in the contract.