Tag Archives: Organizing

Best Countertops for Busy Kitchens

CountertopChoices“Thinking about replacing your kitchen countertops?  There are several options to consider, but which one is right for your kitchen?  It all depends on how you use it, and what your budget it.  Is it only for cooking, or is it where every member of the family works on projects?  Know the Pros and Cons of each type of countertop.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team 

Replacing a scratched, scorched, stained, or just plain unattractive countertop can transform any kitchen. Happily, there are lots of options in a wide range of prices. A new laminate countertop can cost as little as $10 per square foot. Or you could easily spend 10 times that on quartz, granite, or recycled glass. Consumer Reports tested more than a dozen popular types of countertops to see how well they resisted stains, heat damage, cuts, abrasion, and impact, and found seven that passed muster. Here are the details.

In our countertop tests, performance varied from one material to the next but there was little difference among competing brands of each type, so be sure to shop around for the best deal on your countertop of choice. The prices below are for a typical kitchen with 56 square feet of counters and include installation. For the pros and cons of each type, see the numbered entries below.

1. Quartz
Cost. $2,240 to $5,600
Pros. It mimics the look of stone yet needs less maintenance. Hot pots, serrated knives, abrasive pads, and most stains were no match for quartz, which is a combination of mineral, color, and resin. It comes in vibrant colors in addition to patterns that look like granite and marble.
Cons. Edges and corners can chip, and you’ll need a pro to repair them. Rounded edges help.

2. Granite
Cost. $2,240 to $5,600
Pros. Each slab of this natural material is unique; rare colors and veining cost more. Heat, cuts, and scratches didn’t harm granite in our tests. Polished and matte finishes resisted most stains when properly sealed, so pick the look you prefer.
Cons. Periodic resealing is needed to fend off stains. Like quartz, edges and corners can chip and must be professionally repaired.

3. Soapstone, limestone, and marble
Cost. $2,800 to $5,600 (soapstone or limestone), $2,800 to $8,400 (marble)
Pros. Soapstone isn’t as common as granite, and it’s superb at resisting heat damage. Small scratches can be repaired by sanding finely and applying mineral oil. Limestone (pictured) and marble are classic materials.  Limestone also has a natural-stone look without heavy veining or graining and it resists heat.
Cons. Soapstone nicks, cuts, and scratches easily, and some stains are too tough to be washed away. Limestone and marble also have those drawbacks, and heat damaged our marble.

4. Laminate
Cost. $560 to $2,240
Pros. Inexpensive, easy to install, and so much better-looking than you probably remember, thanks to new printing technology and decorative edges. Stains and heat didn’t damage the laminates we tested.
Cons. Cutting directly on it easily and permanently damages laminate, so use a cutting board.

5. Solid surfacing
Cost. $1,960 to $5,600
Pros. Available in a variety of colors and patterns, it can be used for counters, sink, and backsplash, creating a seamless look because joints are almost invisible. And like quartz, its color won’t vary much from the store sample. Solid surfacing is resistant to most stains, and small nicks and scratches can be repaired.
Cons. It scratches and cuts easily, so a cutting board is a must.

6. Recycled glass
Cost. $3,360 to $6,720
Pros. Large shards give it a fun, contemporary look; finely ground glass makes it less busy. Most glass counters we tested resisted stains, cuts, scratches, and heat.
Cons. It’s the only material for which we found a difference among brands. Cosentino’s Eco counters were the only ones that developed a thin crack during our heat tests.

7. Butcher block
Cost. $2,240 to $5,600
Pros. It adds warmth and is easy to install and repair, but the finish makes a difference. Varnish improved stain resistance, but penetrating oils diminished it.
Cons. Nicks and scratches can easily happen, though they can be sanded out.

—Adapted from Consumer Reports Kitchen Planning & Buying Guide

5 of the Most Profitable Renovations

Home Renovations“Quite often we are contacted by homeowners to consult on what they should, or shouldn’t do to their homes.  Small upgrades can be done just because you want to make your house feel more like ‘home’.  Larger ones should be carefully considered, so that you spend your money wisely.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

From 2009 to 2011, Census data indicates homeowners spent a combined total of nearly $360 billion on home improvements, with a median cost of $3,200 per venture. When deciding on a home renovation project, most homeowners search for one that will increase both the visual aesthetic and the value of the property.

Some renovations, of course, add more value to a home than others. Everyone has different tastes, but some features such as higher quality materials generally offer a higher return. The key is finding a project that offers the most future benefits, while also being a feature you can enjoy. Some of the more common remodels that do not fit the bill are home office renovations, with an average cost of $28,000. According to Bankrate, home offices only bring in around a 49 percent return when you sell your home.  The same applies for sunroom additions. Priced at over $73,000, sunrooms only recuperate around 52 percent of that back when you sell. While you may enjoy your new sunroom or home office, you have to ask yourself if that current enjoyment is more important to you than future profitability.

1. Steel Door for Entryway

This renovation heightens the curb appeal of your home and also comes with a low price tag. Although a small project, this minor improvement ranked number one on The National Association of Realtors list of remodels that pay off. According to their cost versus value report, this renovation comes with an investment cost of $1,162 and you can get around 97 percent ($1,122) of that cost back when you resell.  Steel doors are also said to increase energy efficiency and durability and they are more secure than other types of entry doors.

2. Garage Door Replacement

Also increasing security, garage door replacements come with a price tag of between $1,500 and $2,800. You can expect to get back around 83 percent of your investment cost. When prospective buyers first walk up to your home, features like a new garage door are more likely to entice them. When the outside is up to par, it leads buyers to believe the inside is in good shape as well. An old garage door is often unattractive. Older models also may not offer the insulation that newer models provide so your new door may save on your heating and air conditioning costs.

3. Kitchen Remodels

The Census bureau reports the median cost of a kitchen remodel at $5,000. In 2011, Americans took on 3.7 million kitchen remodels.  These kitchen adventures can, however, become pricey in terms of up-front investment cost. Many remodels exceed the $100,000 price point. A major kitchen remodel generally returns around 80 percent of its investment costs at resale. This, however, varies significantly based on the project, your home’s value, and your location. As with any project, the way it looks in the end has a large impact on its return.

For Sale by Owner suggests that you stay with the theme of your home and turn to an expert designer for advice when needed. On the same token, modern kitchens with the newest features are usually a big hit. Back splashes, granite and marble materials, stainless steel, and energy efficient appliances are, in many cases, attractive to buyers as long as the design matches the rest of your home.

The quality of the work also has an impact on your return, and your personal satisfaction with the remodel. The last thing you want is any leaks, misplaced appliances, or malfunctions. Its essential that you work with a contractor you can trust will produce excellent work.

4. Wood Deck Addition

Ideal for cookout, gatherings, and outdoor conversation, a deck can benefit you both now and when you sell. When potential buyers see a new deck out back, it often brings about thoughts of the activities they can do out back at their new house. A deck also increases the amount of living space you have for a low price tag. According to data published on House Logic, the average cost of construction for a two-story, 2000 square foot home is $85 per square foot. With a deck, however, you’re looking at a cost of around $35 per square foot — $50 per square foot less.

With a price tag of just under $10,000 for a pressure-treated wood deck, you can expect to get back around 87 percent of your investment cost for the addition. This cost represents a 16 foot by 20 foot sized deck. A composite deck in the same size costs upward of $15,000, and offers just over 74 percent of this cost back at sale.

5. Go Energy Efficient

According to recent Census data, nearly one out of every four renovations are designed for energy efficiency. Before taking on an energy saving remodeling project, US News suggests you perform an “energy audit.” This means that you examine your home for areas of improvement.

A common find is windows, doors, or an attic that need sealing, which will save you money on your energy bills.  Maybe you have really old windows and you want to go ahead and just replace them all. Is it really cold upstairs? US News also indicates that around 50 percent of U.S. homes are under-insulated, so insulating upstairs may be a project you want to take on. Heating ducts may need attention or you may have an old hot water heater.

If you are really looking to make your house energy friendly, adding an alternate energy source, such as a wind turbine, will not only save you money on energy costs, it will also provide you with tax benefits. These tax benefits generally provide 30 percent of your investment cost back as a one-time tax credit on your return.

Originally posted by Erika Rawes in Personal Finance of Wal St CheatSheet

Do You Have a Home Inventory? Get One!

Homeowner Checklist“Hopefully, you’re fortunate enough to have never had a major incident at your home.  But if you did, would you know what was missing or damaged?  Would you know what you paid for it?  How long you had owned it?  Take these steps to be prepared,  just in case.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

 

 

How old is your bedroom furniture and what did you pay for it? Don’t know? That’s okay, let’s try an easier question. When did you buy the TV in your family room and is it a plasma, LCD or a LED?

Whether you are the victim of a burglary, a fire or a tornado, most people are comforted they have insurance to cover the losses. However, unless you’ve filed a claim, you may not be familiar with the procedures.

The adjustor will want to know the date and how the loss occurred. Assuming you have contents coverage, the claim for personal belongings is separate from damage to the home.

You’ll be asked to provide proof of purchase, like receipts or cancelled checks, or a current inventory. If they’re not available, you can reconstruct an inventory from memory. The challenge is trying to remember things you may not have used for years and may not miss for years more.

Relying on memory can be a very expensive alternative. A prudent homeowner will create a home inventory with pictures or videos while all of their belongings are in the home and they can see them.

Download a home inventory to make your project a little easier.

While on Vacation, don’t forget…

Check the garage“When planning what your going to do on your vacation, don’t forget to plan what will and won’t be going on at home, while you’re away.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

 

Planning a summer trip is usually focused on what you’ll do, see and experience. Enjoy it even more by spending a little time before you leave to make sure your home is safe while you’re gone.

Consider these suggestions along with your other normal efforts:

  • Tell your neighbors you’ll be out of town and to be aware of any unusual activity.
  • Notify your alarm company .
  • Discontinue your postal delivery.
  • Use timers on interior lights to make it appear you’re home as usual.
  • Don’t make it easy for burglars by leaving messages on voice mail or posting on social networks.
  • Post on social networks about your vacation AFTER you’ve returned.
  • Remove the hidden spare keys and give one to a trusted neighbor or friend.
  • Lock everything, double-check and set the alarm.
  • Take pictures of your belongings in case you need them.
  • Disconnect TVs and other equipment in case of unexpected power surges.
  • Adjust your thermostat.
  • Arrange for lawn care.
  • Consider disconnecting the garage door opener.
  • Put irreplaceable valuables in a safety deposit box.

It’s nice to go out of town on a well-deserved trip and it’s always nice to get back home…especially when it is just the way you left it.

Protect Yourself from DIY Disasters

DIY Disaster“It always looks so simple, especially when they do it on TV.  Anyone can caulk the bathtub, or install a new light fixture…and think of all the money you can save by Doing it Yourself?  But before you tackle one of these projects, do yo have the right tools, do you really know what you’re doing?  Maybe you’re ready, but maybe you’re not.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

“The road to the hardware store is paved with good intentions,” says David Pekel, president and CEO of Pekel Construction in Milwaukee and a master certified remodeler. He is often greeted at his office on Monday by frantic calls from homeowners who failed in their DIY weekend projects.

Just know this: “It takes twice as long as you think it’s going to and generally costs twice as much,” Pekel says.

Here are 11 tips for avoiding your own DIY disasters.

Measure twice, cut once. There is a reason this proverb has been around for decades. If you cut your crown molding, tile or paneling too short, you can’t go back and make it longer.

Beware of plumbing projects. Most people can change the insides of a toilet, but problems can still arise, as Prescott discovered. If you have just one bathroom, be prepared to stay overnight elsewhere if something goes wrong. Make sure you turn off the water before you start any plumbing project.

Leave electrical projects to the professionals. If you know what you’re doing, you can change a light fixture. But replacing a light fixture with a ceiling fan involves more than just changing the fixture. Other electrical projects are even more complicated. If you do give it a shot, turn off the breaker before you touch anything.

Look for instructions online. You can find a YouTube video or detailed instructions for any project. But if that’s all the information you have on a project that you’ve never done before, beware. A video on building a deck from someone in Florida may not tell you what you need to get the deck to withstand 80 inches of snow, and a video from Minnesota on building a deck may not have the instructions you need to ensure your deck can survive a hurricane.

Take a class at Home Depot. Nearly every week, Home Depot stores nationwide offer free classes on everything from replacing a faucet to tiling a room. Be mindful that you need to register ahead of time to participate in these workshops.

Ask questions at the hardware store. Most hardware stores, and even some big-box stores, have experts on staff who can answer questions about home projects. If you’re replacing specific parts, bring along the parts if you can rather than trying to remember what they look like.

Use the right tools. You can rent or borrow some tools if you don’t own them yourself. Hint: If you’re going to assemble a lot of Ikea furniture, invest $20 in an electric screwdriver.

Know which work requires a permit. Some cities are stricter than others about permits, and only licensed contractors can obtain permits for some work. Doing major renovations without a permit could cause problems when you sell your home. Some cities require presale inspections, which can result in fines and the need for retroactive permits. That can mean redoing the job to city specifications.

Know what you can and can’t do yourself. “If you have to go to YouTube to learn something, you probably don’t know what you’re doing,” Pekel says. Homeowners often “don’t know what they don’t know.” If you mess up a painting project, you can always redo it. But if you take down a load-bearing wall and bring the second floor down with it, you’ve created a very expensive problem. With DIY projects, being cautious is typically the way to go.

Consider what your time is worth. If you earn $100 an hour and replacing a faucet takes you three hours, you would probably save money by hiring a plumber.

Be prepared to live with the results. That includes both the quality of work and the time your house will be in disarray. Can you install crown molding well enough to be happy with the results? Or will it forever bug you that it’s not exactly straight? That goes for more complex projects, too. If you gut the kitchen and end up taking six months to redo it, can you live without a kitchen that long?

Written by Teresa Mears, Originally appearing in US News

DIY Wall Ideas Using Items in Your Home

Hangplates“You know you want to do something new and different on a wall, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money.  There are any number of ways to change up a wall and make it look and feel different, using items already in your home.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Banish those bare walls. Go from boring to unbelievable with a few creative tricks:

Hang Plates The good china needn’t stay behind the cabinet glass. Display plates or flea-market finds in a space where art would feel cramped, such as in the corner of a large kitchen or along a lengthy corridor. A casual assemblage of patterned and neutral plates delivers a visual bang that’s homey. (For this project, pick up special wire hangers from the local hardware store.)

Hang Plates

Create a Gallery

Let your wall express yourself. There are no rules saying everything needs the same frame or, better yet, that everything needs to be framed. Choose art, prints, and photos that tell a story about people, places, or things in your life. If you’re hanging a grouping of art, maintaining two inches or more between frames on all sides is a good rule of thumb.

Gallery Wall

Transform A Stairway

When it comes to hanging art, we often need to force ourselves to think beyond the living room wall. Other spaces, such as along a stairwell, are often overlooked and can be truly captivating. Before hanging anything, arrange the art flat on the floor in front of the wall and experiment with placement.

Transform a Stairway

Hang a Grid

Tell a story on the wall with polaroids of friends, family, and vacations. Attach them with double-sided tape above a fireplace or other focal point.

Hang a Grid

Balance it Out

When decorating a wall with furniture, set the bottom of the picture six to eight inches above the sofa. Add some supportive decorative touches on both sides to pull the look together.

Balance it Out

Reinvent a Corner

Yes, you have the power to personalize any nook or corner. Bare white walls should have a chance to inspire you, too. Choose a grouping of inspiring prints that work together. Mixing up shapes and sizes adds visual interest to the space.

Reinvent a Corner

Originally appearing on Yahoo! Shine from Domino.com

Making Room in Your Rooms

“Look around your home.  How much ‘stuff’ do you have?  You can simplify your life, and reduce the effort it takes to maintain your home, just by taking stock of what you have from time to time.  This becomes even more important if you are considering selling your home in the near future.  Having less ‘stuff’ in your home will allow it to show better and make it easier for you to pack when you are ready to move.  The following article provides some basic points on how to get started and what to do on a regular basis to help manage the clutter.”

DC Metro Realty Team – Denise Buck & Ed Johnson

The more things you have, the more you have to take care of. And in this case, the more that you have to store that gets in the way of finding the things that you actually use. Periodically, you need to go through every closet, drawer, cabinet and storage area to get rid of the things that are just taking up space in your home and your life.

Every item requires the decision to retain or remove. Consider these questions as you examine each item:

• When was the last time you used it?
• Do you believe you’ll use it again?
• Is there a sentimental reason to keep it?

You have four options for the things that you’re not going to keep.

1) If you know someone who needs it or will appreciate it, you can give it to them.

2) You can sell it in a garage sale or on Craig’s List

3) You can donate it to a charity and receive a tax deduction

4) You can discard it to the trash.

Start with your closet. If you haven’t worn something in five years, get rid of it. Then, go through the things again and if you haven’t worn it in two years, ask yourself the real probability that you’ll wear it again.

Another way to do it is to move it from your active closet to another closet. If a year goes by in the other closet, the next time you go through this exercise, those clothes are on their way out.

You can follow the same process in linen closets, cabinets and the garage.

If the items taking up space are financial records and receipts, the solution may be to scan them and store them in the cloud. There are plenty of sites that will offer you several gigabytes of free space and it may cost as little as $10 a month for 100 GB at Dropbox to get the additional space you need. It will certainly be cheaper than the mini-storage building.

Personal Finance Review

“It’s amazing how things can change over time.  Even short periods of time.  Knowing where your money is going is a critical step in financial planning.  This article explains how to periodically review your expenses to make sure you are not spending more than you should.”

DC Metro Realty Team – Denise Buck & Ed Johnson 

You’ll need to earn $2.00 for every $1.00 you want to spend assuming you pay 50% of your earnings on income tax, social security and Medicare. On the other hand, you get to keep 100% of every dollar you save on your personal expenses because the taxes have already been paid.

Periodically, review your expenditures with the diligence of an exuberant IRS agent on commission. It’s an exercise that most people don’t feel they have time to do but the rewards make it entirely worthwhile.

  • Get comparative quotes on insurance – car, home, other
  • Review and compare utility providers
  • Review plans on cell phones
  • Review plans on cable TV, satellite for unused channels and packages or receivers
  • Review available discounts on property taxes
  • Consider refinancing home – lower rate, shorter term or cash out to payoff higher rate loans
  • Consider refinancing cars
  • Call credit card companies to ask for a lower rate
  • Review all of the automatic charges on your credit cards – consider no-fee cards
  • Search for late fees that are regularly being paid and eliminate them.
  • Review all bank charges for accounts and debit cards; determine if they can be reduced or eliminated.

If you don’t want to review your credit card accounts, consider reporting the cards stolen so that new numbers will be issued. You can notify the companies that need your number. Companies who might have your number won’t be able to automatically renew services that you may no longer be using. You can be assured that they’ll contact you when the old number doesn’t go through and you can re-evaluate the decision at that time.