Working With the Remodel Professionals

Working With the Remodel Professionals
When considering a home improvement remodel, you have to decide whether you are going to need the help of a professional: Architect, Interior Designer, General Contractor, Subcontractor. The following is a description of each of these professionals, their function, what they are capable of and how they can help you get the home of your dreams.

Signs That You and Your Contractor Aren’t Compatible
A look at the ins and outs of hiring the right contractor for your remodeling project. Topics of first impressions, contracts, and compatibility are covered.

Soft Economy and Warm Weather Can Bring Out the Con Artists
Tips for Homeowners to Avoid Home Improvement Scams. May is National Home Improvement Month. During times of a softer economy paired with the approach of warmer weather, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) wants to remind homeowners to beware of unscrupulous people posing as remodelers.

Home Equity Loan or Equity Home Line of Credit for Home Improvement Projects
“home equity loan” “equity home line” “credit equity line” “consolidation loan” “debt consolidation credit” Home Equity Loan or Equity Home Line of Credit to Double as a Home Improvement and Debt Consolidation Loan With any remodeling and construction projects you do on your home there are many payment options available for most home improvement remodeling projects. For [...]

“home equity loan” “equity home line” “credit equity line” “consolidation loan” “debt consolidation credit”

Home Equity Loan or Equity Home Line of Credit to Double as a Home Improvement and Debt Consolidation Loan

With any remodeling and construction projects you do on your home there are many payment options available for most home improvement remodeling projects. For example, you can get your own loan such as a home equity loan or credit equity line or ask the contractor to arrange financing for larger projects. For smaller projects, you may want to pay by check or credit card.

For the larger projects a home equity loan, or a credit equity line also known as an equity home line of credit, can be a good solution because the interest rates are often better than other types of loans or credit and, depending on the amount of equity you have in your home, you might also be able to use it as a debt consolidation loan at the same time to pay off high interests credit cards and other high interest debt so you can be relatively debt free with just the equity home line of credit at a lower interest rate and improve your home and bring up its value at the same time.

What is the Difference between a Home Equity Loan and a Home Equity Line of Credit?

A home equity loan is a loan that is secured by your home. It is also sometimes referred to as a closed-end home equity loan or a second mortgage and is a fixed amount of money that must be repaid over a fixed term just like your original mortgage. You get the entire loan amount upfront all at once. You have predictable, consistent monthly payments.

A Home Equity Line of Credit in many ways is similar to a credit card. It is a a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral. You can borrow as much as you need, whenever you need it, by writing a check as long as your total borrowing does not exceed your credit limit. Because it is a line of credit, you make payments only on the amount you have actually borrowed, not the full amount available. What makes a Home Equity Line of Credit so popular is that interest paid is usually tax deductible under federal and most state income tax laws.

Whether you use a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit for a home improvement project or as a debt consolidation loan or both it’s a great way to make your debt tax deductable and improve the value of your home at the same time.

Planning a kitchen remodel?

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Custom Remodeling, Do it Yourself Home Improvements, Home Design, Home Designs, Home Improvement & Maintenance, Home Improvement DIY, Homes Renovations, House Remodeling, Remodeling, Remodeling Costs, Remodeling Houses, Remodeling and Construction

Advantages of Framing With Steel Studs
Get some great ideas on building and using steel studs whether you are remodeling or building a new home.If you use 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs with 5/8 of an inch drywall you will get an extremely durable and sturdy wall. Framing was steel studs is common in office renovations or remodeling. Most of the steel stud framing is done via the drywall contractors.

What to Expect and Prepare for During Your Kitchen Remodel
Remodeling a kitchen is an incredibly huge undertaking that involves a vast array of details to consider, decide on and oversee their implementation. If you’re not prepared it can seem a bit overwhelming but here are some of the things you can expect and prepare for during your kitchen remodel. Obviously the first step is to [...]

Remodeling a kitchen is an incredibly huge undertaking that involves a vast array of details to consider, decide on and oversee their implementation. If you’re not prepared it can seem a bit overwhelming but here are some of the things you can expect and prepare for during your kitchen remodel.

Obviously the first step is to decide on the budget for your kitchen remodel. A good rule of thumb is about 15% of your home’s current market value. For a more detailed breakdown of this you can check out my blog posting: Estimating Your Kitchen Remodeling Costs.

Keep in mind that there will ALWAYS be additional expenses so try to plan your budget on 80% of what you want your total budget to actually be. Your remodeling costs can be broken down into two main categories: the labor and installation that your contractor will charge and then the materials you select.

The materials you select will be your biggest remodeling costs and where you have the most choice and where you have the most probability of going over budget.

For help with this you can check out my eBook Remodeling Recon Kitchens Edition that will give you comprehensive information on the materials and their price ranges and give you a more realistic way to estimate your remodeling costs and will give you a lot of ideas for planning your kitchen design and layout which is the next step in the process.

The planning of your kitchen design and layout is rarely a one step process so don’t expect to get it exactly the way you want it all in one shot. It’s a slowly evolving process which continually changes as you keep refining it. It’s a good idea to sit with an idea for a while to see how it feels and fits with your kitchen designs. Make sure the layout flows with how you work in the kitchen.

After you’ve fine tuned your kitchen design and have it all planned out the next stage ordering all the materials. Making sure you cover all the details and order everything needed is very important.

If you miss something and have to reorder it can delay your remodel quite a bit….sometimes by weeks and the last thing you want to do is give your contractor an opportunity to get busy on someone else’s project during the delay and then put your project on the back burner….although not all delays are controllable.

Another thing to be prepared for and expect are the unforeseen delays. In most any job there are unforeseen delays outside of the contractor’s control that can, and usually do, come up…things like out of stock materials on backorder, faulty existing construction that’s discovered that needs to be brought to code that couldn’t be seen or known about until after walls or floors are opened up after the remodeling project has already gotten underway or weather delays to name of the few of the things that could cause delays outside the contractor’s control.

The next stage involves demolition or deconstruction of the existing cabinets, countertops, appliances, flooring and lighting…depending on the extent of your remodel and what you’ve decided to replace. It’s going to get really messy so just be prepared for that and just make peace with the fact that there’s going to be dust everywhere even after the demolition process is finished. You can count on the whole place being dusty and messy for most of the duration of the construction.

Actually during the entire remodel you shouldn’t expect neatness from your contractor. Believe it or not, it is sometimes a lot more efficient to leave things lying where they’ll next be used. It will be messy so just prepare accordingly.

Just make sure you spell out in your contract that the jobsite will be cleaned up at the end of the job.

You can cover up furniture that you want to protect from dust and will need to either plan on eating out during the remodel or setting up a temporary kitchen elsewhere.

Also not expecting any problems to come up is unrealistic. There will be some problems. Weather delays, employees quitting, and more will happen. Having problems is okay, but it’s not okay if the contractor can’t work out the issues to your satisfaction.

Make sure you have a good working relationship with your contractor.

Knowing what to expect and prepare for during your kitchen renovation can make the entire remodel experience less overwhelming and stressful and it can even be a fun and exciting experience.