Build New or Stay and Remodel

There are three possible scenarios involved in that question:

1. Stay where you are and renovate
2. Move to an existing house and renovate
3. Build a new house for you to move into

There are numerous considerations, not the least of which is how you feel about your existing location. That word – LOCATION – should be your primary focus. Do you prefer to remain where you are, or not? Is staying where you are an option, or are you forced to relocate due to a job change, or other issues? If you wish to stay where you are, there’s no reason to read this article. Remodeling and/or expanding the place where you now live is the least expensive alternative – by far.

Your aggravation levels will increase during the construction, but they will do that with either of the other choices as well. If it gets to be too much, you can move to a motel for 2 months, eat dinner out every night, and still come out cheaper than either option 2 or option 3. If you want to be in your present home, case closed.

So let’s assume you have to move, and we’ll concentrate on option 2 vs. option 3. There are two important aspects of this topic which apply to both.

• In both cases you have to research the property with the building department to make sure you will be able to do what you wish. Verify zoning, lot size restrictions, and access to utilities.

• You will have unknown costs (moving, insurance, taxes, financing costs, etc.) in either case.

Advantages of remodeling an existing house:

• Fewer hidden (or unknown) costs. New homes often have impact fees, ground preparation fees, and higher permit fees than those imposed for remodeling.

• Hard construction costs will be less (usually, but not always).

• You can move into the house much sooner. If you have to leave your existing home quickly, you may not have the ability to wait for a new home to be built.

Advantages of building new:

• Unrestricted design potential, allowing you to end up with a more modern, better insulated home, with better traffic flow than you would have in an older building. Also, older homes have less closet/storage space than new ones.

• Your long term energy costs will be lower because all of your equipment will be running more efficiently.

• Less disruption to family routine. While construction is happening, you’re still living in your present house. Then you move into a finished product (possibly with some decorative items to complete).

I’m sure you noticed that I haven’t listed costs in either list. The determining factor is going to be the extent of the renovation to the existing building. Depending upon the condition of the house, age, building codes and other factors, it can actually be more costly to remodel than to build new.

In either case, allow an extra 20% in your budget over and above any quoted costs you’ve obtained. 10% is for upgrades that you decide upon after initial pricing. The other 10% is for the rising costs of material and labor. If the price of oil goes through the roof again, 10% might not be enough.

If the older home was built between 1950 and 1978, there might be issues having to do with asbestos and lead paint. Make sure you get a professional inspection performed. You may also be required to bring the plumbing and electrical systems up to date.

In conclusion, renovating a home might be very rewarding, as well as the cheaper alternative. However, you have to do your homework before making the commitment, in order to insure that you’re not stepping into a money pit. Every situation is different. Your decision will probably come down to what your sixth sense tells you. Regardless of how you choose, anticipate that moving into a new home will take more time and more money than expected.
by: charles gueli

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Advantages of Adding a Sunroom to your House

There’s no doubt as to the benefits of adding a sunroom to your home. The addition of a sunroom will allow you to express your personality in a room that you can decorate to suit your tastes, as well as add significant value should you ever decide to sell.

Sunrooms are mostly enclosed in glass, allowing maximum exposure to sunlight. They can be designed as a simple porch, all the way up to a fully independent structure, some even have their own door to the outside world.
If you’re considering adding a sunroom to your house, you may think that it could potentially be an expensive exercise with low rewards. It’s not, consider the following advantages of having your own sunroom:

* The ability to enjoy the outdoors without being outdoors. On those particularly cold or hot days, you can sit in your sunroom and watch the world outside, whilst being protected from the elements.
* By exposing yourself to sunlight regularly, you are increasing your intake of vitamin D, and the many health benefits which go with that.
* The increased value of your home should you decide to sell. Having a sunroom added to your house is a great differentiator if there are other houses in your are that are also for sale. This can also aid in the quick sale of your home.
* A sunroom is your own little place to go and relax. You can read a book, watch TV, listen to music, or just take in the view, all in the peace and quiet of your sunroom.
* They look great! Impress your neighbors and visitors with your elegantly decorated view to the outside world.

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Choosing The Right Patio Furniture

A beautiful home is a reflection of the taste and preferences of it’s occupants. As you have considered the beauty of your indoor furniture, don’t stop there, continue your decorating themes out to your patio and backyard or deck areas too. We live in a time that designers and decorators alike are touting the benefits of taking the beauty and comfort of the indoors and carrying that right through to your patio area. So the choices you make for your patio furniture in turn have a reflection back on your indoor decorating too.

While choosing your patio furniture there are many factors to consider, including budget. Once the amount you would spend on the patio furniture has been fixed, you need to find a way to be consistent with your decorating themes and stay within that budget. Are you going to be entertaining a lot of people? If yes then maybe you look for ways to accommodate your seating needs within the budget you have set. After this comes the style of furniture that you would like and then the colors. Often times a stepping stone approach whereby you purchase as the wallet allows while building your patio furniture collection over time, but with the masterplan always in mind. If you have a garden space in your backyard then you could set it up with some right garden furniture which would add to the beauty of your garden. Having a garden is a luxury that not many can indulge in and with the right choice of furniture you could make it a sanctuary for you to unwind and relax.

For your outdoor patio furniture choices, the old rules still apply to buy quality. Why save a buck on an inferior product just to replace it down the road when it falls apart. With this in mind, tropical hardwood patio furniture has withstood the test of time. Balau, which is a sisterwood to teak, offers a weather resistant durability while still looking very upscale and expensive. Unlike teak, balau is not on the endangered species list and thus more affordable.

When you are choosing your patio furniture you must ensure that you take into consideration the space that you need to put it in. Is the place large enough for a chaise lounge or will a rocking chair fit, or is the space small enough for just a bistro set? Is the patio shaded from the sun and protected from the rain? If that is not so then you may need to choose furniture made from materials like teak, balau or aluminum which can withstand the weather conditions. These are some of the factors you need to consider before picking out your patio furniture.

Now you can shop for the furniture from your home itself and have it delivered straight at your doorstep. Making this possible is www.AvonleaGardens.com which gives you a great choice of discount patio furniture, garden furniture, deep seating ensembles, and more and all this at good wholesale prices
by: Robert George

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Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring - Keep it Green

Wood floors are the healthy choice; they require fewer chemicals to clean than other floor coverings, and they don’t trap dust and fumes in the fibers or grow mold in the grout. More and more people are choosing wood floors for anyone with allergies. Don’t be surprised if a doctor recommends a wood floor for your spine and joints. Wood is known to give a little and can be easier on your legs and feet.

Antique and Reclaimed wood floors are an ever popular trend in flooring. Wood that is reclaimed can provide the benefits of old growth timber with the added plus so that not a single living forest tree is sacrificed. This is where living green comes into play.

Reclaimed and Antique wood can be milled to look like new, or sometimes consumers look for wood with nail holes, bolt holes, and other fastener marks which make these characteristics part of the appeal. The old lumber will have rustic character marks from many years of use and exposure to the elements.Many of the floors come out of buildings about to be demolished or in the process of being refurbished. Antique wood flooring can be reclaimed from lumber salvaged from dismantled old barns and buildings. Antique and Distressed wood floors are prized for their beauty, stability and patina. Antique and distressed wood is usually from salvaged vintage homes, barns and structures.

A rustic wood floor will have more of the natural character such as knots, distinct color variations, possible insect marks, surface checking and varying grain patterns. Reclaimed or Antique flooring usually comes from the old growth forests from our early American history. Today they can still be found in floors in old homes and historic structures in many parts of the country. This wood displays character unmatched by any artificial means. Wide Plank flooring can also come from newly sawn old growth lumber. The use of wider widths and longer lengths will reduce the number of end to end seams in the floor which creates a historical authentic look.

Much of this vintage recycled timber comes from old growth forest and was used to construct old buildings. This vintage lumber has unparalleled architectural quality and character, not to mention beauty.

Some antique wood flooring is sometimes called country hardwood flooring and is made from salvaged oak, maple, cherry, hickory, walnut, chestnut, white oak and other vintage reclaimed woods.

No two floors are exactly alike and usually can be found in random widths. Reclaimed hardwood flooring may contain characteristics inherent in aged wood, including cracked knots, slight surface checking, insect and nail holes, weather checking, and color variation.

Benefits of using Reclaimed and Antique wood flooring: A floor made from antique wood has Rrerrque beauty and defining character that cannot be found in newly sawn timber.

• Recycling wood is an alternative to cutting down trees. This is good for the environment.
• Reclaimed wood has been transformed by nature and time which is a link to our past. Having a piece of history in your home can be very satisfying.
• The character and patina of the wood cannot be duplicated.
• Older growth wood is denser and more dimensionally stable than new growth wood which are traits more desirable for wood flooring.
• Certain species such as American Chestnut can only be found through reclaimed wood suppliers.
by: Dave Barkstedt

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Bathroom Ideas: 5 Steps to Making the Most of Your Space

Don't know what to do about your bathroom? Here are some simple steps to take when you're thinking about remodeling. Here are 5 steps to think about before remodeling your bathroom.









1. Draw it out. Even if you can't draw, look at your space and try to sketch it out on a piece of paper. Then, as if you're working with a clean slate, draw the ideal layout of your perfect bathroom. Don't be afraid to move walls around or eliminate them entirely. This is an important starting point.

2. Budget. Almost as important as your dream bathroom is what you can afford. This will dictate how close you can come to your dream. If money is no object, congratulations, Warren Buffet.

3. Once you figure out your budget, go through some home and design catalogs, web sites, and stores and get a sense for the types of material and items you'd like in your bathroom. Note: Once you figure out how much a new bathtub costs, you may need to re-adjust your budget.

4. Get an estimate. Talk to some friends who have had good experiences with contractors. Get their advice and the contact numbers of the contractors. Have multiple contractors come bid on the job and go with whom you feel most comfortable. Read as much about working with contractors as possible and try to find your favorite contractor on Yelp to read their reviews.

5. Pick a time. Most contractors will blow their estimated projected time and go long. To that end, when choosing a contractor, be sure to pay for the job, not the time. A contractor paid by the hour will invariably take longer to complete the job. But just as important: Be sure to pick a time that the construction fits into your life. Any sort of construction to your house will be an inconvenience so it's important that you have the construction work durning a time when you don't need your house for, say, a big party.

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House Extension: Increase Space in Your House

Present structure of your house may not have adequate space to fulfil all your space requirements. Sometimes, people think that some rooms or space in the house should have been used in a different way. Instead of moving to a bigger property, it is better to go for a house extension. Buying bigger house means spending more money. When you are planning of a house extension, you need to take care of certain issues. First of all, you need to decide on present and future requirements of space. You should think about the usage of the extended portion of the house. House extension is an expensive project, you must see whether you are ready to spend that much amount or not. Spare your time, as it is going to be a long project, running over months, at a stretch. Now, after taking a decision of a house extension, you must check any legal issues in your area pertaining to the house extension. There may be any building restrictions due to conservation issues, or the structure you are living in may be a heritage site.

Discuss your plans of house extension with your neighbours as well. They may get disturbed due to the construction activities in your house. If they have issues with this, it is better to resolve beforehand. If you have any outstanding issues with the council, get it resolved first otherwise it may create difficulties later. In the process of a house extension, pay proper attention to the ventilation and lighting. Get the windows and doors placed in such a way so as to regulate proper circulation of air within the house. House should get adequate amount of sunlight during day hours, it should be neither too dark nor too bright. Privacy is also another important issue while planning for windows and doors. When planning for house extension project, do not ignore the pending repairs in existing structure of the house. Consult an experienced contractor about your house construction plans. His advice is very valuable as he is able to tell you whether your existing structure can take extension or not. Walls in the house should be able to take the load of a new structure. While redesigning your house, do not compromise on the quality of things to be used. Though house extension is an expensive project but you should use the things which are of a high quality.

by: Joanna Harris

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Introduction to Decorative Painting

Painting and decorating goes hand in hand like coffee and cream. One compliments the other and vice versa. As such, decorative painting goes back in history almost as far as people do. From ceremonial paintings on cave walls done by prehistoric men to the Italian frescos (wall paintings typically found in cathedrals), these artistic expressions have been part of aesthetic embellishment. Fortunately, our means of painting have greatly improved from the days of the cavemen.

Where early painters had to practice ingenuity to produce colours and use water or animal fat to bind paint to surfaces, modern men have already figured out how to shortcut the process, and the concept of paint products (and other painting tools) was eventually conceived. Paint materials went into mass production over five hundred years ago. Nowadays, paint of almost every conceivable shade, texture and colour is readily available to everyone. Thus, artists or users are given more time to search for inspiration and be creative.


In practical home design, decorative painting, either as primary ornamentation or just a finish, is a simple and inexpensive way to add elegance and beauty to walls, furniture, cabinets and several other furniture items. The colours you choose, glazing and layering contribute largely to achieve an impressionable effect in the surfaces.

Almost anything in your home can get a decorative accent with paint. Some of the items you can put decorative paint with are: glassware and ceramics, windows, plastic, wood and even clothing materials. Decorative painting can be a quick and easy way to dress up a holiday centerpiece or old piece of furniture. Furthermore, you can also create personalized gifts with it.

Here are some tips in doing home decorative painting:

1. It is very important to prepare surfaces correctly before applying any paint. Paint will not bond correctly and surface flaws will be highlighted if the surface is inadequately prepared. In glazing, surfaces should be non-porous. As such, priming is an essential step.

2. Proper base coating is necessary to achieve the best results. Overall effect depends on the base coat colour so you must apply it to the surface evenly and without brush or roller marks. Allowing sufficient drying time between all layers is important as well and will prevent paint bleeding.

3. Try to work in pairs when doing large area painting such as big walls or ceilings. Doing as such allows successive work and prevents the paint from drying out too much before applying the second coating.

There are several ways to achieve an elegant look by applying decorative painting. Whether you use faux painting techniques or just use a great colour to really bring out a wall, fresh paint can always make a difference to your home. Decorative painting can make one feel more relaxed and provide a homey feel to your space instead of just having dull living quarters.
by: Joanna Harris

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