Photo: Kim Piper Werker
Homeowners begin every renovation with the best of intentions. The budget is fixed, the schedule is firm, and the results—well, the results are sure to be spectacular.
Unfortunately, life gets in the way, and that week of organized chaos for which you had bargained soon becomes a month (or more) of construction site living. If your home improvement is taking longer than expected, don’t panic—plan!
Home values are bouncing back—is the trend strong enough to support your bid for a home equity loan?
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Unhappy with the job your contractor did? Peeved at your local hardware store’s churlish service? Annoyed with the runaround you got from a real estate agent? Just use an online review site to gain a small measure of revenge and to satisfy yourself by warning others. Right?
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“Satisfaction goes up when you have concrete expectations,” says CA-based contractor Dan Fritschen. The unglamorous truth is that planning ahead saves money. In order to plan effectively, Fritschen recommends that homeowners seek assistance from two types of renovation consultants. Early in your project, each of these pros will ask different, equally important questions to help you translate a design vision into a built reality.
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If you are thinking that this is the year to tackle a bigger renovation project that you’ve been postponing, you’re not the only one. After several years of maintenance mode, homeowners are going to spend on actual improvements this year, predicts the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard.
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Licenses, bonding, and insurance: Every contractor is required by law to have these essential documents in order, but not all do. And the harsh reality is that, if your contractor flouts the law, it could end up costing you.
Adamina Fies, president of Synergy Design & Construction in Reston, VA, says that, as absurd as it may seem, homeowners need to triple-check that their contractors and subcontractors are complying with state and local laws. If your contractor doesn’t have the proper paperwork, then you, the client, could be pulled into lawsuits ranging from on-the-job injuries to unpaid subcontractors’ bills.
Here’s the checklist Fies uses when vetting contractors:
In the midst of the budget crisis in Washington, home energy tax credits were retained for the 2012 tax year. That means you can claim a 10% credit for up to $5,000 worth of qualified energy-efficient improvements, including replacement windows and doors; Energy Star appliances; insulation; and installing more energy-efficient heating and cooling systems.
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Be sure to review the specifics carefully via IRS Form 5695. And audit your receipts to verify that the materials and appliances you bought qualify. For maximum return, include these factors as you estimate the value of the credit:
Caesars Palace. Photo: LABworks360
What could the grandeur of a Roman fountain and an end-of-days bomb shelter possibly have in common? Must be time for the annual NAHB International Builders’ Show, held this year (January 22-24) in Las Vegas, NV. The event, which draws builders, contractors, manufacturers and industry professionals from around the country and the world, is renowned for showcasing the latest in new building products, materials, technology, trends and innovations.
While we were hard-pressed to cover the entire 360,000 square feet of exhibition space, we were able to discover some true show-stoppers. Here are ten of them to whet your appetite.
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This is a great time of year to create an annual home improvement plan.
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Listen to BOB VILA ON HOME IMPROVEMENT PLANNING or read the text below:
[Ed: This post was updated with additional information from Redbeacon on 1/28/2013.]
Three-year-old startup Redbeacon is making bold claims in the contractor-finder market. That market, which in the past has been dominated by Angie’s List, connects consumers with home improvement contractors. (Visit BobVila.com’s own Find a Contractor portal.)
For many, the existence of such services is reason enough to celebrate the birth of the internet, as any progress towards easily and confidently hiring people to work on our homes can be easily appreciated.
