Monthly Archives: March 2009

How To Save Money On A Bathroom Renovation

Posted on by Scott
Maria Polidoro

A limited renovation budget does not have to mean you are stuck with a bathroom straight out of the seventies. The good news about a bathroom renovation investment is that you may be able to recoup the money at resale, provided you do not overspend and the work is high quality. Though over-renovation may not be a wise investment, leaving your bathroom a few decades behind will not help resale value either. You can give your bathroom a fresh new look and spare your bank account by choosing cost effective cosmetic updates and keeping these renovation ideas in mind.

One Step at a Time

Planning ahead will help ensure that your choices fit within your overall budget and help you achieve a cohesive style in your renovated bathroom. Many home renovators are hindered by an all-or-nothing approach to bathroom remodeling, but you do not have to go all in on a costly renovation to reap the benefits of an updated bathroom. Planning your full renovation ahead but tackling only one or two projects at a time takes patience, but will ultimately give you the remodeled bathroom you seek with a minimum impact on your finances.

Resourcefulness with Energy Efficient Upgrades

Many cities, states and utility providers offer rebates, credits or other incentives for replacing toilets, faucets or shower heads with water conserving low-flow models. Taking advantage of incentives offered through energy conservation programs can help you stay within your renovation budget, with the added bonus of reduced utility expenses each month.

The Update-or-Replace Conundrum

Many bathroom renovation projects come with a choice: update or replace? You may invest in new vanity cabinets, or you may paint or refinish existing ones. Alternatively, you may compromise and replace only the cabinet faces. Bathtubs and countertops can be replaced, or they may be reglazed to look and function like new. Even outdated tiles can be refurbished instead of replaced. Do not assume that you have to replace everything in your bathroom to get the look you want. With some research, careful prioritizing and of course, patience, you can give your bathroom a stylish update at a fraction of the cost of new materials.

Hiring Professionals for the Right Jobs

If you are relatively handy, a great way to save money is to tackle some jobs yourself and hire a professional for those that are outside of your skill set. Making an honest assessment of your capabilities and time availability is key to this decision, especially since work of subpar quality can hurt more than it helps home value. When hiring a contractor for certain aspects of your remodeling project, it is typically advised to get at least three quotes to find a fair price on the job.

It is often said that home renovations always cost more and take longer than anticipated. In addition to starting out with realistic goals and expectations for your renovation schedule, setting aside a contingency fund for unexpected expenses can help you stay within your renovation budget. By allocating your renovation budget wisely, you will be well on your way to a beautifully renovated bathroom that no longer invokes the sentiment of decades past.

how to use normal paint to paint tiles and make them last longer w/o peeling off?

Posted on by Scott
joannaleng

i am doing renovation for my place. most prob will be using nippon, but there are ugly white old tile in the kitchen and bathroom, wana use paint to cover them w/ a tone
i am doing renovation for my place. most prob will be using nippon, but there are ugly white old tile in the kitchen and bathroom, wana use paint to cover them w/ a tone

kindly inclue possible brands as i am really not aware of where to get such things.

i am based in singapore

Need help on home appraisal for a divorce with recent renovations?

Posted on by Scott
Chrissy

We owned the home for only 2 years during our marriage but put 14,000 into upgrades such as insulations, new bathroom floor, sink etc, new water heater, running heat ducts to each room upstairs instead of 1 vent by the steps, replaced old sliding doors with french, new front door etc.. This is 14,000 we sunk in the home during our marriage just at that area. We also bought an outdoor wood burner that heats the water and pipes it underground to heat your house off your own wood safely and heats water for free. This was around $10,000 apprxx and maybe 2 gran is owed. My soon to be x is saying there is not any equity in the home so that he gets to keep it, along with most of my things too. I have the appraisal from Jan 2005 and it has 2 figures one is 138,000 the other maybe 118,000 which is what we talked them down to for the sale. As of Jan 2007 110,000 was owed on the principle. I am saying we put a lot into the house it has got be worth more than what is owed. Any advice?

Looking For Small Bathroom Renovation Ideas?

Posted on by Scott
Chet Stevens

Some homes built withing the last 20 years went on the market as having two bathrooms. In some of these homes the second “bathroom” was really no bigger than a hall closet and although convenient, homeowners are always looking for small bathroom renovation ideas. It’s no wonder since they can almost always be remodeled to give a few extra square feet. Although that may not sound like a lot at first, it can equal the addition of shelving or storage area or simply a bit more room to move around without banging your elbows on each wall.

One of the first places to look it the bathtub. For some reason, these late model homebuilders seemed to really like the idea of sticking a bathtub in these small bathrooms. If you can take out the tub and replace it with a shower stall you are likely to gain these few extra crucial feet we are looking for. This is just one small bathroom renovation idea that can make quite a big difference. If you have a full-size bathtub in another bathroom seriously consider this as your first change.

There are also small bathroom remodeling ideas that can make the room appear larger than it really is such as using light colors on the walls and on any window coverings. Additionally, if possible a shade or mini-blind that fits into the window instead of attaching to the outer trim of the window can make the room appear bigger. Vertical lines can also make the room appear larger while heavy horizontal lines can make it feel smaller.

Are there Extra Cabinets or Shelving?

Another common feature in houses built at this time are dividing walls. Whether the walls separate the toilet from the tub or the sink we are left scratching our heads as to why they were ever installed in the first place. These walls generally are not load-bearing and can be removed quite easily. If this truly is a small bathroom there is very little chance that there will be more than one person in here at a time so privacy should not be a concern. Again, expect to get just a few extra square footage but it really will change the whole feel of the room.

It may be necessary to trim some space from an adjacent room and expand the bathroom, and many small bathroom remodeling ideas include this prospect. A mere six to 12-inches of extra space along one wall can seem to add considerable space in a small bathroom. Failing that, do not use cabinets that attach to the wall, rather use the ones that are built into the wall. The floor space will not change, but there will not be any more of it taken up.

Take a walk through any of the large home builders stores. There are many new space saving ideas that you probably can’t come up with on your own. Many of these stores are large enough to have demo bathrooms set up for you to walk around in. Not only can you learn a lot about bathroom remodeling but I challenge you not to leave with something else that will make your house more of a home.

17mth Baby son having problems going to sleep?

Posted on by Scott
Ewen D

Oue son use to go to sleep eaily at night and wake once a night but would easily go ack to sleep, I recently sent my partner away with the kids to her sisters while I did a bathroom renovation for two weeks, during that time they slept on matresses and since he has come back he does not want to go sleep in his cot at night, I have tried going in every 10 or so minutes to reasurre him, when i go in will go quiet and looks like asleep and as soon as i get up will start crying, the only way to get him to sleep is to sleep in his room. If you get out of there and he wakes up will scream.
I know he has gotten out of his routine which we had pretty downpacked, how long does it take for him top get back to th routine?, or after sleeping on a matress would he be ready for a bed. Also i have notice he has become very clingy to his mother since they have come back, how do we overcome this?

Bathroom Renovation Ideas

Posted on by Scott
Roger Thompson

Everyone talks about DIY projects the way they talk about romantic dates; some work, others don’t. But in the end, you simply have to take matters in your own hands because everyone knows that builders and contractors in this country earn more than you do! Still, any task that involves something more than super glue and a glue gun can be daunting. But if there’s a room in your house that you can start “practicing” on with a guaranteed degree of success, it’s your bathroom. There are certainly bathroom renovation ideas and methods that you can actually accomplish with skill and flair given proper planning and organization.

The ease of a bathroom renovation is because of a bathroom’s size; the smaller it is, the bigger your chances of working around some of the changes you’d like to put in. Most bathroom renovation ideas often center on simply putting new tiles and fixtures. But don’t be afraid of enlarging the space because you’d think it would become more difficult. Chances are, enlarging the space simply involves taking down an adjacent closet or dividing wall; this is not much in terms of measurements, but even small additional space increments in a bathroom can go a long way.

Don’t hold your breath, but your bathroom renovation ideas should then incorporate such tasks as stripping down the entire bathroom which would enable you to re-layout the new space. This task is not complicated as you might think and mostly involves some muscle work. Try to find a general builder who will charge you only the basic fee for this, or better still, a male relative or friend who can do this for you for free! But it is always generally helpful if you involve yourself in the learning process of home renovation. Be brave enough to step out of your comfort zone to learn stuff which might prove to be useful in the long run. Bathroom renovation ideas should translate into educational opportunities as well.

Observe and ask questions, study how to operate power tools which are actually easy to use because they’re fully automated. Familiarize yourself with some basic building techniques. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to reposition all the other elements and components of your bathroom and this is the fun part. While you can dream all you want, your bathroom renovation ideas should also be cost sensitive (unless price is no object).Do a costing of the externals like a proper vanity, light and toilet fixtures. This is now the fun part so you can relax and indulge in whatever fantasy you’d like your bathroom to transform into. Should it be girly? Retro? Or luxuriously Victorian?

But before your bathroom renovation ideas get the better of your time, be aware that the whole project will take some time, unless you can shell out the necessary amount for some contractors to do some miracle 24-hour job of finishing your dream bathroom. For some people who have full time jobs, the project may have to be squeezed in at night or during the weekends. Be patient and most importantly, be happy with the thought that workable bathroom renovation ideas are not difficult after all.

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Will my pipes rust more?

Posted on by Scott
John

I’ve been doing this long drawn out renovation to my master bathroom, so it’s been about 3 years since I’ve been able to run water throught the pipes in that room. These are steel pipes by the way. I just capped the pipes off where the sink and toilet would normally connect. Because I’m not running water through these pipes (although they are holding water), will they corrode more quickly? Am I to expect some really thin walls in these pipes by now?

What kind of paint to use in the bathroom?

Posted on by Scott
A. Elise

I currently rent and I live in a house where all the renovations are done by someone who doesn’t know how to do them (ie halfassedly!). So this means that I don’t have to worry about my own touches being perfect… oh, if you could only see the paint jobs in my house. My bathroom is currently painted in a flat white color… I don’t know much about paint, but there’s no shine to it or anything. It’s less glossy than the paint used in my bedroom.

I have about half a can of blue flat paint that I’d like to paint the small bathroom with, but it’s not really for bathrooms. So my question is…

I know they make specific paints for bathrooms, but, can I do it anyway and expect it to be just fine for at least a year or so? Sure maybe it’s not the best choice for a bathroom, but is it really going to be that terrible? Or can I go ahead and do it anyway? The flat paint in there now is holding against moisture just fine.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Is contractor responsible if damage is done during renovation in older home?

Posted on by Scott
Janet Z

I have a home built in 1978. A contractor was hired to replace the floor in the upstairs bathroom and add tile. Apparently the plumbing code has changed since then and the contractor was using nails for the cement board based on today’s building code and punctured a hole in the plumbing. He immediately knew he hit a pipe but claimed that the pipes were too close to the floor and it wasn’t his fault. The contractor has completely denied negligence saying it isn’t his fault that the pipes were located where they were. I say, how was I suppose to know, I’m just the homeowner, not the expert. There was over $20K in damage to the house from the water leak. My homeowner’s insurance covered about half of the damage. I would like to be compensated from the contractor for the remaining money that I have lost but they continue to deny negligence. Any thoughts? Would I have a case in small claims court? Is the contractor negligent?

Cost of Renovating a house ?

Posted on by Scott
tricia r

I live in Chicago and the housing market here is crazy. I don’t want to spend 30 years paying off a home I could barely afford.

There are several houses owned by the state for sale for 5-10,000 cash only .

They are in horrible condition from the pictures Ive seen however a few look like they have good bones and decent exteriors.

me and my husband are prepared to take it slowly 2-3 years and will not buy one which has water or termite damage. We will have it looked at first by an inspector.

We are anticipating
the following

new roof, new interior walls, bathroom renovation, kitchen renovation , floors, electrical repairs and plumbing repairs

We will hire cheap labor for most of the easy stuff but the biggies we will have professionals do the work.
What is the minimum cost price range to do these jobs on a tight budget ?
We will buy a single story home brick exterior approximately 1200-1600 sq ft
This is not a flip so we are taking our time and the point is to make it livable at