Increase Your Home's Worth With These Home Improvement Ideas ...

When it comes to home improvement, be sure to get quotes from at the very least three different contractors. This is important because prices may vary greatly, as may the quality of work. Get a good feeling for your contractor by sitting down with him or her and discussing your entire plan.

Before you begin painting a room it is important to lay down drop clothes or old sheets on the floor. When painting a room it is very possible to have paint drip or spill on the floor. Regardless of what type of floor you have it can be very difficult to get paint up once it is on a surface.

It is important to work from the bottom up in a home improvement project. This is the exact opposite approach than you would take for many other projects, but there is a lot more mess involved in home improvement. Make sure to consider the order that you want your projects completed in.

Keep your water flowing during cold weather by adding heat wraps to water pipes located in crawlspaces or under mobile homes. Acting like electric blankets for your pipes, these special wraps use electricity to create just enough heat to prevent ice from forming in the pipes. Frozen pipes can burst or split, causing costly leaks and water damage.

Do some internet research to find out if generic products are the same quality as name brands. Sometimes name brand products are identical to generics that are available under another name. Regardless of what materials you decide to go with, make sure that the contractor installs exactly what you asked for.

To achieve the most even look when installing vinyl tiles, start applying them from the midpoint of the room. To do this, measure the room at its widest points, marking the halfway point of each line. Using a chalk line to mark the intersecting points, you can begin your tile installation at the perpendicular junction point, spreading outward toward the edges of the room.

Hardwood, tile and other smooth surfaces may seem like a good idea in high traffic areas like stairs and hallways, but those same areas can then echo and reverberate throughout the entire house. You wouldn?t want to hear every footstep going down the hallway if you were in a bedroom sleeping.

Give a quick update to your kitchen by wiping down the cabinets and either adding or changing the cabinet hardware. Giving your kitchen cabinets a new set of knobs or handles can really enhance the look of your kitchen without costing a lot of money. With so many styles of knobs and handles available, you can change the character of your kitchen quickly and easily.

Refurbishing an unfinished basement floor can bring the space together while increasing the functionality of the basement. Family members and friends will want to go down there more than they did before and one can create a new area to entertain guests. Putting down a wood, carpet, or synthetic floor will really improve ones basement.

If you?re planning home improvements to create an income property, don?t skimp on drywall. It can help both sound proof your rental unit as well as create a fire barrier between floors. Drywall the ceiling to include protection on all sides, both dampening the sound of people walking above and noise from below.

If you?re planning a major addition to your home, consider the cost of insurance before starting construction. Wood is always more expensive to insure because it is highly flammable. Steel and cement framed structures will cost less to insure because they are highly flame retardant. A conversation with your insurance agent before you begin to build could save you thousands.

Are you ready to start? Remember ?a penny saved is a penny earned.? So, take the time to read ahead of time to avoid any unnecessary mistake. Use the tips provided above to help you save time and money.

Shiela Allemond has a column relating to home water systems

Source: http://blog.ilove3c.com/2012/09/01/increase-your-homes-worth-with-these-home-improvement-ideas/

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