You want your home to be beautiful and comfortable. To get your residence to this point, learn all you can. The information in this article will help you make the right decisions.
If you're revamping the room, use light or white tile or other material. Lighter colors reflect the sun instead of absorbing it, which means your attic will not be so hot. This alone can make a big difference in your bills. Once a week, at least, dust your home. Lots of dust can gather in a small period of time, causing allergens to accumulate. Dusting gets rid of stray dust particles, as well as spiders, ants, and other living invaders. Sign a contract before you allow any contractor to start working. The best idea is to have the contract evaluated by your lawyer. Beginning and end dates, guarantees, deadlines, cost and the work that will be performed should be defined. Work on the most visually obvious things in your home first. If you plan to sell the home, the buyers won't care that you added fancy lights if the paint is peeling. You have to impress them. Even a novice at home improvements can fix a leaky faucet. If you can repair and fix these quickly, you can General Contractors conserve water and not waste money. Your water bill will reflect the savings. Remember to always keep safety foremost in your mind as you complete home improvement projects. Any project involves risk; therefore, you should thoroughly read over instructions on any power tools you plan on using. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask the store associates to offer you some advice. There are lots of tutorials online that can help you, too. Smooth wood before staining or painting it, then use a damp rag to wipe the surface off. Using sandpaper will make it so that the object gets a smooth finish. You can get rid of dust by using the damp rag to wipe it off. This also gives it a smooth finish. Do not forget to have General Contractors an exhaust fan in each of your bathrooms, as well as in your kitchen, to keep your home as safe as possible. You can reduce the occurance of mildew and mold in your house by keeping moist air out. Also, if you are able to reduce the amount of humidity inside, you can prevent rot from occurring. Homeowners should avoid hiring contractors that are unlicensed. All states require a legal certificate for contractors. Though such regulations are not a guarantee of skill, they are nevertheless essential. Also, an uncertified contractor comes with the extra risk of possibly Home Services not having insurance. When working on a home improvement project, it is easy to forget that your supplies are a target for thieves. Keep your materials in a secure location when you are not actively using them. Consider storing your materials and supplies in your home as long as it is secure. If the house is not secure, however, rent or lease a storage container to use, instead. Be sure that you actually use some of the ideas given in the article above. Take notes, collect tools and supplies and get going. Home improvement projects can be pretty fun, and appreciating the results of all your hard work is even better.
0 Comments
If you have never heard about the concept of feng shui, proponents focus on creating positive energy in a room by the correct arrangement of the furniture. A lot of people think that if you clear the doorway you will gain money. Check out the article below for some great tips on all things home improvement.
Keep an eye out for sales on carpet installation by home-improvement stores. In order to gain customers, they will install carpet for cheap prices. When you see this type of sale, it's time to have that new carpeting put in your home since full-priced installation can cost more than the carpet itself. If you are choosing a major renovation, look to hire a professional designer or architect to help develop the plans. Except in cases where you or someone you know personally who is advising you has professional experience in design and construction, you may not be satisfied with the DIY results. A professional designer can create meaningful plans that also meet safety restrictions and requirements. local home services When it comes to managing your home during the summer, use all of the fans that you can. You should install some ceiling fans to keep their air circulating and create a cool environment. Fans are a cheaper alternative to air conditioning units so this will save on your electric costs. Weather stripping is important to include around your windows for energy efficiency. This is a cheap fix but can save you lots of money on heating and cooling costs for your home. It will also make those cold nights a whole lot less chilly indoors. New furniture is expensive. Add a little extra flare to any apartment or room by shopping at local stores and thrift-markets that offer killer deals. There are often some real gems hiding amongst used items. Of course, some of the deals may need a little elbow grease before they are up to par, but this is a small price to pay. Paint stripes on your old walls before installing paneling! It doesn't matter how well you try to install the paneling, the old wall seems to want to peek through. To avoid this, you can measure the places the sheets of paneling will connect. Cover that area with a strip of paint that matches the paneling, so it will be virtually invisible. If your door is still squeaky after trying every imaginable method to fix it, you might want to buy a new hinge. Virtually all hardware stores carry door hinges. Removing the old hinge and installing the new one is an easy project. The final step is to align the hinges so that you can change the pins. Safety is paramount while you working on any projects around the home. Follow the instructions of any power tool you use and ask for advice from the experts at your local home improvement store to reduce your risk of injury all all your projects. Search for an online tutorial to learn how to use these tools. As mentioned in the introduction, feng shui is a great idea about arranging things in the home. This is a form of home improvement as well, as you can give a new appearance to your home by re-arranging your furniture. NEW YORK Top home improvement chain moved here Home Depot Inc (HD.N) is relying on cost cuts to fight lackluster demand for expensive renovations in a slowly recovering U.S. economy.
The company beat quarterly earnings estimates and raised its profit outlook for the year, but cut its full-year sales forecast as U.S. consumers put off expensive renovations and opt for repairs and smaller remodeling projects instead. Home Depot has benefited from a slower expansion strategy, supply chain right here improvements and cost cuts that included job reductions in January. It said it would continue to invest in its efforts to improve merchandise and distribution. The sentiment echoed that of smaller rival Lowe's Cos (LOW.N), which said on Monday it would focus on boosting margins and market share in the coming year rather than bet on a U.S. economy plagued by high unemployment. "Both Home Depot and Lowe's are relying on their strong free cash flow and aggressive stock buyback programs to help support EPS growth," RBC Capital Markets analyst Scot Ciccarelli said. Ciccarelli continues to see a strain on sales for both home improvement chains with falling home prices and macroeconomic pressures. "The consumer is still cautious ... If you view your home as an expense rather than an investment, you are not as inclined to spend, Chief Financial Officer Carol Tome told Reuters. U.S. home-builder sentiment in November rose slightly for the second straight month, although it remains at historically low levels, a survey released on Tuesday showed. Home Depot, which saw strength in its Central and Mid-Atlantic markets, said sales at U.S. stores open at least next a year rose 1.5 percent. Domestic same-store sales at Lowe's gained just 0.2 percent. Even though Home Depot outperformed Lowe's on the U.S. same-store sales front, Ciccarelli prefers shares of Lowe's due to their cheaper valuation and the potential for more incremental cost cuts. Raymond James analyst Budd Bugatch gave Home Depot's shares the nod instead. "We were ... impressed by Home Depot's third-quarter sales and earnings performance given supplier reports, other macro data ... Irrespective of the slow overall economy, Home Depot is clearly outperforming and gaining market share," Bugatch said. BIG-TICKET SALES TEPID Home Depot's net income rose to $834 million, or 51 cents a share, in the third quarter that ended October 31, from $689 million, or 41 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts on average were expecting 48 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Sales rose 1.4 percent to $16.60 billion, slightly above the analysts' average estimate of $16.59 billion. While demand for plumbing repair, fasteners, water heaters and cleaning products was strong, discretionary spending in areas including kitchens was weak. Transactions of $900 these details and above -- about 20 percent of U.S. sales -- were down 3.4 percent in the third quarter, Craig Menear, executive vice president of merchandising, said on the conference call. In a positive signal for the economy, sales at U.S. retailers posted their strongest gain in seven months during October, boosted by purchases of motor vehicles and building materials, according to Commerce Department data. Home Depot forecast earnings of $1.94 a share from continuing operations for the current fiscal year, up 4 cents from its prior outlook. The company expects sales growth of about 2.2 percent, down from a prior view of 2.6 percent. (Reporting by Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Dave Zimmerman and Maureen Bavdek) Refine your real estate search in Corpus Christi, TX by price, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, property type (including townhomes, condominiums and single-family homes), and more. Use our interactive Corpus Christi home price map to view real estate activity across Corpus Christi ZIP codes and in other from this source cities nearby Corpus Christi. See local real estate trends, and compare your home to recently sold homes in Corpus Christi and to similar homes for sale in Corpus Christi, Texas. View our Corpus Christi real estate guide to see average listing prices, sale prices and information for local school districts. Join try this site Corpus Christi, Texas community to get in touch with Corpus Christi real estate agents, real estate brokers and other real estate sellers and buyers. Compare Corpus Christi mortgages from multiple site lenders and mortgage brokers to finance your home purchase. Not ready to buy yet? Find and compare Corpus Christi Apartments for rent. Let's take a laconic walk throwing some light on the assorted aspects of junk removal services and they how immensely contribute when it comes to keeping the environment scrub off the junk.
We all need a house under which we can keep ourselves secure and we are aware of the fact that it is one of the most basic amenities needed to dwell. But sometimes we tend to display a sign of carelessness when the time comes to keep it free from dirt or junk. When we see that the junk has formed a massive mountain in any corners of the house, it becomes an obnoxious sight for us to view. If you have been weighed down by junk at your house or in office, and are absolutely unaware of how to 15 yard dumpster rentals get rid of it, this is where the role of junk removal services comes into play. They make sure that all the junk is disposed of and make your house a better place to dwell in. The fact can be truly grasped that it can be daunting task for you to dispose of the junk by yourself. If you are exhausted of looking around in your home and in garage trash containers and see nothing but a massive pile up of unwanted items that have created a mountain, you may take into consideration the effective services of junk removal company. You can have a close encounter with numerous individuals that look into junk removal services to extract discarded items such as trash, materials and other items as well which are of no use. There are a wide variety of items that are simply discarded as they hold no relevance or are of no use anymore. Such items are needed to be removed off the residential or commercial property. Hence, it is feasible to contact a junk removal company. If you have several redundant items that don't prove to be useful to you and are needed to be disposed of, there are a plethora of companies that can truly help you in this regard. Junk removal companies cater to diverse needs of individuals when it comes to eliminating various items such as desks, sofas, mattresses, furniture, box springs, refrigerators any other items that you probably can ponder of except those materials that are unsafe. You won't have to lay your hands on the junk as the professionals would do the needful on your behalf. They would come at your property with a truck that allows them to dump all the rubbish with the unnecessary items. Junk removal services will trash containers get you rid of all the junk that has accrued in your property and no matter where they are located. The professionals are loaded with different equipment such as shovels, brooms, sledgehammers and other different trash container rentals tools that may be needed to execute the junk removal task with ease if needed. Author's Bio: 604 Rubbish is a family run junk removal Burnaby company based in Vancouver, BC that provides customers with junk removal Vancouver service for both residential and commercial sectors throughout British Columbia. Concrete Spalling: Causes and Prevention
Concrete spalling is the deterioration of concrete due to environmental factors, poor installation, and other reasons. It has the potential to wreak havoc on a concrete structure. So, protecting the concrete early can avoid the... Front Doors for Homes Front doors of our home are most prominent and hence, need to be extremely elegant in design. Well, these are commonly ignored during home improvement projects, and left unfinished. So make sure that you consider refinishing these... How to Decide Whether to Remodel or Relocate Not happy with your home and contemplating whether to relocate or remodel? Well, it's a choice that depends on emotional and financial calculations. Buzzle puts down a few factors to consider in order to help you come to a decision. Should You Hire a Contractor to Improve Your New Home? The prospect of shifting into a new house entails a series of home improvements that need to be completed to make it a home. With the question of home improvement comes the question of trusting either yourself to do a good job, or... Tips to Redecorate Your Room Instantly If relationships have the seven-year itch, home décor has the three-year itch. Even if you're not a slave to trends, it's common to grow bored with the look of your home. But don't go into debt over it! Just mix things up a bit... How to Build Equity in Your Home In today's competitive housing market, every little ounce of effort you can put into your home really helps when it comes to getting the most for your property. That is called building equity in your home. Here are some of the... Useful Tips to Choose Window Well Covers Window wells are used to let natural light into the basement to make it less dingy. A window well cover, for that matter, helps make the opening safe for unwary kids and pets. This Buzzle post will help you choose the perfect... Home Repairs You Should Never Ignore Owning a house can be a huge investment. But if it is not maintained properly, the huge expenses incurred because of maintenance can strike you hard. So, to avoid unnecessary expenses on maintenance, go through this post to know... Room Addition Cost The cost of a room addition would definitely be higher, if the plan is complex. You would have to shell out more money for a larger room that includes a kitchen/bathroom. Thus, you must take several factors into consideration,... Procedure to Apply Wall Putty Planning to paint your home? Applying putty to your walls is an essential step you shouldn't miss. Take a look at the significance of wall putty and the procedure to apply it by referring to this guide provided by Buzzle. Home Depot Vs. Lowe's - Which is Better? Home Depot and Lowe's are both prominent American retailers. This Buzzle article takes a comparative look at these home improvement retailing giants and will tell you which one is better among the two. How to Choose a Reliable Scaffolding Rental Service When it comes to selecting a scaffolding rental service, quality and safety are of topmost criteria. Always go for a reputable company that has been providing this specific service for at least a decade. How to Install Hinges Installing hinges is an easy task. You can do this yourself by following the simple instructions provided in this Buzzle article. How to Polish Granite Granite is a commonly used material for kitchen countertops, flooring, etc. If the granite in your house is losing its sheen, you probably might be left wondering how to restore it. Here are some tips that will help you. Attic Ideas If you are planning to convert the home improvement ideas attic area in your house into some usable space, you need to take care of certain aspects. Here are some classic ideas to help you decorate this area in the best possible way. How to Install French Doors French doors exude style and weekend home improvement projects are a blessing to the beholder. They are a sartorial requirement for every house that wants no masquerading trespassers. Know that it is no more deemed an embarrassment of riches! Shopping for Home Services When you need repairs, don't just call the first listing in the phone book. Do a little research before you pick up the phone. It may not be quite as convenient as the blind Hail-Mary call, but it will save you enough headaches... Types of Soffit Vents We are always eager to construct storage places to stack the unused yet, important household items, when we build our homes. These storage places are mostly at the top floor of the house just below the roof and hence, it becomes... How to Install a Vapor Barrier A vapor barrier prevents the flow of moisture and air from the environment inside the building envelope, and thus prevents corrosion of the walls and other structures. Learn how to install a vapor barrier, in this article. Uses of Expanding Foam Expanding foam is a unique and versatile material which is widely used in industrial and construction industries. It is available in small and large amounts and takes the quickest time to get a job done. Brick Pointing If the wall of your house or garden is damaged, then brick pointing is what you need to go for. To know how to do it, read the following article. Wet Sanding The concept of wet sanding is new for many of us and we don't know what exactly is it. It is a basic technique to reduce, or completely remove scratches from a surface. This article focuses on the details about the same. Cove Base Cove base is an aesthetic way to protect the inner walls of the house from damage. Laying these tiles along the wall improves the appearance of a room. How to Winterize a House Winterizing a house becomes important to protect it from the adverse effects that the harsh winter can have on the house and compromise the quality of the heating. Let us understand what are the factors that need to be considered. Types of Attic Vents Attic ventilation is extremely important for a well-ventilated home. Attic vents help maintain a balanced airflow in the whole house. Based on your requirements, you can choose from a variety of vents that are available. Read about... Bullnose Corners Bullnose corner beads create a very smooth look on the drywalls and enhance the beauty of your interiors, giving it a very ultramodern feel. They look even more attractive when you color them. Chair Rail Height Chair rail is used to protect the paint on your walls from the chairs that are kept against it. It is used in the hall, kitchen, and even in the bathroom. Find information regarding its height in a room using this article. Concrete Step Repair Though you must be thinking that repairing concrete steps is a daunting task, actually it is not so. If you are not convinced, read the following article for some basic guidelines on fixing them. Home Improvement Tools Fixing a few things yourself around the house definitely saves a lot of time and money. Read the following Buzzle article for a list of home improvement tools every homeowner needs to have in his/her possession. Soffit Installation A soffit is the under-surface area of a cornice or overhang. The kitchen soffit is the area above the top edge of wall cabinets to the ceiling. The materials used to enfold the underside of eaves and porch ceilings are also termed... Attic Ventilation Requirements Proper attic ventilation is a must to ensure adequate airflow in the house, as well as to minimize utility bills. Read on to know more about attic ventilation requirements. Concrete Crack Repair It is quite natural for the cemented surface to develop hairline cracks during the curing process. Learn how to fix these cracks in this Buzzle article. Wall Plaster Repair If you are in a situation where you have to repair wall plaster, then this article should be of help to you. Here, we tell you how to fix wall plaster yourself, as well as the cost for hiring professionals to do the job. Pocket Door Repair By using a few simple tools and assessing the actual problem of the door, a pocket door repair can be easily carried out. The following passages elucidate the same. Door Frame Repair Door frame repair seems a difficult task to handle by oneself, but it need not be. Especially not after we give you tips on the same and all that it entails. Read on for more details. How to Fix a Hole in the Wall Fixing a hole in the wall, whether small or large requires effort, the right tools, and a steady hand. Given in this Buzzle article are instructions for completing this task. Home Improvement Addition There are many considerations that one needs to make in order to go about home improvement additions. The following article gives you a few points that should be thought about before executing the plan. Home Exterior Improvements Home exterior improvements help to keep the appearance of your home up-to-date. They also help protect the exteriors from damage caused due to climatic and weather conditions. Repairing Water Damage Interiors of a house usually get damaged by water leakage, causing stains, structural damages, and other problems. Repairing water damage is not difficult if the correct approach is followed. How to Repair Stucco Stucco is an important material strengthening the walls usually made of concrete. It is used for decoration purposes and to coat the walls. Here are some tips for stucco repair. Home Interiors and Improvements: Porcelain Floor Tiles Designing and planning for your home interiors need not always be as difficult as you may think it to be. The prime factor is planning and preparing in advance, for the improvements, which can turn your house into a beautiful... WEATHERFORD, Texas - A judge concerned about public safety sentenced a 62-year-old North Texas man to life in prison for his 10th drunken driving conviction since the 1980s.
Ivy Ray Eberhardt, of Weatherford, Texas, was sentenced Wednesday. Eberhardt would be eligible for dui first offense jail time parole after serving 15 years. "Part of my job is to protect the citizens of Parker County, and how much jail time for 3rd dui the only way that I can think of to do that from somebody that has 12 DWI arrests and 10 DWI convictions is to put you in a place that you can't drive for as long as I possibly can," Judge Craig Towson told Eberhardt. The case involved an April 2014 driving while intoxicated stop in Parker County in which Eberhardt's blood alcohol level was almost four times the 0.08 legal limit for driving in Texas. While free on bond in that DWI case, Eberhardt cut off an electronic ankle monitor and fled to Colorado, where he was again arrested for drunken driving, prosecutors said. Eberhardt also had drunken driving conviction in Tarrant and Runnels counties in Texas, records show, and he served three prison terms for the convictions. Weatherford is 25 miles west of Fort Worth. C.M. Chartier Contracting
" newsbulletin.nbFooter = "" //append widget header $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer").append(""); $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer").append(newsbulletin.nbContainer); $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer").append(newsbulletin.nbFooter); newsbulletin.nbDiv = document.getElementById('nbItemContainer'); nbjsId = 0; newsbulletin.load = function() //alert(newsbulletin.baseloc+'/xmldata/newsbulletin?id=14640490&twOverride=&lpos='+newsbulletin.lpos+'§ion=&'+nbjsId) //to try and handle caching in webkit browsers dynamicJS.load('newsBulletin'+nbjsId, newsbulletin.baseloc+'/xmldata/newsbulletin?id=14640490&twOverride=&lpos='+newsbulletin.lpos2+'§ion=&'+nbjsId); //dynamicJS.load('newsBulletin','http://preview.abcnews.go.com/xmldata/newsbulletin?id=13564505'); //display items newsbulletin.displayItems = function(nbItemObj) //check if status update this.isStatusUpdate = (nbItemObj.label == 'Status Update')?true:false; //item type class this.itemTypeClass = (this.isStatusUpdate)?'orange':'blue'; //bg position this.itemBgPos = '100% 55%'; if(nbItemObj.bgPos != null) this.itemBgPos = nbItemObj.bgPos; //author image this.nbItemStyle = ''; this.nbH4Class = 'class=nbheader'; this.nbH4Style = ''; this.nbItemStyleAuthor = ''; if(nbItemObj.authorimage != null && nbItemObj.authorimage != '') this.nbH4Style = ' style=width:210px;'; this.nbItemStyle = 'background:url('+nbItemObj.authorimage+') no-repeat bottom right'//+ this.itemBgPos; this.nbItemStyleAuthor = ' nbItemContentsAuthor' //title this.title = ' '+nbItemObj.title+' '; if(nbItemObj.link != null && nbItemObj.link != '') this.title = '' //text this.text = ''; this.textCapped = ''; this.morelink = 'More' if(nbItemObj.text != null) this.text = nbItemObj.text; //if item is not expanded display capped text if applicable if(nbItemObj.isExpanded != true) if(nbItemObj.text.length > 63) this.textCapped = nbItemObj.text.substring(0, 63); this.text = this.textCapped + '...'; if(this.isStatusUpdate) this.text = this.textCapped + '... ' + this.morelink; //social this.social = ''; this.socialStyle = ''; this.authorBlock = ''; this.divider = ''; this.fb = ''; if(nbItemObj.authorfb != null && nbItemObj.authorfb != '') this.fb = '' this.twitter = ''; if(nbItemObj.authortwitter != null && nbItemObj.authortwitter != '') this.twitter = '' this.bio = ''; if(nbItemObj.authorbio != null && nbItemObj.authorbio != '') this.bio = ''+nbItemObj.author+'' this.authorBlock = ' '+this.bio+' ' if(nbItemObj.author != null && nbItemObj.author != '') if(this.fb != '' else this.social = ''; this.textStyle = ''; if(nbItemObj.authorimage != null && nbItemObj.authorimage != '') this.textStyle = ' style=width:208px;'; else if(nbItemObj.author == null this.categoryTag = ''; this.nbTextOverride = ''; this.rowTemp = ''+this.title+' '+nbItemObj.date+' '+this.authorBlock+' '+this.text+' '+this.social+' '; if (nbItemObj.notes) nbNotes = nbItemObj.notes; nbNoteStr = ''; nbNoteDivider = ''; $.each(nbNotes, function(idx) nbNote = nbNotes[idx]; this.noteAuthorBlock = ''; this.notefb = ''; if(nbNote.noteAuthor.facebook != null && nbNote.noteAuthor.facebook != '') this.notefb = '' this.notetwitter = ''; if(nbNote.noteAuthor.twitter != null && nbNote.noteAuthor.twitter != '') this.notetwitter = '' this.notebio = ''; if(nbNote.noteAuthor.bio != null && nbNote.noteAuthor.bio != '') this.notebio = ''+nbNote.noteAuthor.name+'' this.noteAuthorBlock = ' '+this.notebio+' ' this.notesocial = ''; this.noteSocialStyle = ''; if(nbNote.noteAuthor.name != null && nbNote.noteAuthor.name != '') if(this.notefb != '' else this.notesocial = ''; if (idx == nbNotes.length-1) nbNoteDivider = ''; this.nbNoteDiv = ' '+nbNote.noteHeadline+' '+this.noteAuthorBlock+' '+nbNote.noteOverview+' '+this.notesocial+' '; nbNoteStr += this.nbNoteDiv; ); this.rowTemp += nbNoteStr; return this.rowTemp; function showMoreText(id) //grab old item height var oldItemHeight = $('#nbItem_'+id).height(); //retrieve the content from the array $('#text_'+id).html(contentObject[id]) //store id a list of opened objects fullTextList.push(id.toString()); var newContainerHeight = $("#nbItemContainer").height() + ($('#nbItem_'+id).height()-oldItemHeight); $("#nbItemContainer").css('height', newContainerHeight); //reinitialize scroll window.api.reinitialise(); lastNBObjStr = ''; function isNewData(data) isNewTemp = false; currNBObjStr = ''; $.each(data.updates, function(ind) currNBObjStr = currNBObjStr + data.updates[ind].objId + data.updates[ind].date; ); //console.log('x'+currNBObjStr); //console.log('y'+lastNBObjStr); if(currNBObjStr != lastNBObjStr) isNewTemp = true; else //console.log('no refresh'); lastNBObjStr = currNBObjStr; return isNewTemp; isHeaderLinkLoaded = false; // flag to check if the header link is loaded isShareLinkLoaded = false; // flag to check if the share link is loaded isDoneLoading = false; // flag to check if the html is done loading in the jScrollPane function newsBulletin(data) if(data) isNewDataFlag = isNewData(data); if(isNewDataFlag) //clear contents first newsbulletin.nbDiv.innerHTML = ''; //console.log('refresh'); updates = data.updates; headerLink = data.widgetLink; shareLink = data.shareLink; if (headerLink != '' && headerLink != null && !isHeaderLinkLoaded) var twitterImg = "" $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer > .widget_head").append(""); $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer > .widget_head > .twitterLink a > .twitterContent").append("" + twitterImg + ""); isHeaderLinkLoaded = true; //clear the author cutouts array newsbulletin.authorCutouts = []; // check to see if there is a height set for home renovation tips container, if so clear it // prevents cacheing var hasHeight = $('#nbItemContainer').attr('style'); if (typeof hasHeight != 'undefined') $('#nbItemContainer').removeAttr('style'); $.each(updates, function(ind) var itemDetails = new Object(); it = updates[ind]; //populate the itemDetails object itemDetails.id = it.objId; itemDetails.title = it.title; itemDetails.objType = it.objType; itemDetails.link = it.link; itemDetails.date = it.date; itemDetails.label = it.label; itemDetails.author = it.author.name; itemDetails.authorbio = it.author.bio; itemDetails.authorfb = it.author.facebook; itemDetails.authortwitter = it.author.twitter; itemDetails.feed = it.feed; itemDetails.category = it.category; //set defaults if item is a status update if(itemDetails.label == 'Status Update') if(it.author.image == '') it.author.image = 'http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/abc_news_logo_84x84.png' if(it.author.name == '') itemDetails.author = 'ABC News' itemDetails.authorfb = 'http://www.facebook.com/abcnews' itemDetails.authortwitter = 'http://twitter.com/abc' //only pass the author image if it's home remodeling cost estimate not displayed in any of the items yet if($.inArray(it.author.image, newsbulletin.authorCutouts) == -1) itemDetails.authorimage = it.author.image; //add to ignore list if(it.author.image != '' &&($.inArray(it.author.image, newsbulletin.authorCutouts) == -1)) newsbulletin.authorCutouts.push(it.author.image); if(it.text != '') itemDetails.text = it.text; else itemDetails.bgPos = 'bottom right'; if (it.notes) itemDetails.notes = it.notes; //build a name value pair list of id/text contentObject[itemDetails.id] = itemDetails.text itemDetails.isExpanded = ($.inArray(itemDetails.id, fullTextList) > -1) ? true : false; //build markup $("#nbItemContainer").append(newsbulletin.displayItems(itemDetails)); ); $("#nbItemContainer").append(''); //set the height of container div $("#nbItemContainer").css('height',$("#nbItemContainer").height()); if (shareLink != '' && shareLink != null && !isShareLinkLoaded) $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer > .nbFooter").css("height":"35px", "border-top":"1px solid #d5d5d5", "border-bottom":"border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea"); $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer > .nbFooter").append(""); isShareLinkLoaded = true; if($.browser.msie) if ($.browser.version .midcontainer > .nbFooter").css("display":"none"); var timeoutId = setTimeout(function() $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer > .nbFooter").css("display":"block"); clearTimeout(timeoutId); , 3000); dynamicJS.unload('newsBulletin'+nbjsId, newsbulletin.baseloc+'/xmldata/newsbulletin?id=14640490&'+nbjsId); isDoneLoading = true; if ($.browser.webkit) if(nbjsId .midcontainer > .nbFooter").css("display":"none"); var timeoutId = setTimeout(function() $("#newsbulletin > .midcontainer > .nbFooter").css("display":"block"); clearTimeout(timeoutId); , 3000); 7500) setInterval( function() window.api.getContentPane().html( newsbulletin.load() ); , 120000 ); setInterval(function() // we could call "pane.jScrollPane(settings)" again but it is // more convenient to call via the API as then the original // settings we passed in are automatically remembered. // Initialization of the container should be done after all the markup has been loaded // since there is no listener that could be passed into reinitialise() for callback if (isDoneLoading) window.api.reinitialise(); isDoneLoading = false; , 5000); ; addOnload(newsbulletin.load()); Remodeling your home? Check costs first - Feb. 8, 2013 by Les Christie @CNNMoney February 8, 2013: 12:12 PM ET
But now homeowners can compare costs of similar remodeling jobs based on the size and type of the room, where they live and the materials they want to use with a new tool from real estate web site Zillow. '; for (i = 0; i 4) afterParagraphFour = true; currentParagraph = storytext.childNodes[i]; heights += currentParagraph.clientHeight; if (heights >= limit && insertAfterThisParagraphIndex === -1) insertAfterThisParagraphIndex = SMARTASSET.setDivIndex(i); console.log("insert find out here after paragraph number " + i); console.log("HEIGHTS = " + heights); console.log("LIMIT = " + limit); /* div with id="ie_column" */ else if (storytext.childNodes[i].nodeName.toLowerCase() === 'div' && storytext.childNodes[i].id !== "undefined" && storytext.childNodes[i].id ==="ie_column") heights = 0; limit = 80; insertAfterThisParagraphIndex = -1 /* embeds from twitter, facebook, youtube */ else if (storytext.childNodes[i].nodeName.toLowerCase() === 'div' && storytext.childNodes[i].classList.contains('embed')) heights = 0; limit = 80; insertAfterThisParagraphIndex = -1 /* cnn video player */ else if (storytext.childNodes[i].nodeName.toLowerCase() === 'div' && storytext.childNodes[i].classList.contains('cnnplayer')) heights = 0; limit = 80; insertAfterThisParagraphIndex = -1 /* images */ else if (storytext.childNodes[i].nodeName.toLowerCase() === 'img') heights = 0; limit = 80; /* images stored in figure tags */ else if (storytext.childNodes[i].nodeName.toLowerCase() === 'figure') heights = 0; limit = 80; if (heights >= 875 && afterParagraphFour) storytext.childNodes[insertAfterThisParagraphIndex].insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', smartAssetDiv); smartasset = document.getElementById('smartasset-article'); smartasset.style.float = 'left'; // allows module to have text float to right smartasset.style.marginRight ='20px'; smartasset.style.marginBottom ='25px'; SMARTASSET.setSmartAssetScript = function() ; SMARTASSET.setSmartAssetDiv(); SMARTASSET.setSmartAssetScript(); Called Zillow Digs, the free web service and app allows users to select the rooms they want to redo, the styles they want -- such as modern, Mediterranean, art deco -- and how much they want to spend. The site then returns a series of photos of real renovations that fit those criteria with estimates that are based on an algorithm that takes into account rates from local contractors, as well as material costs and regional labor rates. Related: Million-dollar foreclosures The results include both an average cost estimate and an estimate range, which can vary quite dramatically. Users can input their location to better tailor estimates based on local labor and material prices. A homeowner living in Manhattan, for example, will get a much higher estimate for a kitchen renovation than someone living in Peoria, Ill. Costs are broken down by materials and labor and further subdivided by each aspect of the job. For a bath renovation, for example, the estimate will include the price of a new bathtub and how much it costs to install it. And when homeowners find something they like on Zillow Digs, they can use the site to connect with contractors, architects and designers. Related: 4 tips from a serial remodeler Last year, $125 million was spent on home renovation projects, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. And, as the housing market continues to improve, spending is expected to rise by nearly 20% this year. "Through the first three quarters of 2012, investment in the residential sector was responsible for one out of every six dollars added to our GDP," said Eric Belsky, the center's director. "Moving forward, home improvement spending is expected to make an even larger contribution." Homeowners useful content are also getting more bang for their remodeling buck. For every dollar spent on an overhaul of a midrange kitchen, a home's web value rises by about 69 cents, according to Remodeling magazine's annual Cost vs. Value Report 2013. That's up from about 65 cents on the dollar in 2011-2012. Remodeling jobs that pay off Entry door replacement (midrange) $1,137 $974 85.6% Siding replacement (upscale) $13,083 $10,379 79.3% Deck addition (midrange) $9,327 $7,213 77.3% Garage door replacement (midrange) $1,496 $1,132 75.7% Minor kitchen remodel (midrange) $18,527 $13,977 75.4% CNNMoney (New York) First published February 8, 2013: 5:41 AM ET Terms & Conditions apply NMLS #1136 Bungalow renovation gives you many more options than renovation of any house with two floors. You can swap rooms around much more easily if all the rooms are on the same floor. Extending a bungalow is easier too, as long as the land is there.
Planning Your Bungalow Renovation Decide what rooms you would like where. If you were designing your bungalow from scratch, which rooms would you have at the front of the house and which at the back? Would you like a door from your living room onto the yard or garden? Do you really need a back door from the kitchen onto the yard? Can you put a door into the bathroom from your bedroom? Is there space for an en-suite bathroom? What about a wet room? Do you want to knock any walls down? Are you likely to need wheelchair access? Once you have decided exactly how you would like to use all the rooms in your bungalow, you can make more detailed plans. Do Your Bungalow Renovation Plans Necessitate an Extension? It is easiest to obtain planning permission for extensions to the rear of any property. Putting in upstairs rooms is another possibility and planning permission is easy as long as there is no home renovation contractors change to the roofline or front elevation of the bungalow. If you do need extra rooms then you need to decide whether to extend upwards or outwards. Building an Upstairs Extension on Your Bungalow Adding rooms upstairs means that you lose space downstairs because you have to accommodate a staircase. Another factor to consider is whether you will be able to climb the stairs as you become older. If you plan to put your main bedroom upstairs then you will need an upstairs bathroom too, probably en-suite, but this will need extra plumbing. Windows will need to be installed. Your architect will guide you but you will have three choices; install dormer window, install windows in an outside wall or fit a window flush with the slope of the roof. Dormer windows do not give as much light as you would expect and rain noise on Velux, flush windows is horrendous and will wake you up at night. Installing windows in an outside wall is the best option, but planning permission will be difficult to obtain if the new window will overlook your neighbour's house. Extending Your Bungalow Outwards You need to be aware of where drains run through your yard. These will need to be moved before any extension is built. This is not a problem, but any additional groundwork your bungalow renovation entails will add to the cost. Remember that any extension will mean that light to your current rooms will be blocked. Adding new rooms is not as simple as it first sounds. Ideally an extension will be on a "blind" wall, one without any windows, but that usually means extending sideways, and planning permission will not be automatic. Most extensions make current rooms larger, rather than adding rooms, unless you have a large plot. You might consider asking for planning permission to build new windows to give light to the original bungalow rooms that have been made deeper or darker with your renovations. Be guided by your architect or builder. Renovating the Original Internal Rooms of Your Bungalow Consider making doorways wider to accommodate wheelchair users more easily. This is much easier when your bungalow is a building site anyway, than at a later date if it ever becomes necessary. Do you want to remove or install a chimney? Now is the time to do it. Do you need three bedrooms? Would it be better to knock a wall down and make one large room, either a bedroom, or as a new kitchen? Install a new heating system. Any plumbing you do at a later date will destroy your newly decorated rooms, do it now. Look at dual-fuel systems, possibly including a solid fuel option or wood pellet furnace as well as a natural gas or oil-burning furnace. Consider replacing your hot water tank with a modern, efficient instant hot water system. Flexibility is the name of the heating game. Remember though, more complicated means more to go wrong. Make sure that any heating controls, motorized valves and as much pipe-work as possible is accessible, without taking up floors. Make a diagram of the heating circuit pipe-work; it will help you if you ever need to add more radiators in the future. As part of any bungalow renovation, you must add extra electrical outlets in every room. A living room needs at least six sockets near where the television will go. A kitchen needs four sockets along any six foot length of counter-top. Install a modern consumer unit with trip switches to replace any old fuseboard. Add ceiling recessed lighting in hallways. If you plan to use the most efficient, LED lights then you need a fitting for every square foot of ceiling to give you enough light. Any room that might be an office with a computer needs at least ten electrical outlets to accommodate computers, printers and other assorted computer equipmet. You will probably want to fit replacement double-glazed windows and doors as part of your renovation. Make sure the window company also provide PVC window sill mouldings to cover or replace old wooden home improvement ideas on a budget window sills. Does Your Bungalow Renovation Plan Include a Conservatory? A conservatory often counts as a temporary building for planning permission purposes, so is something you should always consider adding, especially to a bungalow. A large conservatory is sometimes the easiest way of adding extra living space. Make sure it is designed for year-round use, with a heating system and excellent insulation. When people install small conservatories, they usually wish they had decided on a larger one, so build as large a conservatory as your budget will stand. The modern trend is for a large kitchen across the back of the bungalow, with a full width conservatory added on to make one very large open plan kitchen and family living area. This will certainly add value o your property if you ever sell it and make sure you have plenty of potential buyers. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2017
Categories |