Home Owners Resource Guide

Wanting to freshen up your kitchen doesn’t have to be a major money spending event. You’ll be surprised to find out just what you can do with less expense then you thought possible. So if you are on a small budget, just a couple hundred dollars can do a lot to brighten the space and give it a new look. Or if you have between $500.00 and $2000, you can really add some pizzazz to your somewhat boring or outdated kitchen.

So here’s a few suggestions for you to look at and decide for yourself what you can do to update your blah kitchen. It will be money well spent. One thing you might think about doing is installing a new backsplash. If you have an older home, no doubt your kitchen probably has a 4″ band of tile above the counter on the wall, right? Well why not update that look by removing the tile and filling the entire space between the counter and upper cabinets with either wall paper, glass tile or a contrasting color or even decorative paneling painted to coordinate with the room. This is a job you can do yourself. Once you have removed the old tiles, just smooth the surface, prime the space and install your choice of filler.

Now what about your appliances? Do you still have a mismatched refrigerator and stove? Well believe it or not, you can have these refinished at a local workshop. They will pick them up, apply enamel in your choice of color or with a brushed steel finish and then return them to you looking just like new. The cost for this is generally around $100 to $500 per appliance. Be sure to check on the warranty.

For your floors, a good choice would be laminate flooring because it comes in a variety of patterns that imitate natural materials like wood grains, stone, granite of tile. This can also be a great project that you can do yourself if your floors are level with the adjacent rooms making it a really easy task. Be sure to get an accurate measurement of your floor and buy enough flooring plus a little extra in case of boo-boos or replacements down the road. Once you have purchased the flooring you need to open the boxes and put them in the room where they are going to be placed to let them “season” for the recommended period of time. Once ready, you can place the flooring plank by plank right over the old floors. No need for nails or glue as these boards snap right together. By the way, if you are renting your house, you can easily lift up the flooring and remove it when you move out if need be.

If your house is an older home, chances are that under that flooring is some hardwood floors. If you prefer the hardwood over the laminate, you’d be surprised what beauty and warmth they can add to your kitchen. You will need to remove the flooring on top of course and then clean off all the old adhesive, fill any nail holes, sand the floors and then seal with the proper hardwood varnish. This will take a little while and can be a little harder then just covering what you have with the laminate. You can rent the proper tools and find the supplies you will need at any hardware or home repair store like Lowe’s or Home Depot. You will get years of wear and tear while enjoying the rich look.

Since a third of American homes were built more than 50 years ago, home buyers and folks living in an older home should be aware of how wiring changed during the last century. During the 20th century as new appliances appeared on the scene  electricity evolved from a luxury to a mainstay, causing residential electrical wiring changes.  More appliances also led to safety improvements and an increased number of room outlets leaving older home wiring to play catch-up.  Although most older home electrical systems have been upgraded over the years, safety shortcomings may still exist.

An estimated average of 32,000 home fires are caused by household wiring and lighting each year resulting in 950 injuries, 220 deaths and nearly $674 million in property damage according to the National Fire Protection Association.  Residential electrical systems are seldom inspected after they are installed and tend to be destroyed in house fire, so needless to say, homeowners should not assume all is well simply because fuses aren’t blowing, circuit breakers tripping or they’re not receiving shocks or smelling burnt plastic.

If on the other hand, anytime you receive a shock from an electrical appliance, outlet, or wall switch in your home, it’s a warning that you should talk with a qualified electrician.  If a fuse blows or a circuit breaker trips right after you replace or reset it, you have trouble somewhere.  Also, flickering or dimming lights could mean loose connections, overloaded circuits, improper wiring, or arcing and sparking inside walls.

Another issue associated with older home wiring systems is the number of receptacles in each room.  Today’s electrical code requires outlets be placed every 12 feet of running wall space, about one per wall in the averaage 10-by-12-foot room.  Houses built before 1956 were required to have outlets placed every 20 feet, while homes built before 1935 weren’t required to have wall outlets at all!  Another hazard is one of using extension cords as a permanent solution.  These are meant for temporary use only.

Proper grounding, meanwhile, prevents painful or even deadly electrical shocks when electricity flows through an improper path.  Newer homes are wired with cables that include a ground wire.  The ground wire allows for use of three-pronged receptacles needed to power certain appliances, particularly ones with metal shells, such as refrigerators and washing machines.

Many wiring systems installed in the 1950’s and earlier used non-metallic wiring, which lacked a ground wire.  Homes from this era boast only two-pronged outlets, unsuitable for many modern conveniences.  Simply replacing two-pronged receptacles with three-pronged receptacles violates the National Electrical Safety Code if no ground path exists.

In some cases, older homes may feature newer wiring systems.  But the era when the wiring was upgraded impacts electrical limitations.  So if you are in the market for buying a home whether it be a new one or an older one, be sure you have someone certified in electrical work inspect the system to be safe.

Now that you’ve graduated college and have a somewhat nice job, mom and dad tell you it is now time for you to move out on your own!  You find yourself delightfully happy and yet scared all at the same time.  So you decide to opt for buying a house rather than trying to rent an apartment or house knowing that you would essentially be throwing your money away – so to speak.  Well after quite a bit of searching, you find that you can only afford a small house and will have to  downsize from most of the furnishing you had while living at home.

However, your mom convinces you that even small spaces can be made to appear more spacious and beautiful if you utilize your space just right.  So through a lot of research I found that people living in smaller spaces could opt for a contemporary style of decor and transform the areas into more stylish places where they could live comfortably and yet be trendy.

Of course planning would be essential for saving and utilizing space to make the most of the elements of any decor.  It is a really good idea to opt for sleek and slim furniture, preferably armless as it is less bulky and it allows you to seat more people.  Nesting tables are also a  good investment and a perfect solution for a small living room.  A set of three can be used as an end table and then if used separately, they offer extra table space for entertaining.  You can usually find these for under $200.00 for a set of three.

Folding chairs come in handy as well.  Now you can buy them in models that are actually stylish and comfortable.  You can store them in a closet or under the bed when not using them.  You can maximize wall space with a tall bookcase filled with uniform boxes for storage.  You’d be surprised at what all you can get into those boxes which helps to cut down on clutter.

You might also think about putting up a few nice mirrors as they are a great way to make a room not only look bigger, but it makes it feel bigger as well.  Just make sure that you hang them where they will reflect something pleasing to the eyes such as a favorite painting or a nice view out of the window.  You don’t want them to reflect a cluttered corner!

In the kitchen, you might think about using modular kitchen cabinets which can be used to store things like utensils, crockery and cutlery items.  This in turn helps to organize your space wisely.  You can even have hooks inside the cabinet for holding your larger cooking spoons, measuring cups and lightweight utensils that you use on a regular basis.

If your living room is small, you might consider putting a round table and chairs in the kitchen to make a dining arrangement to enjoy a meal with family and friends when they come for a visit.

Now for the bedroom.  Consider getting a storage bed.  These help a great deal for stacking all your bedspreads and linens together.  You can even store your extra clothes there.  Your bedroom would be another great place to think about hanging a mirror or two.  If you are considering changing the colors on the walls, be sure to keep in mind that darker colors make a room seem smaller.  So go for light and subtle colors.  You can also add some small area rugs which will add extra appeal to most any room.

So go ahead and have fun decorating your new home and invite all your friends and family over to see what a great job you did!

Ever wondered how in the world you would be able to make your old wooden floors look new again?  Well, not to worry!  You’re not the only one and this is a job you can pay someone else to do or do by yourself  for a fraction of the cost.  So here are some step-by-step tips to help you get this dreaded task under way.

The first step is going to be that of stripping the old floor.  More than likely there is probably going to be more than one layer of old finish that has to come off.  This may sound like a really difficult task, but if you have the right equipment, it really isn’t all that bad.

To tackle this task, you are going to need a sander.  Keep in mind that for an average size room you will need to allow yourself at least 4 to 6 hours.  When deciding on what type of sander to use, remember that a random-orbit floor sander is much easier to use than a large drum sander and can be rented for about $60.00 to $100.00 at most any rental equipment company.

To strip the floor, you want to slowly work the sander back and forth across the entire room using a 36-grit abrasive disk. After  completing this, you will want to turn the sander at a 45-degree angle and proceed to go over the entire room again.

Next you will want to vacuum up all the dust and fill in any holes and cracks in the floor with water-based wood filler.  Now you need to put a 60-grit abrasive disk on the sander and sand the entire floor.  Now change the disk to an 80-grit abrasive disk and sand the floor for the final time.  Once again give it a good vacuuming and you are ready for the next step.

You want your floor to be clean before applying the polyurethane.  A good way to clean them is to make your own cleaner using 10 parts water to 1 part white vinegar.  Use a terry-cloth mop or a a towel wrapped around a mop head and gently go over the floor.

It would be a good idea to cover your shoes with booties and your nose and mouth with a respirator.  The first step is the cut in along the edges by brushing a 3-inch-wide strip along the baseboards at a point farthest from your exit door. To avoid lap marks as the stripe starts to dry, stop after about 10 minutes and go to the next step

Now pour about a 1-inch-wide stripe of finish in line with the grain, just enough that you can spread in a 10 minute period and with a long-handled roller with a 1/4 inch nap, roll out the finish with the grain, then across it.  You will want to overlap each pass quickly to keep the edge wet.

So after about 10 minutes, go back and brush more finish along the edge, then pour and roll again for 10 minutes and continue this pattern until the floor in completely covered.

You should wait at least 3 hours before putting your second coat of finish on.  Just for good measure, I would wait about a week before replacing the furniture.

No matter whether you are a first time home owner, own more than one home or have several homes, when disaster strikes, what will you do?  Whether it is from a storm, flood or fire you will need to take immediate action.  Can you do the needed repairs or are you going to have to call in the professionals?

Regardless of the choice you make, the first step is contacting your insurance company and letting them know what happened and they will send out an agent to get you started on what you should do.  Of course if this is a major disaster you will more than likely have to call in the pros.

You were informed by your insurance agent that you would need to get 2 to 3 written estimates.  When finding a contractor for doing these bids, make sure he is bonded and insured.  Maybe ask him if you can go and look at some of his work he has done in the past.

Always keep in mind that just because you hire a professional contractor to do the job there is still things that you can do to save money.  One way is by doing some of the demolishing work yourself, like maybe ripping up the old carpet or flooring that is needing replaced.  You can also tear down old cabinets or take out appliances and fixtures that need to go.  How about that damaged sheet rock, surely you can that.  You might be pleasantly surprised at how much money you could save by just doing things like this.  Home Depot and Lowe’s usually offer free classes on home do-it-yourself projects.   This is certainly something worth checking into!

Think about maybe cleaning up afterwords yourself.   Most contractors include in their price a clean-up fee.  This is for the interior part of the house, such as wiping out cabinets and window seals and things of this sort.  This is a job you can to with just a bucket of soapy water and a little elbow grease!  Of course they will have a big dumpster sitting in your driveway where they will be putting all the debris as they are doing their job.  Let them do that by all means!

Now that the actual house is taken care of and it looks like a brand new house, what about all the landscaping that was maybe damaged or something that you have just been putting off doing for a really long time.  Now would be a good time to tackle that job too.

Again you are thinking can I really do this or do I need some help?  Chances are you can do most of it by yourself, therefore saving even more.  Most all cities and towns have local nurseries where they have landscaping artists who are very knowledgeable and more than willing to give you advice on what kind of plants, shrubs and tress that grow and do well in your area.  They will even deliver if you don’t own a truck!

You have a nice place you call home, but because of your busy schedule  it seems like you can never find the time to give it a proper cleaning or at least keep up with the cleaning at hand.  So now you have a major decision to make…should I just give in and hire someone to come and do the dirty work for me and if so, whom?

Should you hire a professional cleaning company or maybe just an individual who has their own business?  There are so many professional companies who hire out individuals and then there are so many individuals who hire out themselves!  Well first things first.  Get out the old yellow pages and and let your fingers do the walking!

There are several questions you should ask while trying to locate the perfect person.  Always ask for a specific checklist of the work that will be done, and also if all the tasks being done will be done with each cleaning or if some will be rotated from cleaning to cleaning.  Do they provide the cleaning products, or do you, this is very important to know.

If considering using a professional cleaning service, you might also ask them if they and bonded and  insured in case of damages done to your home while cleaning, or perhaps something might come up missing after the services had been done.  Also, would it be just an individual coming to do the cleaning or several persons?  You would of course want to know how much they charge, and if they charge by the hour or by the job itself.

Now lets talk about maybe hiring just an individual you found in the want ads.  She may be a little less expensive than that professional you talked to.  Of course you want to ask her the same questions you asked the professionals.  In your discussion you may find that this individual who is working for herself seems to do quite a bit more “dirty” work such as cleaning windows, ceiling fans and fixtures, base boards and window seals!  Wow, what a deal!

Keep in mind that you would also want to build a relationship with whichever service you choose.  Communicate openly and honestly about what you want from a thorough house cleaning.  Be open minded about anything that they may suggest when it comes to keeping your house in tip top shape.  After all, they are trying to make your life a little less hectic!

Now after being mentally exhausted after interviewing  these individuals, you start to think that well maybe it’s just not worth it to hire someone.  You start  wondering if they would really do as good a job as yourself  if you only had the time.  Then you remember…that dear sweet girl even said she does the laundry and the ironing.  How can you resist that.

Whether you are a homeowner for the first time in your life or are homeowner 10 times over, there is nothing as exciting or as stressful as moving into a new home. The change of your neighborhood and environment, the chance to meet new people and discover new places, the start of a new family or just moving out on your own for the first time. There are many reasons people buy homes today and for each one of those people who own their own home there is the daunting task of home upkeep and maintenance.

Upkeep and maintenance are regular tasks that a homeowner must do in order to ensure that their home does not decrease in value or become unlivable. Some of these regular tasks include lawn care and maintenance, regular housecleaning, painting and more. Usually maintenance and upkeep are things that homeowner’s don’t enjoy or dread doing.

However on the other end of the spectrum there are tasks that homeowner’s do enjoy doing such as updating their home through extensive remodeling or through things as simple as adding a coat of paint. Home improvement and remodeling can be as big or as small of a project as the homeowner is willing to take it. The more research and knowledge a homeowner has about design, manual labor and being frugal the more money, time they will save and also adore much less stress.

Here at thehomeownersresourceguide.com we will do our best to provide you with simple and complex do-it-yourself tips that will help you as a homeowner distinguish whether or not a task is too large for you to take on by your self or help you decide if a task is just the right size for you to tackle. You’ll be surprised at the amount of money you can save by doing small and simple things on a project such as the demo work.

Demolition is a big part of most home remodels. A contractor will charge top dollar to rip a cabinet off-the-wall or to pull a kitchen sink out, when these are things as a homeowner you can most likely do on your own and save money. Pay a contractor to do the things you do not feel comfortable with or cannot do on your own such as installing that seek or re-hanging kitchen cabinets.

This is just a small example of some tips that we here at the home owners resource guide hoped to pass on to you as a home owner or future homeowner. Some of them will be no-brainer to you while other ideas you see here may turn on a light bulb in your head and make you say oh yeah, I never thought about before. We hope to see you often and encourage e-mails with any tips or ideas that you as a homeowner may have and do not see yet here on our site.