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Does your home meet miminum energy codes?

woodrow — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:24:55 +0000

Does your new or remodeled home meet the minimum energy codes for construction and design? If you’re like most consumers, Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) believes that you have no idea. Last fall, the nonprofit agency reported that energy bills in an average new home that doesn’t meet the minimums are consistently higher. In fact, they’re [...]

Does your home meet miminum energy codes? is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Is it time for a garage-door tune up?

woodrow — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:15:13 +0000

Of all the doors or gates to your home, your garage door and opener probably experience the greatest amount of wear and tear during a year of ordinary use. Imagine how many times that door has opened in the last 365 days; how many round trips have you made to work, school or the local [...]

Is it time for a garage-door tune up? is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

How secure is your home?

woodrow — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:15:01 +0000

It’s my nature to surf the world of online home improvement blogs. There’s great information out there, including home improvement ideas if you’re rebuilding or going green. But I’ve yet to see a blog give any bandwidth to a discussion about home safety and security. Are we just numb to the same old ideas of [...]

How secure is your home? is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Choosing the best bathroom vanity top

woodrow — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:34:51 +0000

The bathroom vanity top is basically a countertop surface. You’ll find that the surfacing materials offer many of the same choices as those you’d evaluate for the kitchen: solid surface, granite, laminate and wood. Since your selection may come down to money, rather than aesthetics, this discussion suggests you seek a balance between the two [...]

Choosing the best bathroom vanity top is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Simple, routine vinyl siding maintenance

woodrow — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:15:06 +0000

One of the top selling points for vinyl siding is the ease of maintenance. But that doesn’t mean there’s “no maintenance” involved in extending the life of your product. Vinyl siding has come a long way since it caught on as a relatively inexpensive alternative to wood and stone. It’s more durable now and holds [...]

Simple, routine vinyl siding maintenance is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Going with the flow: look at energy efficient plumbing

woodrow — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:57:09 +0000

Low-flow plumbing fixtures can save you money in the long haul. The jury is still out whether you can quickly gain a return on your investment since water savings may only tally $100-$150 a year. But in the day when many of us are counting nickels and dimes on our water bills, everything that helps [...]

Going with the flow: look at energy efficient plumbing is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Got cold? Energy efficiency and refridgerators

woodrow — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:34:39 +0000

Your refrigerator is toast. The compressor is on its last legs and would cost more to repair or replace than you want to spend. It’s been a long time since you felt any resistance from the door seal when popping it open. There’s a drip or, worse, a pool of water collecting. The unit runs [...]

Got cold? Energy efficiency and refridgerators is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

The Home Affordable Refinance Program and Remodeling

woodrow — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:11:19 +0000

The federal government has enacted changes to The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) that may assist about one million troubled homeowners to qualify for refinancing. The jury is out whether sparing so many homeowners from losing their homes to foreclosure will positively impact the economy, but for our purposes, I wonder whether the elimination of [...]

The Home Affordable Refinance Program and Remodeling is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Remodeling trends: Smaller homes appeal to buyers

woodrow — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:57:58 +0000

New homes will become ever-increasingly smaller, with rooms doubling up on functionality, designers and realtors agree. If you’re thinking of adding a new room, perhaps you should give some thought to combining living spaces rather than adding square footage – that’s if you intend to sell your home in the coming decade. A survey conducted by [...]

Remodeling trends: Smaller homes appeal to buyers is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Winterizing for everyone: Insulation tips

woodrow — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:10:22 +0000

Come winter, consumers and homeowners have questions about the kind of insulation that works best in their homes. Of course, the answer varies based on your location, existing insulation, how much space you have to insulate and whether the area to insulate is accessible (for hand installation) or inaccessible (requiring spray-on products). Before you even begin, [...]

Winterizing for everyone: Insulation tips is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Building trends 2012-2015: expect smaller, greener homes

woodrow — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:59:31 +0000

The American trend toward buying smaller homes – currently driven by the economy – will likely extend out to the near future. A builders’ survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), found that new homes will average 2,152 square feet in size by 2015, some 10 percent smaller than single-family homes built [...]

Building trends 2012-2015: expect smaller, greener homes is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

The last straw: green building alternatives to particle boards

woodrow — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:14:01 +0000

I’m not a big fan of particle board construction. First and foremost, I don’t care for the off-gassing of toxic resins, binding materials and fillers. Second, I’ve seen too many shabby “budget” particle board cabinets, ceiling materials and building panels. If the home improvement materials and supply industry wants to protect homeowners while producing low-cost [...]

The last straw: green building alternatives to particle boards is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Garage door upgrades offer the best ROI in remodeling

woodrow — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:25:26 +0000

Nationwide, there is only one home improvement project that shows increased returns on your investment during the downturn of the economy: steel garage door replacements. All the projects cited in Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report, 2010-2011, showed declines in ROI. But swapping out your existing 16×7-foot garage door for a new, steel 4-section garage [...]

Garage door upgrades offer the best ROI in remodeling is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

The Thermal Envelope and energy efficiency

woodrow — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:20:11 +0000

No matter where you live, one of the best ways to improve energy efficiency in your home is to secure or re-enforce your Thermal Envelope. The Thermal Envelope is the combined effect of your existing windows and doors, wall and roof assembly, weather-stripping, insulation and air retarders. In short, every component of your home interior and [...]

The Thermal Envelope and energy efficiency is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

In the pink: Home improvement tools for women

woodrow — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:35:13 +0000

Out here in the West, it’s not uncommon to see a woman with a work belt going into the hardware store. My friend Sally thinks nothing about scaling a ladder to repair the roofs on her rentals. She’s as adept in operating a table saw as she is in handling a garden spade. Unfortunately, the [...]

In the pink: Home improvement tools for women is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.