New apps for home improvement DIYers and contractors

Posted by woodrow ~ May 1st, 2012

Smartphone applications for contractors or home remodeling buffs have one incredible advantage over other tools: they don’t require room in your tool bag! I scoured the blogosphere for some apps that can help in home remodeling or decorating projects. If you’re willing to put some apps through the paces, you can pick and choose which ones will be up on your task bar. And for their price – a few dollars – you can always try more than you end up using.

Here are a few to consider:

Houzz Interior Design Ideas (free through iTunes). With more than 200,000 high resolution photos, Houzz’ app organizes ideas by room, style, and metro area. Preview the features at Houzz.

Concrete Calculator Pro (available through iTunes). For 99 cents you can calculate the exact amount of concrete necessary to fill a square or rectangular form. If you’re using a sona tube or circular form, there’s a calculator for that, as well as the function to calculate exterior footings.

Home Design 3D By LiveCad (available through iTunes for $7.99). Design your dream home and then tour it in 3D. Comes with drag-and-drop furnishings, doors, windows, and floors. Comes in 12 languages and exports to your PC or iPad.

iBlueprint (free through iTunes). Create and export floor plans for yourself or (for contractors) your clients. iBlueprint is a helpful app for painters, home buyers, realtors, electricians and carpenters.

I.D. Wood ($4.99 at iTunes). I.D. Wood is an old favorite of the iTunes staff. Some 200 screen shots identify wood by species, botanical names, durability, woodworking properties, Janka hardness and sustainability. The new release supports the iPad retina display.

Home Improvement Calculators (iPhone and Android available from Construction Buddy). For a few dollars you can download calculators for paint, floor tiles, air conditioning, concrete, wall studs, wall paper, gravel, footings, drywall, carpet and bricks. Totals are expressed by material price, labor price and materials list. An app for contractors to create bids or for home owners who want to see detailed pricing for evaluating bids.

ColorSmart by BEHR (free from iTunes and the manufacturer for Android).  You can look up palates at home on the BEHR website. But if you’re on the job, ColorSmart Mobile can make matching up your colors a snap.

iHandy Level (free from iTunes). No need for a level in your tool bag. With the iHandy app, just set your iPhone on edge for measuring angles, slopes, aligning artwork or calculating the pitch of the roof.

There are hundreds more construction apps and more coming by the day. They’ll save you time and help you make home remodeling decisions. At the very least, they can lighten your bucket.

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Posted in Electrical, General Remodeling, Green Living, Home Maintenance, Remodeling, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

Weekly Digest of Reliable Remodeler Tweets 2012-04-29

Posted by Hugh ~ April 29th, 2012

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A look at Phillips new LED light bulb

Posted by woodrow ~ April 23rd, 2012

Would you buy a 20-year light bulb for $50 if it will save you $165 in energy bills over its lifespan? But Phillips, the Dutch electronics giant, released its new energy efficient LED bulb on Earth Day and it’s betting that when the price begins to fall, consumers will dive in.

The U.S. Department of Energy held a contest for the “Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize” and Phillips’ entry of its 10-watt LED bulb took top honors. Rated to last 30,000 hours, the soft white LED 10-watt bulb is said to emit the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent light while operating with 83 percent more energy efficiency.

Green bulbs lighting up the marketplace

Phillips told European news agency AFP that if every American replaced their incandescent bulbs with their newest energy efficiency entry, the nation would save $3.9 billion in power bills. Not a shabby number, but it may take time for Americans to respond.

The LEDs join a crowded marketplace of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) that have already become commonplace. The CFLs, like these new LEDs, opened their run with high pricing, since slashed to make them easily more competitive. In 2007 alone, Americans saved an estimated $1.5 billion in electric costs by switching from incandescent bulbs to CFLs.

The government organization ENERGY STAR heralds new generation bulbs for keeping things cool around the home. Compared with incandescent bulbs, LED and CFL bulbs produce 75 percent less heat. If you have a home with 25 bulbs in it, that’s a lot of heat. When it’s in use, an LED bulb is cool to the touch.

Phillips hopes with partnerships and rebate plans to bring the $50 bulb down to around $20 eventually. Nearly 300 utility companies in the nation have partnered with Phillips to offer rebates, and the company plans to add another 230 alliances by mid-summer.

LED lighting options

You can buy LED bulbs designed for specific uses around the home. LEDs are targeted lighting, rather than the diffused light cast by incandescent bulbs. That makes LEDs a great option for spot lighting, under-cabinet lighting and track lighting. The bulbs come with a standard base for screwing into existing sockets or pin bases for pin sockets.

Not all LEDs are designed for use in dimmers, so check the packaging. Dimmable globe LEDs range from 100 percent to 10 percent in intensity. Diffused LEDs have dimpled lenses that spread out their lighting. Tube LEDs are sold in 8- and 16-watt options for replacing those ugly fluorescent tube lights you may have.

It may take while for complete adoption of LED bulbs. But even if prices don’t decline much, you’ll still end up saving money on your utility bills by switching over.

(By the way, here’s a crash course in how to choose the perfect light bulb.)

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Posted in Electrical, General Remodeling, Green Living, Home Maintenance, Lighting | 1 Comment »

What you need to know about solar heat gain

Posted by woodrow ~ April 22nd, 2012

Controlling solar heat gain is one of the best ways to fight back against rising utility bills and protect your investment. Here’s all you need to know from the start: the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) measures how well your windows block the amount of heat from the sun that enters your home. The SHGC is expressed on windows in the showroom as a number between zero and one, with the lowest number meaning the greatest protection.

The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) was created to set universal benchmarks for SHGC, and its labels appear as the sticker on window products. Awnings, well-positioned shade trees and blinds can help quite a lot. But buying replacement windows with certified NFRC labels indicating excellent SHGC ratings are the most efficient way to curb unwanted summer heat.

Percentages matter in window ratings and energy efficiency

The SHGC rating is expressed in a fraction. Hence, a SHGC of .5 means the window transmits 50 percent of the sun’s heat that streams at it directly into your home. Use the NFRC rating labels as an evaluation tool when comparing replacement windows.

A main consideration is whether to buy spectrally selective glass for your windows. Coated or tinted glass (known as Low-E glass) is becoming more common among the energy efficient windows in the marketplace. The NFRC maintains an online directory of certified window products. Low-E coatings have been found to reduce between 40 and 70 percent of solar heat gain.

You should shop by region, plugging in your local climate conditions in your product evaluations. For example, you may want a high number SHGC in cold northern states where your priorities are for conserving heat indoors while inviting warm rays from the sun into your home during winter. In hot southern climes, a low SHGC can make all the difference in your summer cooling bills.

The Department of Energy reports that you can reduce your cooling requirements in hot climates by more than 40 percent by combining spectrally selective coatings with advanced window glazing and coatings. Energy-efficient windows, installed correctly, save money.

Other heat gain factors

Typically, you’ll find the use of awnings more prevalent where summer sun is intense. You’ll still have a good view outside and you can roll up or remove canvas awnings come winter.  Some homeowners use solar curtains made from polyethylene or Low-E shades that also screen invasive heat.

Remember, too, that your most-important concerns should focus on south-facing windows. You may not find it necessary to surround your entire home with high-performance windows. And don’t forget to consider the SHGC for your skylights!

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Posted in General Remodeling, Green Living, Home Maintenance, Uncategorized, Windows | 4 Comments »

Weekly Digest of Reliable Remodeler Tweets 2012-04-22

Posted by Hugh ~ April 22nd, 2012

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Going green with alternative building materials

Posted by woodrow ~ April 19th, 2012

Building materials found in nature are not just for flings with green or sustainable trends. In reality, materials made from woods, plant matter and clay have been used successfully for centuries. While the rest of the world is using up materials that are threatened, you can find materials that grow in abundance and renew themselves quickly.

Here’s a rundown on materials (old and new) that are finding favor in green building around the globe:

Cob

Cob is a generalized term for a building material comprised of straw, clay, cordwood and sand. Is it sustainable? When all the clay and sand is gone from the earth, we’ll be done with cob construction. Used all the way back in the 12th Century, cob is especially known for its fire-proof and earthquake resistant properties. You’ll find cob structures the world over with thick walls that keep in heat in the winter and cool air in summer. Cobworks (beware: site has horrible music) offers trainings in cob construction.

Bamboo

Bamboo grows to full maturity in five years. It even likes poor soil conditions so long as water is nearby. It’s sold as plank, veneer, flooring, wall and ceiling board, and even roofing. Hard as oak, bamboo must be expertly joined if it’s to handle loads. Architects in Germany and France are quickly adopting bamboo in their structures. Why shouldn’t we?

Reclaimed materials

EcoStar makes slate tiles out of 80% post-industrial recycled plastics, a source that currently seems sadly inexhaustible. The roofing comes with a 50-year warranty. The Building Materials Reuse Association is dedicated to the new art of “building deconstruction”, a process through which the siding, joists, and flooring are harvested for re-use.

Cellulose insulation

Cel-Pak insulation is made from 100 percent recycled newspapers. Borates are added to add pest-resistance, mildew-fighting and fire retarding qualities.

Cork

Sustainable cork is harvested every nine years in a method that doesn’t harm the tree. Sold as tongue-and-groove planks or as glue down sheets, cork is a durable flooring material with a natural resistance to mold and insects.

Strand Board

AdvanTech Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is a product made of engineered wood for use in roofing and walls. The recycled wood is bonded together with a non-VOC resin, rather than with a conventional, toxic adhesive like urea formaldehyde.

While some sustainable alternative materials have yet to gain traction in the American market, prices are consistently more competitive than they were even a few years ago. They deserve a look.

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Posted in Flooring, General Remodeling, Green Living, Home Maintenance, Remodeling, Roofing | 6 Comments »

Is this the end of the home office?

Posted by woodrow ~ April 17th, 2012

More and more Americans are enjoying the benefits of telecommuting. The Telework Research Network estimates that as many as 30 million people work from home at least part of the time. The trend has sparked a boom of home office conversions over the last decade.

But now, sad to say, the distressed housing market has negatively impacted the value of adding a home office. The converted bedroom, den or garage is less attractive to shoppers who want to modify conventional space after they buy the property.

Remodeling ROI plunges for home office conversions

According to finance writer Dana Dratch, “These days, a home office consists of a multiple-choice combination of wireless laptops, smartphones, PDAs and touch-screen tablets. And that worker bee might be toiling anywhere from a home patio or a favorite restaurant to a park bench.”

I get it. I have a home office myself, having converted a bedroom for the purpose, but some days I work in coffee shops to fight cabin fever.

Remodeling Magazine’s 2011-12 Cost vs. Value Report shows that a typical home office remodel cost $27,963, increased resale value at $11,983, and recouped only 42.9 percent of the investment. The percentage is the lowest ROI among all the projects studied by the researchers. Ouch!

The home office project in the study called for a conversion of a 12-by-12-foot room. Specs were to “install custom cabinets to include 20 linear feet of laminate desktop, computer workstation, and wall cabinet storage. Rewire room for computer, fax machine, and other electronic equipment, as well as cable and telephone lines. Include drywall interior, painted trim, and commercial-grade carpeting.”

Remodeling trends change swiftly

In conducting the survey, National Association of Home Builders queried marketing experts, builders and manufacturers which features were essential for “future home buyers”.  The home office came back with a 94 percent “critical feature” rating. However, that was before respondents knew of the plunge in ROI for conversions.

Ms. Dratch mentions two possible alternatives if you need to convert for office space. First,  make sure your converted room can easily be reverted to a den or bedroom. Second, call your home office a “multipurpose room, “hobby room”, or “den” – rooms that have a wider, general appeal.

With current trends, it seems a poor choice to convert a garage into a home office. Many home shoppers just won’t do without a secure place to park their car and set up a laundry. Advance planning is key to your room addition plans.

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Posted in Additions, General Remodeling, Home Maintenance, Remodeling | 1 Comment »

Weekly Digest of Reliable Remodeler Tweets 2012-04-15

Posted by Hugh ~ April 15th, 2012

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Looking to Kill Your Lawn?

Most likely, you're not.  Typically, I prefer to write about the need for testing your soil pH, amending the chemicals, aerating your lawn, and mowing just the right height to avoid having to use pre- and post-emergent weed killers. But here in the Sacramento area where I reside, we're in the midst of another hot summer and lawns all around are tending toward brown…or dead. The local weekly, The News and Review, called on owners to do a gut check on whether it's worth the water waste and trouble to keep their lawns green in this relentless summer heat.  A reporter drove around (wasting gasoline) to see if most green lawns had kids on them after school. When I was young, that's where you went in the summer to run through the sprinklers and keep cool. No such luck across the greater Sa

Trouble-free, Inexpensive Makeovers

Most homeowners would spend their limited resources on remodeling a kitchen or bathroom in a challenging economy. That's what a survey by Consumer Reports has revealed.  Quality, rather than quantity, is the norm and fewer Americans are willing to plunge a lot of cash into huge additions or big ticket items. It does mean, however, that we're more than willing to invest in our homes during troubled times, rather than knock out walls in an effort to flip an investment. One common home-improvement strategy is to add patio space or decks to extend the reach of the kitchen or living room. Another is to open pantry or closet space by taking out a wall. For countertops, Consumer Reports says, homeowners are choosing less costly laminates and faux stone.  Nearly 60 percent of poll participants

Congratulations to Alure Home Improvements for being selected for their 8th appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Reliable Remodeler would like to congratulate one of its very own members, Alure Home Improvements for being selected for their 8th appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! Between 2004 and 2008 Alure teamed up to tackle seven home remodels for ABC’s hit show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Alure Home Improvements of East Meadow N.Y., with a long standing reputation in the industry as a leading and premier remodeler, and also with a history as a philanthropic contributor to the community, has become the show’s go to remodeler for makeover projects in the New York metro area. The full press release can be read here. While Alure is the main builder and a major contributor, the makeovers rely on numerous volunteers and community support.  Alure will host a pep rally on Monday, Ju

Avoiding Unscrupulous Contractors

Even the more scrupulous building contractors may be tempted to manipulate the details in hopes of a sweeter deal. That's the word out this week from Josh Garskof of Yahoo Finance. In his column, he quotes the enforcement head of the California Contractors State License Board, who tells consumers to keep transactions with their contractors on the straight and narrow. The Yahoo article suggests that in the current struggling economy, some contractors try clever "fast and loose" tactics to get you to pay "boom-time" rates. Considering that many a contractor has been forced to drop prices as much as 40 percent to compete for fewer home improvement jobs, don't give them enough rope to tie you to higher rates. Instead, Garskof writes, you should do all you can to resist contractors assertions

Know Your State Green Remodeling Initiatives

By now, most of you know all about the ENERGYSTAR programs that can bring tax credits for green remodeling if the products are purchased by the end of this year. But there are plenty of other incentives around the U. S. for doing green remodeling. And some states and municipalities have their own provisions and covenants that apply to sustainable projects. That's why you should get acquainted with the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE). Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is jointly managed by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and the North Carolina Solar Center. The DSIRE website provides a one-of-its-kind comprehensive listing of each state's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency databases, along with federal ini

Openness and Natural Woods for the Hopper House

After Hollywood actor and director Dennis Hopper passed away this May after a long bout with cancer, his house went on sale. The Hopper compound--located on Indiana Avenue in Venice, CA--includes the main house, guest cottage, and a trio of two-story condominiums and it's for sale at $6.245 million. Hopper, who had been a serious student of fine art and an aficionado of Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein, owned one of Andy Warhol's soup can paintings. He had the condos designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry. [caption id="attachment_1421" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Simon Berlyn photo"][/caption] The main house, offered by Jade Mills Estates, has 4,800 square feet, eight bedrooms, and seven baths on a 15,500-square-foot lot not far from the beach. According to Yahoo, there

Remodeling Goes to the Dogs

It happened early in August. The venerable New York Times ran an article by Sonia Zjawinski noting that homeowners were "remodeling with their pets in mind." That's like the tail wagging the dog when it comes to home improvements, isn't it?  Not so, claims Zjawinski, who writes that simply laying out feeding bowls and water dishes on the floor is fashionably outré. The piece, reprinted in the San Jose Mercury News, claims that "animal-friendly design"  is part of interior design's latest wave.  Consider the Cape Cod resident that asked her designer to include specs for embedding niches and alcoves for pet feeding dishes in the newly ordered kitchen island, along with roll-out bins for doggy treats and kibble. One new idea is to create doggy doors and cat doors of proportionate sizes

Beware Failing Appliances and Suspicious Plumbers

You'd think that torrential rain gathering in clogged gutters or burst frozen pipes are the largest cause of water damage in the home. Not so, says a vice president at Safeco Insurance in Seattle.  Two-thirds of water damage, according to Safeco's Jim Swegle, is caused by faulty plumbing. The balance? Household appliance failure. SmartMoney Magazine says it's largely up to you, the homeowner, to take inventory of your appliances and perform routine maintenance (or have it done) to minimize the damage caused by appliance or pipe failure. When appliances fail or faulty plumbing leaks, homeowners can cough up $5,000 per episode to clean up the mess. Start With the Water Heater Hot water heater failure is hard to predict. Count on replacing your water tank every decade. Swegel says there's

Watch that Nail Gun!

Between 1991 and 2005, hospitalizations for do-it-yourselfers for nail gun injuries rose by 300 percent. Obviously, part of the reason is that more people are undertaking DIY projects at home. Another contributing factor may be the decline in prices for nail guns. But, I'm pretty confident the main reason is that people never learn how to use them safely and think they can wield one like they're a wild-west gunslinger. Emergency room physicians across the land have taken nails out of skulls, lungs, and extremities of wounded DIYers. Duke University associate professor of occupational and environmental medicine, Hester Lipscomb, finds that homeowners are safer using nails guns that come equipped with a sequential-trip trigger. The New York Times reports that an emergency room nurse in Main

What's on Your Kitchen Must-Have List?

Much like they have opinions on movies and restaurants, everyone has their own view of must-have features to put in a new kitchen. I tend to think that the scope of your kitchen remodeling project and your available budget dictates most of the terms. There's a big difference between a dream kitchen and the best one you can build within your financial limitations. Better Homes and Gardens has its own ideas of kitchen essentials. They include: Double Ovens Dishwasher in a Drawer Island Cooktop Commercial-Style Range Pot Filler Coffee Bar On-Counter Appliance Garage Corner Storage Deep Drawers Full Extension Drawers Divided Storage Stainless Steel Pot Rack Pot Rack/Stainless Backsplash Utensil Racks Tray Storage Cabinet Home Office Computer/TV Glass Cabinet Doors Built-In

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Considering Solar Water Heaters

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New Lead Paint Laws for 2010

It's hard to keep track of new legislation that affects home building and remodeling across the 50 states. Too often homeowners and re-modelers get going on a project that requires a local permit and suddenly discover they have to lay out additional money to meet building codes. I know people who have had to rip out improvements and start over when they neglected to observe the law. If you've ever had a surprise visit from a building inspector–-sent your way by a neighbor's complaint--you won't want a repeat experience! One of the most sweeping new federal laws that impact contractors in all states goes into effect the first of April 2010.  The regulations, established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), require that contractors, renovation builders, or home maintenance perso


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  • Are high end kitchen appliances worth the extra money?

    I am remodeling my kitchen and need to decide which new appliances to buy. I am amazed at the range of costs for kitchen appliances, and do not know how much I should spend. Do you think that expensive appliances are worth the extra cost if I will be selling the house in 5-7 years?

  • How much does it cost to add a sink in a bathroom?

    What might it cost to add a double sink vanity to a bathroom? Currently there is a small vanity with a single sink in the bathroom?

  • How can I install ceramic tile over exterior concrete?

    We have a concrete patio in our back yard that we would like to cover with ceramic tiles. How can I attach the tiles to the existing concrete patio? Can I use regular grout to to fill the gaps in the tile?

  • Which brand of composite wood decking should I use?

    I want to replace a small wood deck (18'-10') and build the new deck out of composite wood decking. What brand do you recommend? Do you have any tips for a DIY installer?

  • Who can I hire to restore my old wood windows?

    My sunroom's old wood windows are weathered and in bad shape. I would replace the windows, but I live in a historic district and the cost would be astronomical. I would like to have someone clean the window sashes and sand down the window frames, then refinish all the wood with some sort of exterior sealer. What kind of contractor does this type of work? There are 7 windows total, what might project cost me?

  • How long does it take to install a new exterior door?

    I would like to have a new exterior door installed in my bedroom. Because my house is sided with brick, do you think it would be best to install the new door in one of the existing window openings? How many hours would it take a contractor to do this sort of job? Thanks!

  • How can I improve the hot water supply in my house?

    It takes several minutes for the hot water in my house to reach the kitchen faucet (which is the furthest away from the hot water heater). How can I improve this situation? Should I add a second tank or a circulation loop? Thanks in advance.

  • What home renovations will most increase the overall value of my house?

    I want to spend some money to update my pre-war co-op apartment, but am unsure which remodeling projects make the most sense for my budget. Should I go for looks (new floors, fresh paint) or worry more about functional items like updated appliances, new fixtures, modern furnace? Thank you.