Reliable Remodeler Blog » home improvement ideas

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.

Is it time to solar heat your swimming pool?

woodrow — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:10:28 +0000

Decks and fences make for fine summertime home improvement projects. If you want to add a pool, why not evaluate energy efficiency and home improvement ideas that offer returns on your investment at the same time? Take a second look at pool solar heaters. If you live in a climate warm enough to [...]

Is it time to solar heat your swimming pool? is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Playhouses must follow a design for safety

woodrow — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:13:52 +0000

You can find some of the most interesting home improvement ideas by looking at the designs for children’s play houses. If we could consider safety when we improve the big house with the same concern for our little ones, imagine how few shortcuts we’d take or details we’d omit. Look around the Web. There are prefab [...]

Playhouses must follow a design for safety is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Basement Conversions and Game Rooms

woodrow — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 17:54:23 +0000

Game rooms are all about expressing the personalities of the people who play in them. Some homeowners like converting a basement space into the ultimate man cave, replete with wide-screen televisions, pool tables, Foosball sets, video games, small kitchens, and wet bars. Others are happy enough with some tables and chairs, a comfortable couch, and [...]

Basement Conversions and Game Rooms is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

8 Ways to Spiff Up Your Home for Fall

woodrow — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 23:48:44 +0000

Labor Day has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have time to complete the eight do-it-yourself projects that Kipplinger suggests that you get done before winter’s cold breath blows against your house. Kipplinger’s idea is that you really want to get some cost-effective improvements done before you’re wound up tight in holiday [...]

8 Ways to Spiff Up Your Home for Fall is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Mudroom Revivals

woodrow — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:01:15 +0000

Mudrooms are commonplace in the entryways of homes in the cold and wet north and northeast of the country, where families deposit their muddy boots and coats before entering the house. But they’ve become common here in horse country where I live in California, too. People can remove muddy or soaked work boots instead of [...]

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

Openness and Natural Woods for the Hopper House

woodrow — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:52:52 +0000

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 [...]

Openness and Natural Woods for the Hopper House is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Sorting Out Simple Bath Renovations

woodrow — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:56:39 +0000

With so many people writing about the decent rate of return and value of small bathroom remodeling projects, I thought I’d hop on the bandwagon. Of course, your first logical step is to identify low-cost projects and make a list of them in order of cost and your ability to do the job. Make the lined [...]

Sorting Out Simple Bath Renovations is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Home Value and Remodeling Now

woodrow — Fri, 14 May 2010 23:17:51 +0000

When economic times are topsy-turvy, more people choose to remodel their homes than put them up for sale. But you’d be surprised how many keep their eyes on the time when they expect a rebound. I’ve seen many blog posts about how tricky it can be to gauge the time to a more favorable [...]

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

It’s a Boom in Home Improvements

woodrow — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:21:27 +0000

M.P. McQueen of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) weighed in this week on the do-it-yourself boom. It seems as the housing market continues to circle the drain, the home improvement industry is about to profit from the first spending increase in four years. Driven by plunging prices, cash shortages, and ongoing house payments, homeowners are strategizing [...]

It’s a Boom in Home Improvements is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

What’s on Your Kitchen Must-Have List?

woodrow — Tue, 04 May 2010 02:40:16 +0000

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 [...]

What’s on Your Kitchen Must-Have List? is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Getting Organized: Cool Accessories for Your Closet

woodrow — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:11:27 +0000

Apart from losing my car keys, there’s little that frustrates me as much as looking for the right shirt or tie in a jumbled closet. Every time I move or do a big cleanup around the house, I reorganize the closets. I mess things up to the level of storage, so organizers aren’t much help. [...]

Getting Organized: Cool Accessories for Your Closet is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Creating an Attractive Backsplash

woodrow — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:14:08 +0000

The kitchen backsplash should not only protect your walls from flying liquids, it should complement your décor. Tile backsplashes are my personal favorite, although you can find attractive materials made out of solid surface, steel, or granite. They’re easy to clean and can be exceptionally attractive. At their best, backsplashes fill out your color scheme; [...]

Creating an Attractive Backsplash is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Can We Save Old American Homes?

woodrow — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:05:43 +0000

Preservationists, ecologists, and homeowners of architectural era homes trying to meet their utility bills wonder if the costs of retrofitting a tired lady outstrip the value of completing the project. In response, the government provides subsidies for restoration, tax and financial incentives, and Property Assessed Clean Energy bonds. Maintaining aesthetics without gutting the architecture—and [...]

Can We Save Old American Homes? is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

An Ounce of Prevention

Mary — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:32:07 +0000

Some houses get lightly lived in, and then there are those abodes that weather the perfect storms of kids and pets and indoor floor sock hockey. Among other things. Do you have a house that works hard? Ok maybe you don’t exactly have floor hockey tournaments going down on the kitchen tiles, but your house [...]

An Ounce of Prevention is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.