Reliable Remodeler Blog » home improvement

Remodeling projects in 2011 remained on a small scale

woodrow — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:10:30 +0000

Consumers are still skittish about spending on home remodeling in the economy, according to statistics from Remodeling Magazine. The magazine’s highly respected Cost vs Value Report comes out annually, ranking projects by return on investment and citing home remodeling trends. For 2011-2012, consumers earned the best values on attic bedroom conversions, minor kitchen remodeling, garage [...]

Remodeling projects in 2011 remained on a small scale is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

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.

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.

What does “green remodeling” really mean?

woodrow — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:43:36 +0000

You’ve heard a lot about green remodeling. Many new homes are constructed with green building materials, appliances, windows and doors. Green, in short, means that the initial builder or homeowner making a sustainable home improvement is concerned with energy efficiency, indoor air quality, the conservation of natural resources and, ultimately, home value. Let’s look at the [...]

What does “green remodeling” really mean? is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

New windows can curb record-high energy bills

woodrow — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:19:22 +0000

If you’ve been watching your electric bills soar, welcome to the club. A new report from USA TODAY finds that we’ve endured five straight years of increases, making it the largest leap since the energy woes of the 1970s. Even if your earnings have stagnated, the cost to consumers for electricity has kept on rising. We [...]

New windows can curb record-high energy bills is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Choosing storm doors for the New Year

woodrow — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:15:34 +0000

I’ve become a fan of storm doors. New storm door models are energy efficient and provide a layer of protection between your home and the elements. Moreover, these doors are versatile, allowing you to swap out secure glass inserts with ventilating bug screens when warm weather comes a-calling. Visit any of your local home improvement stores [...]

Choosing storm doors for the New Year is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

HVAC home improvements: There’s an app for that

woodrow — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:36:36 +0000

If you’re reading this, you already have a remote means of controlling your HVAC at home as well as monitoring your security. Using a smartphone or computer with web access, today’s homeowner can log into a secure website to check if their doors are locked or to turn on their heat [...]

HVAC home improvements: There’s an app for that is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Last chance for tax rebates on energy efficient home improvements

woodrow — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:11:06 +0000

Homeowners have until December 31 to buy materials and install energy efficient home improvements under the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. Provisions of the bill, an extension of previous tax credits, mandate that you buy only ENERGY STAR-compliant biomass stoves, heat and air conditioning units, insulation, roofing, water heaters, [...]

Last chance for tax rebates on energy efficient home improvements is brought to you by the home remodeling pros at Reliable Remodeler. Get more of your questions answered at Ask the Contractor.

Poor ROIs for these 2011 home improvements

woodrow — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:38:35 +0000

As each year draws to an end, pundits like to sermonize on the best returns on investment homeowners receive from remodeling. The latest analysis that caught my eye appeared at the personal finance pages on Yahoo last week where writer Dana Dratch identified the home improvement projects that delivered the worst ROI. Near the top of [...]

Poor ROIs for these 2011 home improvements 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.

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.

Pile carpet repair made simple

woodrow — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:57:03 +0000

You’re not really a perfectionist, you just can’t stand that torn, burned, ripped or stained section of pile carpet right in the middle of your living room. Even if you’ve performed routine carpet care and maintenance you can still end up with a damaged piece. What you need to do now is cut out the [...]

Pile carpet repair made simple 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.