Monthly Archive: October 2023

If you refinance with an FHA loan, you’ll need 15% equity in your home. VA loans, on the other hand, are unique in that you can refinance 100% of the home’s value. In other words, you don’t have to leave any equity in the home if you meet your lender’s credit score requirements. When you do a cash-out refinance, the cash you get is tax-free.

• There’s usually no need for planning permission with a loft conversion, as this kind of project requires internal work and doesn’t normally affect the exterior of the house or its footprint.
• Assume you can only refinance 80% of the value of the home.
• When you go home today, count your blessings and enjoy the fruit of your labor.
• Therefore, we promote stricteditorial integrity in each of our posts.
• For a unique, eclectic look, scour antique shops for hardware pieces.

Dean Johnson was the series’ primary host, though he had a slew of female co-hosts over the years. HomeLight analyzes millions of home sales to find real estate agents that sell homes faster and for more money. A cash-out refinance can be just the ticket if you’re searching for a low-cost way to turn your home …

“In other words, if you’re contemplating a kitchen remodel but your roof is leaking like a sieve, you need to address the roof issues first before indulging in any updates,” says Matke. These are unsecured loans issued and supported only by the borrower’s creditworthiness, rather than by any type of collateral. Our sister company Rocket Loans® offers personal loans for home improvement and many other uses. Lenders typically require you to maintain 15 – 20% equity in your home after a cash-out refinance. This can limit the amount you can access for home improvements.

• So next time you renovate your home, take time to look at what’s behind the walls.
• For color, you can purchase a few bright annual flowers at your local garden shop and either plant them directly into the landscape around the house, or add them to pots near the front door.
• This extra “room” comes in handy when entertaining or in the summer months when warm evenings are best spent outdoors, drink in hand.
• If you have a few worn/discolored areas on the hardwoods, touch them up yourself with a little water-based stain to make them less noticeable.
• Most importantly you need an air compressor and

She edited home repair and design content at websites like The Spruce and HomeAdvisor. She also has hosted videos on DIY home tips and solutions and launched multiple home improvement review boards staffed with licensed pros. Get expert advice on your home, design tips, how much to pay for pros and hiring experts, delivered to you daily.

• Apply online for expert recommendations with real interest rates and payments.
• To insulate a wall cavity you have pretty much two different ways to do it.
• You’ll need to add some windows and a staircase, too, which can rob you of space elsewhere.
• Before hiring a contractor, get tips from the Federal Trade Commission on avoiding home improvement scams.
• If the answer’s yes, it’s time whip out the paint and ladder.

Hanging mirrors in your small home will reflect light, as well as the room itself to make it feel bigger. Refinishing takes about a day and $200 to DIY, and once you sand down the floors, you can refinish them with a brighter stain to lighten up the room. Place recessed lighting 12 – 18 inches away from the object you want to illuminate. Install track light between 20 – 40 inches …

“It actually makes the house feel bigger,” Monaghan explains. Neutrals are always a good idea for walls, but cool-toned neutrals in a small home makes walls look further away than they are, visually expanding the square footage of a space. British homes tend to be dark, and those with lots of natural light feel larger.

• Possibly the most classic move to make the Taylor home feel like a normal home were the mismatched dishes in their cupboards.
• New carpet in your room will cost on average between $980 – $1,680.
• The Weatherization Assistance Program provides households with free weatherization services.
• Another PBS series, “Hometime” made its debut after “This Old House,” expanding on some of the tropes that made its predecessor so popular.

Please seek the advice of an attorney, tax professional and/or financial advisor for guidance to properly evaluate particular investments and/or strategies. The resurgence of the farmhouse chic aesthetic can largely be attributed to “Fixer Upper” and the design preferences of its hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines. In each episode of the ultra-popular series, a couple buys a home in need of renovation and then “hires” Chip and Joanna to complete both structural and cosmetic work.

Home improvements

The products and services we review may not be right for your individual circumstances. Replacing your carpet means tossing out all of the old floor covering. Save several scraps of carpet, whatever kind, for use on the top of sawhorses, as a creeper mat for working on the car, to pad your knees while fixing your plumbing or use as drop cloths. It’s probably less expensive and certainly more convenient to install a backyard shed or hire a handyperson to create access to hidden places in your house than renting space long-term.

• They are relatively easy to install; all it takes is assembling and mounting the hardware and door to a doorway.
• If you need to make certain changes to your home because of your disability, your landlord might be responsible for making them.
• Beautifully highlight a coffered ceiling with colorful paint, and keep the trim white for a bold visual effect.

“A lot more people are focusing on their family, their homes, you know, the stuff in our immediate vicinity. People’s bubbles have shrunk.” “Demand for outdoor living products is surging,” says Nancy Musselwhite, a building materials industry analyst for Principia Consulting. “Homeowners sheltering in place during peak COVID …

Refinancing is a low-interest way to get tax-free cash for remodeling your kitchen, finishing your basement or anything you choose. The best time to get a skylight installed is when you’re getting a new roof. “Nobody will install a skylight on a roof that’s not brand new,” explains Pacific-Northwest agent Dawn Rushton in HomeLight’s guide to the added value of skylights. Why install complicated light fixtures when natural light can pour in from above? Adding a skylight to a room brings the outside in, and the sky view will make a room feel more spacious.

• At 40 pounds a bag, she hauled them from the store in four trips.
• Inject elegance into your daily life with a faucet that ups the ante in looks and quality.
• Apply a gel-type stripper per manufacturer’s instructions, and then remove the stripper with a plastic putty knife.
• You should explore alternatives with a credit counselor that do not put your home at risk of a forced sale.
• Extending one’s house with rooms added to the side of one’s home or, sometimes, extra levels to the original roof.

At 40 pounds a bag, she hauled them from the store in four trips. Anderson says that …

For more information about your landlord’s responsibility to do repairs, see Repairs in rented housing. Mortgage-to-rent scheme Describes the mortgage-to-rent scheme, which allows people in mortgage difficulty to switch to renting their homes. Contact your local authority to check whether this scheme operates in your area. Norm Abram, a regular fixture on “This Old House,” hosted his own home improvement series, “The New Yankee Workshop,” on PBS for two decades. Occasionally, episodes also include information on how to maintain and restore antique furniture as well as short biographies of notable furniture makers from decades past. Light fixtures for dining areas or pendant lights can be a few hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on source and style, Norris says.

Ensure the ladder is stable and won’t slip or move before climbing up. Part of the trick in plumbing is to avoid scratching fragile chrome or brushed nickel finishes on faucets or exposed drain parts. Plumbers use smooth-faced pliers and wrenches to achieve perfect results. You can avoid buying special tools for one-time use by wrapping your soft-leather work glove around the fitting and using your standard pliers or pipe wrench over the protective cover. A common DIY home-improvement mistake, especially …