Answered: Your Most Burning Questions About HOME IMPROVEMENT

Look for windows labeled low-emissivity (low-E) or spectrally selective—they have a coating that reduces thermal heat transfer. Select the perfect self-adhesive wallpaper to create an accent that’s easy to apply, remove, and reuse. Like a giant sticker, peel the decorative paper off the backing and adhere it to a primed and painted wall.

• “Rich colors make a house feel small,” explains Phoenix, Arizona, agent Andrew Monaghan who has nearly two decades of experience selling properties of all sizes.
• But the government programs help these lenders make loans that they might normally not fulfill.
• Refinancing can be a good way to borrow a lot of money at once, which means expensive renovations are in reach and won’t take much from your monthly budget.
• To create a curvy top edge, use your mirror to inspire the outline of your design.

You could gain access to some of your equity and lower your mortgage payment at the same time. The minimum amount of equity you’ll need to leave in your home when you refinance varies by loan type and by lender. If you want to take cash out with a conventional loan, you’ll typically need to leave at least 15 – 20% equity in your home. When you opt for a cash-out refinance, you refinance your mortgage for more than you owe and take the difference in cash. The more equity you have built up , the more money you can convert to cash.

Electric Heat Pumps: Existing Tech for Energy

Emma’s work has been featured in Huffington Post, NPR and XOJane. When she’s not combing her neighborhood for open houses, she’s writing about technology, real estate or data. Funny, friendly experts with serious answers and great ideas to help with all of your home improvement projects.

Lighten the floors

I have two solid oak corbels that I would like to use that m… Getting into interior design and need book recommendations. I have a question regarding sheathing the walls on a shed built on a concrete slab. The walls will be standard 8 high and I plan on using 7/16 OSB. Ive read that you should overlap the sheathing over the bottom plate an inch or two to prevent wa… My husband and I tried to install our new over the range microwave.

Plan of the Ground Floor of the Taylor’s House, showing rooms and funiture

The most effective system is a vent pipe placed in the sump pit or a hole made under your concrete floor slab. The vent runs up through the house and out the roof, or out the side of the house and up to the eaves. A special in-line fan for radon is placed in the attic or outside the house to suck air through the vent. Any openings in the slab or foundation are sealed to keep out radon. Motion detector lights are a proven crime deterrent, and standard hard-wired models cost as little as $15.

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.

Products that earn the Energy Star label are independently certified to save energy, save money, and protect the climate. Homeowners can safely and properly dispose of broken or outdated appliances by selling, donating, or recycling them. You don’t have to go big when it comes to kitchen projects. Install new kitchen cabinets or give current cabinets a refresh. Upgrade old kitchen countertops and add a kitchen backsplash for a new look. Indeed HHI were the company that pioneered roofline in Northern Ireland and extended ‘maintenance free’ to a whole new market.

Doing so can help families save on heating and cooling costs while staying safe and healthy. A disabled facilities grant will be no more than £30,000 in England and £36,000 in Wales. However, your local authority can top up this up, as it can give you other help with home improvements . The amount of grant you get depends on your income and savings, unless the work is to meet the needs of a disabled person under 16, or in some cases, over 16 but under 19.