Why You Should Start Your Year With These 5 Housing Projects

Every January, eager homeowners try to determine what home remodeling projects they should consider the upcoming year. While remodeling the bathroom or adding that new kitchen island you always wanted may be the most desirable, they may not bring the highest return on your investment.

Home improvement projects never bring a return on investment over 100%. In fact, the average ROI the past few years is down to just under 60%. This means that most homeowners are only recouping 60% of the money they put into a remodeling project after the home is sold. Nonetheless, this does not mean you should be afraid of remodeling. Besides the ROI, you will of course reap the benefits while living in the home. On the other hand, if you’re looking for projects that have proven to bring a strong ROI, you may want to start your year with these five home remodeling projects.

1. Replace the Front Door

Surprisingly enough, new front doors bring the highest ROI among any home remodeling project and when you break it down, it makes perfect sense. Safety is one of the most important factors when someone is planning to buy a new home. A new front door is not only going to give the house a better curb appeal, but it will also make any potential buyer feel safe. This combination ultimately allows a new door to bring a 73% return on investment.

According to ImproveNet, it costs between $400 and $850 to replace a front door.

2. Build A New Wood Deck

In a day where everything is online and out in the open, many of us enjoy the silence and privacy that wood decks bring to our backyards. Fortunately, not only are they DIY-friendly, but they also bring back a strong ROI.

The average cost of building a deck is $6,148, but a new deck will roughly bring a 70%ROI.

Once you decide, make sure you come up with a design, choose the right type of wood for your area, know all future costs (sealing) and determine the required maintenance time throughout its lifespan.

3. Replace the Windows

More and more homeowners are going green and a terrific way to make your home more energy efficient is by replacing your old windows. Not only will your home be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, but you will also save on HVAC costs down the road.

Window installation can get expensive, jumping all the way up to $5,000, but just know, on top of the HVAC savings, know they tend to bring a ROI of 70%.

To lower costs, many homeowners prefer single pane windows as opposed to double hung or storm windows. However, while the upfront cost may be substantially less, more expensive windows are usually much stronger and can hold its ground even in the worst of storms.

4. Replace the Garage Door

Just like the front door, homeowners associate safety with their garage doors. Since the garage door is typically the most common entry point, it’s just as, if not more, important to your home’s safety than your front door.

Both high-end and mid-level garage doors have been found to bring an estimated 71% ROI, but the high-end garage door is going to cost about twice as much to purchase and install.

According to ImproveNet’s numbers, the average price to install a garage door is $964.

5. Update the Kitchen

Finally, while the kitchen may not bring the strongest ROI, it does attract new buyers.

The kitchen is where life happens and has been known to make or break a sale. Rather than spend upwards of $20,000 on a kitchen remodel, invest wisely in a few DIY projects you can do over the weekend, such as:

• Replace the knobs on the cabinets
• Paint the cabinets
• Add a backsplash
• Change the wall paint
• Install lights under the cabinets

People like new and these projects give any kitchen the new look and feel they desire.

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8 Tools to Help You Manage Projects at Work and at Home

By Eli Epstein 

 

Post-its. Whiteboards. Hand-written to-do lists.

Keeping projects organized, whether at home or in the office, used to require a whole lot of ink. In today's world of digital, however, staying on top of your work is more "swipe" and less "write." A constantly regenerating crop of apps and programs has emerged to help keep you organized.

Below is a list of eight project management hacks, both for the home and for the workplace; absolutely no BICs or Uniballs required.

Workplace

Image: Flickr, Cory M Grenier

• Podio: Whether you're a freelancer, small business owner or corporate manager, Podio lets you view all of your tasks in one place. The software, which runs on desktop, mobile and tablet, allows users to create workspaces where they can mark off completed tasks, assign projects, share files and even auto-generate comments.Additionally, Podio handles CRM, sales leads and recruiting — saving small businesses time and precious seed money. Wish Podio could do more? The software has a drag-and-drop development tool that even non-programmers can master.
• Asana: Asana is a technological godsend for those who dread rummaging through a cluttered inbox. The app eliminates excessive back-and-forth emails, allowing team members and managers to create project cards, update assignments on-the-fly and communicate inside the program — without sending superfluous emails and IMs for "status updates."
  

  Asana works especially well for companies with loose structures and minimal red tape

  Asana works especially well for companies with loose structures and minimal red tape; users are able to freely establish sub-projects within larger assignments, and post updates without altering the card or getting manager approval. Users can also structure Asana tasks by date, or make them dependent upon the completion of other assignments.
• Planet Soho: Planet Soho aims to be a Jack-of-all-Trades tool for small business owners and freelancers, though its core competency lies in accounting and invoicing. To make sure that small enterprises don't dedicate outside resources to filing and sending, Planet Soho can draft and auto-send online invoices. The company will also send paper invoices for you if that's the method you prefer. Planet Soho's software also features project management, inventory control, CRM and email and calendar functions. For managers, Planet Soho features budget-setting and task-assignment functions, like other popular task management tools.
• Flow: If you feel overwhelmed by multi-faceted task-management programs that seemingly let you do anything under the sun and prefer a simple interface, check out Flow. The software allows managers to assign, organize and prioritize tasks while also controlling who can see what. That means managers can give outside contractors access to a team's Flow while also controlling what they can see. For a more hands-off experience, Flow is able to send notifications of upcoming tasks and set repeating tasks.

Home

Image: Flickr, Flattop341

• HomeRoutines: Homemakers know all too well that the best laid plans most often go awry. A manageable to-do list? Sounds nice in theory, but when mini-crises loom around every bend (especially when you have a toddler), a parent can easily lose track of what needs to be done, parlaying a half-complete to-do list into an insurmountable task sheet.
  

  HomeRoutines, a mobile app, helps you stay on task without having to make dozens of notes

  HomeRoutines, a mobile app, helps you stay on task without having to make dozens of notes that could get lost. The app lets users set daily and weekly checklists that can be repeated, so if they want to clean the bathroom and closets again in two weeks, HomeRoutines will present them with the same to-do list when the time comes. Users can select a daily focus (e.g., restock fridge) or plan ahead, like assigning a different cleaning zone for each week of a month.
• Houzz: Have a home improvement to-do list? Normally, you'd have to jump around to multiple sites and professional recommendation services like Angie's List. Houzz, on the other hand, is a one-stop-shop for home and office design ideas — it houses thousands of articles and photographs that could be the inspiration for your next professional or DIY project — and the professionals who can pull off the job. If you see a bathroom design that you like, for example, Houzz can help you find and vet a nearby remodeling specialist.
• Lift: Don't confuse Lyft, a ride-sharing service doing battle with Uber, with Lift, a mobile and desktop app that lets users set, track and complete goals. It doesn't matter whether your goal (a.k.a. the "lift") is small — let's say taking more vitamins — or large, like running a marathon or decluttering your entire home;
  

  Lift is there to record your progress and keep you on track with "momentum" graphs and "check-ins"

  Lift is there to record your progress and keep you on track with "momentum" graphs and "check-ins" to celebrate your perseverance.The most powerful and unique part of Lift is its community aspect. The app allows you to connect with its entire community to cheer each other on. Try inviting a few friends or colleagues onto Lift to create a more personal enclave of reinforcement within the larger community.
• Snapguide: Are there a few home improvement or beautification projects you'd like to undertake, but worry you don't have the wherewithal or financial resources to complete? Snapguide is a handy mobile and desktop DIY guide to a smattering of projects that you probably thought were impossible without professional help. Snapguide users are encouraged to carouse the site for tips and how-tos, and even create their own content with photos and videos of their projects.
  
  
  
  To order your copy of Remodeling Hell, CLICK HERE
  For more information about Remodeling Hell, CLICK HERE
  For more information about the Summit Murder Mystery series, CLICK HERE
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