6 Home Projects That Are Easier Than You Think

The Huffington Post  |  By Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson

It never fails that the weekend DIY projects you expect to be a breeze end up costing you hours of frustration and disillusion and broken nails. (Remember that time you set aside some time to hang those IKEA shelves only to find out that your walls were actually made of brick?) Meanwhile, the jobs you decide to hire out almost always end up being the ones you could have totally tackled on your own.

What's done is done, but we'd like to help manage your expectations down the road. To do so, we asked "This Old House" host, Kevin O’Connor, just how difficult some common home improvement projects really are, and when it's time to forgo the heroics and make a call instead. Here's what he had to say:
IT'S A SNAP (EASY)
Installing A New Faucet

Photo: Getty
This is an easy fix because an old faucet and a new faucet both probably attached to your sink in the same way. The physical attachment happens under the sink with a nut onto a threaded end. This hasn’t changed much in 70 years. Next, there are usually one to three holes in the sink top to receive the faucet and the hot and cold handles. When you buy a new faucet try to get one that uses the same number of holes with the same distance between them. Your sink has three holes but the shiny new faucet only uses one? No problem, most replacement faucets come with a flange that will cover all three.

WATCH: How to Replace an Old Faucet

Re-Caulking A Bathroom
First, let’s get our materials straight because caulking is often confused with grout and they are two different things with two different fixes. Caulking is flexible and it goes around the perimeter of the tiled surface and makes the connection between the tile and the tub, or the wall, or a counter top. Grout is hard, and it goes between individual pieces of tile.

Because it’s designed to stay flexible, caulking is easier to remove. Often times it can be pulled out in long stringy strips like old gum from the sole of your shoe. If that doesn’t work you can dig it out with a small pointed object, (plastic is preferred over metal) and they sell plenty of $5 devices for just this purpose.

They also sell plenty of chemicals that will help with the job. Once the old caulk is removed, clean the surface, let it dry, and reapply. It takes a steady hand to get the new bead of caulk smooth so practice first and have a damp cloth standing by to wipe away any mistakes.

Replacing Light Fixtures

Photo: Getty
Scared of electricity? Good, you should be. But if you turn off the power, then you’re in control and there is nothing to fear. The key to replacing a light fixture is reverse engineering. Ceiling fixtures, for example, aren’t attached to the ceiling but rather are attached to the ceiling electrical box, and that stays behind, ready to receive your new fixture. Once the old fixture is unscrewed, take a picture of how it’s wired (black to black, white to white wire, that sort of thing) and then disconnect those and remove it completely. The new fixture gets re-wired the same way as the old fixture (don’t forget the ground wire). Most fixtures have standard openings and threaded rods so fitting a new one into the old ceiling box should be a snap. Put it all back together and turn the power back on and you’ll know instantly if you did it right.

Two tips: buy a pencil-type electrical meter, it will always tell you if a wire is live or not. And second, ceiling electrical boxes are rated for weight so if you’re replacing an old fixture that doesn’t weigh much with something heavier, like a ceiling fan, make sure it’s secured to an electrical box rated for the additional weight.
YOU CAN DO IT, BUT BEAR DOWN (MEDIUM)

Molding And Trim: Adding Or Replacing
This is pretty easy, but it requires some tools. A decent miter saw is a huge help, if you don’t have one borrow or rent one. If you can’t do that, you might be able to limp along with hand tools.

Baseboards go along the bottom of your wall around the perimeter of your room. In most cases all you have to do is make a straight cut and get the length perfect. You’ve heard the saying measure twice, cut once? Well, I say measure twice, cut twice –- cut once a little long, dry fit it and then nibble it down a hair more until the length is perfect.

Crown molding is a bit more challenging, so if you throw in the towel here, no shame. If you keep going, then remember the trick to crown molding is to cut it “upside-down and backwards.” Crown molding has a detailed profile and when one profile meets another those details have to go together. So it’s important that you cut the 45-degree miter of two adjoining pieces the same way they lay on your wall and meet your ceiling. The trick is to lay the modeling on your miter saw “upside down and backwards” as if the base of your saw is the ceiling and the fence of your saw is the wall.
In either case, get yourself some extra trim, you’re going to need it.

Installing Hardwood Floors

Photo: Getty

Those beautiful, gleaming hardwood floors must be a job for the pros, right? Not so fast. The thing that makes a wood floor so nice is the finish, and you can lay down a wood floor yourself and leave the finish to the pros. Here’s how: There are generally two types of wood floors. Either the unfinished, nail down type or the pre-finished engineered type. If you chose the first, the unfinished variety, buy the wood from a supplier and rent a compressor and pneumatic floor nailer from the same place or the home center. Get the special nails from them too. Start with a clean surface, make sure the first row is perfectly straight and square, and you’re off. One row gets nailed into the prior row. Stagger the joints, mix long and short pieces and take your time around the edges and you’ll be fine. When it’s all down, call in the pro to sand it smooth, apply the stain and the poly coat. That professional finish will make your hard work look awesome.

If you chose the second option, the engineered version, you can either nail it down like above, or you can use the floating floor variety. A floating floor means the individual strips of wood click or are glued to one another and are not nailed down. Since it's not secured directly to the sub-floor below it this floor “floats.” This is an easier and more forgiving installation than the nail down variety, in some cases it’s as easy as snapping it together. And here’s the kicker, that professional finish is already part of the floor; it’s pre-finished. So once you’re done clicking the floor is done.

Adding A Kitchen Backsplash
The key to a good backsplash is the backer. Tile likes to be set on something durable, like a cement board instead of dry wall. And good backer boards come in all types and names -- Hardiboard, Durarock, Wonderboard, etc. –- but the thing they have in common is their cement base.

Once you find the one you want you have to decide if you want to lay it on top of the existing drywall or cut away the old drywall and replace it with the backer board. I’d cut away and replace if it was my house. Once the backer board is in place trowel on a layer of thin-set (look it up) and set your tile in place. The key here is not to spread too large of an area at any one time. Slow goes it. Spread thin-set, insert tile, check your lines, straighten tiles, move on, and repeat. Once the tile is in place, go over the entire surface with grout. Use a rubber float, overspread, and wipe off the excess with a damp sponge.

The key to this project is to take you time. Mix only the amount of thin-set and grout that you need, get the layout right, check and re-check to make sure everything is level and straight.

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Top New Year's Resolutions for Your Home

The start of each new year is a hopeful time. People vow to get to the gym more often or to finally quit smoking. But as winter turns to spring, even the most steadfast determination can begin to wane, and resolutions often get sidelined. The same is true in remodeling. There always seem to be things on our wish lists that we never get around to.

We spoke with three experts to identify the home improvement projects most of us think about but rarely tackle. And we got tips on how to finally get these projects done.


1. Making Our Homes More Energy Efficient

Bob Vila knows a thing or two about the home improvement projects people dream about. One that he hears mentioned frequently is increasing a home’s energy efficiency. “People often ask me about energy conservation methods, from installing a programmable thermostat to adding insulation in an attic to replacing old windows and doors,” he says.

Why It’s Important: Boosting your home’s energy efficiency saves you money—a common resolution in and of itself!

What Holds Us Back: Budget concerns can be roadblocks to success, Bob points out, but they don’t have to be. “There are $50,000 window replacements, but there are also options as inexpensive as a tube of caulking to seal out drafts.”

How To Get It Done: “Take a realistic look at your finances and start with what you can afford,” Bob advises. “For larger projects, you may have to adjust your priorities in order to save money, like taking a one week vacation instead of two weeks.”

2. Remodeling a Kitchen or Bath

Modernizing an outdated kitchen or bath is a project that Amy Matthews, licensed contractor and host of DIY Network’s hit show “Sweat Equity,” is asked about time and again.

Why It’s Important: Aside from the aesthetic qualities, a beautiful new kitchen or bath can increase the value of your home.

What Holds Us Back: “I think people feel overwhelmed by the scope of these projects,” Amy reflects. “There are other rooms you can renovate for less money, but kitchens and baths can involve plumbing, gas lines, fixtures—they are expensive places to fix.”

How To Get It Done: “Begin by making a detailed plan of your dream room, but be realistic about the costs,” Amy says. To have the stove of your dreams, for example, you may need to compromise on cabinets—or the other way around. “A good contractor will be able to help you adjust your plan to fit your budget.”

3. Conquering Clutter

“Getting rid of clutter and finally getting organized is always on our readers’ list of New Year’s resolutions,” reports Amy Panos, Senior Editor for Home Design at Better Homes & Gardens.

Why It’s Important: Clutter-free spaces not only help you save time by making it easier to find what you need, they also foster an overall sense of serenity in your home.

What Holds Us Back: The urge to get it done all at once. “Remember, you didn’t accumulate the clutter in a day, and you’re not going to organize your whole house in a day,” Amy says.

How To Get It Done: Start small. “Think about the three areas that, if you could get them organized, would make the biggest difference in your daily life,” Amy suggests. “Work on one of them each month, even if it’s only for an hour a week. Focus on one and work on it until you finish, then move on to the next one. Let success breed success.”

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article source: bobvila.com

12 Most Refreshing Remodeling Tips

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During the holiday season, homeowners are confronting aspects of their property more closely, as a result of entertaining friends and family. Being guests themselves, at open houses and small gatherings, those same homeowners are taking mental notes about what improvements or changes they might choose for their own homes.

Here is a listing of a dozen recent remodeling tips for upcoming projects:

1. Continuity

Start from your main entry and see your home as do guests. If you own an older home, previous owners may have added their own “touch” with a different floor, a new color scheme in one room and over time, the continuity was lost. Just be sure to take into account how your home looks from different eyes.

2. Put in some color

There have been many periods where minimalism was very appealing. If you happen to have a home with an abundance of contrasting black and white walls, flooring and ceiling patterns, spend some time imagining warmer colors and the effect, aesthetically and emotionally, such a change might offer.

3. Storage

Whether you’re updating your home for your own pleasure or investing as a means of boosting value, increasing and improving your storage capacity, especially in the kitchen, bedrooms and garage, may add practical utility that will be appreciated.

4. Combine wants with needs

Like any project, you have constraints of financing, time and scope. To prevent your remodeling plans from growing in unhelpful directions, control the scope of your project by first listing those needs your house might have and then build the want list around those needs.

5. Bathroom

There’s a consensus among real estate professionals that remodeling the kitchen and any bathroom will yield the best returns; there’s also an agreement that, of the two, bathrooms are less expensive. Bathrooms get plenty of wear and tear, so remodeling and old one or adding another may combine both wants and needs.

6. Refinish Bathtub

If you have an older home and it contains an iron bathtub, even one in rough shape, don’t replace it – refinish it. Reputable companies that provide this service can take an old tub and resurface it until it looks like new.

7. Countertops

Think of replacing a countertop as a simple, relatively inexpensive way of updating a kitchen or bathroom. For serious cooks who plan on sticking around in the same house for some years, marble countertops with slate tiled (not stainless steel) backsplashes are a classic looks with a modern touch, though more costly.

8. Patio

Don’t think of increasing your living space as an exclusively indoor affair. If you entertain, or if you simply enjoy the outdoors, adding a patio can provide that extra living space that will get plenty of use. Adding to the functionality of homes are outdoor kitchens of various scopes and styles to accommodate climates and lifestyles.

9. Patio doors

Your parent’s generation had patio doors that added to the openness of a room, but also added to heating costs. With leaps in thermal properties, widening your access area to the patio with glass doors no longer mean inefficiencies in maintaining your indoor climate.

10. Radiant Heat

Radiant heat is one way to control the amount of energy you use based upon real-time needs. From accommodating individual preferences to keeping patios floors comfortable and snow free, radiant heat has advantages worth considering.

11. Retirement 

If you see yourself remaining in a home into retirement, consider both the convenience and financial savings of building in easy access/easy mobility features into your remodeling plans.

12. Consult an architect

If your plans involve additions of rooms, removal walls or major changes to the outline of your home, invest the money to consult with an architect. Together, you can head off potential problems that can lead to an unsatisfying result or expensive rework. Like any profession, not all architects are alike, so engage in some thorough due diligence in researching architects far beyond the helpful recommendations of friends and colleagues.

No remodeling project has ever come and gone without periods of trepidation and frustration. Your project will be no different, either. When those inevitable moments come, picture yourself as the host of next holiday season’s open house and imagine the compliments you’ll hear, including your own.

To order your copy of Remodeling Hell, please CLICK HERE! 

*article found on 12most.com

Home Safety - Security Doors

Security Doors – Safety and beauty combined

Christmas begins now for burglars and runs through May.  It’s also the best time to discourage those unwanted thieves from stealing our stuff!  Part of the problem is associated with needed security upgrades to patio and exterior doors.  The days are gone when heavy-duty security doors looked like they belonged in the back alley of a warehouse district.  Today’s versions can be as beautiful as your imagination and wallet allow.

Front, Back, Side Doors

Often, high-quality exterior security doors are made of steel, and these manufacturers insist their product is best.  But a leading consumer group says its tests of steel, wood and fiberglass show all three can be effective as security doors.

The consumer organization says results of testing front doors revealed this:  “our tests with a battering ram have shown little difference in strength among door materials.  All eventually failed because the doorjamb split near the lock’s strike plate…”  In other words, the locked and associated hardware failed before the door did.

Before buying any security door, be aware of its warranty, reliability, endurance, security and maintenance.  Also check whether the security door meets secure by design standards.

In summary, quality security doors can be made of several materials, but you cannon skimp on the locks and hardware associated with them.

Screen Doors

There seems to be little argument that security screen doors should be made of steel or very heavy-duty aluminum.  You can use either to keep the bugs out, but steel is harder than aluminum.  So if you’re set on aluminum for security, make sure it’s more than a typical, off-the-shelf model.

Sliding Doors

Exterior sliding glass doors are a burglar’s favorite anyway.  They typically do not have strong locks, and may be able to be lifted out.  As with any security door, sliding doors often provide features, (and cost more), designed specifically to deter thieves.  Some examples: Double security doors to prevent lift out, perforated steel screens, and oversize locks.  One example can be found at: www.ideasiniron.com/patio-security-door

Security Tips:

If you cannot afford significant purchases, here are some low-cost suggestions to make your home more secure:

• ·         Place a wooden dowel or steel pipe along the sliding door track to prevent the door from being opened from the outside.

• ·         Install double key locks in doors that contain glass.  This will keep a burglar from opening the door by breaking the glass and reaching through.

• ·         Place additional locks on all windows and patio doors.  Choose the right locks.  Spending a bit more on locks is recommended.

• ·         Beef up existing window locks by inserting removable eyebolts in holes drilled into the sash where they overlap.

• ·         Illuminate areas around doors, windows, and blind spots.

• ·         Landscape wisely.  Tall foundation plants or high fences can provide cover for criminals. 

Note: For home security windows, try this helpful website http://www.crimedoctor.com/home-security.htm

For more great home remodeling tips and tricks, order your copy of REMODELING HELL today by CLICKING HERE!   

*article from Arizona Interactive Media

Care Tips For Stucco Tile

I thought this was a great article to share, especially for those of us in Arizona.  Regular maintenance will prevent the problems that neglect can bring.  Some tips for your stucco-clad house.

1. Efflorescence shows up on stucco after one of our rare soaking rains or in spots where your sprinkler has sprayed water on your house over and over.  To banish or at least blunt the fuzzy white blight, mix a cleaning solution of one part vinegar to five parts water, and scrub it on with a stiff nylon brush.  Rinse all of the vinegar solution off with water.   Still an eyesore?  Use a power washer to remove dirt, loose paint and all signs of efflorescence from the walls.  Prime with an alkali-resistant sealer like Dunn-Edwards Paints' Eff-Stop, designed to help neutralize the efflorescence.  Then cover with 100 percent acrylic paint. Keep moisture away from your freshly primed and painted stucco.  Move your sprinklers away from the house or you'll find yourself with the same problems! 
2. Paint your stucco exterior with good brushes.  You'll see professional painters spray painting homes, but that's not a technique for amateurs.  Take the time to tape off windows and trim with painter's tape so you'll be able to paint in straight lines and get less siding paint on the trim and vise versa.  Expect to pay $15 or $20 for a good, 2.5-inch tapered paint brush.  
3. Use elastomeric caulk, not paint, to fill in small cracks in your stucco walls.  Elastomeric caulk is a better remedy because it has great elasticity, so it will move with cracks if they widen, and it will help prevent water from seeping through the cracks.  Covering an entire wall with elastomeric paint, on the other hand, could make your problem worse.  Elastomeric paint is so watertight that it prevents the walls from "breathing."  So if water does manage to find its way into or behind your walls, it will get trapped there.  That can cause problems like bubbling paint and mold growth.  Use the caulk instead to repair cracks, but touch up the paint using a 100 percent acrylic paint.  
4. Paint stucco at least every five to seven years to keep your home more waterproof.  Stucco alone is not waterproof, yet so many homeowners never or rarely repaint it.  Use a high acrylic paint to ward off problems from internal water damage.

Saltillo-tile tips

1. Saltillo tile is thick and clay based, and its less-than-exact character is one of the things that make it authentic and charming.  Those same natural flaws make the tiles a tad uneven though, so don't be surprised if your table and chairs are a bit wobbly when they're placed on them.  Likewise, most manufacturers do not "rectify" the tiles, which means each piece might be off just a hair from the others.  Susan Hoblit, general manager of Tuscon Commercial Carpet Flooring America, says you'll need more grout between tiles than you would with porcelain tiles.  
2. Seal your porous Saltillo every year to avoid stains from spills, and consider installing it in low traffic areas in your home.  Hoblit, who's company installs tile and not Saltillo steers people away from using Saltillo tiles in kitchens, where most spills and traffic occur.  If your Saltillo patio has a shade cover, seal it with a penetrating sealer.  Keep your sprinklers clear of this tile or you'll be dealing with the same efflorescence that plagues your stucco.
3. If you're removing Saltillo tile from a large room, consider staying elsewhere until the job is done.  When Saltillo tile breaks, it crumbles, and that creates an awful lot of dust.  Ask your contractor to close off the room with plastic and tape. 
4. If you love the look of old Mexico but your bare feet can't tolerate a Saltillo-tile patio that's muy caliente, set your tiles upside down.  The undersides of Saltillo tiles are unglazed and courser than the glazed tops, so they feel cooler to the touch.  
5. And if you love the look but can't bare the thought of maintaining your authentic clay tile, consider using faux Saltillo made from porcelain.  Hoblit notes that Saltillo-look porcelain tiles come in a wider variety of sizes than the real deal - up to 18 by 18 inches - so you can opt for fewer grout lines.  And the porcelain version is level to prevent wobbly furniture, and rectified, so each tile is the same size.  

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*Article from Rosie Romero via the Arizona Republic rosieonthehouse.com

10 Tips For Updating Your Kitchen!

In a recent survey, 50% of home owners would update their kitchen out of all the rooms in their house, if they had the money to do so.  Are you one of those 50%?  Is your kitchen in need of a makeover, but you don't have a huge budget in order to make the changes you want?  That's okay!  Check out these 10 ideas for updating your kitchen, which will give it a whole new look, and be easy on your wallet.

 1.  Update your kitchen towels and/or oven mitts!  Adding new, fun and bright colors to your kitchen with towels, mitts or even your kitchen blinds, can change the whole room.  Target or even Walmart carries very bright and fun kitchen towel packs that can brighten a room for around $10.00 for 5.

  2.  If you don't need new towels, how about new table linens?  With the Fall holidays approaching, stores like Pottery Barn and Kohls are carrying beautiful table linens that would add elegance to any table.

3.  Perhaps all your kitchen really needs is a little paint.  Adding paint to one wall -or every wall- in your kitchen can completely change the whole room and make a dull kitchen look brand new.  Don't be afraid to use bright, bold colors!

 4.  Have kids?  How about using blackboard paint for the back splash area above the counter tops?  I've even seen people paint it on the front of old refrigerators to give it new life.  You can write notes to your kids, keep a grocery list, or even have your kids make beautiful masterpieces so they can leave their own mark on your kitchen decor!

5.  Replace your kitchen faucet.  If your budget won't stretch to replacing the entire sink, changing the faucet in your kitchen can give a new fresh look.

6.  Give your kitchen appliances a face-lift!  Try ordering new doors or face panels from the manufacturer of your favorite appliances.  Appliances out dated?  Start replacing them one at a time.  Buy a new toaster one month and a new blender the next.  Many companies are  now coming out with fun colors and designs on their appliances that are really neat and fun.

7.  Update your lighting fixtures.  You can replace ugly outdated fluorescent lighting with track lighting for about $50. Your local Home Depot or Lowes has professionals there to help answer your questions and choose the lighting that would be right for you.

8.  A bowl filled with fruit or a vase filled with fresh cut flowers, placed on your kitchen island, can bring color to the room instantly!

9.   Update door hardware.  Door knobs typically sell for $2-$5 ea.,  so you could easily replace any outdated hardware on your cabinets for under $100!


10.  Another way to completely change the look of your kitchen, is to paint your cabinets!  If the doors are in great shape but you don't like the outdated oak finish, consider painting them for a completely different look.  Black and white are colors that would work with anything, but painting them bright yellow or red, could be completely fun and brighten the whole room and be just the change you need!

I hope you like the fun ideas for brightening and changing your kitchen on a budget!  If you have any ideas not listed, please share them in the comments, I would love to see them and share with readers!  If you haven't read Remodeling Hell which tells the story of building my dream home which turned into a 2 year nightmare, be sure to check it out!  My book has additional money saving ideas for you, and will walk you through my experience offering lessons on what to do and not do when building or remodeling your home!   Click HERE to order now! 

Easy Kitchen Remodeling Tips

Remodeling your home can exponentially increase the value of your home. It is important to remember when renovating your home to begin with the less expensive endeavors. This will create a greater gain when the time comes for re-sale. Simple fixes include fresh paint, new appliance coverings and a new sink. The video below gives tips and ideas on easy kitchen renovations.