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Home Rx: Regular Maintenance
Ongoing maintenance to your home can be relatively inexpensive. A few dollars for caulk or the occasional can of paint will go a long way to maintain your home's look and function.
A problem occurs when routine maintenance chores are ignored and eventually become a big job. For example, if you check your roof each spring for cracks or missing shingles, you're less likely to have a roof leak that could require ripping out and replacing walls, tile, insulation and more.
If you regularly caulk around your windows and seal joints between the window and the sill, you're less likely to have water coming in. Trapped moisture may rot a wood framing system, seep into your home and ruin your floors and carpet, not to mention help mold grow in places you'll never see it. All of these problems can be very expensive to fix.
Maintain your home regularly. Your wallet will thank you.
Ilyce Glink is the bestselling author of 100 Questions Every First Time Home Buyer Should Ask, and is the Managing Editor of Right at Home Daily.
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The True Costs of Home Improvements
While it would be great to be able to boil down home-improvement costs to a solid on-paper budget, it doesn't always work that way. Factoring in financing arrangements, tax deductions, home-value appreciation, maintenance, and other elements can move your "true" costs up or down. Jim Sulski outlines the various factors to consider when trying to arrive at the "actual" cost of a home improvement project.
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After closing on your new home, don't be surprised if your
first impulse is to pick up a paintbrush. Even if your new
condo, townhouse or single family house is in perfect
condition, our natural instinct is to make a house our
own. Barbara Buchholz, former editor of House & Garden
Guides Magazine and co-author of Porch Style and the
New Homeowner's Handbook presents some issues to
consider before you start.
 How to Find a Contractor
Managing the Renovation
Writing and Negotiating the Contractor's Contract
Finding a Competent Contractor, Architect and Designer
The Truth About Estimates
Getting Your Warranties
Your Rights as a Contractee
Unless you're going to do the work yourself, you'll need
to pull together a team of folks to help you. For small
jobs, you may only need, say, a painter. But for major
jobs, expect to hire a contractor, architect and perhaps
even a designer and landscape designer upfront. Lisa
Skolnik, city editor for Metropolitan Home magazine and
co-author of Porch Style, tells you what to look for.
The True Costs of Home Improvements
Landscaping & Hardscaping
Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?
Should You Renovate or Tear Down and Start From Scratch?
Assessing Your Needs vs. Your Wants
New curtains, new paint job, new appliances, new light
fixtures, and new carpet. The list of things you can do to
improve a home is endless. But ask yourself, "What's the
budget?" Lisa Skolnik, city editor for Metropolitan Home
magazine and co-author of Porch Style and Jim Sulski,
real estate development and home improvement
contributor for numerous publications including the
Chicago Tribune, Crain's Chicago Business and
Consumer's Digest offer some things to think about when
planning and budgeting for your renovation project.
Financing Your Renovation: Home Equity Vs. Construction Loans
Building Your Renovation Team
Change Orders: How They Affect Your Budget
Pre-Renovation: Design Plans, Blueprints, and Estimates
Ways to Reduce Remodeling Costs
How Much Can You Afford to Spend?
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