You have two options in a bathtub remodel. You can have the bathtub reglazed or you can opt for a bathtub liner. Reglazing involves the use of equipment and chemicals to smooth down the surface of the tub before it's reglazed. This eliminates the long amount of time it can take to have a bathtub replaced, so it's convenient. The average cost is around $500 to $600, so it's far less expensive than a bathtub replacement.

While some people do attempt to resurface their bathtubs, it's difficult to get a professional, long-lasting result, so an expert is really necessary if you don't want to have problems with the surface down the road. The chemical smell can last a little while, so that's also something to consider.

The other option in your bathtub remodel is a bathtub liner. This is a custom-made acrylic or PVC liner that goes over the bathtub. This, like reglazing, is convenient because you don't have to turn off the water to remove the bathtub. Your water can stay on as only the knobs need to be removed while the liner's being installed. Also like reglazing, this can be easily done in a single day.

A custom-made bathtub liner will cost more than reglazing, usually anywhere from about $700 to $1000. It can be twice that if you have a bathtub surround custom made and installed at the same time. Your bathtub will be measured and two or three weeks later they'll return to install the liner.

You could opt to save money and install a liner on your own. Standard bathtub liners are available at most DIY and home centers. A custom made liner will fit your bathtub perfectly, where a standard liner can't possibly fit exactly. This can lead to creaking and popping noises when you use the bathtub and other annoyances. A custom fit liner, however, will come with a guarantee from the professionals.

Since the liner used in a bathtub remodel is PVC or acrylic, it can stand up to a great deal of use and resist scratching and other problems. And the liners are available in a multitude of colors. You can make your entire bathroom look different just by choosing a new color for your bathtub. With a bathtub remodel and a few other small touches, you can make it look like your entire bathroom has been remodeled, but without the heavy price tag.

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Photo Credits: Miss Shari

Originally posted 2009-09-06 12:10:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Paint is Cheap

Paint is a favorite because for $50 to $75, you can completely change the look of a room. This is one of the best bathroom remodeling ideas for under $100. Even if you've got old ceramic tile on your walls that you don't want to have to replaced, you can paint it. You'll need to sand down the tile to remove all the shine and use heavy-duty oil primer and paint, but it can be done. You can also sand and paint (or stain) your sink cabinet for a new look.

Paint isn't just the cheapest major change you can make, it's also one of the easiest and the most changeable. You can repaint more easily than redoing wallpaper, tile or flooring. And you can get creative with paint, using techniques like sponge painting, rag rolling, or even painting upper and lower parts of the wall differently. If you paint moldings and baseboards white, your wall color will look even fresher.

Light it Up

One of the best bathroom remodeling ideas for less than $500 is to change the lighting in the room. You could spend $100 here or $300, depending on the light fixtures you choose. If you've always had a dim bathroom, add more lighting. Change the lighting around your medicine cabinet or add other task lighting around the sink area. Install a dimmer switch so that you can brighten the bathroom when you want, and dim the lights for a relaxing soak in the tub. Good lighting will make any other changes you make look even better.

Clean it Out

Spend some time and money on choosing storage for your bathroom. Bathroom remodeling ideas usually involve changing major things like the sink, toilet and tub. But a change in places to put towels and supplies can make a big difference, too. If you have caddies and carriers and supplies sitting in plain view, find inexpensive storage solutions to get them out of sight, or better organized. Over the toilet shelves, an extra wall cabinet, or just modular, plastic drawers or baskets in your bathroom closet will help you get rid of bathroom clutter.

Add Personal Touches

Change out your shower curtain for a few bucks. Bring in a fern or other plant that will enjoy the steam. Buy a new rug to put next to the tub or in front of the vanity. These bathroom remodeling ideas, all for less than a few hundred dollars, will give you a great new room.

Photo Credits: axeldeviaje

Originally posted 2009-09-18 03:55:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Why is establishing remodel cost one of your most important remodeling tools?  Determining your budget at the beginning of your project helps in the following ways:

• Prevents wasting time and money on a project that turns out too expensive for your current budget.
• Allows you to more carefully analyze bids from general contractors.
• Forces you to decide emphatically on what you want and what you can afford.
• Puts you in charge of the project costs, not the general contractor or subcontractors.
• Provide your designer (if needed) with cost parameters that help keep costs reasonable.

Establishing remodel cost is a four step process.  Follow these guidelines, and you will save yourself time, money and a heart attack when the final bills arrive!

1. Establish Project Scope - Your first step is taking an educated guess on the "scope," or definition, of the project.  Are you looking for a complete kitchen remodel, or just some new paint and cabinet hardware?  Are you going to replace a few shrubs in the yard or install a complete outdoor wildlife conservatory?  Use a bunch of different sources (books, magazines, websites, design professionals, etc.) to write out a few bullet points of each component of your remodel, its current condition, and what you want the end product to be.  For example:  Kitchen Cabinets:  Existing - Natural wood, yellowing finish, no door hardware.  After Remodel - Paint-grade cabinets, white, all new hinges and door pulls.  Follow this formula for each piece of the project.

2.  Quantify Units - Now that you have a general idea of the project scope, assess quantities of materials you will need.  Pull out your tape measure and go to town, identifying critical measurements like square footage, lineal footage, etc.  Back to our cabinet example:  Kitchen Cabinets - 20 standard cabinet doors and 6 drawers, 38 lineal foot of uppers and lower cabinet faces and frames,  26 door pulls, 20 pairs of hinges, etc.  Do this quantity analysis for each piece of your remodel.  Take it one at a time.  Trust me, it is not too much.  Carefully analyzing your measurements and units forces you to think logically through the remodel process piece by piece.

3.  Research Prices - This is my favorite part of any remodel project.  It gives me an excuse to visit every hardware store and material supplier that relates to my scope of work.  Take your list established in step one combined with the quantities establishes in step two, and tour the vendors in your area one-by-one.  Carefully research different options, what you like and don't like, and most importantly, unit cost.  You will quickly discover whether or not your remodel dreams are feasible and within your budget.  And believe me, it is better to confirm this sooner rather than later.  You will also quickly gauge which suppliers and employees know their business, and which are just there to fill space and look helpful.  This information is critical once you begin purchasing material.  (I will cover effective purchasing in a subsequent posting).

4.  Create Spreadsheet - Now you are ready to "estimate" you remodel.  I suggest creating a spreadsheet on the computer, as it reduces the chances of a calculation error.  Begin by listing each piece of your project.  You can either use some industry standard construction cost codes (Google "Construction Cost Codes") or just think through your project from floor to ceiling or ceiling to floor.  Once you formulate a list, put your units from step two in a column next to each item.  Then use the third column to input your cost per unit for each item.  Lastly, multiply the unit column by the cost column and discover your material cost for each item.  Labor is a bit more complex to estimate, but a few quick calls to knowledgeable subcontractors in your area will give you a general idea of labor costs.  Once the material and labor costs are totaled, I suggest adding a mark-up if you are going to use a general contractor (10-20%), and an owner contingency cost (5-10%) to the project for those items that inevitable come up in the course of construction.

I encourage you to analyze costs for any remodel project long before you commit to the time, effort and money it takes to complete such a project.  For a sample cost spreadsheet, email me at admin@cheapkitchenremodel.com, and I will send you a document I personally created to analyze kitchen remodel costs.  It can be easily manipulated for different project types.

Deren S. Monday has spent over a decade in the residential and commercial construction industry, and is a graduate of the Construction Management Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.  He is also the author of Your Cheap Kitchen Remodel: A Guide to Your Affordable Dream Kitchen. More information on this book can be found at www.cheapkitchenremodel.com.

Photo Credits: thekitchendesigner.org

Originally posted 2009-09-03 19:42:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Some of the best home remodeling investments are the kitchen, the bathroom and the exterior of your home. Other projects like a home office or den should be done with an eye toward your comfort and taste more than the return you might get on your investment, because homeowners may not even recoup the total cost of the remodeling, let alone more, when selling after renovations.

You might think that doing a complete kitchen remodel and adding the most expensive appliances and materials would be the best investment, but chances are that you won't even get 100% of that returned when you go to sell the home. The best kitchen upgrade as far as an investment is a pretty minor one. With a minor remodel, you can usually get over 100% of your cost back during a sale.

A midrange bathroom remodel, rather than an upscale one, is even more likely than a kitchen remodeling project to give you a return on your investment. But the best home remodeling project if you're looking to get even more when you sell is a siding replacement. You might get your investment back if you replace siding with new, but to get a big return choose a high-end replacement that costs more than the siding currently on the home. In almost all parts of the country, a high-end siding remodel is one of the best home remodeling investments you can make.

On the other hand, a room addition is unlikely to give you a return. The high cost of an addition contributes to this, so if you're looking to sell you're much better off spending your room addition budget on the exterior of your home or on bathroom remodeling. Also, if you have a budget for new roofing, spend it elsewhere. It's unlikely you'll recoup all of your roofing investment, especially in the Midwest where you're likely to only make back about 70% of what you spent.

Unless you live in the Western United States, a basement remodel or addition of an attic bedroom are unlikely to help you financially. In the West, these things can bring a return of 105% to 108% on the investment, on average. Throughout the rest of the country, however, you're unlikely to even hit 100%. Window replacement is another remodeling job you can skip, because it's rare to get even 100% of that back in a sale. In the West, however, you could go 2% over your investment.

Of course, these are averages. No matter where you're located, you could earn less or more than investment, depending on your local market and housing fluctuations. Even the best home remodeling investments don't guarantee you'll make a return. But by investing in those types of projects, you will at least make your home more desirable to buyers.

Photo Credits: High Peaks Resort

Originally posted 2009-09-26 03:09:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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