Before you buy a fixer that you intend to live in, not flip, do some heart math. Run the numbers to make sure the investment will net out, then ask yourself if your heart is in the project. (Jonoman/dreamstime.com)

The house has potential.

Every time I hear those words, a story follows that has more ups and downs than the New York skyline.

The word "potential" is dubious, as in that kid has potential, that relationship has potential, that job has potential. The word potential gets called out when one wants to infuse a precarious situation with rosy hope and optimism.

Put the word "house" in the same sentence, and, you've just added another barrel to the shotgun.

Yet "the house has potential" was precisely what the contractor said as he walked through the 15-year-old bank-owned house that my friend and I had dragged him out to look over. Neglected for years, the house had been on the market and vacant for months.

My friend D.C. is in the market for a house. I'm along for the ride because I like this stuff.

We've looked at a dozen houses. A couple, such as this fixer, had potential.

"You wouldn't have to feel guilty about tearing good stuff out, because there isn't any," I said. "You could put in the finishes you want (with my approval) and instantly add to your investment."

"I'm looking for a house, not for trouble," D.C. said. His worry level is an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10.

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Marni Jameson: The fixer-upper has 'potential' -- should you take a chance on it?

The house has potential.

Every time I hear those words, a story follows that has more ups and downs than the New York skyline.

The word potential alone is dubious, as in that kid has potential, that relationship has potential, that job has potential. The word potential gets called out when one wants to infuse a precarious situation with rosy hope and optimism.

Its loaded.

Put the word house in the same sentence, and, Baby, youve just added another barrel to the shotgun.

And yet the house has potential was precisely what the contractor said as he walked through the 15-year-old bank-owned house that my friend and I had dragged him out to look over. The house had been on the market and vacant for months, and neglected for years.

My friend D.C. is in the market for a house. Im along for the ride because I like this stuff, being sick in that way, and because D.C. thinks that because I write these columns I know what Im doing.

Someone should to talk to him.

Weve looked at a dozen houses.

Some were brand new turnkey properties with the price tag to go with it.

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Marni Jameson: Calculate worth of a house with heart math

A house on Woodhaven Street in Mattapan with lots of excessive snow and ice on the roof. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

BOSTON With a weekend forecast of snow and freezing rain, many roofs may be at risk of developing ice dams. Heres what you need to know about them including how to get rid of them:

What is an ice dam?

Ice dams are the shelves of ice that often build up on the edges roofs after snowstorms, when freezing temperatures move in, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They can cause damage to roofs and water leaks inside your home. Ice dams also prevent snow from sliding off roofs, allowing it to pile up more.

What causes ice dams to form?

A graphic of how an ice dam forms. (Courtesy FEMA)

Ice dams are caused by snow, heat and cold. First snow falls on the roof. Then heat from inside a home melts some of the snow. The melting snow runs down the roof and the outside cold refreezes it. This builds up and forms an ice dam.

How do you prevent ice dams?

The best way to prevent ice dams is with adequate attic insulation and roof ventilation, and to make sure air leaks in the attic are sealed, according to FEMA. Ideally, this should be taken care of when the house is built. It can be done at later points by professionals, especially as part of roof repair or remodeling.

How do you remove ice dams?

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4 Things To Know About Ice Dams Including How To Get Rid Of Them

As families grow, so do their need for space. In our 18 years of experience as remodeling contractors in Chicago, we have helped many clients improve their homes by enhancing their living space. One of the easiest ways to do that is, if you have a basement, is to remodel it. Our basement remodeling services transform a normally cold and damp room into a comfortable environment that the whole family can use and enjoy.

Rather than just a place to store boxes and unused possessions, you can now have a recreation room, a play area, a space for entertaining or even a small apartment. There are many creative and affordable options for basement finishing. Let DAL Builders give you some ideas and make a plan for transforming your basement into whatever kind of space you can dream of!

While DAL Builders performs a lot of remodeling projects including basements, bathrooms, kitchens, attics, porches and entire homes, we are also very active in new construction projects for both residential and commercial clients. From 1,000 square feet to 15,000, no job is too big or small. Our expert carpenters and tradesman can build the beautiful, high quality home you have been dreaming of from start to finish. We will take you through the whole process for a trouble-free and rewarding experience.

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The General Contractors Chicago Homeowners Trust | DAL ...

Rather than the smell of taco meat, rice, and beans, the smell of smoke and moisture lingered in the air at Cha Chis Mexican Grill Tuesday.

It could be weeks, or months, before the scent of freshly-made food fills the restaurant again.

The eatery closed last week after a fire tore through the historic downtown building next door along Third Street. The fire appeared to have started in the attic and was contained before spreading to the building owned by Cha Chis owners Roman Freyre and his wife, Natalia Istrati.

The building sustained extensive water and smoke damage to the two upstairs apartments and business, Freyre said, meaning the timeline for reopening is unclear.

For now, theyre just relieved no one was hurt and their restaurant, which they opened downtown in December 2011, was spared.

Were thankful the fire department knew what they were doing, Freyre said.

It was a little after midnight last Friday morning when Freyre was in the kitchen preparing for the nights weekend rush. He looked out the window and noticed it was foggy outside or at least he thought. A step outside proved different. Police had begun to gather. Fire trucks were on their way.

The reality of the situation hit him and soon he was rushing upstairs with keys in hand to get any apartment tenants out of the building.

But I have like 20 keys, he said.

An officer had followed him and was knocking on the door as Freyre fumbled to find the right key. No one was answering.

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Fire damage keeps Cha Chis closed; owners hope to re-open in months

An unpleasant winter day can be the perfect time for a stroll around the house.

On a cold day, take a walk around the house and look at the windows and doors, said Jeff Moeslein of Legacy Remodeling in Dormont. They can tell you a lot about how well they are working.

A step outside can reveal small problems that are on their way to becoming big issues, home maintenance experts say.

Nearly everyone mentions the issue of ice dams in gutters.

Naturally, there are problems with roofs. When ice freezes in gutters and water creeps under shingles, the shingles, subroofs and even support beams can be damaged. The leaking also can ruin walls inside the home.

Tom Gallagher of Aqua-Guard Systems in Forest Hills noted that ice dam problems can result in overflows that cause wet areas around foundations. Ground-swelling from freezing combines with heaving foundations to cause bowing and cracks in walls.

Gallagher, whose company deals with those water issues, pointed out that winter is a good time to check the bottom of downspouts.

If a drain from a downspout is clogged, it will freeze at ground level because the water is not passing through it.

Freezing during the winter can be a giveaway for that issue, he says, and warrant more examination in warmer weather. One easy way to check is to put a hose at the drain and run a steady stream of water into it. If the drain is clogged, it will back up.

A better but more expensive way is to have a plumber run a camera into the water route, he says.

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Winter home maintenance often less expensive than repairs

by Jake Lemkowitz July 31, 2014

Have you ever fantasized about renovating your home?

Chelsea Petaja of Oh My Deer Handmades was done daydreaming. It was either time for her to either seriously revamp her house, or else she needed to find a bigger place to live.

But Chelsea and her husband had an idea. If they could turn their homes unused attic into the master bedroom, it would be like adding an entire new floor!

One problem: the space needed a full floor-to-ceiling overhaul.

Not only was the attic completely sealed-off, it was filled with 100+ years of insulation and coal. Just look at that photo below! But Chelsea managed to come through the experience with more space than she expected and her sanity intact

We absolutely love how the bedroom turned out with 2 awesome prints by Chelseas photographer husband Tec Petaja hanging over a Mid-Century Bed, our Penelope Nightstands, and Overarching Wall Sconces.

So how did she do it? Read on!

Chelsea shares the 4 essential house renovation tips that she learned from her attic overhaul, and its good advice for anyone whos ever thought about revamping their home.

1. Create A Flexible Timeline

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Attic Renovation + Essential Tips by Chelsea Petaja ...

By Rose Meily, for Silicon Valley Community Newspapers

Just as they did last year, Realtors rated small and exterior projects as the most valuable home improvement projects in the 2015 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report. Compiled annually in collaboration with Hanley Wood's Remodeling Magazine, the report compares changes in home improvement project costs with Realtors' perceptions of what those projects contribute to a home's price at resale.

"First impression counts. The curb appeal of a home can make all the difference in the world in whether a prospective buyer might consider entering that home or not," said Chris Isaacson, 2015 president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. "Some small projects need not break a budget, but can make a difference in the look and feel of a home."

HouseLogic.com, the National Association of Realtors' consumer website, highlights the results of the report. Top 10 projects in terms of cost recouped include:

1--Steel entry door replacement was again identified by Realtors this year as the project expected to return the most money, with an estimated 101.8 percent of costs recouped upon resale. The steel entry door replacement is consistently the least expensive project in the annual Cost vs. Value Report, costing little more than $1,230 on average. This was the only project on this year's list to recoup more than 100 percent of its cost at resale on a national level. Not only does this replacement enhance curb appeal, it also boosts energy efficiency.

2--Manufactured stone veneer (92.2 percent ROI) has an average cost of $7,150 and offers a top return in remodeling dollars. Lightweight stone veneer is easy to install and creates good curb appeal.

3--Siding replacement with fiber cement (84.3 percent ROI) is long-lasting because it protects the house from termites, moisture, rot and fire and does not need frequent repainting. This improvement has an average cost of $14,014.

4--Replacing garage doors, especially with one that is insulated, adds value to a home. The national average cost for midrange steel is $1,595 (88.4 percent ROI) and average cost for upscale insulated steel is $2,944 (82.5 percent ROI).

5--Vinyl siding is lightweight, low maintenance and easy to replace. Insulated vinyl also cuts energy costs. The national average cost for midrange vinyl is $12,013 (80.7 percent ROI) and average for insulated vinyl is $15,184 (77.6 percent ROI).

6--Wood deck addition (80.5 percent ROI), with a national average cost of $10,048 (about $30 per square foot), extends the homeowner's living area at a fraction of the price of an enclosed addition and is good for dining, relaxing and entertaining.

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Los Gatos: Small, exterior home improvements best value investments

The renovations at Marston Hall have become a history lesson of Iowa State University from a century ago.

Tearing up the floor, workers have found items such as English pottery, an inkwell, lab bottles and a perfume bottle.

On other levels of Marston, a five-gallon bucket for lard, an old light bulb and a cider barrel from the early 1900s with a cup from the late 1800s were found.

The lard bucket, dated to the mid 1930s, was brought up to the attic and left there.

Marston Hall is currently in the process of a complete renovation that is expected to be finished in spring 2016.

Most all of this was common or not unusual to find at Iowa State at the time, said Kerry Dixon, project manager of the Marston Hall renovation.

Dixon, who also oversaw renovations at Curtiss and Morrill Halls, said finding old artifacts from early campus days isnt uncommon, but this project has produced many more than usual.

And Im sure we will find more things as we continue, she said.

All of the pottery, which includes various kinds of plates, saucers and cups, are in bits and pieces and only two pieces have writings that identify their origins Staffordshire and Tunstall pottery.

The items under the floor were likely left there during early construction on Marston, originally called Engineering Hall, when they dug up the water line that is directly underneath the building, running from the now-Marston water tower to Olde Main, which has since been replaced by Beardshear, and other campus buildings.

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Digging up the past

Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romeros radio show with questions. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona. Here are questions about home maintenance and improvement from the Southern Arizona area.

Q: I just had engineered, hand-scraped wood flooring installed in six rooms of my house to replace my carpeting. I feel as if I am walking on a piece of furniture. But dust is building up regularly on the floors. So I need to know how to keep them clean.

A: When you make the switch from carpeting to hardwood, you might think that everything is getting a lot dustier than before. Its really not; its just more evident when you see the dust on the hardwood. So use a dry dust mop regularly on those hardwood floors. You might even want to spray a wood cleaner on the mop or a cleaning cloth before you dust. But dont get the hardwood wet; dont mop with a pail of water.

If the dust really bothers you, you might also want to have your air ducts vacuumed out by a professional cleaning service that knows how to do it right. You also want the duct cleaners to vacuum the coils of your heating and cooling equipment. With hardwood floors, its also a good idea to have door mats both inside and outside of every exterior door.

Q: We have a two-level condominium that was built in the 1970s. Our deck is part of the roof of the carport down below, and lately, during the heavy fall rains, we experienced many leaks. In particular, we have a sliding patio door that goes out to the deck and water is seeping into the house from around the door. Who can do that type of repair?

A: Probably, youll need a remodeler or a roofer. Either one could fix the seal around the door. However, if the slider is that old, you might consider replacing it completely. Call a reputable window and door replacement company for help.

Q: I have a double-wide carport that has one big post right in the middle that holds up two beams in the roof overhead. That post is in the way of everything; is there any way I can get rid of it?

A: You can get rid of it, but you need to add a single beam, properly sized for the load it will have to carry. New support posts also need to be installed under each end of the new single beam. These new posts cannot just sit on your 4-inch deep carport slab. You probably have to use footings that measure 24-by-24 inches in area and that are 18 inches deep. This is a project that should be addressed and designed by a licensed structural engineer and undertaken by a qualified remodeling contractor.

Q: Should we cover the two wind turbines on the roof of our house so that we stop heat from escaping and thus keep down the cost of our heating bill?

A: You probably wont be able to tell the difference, and it wont make any significant impact on your energy bills. And besides, reducing the ventilation in your attic area will have serious, long-term implications. So leave the turbines in place; they are providing a valuable service.

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How Do I Keep the Dust Off My Brand-New Hardwood Floors?