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?

FOODIE EMPIRE: Chez Sabine in Redlands now has dinner fare

Served all month, this French dessert called La Galette des Rois, at Chez Sabine in Redlands.

COURTESY OF CHEZ SABINE

Chez Sabine, a little French cafe at 615 W. State St. in Redlands, is generating a big buzz: merveilleux, magnifique, fantastique.

Those are the raves Im hearing from friends one of them a retired French teacher whos married to a Frenchman about this 2-year-old bistros sweet and savory crepes, omelets, sandwiches, salads, quiches and pastries. The special dessert this month is la galette des rois (kings cake), a buttery puff pastry filled with almond paste.

Now theres a new menu to drool over. Last week, the cafe introduced small plates paired with French and American wines, which will be regular fare 5-7 p.m. every Friday and Saturday.

Its a step-by-step approach to serving dinner, said Jeff Hecht, who owns the spot with Sabine Belhacene and her brother, Karim Belhacene.

The petite morsels will include a sort of pork pate called rillettes served with bread and mustard ($13), broiled goat cheese on toast topped with honey and herbs ($9) and a savory flan with mushrooms served cold with a tomato basil sauce and arugula ($9.50).

For information, call 909-793-2987 or visit chezsabineredlands.com.

The Inland is home to a new juice bar, with another one in the works.

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FOODIE EMPIRE: Chez Sabine in Redlands now has dinner fare

By: Julia DengNewsWest 9

MONAHANS - A garage fire, believed to have ignited when a Volkswagen parked inside experienced mechanical failure, engulfed a N Main Ave house Tuesday night in Monahans.

Fire officials declared the home a total loss, after Monahans volunteer firefighters spent four hours putting out the blaze.

"This is heartbreaking," said Bernett Hernandez.

Her parents, Zulema and Ascencion "Sean" Prieto, own the house.

"My daddy has worked [for an oil field company here] for about 38 years, and that's how long they've had this home," she told NewsWest 9. "It is very, very hard to swallow."

Her father reportedly tried starting his Volkswagen "Beetle" Tuesday evening, had trouble starting the car's battery and left the car in the garage while eating dinner with his wife in the back of the house.

According to Hernandez, they "heard a pop" a few minutes later.

"The electricity went out, and they didn't realize anything was wrong in the garage," she said.

The Volkswagen went up in flames, which engulfed the garage, damaged another vehicle parked nearby beyond repair and promptly spread to the attic, fire officials told NewsWest 9.

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Car Fire Ignites Garage, Spreads to Attic, Burns Down Monahans Family's 'Dream Home'

A house that caught fire Friday afternoon appears to be vacant. Investigators say the home at 39th & Crown Point was undergoing some sort of rehabilitation or remodeling when the flames broke out.

The house appears to be a total loss. Damage was extended into the attic. WOWT 6 News also observed fire crews dealing with a broken hose line. That caused a slight delay in knocking the fire down. It was under control within about ten minutes.

Bad thing is when those things are allowed to burn for a longer period of time, it gets into your attic space and voids, so thats what took us a little bit of time to kind of knock some of that down, now you are pulling ceiling and as you can see we are pulling siding, Rob Gottsch, a Battalion Chief with the Omaha Fire Department said.

There were no reports of injuries. Investigators hadnt yet determined a cause.

See more here:
House Fire in Omaha

(StatePoint) Curb appeal is important in setting a welcoming tone. And if your home is for sale, an attractive exterior becomes crucial.

"Realtors tell us that potential home buyers make a 'street decision' in less than 12 seconds on whether or not to view a home," says Niki Decker of Fypon, a leader in the synthetic millwork industry. "That's a very short time to make a good impression.

August marks the first National Curb Appeal Month, a great time to focus on ways to add value and design appeal to your homes exterior, whether or not you have plans to sell.

The experts at Fypon are offering their top exterior upgrade tips:

Swap a rotting wooden porch system with a new structural synthetic balustrade system that includes porch posts, top and bottom rails, balusters and all the other pieces essential to create a weather-resistant porch.

Trim out exterior windows. Use crossheads for over a window and top with a solid, decorative or recessed panel keystone accent piece. On the sides and below the window, use moulding pieces with plinth blocks in the corners to eliminate miter cuts.

Replace older, rotting wooden louvers with low-maintenance polyurethane louvers. Such functional louvers should have a noncorrosive fiberglass screen backing to keep insects out while allowing maximum airflow and ventilation to enter an attic.

A conventional older wooden door may be inefficient, worn out or plain ugly. Consider replacing your old wooden door with a solid fiberglass door, which is up to four times more energy efficient and resistant to rot, rust, dings and weather. Constructed as a complete system of components, Therma-Tru fiberglass doors, for example, are engineered to work together for lasting performance, security and energy efficiency.

Throughout August, homeowners can enter the online Door Do-Over Sweepstakes for the chance to win a new Therma-Tru fiberglass entry door. To enter the sweepstakes, visit http://www.TodaysHomeowner.com/DoorDoOver.

Make smart upgrades with a proven return on investment. For example, adding energy-efficient vinyl windows, like those from Simonton Windows, as a mid-range project to a home can have a cost recoup value of 78.7 percent, while adding vinyl siding can have a 78.2 percent recoup rate, according to the 2014 Cost Versus Value Study conducted by Remodeling magazine.

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National Curb Appeal Month: Tips to Upgrade Your Homes Exterior

I am an experienced horror movie watcher. I was hit with a wave of both pride and embarrassment when I logged onto my Netflix account and every single suggestion for me was a gory or creepy sci-fi horror film. Im too scared to investigate why I like those movies so much, but for today, I feel it qualifies me to officially declare this attic before the perfect horror movie setting. I can easily imagine a number of terrifying people (and things) occupying this space. Thankfully photo stylist and film maker Matthew Stenerson came along and decided to give this space a new life. Working with his friends, Ryan Fall, Jake Zontelli and Nadia Haddad, Matthew transformed the attic of his 1901 South Minneapolis farmhouse duplex into a beautiful bedroom and office. The full details and more photos are after the jump this is definitely a project that went from scary to stunning. xo, grace

Photographs by TJ Thoraldson

We added spray-foam insulation, a stairwell from the kitchen, (I had to sacrifice my pantry, but thats okay. I dont cook) and some extra electrical. We cut 48 plywood sheets into panels and white washed them with one light coat of paint. I washed the floors and sealed the floors, but didnt have to sand or stain. The front end of the attic became the bedroom with a small closet and the back became a living room and office, with the stairs located behind the sofa.

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Before & After: Minneapolis Attic Makeover | Design*Sponge

News

No one home when fire guts house

By CHARLES WHISENANT Friday, November 21, 2014 5:10 PM CST

The Arab Tribune

A fire on Feemster Gap Wednesday completely destroyed a house. The residents had moved out of the house while remodeling it, according to Arab Fire Chief Ricky Phillips.

No cause had been determined as of press time.

Phillips said it may be a few days before investigators can get in to check it because of hot spots and flare ups.

The call went out to firefighters about 4 p.m. Arab, along with volunteer firefighters from Four-C and Georgia Mountain battled the blaze for about six hours.

It was about half involved when we arrived, Phillips said. There have been several additions to the house, which made it difficult to get to some places in the roof. By the time we arrived the fire was already in the attic.

Another problem, Phillips said, is that there wasnt a fire hydrant close by.

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No one home when fire guts house