(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

DIY Network Greenlights a New Series and Renews Eight Viewer Favorites

New York [For Immediate Release - November 18, 2014] DIY Network greenlighted an order for Breakneck Builds (Tricon Films & Television), a series that showcases the next generation of home construction for families who need a home in a hurry. The network, which recently achieved its most-watched October ever in prime, also announced returning viewer favorites: Rehab Addict (Departure Films), Kitchen Crashers (Big Table Media), Building Alaska (Orion Multimedia), Family Under Construction Hawaii (Departure Films), Sledgehammer (JayTV Inc.), Bath Crashers(Big Table Media), Garage Gold (Paper Route Productions Inc.) and Salvage Dawgs (Trailblazer Studios).

"We present viewers with new and entertaining possibilities when it comes to home renovation," said Allison Page, general manager, HGTV and DIY Network. "Breakneck Builds showcases innovative building methods that people may not have considered before; while fresh episodes of popular series like Sledgehammer and Bath Crashers offer the thrill of demolition and renovation that our viewers love."

In Breakneck Buildsfamilies no longer need to wait months to build a new home. The series follows construction crews as they build pre-fabricated modular homes on the factory floor, transport the pieces via semis and assemble the homes on-site for new homeowners in just two days.

The returning series on the network's slate feature home remodeling projects from both DIY Network veterans and rookie renovation families. Rehab Addict's Nicole Curtis harnesses her experience with interior design, contracting and real estate to rebuild neighborhoods one house at a time in Detroit and Minneapolis. In Kitchen Crashers, homeowners get more than they bargained for when they run into designer Alison Victoria and her Kitchen Crashers at the neighborhood home improvement store. If the homeowners agree, Alison follows them home and transforms their old kitchen into a showstopper. Building Alaska follows daring individuals who set out to construct their amazing off-the-grid properties in the Alaskan wilderness, while Family Under Construction Hawaii tags along with families who attempt to transform fixer-uppers into tropical dream homes.

The network also has renewed several additional programs. Sledgehammer,a series that features homeowners who think they're trying out for a home improvement show, but instead get a surprise visit from contractor Jason Cameron, who promises to fix any room they can completely demolish in 30 minutes. In Bath Crashers unsuspecting homeowners get the ultimate surprise of a beautiful new bathroom when contractor Matt Muenster and his Bath Crashers crew ambush them in the home improvement aisle. During each episode of Garage Gold overstuffed spaces transform into functional places when Kraig Bantle and his family business, Garage Brothers, step in to clear the clutter free of charge. Homeowners get the tidy garage, attic or basement they've always dreamed of and Kraig gets to keep whatever he finds. The new season of Salvage Dawgs features Robert Kulp and Mike Whiteside, co-owners of an architectural salvage business Black Dog Salvage, as they bid on condemned homes and buildings to save beautiful and historic structural pieces before they are lost forever.

ABOUT DIY NETWORK

DIY Network, from the creators of HGTV and Food Network, is the go-to destination for rip-up, knock-out home improvement television. Currently in more than 58 million homes, DIY Network's programming covers a broad range of categories, including home improvement and landscaping. The network's award-winning website, DIYNetwork.com, consistently ranks among America's top home and garden Internet destinations for entertaining videos, home improvement advice, step-by-step instructions, message boards, blogs, an interactive program guide and more. Viewers can also become fans of DIY Network and interact with other home improvement enthusiasts and do-it-yourselfers through Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., DIY Network is wholly owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI).

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DIY Network Greenlights a New Series and Renews Eight Viewer Favorites

Matawan, NJ (PRWEB) November 11, 2014

With the housing market still recovering, many families are getting creative to make better use of the space in their homes. As a result, an attic remodel is more common than ever before.

Many real estate agents highly recommend an attic remodel to their clients. Besides making a smaller home become more attractive to home buyers with kids, this remodeling project increases the home's value, and gives potential buyers endless options.

Stone Creek Builders (SCB) commented on the project, saying, "When a potential client comes to us with a dream of renovating their home, we do everything in our power to make that happen."

SCB is the first to point out that there are many options for families with kids to add extra space, enabling them to stay in their current home. Sometimes, however, it can be quite a lot of work to make that dream happen.

For this most recent project, SCB needed to pass various levels of approval during the remodeling process. First was scheduling a meeting with board members of the Holmdel Department of Buildings to cover why this work was necessary, what the process would be, and what the end result would be.

Additionally, SCB worked with neighbors of the family in order to educate them about the building process and what should be expected. Stone Creek Builders emphasized that working with the community is always vital to their building projects; they want to ensure that everyone is comfortable with the project.

Now that the work is completed, the family is thoroughly enjoying their new found space, probably none more so than their son. The parents expressed appreciation that the extra space will always be usable. Even when their son outgrows a playroom, the room can easily convert into another purpose.

Meanwhile, SCB is proud to have allowed another family stay in their beloved home by modifying current space in the building.

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Stone Creek Builders is proud to announce the completion of their latest project: a remodel to turn an attic into a ...

Published: Sat, November 8, 2014 @ 12:04 a.m.

home-decor business moves from garage to a storefront

By Megan Wilkinson

mwilkinson@vindy.com

STRUTHERS

Struthers locals have noticed that a new business made its home at 11 Poland Ave.

The storefront had been vacant for more than a year. Ashlis Attic, a Struthers couples home-decor and refinishing business, moved into the location officially Monday, and both its owners reported theyve had walk-ins every day.

Ashli Zinkhon, co-owner of the shop, said she and Adam Reuss, her boyfriend and co-owner, have been working for about two months to clean the vacant storefront for their business. She said the shop has a completely different feel from when they started cleaning.

The last people who were in here closed in 2013, but they left it in a bit of a mess, Ruess said. Weve been busy trying to give

the place a rustic look so people feel comfortable when they come in.

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Home decor business moves from garage to Struthers storefront

Photo by: Heather Coit/The News-Gazette

Renovation work continues at Burger King at 2105 W. Springfield Ave. in Champaign on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014.

Image

The Burger King franchise in the Champaign-Urbana and Danville area is becoming a Whopper.

Maruti Seth, president of the Danville-based Group 2029 franchise, started out with three stores in Danville 11 years ago.

He gradually expanded to nine stores, adding two locations in Champaign and one each in Urbana, Savoy, Rantoul and Tuscola.

On Oct. 21, the franchise added 12 new stores, largely in the Bloomington-Normal and Peoria areas. It acquired those from the previous franchisee, Downers Grove-based Heartland Foods.

Most of the new stores are along the Interstate 74 and 55 corridors, Seth said, noting they include three in Bloomington-Normal, two in Peoria and one each in East Peoria, Canton, Pekin, Morton, Pontiac, Wenona and Dwight.

Seth said remodeling of the Burger King at 2105 W. Springfield Ave., C, should finish some time early this month.

When complete, the dining room will have new floors and tiles, LED lights, soft-seating booths and a Coke Freestyle beverage center offering more than 120 flavor combinations of soft drinks.

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It's Your Business: Burger King franchisee adds 12 stores

Meridian, Miss. Members of Multi-County Community Service Agency were out on 45th Avenue in Meridian helping weatherize a home Thursday. If you did not already know Oct. 30 is National Weatherization Day. MCCSA members along with the help of the Navy were out hammering and taping insulation getting the home ready for any type of weather.

They are going to be shooting insulation through the house, through the roof and they say it is going to be going through the walls. And they are remodeling some of the windows because this is a very old house, said Edna Walker, the homeowner.

The reason why MCCSA was out weatherizing Walker's home was to help increase its energy efficiency. The weatherization program is possible due to a grant to help the elderly, disabled, and families with children. This home was being prepped to help save the homeowner money during the year.

We are trying to wrap a blanket around this house, but what we call a blanket. We are putting insulation in the attic. We are putting insulation in the walls. We are putting insulation up under the bottom of the house, because what our job is to help this client save on its energy bills, explained Freddie McCoy Weatherization Director with the MCCSA.

McCoy says that there are ways that any homeowner can weatherize their home and help lower your electric bill.

When you blow a balloon up and when you poke a hole in a balloon, it leaks. A house is just like a balloon. We pressurize a house just to see how much pressure a house can hold. And if a house can hold no pressure it is because it has a lot of air leaks. And that is what you want to do you want to stop up the cracks, explained McCoy.

Well, I feel pretty good for them to come and help me. It is a blessing for somebody to come and help others said Walker.

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National Weatherization Day

We bought our little house a few years ago when we had one baby.

We loved it and it was the perfect fit for us.When I ws pregnant with our third, we decided to renovate our attic.

Our house was built in the 1920s. The attic was basically untouched that entire time. It was

nearly impossible to get into as well. I had never been up there until renovations had started. It was

your typically old and creepy attic. We had a friend who was a builder do the renovations in record timing.

He was amazing and a big thanks goes out to him. He started the work when I was 33 weeks pregnant and

finished it when I was 39 weeks.

We didnt live in our home during the majority of this

process. It would have been impossible to keep kids out of the mess and it wasnt safe

with the dust and chemical exposure. Im thankful that we had willing parents to let us

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Our Attic Renovation: Before and After | The Itsy Bitsy House

Photo: Borges Brooks Builders

Want more livable space in your home? Dont want to spend a kings ransom? Attic conversion has fit the bill for countless homeowners over the years.

Unlike many basements, attics are dry, and being free of major appliances (e.g., the furnace), they are also quiet. You can devote the finished space to any number of purposes: Attics are suitable as home offices, TV rooms, art studios and even bedroomsthe list of possible uses goes on at length.

Related: Planning Guide: Basement Remodeling

Before starting on an attic conversion project, youll need to negotiate a gauntlet of building codes. Of course, these vary from one municipality to the next, but most codes correspond to one or another edition of the International Residential Code for One- and Two-Story Dwellings (IRC).

To view the latest IRC codes (as well as previous editions), go here. If youre confused about which edition bears relevance to your individual home, ask an official in the building department of your city, town, village or hamlet.

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Attic Renovation - Planning Guide - Bob Vila