Home Remodeling & Improvement Virgina Beach, VAHomeTown Remodeling is a Class "A" Builder Contractor specializing in all aspects of home remodeling in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, York County, and surrounding areas.Hometown Remodeling provides the following remodeling and construction services: kitchens, bathrooms, replacement windows, siding, interior and exterior trim, roofing are our specialties. We also perform the following work of insulation, gutters, entry doors, garage doors, sunrooms, screen rooms, solar panels, solar hot water systems, hot water heaters, concrete patios, interior construction and re-construction.How home and kitchen remodeling in Virginia Beach, VA, can benefit you and how to find the best and most cost-effective services for your remodeling project?

If youre thinking about remodeling in Virginia Beach, VA, HomeTown Remodeling should be your first call. We can help you increase the resale value of your home and make your home feel fresh again.

There may be spaces in your home that are not currently being utilized or may not be optimally used. Some areas in your home may be too cramped while others may be too big for your requirements.

Opting for remodeling can help increase the value of your home. Whether or not you're planning to sell the property now, increased value of your property is an increase in your assets. The benefit of the heightened curb appeal of your home as a result of the remodeling cannot be denied either.

Your home can become more energy efficient as a result of smart remodeling and you can enjoy lower energy bills as well. In some cases you could be entitled to certain tax benefit credits as well. Lower maintenance and fewer repairs can make daily living smoother and save you more.

Know more about our home and kitchen remodeling services in Virginia Beach, VA. Visit our showroom, use our contact form or call us at 757-426-0920 today.

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Remodeling Virginia Beach VA - Baths Kitchens Remodel ...

If you suspect you have vermiculite insulation in your home, DO NOT DISTURB IT other than to take a sample for testing or to have it removed. Any disturbance may release asbestos fibers into the air. The EPA and ATSDR strongly recommend:

Source: EPA's Current Best Practices for Vermiculite Attic Insulation, May 2003

Any activity that disturbs Zonolite Attic Insulation can result in asbestos fibers becoming airborne. Remodeling and renovation activities are the most common of these activities. The careful collection of vermiculite samples should not create a significant disturbance.

The EPA and the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) recommend using a trained and certified professional to conduct asbestos work. Removing the insulation improperly by yourself could potentially spread asbestos fibers throughout your home, putting you and your family at risk of inhaling these fibers. Once you have chosen an asbestos professional in your area, your state environmental agency can confirm that the company's credentials are current. You can find your state agency at:

https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/state-asbestos-contacts

Read more here:
Exposure Precautions Zonolite Attic Insulation Trust

Sleeping Nook

This attic alcove makes a cozy spot for two twin-size beds. Keeping the walls white and adding color to the floor helps keep the space bright and spacious.

If your attic is a playroom, pile on vibrant colors to make the space bright and happy. A modular sectional makes a great place to snuggle and lounge. Carpet tiles are also a brilliant choice for playrooms; if one gets stained, swap it with one in a less conspicuous part of the room.

To add both architectural interest and texture to this attic bedroom, interior designer Alexandra Hernandez created a custom headboard/wall made up of individual, burlap-upholstered plywood cubes. In a small space, an accent wall pulls the eye through the room and visually enlarges the proportions.

Play up unusual shapes by covering them in a bold patterned wallpaper. A large floral repeat was used to accent this walls triangular shape.

White walls and floors help reflect light while colorful accents keep things bright and cheery. Multicolored wallpaper adds personality to a small wall and is the perfect backdrop for assorted throw pillows. A striped runner connects the two seating areas beside a small white desk.

Natural light illuminates this clean and uncluttered boy's bedroom. A green striped pull-up curtain adds color and matches the green plaid ties hanging from the necks of the moose head and antelope head wall fixtures.

The sloped ceiling, textured wallcovering and platform beds of this attic bedroom evoke the feeling of sleeping in a tent, an especially luxurious one. Between the beds, open shelving stores books and displays colorful accessories.

An all-white color scheme makes the room look bigger than it is and helps the lower parts of the ceiling seem taller.

This attic was divided into three zones: a bedroom, dressing area and master bathroom. To give the bathroom a spa-like feel, luxe features were added like a soaker tub, a frameless shower enclosure, a new toilet (complete with heated seat and LED lights), marble and glass mosaic tiles and a crystal chandelier. A new skylight helps illuminate the many amenities in this divine bathroom.

A chandelier or ceiling fixture is not always possible in a attic. This designer cleverly used wall sconces to illuminate the attic hallway.

Normally beadboard paneling goes on the bottom of a wall and painted drywall on top. Here it's switched with the beadboard on the ceiling. The lighter color on the ceiling gives the illusion of height and helps keep the space bright. Take a look at the other side of this room in the next photo.

The cathedral tops on the dormer windows add a touch of Gothic style to this cottage setting. For practicality purposes, the entire back half of the attic was walled off to create a walk-in closet.

A gridiron pattern was created on the lower walls with a combination of AstroTurf and molding. The angled walls are not ignored either they are adorned with team logos and artwork.

This bright converted attic bedroom makes great use of the space. The wood floor treatment adds a playful look to the room.

Low walls in an attic naturally make for great storage. These recessed shelves provide plenty of space for books, knickknacks and games.

The slated walls in this attic help make the upper bunk a kid-friendly secret hideaway.

A rectangular attic is a good candidate for a theater room. Use one end-wall for the screen, then set up rows of comfy chairs.

The corner of this attic becomes the perfect sleeping nook with mattresses from Anthropologie and fabric from Zak and Fox. The monochromatic space is simple yet vibrant.

This small space is the ideal spot for a reading lounge or meditation room. Soothing artwork, comfy furniture and practical accessories help provide a relaxing atmosphere.

A cozy sleeping nook is flanked by two built-in bookshelves to create a symmetrical look in this attic bedroom. White walls and furnishings make the small room appear larger and more open.

A freestanding midcentury modern fireplace fits nicely into the corner of this attic apartment. An L-shaped sectional provides plenty of seating to enjoy the fire. Don't be afraid to use a large sofa in a small space. More seating will make the room seem bigger and it provides more functionality.

Blue seersucker bedding and cherry-wood twin beds give this attic bedroom a timeless look, while the printed X-base stools add a modern touch. Natural pine wood floors anchor the room and also lend to the classic look.

In this attic bedroom, the pairing of textured green wallpaper with a beamed ceiling and wainscoting creates an airy, tropical feel. Graphic-patterned fabric on the pillows, chair and window shades bring a modern touch to the room.

To conserve floor space in this attic bath, the designer chose a pedestal sink and built the storage into the slated wall.

Got a new family member on the way? Attics are great for kids of all ages. The smaller ones aren't hindered by the lower ceilings and older kids like having their own space away from the parental units.

Read this article:
27 Amazing Attic Remodels | DIY

Remodeling your attic can not only give you much needed space for your family right now, but it adds to the future resale value of your home. So how difficult is it to turn your attic into an extra room?

Converting your unfinished attic into usable space is one way to increase the size of your home. From recreational spaces to bedrooms, the possibilities are nearly endless for an attic remodel. Before you start drawing up the plans, you should review the following things to make sure the project makes sense.

In a few circumstances it just doesn't make sense to remodel or finish your attic space. The work required to meet code will be so costly that you will want to look at other methods of adding space to your home. So what are the deal breakers for remodeling an attic?

Manufactured Roof Trusses. A quick peek into your attic will tell you whether you have manufactured roof trusses. Most of the homes built within the last 15 years or so have these trusses instead of the old rafter and beam setup. These trusses have webs or cross-members that are structural components supporting the roof and the ceiling below. The truss webs would need to be removed in order to provide the necessary clear space for your attic remodel. Unfortunately, this can't be done ... at least in an affordable manner. If you have roof trusses, you will probably want to ditch the attic remodel and look at other options.

Code Requirements. One code element that can make your attic remodel too expensive would be the 7' ceiling height requirement. According to the 2012 International Residential Code, rooms with sloped ceilings must have a minimum ceiling height of 7' for at least 50 percent of the floor area, and no portion of the floor area may have a ceiling height of less than 5'. In addition to this, your new finished space must be a minimum of 70 square feet and not less than 7' in any horizontal direction.

If your existing roof pitch doesn't meet these code requirements, the only option you have is to raise the roof, which is very expensive and might not be allowed by your local zoning regulations. The zoning regulations for your community dictate how tall your home can be. Contact your local building or zoning department to find out what this requirement is for your neighborhood. You should be able to check to see if your attic will meet these requirements with a tape measure and some simple geometry. If you do go up to your attic, don't step on anything but the bottom cord of the trusses or the top of the ceiling joists otherwise, you might fall through the ceiling.

You may want to consider several other design criteria to determine if an attic remodel is right for you. First, you will need to locate a spot for the stairs to the attic. For a regular set of stairs, you will need a minimum of 36" in width with a 6' 8" head clearance. Where will you place the stairs going to your new attic? Do you have a second floor loft that has extra space? To get an idea of how much area the new stairs will need, take a look at the stairs to your basement or second floor. If the ceiling height is the same, the stair area required for the attic will be very similar.

Another option for the stairs to your attic would be a spiral staircase. These can save space, depending on your current house design, because code usually only requires a spiral staircase to be 26" wide. If you absolutely have no space on the inside of your home for the stairs, you might be able to install them on the exterior, if your local zoning allows it and you don't mind looking at stairs on the outside of your home.

You will also need to add a window that meets code egress requirements for your new attic living space. You need to provide a way to get in or out in case of a fire or other emergency. The minimum net clear opening needs to be 5.7 square feet and be no more than 44" off the floor. This is a good thing, as it will let in natural light and will provide some fresh air.

You might want to consider these ideas:

Consider adding a second window for cross-ventilation, because attic spaces tend to be warmer than the rest of the home.

If you end up with knee walls in your attic, consider adding built-ins to this space. You can take advantage of unusable space (areas with less than 5' in height) by creating some great looking built-in cabinets or shelving.

If you decide to pull the trigger on your attic remodel, one thing your HVAC subcontractor will want to review is the capacity of the existing heating and cooling system. They will need to determine if your equipment needs to be upsized in order to properly heat and cool your finished attic. It can get expensive to add additional capacity. It can also get messy in that ductwork will need to be run from the location of the equipment to the attic. This typically requires cutting into the existing walls or adding a new framed chase to the current living space to accommodate the new ductwork.

You will also need to get electrical wiring up to the new space. Check your main service panel to see if any extra knockouts are left for new breakers. Per code, you will need a minimum of one space per bedroom and a separate one for a bath. If the service panel has no space or if the incoming service line isn't large enough, it can get expensive to expand the panel and add a new line to your home.

One other expense to consider with your attic remodel is the cost to run plumbing if you are adding a bath. Plumbing supply lines will need to be run up through the interior walls if you live in a cold climate. In addition, plumbing drains can be tough to run with existing framing. There is little flexibility when running drain lines, so some re-work might be required on the first and second floors.

If you are building a new home and don't have the budget for a finished attic, you still can design and build now for a finished attic project later. These few simple steps will save you time and money on your attic remodeling in the future:

Provide a conduit (PVC pipe) from the electrical panel to the attic. This will allow you to easily fish wires for your future attic finish without cutting drywall. A PVC pipe can be run from the basement through a second floor ceiling for less than $100 while your new home is being built.

Design your roof trusses for future finish. Your truss supplier can design the trusses to provide open space to use for storage until you actually finish the attic. The supplier will also design the bottom cords of the trusses to support the future floor, furniture, people, etc.

Add a window that meets egress requirements to the attic space. This will be good for letting natural light into your storage area until you remodel the space.

When designing your new home, it's a good time to plan for the future stairs to the attic. Adding extra space to an upstairs hallway or loft will make future installation easier.

When considering any home improvement project, it's important to look at the value the project will add to your home once completed. According to the Cost Vs. Value Report 2011/2012 from Remodeling Magazine, you will recoup 72.5% of the cost of an attic remodel when you sell your home. This actually tops the ever popular major kitchen remodel, which returns 65.7%.

It's always a good idea to consult a local architect or building professional before plunging into an attic remodel. He or she will be able to review the existing foundation and framing to make sure the structure will support the additional loads.

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How Feasible Is It to Remodel Your Attic? - Buildipedia

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Step inside Judi and Marty Noras home in Stillwater and you can almost smell the orange blossoms and taste the tapas. The house, inspired by a real Spanish palace, is one of the most unusual dwellings in Minnesota.

With its soaring ceilings, gilded medallions, columns and arches, it was described as Fairyland when the first high-society gala was held there in 1902 soon after it was built.

Originally, the place was designed to be a party palace, not a residence. William Sauntry, a lumber baron, built what became the Noras house next door to his own Victorian mansion, now a B&B. He envisioned an exotic space for entertaining his friends, and modeled it after the Alhambra, the medieval palace in Granada, Spain, considered the pinnacle of Moorish architecture.

In his Gymnasium, Sauntry included a ballroom, connected to his mansion by skyway, as well as a bowling alley and indoor swimming pool in a separate poolhouse.

But after the logging business lagged, Sauntry tried his hand at mining, with disastrous results. He lost his fortune and committed suicide in 1914. The skyway connecting his house to his Moorish palace was taken down, and his exotic playground was converted into a boarding house and later a triplex.

It was in sad shape when the Noras bought it in 2000 and resolved to bring it back to its former glory. They started remodeling and worked with Henning Restoration to undertake a complete historic renovation. Original columns and decorative woodwork, discovered in the attic, were put back in place, and original chandeliers were replicated in India.

The house may look wildly exotic, but it has an open floor plan that works well as a family home, according to the Noras, who have three children.

Raising them in this space was easy and wonderful, said Judi. The kids always wanted to play here. Their children hosted dance parties and sleepovers in their unusual home. They once pitched a tent in the middle of the ballroom.

But now with their children grown, the Noras have decided its time to downsize from the 5,000-square-foot, four-bedroom house.

Now that the kids are gone, the house is too quiet, she said. Its a party house, a happy house.

Richard McDonough of Edina Realty has the listing, 612-819-3518.

Originally posted here:
Exotic Stillwater home inspired by famed Spanish palace hits market for $1.6M - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Jason and Heather Bristow bought a handsome early 1900s Tudor Revival in Minneapolis, intending to fine-tune it for modern family living, but also infuse it with nods to their backgrounds and passions.

Mission accomplished. Their remodeled kitchen evokes a turn-of-the-century chemistry lab, complete with a perimeter of mini storage drawers.

The dark concrete basement was transformed into a lively English pub to honor Jasons heritage. And an unfinished attic was morphed into a cool Xbox game-room getaway for their boys, Lleyton and Callum.

We preserved as much history and original features of the house as possible, Jason said. At the same time, we put our mark on it.

The original owner, Everett Ward Olmsted, could never have dreamed of this dramatic transformation of his home.

A century ago, the University of Minnesota professor commissioned architect Franklin Ellerbe to design the gracious three-story residence across from Lake of the Isles.

In 2014, the Bristows were living in Seattle, and Jason, who grew up in Eden Prairie, was planning to move his family to Minnesota for a new job.

The couple loved older homes and were hunting for an excellent candidate for smart, functional modifications. They had narrowed down their search to neighborhoods near Breck School in Golden Valley, where they planned to enroll their boys.

After the Bristows had scrutinized 34 houses, and Heather was to fly back to Seattle the next day, they finally struck gold.

The six-bedroom, three-story stucco Tudor was empty, and had just been listed that day. It overlooked the east side of Lake of the Isles and was only a few blocks from Uptown.

Heather loved the Tudor arches and the pristine chunky oak woodwork around the doorways, windows and paneling on the fireplace wall. Massive pocket doors and push-button lights were still intact. Only the kitchen had been remodeled likely in the 1980s.

The 100-year-old house was untouched, she said, in a good way.

But the best part was the unfinished rafter attic and concrete basement, both of which the Bristows could convert into family-friendly hangouts.

The house is built like a tank, said architect Christopher Strom, referring to its thick walls and concrete floors. Strom and Jason had been friends since they were kids, and he designed the extensive project encompassing more than 4,000 square feet.

It involved careful historical renovation of existing rooms and the creation of some new spaces for this family of sports fans, Strom said.

The maids staircase climbs up to the third-floor attic, where Strom advised the Bristows to do it right by adding dormers to bring in light and get that beautiful lake view right across the street. Strom worked with a structural engineer to restructure the sloped roof for the three new dormers and high-performance insulation.

Jasons initial idea was to turn the attic into a gym for the boys. Strom learned that it would be too costly to reinforce the floor and do soundproofing because the master bedroom was below.

Instead, the large attic is a comfortable TV and rec room with a big flat screen to play video games and watch sports, along with a Ping-Pong table and a wall of built-in bookcases.

A home-automation system on the wall has an intercom so parents can tell the boys that dinner is ready when theyre in the kitchen two stories below.

If they dont come, we can turn off the TV with the iPad, Jason said.

Kitchen chemistry

Photos of turn-of-the-century chemistry labs inspired the design for the kitchens unique bygone style. To double the size of the cramped existing space, Strom tore out a back servants staircase and a wall.

Heather, who did all the interior design, had seen many similar-looking kitchen photos on Houzz and was searching for a different approach. I wanted to follow a theme, she said, but not be silly.

Strom came up with the theme old school chemistry labs. When you cook, its like chemistry, he said.

Heather gathered many historic photos and illustrations for ideas. Chemistry labs had lots of drawers, she said, and so does the new kitchens perimeter, each with a numbered label.

She chose a chunky reclaimed elm slab for the massive island, which doubles as a kitchen table for meals and watching sports on a wall-mounted TV.

The island had to be solid-looking, like the homes original millwork, Strom said. But instead of high school lab Fireslate, the countertops are made of more durable black honed granite.

Jason was on board with the chemistry lab aesthetic, but since hes the cook in the family, he wanted to make sure it was functional for meal prep and entertaining.

A BlueStar range with eight burners, a Sub-Zero refrigerator built into a wall niche, as well as a big walk-in pantry, fit the bill. It worked really well when we hosted a year-end baseball party, Heather said.

A taste of London

The finished basement, reminiscent of an old English pub, is dedicated to playing games and sipping a pint. Jasons family is from England, and he wanted to recreate that vibe from the pubs he had visited in London.

He furnished it with a refurbished 1880s pool table placed next to wood drink rails.

Dark rift-sawn oak paneling across the walls echoes the Tudor woodwork upstairs. The cold concrete floor was replaced with easy-care Coretec wood-look planks. The illuminated mirror above the bar reflects rows of glass liquor bottles.

Heather even carried the pub theme into the lighting above the bar. She asked the tile installer to cut off the bottom of uniquely shaped gin bottles, and clipped them into a lighting track in the ceiling.

The Bristow pub even has a Cheers-style entrance an original door and steps lead down to the basement from the driveway.

Dinner parties always end up in the pub, Jason said. Its the best place to shoot pool and watch sports.

Other interior improvements include tearing out an old rear screen porch and, in its place, adding a main-floor mudroom and powder room.

Strom seamlessly blended the new parts with the old by matching the original millwork and wood flooring, and integrating period architectural details. The new kitchen island legs even replicate the columns on the homes front entry.

Heather bought unfinished brass door knobs, dimpled each one with the tip of a screwdriver and hammer, and used Jax to age the brass so the new knobs look like they have always been there.

On the outside, Strom designed a new garage, which complements the homes Tudor Revival architecture.

The Bristows also put in a brick patio facing Lake of the Isles to better connect with neighbors and watch the world go by, Heather said.

The renovation took 14 months, and the Bristows had to move out for part of the time. But now the 100-year-old Tudor will easily meet the needs of modern families for decades to come.

In the past, kitchens were merely work areas for servants, but todays incarnations are the hub of daily life.

At dinner time, Lleyton might be working on Spanish homework at the table while Callum plays with a Rubiks Cube and Heather marinates chicken, all watching Arrow on TV. Soon Jason will be home to grill.

Its a multipurpose room where we can all be doing something different, yet be together, Heather said.

View original post here:
'Family of sports fans' transforms Tudor overlooking Lake of the Isles - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Florida Home-Improvement Associates Quality Windows, Doors, Kitchens, Insulation, Exterior Paints, and Solar Products for Your Florida Home

Our management team has been in the Industry for over 40 years and Florida Home Improvement Associates (FHIA) has been one of the leaders in providing quality products needed to make your home beautiful, safe and energy efficient. Serving the entire state of Florida, FHIA provides high impact windows, impact doors, energy saving attic insulations and exterior paints for the home, and we have a large collection of solar products needed to keep your energy bills low each month. With Offices Located up and down the coast of Florida, including Jacksonville, Orlando, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, FHIA is here to supply quality products at the price you deserve. Give us a call now and get a free estimate.Read more

Impact windows and doors from FHIA are energy efficient, protect your home from dangerous storms, and keep you and your family safe from intruders. For more benefits on FHIA Windows and Doors.See More

Kitchen cabinet refacing and new countertops from FHIA help you create your dream kitchen without the large cost of remodeling. With hundreds of styles available, make your dream kitchen a reality.See More

From energy saving attic insulation, texture coat paints for your home and solar products like solar attic fans, solar water heaters and solar window film, FHIA has everything you need to create a green home!See More

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Florida Home-Improvement Associates - FHA Products

Home remodeling contractor Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia

Alexandria, Virginia (PRWEB) August 30, 2017

Elite Contractor Services, a top-rated home remodeling contractor servicing Northern Virginia cities as diverse as Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax, is proud to announce ambitious website upgrades. As busy Northern Virginia residents search for the best home contractors in the area, the new content upgrades extend the leadership of Elite Contractor Services as a good option for any home remodeling project.

"We realize that our customers turn first to online resources such as Angie's List, Google, and Houzz but they quickly end up on our website," explained Ana Blanco, marketing manager for Elite Contractor Services. "Our new content upgrades help us not only with information on home remodeling, in general, but with specific city information such as for Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax in Virginia."

Interested persons can visit a sample upgraded page such as the page focusing on home remodeling at http://elitecontractorservices.com/home-remodeling/. Similarly, the company is launching localized informational pages such as a page on home remodeling services in Alexandria, Virginia, at http://elitecontractorservices.com/services-areas/alexandria-va/.

THE VALUE OF A LOCAL HOME REMODELING CONTRACTOR

With many aging homes in Northern Virginia and with many affluent consumers, the demand for home remodeling is strong and rising. That said, many consolidated services exist that are not actually home remodeling companies or contractors but rather online services the pull together inquiries. Similarly, many Northern Virginia customers in cities as diverse as Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax would prefer to deal with a family-owned, small business for their home remodeling needs. By upgrading its website to showcase the breadth of service offerings such as bathroom or kitchen remodelings, attic or basement additions, or even custom home buildings, Elite Contract Services is reaching out to Northern Virginia homeowners in terms of online information. Persons, including journalists and bloggers, interested in learning more about this innovative online initiative are urged to visit the website.

ABOUT ELITE CONTRACTOR SERVICES

Elite Contractor Services (http://elitecontractorservices.com/) is a family owned home remodeling company serving cities as diverse as Washington DC, Alexandria Virginia, and Bethesda Maryland as well as Falls Church home contractor services. Persons looking for a top remodeling contractor for a home remodel or kitchen remodel, can reach out for a no obligation consultation. The company consists of expert contractors for kitchen remodels, home remodels or additions, and even specific jobs such as basement remodels or attic additions. The company aims to be one of the best, top-rated remodeling companies and remodeling contractors in communities as diverse as Arlington or Fairfax, Herndon or Washington DC or up to Vienna, Fairfax County or even Rockville, MD.

Media RelationsTel. 703-813-1678

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Home Remodeling Contractor Serving Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax, Elite Contractor Services Announces Website ... - PR Web (press release)

Drive up and down the streets of any neighborhood and each individual homeowners pride of ownership reveals itself in various ways. In many cases, a homes curb appeal is a quick snapshot of what lies beyond the passerbys view. Regardless of what end of the spectrum a home falls on from snappy and pristine to dull and dingy most homeowners have a list of home improvement projects either written down or filed away in a mental note.

With a list in hand, or in mind, the next natural step is to prioritize the projects. Here is where budgets, wants, and desires start to vie for pick me status. One way to help prioritize the list is to consider the return on investment (ROI) of each project. This is especially helpful when considering how a project, or projects, will impact the current and future market value of the home.

Fortunately, each year studies are conducted to analyze the cost for various upgrades and how much will be recouped on that investment when the home is sold. One such report is Remodeling Magazines Cost vs. Value report.

Results reported in the Cost vs. Value report are produced by researchers scrutinizing 29 popular home improvements in 99 markets nationwide. They poll contractors on how much they charge for these jobs as well as real estate agents who share how much they think these improvements increase a homes market price. Next, each projects upfront cost is divided by the homes resale value. The resulting percentage offers some guidance as to how well the money invested in each particular renovation project pays off.

Comments from Craig Webb, editor of Remodeling Magazine, point out that the value of pricier projects rose significantly over last year. These results may come from the health of the housing market. When the market is hot, Realtors are more likely to give value to more expensive renovation projects, because they expect that the market will stay hot and people will pay the price, he explains. When the market is cool, Realtors tend to put less value on those big-dollar projects, because they have concerns about whether the house will get sold in any state.

Despite the uptick in value associated with pricey renovation projects in the 2017 report, once again the highest ROI projects came with the cheapest cost to complete. This year (same as last year), the number one finisher was installing loose-fill fiberglass insulation in the attic. Hidden away and silently doing its job, according to Remodeling Magazine, with an ROI of 107.7 percent, insulating the attic is the only project that regularly pays back more than the dollars invested.

Number two on the ROI list is replacing an ordinary, run-of-the-mill entry door with an attractive steel replacement door at 90.7 percent, third at 89.4 percent was adding manufactured stone veneer.

Data from the 2017 report suggest that curb appeal projects such as new doors and exterior siding generate higher returns than improvements completed to a homes interior.

Reviewing the individual ROI on all 29 projects analyzed in the Cost vs. Value report, its clear that most renovations wont pay them back in full. On average, in 2017, homeowners can expect to get back 64 percent of every dollar spent on home improvements.

Its also apparent from the data that tastes vary widely by geographic location. For this reason, Remodeling Magazine breaks down its data into nine U.S. regions and then further down into the major metropolitan cities of each state. In Portland, Maine for example, replacing an old entry door with a new fiberglass door earned the highest ROI at 93.7 percent. Next at 91.4 percent was siding replacement, followed by garage door replacement at 85.8 percent.

Wondering what improvements, if any, should be made to your house? Craig Webb says, If you see yourself keeping the house for at least five years, you shouldnt worry about value at all. Housing trends can change dramatically in this amount of time, so whats hot or popular today could be outdated in the near future. Renovate however will make you happy.

However, if youre planning to sell in less than five years, then looking at the return makes sense, says Webb. Be sure to do your research. Remember, tastes vary widely by location.If you, or someone you know, has a project list for their home, refer to Remodeling Magazines Cost vs. Value report for guidance and be sure to consult with your local trusted Realtor.

This column is produced by Rick Bisson and his family, who own Bisson Real Estate with Keller Williams Realty of Midcoast and Sugarloaf.

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What's your return on investment? - The Coastal Journal

Who We Are and What We DoEfficient Attic Systems (EAS) specializes in helping homeowners save energy and reduce heating and cooling bills. We achieve these savings through our Efficient Attic System, which targets the unseen inefficiencies caused by your homes attic.

The first component of the Efficient Attic System is proper Attic Insulation. While most homes have some level of attic insulation, many homes either have insufficient or poorly-installed attic insulation. As a result, the insulation is not effective in reducing the heat transfers between your hot or cold attic and your air-conditioned living spaces in the home. Without the right levels of attic insulation, your air conditioner works harder in summer and your furnace works harder in winter.

The second component of the Efficient Attic System is our Radiant Barrier. Simply put, we apply a safe, highly-reflective paint on the underside of your roof decking to block much of the suns radiant energy away from your attic. If youve ever been up in your attic during the heat of the summer, your attics temperatures can skyrocket. This can be damaging to stored items in the attic and will also cause your air conditioner to work harder. SolaShield is the premium spray-on radiant barrier coating available today. This award-winning radiant barrier spray reflects heat away from your home in the summer and back into your living space in the winter.

This remarkable compound is applied just like ordinary latex paint, but its proprietary composition enable it to reduce roof-to-attic energy transfer by up to nearly 80%. SolaShield spray-on radiant barrier is water-based, breathable, and does not interfere with antenna or mobile phone reception.

The final component of the Efficient Attic System is Attic Ventilation. Unlike the doors and windows in your living spaces that need to be sealed tightly, your attic needs to breathe, so the warm air and moisture you dont want can circulate out, as fresh air comes in.

Watch the video above to learn more about how EAS can save you up to 30% on your heating and cooling bills. We're very proud to offer the EAS Satisfaction Guarantee, Click here to schedule a free appointment today!

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Efficient Attic Systems - Attic Insulation, Radiant ...