Want to finish your basement? 5 tips to get you started

By Zions Bank

April 15th, 2014 @ 10:03am

Instead of ignoring all the spiders and bugs living in your basement, finish it and update your living space by adding a theater room, a large game room, extra bedrooms, office or much more. Explore the options of what it would take to made these changes to your home, and see what best fits you. Here are some tips to get you started.

Decide on your budget

Remodeling experts from HGTV say, a basic makeover that you do yourself can range from $10,000 to $27,000. It depends, of course, on how much renovating you need. But if you want an extensive remodel say, you want plumbing or electric done then hiring a contractor is in your best interest.

The price range of finishing a basement with a contractor is more in the $60,000 range. HGTV also says there is a basement finishing system option, a sort of "all-in-one kit" that has everything you need from moisture-proof, insulated wall panels to light fixtures. You will need to hire professionals to install them, but if your budget is around $45,000, this might be a great option for you.

Know the best way to pay for it

Once you know your budget, you should also know how you will be paying for it. If you don't have the funds to pay straight up for a renovation, thenest.com suggests that homeowners can tap into their home equity, pay with a low interest credit card, take out a Title 1 loan, or get financing through the contractor. But remember, the best option is to save money and pay upfront for renovations, thus avoiding debt.

Design the best living space for your needs

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Want to finish your basement? 5 tips to get you started

Kitchen and Great Room (again)

By: lafarmer100

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Kitchen and Great Room (again) - Video

Room remodeling ideas
Room remodeling ideas.

By: Benny Blue

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Room remodeling ideas - Video

Washington, DC (PRWEB) April 11, 2014

Hanley Wood announced the release of REMODELING magazines 27th annual Cost vs. Value Report, comparing construction costs with resale value for 35 of the most popular home improvement projects. The 2014 report provides increased coverage to 101 U.S. markets with an addition of 19 cities. The entire report including interactive infographics is available at http://www.costvsvalue.com and at the newly redesigned REMODELING website, http://www.remodelingmag.com. REMODELINGs website is now mobile optimized so the Cost vs. Value Report can be viewed on tablets and smart phones.

For the second consecutive year, Cost vs. Value data show that the value of remodeling is up for all 35 projects included in the survey. The trend signals an end to the long slide in the cost-value ratio, which began its fall in 2006 and didnt begin to rebound until 2013. For 2014, the cost-value ratio stands at 66.1%, a jump of 5.5 points over last year and the largest increase since 2005, when the ratio jumped 6.1 points to reach its high of 86.7 percent.

For the first time in four years, improved resale value of residential housing had more of an influence in the cost-value ratio than did construction costs, said Sal Alfano, Editorial Director of REMODELING.

In 2014, the top recouping projects were:

Under $5,000:Entry Door Replacement (96.6%); Garage Door Replacement (83.7%); Garage Door Replacement (82.9%) and Fiberglass Entry Door Replacement (70.8%)

$5,000 - $25,000:Wood Deck Addition (87.4%); Fiber-cement Siding Replacement (87.0%); Minor Kitchen Remodel (82.7%); Wood Window Replacement (79.3%); Vinyl Window Replacement (78.7%)

$25,000 - $100,000:Attic Bedroom (84.3%); Basement Remodel (77.6%); Major Kitchen Remodel (74.2%); Garage Addition (69.3%); Family Room (68.8%)

Greater than $100,000: Two-Story Addition (71.8%); Master Suite (67.5%); Major Kitchen Remodel (63.6%); Master Suite (56.0%)

Visit the Cost vs. Value website at http://www.costvsvalue.com to download side-by-side national, regional, and city data tables.

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Hanley Wood Releases REMODELING Magazines 2014 Annual Cost vs. Value Report

April 8, 2014 Public participation limited by Tipton meeting room Commissioners authorize contract to remodel first floor conference room

By Martin Slagter Kokomo Tribune Kokomo Tribune The Kokomo Tribune Tue Apr 08, 2014, 02:50 AM EDT

To meet increasing demand for more seating at its meetings, the Tipton County Board of Commissioners is looking into moving operations down a floor inside the county courthouse building.

Commissioners agreed to hire architecture firm DLZ to negotiate a contract for remodeling the first floor conference room, which would become a central meeting room for many of the city and county boards and commissions.

Once a contract is approved, Tipton County Commissioner Joe VanBibber said DLZ will design the best use of the space, which currently is used to conduct meetings for the city and county plan commissions and the countys board of zoning appeals.

Over the years, it has been what I consider the stepchild office in the courthouse, he said. It was originally a license branch and now it seems like it is a place where if theres furniture they dont know where to put, they take it to the conference room.

VanBibber said sound quality problems and a lack of space in the commissioners current room on the east end of the second floor have prompted the commissioners to look into other options.

County Engineer Phil Beer said the second floor meeting room lacks proper sound quality for meetings and uses a portable sound system. It can hold between 25 and 30 people during meetings, and Beer expects if operations were moved to the first floor room, capacity could at least be doubled.

It would be a flexible space and would be more of a permanent meeting room with 10 to 12 spots for [officials] at the front of the room instead of just a few, he said. There are a couple of issues, with one being there is a post that sits in the middle of the room. We might remove that, but that will all be part of the design process. We dont have a permanent sound system, so were looking at something a little more permanent.

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Public participation limited by Tipton meeting room

Posted on: 2:27 pm, April 7, 2014, by Katie DeLong, updated on: 08:40pm, April 7, 2014

RACINE (WITI) Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling has now released pictures of its work inside Mitchell School following a fire back on February 27th. Paul Davis says its crews were able to get the school ready for Mitchell Elementary School students to return on March 18th getting work done inside the school more than 12 hours ahead of schedule.

Fire raced through the elementary schools multi-purpose room early on February 27th.

Paul Davis Restoration says thousands of man-hours were spent cleaning and repairing the site over two weeks.

Paul Davis says both Mitchell Elementary School and Mitchell Middle School were uninhabitable after the fire due to smoke, soot and water damage which permeated the 217,000 square foot two-story structure on Drexel Ave. in Racine.

Soot was caked onto most surfaces with a smoky odor throughout the building and an inch of water standing in many first-floor offices and classrooms, according to Paul Davis.

Demolition crews from Paul Davis National and Paul Davis Restoration and Remodeling of Southeast Wisconsin were permitted to be onsite with preliminary clean-up and stabilization on the night of the fire.

The company started the large-scale work just four days after the fire broke out.

The fire was intense causing the roof to collapse in some parts of the building and destruction throughout most of the school.

When the roof collapsed in the multi-purpose room, the remaining areas of interior and exterior walls also caved in.

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Paul Davis releases photos of work done after fire at Mitchell School

Submitted A remodeling project, completed by Vogue Interiors Leslie Gebert at a residence in Shadow Wood at The Brooks, is an example of how a new interior can provide a new lease on life.

BONITA SPRINGS A remodeling project, completed by Vogue Interiors Leslie Gebert, Allied Member, ASID at a residence in Shadow Wood at The Brooks, is an example of how creating a new interior can provide a new lease on life.

Engaged by a client, who is relocating from Michigan to Southwest Florida, Gebert completely transformed a one-story, 3,021 square feet home that includes four bedrooms, three baths, a study, a formal dining room, a great room and a large outdoor living area. The result is a home that is elegantly appointed and perfectly sized for a client who is seeking a simpler, more flexible lifestyle.

This is the third home Ive worked on with this client and she has become a very good friend of mine, said Gebert. She has gone through some changes in her life and realized she did not need as much space. Ive admired how seamlessly she has eased into this simpler lifestyle that allows her the flexibility to entertain and travel. This was a very extensive remodeling project that is more about condensing her life into one home. Vogue and Golden Remodeling Inc. of Bonita Springs transformed a Tuscan look that was 12 years old into a transitional space with a fireplace and a completely renovated kitchen and master bathroom. The color palette is neutral with pops of marine blue and persimmon.

Geberts color palette plays against dark espresso cabinetry and an espresso floor to ceiling wall treatment on a very long inset wall in the great room. An applied molding treatment above the cabinetry frames a flat screen television that can be hidden behind touch-latch doors. A flush-mounted 54-inch Eco Smart fireplace was installed within the wall treatment and serves as a focal point in the room. Glass-fronted cabinetry is incorporated in a dry bar and wine cooler finished with a granite counter top with a mix of blues, grays, rust and ivory. Furnishings in the great room include a squared-off sectional sofa with a beige nubby herringbone fabric, an oversized cocktail ottoman featuring an ivory leather perimeter and a center tray, a contemporary putty-toned leather recliner and a delicate arm chair with blue fabric. An off-white textured shag rug has been placed in front of the sofa against the great rooms porcelain tile flooring.

My intention is to create a great room space that has a big wow factor, said Gebert. The dynamic wall treatment and fireplace crafted by Golden Remodeling achieve that. The addition of the espresso cabinetry, the applied molding details and especially the fireplace represents a very significant change for this home. Its a very fresh, up-to-date look that will have great appeal well into the future. Weve kept everything very clean-lined and eliminated the curves in the great room space. The room opens to the outdoor living area so its important everything flows in a way that will extend the comfort level outside.

Gebert also made substantial changes in the kitchen. All of the soffits were eliminated. New espresso cabinetry has been installed along with lighted cabinets with seeded glass fronts across the top of the wall. The island base now has an espresso finish. The same blues, grays, rust and ivory granite used at the dry bar are featured on the perimeter and island counter tops. To avoid competing with the tones of the granite, Gebert designed a backsplash with stainless steel metal tiles.

The light tones of the formal dining room convey a dramatic, formal look that is especially appealing at night. A beautiful dining table features antiqued mirror accents embedded around the edge. Upholstered host and hostess chairs and side chairs with light wood frames play against a tailored drapery treatment with inverted pleats. The draperies break on the floor to reinforce the more formal feeling of the room. The walls are finished with brown-bronze metallic grass cloth with a silver thread accent.

In the den, Golden Remodeling installed new dark-toned, hand-scraped hardwood flooring set on the diagonal. The flooring and a floor-to-ceiling ivory grass cloth wall covering compliment the clients desk, chocolate brown and ivory zebra print rug and book cases.

The master bedroom features a mix of ivory, Robins egg blue and soft gray. The metallic gray faux suede upholstered bed plays against soft gray walls, ivory-toned carpeting and the tray ceilings soft blue finish. The look is complimented by espresso night stands with mirrored fronts.

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Vogue creates new living spaces with Shadow Wood at the Brooks remodel

To fulfill a dream often takes the help of many people. For 11 year-old Jesse Stolle, the dream of a room made just for his special needs became a reality through the work of Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City and the Topeka Professional Remodelers Council of the Topeka Home Builders Association (THBA). It took the efforts of many people, who started as strangers but grew into friends, to make this dream room real.

On a recent afternoon, Jesse enjoyed playing with his trains in the beautiful basement room built just for him. He chattered away as he moved the small engines and box cars around the track on a table full of trains. His mom, Kim Stolle, said, His trains were in the basement before the remodel, but he would never come down here, probably because it was too dark and ugly. Now he comes down every day.

This dream began with Kim, who wanted a room in her home that fit Jesses special needs and allowed the family to spend time together. When Jesse was born, he weighed less than two pounds and only had a 40-percent chance of survival. Now he has autism, as well a limited vision and hearing. Plus, the ventilator that kept him alive in those first days of life damaged his lungs.

A year ago, Kim passed her dream for Jesse on to the Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City. The organization fulfills 60 to 90 dreams each year for critically or chronically ill kids. The group is managed completely by volunteers, and Jesses room wish was given to dream manager Dick Smith to make come true.

In the beginning when I accepted this dream, I didnt know how to get started since I wasnt familiar with Topeka, Smith remembered. He went for assistance to Doug Kinsinger, president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce. It was Kinsinger who suggested he contact the THBA. If it hadnt been for Doug, I might still be pounding the pavement in Topeka looking for help.

Rick Hudkins, vice president of PDQ Construction, was the projects manager for the Remodelers Council. He said. Im the chairman for the council, and whoever is chairman gets to pick a project for the council to consider. The Topeka Home Builders Association is a part of the community, so we like to give back when we can.

Working as the general contractor, Hudkins passed a list of the jobs that needed to be done around at a council meeting. When he got the list back, Plumbing by Carlson signed up even though there was no plumbing work to be done. Instead they signed up to do painting chores, saying, Plumbers can paint, too.

Work began last November and was completed in February. The sensory room is designed to be a calming, safe place for Jesse to explore. The walls are painted in peaceful shades of blue. It is a bright space thanks to extra lighting and white window shades that give both privacy and daylight. Also, a 50-inch high-definition television and surround system allow Jesse to view his favorite programs and the family to enjoy time together.

In one corner of the room, a black-canvas swing is suspended from the ceiling. The swings motion is calming to Jesse. He has one like it at his school, Jay Shideler Elementary, and loved one Kim discovered at last years Kansas City Renaissance Festival. Calls were made to the Festival organizers, and the swing was secured from SKY Chairs in Minnesota.

The flooring is a warm faux wood vinyl plank. Carpeting was first suggested for the floors since it would be warmer on the feet in the basement room. However, the family has a dog that sometimes has accidents inside, so the wood floor was installed. They knew it was the right choice when Jesse took out his trains and began to run them along the floor. Smith said, He never could have done that with carpeting.

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At Home Living: A Dream room for Jesse

By Shelley Widhalm

Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Vanessa Cox, a participant at Easter Seals Colorado Wings, a provider of day programs for developmentally disabled adults, shows one of the paintings she created there. The agency is in the process of remodeling, which will include new shelving in the art room to hold supplies and artwork. (Jenny Sparks / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Katie Dockery shook a sparkly, purple pompom Thursday to invoke touch, sound and sight in the new sensory room at Easter Seals Colorado Wings.

Dockery, director of the day program for adults with developmental disabilities, pointed out a lamp with colorful lights, the bright pictures on the walls, the beanbag and couch, and a list of items that stimulate the senses, such as leis, beads and felt strips.

"All of the stuff we have in here stimulates your senses, except for smell, because it can be overwhelming," Dockery said, explaining that an activated sense of smell can bring on seizures for some of the day-program participants.

The sensory room is among the list of remodeling projects underway at the Easter Seals facility, 1656 Topaz Drive. Work started mid-February and is expected to be finished at the beginning of May prior to an open house at 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, May 7.

"We just changed around the layout we do have," Dockery said.

The $17,000 project paid with $7,000 in donations and the rest from Easter Seals provided for a joint restroom and changing room, new flooring and painting, and finishing the upstairs area with carpeting, paint, blinds and furniture for a supported employment center.

The supported employment center, which spans 400 square feet, will offer participants job coaching on getting and keeping a job, plus placement services in job enclaves, where a group of up to eight people collectively will do a job together to learn job skills. A job enclave is already at work at the ReStore in Loveland with participants earning money based on their performance.

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Easter Seals Colorado Wings remodels facility to add sensory room without adding space

As megaresort trend fades, companies focus on luxury in small settings 2 April 2014

By Howard Stutz

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas is getting smaller.

That is, if you call 1,600-room and 1,100-room Strip hotels boutique properties.

By the end of the year, Las Vegas will have about a half-dozen hotel-casinos that operators classify as boutique, luxury or lifestyle in their marketing efforts.

Its actually not a unique concept.

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and The Palms Casino Resort, for example, began as smaller hotel-casinos before expansions grew their room bases.

The idea was to break from the Strips megaresort business model 3,000 or more rooms and suites, multiple restaurants and entertainment venues, large retail and convention facilities for something a little more intimate.

Karie Hall, general manager of the 188-room The Cromwell Caesars Entertainment Corporations entry into the boutique hotel market said personalized service is a balancing act. Customers of smaller properties want to be known to the staff, but they also want to be unknown so that the level of service isnt smothering, especially in Las Vegas.

A smaller property allows you to keep things new and fresh, Hall said. You know a customers personality, their wants and what they dislike. And you also know the level of service to provide.

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As megaresort trend fades, companies focus on luxury in small settings