Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Life

Tag: home improvement

  • Innovative Ways to Use Your Basement Space

    Finished or unfinished, basements are too often overlooked. They are frequently forgotten when it comes to considering available space, due to clutter, dampness and darkness. These issues can be addressed with a few tried and true techniques and basement renovation ideas. Here are five suggestions.

    1. Home gym

    Save yourself the gym membership fees and commute time by installing a home gym. For a modest investment, create a dedicated workout space that changes with your needs. Start with a yoga mat, an elastic exercise band and some free weights. You can find a used weight bench with a bar and some weights for about $150.00, or find working stationary bikes and treadmills for even less. Heavy bags provide a wonderful way to relieve stress and condition your body in the privacy of your own home.

    Make your home gym even more serviceable and comfortable by including rubber flooring and a full-length mirror to monitor your form. Shelves are handy for exercise books, cleaning supplies and bottled water. A bar fridge or plug-in water cooler will help you stay hydrated. Finally, a smart TV that supports YouTube lets you sample a variety of exercise techniques or catch up on the news during cardio.

    2. Home Theater or Music Room

    A home theater delights the whole family and is relatively cheap to install. A large screen smart TV and a family computer with lots of memory are a great way to begin. Good speakers enhance the entertainment experience. Sectional couches (or old movie theater seats) provide ample, comfortable seating. A microwave and a bar fridge allow you to prepare snacks and refreshments for game or movie nights. Carpeting is a good idea to warm up the space and reduce noise.  If you’re willing to make the investment, cork flooring provides a beautiful and forgiving surface that doesn’t need vacuuming.

    3. All-Ages Playroom

    The large footprint basements offer means little ones can scatter their toys and enjoy hours of fun. Shelves for books and board games make the space useful. Install a large table for crafting and painting, as well as for puzzles and games.

    The good news is your basement can provide a playroom no matter your age. Invest in an air hockey or ping pong table, foosball, miniature pool table or a pinball machine to create a grown-up relaxation space.

    4. Bedroom, Bathroom, and Laundry Room Combo

    An extra shower in the family home is a great idea and it gives guests a little more privacy. Installing one in your laundry room can be an efficient strategy. Adding bedrooms and bathrooms will also improve the resale value of your property and provide a convenient place to host family and friends. Be sure you comply with regulations, including mandatory exits and closets.

    5. Bachelor Suite

    If you’ve already got a bathroom and bedroom downstairs, think a little bigger. A children’s room adds convenience for sleepovers, while a full guest suite provides extra income through homestay students or long-term tenants. A kitchen space that includes a sink, stove, refrigerator and table is essential for a self-contained rental unit.  Additionally, a private entrance is the single most important feature tenants looks for.

    Before you embark on a basement renovation, make a list of goals. Use shelving and storage boxes to pack and re-organize everything you’ve stashed under the house. Unify what’s stored into a single room furthest away from the social or living areas of your repurposed basement.

    Invest in a dehumidifier. As the damp disappears, so will the impression of coldness. Cozy is good, but hygge is better.

    Eliminate dark basement corners with appropriate lighting or add a large carpet to unify the space and provide bright splashes of color. Paint walls white or an engaging hue, like butter yellow, to improve your mood. Add to this airy brightness by choosing shiny flooring materials and a variety of small lamps. Use mirrors and clear glass windows to brighten the space or use frosted glass lit from behind to give the impression of windows. Overall, it’s most important to be creative. It’s your basement, after all.

  • Ask a Pro Q&A: Preserve or Renovate

    An open space increases the sense of expansiveness in a room. Dream Team member and interior designer Jennifer Adams explains the considerations for this renovation, such as building codes and historical preservation. Give your home an area to relax and entertain without putting a cramp in your style.

    Question: I’m in a small apartment (625 square feet) in New York City. Is it better to open a wall and expand the kitchen into the living/dining area or keep the original footprint?

    – Laura L.

    Call a licensed contractor and open up that wall with as large of an opening as possible! The only reasons not to might be if there are structural requirements of any type, if you’d be losing too much storage, or if there is some historical significance to your building. Even then, there are probably ways to work around the issues.

    Before swinging a hammer to DIY the project, talk with licensed contractors and your building management and/or HOA, as there is most likely more to this project than you might realize.

    In any size place, especially a small apartment, opening spaces to let them flow together will help make your life better. Seeing a continuous space makes a place feel bigger, airier and less cramped, so you’ll be happier and perhaps less tempted to move. Plus, the openness will make entertaining easier and more fun, even if it’s just you and a friend or two.

    -Jennifer Adams

  • Kitchen remodel: 8 must-know tips before you get started

    There are a number of reasons why a kitchen remodel is trickier than most other rooms in a house: furniture arrangement is less flexible, high expenditures are required on appliances, and a number of functions have to be accommodated by the layout. However, remodeling a kitchen is also a solid investment as it can drastically increase the value of your property. So, before you get started, check out a few tips that will help you make the process more time- and cost-efficient.

    1. Identify the purpose
    Before you select a color scheme or even get a contractor, make a list of the different functions of this space. Is the kitchen going to be used solely for cooking or will it also serve as a dining area? Do you have children who will hang out in this area with their friends after school? There are numerous ways in which you will use the space outside of the primary purpose of making meals, so think through each and every one of them and evaluate whether they all can be incorporated in the design or if you have to prioritize.

    2. Prioritize your investment

    There are items that are worth investing and those that you can try to save on. Of course, if you have your dream budget then there is no reason not to go with top-of-the-line products for everything. However, for the most part it is a puzzle game as we try to put together more expensive pieces with more affordable ones in a nice cohesive image.

    Here are a few things that are worth the investment:

    • Countertops: quality materials, such as marble, will both last you a very long time as well as increase the value of your home should you decide to sell at one point.
    • Proper drainage: there is a lot of waste that we dispose of in the kitchen, often times using a sink – cooking oil, for example. Make sure that you invest in a proper disposal system as well as install quality pipes.
    • Energy efficient and smart appliances: if you have to pay more for an energy-efficient appliance – be it a refrigerator or a microwave – do it. You will get this money back in reduced energy bills and, once again, if you ever decide to sell your house together with the appliances, you will be happy that you invested in energy efficiency. When it comes to smart technology, we are not talking about a fancy coffee maker, but rather a smart fire alarm system.

    There are also a few items where you can cut corners:

    • Hardware finishes: knobs and handles are not worth the investment. When selecting kitchen cabinets, pay attention to the quality of the cabinets, not the design of the knobs on them. You can purchase a different knob or a handle for as little as $4-$5 and it is easy to replace these elements.
    • Tiles: porcelain tiles are often recommended for kitchen floors as they resist chipping and cracking, while also being affordable.

    READ: HIGH VALUE ROOMS: IMPROVING YOUR KITCHEN TO BOOST HOME VALUE

    3. Design based on your habits
    How often do you cook? What is your cooking routine? For example, do you tend to cook 3-4 meals at the same time or in portions? How much counter space do you need? How often do you bake? How much food do you freeze? Do you usually cook alone or with another person? These are all the questions you should ask yourself before you remodel your space. No detail is too small. For example, does it make sense for you to create a sub-cooking space where other family members can microwave their food or wash dishes without interfering with your cooking process? How many items do you need to be easily accessible – from pots and pans to a spice rack? Do you purchase in bulks? That will determine the design of your storage space.

    4. Pay for the design
    Once you have identified what you want and what you want it for, allocate some of your budget for a professional design. Even if you think that you have thought through every possible detail, you will be surprised by how many items you couldn’t even envision that come up when you consult a professional. You may be able to create a pleasant color scheme. A designer will create a stunning one. You may be able to create a detailed storage plane. A designer will figure out how to use dead spaces in the kitchen for storage. You may be able to select quality materials. A designer will explain which materials work best for your maintenance needs. A designer will be able to take your idea and perfect it. This is something worth investing in. The best part is that it can be affordable as well. For example, you can use Arcbazar to crowdsource a dozen of designs from the network of thousands of architects for a fraction of the cost.

  • 10 Tips to Improve Your Landscaping in the Spring

    The curb appeal of your home is incredibly important when trying to sell. A beautiful landscape instantly welcomes potential buyers and emits a comforting appeal that people desire when looking to purchase a home. With spring finally here, you can now get to work in your yard. Here are 10 tips to create beautiful landscaping that will enhance your home’s curb appeal.

    10 Tips to Improve Your Landscaping in the Spring - bhgrelife.com1. Understand the climate of your region and yard

    Your geographic location plays a vital part in the landscaping options for your home, so choose plants accordingly. The climate of your yard is also crucial, as some plants need more sun than shade and vice versa. So monitor the areas on your property, and find the perfect location for each individual plant you choose.