Bathrooms and Kitchens: ROI on Equity for Homeowners

It’s no secret to both real estate agents and astute homeowners alike that there are two main areas of the home that are gold mines for ROI (Return On Investment) when you’re talking home equity. The kitchen is one, and bathrooms are the other.

Kitchens as Family Gathering Places

Kitchens were the main family gathering place in the old days for a couple of reasons. First, there was the big table right in the middle to sit around while enjoying a cup of java and a slice of pie.

If you are lucky enough to have an older, well-built home, please consider refinishing vintage kitchen cabinets rather than scrapping them.

Secondly, in colder climates, that big wood-burning stove made it the obvious place to congregate. It was on anyway, baking the daily bread (or some more of all that pie)!

For a couple of decades, the family kitchen lost some popularity to the den or the living room. But in the past decade or so, the kitchen has reclaimed its rightful place, as architects have opened it up to the rest of the house, made it more spacious, and added central islands, butcher block countertops, and experimented with new materials such as concrete for countertops.

These are the reasons why real estate agents showcase kitchens to potential buyers.

Bathrooms – Intimate as well as Functional

But as I said, the bathroom is also a big ticket room. Bathrooms are both intimate and functional. What can you, as a DIY warrior do for a bathroom makeover? Many things.

Tile is the most popular wall finish for tub and shower surrounds, with ceramic tile being the favorite. Tile is also the most highly recommended flooring material. Installing laminate flooring in bathrooms is inadvisable because of the water present there. Carpeting is a no-no for obvious reasons. Hardwood floors work well, if you have the inclination to pay close attention and keep them well sealed.

When planning a bathroom remodel, consider how much you can spend and what you want to accomplish. Want a new tile look but don’t want to go through all the mess and expense of a total demolition and installing bath tile again? Consider applying tile tattoos.

Removing that tired wallpaper and painting? Easy enough.

Bathroom Lighting – Incandescent Lighting is Being Phased Out

Lighting? Incandescent lighting is taking a popularity hit recently because of energy inefficiency. In fact, the President’s recent power bill set a time line for phasing out incandescent lighting. Why not look into installing LED lighting or low-voltage halogen lighting?

When making any bathroom wiring changes, check the local building code and know what you're doing.

Big changes or little changes, modernizing your kitchen or bath can reap big equity gains.

Tune Up Your Home's Heater

My last blog was about troubleshooting your thermostat when your air conditioner or heater is ill and not doing just what you tell it to. This is always (well, almost) the first thing to look at since it's easy to do and can save you some money on a service call.

If the problem is any worse, the average DIY type might not be able to take care of it. For instance, the stiff regulations for buying and venting refrigerant mean that if you're not licensed you'll have to call someone that is. Unless you've got some good connections to the black market, but you didn't hear that from me!

Questions about Home Heating Systems

Due to the responses I got from both blog readers and the readers of the original thermostat troubleshooting article over at my page at Suite101, I went a little deeper explaining home heating systems, both air distributions and water distribution systems.

So I wrote an article on how heating systems work.

Granted, it took a bit of research for the boiler and radiator systems. There's not many of them here in South Texas. The only time I've really been exposed to radiators was when I was stationed in Maine. Brrrrr!

Tune Up Your Thermostat and Ductwork

But there are a number of things you can do to tweak your system. These are things I do at least once a year, sometimes twice. The no-brainer is to keep a high-quality clean air filter at the return. The next thing is to clean your thermostat and adjust the thermostat anticipator. Both procedures are outlined in the article.

Replacing flexible ducts is another thing you can do, and this is the time of year to do it if your ductwork is in the attic (summer is too hot). I did this in my house a few years ago and used the opportunity to balance the air flow throughout my home's registers. I don't know what the builders were thinking.

Stay tuned; I'm planning to write an article and blog on air conditioning soon!

Fix or Troubleshoot Your Thermostat

I usually try to leave the thermostat alone in the house during the winter. In other words, just leave the heater off and dress right. Although I can do it here in South Texas (we rarely have a cold freeze and 40's at night are the norm), I understand that many of you don't have that luxury.

The real thing that most folks don't consider when they try to conserve their energy pennies is the thermostat. It just sits there on the wall and doesn't tell you when it's sick - just when it's terminal.

Sooo, if things are going horribly wrong, troubleshoot and fix your thermostat first. Don't just call the heating and cooling serviceman! Chances are that you can fix this yourself and the most it will cost you is a little time.

Summertime should be considered as well. Even if the thermostat is out of whack by a tiny five degrees, consider how much the energy waste adds up over a period of time when the air conditioner is running 24/7!

So what to do? First, make sure to change the filter on a monthly basis. It will keep both you and your air conditioning/heating furnace system healthy and operating efficiently. Secondly, make a point to open up your thermostat. Take a look at it. Clean the bimetal coil. Adjust the thermostat anticipator (don't you love that term?).

Finally, if you've got an old basic type of thermostat, consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat, especially if the home will be unmanned for a good period of time during the day. As a good DIYer, I'm sure you can find something to do with the savings!

Thaw a Frozen Water Pipe

We just got our first close-to-freezing weather here in South Texas and I expect it to get even colder tonight. Judging by some of the online questions I’ve answered today, it’s the same all over. A large percentage of the questions are about one topic – thawing frozen water pipes.

There are a lot of misconceptions floating around in cyberspace. One woman is getting cold water in her bathroom but not a drip out of the hot side. She had thought that only the cold side could freeze. The fact of the matter is that ol’ Jack Frost could care less what kind of water the pipe carries – when it’s not running.

What it boiled down to (no pun intended) is that the hot water line was in an exterior wall in an un-insulated older home.

Locate the Frozen Water Pipe

So what do you do if you find yourself in this situation? The first thing to do is find the frozen section. Look for the section between the point of origin and where the tap won’t flow. The most obvious section will be the most exposed section.

Look in attics, crawl spaces, or in the case of the woman above, a wall.

Thaw the Frozen Water Pipe

Thawing a frozen water pipe is not going to be the most pleasant of chores, but it’s important to attack it right away. Procrastination raises the chance of a burst pipe as the ice expands.

Then you’ve really got trouble!

There are several ways to thaw your frozen water pipe. Use any or all of them, whichever works best in your particular situation.

• Get a space heater in there; it will help thaw the pipe and keep you from freezing at the same time.
• Use a hair dryer or heat gun. Just remember to keep the thing moving. Spread the joy.
• Cover the pipe with hot-water soaked towels. The trick with this method is to keep changing them out.
• Use an electric heating pad. Much better than the aforementioned towel trick.Keep the tap open. As soon as water starts flowing, it will thaw from the inside as you work from the outside.

Prevent Future Frozen Water Pipes

Four words here: install insulation, insulation, insulation. The more you can do to keep the elements away from the pipes, the better. Other options are UL-listed "heat tape," and "heat cable".

Hopefully you won’t need these tips, but if you do, brew some coffee and get on task!

Drywall Texturing Made Easy

Most DIY homeowners can follow instructions for framing a wall. When it comes to hanging the drywall - no problem. Taping and floating drywall is a breeze after a bit of practice. Everyone can paint a finished wall or ceiling (although most find it tedious).

The one step that can be intimidating is drywall texturing. It need not be so! When terms like "crow's foot brush", "stomp", "orange peel", and "California knockdown" are bandied about, the process sounds a bit exotic.

Taking the Mystery out Texturing

Actually, texturing drywall can be as simple and inexpensive as you make it. There's no real reason to rent a compressor and hopper or buy expensive texture additives. There are simple texturing techniques using just a paint roller, pan, and drywall compound.

But my favorite method involves a texture knockdown tool that I made about ten years ago. It only took about twenty minutes to brainstorm, a few bucks spent, and an hour to build. Since it's a custom tool, the resulting texture pattern is unique.

In the years since, the end results have been remarked favorably on by customer after customer !

Why Texture at All?

Why indeed? There are several reasons. First, residential wood framing is not perfect. Some studs are bound to be slightly warped. Unfortunately, what seemed a minor defect initially becomes a major eyesore later.

Do you have the time or inclination to float and sand a dozen times? No, I didn't think so!

The next reason involves your choice of paint. If you plan to use a gloss, semi-gloss, or satin sheen paint, any imperfections are visually amplified. A texture will make them unnoticeable.

Finally, a creative texture adds character to any wall or ceiling. Subdivisions may be awash in cookie-cutter homes and your homeowners association may veto external modifications, but you can still make the interior scream, "Hey, this is my house, and I've got style!"

Flooring - Laminate or Hardwood

It's no wonder that floors are right up there in the top ten when homeowners are ready for a bit of a remodel on the old homestead. Not surprisingly, one question I often get from my DIY readers at Suite101 is, "Which is a better way to go, traditional hardwood flooring or laminate flooring?"

Well, in a nutshell the answer is, "It depends". Not trying to be vague here, but it depends on a number of factors. Both hardwood floors and laminate floors have their pros and cons. Let's look at a few of them...

Hardwood Flooring, Pros

• Installing hardwood flooring. Installing tongue and groove planks is a bit easier than laminate because because you only have to deal with mating up on the long side.
• Maintenance. Unlike laminate planks, you can wet-mop properly-sealed hardwood to your heart's content.
  

Hardwood Flooring, Cons

• Finishing hardwood flooring. Unless you go with the more costly prefinished planks, you will have to sand, perhaps stain, and apply a finish. This significantly adds to the cost and labor. If you're looking for a weekend DIY project, you'll be disappointed.
• Cost. Prepare to pay more for material. This wood is the real thing.
• Maintenance. Caring for hardwood floors is straightforward. Although not mandatory, hardwood looks better with a periodic waxing.
  

Laminate Flooring, Pros

• Installing laminate flooring. On the bright side, laminate weighs next to nothing. Moving it around will not leave you sore the next day.
• Maintaining laminate flooring. The prefinished laminate planks are very tough and scratch resistant. As a matter of fact, it's not recommended to wax them.
• Cost. Laminate is cheaper than hardwood. It's cheaper to produce and since competition is fierce, there's always a sale somewhere.
  

Laminate Flooring, Cons

• Installing laminate flooring. As I found out, installation is a bit trickier than the instructions let on. Especially when trying to snap long runs into place. It had me talking dirty on more than one occasion. Two person installation and laminate installation tips are recommended.
• Maintenance. Since the mating joints aren't sealed, you should never wet-mop laminate or use cleaners of any kind. You can only damp-mop it. And never spill liquids on it. Not recommended for a bathroom or kitchen.
  

As you can see, the choice boils down to preference and how the floor will be used. Choose wisely, new flooring is an investment.

Concrete Kitchen Countertops

Over on my DIY home improvement site I wrote an article on building concrete kitchen countertops. The first time I heard about concrete countertops, I let out a mystified, "Huh?" Of course the picture in my head was something like those concrete picnic tables in a public park. You know, the ones with ketchup stains and juvenile graffiti.

Boy, was I wrong. The ones on the market today are very impressive. They rival granite countertops when it comes to looks. They come in stone looking patterns, solid colors, and even new age art (for lack of a better term).

They aren't without their drawbacks though. You have to be careful not to cut on them directly or set hot objects on them. Oh, the concrete is durable enough; it's the sealer finish that damages easily. But I see the day when someone develops a better finish. Then, I'm betting that concrete countertops will really take off.

I'd like to make one myself but I think it would be a good idea to start with a smaller DIY project first. Maybe a coffee table top. From all I have read, these aren't the easiest things to get just right the first time.

What I'd really like is 3/4 concrete countertop and 1/4 butcher block countertop. Now that would be mighty fine.