Designing Your Dream Kitchen

by: Erik Anderson, DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen™

Sometimes I get asked where somebody should start if they want to renovate their kitchen. If you want to enjoy the renovation process and end up with a beautiful new kitchen, you have to have a great plan. A great plan will consist of your ideas, a person who can take those ideas and create a set of drawings and specifications for your project, and, lastly, a competent company who can build what you have created in your mind.

So how should you start in creating your plan? Start with some basics:

1. Make a list of items you would like to have changed in your existing kitchen or kitchens you have used in the past
2. Talk to some of your friends about what they like in their kitchens
3. Go to some open houses to see what ideas builders are using in the new homes they are constructing
4. Start gathering pictures from the different Kitchen magazines
a. Highlight the items you really like in each of the magazines
5. Start creating your list of important items for your new kitchen.

Take your time doing these items. You will be living in your new kitchen for many years so spending a few months planning it is well worth the time. The list you create and the pictures you have collected are a very valuable source of information for a kitchen designer. Most of the time, we start seeing a pattern in the pictures you collect. You may not see the pattern, but the designer will. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

As I mentioned, this is just the first step in having a successful kitchen renovation project, but it is the most important. You will enjoy your new kitchen so much more if you take the time to really think about what you desire in it. This is YOUR kitchen. Think about what YOU want in it. You can use the assistance of a Certified Kitchen Designer, but they cannot read your mind. You need to give them some ideas with which to work. Follow the 5 steps mentioned above for a great start to a great project.

DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen™
A Division of Anderson-Moore Builders, Inc.
425 West End Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Phone: 336.722.3625 Mobile: 336-345-0301
Fax: 336.722.4819
erik@andersonmoore.com

Lead Paint Renovation Rule: Information for Real Estate Professionals

Resource guide provides information for real estate professionals on EPA’s new Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. The information describes the new lead paint safety practices established by the rule and what steps contractors, renovators, real estate professionals and property managers may need to take to comply with the rule. The information includes a one-page summary of the rule, two video FAQs—one for real estate brokers and one for property managers—webinar recordings, the accompanying slides in printable format and information on additional resources for lead paint disclosure and compliance.

Why Do You Need to Be Concerned About Lead?

Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around our homes. Lead also can be emitted into the air from motor vehicles and industrial sources, and lead can enter drinking water from plumbing materials. Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk.

Most Common Sources of Lead Poisoning:

* Deteriorating lead-based paint
* Lead contaminated dust
* Lead contaminated residential soil

National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, October 24-30, 2010

Basic Information

Home Maintenance Quiz

Do you have a whole list of household chores to do? Oh, we know you’d rather be golfing or playing tennis or watching TV, but keeping your home in good shape is important. Your home may be the biggest investment you will ever make. Taking good care of it with regular maintenance is necessary to maintain its value and ensure it will provide a comfortable, safe shelter for you and your family for a long time.

Here is a home maintenance quiz that will test your maintenance knowledge. While this quiz does not address every home maintenance project, it does provide helpful tips and reminders for chores you may have overlooked.

1. How often do forced-air furnace filters need to be changed?
At least every three months during the heating season.

2. What part of the faucet usually needs to be replaced when you have a water leak?
The washer.

3. Should you run hot or cold water through your garbage disposal?
Cold water.

4. How often should the moving parts of garage doors be oiled?
Every three months.

5. What tools can you use to unclog your drains?
A plunger and a plumber’s snake.

6. What tool can be used to unclog a toilet?
Coil spring-steel auger.

7. What faucet part needs to be cleaned every three to four months?
Aerator—the screen inside the end of the faucet.

8. What can you use for traction on icy sidewalks, steps and driveways?
Cat litter or sand—never use salt because it damages the pavement.

9. Where should the fire in your fireplace be built?
On the andirons or grate, never on the fireplace floor.

10. What will prevent soot and add color to the fire in your fireplace?
Throw in a handful of salt.

11. Where should your firewood be stored?
Outside, away from your house and not directly on the ground.

12. What helps keep unpainted concrete floors easy to keep clean?
Concrete sealer.

13. What should you use to clean unpainted concrete floors?
A solution of 4 to 6 tablespoons of washing soda in a gallon of hot water. Mix scouring powder to the solution for tough jobs.

14. When can you clean hardwood floors with water?
When the floors have a polyurethane finish.

15. Do hardwood floors need to be waxed?
Hardwood floors that do not have a polyurethane finish probably will need to be waxed periodically. Use liquid or paste “spirit” wax.

16. What is the best polish for vinyl floors?
Water emulsion wax.

17. When is basement condensation at its maximum?
In new homes because gallons of water went into the concrete of basement walls.

18. Why should noisy water pipes be fixed promptly?
The condition that causes noisy pipes may be accompanied by vibration that can cause fittings to loosen and leak.

19. Why should frozen pipes be thawed slowly?
Frozen pipes should be thawed slowly to prevent the formation of steam, which could cause the pipe to burst.

20. How often should your roof be inspected?
A qualified roofer should inspect your roof every three years.

21. What should be regularly checked on your security system?
The alarms and circuit breakers should be checked to make sure they are in working order and the sensors should be inspected one by one.

22. To ensure your safety, what household equipment uses batteries that must be checked regularly to make sure they are operable?
Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

23. What do you use to fill nail holes and cracks in plaster walls and gypsum wallboard?
Spackling.

24. What is the white powdery substance that develops on masonry walls?
Efflorescence sometimes appears on masonry walls. It is crystallized soluble salts that can be removed by scrubbing with water and a stiff brush.

25. At what temperature should your water heater be set?
120 degrees Fahrenheit

26. How often do skylights need to be inspected?
Skylights should be inspected each time your roof is inspected so leaks don’t develop from cracks and interruptions around its seals, caulking and flashings.

27. What is a simple solution you can use to wash extremely dirty exterior windows?
A solution of equal parts vinegar and water or 3 tablespoons of denatured alcohol per quart of warm water. Use a piece of crumpled newspaper to wash the glass to avoid lint left behind by papertowls.

28. What can you use to help a window slide easily?
Rub the channel with a piece of paraffin.

29. What should you look for when you inspect your siding yearly?
Determine if wood-sided homes need to be repainted; check to see if the caulking around the windows and doors has split and cracked, and replace the caulk; clean the mildew; trim shrubbery away so it does not touch the siding.

Article Credit: NAHB Website…

http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?sectionID=124&genericContentID=107788&hp=yes

NAHB: Financing Your Home Remodeling Project

One of the most important considerations for your home remodeling project is financing. After all, the project will go nowhere if you can’t pay for it.

Fortunately, there are several options that can provide the dollars you need. Four of the most common are a home improvement loan, a home equity line of credit, a home equity loan (second mortgage), and a cash-out refinancing of your current mortgage. However, the simplest method of financing is cash.

Cash
If you have cash in savings to pay for your home remodeling project, this may be the best way to finance your home improvements. But be sure to consider the fact that, by paying in cash, you tie up money that could be earning interest in other investments. In other words, you need to look at the interest rate that you would be charged by financing the project and compare this to the interest you could earn by investing these funds.

Also remember that interest payments on a home improvement loan may be tax-deductible, while you can’t write off the expenses of a remodeling project paid for in cash. Crunch the numbers and meet with a financial advisor to determine whether paying in cash will really pay off in the long run.

Home Improvement Loan
Two special loans administered through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) are the Title I and Section 203(k) programs. A Title I loan allows you to borrow up to $25,000 for improvements to a single-family home. These are fixed-rate loans that FHA insures against the risk of default. Loans must be made by an approved Title I lender.

The 203(k) program is not as well known, but if you are looking to purchase a fixer-upper, it is a terrific opportunity. It allows home owners to receive a single, long-term, fixed or adjustable rate loan that covers both the acquisition and rehabilitation of the property. To obtain a loan under the 203(k) program, you must use an FHA-approved lending institution. Most mortgage lenders are approved to make loans through this program.

Home Equity Line of Credit
A home equity line of credit is a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral. This allows you to tap into these funds whenever you need it. The credit line is usually set at 75 to 80 percent of the appraised value of your home minus the balance of the first mortgage. Your credit history and ability to pay may also be considered in determining the amount of credit available.

Home equity lines of credit usually carry a variable interest rate that is figured by adding a margin to the current Prime Rate or some other index. Other costs associated with setting up a line of credit may also apply and will vary from lender to lender.

Second Mortgage
If you are not comfortable with the open-ended nature of a line of credit (which requires discipline to ensure that you don’t go way over budget), a home equity loan, or second mortgage, may be right for you. This is a fixed-rate, fixed-term loan based on the equity in your house that is paid back in equal monthly installments over a specific period of time.

Cash-Out Refinancing
If interest rates today are significantly less than when you first purchased your house, refinancing your mortgage may be a wise move. This refinancing alternative allows you to use the accumulated equity in your home to take out a new loan to pay off your existing mortgage and then use the remaining funds for your remodeling project.

Make sure you factor in the length of time you plan to live in the house and the number of years left on your current mortgage before you decide to refinance.

Keeping Your Budget in Line
Once you’ve decided how much you can afford to spend fulfilling your remodeling dreams, the real challenge is making sure you stick to this budget. So, how can you prevent your expenses from spiraling out of control?

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Plan on spending only 80 percent of what you can afford. Put the additional 20 percent in reserve to cover changes, unforeseen problems, and miscellaneous charges.
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Remember that anything not included in the original contract will cost extra. It’s very easy to start tacking on hundreds and even thousands of dollars in change orders that will break both your budget and your timeline.
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Stay focused on the task at hand. Stick to the project you have planned rather than deciding that now is the time to overhaul the rest of the house.

Article Courtesy of NAHB: