After living in a house for any period of time, there will probably be a few things you’d like to change. Juiced up on home improvement shows and home remodeling YouTube tutorials, you may feel up to the task of taking on a remodel project yourself. Before you swing a sledgehammer and make your living room “open concept” the hard way, there are a few questions you should ask yourself before undertaking a DIY home remodeling project.

1. Do you know what the heck you’re doing?

There’s a reason why this is the first question you should be asking yourself — this is your house we’re talking about. If you’re already skilled in construction-related tasks, this may be the easiest question to answer. If you’ve never swung a hammer in your life, no number of YouTube videos will properly prepare you for a home model of any significance. Gain some experience with smaller projects before attempting to reshape the look of your home. Just because you can paint a nursery doesn’t mean you should be bringing down a wall.

2. Are you ready for some mess?

There is a nice idea that you can live in your home while you’re remodeling it. While this is true, the area being remodeled will not be livable space. Also, wherever you are renovating will be a disaster zone of debris, material scraps, and a variety of other substance depending on what you’re doing. Just plan on making a huge mess and likely renting a dumpster.

3. How much money do you think this will save?

Many take on a DIY remodel project in order to save some money. While this seems right in theory, it rarely pans out this way on paper for the average homeowner. Construction experts typically charge for their expertise, not just for their time and muscle. If you feel that you could do the same work in the same amount of time, a DIY remodel may actually save you money. If not, it will likely be “cheaper” for you in terms of time and money to have a professional take on the job. They will likely do a better job and in less time than you can.

4. How complex is this project?

Some remodeling projects are totally feasible for the inexperienced. Painting walls, changing out kitchen or bathroom hardware, changing out shower heads — virtually any homeowner can accomplish these tasks. However, tasks involving electrical, plumbing, ventilation, load-bearing walls, masonry, built-in furniture — these should probably be handled by a professional.

5. Is it even legal for you to do this?

It sounds funny because it’s your house, but there are actually permits involved with some extensive remodeling jobs. It seems like your worst punishment for remodeling should be whatever expensive mess you make, but the consequences could be even more severe. Check to see what paperwork is required.

6. Is this a one-person job or will you need help?

Before you take on any advanced DIY project, even if you’re fairly handy, determine if you will need any help. When handling larger materials or making adjustments in a tight spot, you may need a second set of hands or an extra back. If this is the case, do you know someone willing to work for pizza and beer? If not, how much will it cost to hire someone? Could a professional crew do it for the same price in less time?

We’re not saying that home remodeling projects are best left to the professionals, but simply that you shouldn’t overestimate your own abilities. Even though some TV shows can make it look easy, know that pretty much everything you see on TV is fake. Carefully plan out every phase of your DIY home remodel, counting every hour, every cost, and every mess. Make sure you’re not actually getting in over your head.

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In order to avoid home remodel projects yourself, let the home construction professionals at Perry Hood Properties build your dream home. We’ll build it just how you want it on the first go!

“Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior.” —James Clear

Putting the Living Back In Your Living Room

We’ll admit it — when we walk into a room with a very prominent screen and a remote control within reach, our first instinct is to turn on the TV and veg out. It’s just too convenient not to do. While this feels like the natural activity of the living room, for those wanting to limit their TV viewing, one would need to change their environment. A great way to limit the instance of any habit is to make it less convenient. If your television is begging you to watch it, consider concealing it somehow. In this piece, we’re going to look at a few ways to hide your television when it’s not in use.

Cover Your TV With a Pull-Down Map

 

Design idea from The Inspired Room

This first simple option is great for those who are wanting to limit their TV viewing while also wanting to strengthen their geography chops. This method works best with very flat televisions that are very close to the wall. Maps can be found through different classroom supply companies or even looking around antique shops.

Stow Your TV In a Cabinet

We’ve all seen the closing entertainment center. While this is effective, most people know what is within the entertainment center cabinet and will be naturally drawn towards it. However, when concealing the television within a cabinet that may serve a different purpose, this can change the room from being “The TV Room” to being “a Living Room That May Happen to Have a TV.” This change may not seem to make much difference at first, but it can ultimately change the feel of the room when the television is not in use.

Concealing a TV with Curtains

When you don’t wish to enjoy the light or scenery of a window, you draw the curtains closed — why should a television be any different? Install a rod above a wall-mounted flat screen television with decorative curtains that split in the center. If you don’t feel like watching or even seeing the television, simply draw the curtains closed. Open the curtains for television-viewing time. You’ll feel like you’re attending the theatre every time you binge your favorite Netflix show.  

Including TV Stowing Within the Design

For home shoppers who really want to take their television-stowing to the next level, this may be one of the many attributes of a custom house build to consider. From designing a living room that is conducive to conversation to an all-around design you look forward to coming home to, the home building professionals at Perry Hood Properties can make your dream house a reality.

If you’re looking at becoming a homeowner or you just recently became one, we’d like to offer our congratulations on this step in your life! Homeownership is a great feeling. Still, with all of the perks of homeownership (no more rent rate fluctuations, being able to do what you want with your home, etc.), homeownership can have some hidden costs. In order to help you save as much money as possible in regards to owning a home, we’ve put together a list of seven tips easy-to-implement tips.

1. Go the efficient route when buying new appliances.

There’s a very likely chance that you will have to buy some new appliances for your new home. When looking for new washers, driers, refrigerators, and other appliances, go with the most efficient models. These may be a touch more expensive up front, but you’ll definitely spend much less in the long run on your energy and water bills.

2. Use masking tape to track the possible progress of cracks in the basement foundation.

If your home has a basement, it pays to take a look down there for a number of reasons. A major reason is to check the foundation for cracks. Even though most smaller cracks don’t usually expand and pose little threat, larger cracks are best treated before they expand too far. Place pieces of masking tape across the cracks, marking each piece of tape with a date. If the crack expands too far, you’ll definitely be able to tell thanks to the tape. Check the tape around the time you change your smoke alarm batteries every year. If you notice torn or stretched tape, contact a foundation repair specialist to fix it before it becomes too expensive.

3. Make the switch to LED light bulbs.

From being able to customize lighting moods to saving money in the long run, considering switching all of your light bulbs to LED. Even though LED bulbs are more expensive than their alternative bulbs, they last a significantly longer time. They also practically sip electricity in comparison to incandescent bulbs. If you’re not sold yet, customizing the color temperature for every room of your house is possible by selecting certain LEDs.

4. Change out the toilets to low-flow, dual-flush toilets to save water.

Even though your toilet has a very real purpose, you’re almost literally flushing cash down the drain in the form of your water bill. Wouldn’t it be nice to flush less cash each time? A dual-flush toilet is a toilet with a two-part water tank. Each sub-tank has a button or lever so it can be independently operated. When you only need a light flush, you can use less water and when you need more water, that is also available. Replacing the toilet itself isn’t drastically more expensive and there are also retrofit kits to make existing toilets dual-flush.

5. Check out the attic insulation situation.

Even though a house’s attic looked ok when you purchased the house, making sure the insulation in the attic is appropriate can help make your home vastly more efficient. If the attic is unfinished, you should see ample insulation between the beams. Between each beam should be no less than six inches of undamaged insulation. If you do not see this amount of insulation, installing more insulation may be necessary. If you live in colder states, it may make sense to install even more than six inches of insulation. The U.S. Department of Energy has created this very handy guide on home insulation.

6. Replace all air filters in your new home.

Breathing a sigh of relief after closing on a new home can be harder to do with old air filters hanging around. Even if it doesn’t seem necessary yet, go ahead and replace the air filters for your new home’s HVAC system. It’s usually very inexpensive to do, takes ten minutes to complete, and greatly increases the air quality of your new home. In addition to freshening the air in your home, new air filters also make life easier on your HVAC system, resulting in less wear on components and lower energy bills for you.

7. Install surge protectors for your major electronics.

While you’re moving your television, stereo, and computers into place, now is a great time to purchase and install surge protectors. A power surge from a lightning strike or other malfunction can damage expensive electronics. Most surge protectors are not overly expensive and come with many other cost-saving features.

These are just a few cost-saving tips for new homeowners. If you know any others, we’d absolutely love to hear them. If you’re considering building a custom house of your dreams, look no further than the home construction professionals at Perry Hood Properties.

If you’re looking to build a new house, there’s a very good chance that you won’t be doing so in an established city neighborhood (unless you plan on doing some home demolition). Even though you won’t be able to live in that historic city district, there are a lot of benefits of suburban living over city life. In this piece, we’ll look at some benefits of suburban living that may make your city friends a touch jealous.

1. Traffic? What traffic?

If you’ve ever lived in a medium-to-large city for any time, you had to factor in the amount of time you’ll likely have to sit in traffic. In the United States’ largest cities, residents can expect to spend anywhere between 54 hours (Dallas, TX) to 102 hours (Los Angeles, CA) in traffic a year. While you still may commute into the city for work if you live in the suburbs, getting around is a breeze by comparison with little to no traffic.

2. Suburbs have never been more convenient.

Once upon a time, the biggest argument against living in the suburbs was the lack of convenient access to everything from big box retails to movie theatres and beyond. These days, shopping centers have popped up in almost every suburban location, putting you in closer reach of just about anything you’d want. Even if you can’t find some specific items in town, that’s what Amazon is for, right?

3. The suburbs are much quieter by comparison.

Cities are noisy. Whether it’s first responder sirens, traffic, nightlife, or construction, the volume of the average urban area clocks in at just around 75.4 dBA. That is the equivalent of a person speaking loudly at you 24 hours a day. Lacking the traffic, perpetual sirens, and usually having natural sound-dampening elements, suburban life is significantly quieter. In fact, many who move from the city to the suburbs frequently report having to get used to just how quiet their new neighborhood is.

4. You can live in the house you want.

In many cities, especially in historic neighborhoods, houses can be very expensive. Not only are these houses pricey, but they were rarely built by the people living in them. Most of the people living in the city sacrifice some features they want in order to live in the city. Alternatively, when you build a home in the suburbs, you can often design it precisely to your specifications. From the landscaping to the home layout to all of the details, building a new home in a developing suburban community allows you to have a house that is uniquely you. In order to learn more about this process, reach out to the custom home builders from Perry Hood Properties.