Home Renovation

We are currently living in a home that is 12 years old. It was originally a model home, so it has oak trim throughout the entire home (handrails, window sills, etc...) I was told by a friend that oak trim is out of style now and that I should paint over the wood trim to give the home a more modern feel. I would like to know if painting the wood trim would help or hurt resale value. Thanks for answering.

Don't worry about what is in style.Styles change all the time.Go with what YOU like.If you like the oak trim leave it as is,if you like painted trim then paint it.Just remember that if you paint it it will be a lot of work to remove the paint in a few years when everyone is in love with oak wood again.I love the look of oak but that is my opinion.

What Your Contractor Can't Tell You is a comprehensive guide to getting the best results while building or renovating a home. Most homeowners spend about 20% of their time on the plan and 80% of their time on a messy, traumatic, expensive construction phase. Pros spend 80% of their time on the plan and 20% on a smooth construction phase. But the homeowners can't know what goes into a solid plan unless someone tells them. This book is based on a simple premise...if homeowners knew even 10% of what the professionals in the construction field know, they could avoid 90% of the problems. Creating a dream home shouldn't be a nightmare. Hiring a contractor is an enormous investment and a high-risk endeavor involving decisions that will last forever. This book equips homeowners with the information and strategies needed to turn their vision into a home or a renovation that can be built on time and within budget.

Order at Amazon for $12.67

Hello. I live in Broome County, NY. My family needs money to fix up our house with. What home improvement, home renovation and home restoration grants should I apply for since I live in Broome County, NY? Please let me know. Thank you.

The first step is to check with your local bank and realtors...there are also national grants available from the government. Take a look at this article 'How to Get a Home Improvement Grant' http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/459112/how_to_get_a_home_improvement_grant.html for some tips. Good luck!

I am planning on doing a major revnovation to an old home, new basement, new roof, remodel interior down to the studs, new flooring, walls cabinets, etc... Am i required to have the remodel totally inspected by a building inspector? or because its a home renovation its not required?

you are going to have to get permits and more than one inspection ex after electrical but before sheet rock is installed

I'm renovation the second floor of my home 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, new dry wall, flooring, windows, bathroom fixtures(shower, sink, and toilet) and electrical and paint, Contractors said it would take two and a half months, its going on four months and theyre no even half way done?

It sounds as though you have one of those great contractors who work on multiple jobs at the same time, instead of one at a time. My brother and I do contracting and remodeled a 2000 sq ft home and did the landscaping in less than 4 months. Even when you have a bid, it seems very unprofessional of them to take this long, unless they have run into every problem imaginable. Next time try to build into the contract a discount for the project running over a certain amount of time. I have done this for my customers and have never had to pay out for it.