This is a great year to tackle that major renovation project that you’ve been putting off for the past couple of years.  Yesterday’s Federal Budget has made it easier and more affordable than ever to get on with getting that project done.

Starting yesterday ,Jan. 27, 2009, and going to
Feb. 1, 2010 is the time line to take advantage of this great program.

It looks like the tax credit can be used for many different types of projects around your home and yard. The Budget is giving a tax credit of 15% on projects over $1000 and up to $10,000.  The maximum amount that any individual/couple can claim is $1350.

That is a pretty good motivation to get to work and tackle that list of yours starting this week.

What are some of projects that you can do that will qualify?  Well, here are a few: renovating your bathroom, basement or kitchen; putting new flooring down; painting – inside or out; building the deck you always wanted; putting in a new driveway; landscaping your yard with new sod; or putting on that new addition.

Now, as we all know, it is pretty easy to spend $10,000 on a renovation.
This program won’t cover all the expenses for all of the projects that
you may want to do on your house but it will certainly help with one or two
of them.

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Is the flooring in your kitchen stained and cracked? Are the countertops marred with burns and nicks? Is the floor plan of your kitchen awkward and ill-designed? If so, it is time to consider kitchen remodeling. Updating your kitchen can enhance the value of your entire house, and kitchen remodeling can be an exciting process that calls upon your creativity.

You may need a little bit of patience as you live through the kitchen remodeling process, but the end result will be a kitchen you love and are proud to share with family and friends.

Kitchen remodeling runs the gamut from small upgrades, to a full-scale luxury remodeling venture. Small upgrades could include changing the hardware on your cabinets, refacing the cabinets, or replacing them. Or perhaps you might want to replace that scuffed floor, or resurface your countertops. Such simple changes can make an enormous difference in your space. However, a full-scale kitchen remodel is going to result in the most satisfying changes for your home.

Start your kitchen remodeling by making extensive notes about what you want. Think about what works and doesn’t work in your current kitchen. Look through magazines or scan the internet for kitchen remodeling ideas. You might want to make a file of designs and products you like. Don’t hold back at this point-make a note of everything you might want to include in your kitchen remodeling. Next, draw up a budget. This is when you match your beautiful ideas to what you can afford. You might be surprised how much you can get for your money, or the compromises you can make that will still afford you an elegant, functional design. At this point, you may also want to contract the services of a designer or space planner. They can be enormously helpful with your kitchen remodel, and point out products and design ideas that might not have occurred to you.

One of the most important decisions you will make is hiring a contractor, so take your time and do some research.

Visit home improvement stores or local remodelers to get a feel for what kind of kitchen remodeling projects they specialize in. Share your vision with the professionals you are considering. Take the time to check references. Pay attention to whether or not you feel comfortable with the contractor. Does he or she listen to your ideas and respect what you are creating? A contractor-client relationship for a kitchen remodeling is like a short-term marriage, so make certain yours will be a happy one!

Finally, prepare yourself and your family for the disruption that occurs with a kitchen remodeling project. With advance planning, this can be minimized, but some is inevitable. Discuss the time frame with your contractor and share this information with your family, so everyone is aware of how long the construction will take and what to expect. In a very short time, all memories of any uproar with the kitchen remodeling will be forgotten and you’ll be enjoying your new kitchen.

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Home improvement projects can be pretty expensive and stressful events. As much as we would like to snap our fingers and have the project completed almost instantaneously, it just doesn’t happen that way.  In addition to what you want to do as far as the project goes may not be what your spouse or partner may have had in mind.  Couples doing home improvements can really put the relationship to the test during these times.

In the beginning you really need to sit down with your partner to discuss and decide what you both want.  Put it down on paper as rough sketches and lists to begin with.  Make more detailed drawings or plans as you get a better idea of what you want.  Make a file of pictures from magazines that are similar to what you both have in mind.

Depending on the project, you may find that some of what you want to do in the project is vastly different than what your partner had or has in mind.  It can be something as simple as the color of the paint that can take a whole afternoon to decide on.  Hopefully not, but I have seen couples take that long and have arguments over it.  There is a lot of emotions for many people over the simplest things.

And, that is fine.  It is better to figure out what you both want, or can live with, before the first nail is driven or the room gets painted because some stuff is harder to change than others. A room can be repainted fairly easily (okay, relatively easily).  But, the reconfiguration of the kitchen can cost thousands of dollars to do it all over again.

You think I’m joking.  I’m not, really.  Some people will have the whole project redone because it doesn’t turn out the way they wanted it to.

Here’s a story to illustrate what I mean. One of my tiling contractor buddies told me of one of his clients (whom I know and can totally visualize the whole episode going down moment by moment) telling him to rip up the beautiful imported tiles (which she had quite happily chosen).  My buddy had just finished installing them throughout their home.  Because the color was not quite what she wanted he had to do it all over again.  The couple ended up paying for two tiling jobs in the end instead of one because they didn’t figure out what exactly they wanted in the beginning.

This is an extreme example but it happens in varying degrees all the time.

Watch the video below to see one couple discuss something as simple as replacing a set of faucets.  Short but funny.

Scenes from a DIY Life 1

This commercial shows a couple discussing the funny things that happen when you embark upon a DIY faucet installation project.

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