If you are struggling in this difficult economy and your home is in need of repairs, it pays to carefully consider how you spend your time … and money.
When thinking about your renovation wish list, remember that the cost of repairs is substantially greater when neglecting areas that can rot. Rotted boards can cause surrounding areas to degrade, so not doing repairs in a timely fashion is never a good idea. During an economic downturn, work and repairs shouldn't end, but doing the ones that cause the most damage are the ones you want to do when you need to choose.
Correcting roof leaks, chimney flashing, bad windows and adding insulation are all good things to keep in the budget and will save energy costs. Taking advantage of lower interest rates now to complete projects that enable additional energy savings - like insulation and better windows - saves money almost immediately when winter arrives, and improves the value of your home at the same time.
Select a reputable contractor with good local references that will do both small and large jobs. In addition to completing room additions and large projects, I have specialized in maintaining a portion of my clientele that use me only for small work, that during slow times has always kept me busy and in good stead with my customers and their relatives..
Wishing you could remodel your kitchen but concerned about the costs? Custom cabinetry can be installed at surprisingly good prices with a careful choice of materials and styles.
When you have a space that is not an easy fit for pre-manufactured, store bought cabinets, they can instead be built on site for less money and with much better quality by a professional carpenter. I have often built new, custom-sized cabinets on-site to rival store bought cabinets prices ... but exceed box cabinets in aesthetic appeal.
There are no middle men when you deal direct with the carpenter who can make cabinetry or the handyman who can do the repairs first hand.