Home Office Remodel

Describe how you'd like to feel in your home office in a word or two. 

• Productive
• Serene
• Competitive
• Relaxed
• Determined

Add to that with thoughts about your style in relation to that feeling. 

• Homey
• Woodsy
• Preppy
• Outdoor
• Stark
• Country
• Sleek

Allow us to rearrange your furniture, suggest pieces to work with those frameworks, repaint, add shelves or built-ins, and suggest accessories like a throw rug to reach your perfect feeling in your home office.

This is a relatively inexpensive project to make your office your favorite room in your home. After all, you are in there a lot! Here are some design ideas from Houzz:

Kitchen and Dining Room

When considering your remodeling project, think about usable space and the nature of your family's lifestyle.

For instance, do you love to cook, but there are only 2 of you in the home? It may be smarter to open your kitchen up as shown in the photo above, giving you lots of counter space, but encroaching in what was your dining room. Get rid of the dining room table formality if you don't use it or don't need it, and utilize the space in a smarter way by putting in a bar and comfortable stools for every day use.

Remodeling Over Renovating

In this economy, remodeling is booming over renovating. Read what one contractor thinks of the challenges of this process:

Remodeling a home — a practice one building-industry official likened to a tailor altering a suit while someone is wearing it — poses some unique challenges. In an environment where new is combined with existing, care has to be taken to make sure the changes fit, physically and esthetically. Workers have to be supervised more carefully. Another consideration are the owners. If they remain in the house while it is under remodeling, work must be done around them, tailored to fit their schedule. Electricians, for example, like to work early, often beginning their day at 7 a.m. Few homeowners are equipped to have workers moving through their house as they have their morning coffee or get ready for work, he said.

There is also the question of cleanup. Everything has to be put away and cleaned up at the end of each day, a task that can add hours to a job. “Remodeling is much more work, it takes more time and pays less,” Edwards said.

Bill Huffstetler, operations manager for Master Builders and Remodelers, holds a different opinion. He said his company’s main focus is remodeling, with an emphasis on repairing storm-damaged homes. “It’s what’s kept us going in this economy,” he said. But Edwards’ situation is not unique. While home construction saw some rebound earlier in the year, June and July housing starts began to show a decline. A joint release by the Census Bureau and the

Department of Housing and Urban Development calculated July housing starts at 668,000, a decline of 1.1 percent. Completions for the month were 448,000, a decline of 5.9 percent from June. August housing figures will be released Wednesday.

Source: Loan Safe

Decorate like a Kitchen Designer

Kitchens aren't what they used to be. The space formerly known as the scullery is becoming the most popular part of the house. "The hierarchy of the home has changed to become more kitchen-centric," says interior designer Mick de Giulio. "Think of the kitchen not just as the kitchen, but a room to really live in." Follow these tips from House Beautiful Kitchens contributors de Giulio and Mark Leslie to turn your kitchen into your family's favorite hangout:

Make it comfy. For a homey feel, display personal photos as art work. "It can be framed family photos," Leslie says, "It doesn't have to be an oil painting by the Masters." Bring in elements from te living room, such as comfortable upholstered chairs and tabletop lamps for a cozier space.

Make it kid-safe. Even the most beautiful kitchen can withstand kids' messes if materials have durability, Leslie says. For upholstered seating, stay away from linen. He recommends leather and Naugahyde for a polished but low-maintenance look. Quartz and marble counter tops are easy to clean, and laminate cabinetry is the most durable, de Giulio says.

Make it light. To brighten a dark space or open up a small one, think about natural light. Try hanging a large mirror over your sink for a reflective focal point. Leslie recommends scoping out your local flea market for inexpensive, quirky finds.

Source: USA Weekend

Wood Flooring

Flooring is one of the first things the eye sees upon entering a space. People touring a new house will notice furniture, but tastes vary. They will notice wall color, but that only has to go with the style of the room. Flooring is fixed and draws the eye. Here are some great reasons to install hard wood flooring in your home or property.

Resale Value

Not only are wood floors beautiful, but they increase the value of a property and are considered one of the top remodeling projects when preparing a home for sale. Even if a potential buyer dislikes your taste in carpeting, they are likely to enjoy hardwood floors. Use of hard wood flooring throughout a home can raise property value an average of 15-35%. That's a smart investment!

Ease of Maintenance

Routine maintenance is a little more than simple sweeping and vacuuming, always making sure your hardwood floors are protected from moisture and heavy wear which creates scratches. Preventive maintenance includes area rugs and floor protectors on your furniture's feet.

Ecology

Unlike most floor coverings, wood floors come from a natural resource that is sustainable. According to U.S. Forest Service statistics, almost twice as much hardwood timber Is added every year through new growth as is harvested. Additionally, there is more standing hardwood timber today than there was 50 years ago.

Health 

The Environmental Protection Agency has said that indoor air quality is one of our top health threats. Installed in the home or elsewhere, wood floors help contribute to a healthy living environment as hard surface flooring does not trap or harbor dust mites or molds, which creates better air quality, especially for the estimated 35 million Americans who suffer from allergies.

Selection and Variety

Hardwood floors come in many sizes, styles, colors, finishes and species. These many choices can compliment any home or office with style and a beautiful product that last a lifetime.

Benchmark Contracting can help you select a type of wood to fit your budget and install it for you, giving your home an updated look and raising the value of your home as well.

Source: Wood Floors Online

Dome Home

Recently featured on Extreme Homes, the Dome Home is a hurricane proof house that features no flat walls, redirecting wind around the home in case of severe weather. The owners built it after their home (in the same location) was destroyed in 2 hurricanes. The house did well in Hurricane Ivan. What do you think of the Dome Home?

See video here.

Universal Design

Remodeling you home for retirement may not be your concern in your 30s or 40s or even your 50s, but the new trend in home design and remodeling is focused on just that - designing your home for your current use with a focus on your future needs. This concept is called universal design.

Kiplinger suggests these simple changes to add 5% to the value of your home:

Substitute door handles for doorknobs. The handle material and design, which can match the décor of your home, will make it easier to open doors with arthritic hands.

Older folks need more light and are more sensitive to glare. Lights with extra illumination and lighting controls can be incorporated into a kitchen remodel.

European-style showers are sophisticated and don't have a lip, allowing wheelchair access as well as a way to wash plants and even the dog. You don't need to put a grab bar in the shower now -- but why not install the plates during a bathroom remodel so that a grab bar can be quickly attached later? 

Many of today's remodeling projects will be undertaken by middle-aged homeowners who are happy to stay in their home and make everyday living more comfortable. If you're one of them, remember that remodeling your home is as integral to your retirement plan as your asset allocation in your 401(k).