If you’re cost-conscious (read: cheap) like I am, you’ll appreciate the value that you bring to your DIY projects. I liked this article because it offered up some real-life potential cost savings on jobs ranging from installing flooring to replacing countertops to wallpapering and how you can save money – even if you only do part of the job before handing it off to a professional.
It made me feel a lot better about the work I’ve done so far and the work that still lies ahead in prepping the bathroom walls for the new wallpaper. (And what's funny is that one of the ways their cited expert says to remove old wallpaper -- exactly what I'm already doing!)
Putting the money you save back into your home isn’t a bad idea either. Here are some ideas on how to spend it without going overboard. And if you live in the Denver area, here’s some great places to get discounted materials for your next project.
But how much is too much? I found this brief in BusinessWeek that helps to answer the question: Is Your House A Money Pit? I’m with the author though. I think some of the cost projections were incredibly low.
Achieving any kind of success in a major DIY project requires one thing: organization. This article offers some keys to staying organized before and during the process. (This article smacks of the mother, I swear it does.)
I saved the best for last. Hats off to Tonawanda, N.Y., where city leaders recently passed a home tax break on certain property improvements. According to the mayor: “The current law punishes people who keep up their homes.” This is the way real estate improvement should be viewed.
It’s a far cry from the view of our wonderful governor in the great state of Illinois who has offered up some ambiguous proposal to tax “other services to buildings and dwellings” which may or may not impact home improvement.
A non-professional,faux home improvement blog dedicated to the insane yet diligent do-it-yourselfer,thoroughly peppered with random views and thoughts from me
4 comments:
A top of the hat to Tonawanda. I already pay unbelievable property taxes.
I actually hope the assessor sends someone through my house. I wonder what he'd think of plywood floors, no baseboard downstairs,and walls half coated :-) That ought to do something to the house value :-)
By that 1% guideline, my house, last year and this year, is a Money Pit. LOL. As a friend once said, "We restore old houses because we love them, not because it makes financial sense." I agree that those cost projections were very low. $842 for appliances, plural?! Yep, low.
KarenAnne -- Yeah. If anything, you should get a discount for keeping your property up. So many people don't even do the basics or try.
Jayne -- I call this place the Money Pit all the time. It seems to apply. :-)
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