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Posts Tagged ‘fireplace remodel’

If you’re like most people who see their house as a long-term investment you know that making improvements in and around would mean increasing its market value.

Even if you are not looking to sell it in the near future or thinking of borrowing money against the value of the house, you can still look for ways to enhance its livability and appearance. Here are some of the most practical tips offered by real estate professionals in adding value to your home:

Repaint your walls. Nothing instantly lifts up the appearance of the home than repainting the walls. This is also a cheap and easy makeover – all you need are roller or paint brush, gallons of paint, rags to clean up the mess and in a day or two you have a home that looks shiny and brand new. Remember that before you repaint the walls, you should check for any holes or dents to patch up and sand down.

Add a bathroom. Most realtors will tell you that an additional toilet or bathroom in the house is one of the surefire ways to add significant value to your home. If you have a spare or an unused room, you can transform this into a bathroom. You can also partition an existing large area and design a bathroom in one portion. Remember to consider the plumbing and lighting requirement for the area before doing it.

Do some remodeling projects: A makeover on certain areas in your home can drive up its price as well as improve its quality. Some ideas you may want to embark on:

Remodel your fireplace. While an impressive fireplace in the living room surely increases the overall value and appeal of your home, you don’t need to spend thousands to improve on your existing one. Creativity and resourcefulness come into play here – you can choose to create a new mantel, add accessories to complement the design and layout of your living room, or change materials from stone to tile.

Consult with your local hardware on the different types of materials and those that they would recommend for designs. Also remember you can even use recycled materials as long as they all fit within your design plan. However, if you are going for a major remodel that involves changing a log fireplace to a gas-powered one, always remember to consult with a professional contractor to work on this project as they would know about all the safety conditions that should be considered. If you need fireplace design ideas you can look at pictures online.

Remodel your kitchen. You need not tear down the flooring or changing the entire layout of your kitchen. It could mean just replacing the cupboards or refinishing the cabinets, installing a new countertop or sink, or replacing appliances with more modern ones. New and brighter lighting in the kitchen will also significantly upgrade the look of your kitchen. If you have a small kitchen, consider looking online at some pictures of small kitchen designs and layouts.

Improve your curb appeal. A well-maintained garden or landscape is an instant point of attraction for potential home buyers. If you have a large outdoor area, consider how you can utilize the space to showcase the house and not overpower it. Choose lawn grass, plants and trees not only for their aesthetic value but also for their climate and soil condition suitability. Consider also the time, money and effort needed for long-term maintenance.

Any fireplace can be remodeled to suit your overall interior theme. You may have just bought a new house and you don’t like the existing fireplace design. Or you want to change your home’s interior design and would want to modify your fireplace as well.

A fireplace remodeling project can be easy to do. All you need is to spare a weekend to do this on your own with a little help from your partner or friend or you can get the services of a professional to do it for you. Look through magazines or books at fireplace designs.

For any project, planning is always the key to achieve success. So before you start your remodeling work, determine if you want a total makeover or just an outer makeover for your fireplace. Ask yourself and your partner if you want to change the firebox, the face, hearth, mantel or surround. Do you want a new mantel design, material and color or you want to use another material?

Other than the material, you can also change the size and shape of your fireplace. To do this, you can frame out the wall around the structure or perhaps add shelves on both sides to make it look wider. You can also decide to change the fuel to use in your fireplace such as from wood burning to gas or gas log. Wood burning is now becoming rare for indoor fireplaces while a gas or gas log fueled one will make your fireplace cleaner.

Review first certain designs that you like in home improvement or home decorating magazines. Also, check out websites on the internet that cater to home decorating and improvement. There are vast resources online so take the time to browse through your favorite sites.

If you’re targeting a new material, then choose what type you’re going to use. Is it the limestone, marble or bricks. Of course, the material will have to complement your interior theme. Bricks promote a classic look while marble has a more modern appeal. If your existing fireplace is a brick one, you can opt for marble and just simple lay over the new material over the bricks.

The next step is to take the measurements of your structure in all angles that you will be working with. Measure the angles twice to ensure that they’re accurate and list them down.

Decide as well if you will use the fireplace kits which already contain a mantel and surround. These kits normally cost some hundreds of dollars. But then again if you’re on a tight budget, you can always do the remodeling yourself using your creativity.

Once you’ve reached this step, you’re ready to start your fireplace remodeling project. Consult with your contractor to be informed of the procedure or for a do-it-yourself project, you can start purchasing your materials or kits.

A remodeled fireplace can add value to your home when the time comes that you want to sell it. Many home buyers are attracted to residential properties that have a fireplace. In areas with cold climate, a house with a fireplace is always popular among buyers.

For more information visit: www.FireplaceDesignInfo.com