Your Home Improvements – How to Quickly Get Them Costed

When you are thinking about a home improvement project one of the first questions asked is, “how much is it all going to cost?” By using some on-line tools you can get a ‘ball park’ figure to give a rough idea of how much you have to budget for. All on-line cost calculators should be treated with caution as they can only give a very rough idea of the cost. You would need a builder and possibly other trades to come and give quotes.

When asking for quotes it’s a good idea to at least have quotes from 2 or 3 different builders or the appropriate trades. In the same spirit, this guide allows you to get your rough guide from 3 different renovation cost calculators. Each calculator approaches it differently and asks for varying degrees of information from you. However, as many of these online tools point out, they are not meant to replace someone coming and reviewing the work needing doing and giving a specific quote.

When preparing for these cost calculators and especially when you prepare for getting quotes it is best to write down as much detail as possible to explain what you want, so you can give the same specification to all the contractors quoting, with the intention that you can then compare the quotes. You can ask yourself; how many rooms are involved, total floor area, are the electrics needing re-wiring, how many plugs and sockets are required? Do you know what bathroom suite you want and the kitchen units, then include those costs as well. All this detail can be included in the list of work needing to be quoted for. This is all useful to help you manage the builders and various trades and so help you to manage costs so you don’t overrun on your budget. It’s always a good idea to have a contingency of around 20%, as once floorboards are lifted, rewiring started, old fixtures and fittings taken out then you can discover previously unknown problems.

Before starting any home improvements and getting quotes you should check building regulations and whether planning permission is needed. Check whether your tradesmen are registered with their respective trade body, eg National Federation of Builders.

Use the on-line tools:

http://www.builderstown.co.uk/prices

Builderstown is perhaps the simplest to use. Here there is a menu like list of various renovation projects. It can give costs for various plumbing jobs, eg you tell it how many radiators you want. You can enter how many kitchens and bathrooms you are wanting to renovate, the total wall area for plastering, you indicate the number of new plug sockets, lights, switches. You enter the floor area for it to calculate the cost of a new floor… Press Calculate and it gives a figure. They are London based builders.

http://www.ukbrs.com/renovation_cost_calculator.html

BRS’s cost calculator approach is to ask you to enter the overall floor area of what is needing renovating and to indicate whether it is a single storey and second storey or loft area. It takes you to another page to enter details of how many bathrooms, bedrooms living rooms etc, that you are wanting a quote for, and also what type of finish you are looking for. Then it gives a quote and an option to request a site survey. It does ask for a £30 fee for the site survey, which they say is deducted from the final invoice. They are based in London area and only serve the Greater London area.

There is another approach adopted by Checkyourprice.co.uk. This site gives you an idea of the labour costs involved in your home improvement job. It gives figures for the average labour cost for a list of different renovation projects, eg bathrooms. So it itemises costs to fit and plumb in a wash basin, cost to fit and plumb in a WC and cisterns, cost for a standard shower, electric shower and power shower. It includes other categories of typical renovation/home improvement projects, eg building work, carpentry, kitchen, bedrooms, window installations, electrical work. To work out a total overall cost you would have to include the cost of the various parts and fixtures.

One good feature with all of them is that you can quickly see the effect of altering the extent of your renovation and seeing the effect on the overall cost. Quick and easy.

This article is written by a Jason Salisbury who bought his first home with his wife and are transforming it from a tired 1920s semi detached to characterful modern home. It offers a guide, showing how they progressed from novic

Benefits of Hiring Pre-Screened Home Improvement Contractors

There are many benefits of hiring pre-screened home improvement contractors to do work at
your home. These benefits include no risks, saving money, and getting a more superb job.
When your hire a contractor who is not pre-screened then you take many risks. Often times
people hire contractors who are not licensed and no one knows to find that the contractors
came back later to rob them. This is more common than you might think. Another risk
people take when they don’t pre-screen a contractor is that the work may not be what you
asked for. The contractor may not finish the job or they might not complete the job at all
and take off with your money.

It is important to pre-screen contractors for your safety. You don’t want complete
strangers coming into the comfort of your home to do work if you don’t know they are safe.
It is common for an ex-convict to get out of prison and start their own business because
they cannot find a real job so they will claim that they are capable of completing home
improvement work. This can be very dangerous, especially if you live alone. You need to
know that the people coming into your home are people you can trust.

In addition to screening a contractor you also need to be sure that anyone that is working
with them are screened also. This will ensure that no one coming into your home is unsafe.
This is because if a project last for a week or more then these people can get to know
your schedule and your daily routine. If they are not safe and have a motive for something
else then something bad could happen to you or your family. Pre-screening any type of
contractor coming into your home can assure you are hiring trustworthy people.

Pre-screening contractors also means quality work. You can ask for references or to see a
portfolio of previous work done. Most good contractors will have a portfolio that includes
pictures of before and after work they have done on other homes. They will have references
you can call to confirm the type of job done in their home too. You can verify the
contractor and his or her employees were trustworthy, they did the work required, and they
didn’t leave a mess for you when the job was completed.

When you pre-screen contractors it gives you the opportunity to find the right worker for
the job you need done in your home. You cannot take the risk of bringing total strangers
into your home on a daily basis if you don’t know anything about them. In addition, home
improvements can be expensive and if you don’t get the job done right the first time then
it will cost you additional money to have someone else come in and fix it. Be sure you
know the person you are bringing into your home is right for the job by reviewing a
portfolio, calling references, and going through the right company.

Are Your Plumbing Pipes Okay? – Home Improvement Facts

If you live in a home that was built before the 1970s, your plumbing might be out of date. I’m not writing this article to scare anyone, so don’t panic. If your home was built before the 1970s, your plumbing could easily last for another 40 years. Listen as I explained more about my home improvement facts for the future.

I said not to panic, but this doesn’t mean that we bury our heads in the sand either. If you have galvanized water supply pipes or cast iron waste pipes, there’s a good chance that these pipes are slowly deteriorating. This doesn’t mean that they’re going to fall apart tomorrow, I’m just trying to inform you about potential problems you’re going to have to deal with in the future.

Your water supply pipes can break and you need to know that. These are the home-improvement facts that most people don’t ever think about, until it actually happens. There are ways that you can prevent these types of things from ever happening, but you’re going to need to understand the facts first.

Metal deteriorates over time and if you have metal plumbing pipes, there’s a good chance that they are deteriorating or have been deteriorating for quite some time. They will continue to deteriorate into the future until they no longer function properly.

These are the home-improvement facts I’m talking about. I’ve talked to a lot of homeowners about potential problems in the future from deteriorating metal plumbing pipes, but they don’t want to hear it. Believe it or not, if you have metal pipes and you live in an old home, you’re going to have problems with these pipes in the future.

There is no need to panic, you don’t need to put your home on the market, but you do need to understand the facts about your plumbing pipes.

The IRS Will Allow Tax Credits For Certain Home Improvements

Install A New Water Heater, Get IRS Tax Credit

Heating hot water in your home costs a lot of money, and can account for up to 25% of your electric or gas bill. Installing a new, efficient water heater can save you a lot of money over time. A water heater that qualifies for Energy Star certification can be eligible for a tax credit of up to $300.

To the IRS, home improvements are considered as personal expenses. You are not allowed to claim these expenses as tax deductions. However, if you are installing or making a health-related home improvement, the IRS often allows you to claim back these costs as medical expenses. You also qualify for tax credits when you install certain qualifying energy-efficient home improvements.

Energy Star Lists Energy-Saving Equipment Which Qualifies For IRS Tax Credit

According to EnergyStar.gov, the IRS allows tax breaks for qualified improvements in five categories, one of them being non-solar water heaters. These water heaters may be powered by gas, propane or electricity, and includes tankless water heaters. The tax credits are available only when you make qualified improvements to your primary residence located in the USA, and will expire at the end of this year. To qualify for a federal tax credit in 2014 for a new water heater installed in your home, the equipment must have been installed in your home by Dec. 31, 2013.

Items that qualify include windows, doors, metal roofs, insulation, air conditioning, tankless water heaters, cars, solar water heating, solar power, and fuel cells. Check with EnergyStar for further details.

Additional Tax Breaks Are Available For Other Qualified Home Improvement

You can also get a credit on your taxes of up to $500 if you made certain qualified improvements to your home which increase your home’s energy efficiency. A tax credit is defined as money taken off the amount a taxpayer owes the IRS. The tax credit is usually 10%, up to a total of $500, for buying and installing certain products such as a new water heater, central air conditioner, insulation, windows or roof.

Under the old tax law, homeowners could claim a tax credit limited to just 10 percent of the cost of the upgrade, up to a maximum of $500. Under the new tax law, taxpayers who spend $800 on a new, efficient water heater, $1,000 on insulation, and $2,000 on windows could reduce their 2013 tax bill by $1,140. For more information, see IRS Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits.

The residential energy property credit is non refundable. A non-refundable tax credit allows taxpayers to lower their tax liability to zero, but not below zero.

Free Help With Your Tax Return

The IRS has several places for taxpayers to get free help preparing their tax returns. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides assistance to people with low income, the elderly, disabled people, and taxpayers with limited English proficiency. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program helps taxpayers aged 60 years and older with their tax returns. Most VITA and TCE sites offer free electronic filing and the IRS-certified volun­teers will give you details about which credits and deduc­tions are allowable in your particular case. Also, some VITA and TCE sites allow taxpayers to prepare their own return with help from an IRS-­certified volunteer.

To find the nearest VITA or TCE site, use the VITA Locator Tool on IRS.gov, or call 1­800-­906-­9887.

* Please consult with a professional tax adviser, accountant or attorney for more information on taxes and tax credits.

* Saville Katz is Director of Content Creation and Syndication for Mr. Speedy Plumbing & Rooter Inc.

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