Month: October 2016

(BPT) – With fewer homes for sale and good returns on the remodeling investment, more homeowners are reclaiming their lower levels and remodeling their basements.

Basements are coming out of hiding these days. And they’re doing it in style, with before-and-after transformations featured everywhere from HGTV to Pinterest and YouTube.

What’s driving this trend? A tight housing market, for one thing. With houses at a premium – and a proliferation of DIY how-to’s – more homeowners are inspired to reclaim their unused space and expand their living area.

A smart, affordable upgrade

Updating your lower level is a sound investment in your home. Remodeling magazine’s 2016 Cost vs. Value Report put the average basement remodel at $61,303, with a 70.3 percent payback – a far better investment return than adding a bathroom or garage.

Props for Your Property Value

Depending on local regulations, the additional space can often be added to your home’s total square footage, making your market listing more appealing to buyers and potentially increasing your property value.

To recoup the most from your remodeling efforts, make sure your design and decorating choices are attractive and functional – not too quirky or customized.

Look Up, Look Down: Banish Water All Around

Before you begin making decorating choices, tackle any needed repairs, including waterproofing your lower level. It’s a good idea to seal your walls and floors first, and important enough to hire a professional if you’re short on time.

And since below-grade spaces are usually cool, humid and prone to water damage, consider investing in a good dehumidifier and choosing moisture-resistant products.

Elevate Your Ceiling Style

Ugly or damaged ceilings can ruin the look of your newly updated basement space, so take steps to repair or replace your ceiling. Plaster any cracks and replace yellowing tiles.

If you’re updating the ceiling, look for products from companies like Armstrong Ceilings that are specially treated to resist the growth of mold and mildew. From there, the sky – or the ceiling – is the limit. Savvy design choices, like coffered ceilings, or wood planks add style and the results are easier to achieve than most people think.

Stuck with an older, 2-foot x 4-foot dropped ceiling grid? There’s no need to suffer without style. Homeowners can take advantage of today’s beautiful new 2-foot x 2-foot ceiling tiles by adding 2-foot cross tees to their existing grid systems.

Make sure your flooring choices stand up to moisture, too. Patch any cracks in the concrete floor and consider adding a subfloor if the surface slopes or is uneven.

Many homeowners gravitate to the warmth and soundproofing effect of carpeting in basements. Low-pile or Berber carpets resist wear and are inexpensive options. A moisture-barrier pad between the carpet pad and the carpet adds another level of water resistance and reassurance.

Now is a great time to finish your basement. You’ll enjoy the added living space now, and likely realize a healthy return on your investment in the future.

(BPT) – Americans may be spending less time on housework, but that’s probably not much consolation when you’re scrubbing the toilet for the third time in a week. Meanwhile, hours spent working are taking more of our time, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey. Factor in other time demands like taking care of the kids, your in-laws, your spouse and yourself, and it’s easy to see why products that improve cleanability are gaining ground in bathroom design.

Fortunately, elbow grease and harsh chemical cleansers are no longer the only ways to keep a bathroom clean. Today, a variety of bathroom fixtures, devices and construction materials can all help contribute to a bathroom that cleans up with less effort from you and stays that way for longer.

Innovative Fixtures and Faucets

Cleaning the toilet, tub and shower probably doesn’t top anyone’s list of favorite tasks. While it’s still necessary to do regular deep cleaning, when it comes to daily maintenance, a range of new bathroom additions can lend a hand.

* Self-cleaning toilets – Even in the cleanest households, the toilet can be a hotbed for a variety of unpleasantness. The new ActiClean self-cleaning toilet from American Standard can make day-to-day cleaning of the bowl a much easier task. The press of a button releases cleaning solution into the bowl for either a one-minute quick clean or a 10-minute deep clean, while the patented VorMax jetted flushing technology powerfully scours the bowl to remove all splatter, skid marks and clinging waste. At the end of the soak period, the unit automatically siphons away the cleaner and rinses the bowl with clear water. Simply press a button, walk away, and let the toilet do the rest – it’s that easy.

* Smarter showers – Sure, you can find high-tech, high-cost showers that keep shower doors spotless through nano-technology that repels dirt and water droplets. But having an easy-to-clean shower can actually be simpler and less expensive. It starts by choosing the right materials and design. For example, traditional shower doors are notorious for building up mold, mildew and grime in door tracks. Frameless shower doors can eliminate that problem. If you hate mold in tile grout (and who doesn’t?) you have numerous options. Tile your shower with a dark tile and dark grout. Or, opt for tiles made with mildew-resistant coatings. For super-easy cleaning – not to mention leading edge design – you can even choose a concrete shower.

* No-touch faucets – The bathroom faucet is the most touched area in a bathroom, which means it can also have the most germs. After all, everyone touches it right after using the toilet (you hope). Touchless bathroom sink faucets can help reduce the spread of bacteria and germs, since no one needs to touch them to turn them on. Plus, their hands-free operation ensures that the faucet stays free of fingerprints, soap scum and toothpaste splatters. A wave of the hand starts the faucet — and you’re on your way to a tidier, maybe even immaculate, bathroom.

Cleaner Construction

Of course, if you’ll be renovating a bathroom or building a new home, the best way to ensure a cleaner bathroom at the get-go is to start with construction materials that promote cleanliness. Mildew resistant tiles and grout, mold-resistant paint, and solid surface countertops can all add up to less cleaning time down the road.

One of the most important features to incorporate into a bathroom to help keep it fresher and healthier is an exhaust fan. This will not only remove unpleasant odors from the bathroom, it will also vent moisture out of the room from steamy showers and baths. Excess moisture in a bathroom is one of the leading causes of mold and mildew, which can be unsightly, smelly and unhealthy.

Yes, you can achieve freedom from cleaning. By installing easy-to-clean bathroom fixtures and materials, you can invest less time, effort and energy keeping the room clean. Unexpected guests – drop in unannounced at any time!