Fortunately, there are many options today for those who want to make eco-friendly home improvements. Here are 10 ideas to get you started:

1. Tons of water is wasted each year in the bathrooms of homeowners, so take a look in there when you’re doing your green remodeling. For the toilet consider a dual flush model. These are designs that use two different flush settings depending upon what you need (usually a powerful mode that offers 1.6 gallons and then a nice and gentle .8-gallon flush as well). This can greatly help reduce water consumption in the home over the course of a single year.

2. Paint goes a long ways in adding curb appeal to the outside of a house or cheering up drab spaces inside. It’s also an easy and relatively inexpensive home improvement that will make a huge difference. When you are selecting paint, stick to only brands that use non-VOC or non-volatile organic chemicals. Typical paint has high levels of VOCs, which is neither eco-friendly nor particularly healthy. You may need to search for brands and special lines that offer low and reduced VOC levels, but they are becoming more readily available. Just ask at the paint department of the home improvement store, and someone should be educated enough to help you find an eco-friendly paint that will suit your needs.

3. Flooring is one of the first things people think of when they make plans to remodel, and there are lots of ways to get what you want and still be eco-friendly. For those who are looking for a natural type of material then cork flooring is a great option to explore. It is durable, comfortable to walk on, and also boasts the use of no toxic adhesives that can harm the environment. There are a wide range of colors and designs for cork floor tiles, showing that the material is not meant just for walls and bulletin boards anymore.

4. Your floors may not really need to be replaced at all. Reusing and refinishing already existing materials is a hallmark of the green remodeling movement, so another viable home improvement option that you can look into is refinishing the floors that you currently have. This is especially plausible if you have wood floors underneath any other type of floor in your home. While it may take some work to make them shine again, it is worth the effort.

5. Carpets can be eco-friendly too. Sometimes it’s hard to beat the warmth and softness of carpets, but if you want to be green and healthy (carpeting is well known for harboring dust mites, pet dander, and mildew, all of which are hard to get out even with steam cleaning), consider carpet tiles. These are typically created from recyclable materials and are very easy to install as well as clean. This makes them a beautiful choice as well as a simple option for carpet across an entire room. You can even get outdoor carpet tiles to spruce up balconies or rooftop decks.

6. If you’re going with carpets, know that carpet padding isn’t always necessary. Skip the carpet padding if possible. This is usually additional material that is used when using traditional carpet and involves additional labor, materials, and chemicals and also makes it much harder to keep the carpet clean without the use of harsh chemicals.

7. In the bedroom look for organic bedding. Many off-the-shelf bedding products are treated with a chemical called formaldehyde, which is intended to make them soft, but this is a huge toxic chemical and very hazardous to the environment as well as your own personal health. Look for organic bedding to avoid the dangers to your health.

8. As for the bed itself, consider eco-friendly mattresses. There are several companies that have them available; most are typically made from a material called natural latex rubber, which is friendly to the environment. Also these mattresses pose fewer problems when it’s time to replace them.

9. Think solar power whenever possible. This can save you a lot of money in the long run. For example, if you are replacing your water heater, consider a solar powered model. This will reduce energy usage, lower your power bill, and ensure that you always have plenty of hot water on hand, even if the power is out in the rest of the house.

10. If you’re not ready to take the big remodeling step, you can make green choices just in your home furnishings. One of the best things you can do is purchase used furniture. This helps to keep old furniture out of the landfills, and it reduces the demand on forests and materials to build new pieces from scratch. Also, older pieces tend to be higher quality than what’s put out today (i.e. solid hardwood instead of particleboard), so you may actually get a better piece of furniture just by sanding and staining an old coffee table or perhaps reupholstering old chairs and sofas. Getting used furniture is a great way to save some money and be eco friendly all at the same time.

There are far more home improvements to save money and create an eco-friendly home than listed here, but these should get you started. As you go down the remodeling road, you’ll find plenty of other ways you can create a home that is healthy to live in and is friendly to the environment.

By TC Thorn
Published: 4/30/2008

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Kitchen Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas

(ARA) – Is your home feeling a little squeezed or out-of-date? You may want to join the millions of Americans who are turning to professional contractors instead of Realtors.

According to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), home remodeling may be preferable to moving. Remodeling can be less expensive — the process of selling a home and moving can cost up to 10 percent of the value of your current home. Remodeling also enables your family to stay in a familiar neighborhood and school district. And though it can be stressful, remodeling is much easier than moving a household.

In addition, remodeling allows you to customize improvements based on your individual needs and lifestyle. There are many reasons people choose to remodel. You may wish to add more space, upgrade cabinets and countertops, or improve energy efficiency with new windows, doors and climate control systems.

Remodeling and increased home values

Remodeling can also increase the value of a home. However, a home’s value may not increase as much as you might have expected. In some cases, you may not even recover the costs of the renovation.

The Remodelers’ Council, a part of the National Home Builders’ Association, suggests remodeling projects that bring the value of your home up to the value of your neighbors’ homes. A good rule of thumb is to keep the total of the value of your home before remodeling and the value of the remodeling projects to within 10 percent to 15 percent above median sales prices for a home in your neighborhood. Avoid projects that make your home the most expensive in your neighborhood or different from the other homes, such as a large outdoor swimming pool.

Experts agree that kitchen and bath remodeling projects are the most likely to allow you to recoup their investments, possibly because homebuyers expect to spend a great deal of time in these areas of the house.

If increasing your home’s value is a key priority, keep in mind that your keenest competition at resale will be new homes. So get a sense of what these buyers want by looking at the features and amenities found in new homes, such as great rooms and high ceilings.

Financing your remodeling project: more options than ever

Once you have decided on the remodeling project, it’s time to obtain financing. With today’s low interest rates and climbing home prices, homeowners have greater opportunity to borrow against their equity. They also face more choices for accessing equity, because lenders are offering greater options than ever before.

A key decision is choosing between a home equity loan or a line of credit. Although both borrow against the equity in your home, there are differences between them. A home equity loan is given as a lump sum and under preset terms is repaid over a fixed period of time, generally 15 years.

A revolving home equity line of credit, on the other hand, provides a credit limit or line, which you can draw on as needed, making regular payments. As you make payments, you can continue to borrow against the credit line during the draw period. Many homeowners enjoy the flexibility of a line of credit. To determine which option is best for you, sit down with your lender or financial planner.

Some lenders, such as Bank of America, the largest home equity lender in the United States, are introducing features to make the process more convenient for customers.

New access options — Card access, such as the Bank of America Equity CreditLine Visa, which directly accesses a home equity line of credit, is growing in popularity. Sandra Endsley, product manager, Equity CreditLine Visa, said that individuals reported in research that they enjoy the convenience of using a card without having to then write a check to transfer the charge. Although it can be carried in a wallet, the card has a distinctive design to distinguish it from other bank cards.

Cards that access a home equity line of credit benefit from low rates, payment schedules and possible tax advantages of the home equity line. (Potential borrowers should consult with their tax advisors regarding the deductibility of interest and charges for the line.) Whether you’re accessing the account through a check or card, the account is still a home equity line of credit and subject to the same terms and conditions. In addition, the Equity CreditLine Visa offers the same security features as other Bank of America cards, including zero liability from fraudulent use when the customer notifies the bank as soon as possible after a card has been lost or stolen, and a Photo Security option.

Line of credit lock-in options – While a home equity loan is commonly available at a fixed rate, lines of credit typically are offered at variable rates tied to the prime rate. Variable rates have been popular recently because of low interest rates. However, as rates climb, the interest rate on a variable loan will increase.

Because many customers prefer the predictability of a fixed rate, many lenders now offer a lock-in option for already-advanced portions of home equity lines of credit.

Primary mortgage tie-in options — Many new homeowners want to make improvements or enhancements to their homes right away. Lenders such as Bank of America often offer qualified customers the opportunity to secure a home equity line of credit when they close on a primary mortgage.

Technology process improvements — Because of breakthroughs in technology, many lenders can offer decisions nearly instantly. These advancements, which include electronic appraisal and online title verification, continue to decrease the time between approval and closing.

Properly planned, remodeling can transform the space in your home to meet your needs. In addition, today’s financing options make the process more convenient and flexible than ever before. So whether you choose to hire the experts or do it yourself, now is a great time to get started.

About The Author

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com; e-mail: info@ARAcontent.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information, contact Julie Davis, Bank of America, (404) 607-5228, julie.davis@bankofamerica.

This article was posted on September 21, 2002

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Kitchen Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas

When it comes to remodeling a kitchen many homeowners turn to professionals and contractors to get the look they are going for. However, that does not always have to be the case. There are many projects that homeowners can tackle on their own and not have to go to a contractor for. Not only will the homeowners be able to take pride in their own handy work, but they will also be able to save some money with the remodel

One do it yourself project that is perfect for homeowners to start with is the kitchen cabinetry. The cabinets in your kitchen are one of the biggest focal points when it comes to that particular room. If you have old cabinets and home hardware, chances are it will make your kitchen look old and outdated. While getting brand new cabinets may seem like a project that should be left to the professionals, it does not necessarily have to be that way. If your existing cabinets are already in good condition, there is no need to throw them out and replace them with new ones. Instead, homeowners can stain or repaint the cabinets making them look like brand new cabinets.

Another way to get your cabinets to look like new is to update the kitchen cabinet hardware. After the cabinets are stained or repainted, you do not want to put the same hardware back on them. You want the cabinet knobs and drawer pulls to look just as new as the cabinets do. Updating the cabinet hardware as a rather inexpensive way to get a new look in your kitchen. There are numerous styles and finishes to choose from when it comes to cabinet hardware. Cabinet hardware ranges anywhere from stainless steel pieces to oil rubbed bronze pieces.

One trend that is becoming popular is stainless steel. Stainless steel appliances as well as home hardware are one of the top trends when it comes to kitchen remodeling projects because of its fresh and modern look. Stainless cabinet handles are a perfect addition to a kitchen that already has stainless steel appliances and other accents. If you choose to go with stainless steel cabinet hardware it is important to make sure that the other accents and appliances accentuate the hardware. If you have stainless steel appliances in the kitchen that does not mean you have to have everything else stainless steel, but make sure that the finishes and the colors balance each other out.

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Kitchen Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Kitchen Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Kitchen Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas

I am hardly trying to scare you. All I am doing to trying to make you aware of what lies ahead. If you are new don’t take a chance with do it yourself suggestions. If you have no clue no knack about carrying out home improvements on your own, let it be. Save some money, and hire a professional home remodeling contractor to get it done.

Though there are a lot of simpler tasks, where the DIY technique can help to save your aluable resources and it doesn’t need much talent or knack. Things like cleaning, waxing, remodeling of furniture and floors. Even things like painting, redesigning the rooms and gardening can be accomplished without any professional help but it requires patience so be careful don’t jump on an impulse. If you are certain that if you start it you will take it to a proper finish then go ahead and get going!

Home improvement is something everyone needs at some point of time or the other in their lives. Most of us need to avail services of home remodeling contractors more than once, quite easily. Some may need home repair which could be two yearly for some and yearly for others, while others like I mentioned earlier may opt for home remodeling.

Home remodeling will give your home an entirely a new fresh look. But if you want to simply re-arrange and do away with clutter and make it more organized, you can hire home cleaning services. They are affordable, swift and professional. Most importantly, they know their job. As compared to remodeling services or home remodeling contractors, these cleaning service and home improvement services are far less expensive.

All of us more than we need, we deserve home renovation to give a fresh lease to an otherwise monotonous and routine life that we have got used to. Same colors on the wall, same kitchen, and same floor – if we changed nothing forever, life could indeed get boring. If making smaller changes like chancing drapes can help you lift you moods and sprits, imagine what remodeling of house can do to you.

If you avail services of home construction guys they are the ones who will give inputs on home renovations, practical home improvement tips, guide you to hire cleaning service & remodeling services and even remodeling construction. Home improvement also saves you money as by maintaining your home you are saving it from damage which can call for a big renovation expense all at once sometime in future.

By: Mira Williams

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

The Build Rome Website is a revolutionary home improvement web site with one mission: to help the homeowner by saving you time and money with the best contractors competing for your business: cleaning services, bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling, remodeling services.

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Kitchen Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas

The first step when you are going to remodel your house is to see what projects you can handle on your own. If you are a handy person and good at construction then there may be a lot of projects that you can do yourself. Once you have decided what project you would like to work on then next step is to search on the Internet to see if there are any home remodeling tips available for the specific project you are working on. There are many Web sites on the Internet that are dedicated to helping individuals with projects to work on around the house, therefore there is sure to be an abundance of tips available no matter what project you choose.

Even if you are not a very crafty person and do not have a lot of construction experience there are still plenty of projects that you can complete around the house by yourself to help with the remodeling project. Once task that is rather simple to do is to update the home hardware throughout the entire house. This may seem like a rather insignificant project in regards to home remodeling, however installing hardware such as new cabinet knobs and pulls in to the kitchen cabinets can make a big difference. Updating the kitchen and bathroom cabinet knobs is a rather cheap project and if you do it yourself you can save yourself a lot of money than hiring someone to do it for you.

In addition to cabinet and door hardware another simple project for homeowners to work on during a remodel is installing new lighting fixtures and accessories. Updated lighting fixtures in the kitchen, bathroom, living room or any other room in the house for that matter can make a big difference in the overall style and atmosphere in a particular room. In rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom, homeowners can install new faucets in the sink to help update that room as well.

When you are performing a remodel in the house it is important for you to make sure to take the necessary safety precautions before you begin. While smaller projects may not require safety goggles and hats, bigger projects that require tools will. The more safety precautions you make before you start the remodel, the better.

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas, remodeling tips, tips for home

As all of us are aware, the purpose of a home foundation is to provide support and stability to the structure. There are different kinds of foundations. Most of them extend below the ground and the larger the building, the deeper the foundation has to be. There are a number of problems that can arise regarding a home foundation, but the two most commonplace complaints are shifting soil and uneven support. A frequent damaging factor is the amount of water in the soil. In areas where there is regular, heavy rainfall followed by a dry season, the soil behavior tends to be unpredictable. Moisture seeping into the soil will cause it to expand, and moisture leaving will cause contraction.

At the first sign of home foundation damage, you should contact a contractor immediately for an inspection and repair cost estimate. The contractors will take several factors into consideration when calculating the repair cost of your foundation. After they have done their initial inspection, they will asses the damage and determine how long it will take to fix the foundation. Other than the labor cost the estimates will also depend on the type of material will be used, as well as the cause of the damage.

When people have their foundation repaired, they typically opt to take on other incidental repairs at the same time. These services often include pest control, earthquake proofing, and the installation of seismic anchor bolts. These services will cost you money but it will be preferable to have all these services done at the same time as you will then save on overall costs. Foundation repair will cost a lot of money. Most people may require payment plans and/or loans for this kind of repair.

In order to efficiently repair a damaged foundation, first you need to know what’s causing the damage. A professional will be able to look for different signs of distress, and ascertain whether it is vertical stress or lateral, if it’s due to erosion, water, or instability in the soil. Small areas of sunken concrete can be corrected with hot asphalt, or grout pumped underneath the problem slab. This asphalt hardens and becomes a steady base. This is most effective when it comes to smaller slabs which most often create problems. However, if your problems are larger then a deck or driveway, the most commonly used method of repair is peiring. This is when large steel pipes are driven deep into the ground under the foundation of a structure and lift it to where it should sit to prevent further sinkage.

Stone foundations are not used very much in the construction of homes or buildings today. However, there are several old homes and buildings were stone foundations still existent. When a stone foundation cracks the average homeowner cannot make the necessary repairs on his or her own. It will be necessary to hire professionals to make the required repairs. Stone foundations crack for several reasons, with water damage being the most prominent cause. Stone foundations can also crack and crumble due to vibration that can be caused from heavy vehicles running above ground, and even sonic vibrations created from aircraft.

By: samehta s

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

samehta is a Copywriter of allphaserenovations.com/HoustonArticle/HouseRemodelingandgardenskitchens/tabid/134/Default.aspx“>Houston home remodeling, home foundation repair, Home plumbing & re-piping .She written many articles in various topics such as Houston kitchen remodeling, Concreate remodeling Houston, Houston windows remodeling . For more information visit: www.allphaserenovations.com .

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas, remodeling tips, tips for home

Buck up, little remodeler: A little prep work can ensure a smooth-running project and save you time, money, and at least a small sliver of your sanity.

1. Pick a project that'll pay off
If you are making improvements to increase the value of your home (and according to statistics, about one-third of remodeling homeowners are), avoid the temptation to overimprove for your neighborhood. Most major home improvements will pay off in resale just $0.80 to $0.90 for each dollar spent. Get an idea of what's worth it and what's not (think kitchens and bathrooms).

2. Set a budget, and line up the dough
Before you take sledgehammer to drywall, decide on a budget (be firm), and earmark the needed funds. Hopefully, this is something you've been planning for a while, and you've socked away some money in an appropriate, safe, short-term savings vehicle. If you are borrowing against your home to fund a project, make sure you calculate the associated costs and add that into your budget.

3. Ask for official papers
When you're done picking the perfect project and planning your budget, you're halfway there. Do yourself a favor and spend just as much time picking your pros for the job as you did deciding what color granite to use on the countertops. Choose a properly licensed, insured, experienced, and financially stable contracting firm. The American Homeowners Association has some tips on interviewing candidates, and how to protect your financial interests.

4. Stick to the budget
Cost overruns occur when you do not have firm design plans before accepting estimates. So write down your "must haves," "nice to haves," and "can live withouts," and share these preferences with your contractor. Should he or she have to scale back the project to stay within your budget, you'll each have a prioritized list of what goes first.

For more on making your renovations pay off, see

Make the Right Home ImprovementsHome Equity 101How to Hire Trustworthy Home Help

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas, remodeling tips, tips for home

But if you have not considered also updating your door hardware in the course of your home improvements, you are missing out on a change you can make that will really give the new dcor of the room a finished, pulled together look. In that way, it will have a big impact on the overall look and feel of the room, even though it might sound like a small detail to worry over at first blush. In the home dcor business, plain and stodgy door knobs are a thing of the past – though, of course, you can still use those if they are what floats your boat – and decorative hardware has become increasingly popular. With decorative door hardware, you can dress up your door in the same way you dress up a window with a new set of drapes or add a pretty vase to an end table or mantelpiece. They are a way to add one more touch of style to the room.

Decorative door hardware is available in an amazing array of shapes, colors, styles and finishes, so you can’t help but find some pieces that fit in with the room’s color scheme and style perfectly. For nature lovers, you can find door knobs in the shape of flowers or made from natural materials like wood and stone. You can even find door levers shaped like small branches. For elegant and Victorian style rooms, choose glass door knobs with beveled edges that catch the light.

From ornate wrought iron to smooth antique brass to stainless steel and everything in between, choosing beautiful decorative hardware will add that perfect finishing touch to your room, and since adding new hardware to a door is an easy do it yourself project and the pieces themselves are relatively inexpensive, you can complete the project in a few hours and have a new room accent you can be proud of without breaking the bank or having to call in a professional.

Technorati Tags: home improvement, Home Remodeling, Remodeling Ideas, remodeling tips, tips for home