Home Improvement Projects - Installing a New Shower Stall in Your Bathroom

In today's economy many homeowners are looking to save money and more and more are doing things such as repairs and remodeling themselves. If you are a homeowner and your home is one of those whose bathtub doubles as a shower and you would like a separate shower stall or maybe your tub doesn't have a shower, why not consider doing it yourself?

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The most important thing to keep in mind when shopping for a new shower stall is how much space you have available. Once you have determined how much space you have available, you are now ready to shop around. The best places to look for shower enclosures are home improvement stores or online. These stores often have displays of the completed showers as well so that you can see what they will look like. You can find some near you either online or in the yellow pages of your phone book. There is a wide variety of shower kits you can choose from with prices starting around 0 to 00. You may want to choose a prefabricated stall rather than a tile stall as a tile one could take weeks to install.

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Shopping online is an option as well for those who do not care for seeing displays. Since most shower kits come with instructions you should have no problems installing the shower yourself. There are also books, DVDs and classes that can also help you. Many home improvement stores conveniently have these learning tools in the store for you.

Home Improvement Projects - Installing a New Shower Stall in Your Bathroom

Alice Brook is an authority on Bathroom and Kitchen Remodeling Projects. Shop Mizoti.com for frameless shower enclosures and frameless shower doors.

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Home Improvement During a Recession? It Makes "Cents"

The housing market may be sagging in this recession, but that doesn't mean homeowners are - or should be - holding their purse strings tightly when it comes to remodeling their existing homes. Savvy homeowners know that in this buyer's market, fixer-uppers can't compete with a glut of affordable, foreclosed and bank-owned properties; it makes sense to make your home as marketable as possible.

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A Stimulating Idea

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Here's one good reason to make some improvements to your home now: It can get you some money from the government. President Obama's February 2009 economic stimulus package includes tax credits for homeowners who invest in energy-efficient home improvements. For qualifying garage doors, for example, you can earn up to ,500, not to mention the savings you'll see on your power bills. Tax credits reduce your taxes dollar-for-dollar.

The Economics of Home Improvement

Why spend the money on remodeling now, when times are already tough? It's a simple matter of supply and demand. Builders and contractors are hurting right now, which means they're now offering their services at lower prices these days than they might in a better market. Not to mention that supplies like wood, drywall, or concrete can be found at lower prices now than they were just a couple years ago. You could actually save 11-22 percent on home renovations in the current economy, depending on the size and scope of the project.

This means that while the average remodeling project sees a return on investment of roughly 80 cents on the dollar, your savings in supplies and labor might make for an even bigger return when the market rebounds, multiplying your selling power. Now there's some good economic news.

Home Improvement During a Recession? It Makes "Cents"

Kelli Smith is the editor for HomeImprovement411.org. For home improvement information and to find a home improvement contractor near you visit HomeImprovement411.org.

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6 Home Improvement Tips For Your Walls And Floors

If your home improvement project involves drywall, insulation, painting or flooring, you'll want to make sure the job is done right. Use these six tips and ideas to help ensure that it gets done with as little frustration as possible.

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1. Choose the right grit for sanding drywall. Different individuals have their own strategies that require different abrasion levels for sanding drywall. Remember that the coarser the grit that is used, the more evident the tracking is going to be. Anything less than 120 grit should be used rather gently to prevent surface scratches. The average grit used is 100 as this is enough to sand the mud compound effectively and will decrease the chance of scratching. Some may use a medium 80 grit, but this is more rare as it takes a great deal more work.

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2. Whenever drywall work has been done, change your HVAC filters. Sheetrock dust can cause significant harm to your HVAC system, therefore it ought to be kept in check as much as possible by changing the furnace and ac filters so that they are fresh, clean, and minimizing the dust flowing through.

3. Use carpet or wooden flooring in the bedroom. Your bedroom should have a warm and comforting feel - something that tile, vinyl, stone (like marble or granite), linoleum can rarely accomplish (particularly when you step out of bed during the cold months). Carpeting is great for a bedroom because it is soft and feels pleasant to step down upon when you're getting up. Hardwood is a great option if you don't want carpet because of the natural, warm feeling it brings a room.underfoot.

4. Insulate the rest of your residence. Wherever possible, add additional insulation to your home. If you're already taking flooring or ceilings out, go ahead and take the opportunity to add some more padding. Flooring makes it possible for 15 percent of your heating or cooling to escape, while walls can lose close to 35 percent.

5. Use a plastic bag to line your paint tray. Cleaning paint trays is often a nuisance and a time intensive effort. By lining yours with a plastic bag, when you're done, you can simply invert the bag and pitch it in the trash, saving an enormous amount of cleanup time and effort.

6. Consider demolition to be its own project. Just as you think of plumbing, electrical work, or new kitchen cabinetry installation to be a project, so should you think of the demolition that way. It's something that needs to be budgeted, prepared for, and concluded before you proceed to the next step. Don't just think of it as prep work for something else. Give it its own attention and focus. This will help to ensure that you do it right, save money by making the right choices for it (without simply lumping it in with other projects) and save time by scheduling it independently.

6 Home Improvement Tips For Your Walls And Floors

Finally, if you're renovating your bathroom to accommodate someone who is disabled, then check out our consumer guide at bathtubsforsale.org. Among other things, you'll find information about showers for disabled persons and walk in tubs prices.

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Estimating Home Repair and Improvement Costs

One of the biggest unknowns for many homeowners is how to estimate home repair costs. Depending on who writes the estimate, it can be confusing and very difficult to understand exactly what is included and what is the actual amount of money you'll be expected to pay. I can't teach you, in one page, to be a professional estimator. It takes years of experience and is a constant learning process. My goal here is to provide you with a basic understanding of the methods used by estimators in for determining costs. It all starts with quantities. How much of each particular product or service do you need?

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Breaking Down Repair Cost Measurements
Most things in construction are measured in linear feet, square feet, and square yards. Many of you may already know this.If so, feel free to skip ahead. But, I'm starting from the very beginning for those that may be completely unfamiliar with these terms. Linear feet is the most simple. If you pull your tape measure from one end of a straight wall to the other and it measures: 10 ft 6 in, then you have 10'6" linear feet of wall. Finish carpenters use linear feet to measure trim, base boards, and cabinets. For example: If you were remodeling your kitchen and replacing the cabinets, you would measure the length of each individual cabinet to determine that you need 18 linear feet (lf) of lower cabinets and 22 (lf) of upper cabinets.

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The next type of measurement I'm going to talk about is square feet. This probably the most often used measurement in construction and it's pretty simple. basically, were multiplying 2 separate measurements. If you wanted to find the square footage of a bedroom floor for example, you would multiply the width of the room by the length. If the room is 12 ft wide and 15 ft long: 15x12=180 square feet. If you need the square footage of a wall in the same room, you would simply multiply length x height. Square feet measurements are used for the majority of household repairs including: painting, drywall flooring, counter tops, and many more. Square yards is another measurement used in cost estimating, primarily for carpet and other flooring. To find the square yardage of an area, you would divide the square feet by 9. So if a room was 10 ft x 9 ft (90 SQ FT) divide by 9 and you've got 10 square yards. Measuring for carpet is a little more complicated than finding the square yardage of a room. For more info on that check out our flooring page.

Defining the Scope of Work for Home Repairs
Now that we understand the measurement process a little better, let move on to preparing the Estimate. It all starts with the scope of work. Let's say we're going to remodel the kitchen. Make a line item listing each home repair.

Replace Cabinets- 18 lf lower, 22 lf upper Paint Ceiling and Walls- 192 sf ceiling, 240 sf walls, Remove Linoleum Flooring- 156 sf Install Ceramic Tile Floor- 156 sf Install Granite Counter Tops- 36 sf Install Ceramic Tile Back Splash- 27 sf Install (6) recessed light in ceiling Install New Appliances- Built-in Double Oven, Glass Cook Top, Vent Hood, Dishwasher Install New Sink and Faucet Stain and Finish Cabinets
Building the Cost Estimate
The simplest method for determining the cost of your project is to have general contractors bid the entire project. Try and line up at least 3 GC's to give you quotes on the project. Schedule different appointment times for each of them. You don't want them all there together, but casually mention that you are expecting other bids. Hopefully this will make them more competitive. The following tips may be helpful in the interview process.

If you have any questions or would like their input on the project, prepare a list and use it with all bidders. We do this to make sure the process is equal. Decide on a time frame for when you would like their Estimate.(A week to 10 days should be enough time). This will show you something about their ability to do things promptly and meet deadlines. If you want the contractor to include all of the labor and materials in their bids, you need to specify certain items like appliances and flooring to insure you get the quality you want. An experienced, qualified contractor would ask you these questions own their own. Ask them to include an estimated time (# of days or weeks) that it will take to complete the project. Tell them you will need a list of the subcontractors they will be using.(so you can check them out and get lien releases to make sure they have been paid).

After you have completed the interview process, just sit back and wait for the bids. When you receive them, compare them closely to make sure they are equal. Look for exceptions or exclusions in the fine print. Some people may leave out items that were in your scope. This may be OK, you just need to know up front. If you are satisfied with the number of bids you've received, select the Cost Estimate you believe suits you best and move forward. If you are unable to get multiple bids, keep reading and you'll find tips on how to determine if the prices are fair.

If you want to contract your own work, you will need to price each phase of the work and the put it all together to build an estimate of your home repair costs. Let's begin with any areas of the work you may be planning to do yourself. Maybe your going to do the painting or stain the cabinets. In this case, your only expenses should be materials and any new tools you may need. When making your material list, don't forget the small misc. items you'll need. When painting, in addition to the paint itself, don't forget, caulking, putty, paint thinner, and plastic to cover floors or furniture. These are low cost items, but it all adds up. After you have estimated the material cost, it's a good idea to add about 10% contingency for mistakes or unexpected problems that arise (there are always a few). Make a line item for each phase of the job you plan on doing yourself.

Now we're ready to get sub bids for the rest of the home repair costs. Finding the right subcontractors is they key to a smooth, organized project. All it takes is one bad one to mess it up for everyone. Make appointments with subs for each phase of the job. It's a good idea to schedule appointments with different trades at the same time to get feedback on things one trade may need to do for another. For example: The plumber or electrician may need to relocate pipes or wiring before the carpenter installs the new cabinets. But, as a rule, don't schedule subs of the same trade at the same time. You need to get a feel for each individual without a competition going on. Give each bidder a copy of your entire scope of work so he knows up front what circumstances he will be working with. He may raise questions you haven't thought about. Make it clear if you plan on providing any materials or fixtures, such as appliances or lighting.

If you want the sub to include everything, either specify what you want or ask them for an allowance. An allowance is a designated amount of money allowed for a particular item. For instance: if you have a 0 allowance for a ceiling fan, that amount would be set aside in the contract. After looking, you decide that the fan you really want is 9. You would owe the additional 9 to the contractor. If it's less, you would receive a credit. This is a good way to get estimates, but I would recommend always selecting what you want rather than leaving it up to the contractor, to insure you receive the value that you're paying for. If you have an allowance, you may be able to save some money by finding bargains on clearance or used items. Once you've received all of your sub bids, make your selections and combine the sub bids with the line item prices for the things you're doing yourself and the total will be the final cost of repairs for your home. It is a good idea to then add 5-10% contingency. There are usually unexpected things that come up. If they don't, you'll still have the money, but, if more costs do arise, you will have planned for it.

Checking the Home Repair Costs
The final thing I'd like to discuss about home repair costs is how to determine if you're getting a fair price. The simplest way is to have multiple bids when compiling your Cost Estimate. If you have the following 4 prices:

,000, ,000, ,500, ,900

It's pretty clear that the market price should be in the ,000 - ,000 range and the ,000 price is high. However you may not be able to get 4 bids. You may only get 1.If you haven't received enough bids to write an estimate of your home repair costs that you feel comfortable with, you can do some research using the estimating techniques we discussed earlier. Use the footage measurements and make some phone calls or visit home improvement centers to check prices. For example: You need 156 sf of ceramic tile. Call several tile contractors and ask them what they charge per: sf to install floor tile (labor only). After making several calls you determine that the labor price should be about per sf. You know from your previous shopping that your tile is per: sf and misc materials are $.50 per: sf, the following formula can help you check the costs:

Labor .00 Materials .50

Total sf price .50 x 156 sf = 82.00 %2B 20% O&P = 6.40= Total Price 78.40

Adding 20-30% for overhead and profit is not unreasonable, but if your using small contractors, you may not need to. If you receive a bid for 00, it is probably high.This process can be used with many of the items in your Cost Estimate that are priced based on footage measurements. It's not an exact science, but it can help you know if your in the ball park. The exception would be very small projects. If all your doing is a small bathroom, contractors will probably not bid it by the foot because they can't make any money that way. It is really impossible to estimate costs for some services, particularly: plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. The only option, even for professional estimators is to use multiple bids. Spend the extra time if necessary. It will be worth it.

I would like to conclude this topic by offering some advice that I have learned the hard way.

The cheapest Cost Estimate is not always the best. If you have 3 prices and one is half the amount of the next lowest, be careful. They may have missed something, or very possibly, just don't know what they're doing. This is tempting, even for veteran contractors. But, if the sub or GC has under bid the project and can't finish, you've got a big problem. I've been on both sides of this and it never turns out good for either side. Don,t lie to yourself. If you've gotten your bids and done your research and the Cost Estimate looks like a ,000 project, but you only have ,000, it's still a ,000 project. Don't proceed, thinking you will find a way to save ,000. You may end up with torn up house you can't finish. Either take something out of wait awhile until you have the needed funds. Finally, make sure your pricing is up to date. Some services and materials can fluctuate greatly for various reasons. If it's been several months since you did your estimate, check with suppliers and contractors to be sure the prices are still good.

Hopefully, your armed with a little more knowledge and ammunition for preparing you Cost Estimate. Proceed with caution and Good Luck!

Estimating Home Repair and Improvement Costs

For more information on managing your own improvements or remodeling, click on the following link http://www.yourselfhomerepair.com/generalcontractor.html

To receive the latest updates on the current trends in remodeling and home improvements subscribe to my weekly newsletter at http://www.yourselfhomerepair.com/newsletter.html

Glenn Whitehead is a former general contractor with over 25 years experience in the construction industry in Houston, TX. He is currently the webmaster of YourselfHomeRepair.com, a do it yourself home repair and improvement site with how to articles, tips for finding contractors, and help preparing contract documents

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Outside Home Improvement Ideas

Home improvement is a popular activity. Many homeowners are avid in making improvements because it not only makes a home more comfortable and nice to live in, but it also increases its value. Projects can be done inside or outside. There are a range of projects that a person can do. Many do not even require any special skills, but just some simple knowledge. Additionally, these projects can be a great way to get the family together, especially outdoors projects. Home improvement does not have to be expensive or time consuming. There are plenty of great outdoor projects you whole family can enjoy doing.

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Simple Ideas

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The outside of your home is the first thing people see. It can have a great impact on how people perceive you and your home. That is why many home improvement projects are on the outside of a home. A simple way to instantly improve your home's look is to paint. Even if your home has vinyl siding, there is likely some wooden trim that could benefit from a coat of paint. It is something anyone can do and is a cheap project, too. The results, though, are amazing. It can be surprising how a little paint can make such a large improvement. You should paint any wooden area and be sure to protect things around the area so you do not get paint where it shouldn't be. Another fun project is redoing your backyard. Perhaps it is boring and unproductive. With the addition of a few things, like a picnic table, a hammock or a barbeque pit, you can completely change the look and make it more inviting. Even something as simple as cleaning up can do wonders. Choose projects that you can get done in a day or two. Your whole family can work together on them. You also will not get overwhelmed by these small projects. You will also be able to maintain a reasonable budget, too.

Your outdoor projects do not have to be anything major. You do not have to add a swimming pool and drywall repair, build a new deck or redo the roof, to make good changes and improvements. The basics of outdoor home improvement is to just change things to make it look better. You do not have to go to extremes. You can simple change something here and there. You can plant flowers, add a porch swing or even redo your driveway. Whatever you do, it is going to improve your home without having to undergo a major project.

Outside Home Improvement Ideas

Jack Blacksmith usually pens publications on problems corresponding to drywall hole repair and drywall paper repair. His work on drywall texture repair can be discovered on http://www.insidewoodworking.com

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Tips on Purchasing Tile For Your Home Improvement

There are so many various types of tiles available in today's market that a few tips can be handy to wading through the selection possibilities.

Any guide to purchasing tile will usually start by advising you to measure the area that you are planning to cover with tile. Be sure to measure it very carefully. When you are doing your tile shopping, the amount of tile needed to complete your job will, of course, depend on the size of the area. It is generally best to translate the area into square feet as this is the most common way to determine the quantity needed. Be careful, however, with your math when making the purchase.

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The second step is to determine the type of material that you want to use. Certain materials are not as appropriate for various jobs as others. Marble, for example, tends to easily adsorb liquids and discolor. This makes it a rather poor choice for a kitchen counter top. Some other high grade expensive tiles tend to scratch easily and would not make a very good choice for floor tiles in a high traffic area. Once you have made a material selection that is appropriate for the job and know the square footage that you must cover, you are ready to begin the shopping phase.

You should make a list of suppliers in your area. The list can include both smaller, specialty suppliers and large retail outlets such as Lowes or Home Depot. You can prepare a comparison price list. Remember to make a separate comparison for material costs only. This is the cost of the actual tiles themselves and would not include installation. You should treat installation as a separate item.

The actual job of installation can be done by a contractor or you can do it yourself if you have the ability and confidence to do it. If you are pricing a contractor, be very sure to make sure they have experience with the type of material you have selected. Also make sure they are aware of the exact square footage of the job.

Tile pricing will vary widely based on the material. As in many other decorating areas, there are ways to save money. You can look for sales and for discontinued items. When you have established a good relationship with a supplier, you might be able to take advantage of order cancellations and overstocks. These can result in substantial savings. The price range for tiles will range anywhere from a square foot for the least expensive materials to a square foot for the highest quality tiles.

Tips on Purchasing Tile For Your Home Improvement

Aazdak Alisimo writes tile articles for http://www.TileandFloorCompanies.com

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Stress Reduction = Acoustical Home Improvement Products to the Rescue for Every Home

Urban and even suburban environments have increasingly higher decibel levels. It is a well-known fact that noise adds stress to our bodies. Our senses continually process input consciously or unconsciously. For many people body downtime is hard to come by.

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Ever sat in a restaurant and you could hear everyone around you but the person across the table from you with whom you came to enjoy a meal? This is a classic problem of insufficient noise control. The good news: it can be remedied. I often wonder why restaurant designers miss this part of restaurant design. It is such an important element in the enjoyment of a place & does effect whether customers return to a place.

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Are there home improvement products that dampen sound in our homes, apartments, offices and public spaces? Are there materials that can return our homes to more peaceful sanctuaries? The answer is "YES".

Not surprisingly, there are more and more products coming onto the market that promise sound reduction. We examine them here so that you can choose the right home improvement products in your upcoming home remodels.

Essentially, acoustical home improvement products fall into two product categories: One of those that block sound from the outside and two, products which provide sound absorption.

Sheetrock: Soundproofing drywall has been around for a number of years. The level of sound dampening depends on the thickness of the drywall and also the laying given to drywall. Each drywall 4x8 sheet consist of a system of layers. Specifically, a viscoelastic polymer layer is sandwiched by traditional gypsum. Continuing this system with manufacturers commonly also sell acoustical glues to provide even more noise control.

One tip: it is best to refrain from specialty wall finishes such as faux plaster finishes. Plaster is a hard surface that deflects noise instead of allowing sound waves to get to the viscoelectric membrane where they can be absorbed or neutralized.

Windows: Windows are in the first sound deflection group of home improvement products. In the past, so-called triple pane glass would dampen noise from the outside. It used to be pretty much the only solution. For a number of years special acoustical windows featured a diagonally or angled layer of glass between two outer glass surfaces. Recently, advances in new materials have created new - and I might add - exciting options. Pleotint, Inc. offers a window film that catches the proverbial two birds in one stroke. The Pleotint sunlight responsive thermochromic film (SRT) reflects sunlight to avoid solar heat build up inside a house or office AND it keeps outside noise out. It keeps outside noise out! It is state-of-the art technology- in fact so new that window manufacturers are evaluating the product presently. Homeowners: demand it with your upcoming window purchases!

Wood Flooring: Wood is an acoustically "hard" surface. Different manufacturers produce a variety of rubber and foam underlayment products. They work! Everyone who installs a new floor should include these underlayments. Especially when kitchen and living spaces are open to each other acoustical underlayment will dampen down the clanking kitchen noise that might otherwise interfere with someone's reading or watching TV.

Tile Flooring: Everyone would concur that tile has no noise absorption. Great noise improvement can again be achieved with underlayments. There is acoustical foam underlayment. However it should not be used in combination with electric radiant heat installations.

Insulation: If you have ever built a house or added a new structure you know how sounds is muffled the moment insulation is installed. All insulation products have this effect. It is important to avoid compression of insulation to achieve maximum noise control. There are specialty-type acoustical insulations - every effective.

Wall Underlayments: Accoustical liners are another superb way of reducing noise. They work by absorbing sound waves. Manufacturers' specifications typically carefully list what sound wave spectrum gets best absorbed by which specific product. Once insulation is installed the layer of wall underlayment gets tacked over the entire surface prior to the hanging of gypsum wall / sheetrock.

Wall /Ceiling Treatments: Much like wallpaper, walls can be lined with special noise absorbing fabrics and fabric panels. This is best left as a professional installation. It can be an attractive looking solution and might be a good solution when the opening of walls is not an option.

Home Décor: Curtains can be lined with a certain type of fabric commonly known as "bumper fabric". It adds quite a bit of weight to the curtain but the noise absorption is terrific especially since curtains are naturally waving structure, which breaks up sound refractions. The right materials make even an audiophile happy who set out with the impossible: convert a large living room space with high ceilings, hard plaster walls and hardwood floors into a listening room.

One final note: Constant and thus often aggravating noise in a home environment can come from unskillfully installed equipment - otherwise known as rattles. In this case vibration mounts are usually the answer. A case in point might be the airhandler in your attic. Unless it is suspended from rafters or sits on airhandler vibration mounts air-handler unit is likely to rattle day and night...talk about stress.

Stress Reduction = Acoustical Home Improvement Products to the Rescue for Every Home

Sabine is the founder of http://www.SabinesHome.com - Products that Improve Your Home & Life. Years of building sophisticated, state of the art, high-end residential homes for celebrities and the very wealthy have made Sabine expert in home improvement products, home improvement projects and new construction.

Before buying anything for your home - check out the straight talk on home improvement products, from conventional to new green products and technologies.

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Home Improvement - Quick and Easy Wall Patches

Anyone who has ever had drywall in their house knows that eventually a door will get slammed open; a piece of furniture smacked against the wall, or some other incident will create a gouge, a hole or a scratch in the drywall that must be fixed. When those times happen, get out your tools and get to work: there's no need to hire a contractor to come in and patch your drywall, it's a relatively easy fix that you can handle yourself!

The first thing you'll need are a few essentials to handle the job right:

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A drywall repair kit. Clean tin can lid. Tape measure. Keyhole saw. Thin wire or string. Scissors or wire cutters. Scrap wood. Putty knife. Drywall patching compound. Sandpaper. Primer and paint. Paintbrushes.

The easiest way to fix any drywall repair project is to purchase a drywall repair kit from your local home improvement store. Be sure you measure the hole that needs fixed and buy the appropriate kit for the job. For example, a drywall patch for a ceiling is thicker than one for a wall.

Once you're ready to begin, remove any loose paper or plaster around the edges of the hole, then apply drywall patch, following the manufacturer's instructions.

To make a repair to a small drywall hole without a kit, follow these instructions:

Step 1:

Prepare tin can lid that is at least 11/2 inches more in diameter than hole in drywall for backing piece. Use keyhole saw to cut out narrow horizontal slit in wall on each side of hole. Measurement of hole plus both narrow slits should equal diameter of lid so you can insert lid sideways into hole.

Step 2:

Use awl to punch two holes in center of lid. Thread 12-inch piece of wire or string through holes.

Step 3:

Holding ends of wire, slide lid through slit. Still holding wire, pull lid toward you until it's flat against inside of wall. Can lid should be held firmly against inside of wall.

Step 4:

Use putty knife to apply premixed drywall patching compound over patch following manufacturer's instructions. Pack the compound into the hole, keeping it inside. Do not spread it on wall surface. Leave patch slightly low, and don't try to level it. Let patch dry until it turns bright white, typically at least 24 hours. When dry, cut string or wire and remove stick.

Step 5:

To finish patch, fill it completely with more patching compound to make patch level with wall surface. Let dry, lightly sand area, prime, and paint.

Home Improvement - Quick and Easy Wall Patches

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Which Major Home Improvement Adds the Most Value to Your Home?

Most major home improvements add value to your home but do you know which one really add the most value irrespective of the housing market ups and downs? Read on and find out...

Loft Conversion
A few years ago it was only on rare occasions that you got your money back on a loft conversion let alone see a profit. In recent years however you were far more likely to get your money back and maybe even make a small profit. Whilst this is good news it is not the same everywhere so depending on where you live you may make money or lose money.

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Home Extension
Adding on a home extension has traditionally been a winner in that you can add on up to 15% of the value of your home with a decent extension. The key to profitability here is to ensure that you don't over spend or put too fine an extension on a small house. Clearly if your house is in a leafy superb and worth 500k then a 50k extension will give you a profit.

Conservatories
Again, a few years back you would be lucky to get back the cost of the materials let alone add value to your house. This is not surprising given that conservatories were of such poor quality and were too hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.

Nowadays the conservatory norm is of a much higher specification and with an endless range of designs they make a superb addition to your home. As for profitability it is still hit and miss given that the right house in the right area will see a profit whilst the wrong conservatory in the wrong area will see a loss.

Basement Conversion
I've heard it said a few times recently that within a few years we will all be digging out the underneath of our homes. With an increasing population, fewer home and not enough building land then they might be right but I seriously doubt it mainly because it costs a lot more to dig out and build downwards than it does to build upwards.

The average cost of a decent basement conversion will set up back upwards of 100k and you would only get your money back if your property was in prime areas such as central London. If you do a basement conversion, do it for the space as you will surely lose money on this one.

Garage Conversions
Traditionally, garage conversions were not a popular way of extending the home but in the past few years this form of conversion has risen dramatically. When you start to look at the numbers for a garage conversion it only takes a moment or two to see why it has become one of the most popular methods of enlarging your home.

Look at the cost of the average garage conversion which comes in around 10k and you can see that no matter which way you look at it you have added a room to your house for 10k. Now if you live in the south east you can add 30k to the price of your house if you add on an extra bedroom showing you a huge profit with very little outlay. This one is definitely a winner but it still not the best one.

Solar Panel Installation

You're probably thinking why I have bothered to include solar panel installation as everybody knows you won't get you money back. Whilst this was true in 1996 when the first UK solar panel installation was carried out a lot has changed since then. Yes, it's true that solar panel installation got a lot of bad press because of long payback periods and expensive installations costs but times have changed.

In 1996 the average cost of a UK solar panel installation was 30/35k but due to technological advancement and mass production solar panels now cost only a fraction of what they once were whilst at the same time producing a lot more energy. Combine this situation with the huge rises in energy costs and we now have a totally different scenario.

The average cost of a UK solar panel installation now comes in at around 10k whilst the average cost for energy (gas & electric) comes in around 2.5k pr year. If energy prices remained the same - and they won't - the average payback period for your solar panel installation would be 5 years.

We're not finished just yet because the life expectancy of today's pv (photovoltaic) solar panels is anywhere between 20 to 40 years. Again if we take an average lifespan of 30 years as the solar panel lifespan and then took into account the rising costs if energy over that 30 years the actual saving you are likely to make would be in excess of 80k which undoubtedly makes this form of home improvement an out and out winner.

Lets not forget that you are also contributing massively to reducing your carbon footprint and doing your bit for a greener planet in the process. Check it out for yourself and book a free solar survey at SolarPanelsSpermarket.Com.

Which Major Home Improvement Adds the Most Value to Your Home?

About The Author
Tom Norris is the Managing Director of the QFJ Media Price Comparison Network and writes passionately each week in the Conservatories Supermarket Blog and about home improvement and renewable energy issues.

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