For those constantly pursuing ways to improve their home’s curb appeal, one common feature is often overlooked — garage doors.

When it comes to garage door replacement, there’s no need to rest on just function and convenience. Garage doors come in many styles and materials, providing a practical way to give your home a facelift without requiring a crew of builders and designers.

What’s more, according to Remodeling magazine’s Cost vs. Value report for 2010-2011, garage door replacements earn back about 84 percent of initial costs in home resale value.

Popular home improvement site Charles & Hudson has some tips for picking the perfect garage door replacement:

• “If you want to replace your garage door but remain budget-conscious, consider a mid-range door, classified by Remodeling magazine as ‘uninsulated, single-layer, embossed steel with two coats of baked-on paint, galvanized steel hinges and nylon rollers.’ “
• “For a more traditional aesthetic, try a wood, carriage-like door. Glass and wrought-iron trim are available for a truly luxurious product.”
• “If you prefer something that’s more sustainable and eco-friendly, consider a door made of wood composite. You can easily change the color with a coat of primer and paint, making these a versatile option if you’d like the freedom to periodically change the color of your door.”

[Photo from Houzz]

As interest rates for saving accounts hit all-time lows, the folks at Calfinder raise an interesting question: Are home improvements more valuable than savings accounts? Yes, according to information from Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report. But that’s not to say you should close your savings account and head to the nearest hardware store.

This opinion is based on the potential return on invest homeowners can expect to see after carefully planned renovation. For instance, a kitchen remodel averages a 72.8 percent turn while a bathroom returns nearly half. Even window replacement averages a 72.4 percent return.

Renovation doesn’t always require a hard hat and sledgehammer. Calfinder points out some smaller projects that can have a huge impact on your home’s value:

• “Make your bathroom feel larger by repainting it with a light semi-gloss, replace flooring with large 12-inch bathroom tiles to minimize distracting grout lines. Add larger mirrors.”
• “An average kitchen remodel takes nine months to plan and three to build—but you can improve your kitchen in a weekend by resurfacing cabinets and countertops, adding a new backsplash, and updating drawer pulls and other hardware.”

Does this mean you should drain your savings account to morph you home? Hardly. But it does mean you can smartly invest in your home and reap the benefits immediately and in the future.

[Photo from Houzz]

The bathroom is probably the only room in the house that you absolutely can’t get along without. In addition to its practical uses, it has also become a sanctuary and haven from the busy world and some people prefer it to be as spa-like as possible.

For those reasons, the bathroom has a tendency to be one of the top items on a homeowner’s remodeling wish list. CalFinder has covered some ideas for when you want a bathroom upgrade but are short on cash. Here are a few of their ideas we especially like, and you can check out the rest of the post here.

• Try a quick fix: Maybe a coat of sky-blue paint on your white walls will give it that serene feeling you’ve been craving. And if it doesn’t? Then you can always look at more spendy ways to reach your goal.
• Leave some jobs to the pros: Plumbers know plumbing and electricians know electricity. Do you really want to deal with an exploding toilet because your knowledge of pipes is rudimentary? No matter how cheap your bathroom remodel is, save some money to hire experts for certain parts of the job.
• Reface the cabinets you already have–far less expensive than getting them entirely replaced!

Qualified Remodeler magazine recently featured a rather impressive remodeling project:

Just outside Boston, in the town of Wellesley, Mass., the owners of a home that bordered conservation land faced changing needs. After purchasing the 1,700-square-foot, 1930’s house, the residents performed a renovation in 1995 to increase the size to 2,000 square feet. Over time the family of four grew to a family of six, and the owners were ready for a master suite, home office and a larger place to entertain guests. They loved the house, neighborhood and peaceful conservation land abutting their backyard, so rather than move, the owners decided to undertake a 2,600-square-foot addition to more than double the home’s size.

The $1.6 million addition included a master suite; his and her bathrooms; a 2-story mahogany library that serves as an entertainment room and home office; a guest room and guest bathroom; a large basement renovation with a recreation room, gym and mechanical room; and a new entryway. The project won the Silver award in Qualified Remodeler’s 2010 Master Design Awards in the Room Addition over $100,000 category.

The focus of this remodeling project was to be unobtrusive and to respect the original style and structure of the home — both inside and out. According to the president of the firm that completed the project, “The remodel is a prime example of how to create an addition with sensitivity to existing architecture.”

Part of the approach to maintaining the original look and feel was to use made-to-order Marvin Windows, which offer enough options and flexibility to match any architectural style. Read more about this remodeling project at Qualified Remodeler.

[photo]

At a certain point in any remodel, homeowners might find themselves fleetingly considering homicide. You might think you know about the disruption remodeling can cause, but dealing with dust, dirt, workers going in and out of your home, nonworking essential appliances, etc., can turn your attitude into surviving if you’re lucky and insanity if you aren’t.

Fellow bloggers Charles and Hudson recognize that remodeling can drive you around the bend and they have a few commonsense tips to help you make it through. Memorize their advice  to repeat as a mantra:

• Manage expectations: There will be times that it is just going to be bad. Expect that and you will feel better when it happens.
• Plan first: You know that old saying about how it’s easier to seek forgiveness than permission? It doesn’t apply when it comes to remodeling. Always plan first, and tear down later.
• Get ready for dust, dirt and inconvenience: Do a mini cleaning each day or week. It will help make the mess more bearable. Charles and Hudson suggests budgeting for a maid — maybe do this for a deep cleaning when the project is done.
• Schedule changes: Your schedule will be disrupted (see above point) and you must plan for it or risk coming home after a run to the water being turned off (that your builder told you about).

To these points we would also add that nothing lasts forever, although it may seem like it. Keep your eyes on the prize and before you know it, your remodeling project will be over.

If you’re interested in further reading on this very subject, check out this previous post from Lou Manfredini.

Image courtesy of Demed on Flickr.

The latest in our series of advice posts at Inhabitat focusing on green living, energy efficiency and the like features our own Christine Marvin. She’s sharing a detailed look at the window replacement process an how it can make your home more energy efficient. From the article’s introduction:

…one of the most important elements to maintaining a green home: windows! Windows aren’t just a portal to the outside world — they can improve the comfort of your home, the interior light and ambiance, the ventilation, and above all, they can dramatically increase your energy savings. Joining us this week is Marvin Windows expert Christine Marvin, who is among the fourth generation to work for the family-owned and sustainably operated made-to-order window and door company. Christine provides us with a wealth of knowledge, giving us her top 5 considerations for transforming our homes with new windows.

Her tips:

1. Consider All Factors: Climate, Energy, Design & Style
   The number one consideration is going to be window performance. Standards for performance often come listed on a manufacturer’s label, where makers list performance data that can arm you with the information you need to make intelligent comparisons between products and manufacturers depending on your needs and location.
2. Know Your Climate – Where You Live Impacts What You Should Buy
   The next question you might ask is, “How do I know which energy considerations are suitable for me?” The region in which you live plays a crucial role in deciding which window is the right product for you. In particular regions, certain glazing options are better than others in maximizing comfort and energy efficiency.
3. Understand the Label – Performance Rating Information
   Currently, there are a few prime gauges of performance that can be found on your window’s labels. Every label highlights the various characteristics and performance factors of your window, such as whether or not a window is dual-pane or has a specific U-factor. Generally these labels will come in three flavors…
4. Make Sure Your Windows Are Under Warranty
   Window replacements are very much a part of this long-term investment, so you should be certain that you are installing a product that is of the highest quality and value – this can often be signaled by the type of warranty your manufacturer offers.
5. Look for a Company With Values That Match Your Own
   If you take all the tips above into consideration,it’s easy to see that picking the right company to source your windows from is just as important as the windows themselves. Look for a company with heritage, a proven track record, and a commitment to bringing you the best products and services.

Be sure to read the full article for more detail on each of these tips, which are likely to help make the window shopping process a bit easier.

By way of an article in Midwest Home magazine, we learned of this gorgeous, century-old barn-turned-home on Lake Superior. Built from the existing shell of an old barn and loads of reclaimed wood, the lake home oozes character.

Ax-scarred logs from an old cabin were ripped lengthwise to harvest the heartwood that became the stairs. The rugged exteriors were put to good use, too, shipped off to a TimeWorn client in Big Bear, California, for siding on a new house. Redwood siding from one old barn was re-cut to tongue-and-groove for flooring in Tom and Nicole’s bedroom. Slabs cut from the scarred surface of logs hand-hewn by a broadax more than a century ago form one wall of their bedroom. In another bedroom, weathered Wyoming snow fence serves as both distinctive walls and flooring. Built-ins made from a variety of woods provide storage and display space throughout the house­—from the floor-to-ceiling lockers in the entryway to buffet in the dining room to the red elm dresser in the owners’ bedroom.

It might not occur to you at first, but the MH writer points out a certain disconnect that makes the home even more striking: it’s a barn in the middle of lake-shore woodlands. We’re used to seeing barns out in the open plains, near open farm land and the like.

Be sure to read the full article at Midwest Home, and check out the dozens of photos at LakeSuperiorBarn.com.

photos courtesy of LakeSuperiorBarn.com

Have you ever noticed that movies about houses are generally horror movies? The House on Haunted Hill, The Amityville Horror, Paranormal Activity… There’s something deeply sinister about your shelter from the world being invaded or violated. Most of us won’t ever have to deal with supernatural phenomena in our houses, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a house of horrors.

Buying, building or renovating — it’s a huge amount of money being spent with a lot of potential for things that might go wrong. Dealing with unpredictable schedules, unforeseen delays and the rare unscrupulous building professional might make you wish that all you had was a poltergeist!

One of the best non-horror house movies is The Money Pit (1986), starring the always great Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. It’s renovations with laughs. Old House Web recently made the excellent point that these characters could have avoided a lot of money and frustration by heeding some basic home buying and renovating principles. We wanted to share a few of those here:

• Do your due diligence: This is probably the biggest purchase you will ever make in your life. There is no excuse for not taking a careful, dispassionate look at what you are really getting.
• Don’t buy a house if you’re broke and can’t afford to repair it: This is where you will be living. C’mon, do you really want to deal with leaky toilets and rotting floorboards when you can barely make the mortgage?
• Prioritize your renovations: Think needs versus wants. You NEED electricity and plumbing. You WANT granite countertops and new tile for the fireplace.
• Stay out of the work area for your own safety: As a window manufacturer, we know the importance of safety when it comes to building. Let the pros do their job; they know the rules to prevent injury (and if they don’t, find new contractors immediately!).

Read the full article at Old House Web.

Image courtesy of IMDB.

As we mentioned last week, Marvin is sponsoring a series of post at Inhabitat full of great green-living and remodeling tips from a variety of experts on specific niches within the broad world of “green.” The newest post in the series features an interview with our friend Sarah Susanka, who shared some great tips on remodeling a home with an eye toward making it more livable and efficient.

While conjuring up comfort in the home seems like a basic principle, it’s a far more complex process for architect & remodeling guru Sarah Susanka, who believes that comfort can significantly influence the sustainability of your personal abode. With her mantra of “build better, not bigger,” Susanka promotes quality over quantity when remodeling a home. Through transforming your living space into a more beautiful and comfortable environment, Susanka says that any home’s occupants will automatically take better care of their space in a more sustainable way. We sat down with Susanka to get the low-down on how to do more with less when revamping your space.

Read the full interview here.

Over at the Builder Blog, produced by the folks at our sister brand Integrity Windows and Doors, we recently interviewed Sal Alfano, the editorial director at Remodeling Magazine and the Journal of Light Construction. These titles may not be familiar to the average homeowner, but take it from us: they are very well-respected, widely read trade publications. If you’ve recently remodeled or renovated your home, your building professional probably read them to keep up with the industry.

Sal discussed many issues of importance to builders and remodelers, but there’s some valuable information in there for homeowners, as well. The following is an excerpt. To read the whole interview, please visit the Builder Blog.

What’s your favorite architectural style?
The American Four Square is one of my favorites, and I also like bungalows. And of course, working in New England, I saw a lot of Capes and Colonials. I spent a lot of time remodeling and adding on to classic Vermont farmhouses, many of which started out as post-and-beam Capes, and had at least two major additions by subsequent generations. In my experience, the original, which was built by grandpa, had the best bones, and it was all downhill from there. But during those years working for the design-build firm, which was operated by three architects, I built a lot of modern stuff, too.

Comparing cost to value, year after year, which remodeling projects stay near the top?
Replacements are always near the top. In fact, over the years, they have consistently outperformed additions and interior remodeling. That said, kitchens and baths are still the focus of a lot of remodeling activity, and they are the rooms that prospective buyers are most interested in.

Let’s talk footprint: Add on, bump out or work within the existing footprint?
The recession has really changed the way homeowners look at this issue. Big additions are simply too expensive, because they involve breaking ground, foundation work, and a lot of exterior matching to the existing home. Plus, permits are often harder to get. For the same money, you can often remodel within the existing footprint and end up with higher-quality finishes.

Do you think consumers are remodeling for function or style?
Back in 2005, homeowners were standing in line, waiting to get on the list for a major addition or whole-house remodel. Everybody wanted the best of everything and the sky was the limit. Those days are over. There’s more interest now in “need to do” projects than “want to do” projects. Even homeowners who have no intention of selling feel less wealthy because they are unsure of what their home is worth. So they are spending to repair and maintain, and postponing major makeovers. And credit is still hard to find.

I do believe, though, that there is a lot of pent-up demand out there. As soon as people feel comfortable about economic stability, they will start thinking about remodeling projects that create new space, different space, better space. That’s especially true if they aren’t planning to sell or aren’t sure they can get the value they want out of a sale. In that position, they’re likely to think, “Why not remodel?”

Is the formal living room dead?
That’s a more important question for a builder than a remodeler. One advantage remodelers have is that their clients have already spent some time living in the space and they know what works and what doesn’t, what they want to keep, what has to go, and what’s missing. They can’t always articulate it plainly, but a good remodeler who asks lots of questions and listens carefully to the answers eventually deciphers the message.

That said, in general I think spaces that are visually connected have been the norm for a while. Small, cozy spaces are still important, but there are ways to accomplish that without actually erecting walls between those spaces. Designers like Sarah Susanka have made those ideas accessible to the general public, but the design principles have been around for a long time.