It sits atop most houses, confined to a space for storage and cobwebs, dark and dreary. But if you have an attic, it’s a great way to add some extra space to your house.

Need an extra bedroom or two? How about a bathroom? Maybe an office or art studio? Or a playroom for the kids? Your old attic can be your salvation. But let’s face it, attics are often weirdly shaped spaces with little light. There are things you need to remember when remodeling.

Here are some of Re-Nest’s attic tips, and a few ideas of our own:

• Ceiling fans are your friends in an attic. They help regulate the temperature in both the winter and summer.
• Attic floors are notoriously noisy. Carpet is an easy solution, but Re-Nest also suggests “beefier floor joists” if you want hardwood flooring.
• Put bathrooms above lower-floor bathrooms. This might take a little design maneuvering, but can save money in the end.

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]

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.

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We ran across an article with some interesting tidbits about what homeowners want in 2011. Are any of these on your radar?

• Outdoor living areas: Are you paying more attention to things like porches and patios? An outdoor kitchen (from simple to grand) and a fireplace can add a whole new dimension. Who doesn’t love an extra room in the great outdoors?
• Green features: Green is hot right now, but homeowners are demanding practical things like energy efficient windows and water and electricity-saving appliances.
• Open kitchens: If the hearth is the heart of the home, it makes sense people want to be in it. Open kitchens allow that cozy feeling while allowing the cook some additional space to maneuver.
• Smaller homes: To go along with the green theme, smaller homes are easier to heat and cool, easier to clean and discourage the mindless filling of rooms.

Do you see these trends in your house hunting and remodeling plans?

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.

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.

“We had to push the house back together. But now, I get to live on the land that I have farmed since 1971, in a home I remember visiting almost every day as a child.”

–Elaine Beery, Owner

The question with historic remodeling is often how the original architectural style can be preserved. However, when Elaine Beery decided to renovate a house that had been in her family for generations, the question was more along the lines of: Would the house itself survive? “The home was built in 1857,” said Beery, “and it was bought by my great-grandparents in 1903. The last family member moved out in 2006 — and we really saw it deteriorate without anyone living there.”

Beery and her husband, Lance Beery, decided to explore the possibilities of renovating the house, and found herself faced with a foundation that had a single shot at supporting the house for future generations. “If we failed with the foundation, we knew we would have to quit — so it was where we started.” A tornado lifted the east portion of the house off the front foundation, most likely in the late 1800s. A cabling system had to be created to pull and secure the house onto a new foundation — but there was just one opportunity to make the shift. Fortunately, the effort was successful, and the Beerys were able to continue with their dream of restoring the family home.

Upon that foundation, a 150-year-old treasure was slowly restored to its original state. Rather than applying for historic register status, the Beerys decided to focus on creating a renovated home that would be warm and welcoming, while still retaining the beautiful details. The large double-hung windows had a unique shape — the top sash were round tops on the outside, but squared-off on the interior — plus the exterior casing had a classic headpiece that many window manufacturers simply couldn’t match. In order to match the trim profile for the outside, the headpiece was removed and sent to Marvin Signature Services. Marvin was able to replicate it with clad exterior.

In addition to choosing a low-maintenance extruded aluminum exterior, Beery also selected Ultimate Arch Top French doors. “I’m so glad we went with the full glass in our upstairs door — the light comes all the way down the stairway and into the downstairs hall.” Marvin crafted the door so precisely to the original dimensions that the Beerys were able to use the original curved wood trim from the exterior as the interior trim in the finished space. “You really can get a sense of the farm, looking out these windows,” said Beery. “The house was so ramshackle when we started, and now everything blends together so much better. From the outside, the appearance is almost exactly the same as what I remember.”

Project highlights:

• Classic 1857 Illinois farmhouse, owned by the same family for over a century.
• Given the age of the house, no two window openings were exactly the same — so every opening was measured up to five times to ensure each window would be a perfect fit.
• Extension jambs shipped loose to allow specific sizing to openings that had shifted over the decades.
• Casing detail included clad flat casing at the jambs and a 3-piece radius flat casing with a custom profile cope at the head that returns back to the wall. The casing was designed to match the original window profile.
• Double hungs with cherry interiors were chosen to match the office’s cherry wood furnishings, made from trees cleared 40 years ago from the farm’s property.

We got word of a beautiful and unusual renovation featuring Marvin from Wooden Window in Oakland, Calif. They graciously provided us with photos and a history of this project.

The owners of a 1930s San Francisco home  have been restoring it for the past nine years. After several door and window projects with Wooden Window, they proposed their most challenging job yet: the design and fabrication of a 10-foot-wide picture window that integrated a deco design the couple had seen as a railing in another nearby neighborhood.

Their original design posed structural concerns, so Wooden Window and Marvin collaborated with the clients through eight rounds of revision until, as the client put it, “we arrived at a design with which I was pleased and that Marvin was comfortable building.”

The result was a stunning work of art and craftsmanship that exists as the focal point of their deco facade. Wooden Window Inc. also won a Northern California NARI award for this project.

The next step is the replacement of a different window with French doors that will open to a step-out balcony. They plan to again work with Wooden Window and Marvin. ”The renovation is a continual work in progress,” according to the homeowners. Following a recent paint job, tiling, the addition of a marquee and neon house numbers, their home will have you turning your head next time you find yourself on Monterey Boulevard in San Francisco.

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.