Water damage can be one of the most troublesome and costly problems associated with home ownership. Hurricane Irene and the other recent “100-year” storms that seem to be happening twice a year lately, have left a lot of people with water damage. Water in your basement can cost thousands of dollars to clean up and cause extensive damage to walls and floors, destroy carpeting, ruin furniture and lead – pretty quickly – to mold, mildew and strong odors. Deteriorating submerged block foundation walls can stress the structural integrity of your home at its most vital point, the foundation. Every new home built in your neighborhood changes the age old flow of surface water and can aggravate existing water problems. Surface water can leak through cracks in walls or the hydrostatic water pressure in the water table can cause water to leech up from cracks in your slab. Here are the top 4 things you can do to ensure a dry basement. [Read more...]
How to Protect Your Home from Costly Water Damage
Think You Can’t Afford to Remodel? You Can!
<strong>1) ReUse: </strong>To save money on remodeling and to help keep the project environmentally friendly, consider using used building materials and fixtures. Have Mr. Cheapee see if any of your old materials can be reused. Possibly they can be refinished or put to a new use. Many types of things can be found on Craigslist like wood flooring from an old demolished building. You could find used or leftover stock lighting fixtures at salvage stores.
<strong>2) Keep New Material Purchase Modest: </strong> IKEA is a great resource for kitchen cabinets at low prices. In the bathroom, consider using a classic white subway tile. Use paint to make a statement on the walls. It’s cheap and can make a large area more interesting.
<strong>3) Use Mr. Cheapee to Take Care of Your Demolition:</strong> By using Mr. Cheapee or renting a dumpster form Mr. Cheapee and doing it yourself, you can save a lot on contractor costs.
Using these three ideas together, you can afford to have that new look you’ve been wanting!
Quality Home Renovation
To get the new aluminium windows or not to get them, that’s the question. To renovate or not to renovate, that’s the debate. I hope I didn’t offend any Shakespearian fans, but the situation called for such an apt use his famous quotation.
No doubt, it is a big decision for a person as to whether he should renovate his home or not. Part of him wishes for his home to be up-to-date, using all the latest remodeling techniques. The other part of him warns that he might not be ready to go through with all of this. It is quite easy to imagine the person stuck in a tug-of-war. Which side should he go with? That is the dilemma he faces. [Read more...]
Tech Tips for Home Improvement
Summer is here, and for many Galloway residents that means it’s time to do some home renovations.
Whether you’re a novice looking to install your first door, or a seasoned pro looking for ways to get things done more efficiently, we’ve got some tech tips to help you fix up your home.
If you’re taking on your first remodeling project, information is the most important tool in your tool box. If you don’t have all the necessary information to get the job done, it will almost certainly take longer than it should. [Read more...]
Prices decline on some home renovation items
Michelle Basch, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – If your home needs renovations, you’ll find prices on some bathroom and kitchen items have dropped significantly.
If your bathroom needs an overhaul, the the prices of granite sink-tops and porcelain sink have dropped significantly, according to SmartMoney magazine.
It also costs less than it used to to install one of those high-end spa showers with multiple heads.
In the kitchen, counter installation prices are down. The price of custom cabinets declined.
If you’re thinking of creating an outdoor room, consider buying a gas fire pit instead of a masonry fireplace. Fire pits cost less, and many can be moved if you decide to change your layout.
Start your renovation now! Call us to handle the demolition and rubbish removal for your project: 1-855-CHEAPEE
Don’t forget insurance when planning a reno
by SHELLEY WHITE
My family and I recently embarked on that most stressful domestic endeavour: the home renovation. When we decided to finally modernize our 70s kitchen and create a playroom in the basement for our two kids, my husband and I felt reasonably confident we had done our homework.
We found a contractor with great references, shopped around to find the best deals on quartz and hardwood and made ourselves very familiar with the IKEA catalogue. We had decided to avoid the drywall dust and stray nails and move out for the six weeks of renovation, so we scoured Craigslist and found a great condo in a lovely neighbourhood for a decent price. The day our contractor started opening up walls, we were ensconced in comfortable accommodations, making regular visits back home to monitor what was happening at the homestead. [Read more...]
Demolition ‘Big Rig Style’ on ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ (VIDEO)
Ty Pennington and the team at ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ (Sun., 8PM ET on ABC) are always looking for new and exciting ways to demolish a home. They’ve had a huge crowd physically pull one down a hill and even blown one up with dynamite.
So, inspired by Fred, the father of this week’s family, who is a truck driver, they decided to take it down “big rig style,” as Pennington said.
Designer Johnny Littlefield donated his rig to the cause. “I was gonna take her to the salvage yard anyway because she was long past due, and I thought I’d give her one last ride into the sunset.”
That ride took her through the living room of the house, and on subsequent runs through the rest of it. Fred and his family were absolutely delighted by what they saw from vacation.
Fred was so excited, he was ready to leave his vacation. “I wish I was driving. I wish I was there,” he said.
If you want to choose an easier way to demolish your whole house or part of your house, just call Mr. Cheapee Inc at 914-737-0823
See the full article here: http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/04/25/demolition-big-rig-style-extreme-makeover-video/
Smart remodeling adds value to your home
Start planning for your summer remodel during Home Improvement Month
[Read more...]
Projects
Bathroom Makeovers Top the List for Room Redos. Indoor renovations outrank outdoor remodeling projects 55 percent to 29 percent respectively. Cosmetic work, such as painting, and redoing rooms were the most popular indoor projects, with bathrooms holding on to the top spot again this year for the most popular room remodel. Those who set their sights on outdoor projects are most interested in refreshing their landscaping (22 percent), followed by building or redoing a deck or patio (9 percent).
http://www.buildingonline.com/news/viewnews.pl?id=10351&subcategory=42
If you’re planning to redo a deck or refresh your landscaping, let Mr.Cheapee haul away your unwanted debris. Check out our Rubbish Removal page for more information: http://www.mrcheapeeinc.com/rubbishremoval.htm
I’ll Do It Myself, Thank You
More than three in five homeowners (64 percent) with home improvement plans say they’ll take on at least some of the work themselves, 20 percent will hire a contractor to do all of the work, and 11 percent will ask a family member to do the work. Among those who plan to do some or all of the work themselves, 30 percent will be taking a “friends and family” approach to getting the work done. Twenty-one percent plan to split the work load by hiring a contractor for specialized projects. Thirteen percent plan to go it alone.
http://www.buildingonline.com/news/viewnews.pl?id=10351&subcategory=42
One great way to save money on your home improvement plans is to rent a dumpster from Mr. Cheapee and do the demolition yourself. Check out our dumpster rental page for more information: http://www.mrcheapeeinc.com/dumpsterrental.htm