However, forfeiting some renovation projects and important repairs might not be the smartest choice. That outdated HVAC system, the old windows, and cold basement might be costing you big bucks. The next rainstorm may flood your basement. In other words, the money you’re trying to save in repairs might be being spent instead in utility bills or depleted in bigger repairs later on due to the lack of proper preventive measures.
Even in tough times, there are some improvements that actually pay off, lowering your energy consumption, preserving or increasing the property value, and giving you much-needed peace of mind.
Below is a list of the five of the most cost-effective home improvements and the best investments you can ever make in your home.

Basement Finishing
Finishing your basement will do more that just add living space to your home. It will actually pay you back and eventually, even prove itself profitable! To sweeten the deal, it can be done at half the cost of building an addition.

Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value report lists basement finishing as one of the few investments in which you will be recovering most of your money right away in added property value. You can recover an average of 75% of the cost if you sell the property immediately.

However, the most significant benefit of a finished basement is the ability to improve the home’s energy efficiency. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that an average 1,500 square-foot home that has a finished basement with R-10 insulation, and is heated by natural gas (at $0.72/therm) can save anywhere between $200 to $400 a year.

Add to that the fact that, even considering ups and downs in the housing market, the U.S. Census Bureau shows home prices tend to increase in average 251.69% every 20 years interval. Therefore, in 20 years, the added value to your property will not only fully cover the remodeling costs; it will prove profitable!

Crawl Space Encapsulation
That moldy, filthy, rotten crawl space is more than just unsightly and unpleasant. It’s a black hole in which not only your money disappears, but also your home’s value, structural integrity, indoor air quality, and your family’s health.

Because of the way the air moves inside buildings, everything that goes on in the crawl space has significant impact on how structurally sound, comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient your home is.

As the air in the house is heated, it rises and escapes through any openings in the upper floors. To replenish the air supply, new air is sucked from the lower levels, mainly from your basement or crawl space. That is called the “stack-effect” and because of it, everything that is in that filthy crawl space air, including mold spores and dust mites, is consistently entering your home.

It is estimated that 1/3 of the air you breathe inside the home is crawl space air. In addition, the typical crawl space moisture that is also being carried in with the air makes your home harder to cool and heat. During the winter, cold air is also sucked in through the floor. If air ducts run through the crawl space, energy losses can amount to as high as 50% – half of the money you pay in to heat and cool your home is literally wasted.

Crawl space encapsulation is a relatively inexpensive new technology that can control moisture and prevent moisture-related problems in this space. It protects your floor joists and wooden structures from mold and rot, and keep dust mites and other moisture loving pests at bay. Furthermore, according to studies conducted by Advanced Energy and Habitat for Humanity, sealing and conditioning a crawl space can make your home an average of 18% more energy efficient.

Battery Operated Backup Sump Pump
Say that you have a very good drainage system and a quality sump pump, which is well maintained and in great condition. Nevertheless, one morning, after a big storm, you wake up to a flooded basement and thousand of dollars in damaged property. The storm knocked down the power, and with it, the sump pump was rendered useless.

There is no way to fully protect your basement from flooding without a backup sump pump system, preferably one that does not run on electricity or depend on a generator.
During a long-lasting power outage, you will want the generator to spend its energy keeping your refrigerator, appliances and lights running.

A battery-operated backup sump pump is, in that case, your best option. If you have a finished basement, or you store anything of value in your basement, a battery-operated backup pump is a must. It saves you a lot of money and lets you sleep better, knowing that your basement is protected.

Replacement Windows
Replacing your old, obsolete windows with new Energy Star rated windows can help save a lot of money in energy bills.
According to the Alliance to Save Energy, a non-profit coalition of business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders, installing energy-efficient replacement windows can reduce your heating and cooling bills by up to 30 percent! New double-hung, wood-clad windows with double-pane low-E glass, can reduce drastically your heating and cooling costs, besides improving significantly the looks of your home and adding value to the property.

HVAC Upgrades
Replacing obsolete furnaces, which usually operate at only 60 percent efficiency or worse for a new, high-efficiency two-stage unit, that rates at least 90% efficiency, can save you hundreds of dollars each year.

Likewise, replacing your old A/C system with a new unit that achieves a minimum of 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) can save you big bucks in cooling costs during summer. In addition, most new models use non-ozone-depleting refrigerants, making them more environmentally-friendly than older units.

In addition to all the benefits, some of these improvements, such as basement insulation and HVAC upgrades, may qualify for loans, grants and tax incentives under different local, state, and federal government energy efficiency programs.

In conclusion, a good assessment of your home’s overall condition is fundamental in times like these. You can’t afford to let your property, which is probably your most valuable asset, lose value. Sometimes, the best way to save money is to invest in technologies and repairs that will keep you from wasting it.

The wrong contractor, a bad weather spell, an unclear contract clause or last minute changes can all can contribute to turn a dream project into a  homeowner’s worst nightmare.

As more homeowners prepare to tackle home improvement projects this year, Consumer Reports, which recently conducted a poll on Home Remodeling, points to the 5 most common mistakes homeowners make when dealing with contractors and conducting the project:

1. Don’t rush in. Make sure you carefully plan the whole project, and are 100% sure that you will be satisfied with the final result. Making changes to the project “on-the-fly” is the costliest mistake homeowners make. It can add in average of $1,500 to kitchen projects and $650 to bath remodels.
2. Prepare for the unexpected. As the work begins some new problems might be uncovered. When walls are stripped, things like water damage, mold or pest infestation may surface.  Good contractors are able to anticipate some of the problems and allow the homeowner to adjust the budget. Consumer Reports reveals that water damage was an issue with 17 percent of bathroom remodels, and structural problems delayed 10 percent of kitchen projects.
3. Don’t chase the lowballs. What seems to be cheap initially may end up costing more. To compete in a tight market contractors lower their profit margin, but will make up their costs in labor or other areas. According to the Consumer Report poll, readers who went for the lowball spent in average $1,500 extra on their kitchens and $1,000 extra on their bathrooms. Make sure the contract specifies amounts for products and materials before you sign. Avoid signing contracts with too many  “allowances”.
4. Get the paperwork in order. Have the contractor attach copies of his up-to-date license, insurance and workers’ compensation policies to the written contract. He also should get permits and provide a lien waiver when the job is done; this will keep suppliers from contacting the homeowner for unpaid bills.
5. Focus on the boring bits. The tedious details no one wants to think about are the ones that will usually make a difference between a successful remodeling experience and a tragic one. Things like the proper placement of outlets for appliances and electronics,  task lighting, the proper fan for a bathroom, or even determining a place for the garbage can are usually overlooked in projects but will prove to be fundamental later on. Changes made after the remodeling job is concluded are usually a costly hassle.

Sources:

• Shop Smart: Top five remodeling headaches.
• http://www.consumerreports.org/

Moisture cause mold growth

Health care providers in New Hampshire are bracing for a rough fall season, as the rainy weather creates ideal conditions for widespread mold growth and as a result, people with respiratory problems may suffer complications this fall.

In an article published in  Fosters.com Dr. Donald Woodmansee, section chief for allergy and immunology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon states:

Dust mites and mold flourish in similar conditions. Both commonly trigger allergies and asthma in sensitized people and when they shut their homes up in the fall after a wet summer, problems can result

Under  rainy conditions, many old,  structurally unsound and improperly insulated homes will have water infiltration problems and eventually mold will start to grow, sometimes in places where it can’t be immediately detect, like the insulation behind the drywall.

When the weather begins to cool down during the fall season, windows are shut and the house in closed. That is when most people with respiratory problems begin to report the worst symptoms.

Although asthma, emphysema and cronic obstructive pulmonary disease are reported year-round, during fall and spring, the numbers of patients seen in hospitals because of such problems typically increases.

The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA., reports molds produce tiny spores to reproduce, just as plants produce seeds. Mold spores waft through the indoor and outdoor air continually. When mold spores land on a damp spot indoors, they may begin growing and digesting whatever they are growing on in order to survive. Some molds can grow on wood, Sheetrock and even bacteria on dirty carpeting.

The only  way to control mold in a home is to to keep it dry, by eliminate the sources of moisture and keeping the humidity levels at or below 60%. Fans and exhausts to make the air circulate above grade and a good basement dehumidifier are proven methods to control mold.

According to a recent poll conducted by Consumer Reports , over the next 12 months, 54 percent of homeowners are planning a remodeling project.

Although 65% report planning to to do at least some of the work themselves, there is still good news for the remodeling industry as a whole, especially during tough economic times.

The economic downturn, however, is at the very core of this trend as it forced 67% of the interviewed to reconsider their housing plans with 39% of them choosing to fix and improve the property they already own.

To cut down costs, 42% will do the work themselves while 36% will remodel in phases. Also, 46% of the interviewed reported the need to cut down expenses because they don’t have enough money.

The most popular remodeling projects include painting (56%), designing (39%) and flooring (34%).

Consumer Reports Remodeling Poll Methodology
The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone poll of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. 1,002 interviews were completed among adults aged 18+. Interviewing took place over April 16 – April 19, 2009. The margin of error is +/- 3.2% points at a 95% confidence level.

Source: Info-Zine

Saving money

The Baltimore Sun’s Home and Garden session this week brings us a nice article, listing some easy (and fairly inexpensive) home improvements that will help you save a lot of money in utilities, cut energy use, and make the house more energy efficient.

Cut energy use, make your home efficient with easy steps — baltimoresun.com.

There is, however, a single great improvement the article fails to mention: crawl space encapsulation.

For homes with dirt or concrete crawl spaces, this process is proven to make the whole house on average 18% more energy efficient and improve indoor air quality by protecing the crawl space against moisture and related problems such as mold, rot, dust mites and structural decay.

According to this belief, crawl spaces need to be protected from ground moisture by the way of a ground vapor barrier (usually a 6 mil plastic sheet) and should be allowed to “breathe” through open vents. This belief says that open vents will dry out the space by allowing outside air to circulate within the crawl space.

It may sound like it makes sense; after all, air is known to dry things. A breeze will dry the clothes on a line and opening a window in the house will help dry out your freshly shampooed carpet, right? However, in a crawl space environment things work a bit differently that they would in open air or at the above floors.

At any given season, there is always a significant difference between the temperatures in the crawl space and the temperatures outside and on the floors above. Such differences in temperature cause the moisture present in the air that comes from the outside to condense all over the surfaces within the crawl space. The wooden joists and insulation will soak up the moisture, grow mold and rot.

Advanced Energy has devised a list of ways to tell that your crawl space is in desperate need of service:

• Mold or moisture damage in the crawl space or living area
• Musty odors in the living area
• Condensation (“sweating”) on air conditioning ductwork or equipment
• Condensation on insulation, water pipes or truss plates in the crawl space
• Buckled hardwood floors
• High humidity in the living area
• Insect infestations
• Rot in wooden framing members

The only proven method to protect crawl spaces from moisture is encapsulation and conditioning. Conditioned crawl spaces also help improve indoor air quality and make your home more energy efficient. The savings on energy bills alone will pay for the cost of encapsulation overtime.

Article originally published here: http://www.basementsystems.com/press/view.php?id=152