Affordable Decorating: Ideas for Your Basement to Your Bedroom

Posted by cynthia on Jul 26, 2011 in Basement Design, Basement Renovations, Finished Basement Ideas, Home Improvement, Uncategorized |

By Francine Maglione

Everyone’s feeling the strain in these stressful economic times, especially homeowners looking to do some affordable decorating or any home renovations. When your budget is tight, decorating may be the last thing on your mind. But there are ways to remodel and redesign areas of your home while not wasting all of your hard-earned cash. Make even your most frugal friends jealous with these penny-pinching plans for home decorating.

Like New
One thrifty home remodeling technique is to reuse and recycle materials. Reuse old fabric and material from clothing or blankets to make pillows or lamp shades. You can also take old furniture and redecorate it to make it more modern or to match the current theme or color scheme of your room. You can paint a new finish onto a wood chair, or reupholster an old sofa with new material to make it seem like it was just brought home from the store.

Money Saving Tips: Make the Most of What’s in your Home

Posted by cynthia on Jul 26, 2011 in Basement Finishing, Basement Finishing Contractors, Basement Renovations, Green Basement Finishing, Home Improvement, Uncategorized |

By Francine Maglione

There are many money saving tips out there that can help your bank account in small ways. How you manage your spending and how you make use of what you already have in your home can make all the difference in this fickle economy. Give these tips a try and stop being afraid of your bank statement.

Begin at Home
Money saving tips can be utilized all over your home. The Simple Dollar has a number of great tips to help you stick to your budget. Want to save money on weekends? Invite friends over rather than going out all the time. For the amount of money it would cost to get food and drinks at a restaurant or bar, you could serve a group of friends at your home for much less!

Do you collect something? If your collection has become something that is more out of habit than something that brings you joy, a good money saving tip might be to ease up on it. Maybe put this hobby on hold temporarily until your financial situation has more wiggle room, or even just limit yourself to how much you collect. However, the Simple Dollar warns against cutting out things that you feel strongly about and have a lot of meaning to you, as you’ll have a greater chance of relapsing.

Change Shopping Habits
Oftentimes, a trip to the mall can be viewed as a form of entertainment. However, if every time you leave the mall you’re carrying several shopping bags, it may be time to find some other way to pass the time.

There are few greater temptations then walking through a shopping mall with plastic in your wallet. To keep yourself from spending more than you should, Simple Dollar recommends leaving the credit cards at home and only bringing enough cash as you’ll need. When you’re going shopping, make a list and stick to it. You’ll be less likely to splurge on other items that way. Also, if you’re questioning whether you should make a purchase, use the 30-day rule. Typically, the urge to buy something passes after 30 days.

Make your home work for you and save you money. Keep your house insulated, especially your basement, which is where a lot of heat can escape and cold air can enter. Our Total Basement Finishing System is just what you need, with insulated walls, windows and flooring to keep cold basement air from rising up through your house. Get your free quote today!

Remodeling to Sell: Not every improvement pays off

Posted by cynthia on Jul 26, 2011 in Basement Design, Basement Finishing, Basement Finishing Contractors, Basement Renovations, Green Basement Finishing, Home Improvement, Uncategorized |

The recent housing crisis flooded the real estate market with  properties. Sellers today are competing with builders desperate to get rid of newly built homes and banks willing to sell foreclosed properties at much less than they are worth as a way to cut their losses.

To make matters worse, a slow economy is causing people to postpone bigger expenses, and the credit crunch made it harder for potential home buyers to qualify for mortgage loans. As a result, there are tons of homes for sale and not nearly enough qualified buyers.

Sellers trying to move the property quicker, and not willing to lose money on the deal, know that they need to make their property appeal to a home buyer. That means investing some money in improvements in order to make the home easier to sell.

Remodeling Contractors: Check those references!

Posted by cynthia on Jul 26, 2011 in Basement Finishing, Basement Finishing Contractors, Basement Renovations, Green Basement Finishing, Home Improvement, TBF Dealers |

Among all the necessary steps to take when hiring a basement contractor, asking for and checking a contractor’s references is most commonly overlooked by the homeowners.

Some are not comfortable with the idea of bothering a complete stranger, or calling someone on the phone to ask about the work performance of another. Others just don’t know how to do it, or what to ask.

In our experience, when our customers are really happy with the service, not only will they not feel bothered for having their contact information used as reference but they will be delighted to provide the information requested.

Turning Basements into Home Offices

Posted by cynthia on Jul 26, 2011 in Basement Design, Basement Finishing, Basement Finishing Contractors, Basement Renovations, Energy Efficient Basements, Finished Basement Ideas, Green Basement Finishing, Home Improvement, Home Office |

By Donna Kshir

Creating the perfect home office is vital to your success while working from home, and your finished basement is a great location to create an office space. Your basement offers familiar surroundings to you and your family, but it also offers a safe and private location to handle your business. 

Before considering or beginning your basement home office remodeling project, here are a few factors to keep in mind:

Waterproofing:

The first and most important step is to ensure that all basement moisture problems are resolved. If your basement appears to be damp, wet, or flood prone then the first step is to contact a good waterproofing contractor. The basement waterproofing contractor will determine your specific conditions and recommend the best option to suit your specific needs.

Turning a Basement into a Gameroom

Posted by cynthia on Jul 25, 2011 in Basement Design, Basement Finishing, Basement Finishing Contractors, Basement Renovations, Finished Basement Ideas, Game Room, Home Improvement, Pool Room, Wet Bar |

By Elizabeth Gormley

When it comes to transforming your basement into a gameroom, the possibilities are truly endless.  After enlisting the help of a basement finishing contractor, the fun begins.

Do you want a theme room, like your favorite sport, a casino lounge, or pub decor?  To be wise, it is best to avoid a cluster of posters, street signs, and beer logos.

You don’t want your final, finished space to look like an adolescent bedroom.  Even if you do not want a single theme, a gameroom should be well put together and organized, with a professional design.