19 November 2019

Top Three Challenges for Kitchen, Bathroom, and Laundry Room Renovations

via

You’ve been looking scornfully at your house for months now and have decided that this won’t do. You want to renovate and you’re not willing to put it off any longer. Now you have the time, the money and the required enthusiasm to start your remodeling project.

However, as with any great achievement, there will be challenges. That can be very frustrating, everyone wants a smooth path to success. But what are you gonna do? It is what it is. The best way of avoiding wanting to bang your head against the stripped walls is to prepare in advance.

Wesley Ward, Head of Marketing at Hausera performed a consumer survey in 2019. Their findings were helpful. They said, "The top three challenges for kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room renovations in the last two years among respondents were: 1) Staying on budget (41%), 2) Finding the right professionals (39%) and 3) Funding the projects (33%)."

So let’s go through them one by one.

Staying on budget

Completing a renovation project can increase the value of your house but things can quickly spiral out of control and it’s hard to stay on budget.

The best way to prevent this is to have a detailed plan with everything you want to change and the estimated price. This required a lot of research but it will literally pay off. Unfortunately, you can’t expect good results without doing your homework. We suggest you go room by room and make calculate the cost individually.

You can always save money by doing some of the work yourself but what will help the most is to find the right people. You’ll need reliable professionals that can deliver on what they promised, they don’t slack off and cause delays, they don’t leave you with poor quality work that required redoing or give you an artificially low estimate just so they can go over it later due to “unforeseen circumstance”

Which brings us to our next point.

Finding the right professionals

Even if renovating your house can be a monumental task, once you find the right team to lend you several helping hands, it will turn into an enjoyable adventure.

They tend to all promise you the moon and the stars for less then the next guy, but in some cases, it means your roof will cave in, thus allowing you to stare at the night sky. Jokes aside, it would be wise to start by asking around for recommendation. Ask your neighbors, work colleagues and friends if they know any contractors that can provide high quality services.

Then you can search for the company online and read all their reviews and look at testimonials of past projects.

Funding the projects

Oh, if only money could grow on trees… As long as you planned your budget well there are lots of options you can look into:

  • Re-mortgage
  • Home improvement load
  • Bridging loan
  • Personal loan
  • Renovation mortgage
  • Peer-to-peer lending

The safest and cheapest way is to simply save up the money in advance, or you could try borrowing from family and paying them in installments.

13 November 2019

A Solar-Powered Home: Will It Pay Off?


At the dawn of 2020, everyone is looking for innovative ways to use renewable energy sources. It's estimated that fossil fuels will run out before the century is over, and it's best to be prepared for that crisis ahead of time.

Furthermore, the changes to the environment can no longer be ignored. Solar power is a hot topic these days, but the question has to be asked: will a solar-powered home pay off?

Solar Power Costs Have Decreased Immensely

Solar power isn't the abstract, futuristic idea that it once was. You can now install solar panels on your own home or take advantage of energy providers that offer solar power as an alternative to fossil fuels. If you're in an area that has deregulated energy, you can see the costs for yourself on texaselectricityplans.com.

It's estimated that the cost of solar power has decreased from $75 per watt in the 1970s to approximately $3 per watt today. This change in accessibility and efficiency makes solar power a promising renewable energy source.

Get Ahead of the Curve

As previously mentioned, fossil fuels are finite. Unfortunately, for many governments, the driving force behind changing to renewable energy sources has less to do with caring for the environment and more to do with having no other choice.

By investing in renewable energy sources, such as solar power, you're setting yourself up for success in the future. You're getting ahead of the curve, increasing your home's value, and removing yourself from a potentially challenging scenario.

The Most Abundant Form of Power

Solar power is one of the most abundant forms of renewable energy on earth. Establishing solar panels in high-sun areas, such as the Mojave desert, can generate more power in one day than the United States currently uses in a year.

Establishing solar power is making the best of a bad situation. As the ozone layer diminishes as a result of pollution, the strength of the sun on the earth increases. Capturing that energy while reducing carbon emissions just makes sense.

Heavy Upfront Cost

As with any positive thing, there are always a few negatives to consider. If you plan on establishing your own solar-powered system at home, you're looking at a hefty up-front cost.

Solar panels and the corresponding hook up costs thousands of dollars. While you'll be saving money on your power bill over time, it will take a while to see that return on investment. That's something to consider when opting to install your own solar power processes instead of using an energy provider.

Weather Dependent

Another challenge in setting up solar power at home is that the power is weather dependent. If you live in an area that gets a lot of rain or cloud coverage, trying to capture solar power on your own may not be effective. While you can store excess power generated in peak conditions, that's an extra cost consideration to keep in mind.

Available Space

Solar panels take up a surprising amount of space that isn't always in proportion with the usage requirements of your home. You have to consider the fact that the panels may not fit on your roof or that your home may not be built to withstand them.

If that's the case, you'd be looking at adding them to your yard. If you have tree coverage, this could be an added challenge.

Is It Worth It?

Switching to solar power is absolutely worth it if you can work with an energy provider who offers it now. As for installing solar power at home, there's no black and white answer; it's dependent on your unique situation. If the upfront cost isn't a concern and you live in an area that can support solar power, then it's worth considering.