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The Rationales of Home Improvement

Unless you actually do live under a rock you can't help but notice that the United States economy is in the worst shape most people now living can remember. Even trying to tell you that better days are coming would be laughable. We've had so many things lately that add to the difficulty Americans have making it day to day, it doesn't seem plausible to want to even think about doing home remodeling.

The real estate market doesn't look good for most home buyers or sellers. Recently we've seen the stock market rebound but with unemployment at 10%, general earnings down, inflation at an all-time high homeowners are reluctant to spend on home improvement projects. The uncertainty of what tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year will bring has too much fear and anxiety attached to it. Homeowners are reluctant to spend with such uncertainty in the market. Yet there are a few projects that have benefits beyond return of investment.

But one must change the rationale of thinking to see the validity in the concept I am about to propose. If you're like me you usually rationalize home-improvement projects by using a list of rationalization criteria. That list might contain many criteria in any order depending on your personality but will usually contain most or all of the following.
1. Cost versus need
2. cost versus want
3. cost versus return on investment
4. investment versus savings
It's not a long list, but generally when we do home-improvement projects these are the basic questions or rationales we use in justifying the projects we undertake. If we see a project that is in need we do our best to meet that need properly with the least amount of money.

If there's a home-improvement that we want we tend to look at all the things in our life before we progress. We look at our finances more closely we decide can we squeeze one more payment in. We also tend to do a bit of financial forecasting, by looking at what we actually make what we owe, what the future holds for our income and maybe if were really into forecasting we might look at what the next year or two looks like in our personal economic outlook before we make any decision to proceed.

Cost versus return on investment is a little bit more sophisticated than the other two I've just mentioned. When we do home improvements under this particular guideline we look at how much we spend and how much what we have spent will be returnable investment in our home at sale time. Now I'm not saying everyone looks at every home-improvement in this manner but we sure need to look at it when it comes to doing major remodeling or major upgrades to our homes.

The last rationale in my list that we might tend to use, investment versus savings might well be better stipulated as the all-encompassing rationale. If we see home-improvement project that we can do that will actually save us money in the long run it's a bit easier to justify. But even so easy justification because of savings still takes into consideration all of the other...read the rest of this article HERE

Replacement Windows Withstand Recession

While most things in the economy seem to be in a downward trend, replacement windows appear to be somewhat recession proof. Sales and installations of new replacement windows are considered to be holding steady by those in the replacement window retail and installation trade.

Home owners who are staying in their homes have not given up on doing what they can to improve the quality and value of their homes. Many are doing this by installing new replacement windows from a variety of manufactures. Although retail sales are not necessarily on an upswing, replacement windows sales have not slumped as other retail markets have over the last year.

RWI economist Peggy Ungler said that overall most economists have no real data so far as to why the replacement window market has been holding so strong in the face of such a strong economic down turn. Forward thinking would seem to suggest home owners are doing all they can to maintain the value of their homes through these tough times, while saving as much money energy wise as they can...more HERE

DIY: You are better than you think!

If you DIY (Do It Yourself) long enough, you will probably run into a project which will beat you down. One of those projects that turned out to be far more than you had ever contemplated. One that you didn’t see yourself being able to complete because of either the sheer size or complexity it entails. Usually when you finally come to the realization that it’s time to call in the professionals, the project may be at a point that professionals are reluctant to tackle it for any of a number of reasons.

Some professionals may refuse to finish a job that others have started. Others may look at a particular unfinished job and decide like you did, that it is going to be very complex. Knowing that, they would rather have nothing to do with it. Still other professionals hold the whole DIY concept in contempt and refuse to do work for those they know embrace the do it your self work ethic.

For what ever reason, sometimes it is hard, if not impossible to find a contractor who can effectively take on or complete a job the way you..more HERE

Replacement windows: No Big Secrets, Some Negative Aspects (Part 2)

by Scott Best

This article is long over due so let’s recap just a bit. I stated in an earlier article that it’s true that replacement windows save money in energy costs. It’s true that the proper replacement windows, installed properly can add value to your home. It’s true that the cost to replace windows today is by comparison, cheaper then it has ever been.

And I stated that 70% of homes 10 years old or older can benefit from the installation of replacement windows, all true and good. Then I went on to explain how the determination of the windows and seals leads to energy loss and how to spot it. Then I tried to explain how in some cases replacing windows could cause some heating systems to be less efficient, by virtue of combustible air starvation. If you need any clarification on this please see the first article, and read about negative air pressure.

Now it’s long past time for me to talk about another concern when replacing windows and doors in your home, and that is indoor air pollution. You might think that the idea of indoor air pollution is, well almost incongruous, but it really isn’t. In fact indoor air quality under the right (actually wrong) conditions, can be as bad or worse then many major metropolitan cities during a smog alert. That’s right; the air in a tightly sealed home can be worse then city smog, if not dealt with properly..Read Entire Article Here!

Resources Links

Brand New Windows

The Rationales of Home Improvement

Replacement Windows Withstand Recession

DIY: You are better than you think!

Replacement windows: No Big Secrets, Some Negative Aspects (Part 2)

New energy wows, are they enough to drive new window technology?

Straight Talk about Replacement Windows

Choosing the correct replacement windows

Avoiding leaks when installing vinyl retrofit windows

Buying Replacement Windows

Smart Windows Help Make Homes Green

Installer Offers Advice