What is the most expensive recurring cost of buying a home? Maintaining it. You may think that your home buying expenses are finalized at close, but the cost of maintenance is one that many homeowners plan & budget for (or fail to do so) well in advance. Maintenance can include anything from repairing drywall and caulking to repairing gutters and roofs. Because you can never really predict what will go wrong during the year, it is best to set aside a certain amount of money each year dedicated for emergency repairs and regular maintenance. Naturally, the question you might find yourself wondering is: how much? This article will give you a few methods to determine how much money you need for maintenance each year based on your specific home.

Before getting into the specific methods, let’s make some disclaimers. While these methods or rules are good general measures, they do not take into account the specific nature of your home and the climate it resides in. Some things to keep in mind are the age, weather & location of your home.

The age of your home is a big determiner in how much maintenance it will require. If your home was built within 5-10 years, chances are it won’t need very much maintenance. However, for homes that are 10-30 years old they will exponentially need more repairs until eventually major ones like roof replacement will need to take place.

Weather is another big factor that can influence the amount of maintenance a home requires. Homes in areas with more extreme weather conditions such as freezing temperatures, heavy snow & rainfall, high winds, termites or ice storms will generally require more care and upkeep than those in mild conditions due to increased wear and tear.

Lastly, the location of your home can have a major impact on the maintenance level necessary. Homes located on the bottom of a hill that can be exposed to rainfall collecting or homes in floodplains for example can require higher than average amounts of maintenance.

Now that those disclaimers are out of the way, the first rule I’d like to present to you is called the 1% rule. This rule states that one way to estimate the yearly maintenance cost of your home is to set aside one percent of your total home value. For example, if your home is worth

$200,000 you ought to set aside $2,000 for maintenance.

Another handy rule to estimate maintenance costs is the square foot rule. The square foot rule states that you should set aside a dollar for each square foot of your home. So if you have a 2000 square foot home, then you need $2000 for maintenance. This rule makes a little more sense as it is directly correlated with the size of your home so may be a little more accurate.

So which rule should you use to estimate your home maintenance costs? A clever way to do so would be to use both rules then take the average cost from both of them. This would ensure that you’re somewhere in the middle and take both rules into consideration. So if your home is worth $300,000 and it is 2,000 square feet big then you take the average of both maintenance cost estimates which is $2500 (3000+2000/2). Next, add 10% just to account for the external factors mentioned in the beginning of the article (weather, location, etc) 2500+250 = $2750.

For high quality home maintenance at fair prices contact Cransten Handyman and Remodeling & we’ll be happy to be your go to home/life saver.

Cransten Handyman and Remodeling

(800) 618 7015

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Design Tips for a Kitchen Remodel

There are many reasons people want to remodel their kitchen. Sometimes people want to boost the resale value of their home. Some people may have been in a home for a while and just want an updated look and feel. Some people can’t afford a new home, so upgrading their current home is the best option.

Have you ever wondered why family and friends tend to flock together in the kitchen? In many ways, the kitchen is the heart of the place we call home. We all need food and water to survive and the kitchen is where meals are prepared, families can interact, and food and drinks are prepared. If kitchens are designed right, they can be an amazing place of bonding and building memories for the family. It’s also a main place of entertainment. So, if you are to spend money as a home owner, the kitchen is probably one of the most important areas, right?

Assuming you want a functional kitchen that stays on top of current trends, here are 10 tips that can help you out as a home owner:

1. Design Broad Walkways- A functional and comfortably designed walkway is essential. We don’t want to move or hang out in a limited space. The kitchen is the heart of the house where much is going on. We need to design enough room to move and get around. Paths in a kitchen should be at least 36 inches wide. When re-designing a kitchen, properly arranging counter space, kitchen islands, and seating areas is essential.
2. Direct Traffic- For kid-friendly kitchen designs, you should keep the cooktop out of highly trafficked areas. You should also try to eliminate areas where kids can get caught on handles and cause spills while running through. Also, make sure the refrigerator and freezer are easily accsible to passerbys and to those working in the kitchen areas.
3. Microwave’s Appropriate Elevation and Placement- If you have a microwave oven in your kitchen, proper placement can help greatly. Typically microwave opens are placed adult eye level to avoid from little kids being able to play with them and causing problems with them. However, if kids are old and mature enough where this is not a problem, a current trend is to place a microwave a little lower to allow more stove cooking and cabinet space. If you have an over-the range microwave, you will often have less area to cook, but may be required to place it here depending on total kitchen space.
4. Plan Landing Areas- Arranging and spreading out the kitchen workspace requires thought on how both the function and movement should stream inside and through the kitchen space. When planning your kitchen permit at least 15 inches of ledge on each side to allow enough room for other items such as dishes, pots, pans, etc.
5. Arrange Your Kitchen To Have Conversations- One of the best parts about a kitchen is the ability to hang out and chat. You need to make sure there is a proper area planned for others to sit and chat or help out within the kitchen area.
6. Design Your Kitchen for Familiiarity- One of the things that helps cooks is an abililty to remember where items are. Also, to be able to have regularly needed items within arms reach of your cooking area. Place a rack next to or behind the range to keep cooking oils, utensils, and flavors convenient. Place S-hooks near your range hood or hang in cabinets near the stove to help make regularly used pots, pans, and cooking utensils easily accessible.
7. Get rid of knife blocks- Knife blocks don’t belong on your kitchen counter. IF you can find good area for that block inside of a pantry or put all of your knives in an organized drawer, you will be surpised at how much area this frees up for your kitchen.
8. Countertop and Backsplash Selection- The countertop and backsplash you select really set the tone of your kitchen. Do you want granite with subway tiles, or some other look at feel? Look around, get ideas, and consult with a pro that can help you obtain the look and feel you want.
9. Functional and Beautiful Cabinets- Cabinets really need to be not only beautiful but functional as well. They can look great, but if not properly designed can cause a lot of issues for your kitchen. Custom build cabinets can really help obtain the look and feel you want. Make sure the cabninets go along with the look and feel of the rest of the area with counter tops and backsplashes.
10. Great Sink and Appliances- One of the fastest and easiest ways to upgrad your kitchen is to get new appliances and a new sink. And updated fridge, stove, oven, and snink really make a kitchen feel new and envigorates any avid cook to go to town in their new kitchen.
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Most Popular Interior and Exterior Paint Colors for Your Home

If you are thinking about selling, renting, or AirBNBing your home, this article can help you fetch top dollar for your investment. The quickest way to enhance the feel and value of most homes is to add a fresh coat of paint.

This is a decision that definitely merits some thought and consideration. Any work to a home is an investment. An interior or exterior paint job can definitely boost value, but you will want to carefully consider a few factors before buying paint and/or hiring contractors to come and paint your home.

Choosing the right color scheme for your home can sometimes be a tough decision. However, once you figure out the colors that work for your property, you will be well on your way to make some good extra money on your property! To help, here are some suggestions that can be beneficial for you in your decision.

First, consider the overall color, tone, feel of your home. You need to make sure the colors you are painting your home match the style and design of the rest of your house. For example, you need to consider your flooring, tiling, counters, and other factors when painting your home.

Also, consider the rest of the neighborhood homes around you. You usually want to look better than other homes in the area, but you don’t want to stick out like sore thumb.

Consider shading. Some homes due to sun exposure, trees, surrounding environment have different shading effects that come into play. You want to take these into consideration when selecting your new colors and color scheme.

Please see below some of the most popular colors people are painting their homes:

1. Beige

Light tans or browns are unbiased hues. Any shading that is to a great degree near white can likewise fill the role of a neutral.

In case you’re hoping to remain impartial, beige is an incredible outside home shading. This can be matched with white accents along the trim, shades and front entryway for a perfect look. It’s a look that will never leave style and is extraordinary in case you’re hoping to offer your home.

2. Gray

Gray is a cool, neutral, and balanced color as well as formal, conservative, and sophisticated

Slanting both all-around is dim in all shades. Relying upon what you decide for your siding, it may be complemented by various complement hues. A light gray home looks incredible with highly contrasting accents, making it a look that will never go out of style, while dark gray truly flies with white accents on your trim and screens, with a yellow or blue front entryway. This is a hot shading plan that will be in style for a long time.

3. White

White is brilliant and can make the feeling of a room or include features. Designers regularly utilize the shading white to influence rooms to appear to be bigger and more open.

A few homeowners tend to avoid white as outside home shading since it can get filthy. Be that as it may, it really emits a spotless and exquisite style for your home. Emphasis hues can be amusing to play with here in light of the fact that white makes for the ideal canvas for anything to emerge. Highly contrasting is dependably a mix that will go together in any case, have you thought about a dark, white and dim home?

On a white home, the shade of your front entryway will truly emerge from the rest. Along these lines, on the off chance that you get a kick out of the chance to play with shading, this could be the ideal shading for your outside siding.

4. Brown

Brown is warm and safe shading; it typifies or wants to have normal things around us. It is regularly the shading we call wood or timber; grainy and in a general sense gritty. Since it is characteristic it runs with any shading. Brown is loved by designers and creators. It has supplanted the unbiased gray right now and is wherever you look.

The frequently connected with a natural home look color is dark brown. It’s warm and welcoming, with the correct hues against a dim darker, a tan or light dark colored functions admirably as a complement impartial. For an emphasize shade, dim green or dark red settle on extraordinary decisions here also. Be that as it may, recolored wood front entryways, railings, and other outside components will truly help finish this provincial look.

5. Red

Red is often hailed as the color of passion and power. Presentation to the shading red has been demonstrated to build pulse and invigorate digestion. Red makes a man feel sure and ground-breaking and has been connected with energy and love since time started. Be careful that red can likewise cause pressure and nervousness whenever uncovered for a really long time. Consequently, a lot of solid hues like red are not commonly alluring for spaces where individuals assemble and remain for extended stretches of time –, for example, a lounge room or family room.

For property holders who need a strong look, red is a good approach. Obviously, it ought to be complemented by a lot of emphasizing neutrals to try and out the look. White and dull dark consummately compliment a red home to make it warm and inviting.

6. Purple

Purple is frequently connected with eminence, otherworldliness, urging you to associate with your individual man and extend your mankind. It can advance profound thought or extravagance however ought to be utilized deliberately, as excessively (or the wrong tone) can have a contrary impact. Purple is frequently connected with Deep purple is invigorating shading; while lavender is quieting shading.

7. Green

Green represents development, restoration, flourishing and recovery would appear to be simply the perfect shading to encompass with. It’s no incident the dominant part of urban/city occupants disappear to the nation on ends of the week and on vacations – it’s to re-associate with nature, take in the green on a subliminal level to reestablish, restore.

Given green’s certain psychological characteristics and the emerald tone, settles on it a decent choice– as an emphasize shading. Expression of alert here is to guide far from any lime greens as yellow is the shading to maintain a strategic distance from in the room.

Light, sage green is the new best in class shading for home exterior designs. In case you’re searching for a non-nonpartisan yet not prepared to step into one of the more brilliant tones, this is the shading for you. Combined with dim and white, it’s an extraordinary shading plan to acquaint with your home.

8. Yellow

Yellow is the passionate shading. It speaks to inventiveness, invitingness, positive thinking, and certainty. It’s likewise connected with insight and mental readiness. We learn at a youthful age that the sun is yellow and it gives us warmth, accordingly yellow is related with warmth and life. Yellow is joy and can animate discussion and clear your musings. However, a profound yellow might be related with alert or a notice. It is solid shading that catches our consideration. Consolidate yellow when you need to invigorate energy, imagination and joy.

9. Navy Blue

Rose quartz is at last ladylike and fragile. It summons sentiments of sentiment, affectability, womanliness, and sweetness. It is, obviously, a magnificent supplement to quietness and in addition hazy blue and dim purples. Its sensitive substance makes it the ideal remain solitary shading when attempting to make a ladylike vibe.

Another striking shading look that is winding up more mainstream is navy blue. Combined with a white complement and for somewhat of a bolder look, a red front entryway, it is certain to make your home emerge magnificently on your square.

10. Orange

Orange mixes the physical (red) and enthusiastic (yellow), making a feeling of solace. It is regularly connected with sustenance and warmth and is, in this manner, a characteristic decision in kitchens. At the point when utilized suitably, it is additionally fun shading, making it a possibility for an easygoing office relax. It has its own particular manner of motivating individuals to talk; it lessens hesitance and gives one the certainty to express their considerations. Orange can be elevating, helping you to remember festivities, or it tends to be warm and loosening up like the happening to fall. Solid tones of orange should use in little portions.

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