What to Consider Before Adding a Master Suite to Your Home

Do you ever feel like you just don’t have enough room in your master bedroom? Are your closets too small and you don’t really have any place to just sit and relax for a while? If this is the case, you might be considering turning your master bedroom into a master suite.

Master suite additions have become quite popular over the past few years. While they don’t have the best return on investment, typically only recouping 57%-64% of the cost of the project, homeowners who have master suites added to their homes typically get a huge amount of personal enjoyment out of it, so it could very well be a worthwhile project if you’re planning on staying in your home for a while.

The cost of adding a master suite can easily cost over $100,000, but the exact price will largely depend on what features you want it to have and whether it’s going to be on the first floor of your home or on a second story. To keep costs down, it’s best to take advantage of as much existing space in your home as possible, like unused bedrooms or underutilized attic or basement space. But if you need to expand outward or upward, it’s a lot simpler and less expensive to expand on a lower level than it is to add on to a second story.

In many cases, a master suite is a lot like a small, but luxurious, apartment or hotel room. In addition to having a space for a bed, they also typically have a walk-in closet and an en suite bathroom with dual sinks. However, many people also like to have features like radiant floor heating, a private patio or balcony, a luxurious bathtub, sitting areas, fireplaces, and built-in shelving in their master suites.

Before you get too carried away with planning the master suite of your dreams, talk to some contractors to get some estimates and to see if they have any feedback about your ideas. They may be able to give you some suggestions that would make your vision more practical to achieve. For example, if you have big plans for your en suite bathroom, they might suggest keeping it close to your existing plumbing since it’s much more expensive to run plumbing lines to a new area of the house. A contractor will also alert you to any potential problems you might encounter, such as zoning regulations

If it’s necessary to build an addition for your master suite, it’s important to remember that the cost of actually building your master suite is just one cost you’ll have to plan for. When you add on to your home, your energy bills will go up since there’s more space in your home to heat and power. It’s also possible that expanding your home will also increase your property taxes. Building an addition will also have an impact on the appearance of your home and you may end up wanting to take on extra projects to make the exterior appear more cohesive. For example, if you have older windows in the rest of your home, but have new vinyl windows in the new area, you might want to replace your old windows with vinyl replacement windows so your home will have a more uniform look.

Planning the master suite of your dreams can be a little overwhelming at first, but if you talk to anyone who has been through the process, they’ll probably tell you it’s worth it in the end. Just like you would with any other home renovation project, make sure to do plenty of research before you get started to avoid headaches and frustration.

Tips for Removing Old Wallpaper

One of the main reasons why wallpaper fell out of favor for such a long time is because it was so difficult to remove. Older types of wallpaper typically had an adhesive that would seep into the wall, making it extremely hard to get rid of later on and trying to remove it could potentially damage the wall. Rather than remove the old wallpaper, many homeowners would either simply put more wallpaper over the old or try painting over it. As a result, many homeowners have bought homes and were horrified to find they’d have to remove not one, but several layers of wallpaper to get to the original wall.

Wallpaper removal is a chore that is so frustrating to many homeowners that they’d much rather pay a professional to take care of it rather than deal with it themselves. If you have some wallpaper you’d like to get rid of, don’t worry. Removing that wallpaper may not be so hard after all and you might not even need to use harsh chemicals.

To get an idea of what you’re dealing with, try removing a little bit of the wallpaper in an area that’s not too noticeable, preferably in a corner or along a seam. If the wallpaper comes off fairly easily and you can see the original wall underneath, you’re in luck. This means you only have one layer of wallpaper to worry about and that the walls were either primed before the wallpaper was applied or you have a type of wallpaper that was designed to be easy to remove. While some types of wallpaper will easily come off in one large sheet, other types only have facing that comes off easily and leaves backing behind. If backing is still clinging to your walls, remove as much of the facing as possible.

If the wallpaper isn’t coming off so easily, you have multiple layers to work with, or you have wallpaper backing to remove, don’t lose hope. Steam or hot water can be very helpful in making that wallpaper a thing of the past. Before you begin, turn off the electricity running into the room, cover the floor in plastic, cover light switches and outlets, and remove things like curtains, blinds, or anything else that could be damaged by moisture. If you’re trying to remove washable, waterproof wallpaper or wallpaper that has a glossy finish, you may want to use a scoring tool on the wallpaper first to make it easier for the steam/water to do its job.

Steaming machines used to remove wallpaper can often be rented from hardware and home improvement stores. If you’d rather spray your walls with hot water, make sure you use a compression sprayer, not a regular hand-held spray bottle or a damp cloth. A compression sprayer will be able to do its job much more effectively. Once your walls have been sprayed down or steamed, let them set for about 15 minutes before you start trying to remove the paper with a wide putty knife, being careful to not damage the wall. Keep repeating these steps until all of your wallpaper has been removed.

If you’re dealing with wallpaper that’s been applied to a wall with wooden paneling, do not use water or steam to remove wallpaper. Instead, use a gel chemical stripper that won’t damage your walls the way water would. A gel chemical stripper may also be helpful if you have a few very stubborn spots left that won’t come off with steam or hot water.

Once all of your wallpaper has been removed, spray your walls down one last time to get rid of any remaining residue and see what kind of shape your walls are in. If there are a few dings or gouges that may have been caused by removing the wallpaper, give your walls a day to dry completely, then go through and patch them up and sand them down when they’ve dried. That way, your walls will be in good shape for when you’re ready to start painting or apply new wallpaper.

Improving Garage Security

When it comes to improving your home’s security, the first places you’ll probably think to start are your home’s doors and windows. But if you’re looking for ways to make your home more secure, one place that shouldn’t be overlooked is your garage. 9% of burglars access homes through the garage, so if your home has an attached garage, keeping your garage secure should definitely be a top priority. Even if your garage is detached, making sure it’s secure will help protect expensive things like tools, sporting equipment, and your car.

First of all, if your garage is attached to the house, it’s extremely important to make sure the door leading to your home is very secure. Always keep this door locked and deadbolted. If this door is getting a bit old, replacing it with a new steel exterior door will help give your home an added security boost.

Do you have an automatic garage door opener? If so, do you know how old it is? If your garage door opener was made before 1999, you might want to consider replacing it with a newer model. Newer garage door openers have more advanced security features than older models. Not able to replace your garage door opener system right now? If you have an opener that uses a series of dip switches to create a unique code that’s set on both your opener and its remote, simply changing that combination could help boost your security. When many people got those types of door openers, they never changed the default combination, which is a fact that many burglars are aware of. If a burglar has a garage door opener that happens to work with your system, they can get in very easily as long as the combination is on the default settings.

If you’re in the habit of leaving your garage door opener in your car, it’s time to break the habit. If someone breaks into your car while it’s sitting in your driveway, you’ll be making the burglar’s job incredibly easy. Even if someone breaks into your car while it’s in a parking lot away from home, many people leave things in their cars that have their home address printed on it. Many newer garage door openers have remotes that conveniently attach to your key ring so you don’t have to worry about carrying anything extra with you when you go in the house.

Try to keep your garage door closed as much as possible. The last thing you want to do is show the entire neighborhood what things you keep in your garage. Remember, it only takes a few seconds for a thief to run up and grab something from your garage if you leave your garage door open unattended!

Last, but certainly not least, remember that many of the same things you do to improve security in the rest of your home will also help make your garage more secure. Many garages have a side door, so make sure that door is always locked. Use curtains or blinds to cover your windows or apply a film that will make it harder to see in through them. Make sure the windows are securely locked. Consider installing motion-activated lights on the outside of your garage. If you have a home security system installed in the rest of your home, make sure it includes the garage as well. If your garage door isn’t in such great condition, you may want to think about replacing it with a new one. With these steps, your garage will be well protected!

Dealing With a Cracked or Broken Window

It’s never a good thing to have a broken window in your home, but if you ever find yourself with one, it might not be possible to have it fixed immediately. A repairman might not be able to come out right away or if your budget’s tight, you might not be able to have it repaired right away. But that doesn’t mean you have to worry about drafts and other elements getting into your home in the meantime!

If you only have a small crack or chip in your window, you’re in luck! You might be able to patch it up and prevent the crack from spreading by using items you might already have around the house. Small cracks or chips can often be filled in with clear nail polish, super glue, or clear shellac. In many cases, this can fill in window cracks well enough to be almost completely invisible and you won’t even need to have the entire pane of glass replaced. Just remember to apply it in thin layers and let each layer dry completely before applying a new one.

For cracks that are a bit too large to be patched up with nail polish, ordinary packing tape could do the trick. Simply apply the tape to both sides of the window pane, being very careful not to apply too much pressure and cause more damage to the window. It may not be the most attractive solution and it certainly wouldn’t be a long-term fix, but it would at least help keep drafts and rain out until you’re able to have the pane of glass in your window replaced.

For windows that have larger holes in them, start by removing any loose pieces of glass from the pane and from the area surrounding the window, being very careful not to cut yourself in the process. Once you’re done, measure how large the area is that you need to cover up. With a smaller hole, simply tape a piece of heavy duty plastic, such as a piece of a tarp or a thicker garbage bag that’s been cut to be slightly larger than the hole, to the window pane.If the window has more extensive damage, you might want to use a piece of plywood or heavy duty plastic to cover up the entire window. If you have vinyl replacement windows, use tape to attach the plastic to the frame. For wood windows, you can use a staple gun to attach the plywood or plastic to the window’s frame.

Determining the Right Price for Your Home

One of the hardest things about getting your home ready to sell is figuring out what you want your home’s asking price to be. Trying to determine the value of a home is no easy task since the value of a home depends on many different factors such as its size, features, location, condition, and the real estate market in your area.

If you’ve made some improvements to your home or property values in your neighborhood have increased since you moved in, you’ll certainly want to be sure you’re not selling yourself short. But if you set your asking price too high to begin with, which many homeowners often do just to see if anyone will be willing to pay that much, you run the risk of your home staying on the market longer than it should. The longer a home stays on the market, the harder it is to sell and more its price tends to come down. One study from 2013 found that homes that sell within their first week on the market typically sell for over the asking price whereas homes that spent four months on the market sold for 11.53% less than than the original asking price.

Before you put your home on the market, here are a few ways to help you set the right price for your home.

Have Your Home Appraised

One problem many homeowners run into when trying to price their home is that they overestimate the value of certain improvements they made. Not all home renovations and improvements have a particularly good return on investment. Things like adding a swimming pool or a backup power generator actually tend to have a rather low return on investment. And while there are lots of home improvements that do have an excellent return on investment, like new vinyl replacement windows or a new steel front door, it’s still important to determine the right value of your improvements.

Many homeowners also have a tendency to add a little more to their home’s asking price because of their own sentimental attachment to the home. Having an appraiser come out and evaluate your property is definitely one of the best ways to get an accurate, unbiased idea of what your home is really worth. While many real estate websites like Zillow will provide estimates of a home’s value, it’s not always the most accurate or reliable source of information.

Talk to a Real Estate Agent

Even if you’re thinking of selling your home yourself, talking to a real estate agent or two about a comparative market analysis (CMA) could be very valuable. This will provide you with information like the prices that similar homes in your area have recently sold for, comparable homes in your area that are currently for sale, and some homes that were recently removed from the market because they didn’t sell. This type of information about what the real estate market is currently like will be very helpful in giving you guidance about what your home’s price should be.

Remember How People Search for Homes

When most home buyers look for homes, they typically search online by entering a price range in round amounts, like $150,000 to $200,000. If your home is appraised at an amount that’s very close to a round number, such as $202,000, asking $200,000 instead might actually work more in your favor. A person who is looking to spend up to $200,000 on their new home might be willing to consider one just slightly over that amount, but they simply won’t see those listings if they search by setting the maximum amount at $200,000. Asking just a tiny bit less might be worthwhile if it helps your home sell faster by making it visible to a wider audience.