Top 5 Home Improvements to Add Value 30. June 2016 Administrator Home Improvement (0) Want to add value and curb appeal to your home? Who doesn’t want to add more value to their home? There are some areas of home improvement that will add and return the most value, but any home remodel can be very intimidating. Our team at Iowa Home Exteriors, Inc. would like to help these remodels go as smoothly as possible for you and create the most value for your home. Here are 5 quick tips and suggestions to increase your home’s value! 1. The Kitchen The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in a home, so when someone is looking to buy a house the kitchen can either make it or break it. If your remodel project is operating on a smaller budget, you can do things like: paint the walls replace the kitchen faucet add new door and cabinet handles update all the lighting If you have a larger budget for a kitchen remodel, then you can do a complete transformation to include counter tops, cabinets, and appliances. Whether you budget is large or small, any improvement to your kitchen will add some value. 2. The Bathroom In our opinion the bathroom is absolutely the most used room in your home. Similar to the kitchen, you can tailor the remodel project according to the size of your budget. Small fixes include, painting, changing the toilet seat, changing out fixtures such as lights, door/cabinets handles, etc. If you choose to do a complete overhaul of the bathroom then things like replacing the flooring, putting in a new toilet, sink, and shower/tub (if needed) would be a great idea! 3. Reinvent a Room Adding square footage to your home can be extremely expensive ranging anywhere from $120-150 a square foot. With that in mind, why not just reinvent a room you already have? This could be as simple as changing an extra room into an office, knocking out a needless wall, or finishing your basement! Before you do anything drastic just keep in mind that versatile and multi-purpose rooms are more attractive to potential buyers. 4. Add Energy-Efficient Windows Whether you are trying to sell your home or you plan on living in it for years to come… adding energy efficient windows will save you lots of money! Adding Energy Star-rated windows to your home can save you up to $500 a year in heating and cooling bills alone! 5. Exterior Siding Replacement Replacing your siding is one of the fastest ways to enhance the look of your home and add a great deal of value at the same time. Depending on the type of siding you choose (we highly recommend either insulated vinyl siding or fiber cement siding) you can save even more money on your energy bill when coupled with that window replacement. These are just five of the many ways you can add value to your home and our team, here at Window Doors & More, Inc. stand ready to help you sort through what is best for your home and budget to increase your home’s value. If you are in the greater Des Moines, Iowa area, email or call us today to schedule an appointment! Add Home Value Infographic This great infographic is a step-by-step home clean-up guide guaranteed to add value to your home. “Add Value to Your Home” is provided courtesy of The Grass People at TheGrassPeople.com
3 Steps for Choosing a Siding Contractor 27. April 2016 Administrator Home Siding (1) Replacing your home siding? If you have been thinking about having the siding on your home replaced, that can be stressful. One way to eliminate that stress and make sure your home is in good hands, is to find someone who you can fully trust to do the work for you. Having your home resided can be intimidating because of all the unknowns involved. Questions like: What siding works best for my home? Which brand of siding fits my budget? Should I use vinyl or cement fiber siding? The questions can be nearly endless! So what do you do? Where can you turn to? The best solution is to hire a siding contractor who can provide the best answers to your questions. The key to hiring the right siding contractor is finding someone who is not only trustworthy but also someone who has a lot of solid experience and knowledge. Our team here at Windows Doors and More would like to help you get started as you begin that search for a siding contractor with these 3 easy steps. Research First! The very first step before calling any contractor is doing some thorough research. Begin by checking out the local contractors close to your home. The internet is a great way to find a contractor in your area and a quick Google search can quickly provide you with a list of websites, contact info and even reviews. It’s also a good idea to check with your friends and family to see who they have used in the past. Think strongly about using a local siding contractor because you are not only supporting a local small business, but they will have better knowledge on which siding would be perfect for the climate and area you live in. Download this handy guide to help you remember what types of information you need to research and record before you begin the next step. Interview Time! Once you have come up with 3-4 potential siding contractors, it is time to start the interview process! Here are some good questions to ask during the interview: How many years has the company been in business? Are you licensed and insured? What is the estimated time for this project? What is the cost and what would the payment plan be for this particular project? Do you have references? What sort of warranties do you offer? What type of siding do you recommend? These are just a few of the questions you should ask when conducting the interviews. Make sure you get any guarantees and warranties in writing, as well as a quote for the project. Contact each of the references the contractors give you and find out how the process went for their projects. This contractor research and interview handout is a great tool to use when conducting these interviews. Make the Selection! Now that the interviews are over, phone calls to the references have been made, and you have compared the various quotes with our budget, it is time to choose! Choose the siding contractor who best meets the needs of what you want accomplished during for this siding project. Your choice should be made based on who fits your budget and timeline as well as who provided the best customer experience for those references you contacted. Once you have chosen the best siding contractor you will need to meet with him to finalize and sign the contract. To protect you and the contractor make sure all the agreed upon costs and warranties/guarantees are written out and then signed. We Can Help! Iowa Home Exteriors hopes these steps help you in the search for a great siding contractor. Our team would love the opportunity to sit down and speak with you if you are interested in replacing your siding! If you are in the Des Moines, Iowa area, contact us today or call to set up a meeting. We look forward to serving you! Bonus! Since spring is here in full force you be thinking about other things besides finding a siding contractor. Things like spring cleaning and especially your windows! We have provided you with this great info-graphic "5 Steps to Squeaky Clean Windows" to help you get that job done... and done right!
Vinyl Siding Saves Time & Money 29. February 2016 Administrator Viny Siding (0) Do you have vinyl siding? There are two things everyone seems to be short on these days and they are time and money. Everyone seems so busy with… well… everything! As for money, who isn’t looking for ways to save some here and there? The reason for this blog post is to explain how you can gain some time back and save money on your energy bills; everyone could use a little more time and cash each month! To make this dream come true have you given any thought to your siding? Yes, the siding on your home. Inadequate or improper siding on your home siding can drain energy, time and your hard earned money away. Imagine your cash just blowing away through the siding on your home and into the wind. If you don’t have adequate and quality siding that has been correctly installed, then losing money due to higher energy costs is what is happening to you right now. You need help! Our team here at Iowa Home Exteriors does exactly that for each of our clients. We will find the best siding for your home that meets your budget and style and make sure that new siding is properly installed. Here are two vinyl siding options that will save you time, energy, and money! Vinyl Siding Vinyl siding has been around for over 60 years and has been one of the most popular types of home siding because of its low-cost, variety of colors, and low maintenance. Low maintenance means time saver! This siding option has only gotten better over the years and has improved greatly on quality, durability and look. Vinyl siding not only lets you customize your home to the exact color and style you want, but provides that low maintenance option to save you time when caring for your home. If installed properly, you will begin to see a drastic change with your energy bill! Insulated Vinyl Siding This type of vinyl siding has all of the benefits of the other with significantly improved energy savings. You may be asking yourself why insulated vinyl siding is not used more often. With insulated siding there is a greater upfront cost than standard vinyl siding, but it will save you more money in the long run. Insulated vinyl siding adds to the overall R-value of your walls and increases thermal resistance. Your home will be better insulated (helping you save energy and money) and protected for hazards such as hail, stray baseballs, etc... A good example of insulated vinyl siding is Heartland Siding's CedarMAX. CedarMAX is an insulated vinyl siding that provides a complete thermal cladding system. If you want to reduce the energy loss of your home CedarMAX makes the perfect siding replacement choice for your home. Here at Iowa Home Exteriors we recommend using the insulated vinyl siding in order to help you save money in the future. Vinyl Siding Maintenance Now for some time saving advice! Vinyl siding has very little maintenance unlike other siding options such as wood, stucco, or metal siding where you need to put more effort and time into keeping it looking nice. Vinyl siding was created with little to no maintenance in mind. If your siding begins to look like it needs cleaning, you can use a power washer on a low heat/power setting. Save Money! We have included a shareable info-graphic "5 Ways To Save On Your energy Bill" to help you find ways to keep that hard earned cash instead of losing it to the energy bills. You can download it and send it to any friends or neighbors that may find it useful. Des Moines, Iowa Vinyl Siding Solutions Our team here at Iowa Home Exteriors would love the opportunity to sit down with you and answer all of your questions about replacing the siding on your home. If you are located in the Des Moines, Iowa area contact us and we can give you a free quote on replacing the siding on your home or help you with any other home improvement project!