You see it on HGTV and elswhere on TV. “Upgrade your kitchen and recoup 98% of the investment!” “Repaint the exterior and recoup 120% of the investment!” The list goes on. Has anyone actually checked to see if you really do recoup home improvement investment in the form of higher resale value? How can you really be sure, because it’s not like you actually get two appraisals from an appraiser, one for before improvement and the other for after improvement. Or is this a conspiracy by home centers?
I understand what all of you are saying, and I have heard it before. But where’s the proof? Does anyone know how such data were actually obtained?

www.control4.com – We’re right outside Sacramento, California in Granite Bay where they just finished construction on someone’s brand new dream home. But what’s even dreamier about this fresh face is that not only do you get to customize the look and layout, you get to customize the technology too. Let’s have a look. Without a doubt, this regal residence is a looker. It features a great room; the owner suite is in the back of the home so it faces the beautiful backyard, the pool. But this heavenly home isn’t just a beauty… it’s brainy too. It’s loaded with Control4 smart home technology. With a simple press of a button, we can turn everything on in the house. The “Good Night” button will dim out selected lights for the evening. “Party Mode”, preset levels that we have for the party. Now in the instance that the alarm goes off in the house, the system is designed to turn all of the lights on. We have three outside cameras and two indoor cameras. By simply clicking on the camera, we can see in a small view of we click on “Full Screen” to see a full view of the camera outside. We do have a simple one-button press to talk directly to the other intercom station. You can go into, select your days and select your temperature readings for those times. Okay, so if we wanted to put audio out by the pool, we can simply select the room. Here’s a refreshing feature of Control4… it’s easy to control anything from just about any screen, including these pool jets. Very cool! Smart …

Green, energy-saving light bulbs are compact fluorescent lights that require much less energy to illuminate a room and they last much longer than traditional light bulbs. Find ways to save energy through light bulbs withadvice from a licensed remodeling contractor in this free video on home maintenance. Expert: Tim Gipson Contact: www.inhisstepsremodeling.com Bio: Tim Gipson is a home repair specialist and remodeling contractor in Franklin, Tenn. Filmmaker: Tim Brown

I’m just wondering if we should do a home improvement loan, refinance our mortgage, do a home equity loan, etc.
We are looking at doing siding, some windows, soffits and fascia, etc.

We have made approximately $6500.00 in home improvement since January 2007.

what are some inexpensive home improvements that will make a house worth more. I recently found giani granite kit for counter tops. It makes regular counter tops look like real granite and the kit costs less than 100 dollars. Is there anything else that’s cheap and would make the house worth more and look better? Any suggestions would be great. It doesn’t matter what room its for as long as it doesn’t cost a lot and will improve the house value.

Bathroom plumbing consists of the water supply and the drain and vent system, which work together allowing water to make its way to the sewer. Ensure that a drain trap is installed in the pipes with tips from aremodeling contractor in this free video on home repair and maintenance. Expert: Tim Gipson Contact: www.inhisstepsremodeling.com Bio: Tim Gipson is a home repair specialist and remodeling contractor in Franklin, Tenn. Filmmaker: Tim Brown

Bathroom plumbing consists of the water supply and the drain and vent system, which work together allowing water to make its way to the sewer. Ensure that a drain trap is installed in the pipes with tips from aremodeling contractor in this free video on home repair and maintenance. Expert: Tim Gipson Contact: www.inhisstepsremodeling.com Bio: Tim Gipson is a home repair specialist and remodeling contractor in Franklin, Tenn. Filmmaker: Tim Brown

Choosing the right paint color is a personal decision, but staying in the neutral color family maintains the resale value of the home. Use flat colors on the ceiling and gloss colors on the trim withadvice from a licensed remodeling contractor in this free video on home maintenance. Expert: Tim Gipson Contact: www.inhisstepsremodeling.com Bio: Tim Gipson is a home repair specialist and remodeling contractor in Franklin, Tenn. Filmmaker: Tim Brown

My husband and I are debating how to finance some home improvement projects. He says use savings, I say use a line of credit(repay within two years hopefully) I am afraid if we use savings we will never replace it. He doesn’t want debt. Any opinions?