Updating highly visible aspects of your home to improve first impressions are some of the highest bang for your buck Louisville home improvements. Recently the National Association of Realtors (NAR) published 7 Best Remodeling Projects for the Money on their consumer-focused Web site HouseLogic. Here's a summary of some Louisville home improvements that will net you the most money. Tough-as-Nails Siding Replacement: Percent of investment recouped: 78% A Low-Cost Entry Door with Steely Good Looks: Percent of investment recouped: 73% A Bedroom with High Aspirations: Percent of in

This article was written expressly for LouisvilleHomesBlog.com by the good folks at Asbestos.com so that you can better protect yourself and your loved ones here in Louisville, Kentucky. Be sure to take extreme caution and use the proper equipment when dealing with asbestos. As mentioned in a previous post, asbestos was commonly used in building materials throughout the 20th century and many homes to this day still contain these materials. Recently, many homeowners are choosing to remodel their homes instead of putting it on the market or hiring professional contractors. With popul

Dan Hofmann, President of RegenEn Solar, stands in front of a great home in The Highlands showing off the new thin film solar solution. Despite powerful incentives like historically low mortgage interest rates, a surplus of home inventory and bargain home prices, the Louisville real estate market remains sluggish. Without a great push in these final three months, there will be fewer homes sold 2011 than there were in 2010. A by-product of this is that more and more homeowners are spending their money with Louisville home improvement companies. Everything from updating bathroom faucets on

While a home with a gorgeous pool maybe strongly appeal to certain house hunters, it won't to the bulk of Louisville home buyers. A basic concept in marketing anything is having an item appeal to the most amount of people possible. This concept also applies to selling your Louisville home. The more appealing it is to the market as a whole, the faster it will sell. If you're thinking about doing some home improvements to add value to your home, here are some that you may want to avoid. These improvements will not add as much value as kitchen or bathroom renovations would when you are se

There are tax credits available to homeowners for more than just solar panels but the prices have reached a point where certain homeowners should consider them. Nobody likes taxes. Well, almost nobody... there is this loopy bird who wants Obama to raise his taxes. But for the remaining 99.999% of us, lower taxes is a good thing. How would you like to lower your taxes and improve your home at the same time? In the past, both the State and National goverments have put forth efforts to help the struggling housing market. Most famously, the first time home buyer's tax credit gave some i

Do you know what it takes to keep your home's HVAC in top running condition? I had a chance to sit down and chat with Rob Benefiel, owner of Certified Comfort to learn more about his company and gain some insight into the best ways to make sure that your Louisville home is cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter. Having the proper temperature inside your home is generally more important than size of the house size or other home features but people often take this for granted. When I asked Rob what the most important thing homeowners needed to know about HVAC, he replied, "Have an an

Looking for some pizazz? Bright and shiny new faucets might just be what you're looking for in your Louisville kitchen or bath. If you're thinking about a quick and inexpensive way to update your home, consider kitchen and bath fixtures. Whether you're selling or remodeling, take a look at your cabinetry hardware. Is it worn or outdated? Consider new satin or polished nickel or oil rubbed bronze finishes. Simple, sleek contemporary or trans-modern styles are popular at Willis Klein Showrooms in St. Matthews, says Director of Marketing Rebecca Johnson. Kitchen Designer Teri Nall secon

Hardwood floors bring out the best in any Louisville home. Love the warmth and beauty of wood flooring but not sure where to start? Here are a few tips! As you're shopping, keep in mind your budget and how long you plan on staying in the home. Solid Hardwood Flooring Solid wood is durable and beautiful but generally costs a little more. Most styles can not be used "below grade" (i.e. basements, cellars, etc.) because they need to be nailed down to a wood sub-floor, not concrete. They are also not a good idea in areas with moisture or humidity, such as bathrooms, because they do

Kentucky Hot Brown (bottom left) is one of 75 hand-picked colors PPG Porter Paints chose to celebrate 90 years of business in Louisville, KY. Need a little update for your home without spending too much? Try a new paint color! PPG Porter Paints just introduced the Louisville Color Collection, in honor of the company's 90 year anniversary. There are some great neutrals like Fort Knox Gold (6832-2), Lillies for the Fillies (6823-1), and Kentucky Hot Brown (6702-3). My favorite is Fleur-de-lis (6867-2), a crisp, light tan. Earthy and relaxing, soothing blues and greens continue to

The Kentucky Fairgrounds and Exposition Center is home to the Louisville Home Garden and Remodeling Show, March 11-13. Amid the dozens of bathtup overlay companies, tool shed builders and assorted specialty sales companies (need a new cell phone case?) you'll find some intriguing booths at this year's Louisville Home Garden and Remodeling show which starts today. I'll have more in-depth stories in the next several weeks but a few companies that caught my eye might be interest to you as well. Classic Metal Roofing Systems of Kentuckian: If you're planning to stay in your current ho

Just posted yesterday how home improvement projects have taken center stage. (Queue the lights and music!) So, with great pleasure I present the annual Home, Garden & Remodeling Show! Inside, outside, makes no difference, there will companies on hand to help you with your Louisville home improvement projects. This year, the event is March 11-13, 2011 at the Kentucky Expo Center. Hope to see you there!

In the current real estate market, sales are down but home improvement is up! Some homeowners are putting off a home sale in favor of additions, renovations or remodels. When the time comes to sell, sellers are quickly realizing that condition is vital to selling a home quickly. Even homeowners not looking to sell in the immediate future may just want to improve a kitchen or update a bath. I read this piece recently about the growing popularity of macerating plumbling solutions. "With a macerating, or up-flush, toilet, there is no need to break up the floor to install drainage lines,

Updating your home's kitchen is the first place homeowner's should look when contemplating a sale. Despite what some "experts" might say, we're clearly in a buyer's market. (Let's hope he was misquoted.) Home prices have dropped, a rarity for Louisville, Ky., interest rates are at historic lows and there is a large amount of home inventory for buyers to choose from. That puts home sellers at a distinct disadvantage. In an effort to help Louisville home sellers, we published the Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Louisville Home last week. Now we're going to focus improvin

Some new laminate counter-top designs are really impressive! Credit: Formica CorporationFound some interesting tips on this HouseLogic article that might be just what you need if you're thinking about updating your Louisville kitchen but don't have the money for a complete remodel. Some of the ideas include: Kitchen cabinet under-mount lighting Creative kitchen storage solutions Karbon articulating sink faucets Improved designs in laminate counter tops Visit 10 Tips to Give Your Kitchen a Low-Cost Facelift for more great ideas.

Performing a major kitchen remodel in Louisville KY with midrange quality items brings a 72.6% return on investment. Using upscale items just a 60.5% return. For the past three years we've published the Remodeling Cost vs. Value data for Louisville remodeling projects. For reference, I'll link them up for you here. Home Improvement Costs vs. Values for 2009 Home Improvement Costs vs. Values for 2008 2007 Home Improvement Values, Louisville KY vs. Nation Looking at this year compared to last, it appears that values are down across the board. That's the bad news. The good new

From time to time, people contact me with articles or concepts for stories that they think might appeal to my readers here at Louisville Homes Blog. Generally speaking, most are not truly useful. But recently I was contacted a gentleman who wrote 20 Common Ways to Spot If Your Contractor isn’t Complying with Building Codes. After reading his work, I thought this would be great for someone currently interviewing contractors. Here are his first five warning signs: 1. You are using a contractor who is unlicensed 2. Your contractor refuses to give you insurance policy or license numbers

Maybe it's because one of my clients is planning a big kitchen remodel. Maybe it's because I watch altogether way too much HGTV. Whatever the reason, I've been thinking about all the great options are available to you, if you're planning a Louisville home remodel. Great Ideas in Kitchen Appliances This attractive range vent rises with a touch of a button then recedes when you don't want it there. Some of newest ideas involve upgrading appliances to state-of-the-art versions of our daily kitchen workhorses. There are high-end ranges, refrigerators and more from companies like Jenn-A

Closets by Design is one of many home-focused businesses that are based in the newly, redesigned Westport Village. I had a chance to sit down and chat with Amelia Presler of Closets by Design to learn more about their products and how they might fit into today's Louisville home improvement environment. Question: Hi Amelia! Thanks for chatting with me today. To begin, tell me a little about your company. Answer: Well, Closets by Design offers national backing but our franchise is locally owned and our manufacturing facility is here so that we can offer the local support you need.

See how home improvement dollars are being spent on different parts of the home. (Click to enlarge.) The fine folks at Fixr have updated their Home Improvement graphic with new numbers. I believe it's interesting to see how the highs of 2007 have been dropping even as home sales have dropped at the same time. This says that most consumers aren't very optimistic about the direction of our economy. If you're a Louisville home owner, feel free to click on our Home Improvement category for all the posts related to improving your Louisville home.

This article was written by Jessica Schuler with J. Renee Designs with permission for LouisvilleHomesBlog.com to publish so that you can be better informed in all of your housing decisions here in Louisville, Kentucky. They are a full service Interior Design Firm that offers Interior Design, Re-Design, and Home Staging Services. There are many myths surrounding the interior design profession that we are always happy to debunk. One of those myths is that the average person cannot afford an interior designer. Here are the reasons why this isn't true and how a designer can actually save yo