A New Look in Levittown

Ever heard of Levittown, New York? For many, it’s just a hamlet located in Nassau County, somewhere between Hempstead and Farmingdale. In actuality, Levittown is, in many ways, considered a historic example of suburban planning; it is considered the first mass-produced suburb in America and is named after the father of the suburb, William Levitt. We were in this historic area recently, finishing up a massive home renovation. We completely revamped an attic and turned it into a living space, with shelves and a rather large closet. We also completely redid the stairs and living room, which got brand new walls and a paint job, as well as a brand new ceiling fan and light fixture.  We’re still finishing up some smaller projects in the home but we thought we’d give you a sneak peek at how we made this ordinary suburban home into something unique for our customers. Enjoy!

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Before & After: New Walls and New Fixtures in Westbury

Westbury, a village out in Nassau County, NY, is a hell of a nice place to work during the summer months. Sure, we were working on our customer’s bathroom for most of the time, but when you got to see the light of day, coming in or leaving for the day, it’s very nearly bucolic in its way. We were out there doing a complete renovation, complete with new fixtures (upgraded sinks and faucets) and totally redoing the bathtub; in fact, we replaced the entire tub with a fantastic new open shower area, a popular item as of late. Lots of tile work and a lot of time was spent on the design as well, but overall, I think we made the most of the space. Don’t you agree?

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Remodeling Advisor - Kitchen Remodel?

Are you serious about remodeling your kitchen? Remember a kitchen remodel is more than fresh paint. This is a project that requires a lot of consideration and planning.

The kitchen is the centre of almost all family activities. It is the only room where so much can occur such as meal preparation, dining, homework, socializing, playing table games and more. Since the kitchen has so many functions it is important to carefully review how kitchen remodeling can better facilitate all these activities.

Kitchen remodels are one of the most common updates done to all homes. Of course one reason for this is that the kitchen is so a hub of activity. Another reason is that statistics show that a kitchen remodel adds more value to a home than remodeling of any other room.

However don't wait until you are planning to sell your home to remodel the kitchen. Remodel your kitchen when it seems right to you. You will be adding value, but more importantly you will be able to enjoy the benefits of your new kitchen now.

If you always have your eye on the overall value and marketability of your home you should stick with a contemporary style for your remodel. If your own pleasure is more important than choose something that pleases you, perhaps a French country style kitchen. Maybe early American kitchen styles are your favourite.

Do not eliminate any particular style until you have done your homework. Having an open mind to various kitchen styles will help you successfully find a style for you and your family. Researching and planning a new kitchen can be half the fun.

Consider these points in your remodel: To function well, the refrigerator, the sink, and cook top each need to be surrounded with an adequate amount of floor and counter space. The refrigerator door needs a clear swing and, if possible, enough room for two people to reach in simultaneously. The doors of any cabinets around the fridge should not conflict with its door. And the refrigerator also needs an 18-inch run of counter as a staging area for foods going into or coming out of it.

Here some important considerations for your project. You must plan ahead. You should sketch up a plan and get some price ideas from your local super hardware store. Once you have these basic concepts and pricing ideas you can enlist an interior design professional to firm up your plans. While you can truly remodel your kitchen as a do it yourself, if you have never taken on a project this large, do consider professional help such as an interior designer. Having this experienced person review your sketches may help you to improve your ideas as well as save you money on your kitchen remodel.

These ideas should get your kitchen remodel off to a good start. After that it is up to you to follow through and make your remodel work!

The Benefits Of Home Improvement Projects

There are many reasons to consider a Home Improvement project instead of selling your house and buying another. A home improvement project can be a fantastic way to save money or just to personalize your home to suit you better. In today's economy, the ability to accomplish improvements, both small and large to your home, can be a great asset. If you are a handy person, this will be even easier for you. However, a novice can complete most projects.

What Kind of Projects Should You Attempt?

If the reason for your home improvement project is to increase the value of your home, the best places to start are in the kitchen and bathroom. These are two places that both prospective homebuyers and current homeowners tend to concentrate on. Luckily, for you, both of these rooms are relatively simple and while they can be expensive, they do necessarily need to be. Something as simple as resurfacing a countertop or changing a faucet in the kitchen or putting in a new sink or mirror in the bathroom can make an amazing change in almost no time at all.

Learning to Do Home Improvements

If you are a novice handyman, it’s easy enough to gain the skills needed to do the already mentioned improvements. A library is a great place to start your learning, there are some fantastic home improvement books with simple step-by-step directions and pictures to guide you every step of the way. Another way to learn what you need to know is to consult video sites online. There are experts and novices alike that can show and tell you all that is needed for just about any project that you want to complete. It is important to note, however, that it is a wise idea to watch several videos by several different people to get a good feel for whose example to follow.

Where to Buy Supplies

Now that you have decided on the perfect home improvement project and have researched just how to get it accomplished, it’s time to buy all of the needed supplies. This may present another issue. Where to buy the supplies? If you live in a town large enough, you can go to a large home improvement store for one stop shopping. However, in a small town, you may have to resort to a department store. They will generally have what you need, even if they don’t have as good of a selection. Sometimes it’s possible to find a discount store that specializes in scratch and dent product at a savings, allowing you to do more with your money.
 

Home Electrical Safety Tips You Should Know!

Your home is your castle and keeping it safe also keeps you and your family safe. Many people take electricity for granted and many don't stop to think just how dangerous it can be or how to avoid such dangerous situations in the home. There are some things you can do to help keep your home safe from these dangers. Following a few simple guidelines can greatly reduce your chances of experiencing any such hazards.

• Avoid the use of extension cords

There never seems to be enough power outlets in the home to accommodate all of the appliances and gadgets that needs power to operate. This is where many people grab the extension cords as a solution to this problem. A better way to attack this problem would be to purchase a good plug strip with a 2 to 3 foot cord that you can plug in to the wall outlet and gain several more power openings a little further down the wall. You get what you pay for with these items so please do not buy the cheapest one because that is exactly what you will get. Adding a wall outlet is the best way to approach this problem but that is not always the cheapest or the easiest fix.

• Install the proper wattage bulbs in your light fixtures

Most ceiling mounted light fixtures are rated for no more than 60 watt bulbs due to the heat that they produce. Fixtures that hang down and do not touch the ceiling are usually rated to carry higher wattage bulbs due to the bulbs being away from the ceiling. Many times people will blow a 60 watt bulb and then replace it with a 100 watt bulb. This is not a safe practice because the fixture can not dissipate the extra heat that the higher wattage bulbs produce and it can heat bake the sheetrock above the fixture and the house wires inside the electrical box. There should be a tag on the fixture stating the maximum wattage rating for that fixture.

• GFCI protected outlets

Ground fault circuit interrupters are receptacles that are designed for use around water or outdoors power requirements. Kitchens, bathrooms and any outside outlets should have GFCI protected outlets installed. These receptacles measure the amount of incoming and outgoing current and will trip out if there is a difference in the amount. This amount should be the same on what comes in on the hot side and leaves on the neutral. If not there is a ground fault and the receptacle will trip and shut down the power for safety purposes. If you do not have GFCI protected outlets installed in your home then you really should have this work done for the safety of everyone in the home.

• Proper sized fuses or circuit breakers

Most homes are wired with #12 awg wire that is rated for 20 amps and some have #14 awg wire which is rated for 15 amps on the lighting and branch circuits. Older homes have fuses instead of breakers. Fuses can be easily changed when one blows but many times are not replaced with the proper sized fuse for the size of wire that it feeds. This is a dangerous situation when they blow a 20 amp fuse then replace it with a 30 amp to keep it from blowing again. This puts a strain on the house wiring because the larger fuse allows the wire to carry more amps than it is legally rated to carry. If you have fuses in your home it is a good idea to this checked by a certified electrician to insure that the proper sized fuses or even circuit breakers are installed according to the size of the wire that it feeds.This would also be a good time to have the connections in the electrical panel checked and tightened to avoid any future problems.

• Check those drop cords for safety that you have hanging in the shop

Are your drop cords safe to use? Many times the ground prong on the extension cords will be missing or broken off and this can be an accident that is waiting to happen. That third round prong on your cord is the single most important part of your drop cord to keep you safe while using power tools and any type of equipment or appliances. You can purchase a replacement cord cap for the end of your cords and you really should do this if the ground prong is missing. Without the equipment ground intact the metal casing on a faulty power tool can become energized risking electrocution to the user. Check those cords for any other type of damage and replace them if needed.

• A few bonus tips of the day for you

Be sure and clean the lint screen on your clothes dryer after each use. Lint can build up inside the dryer and cause problems or even a fire if not properly cleaned and maintained.

Do you have fire extinguishers strategically mounted in your home? The kitchen and garage or shop area would be a perfect place to have one or more mounted for quick access.. Just remember that an accidental fire can happen quickly and a readily accessible fire extinguisher can help avoid a disaster.

Electrically powered 120 volt smoke detectors with battery back up are an essential part of a reliable early warning system for the safety of the entire family. If you do not have these installed in your home this is a small price to pay for the added security that they can provide.

A Big Fix-Up in the Five Boroughs

It’s been awhile since we here at Click and Improve been able to post about a big job. Part of this is simply the size of the job: renovating, remodeling and performing tasks in multiple parts of one house takes more time than a simple bathtub replacement or even putting up a brand new kitchen. The other part has largely to do with when and if the customer is comfortable sharing the work that has gone into their home. Thankfully, a Click and Improve client was so impressed with our work that she even helped out by taking some photos of the house on her own. For this space, we did bathroom remodeling in two areas of the house, put in a new staircase, a total kitchen remodel and various carpentry, electrical and plumbing work. Enjoy!

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Before & After: Bringing Out the Best in a Brooklyn Kitchen

We began a job out in Brooklyn earlier last month and it was a doozy. The kitchen in the house we went to was, to be kind, in poor shape; in reality, it was corroded and moldy. Kitchen supplies were caked with rust and food remnants; the wood from the cabinets was old and splintered, some of it rotting; most appliances were barely working, if they were working at all. A month or so later, and the place looks beautiful, and we won’t take any false modesty in this case. I would detail all the big and small things we did -- cabinets, appliances, countertops, backsplash etc. -- but it was an entire overhaul and I figured I might as well allow the results to speak for themselves.

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