pdxremodels.com

I have suspended my blogging on PDX remodels for now.  Just not enough hours in the day to keep it up-to-date.  If you want to see what I’m up to these days, head on over to my Real Estate site, PDX Mojo. 

You wouldn’t think that going $80,000 over on a remodeling project would pay off, but for a lucky Lake Oswego, Oregon couple it did.

Sarah Max, a writer for Money Magazine (a.k.a. CNN Money.com), did a piece last November on Erika and Greg Tansey, L.O. homeowners that learned the ins and outs of remodeling the hard way - by living it.  Sarah titled her article Remodeling School and outlines the four home remodeling lessons the Tansey’s learned:

1. The words “under” and “budget” do not coexist

2. You can get a better price

3. Don’t count on hosting New Year’s Eve dinner

4. Even Bob Vila has his limits

Go here to read the full article.

This is a great video clip showing what some forward thinkers in 1967 imagined what kitchens would be like in 1997. It’s funny how some things are similar to today and some things are still so… so … from the Jetsons. 

While this post doesn’t really focus on home remodeling, per se, it does have to do with some really cool homes. I tiny. In fact, the company’s name is Tumbleweed Tiny Houses and the owner, Jay Shafer, has not only designed these miniscule marvels, but also lives in a home that is about the size of most people’s bathrooms.  

For the do-it-yourself types out there, you can order a full set of plans for each model; however, you can also order some of the homes READY MADE and delivered to you.  How cool is that? The homes do need some sort of foundation, and Tumbleweed suggests one of six types :
1. Piers
2. Blocks
3. Slab
4. Skids
5. Trailer (smaller houses only)
6. Basement

When asked on his website if the homes are environmentally friendly, Jay responds with:

“Yes.  My original house (the 8′ x 12′ Front Gable, now called the Epu) won one of Natural Home Magazine’s Home of the Year Awards in 2000 for its sustainable design, and my subsequent structures have been no less green.  Small houses mean fewer emissions, less construction waste, less fuel consumption and more green space.“

So, okay, maybe you are not so gung-ho to live in something this small, BUT wouldn’t it make a great home office in your backyard? Or maybe a guest house or a cabin get-away? Most of the designs have sleeping lofts and offer many of the creature comforts on a smaller scale.

He also designs homes that can be built as portable spaces. I especially like the VARGO model (designed as a portable office) with its curved roof and old world flair. Imagine, an office you can take anywhere!

Below are links to the floorplans for the various models pictured here. (Run your mouse over the photos above to see the name of the model). There are also other models and plans on the website.

• Weebee floorplan
• Z.GlassHouse floorplan
• Vargo floorplan

So, you are thinking about new appliances for your home. Before you go out and buy, you might want to consider checking into the various rebates and incentives that are available. Chosing energy efficient models might prove a better way to go. Depending upon the appliance you buy (or the way you choose to power them), you may be able to stuff a few dollar bills back in your pocket. Read the rest of this entry »

It can be tough to choose the perfect approach when remodeling a home.  Do you focus on the here and now, making your home fit your tastes and current needs or do you consider a few years down the line and remodel for a broader audience? It can be tempting to make a home remodel truly unique, but in doing this you run the risk of making it so different that when you go to sell it will only appeal to a limited number of people. 

Wall Street Journal writer, Jeff Opdyke, recently wrote an article about this very dilemma. 

“You might love the kitschy look of a 1950s bathroom, with the small, multicolored, multishaped tiles on the floor and shower walls. But when most potential buyers look at that, they either cross your house off their list or mentally mark down the price by the thousands of dollars they’ll spend on tearing it out and putting in a new bathroom.

Your style is their disaster.”

What conclusions did Jeff draw about his own homeowner dilemma? Read the whole article here.

For a look at a few more exceptionally different homes (I can’t help but wonder who the next potential buyer would be), take a gander at HGTV’s television show What’s With That House? website or these photos of weird houses around the world.