Because a garage door can occupy almost 30 percent of a home’s front exterior, more homeowners are paying attention to that large, square attached or next to their home.

Many garages are getting an update, for both design and energy-efficiency purposes. And homeowners are finding that once a garage is more energy-efficient, there are unexpected ways they can better utilize some of that extra space.

In terms of design, the carriage-door has made a comeback, with versions now available in less-expensive, low-maintenance materials such as steel. These doors feature wood-grain composite overlays or embossed patterns to heighten the carriage-house look. Steel doors are a popular choice because they are much easier to maintain than wood, and resist fading and rot due to the elements.

Classic raised panel steel or wood doors are also popular, with updating provided by decorative windows. For the most contemporary of home-styles, aluminum and even glass doors are available.

Energy-efficiency is an important consideration for homeowners, and energy tax credits may be available if you install a better-insulated garage door. (Tax credits reduce tax dollar-for-dollar). To be eligible for the tax credit, the purchased garage door must meet the following criteria:

The door must be an insulated residential garage door, installed on an insulated garage.

The door must have a U-factor (how well a material prevents heat-loss) equal to or less than 0.30, even if the door contains glazing.

If the door contains windows (glazing), the door must offer a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (measures how well a product blocks heat from the sun and is abbreviated SHGC) equal to or less than 0.30.

The door perimeter must have a means to control air infiltration.

The door must be expected to remain in service for at least five years and be a part of the taxpayer’s principal U.S. residence.

The homeowner’s tax credit is based on the total material cost of the purchase. The maximum credit is $1500

When looking to upgrade a garage door, one of the primary factors is R-value (ability to prevent heat loss). The higher the R-value, the higher the insulation, resulting in the most energy savings. A garage door insulated with polyurethane foam is considered one of the best choices, because it bonds to the door’s metal skin. The bonding insures the metal skin won’t separate from the insulation, resulting in air leakage.

Upon installation of a better garage door, some homeowners see the space contained within their garage in a different light. Some families choose to equip a garage with extra electrical outlets and phone jacks. In addition to traditional uses of a garage – storing cars and sports equipment – some garages are sporting a hobby area, a fitness room, a home office, laundry room, extra kitchen storage or walk-in closet. Other homeowners are thinking ahead and adding entry-ways that are wheel-chair accessible.

For more information go to our website: http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com/

There are a few different methods for removing outdoor paint. Depending on the overall project, you’ll either want to remove all of the old paint or remove enough of it to allow a new coat of paint to adhere without the risk of chipping.

If the painted surface is wood:
When refinishing a wooden deck or fence, the best method for removing old paint is to use a power sander. A sander will take off the top layer of the wood, however be careful not to overdo it. Because the project is outdoors, ventilation is not a problem, but you should still wear a breathing mask.

If the painted surface is concrete or brick:
Concrete and brick are porous surfaces and getting paint out of all the cracks and crevices is no easy task. The best way to tackle the job is to use a steam pressure washer. This type of pressure washer uses steam which essentially melts the paint, allowing it to be washed away by the pressurized washer.

If the painted surface is metal:
It can be very difficult to remove paint from a metal surface, especially if you want to preserve the original look and quality of the metal. If scratching the surface is not a concern, then sandblasting will probably work best. If you are concerned about scratching the surface, a chemical paint stripper is ideal, but be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions regarding proper handling and use.

For more information please go to our website: http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com/

Do you have high moisture in your crawl space? In North Carolina it is considered high moisture if the moisture content of the floor joists or subfloor is 20% or greater. This is considererd condusive conditions for termites and for fungus. There are multiple causes and multiple fixes for high moisture in the crawl. Some are simple and some are complex. The fixes are sometimes inexpensive to very costly. Every house is different. Today I want to talk about one of the simplest reasons for high moisture which also has a very simple and inexpensive fix. This is disconnected dryer vents. I would say about 1 in 8 house in my market, (Charlotte NC, Concord NC, Lake Norman NC, Fort Mill SC) has a diconnected dryer vent. This lets that warm moist air flow freely into your crawl. Fungus and termites love the condition this causes. Have you checked to see if your dryer vent is diconnected lately?

This waiting period seems a good opportunity to improve the value of the existing home by decorating and renovating. There are still safe lenders out there who will lend you a little cash based on the equity that has mounted up in your home. Your original lender is the best place to start. They have proved reliable, and they will have to be involved in any other loan, as they probably hold the deeds of your property. Some home improvements are ‘worth more’ on the housing market than others, one of the first questions you must ask is if you are actually trying to improve the property for yourself, or for the re-sale value.

It seems that renovating has been popular this year. The Remodelers Chairman of the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB), Mike Nagel, views the amount of renovations happening as a positive sign for realty. “Though down a bit from the previous quarter, the remodeling market is not experiencing the dip in production and sales being seen by the new home building sector of the industry.”

Also, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, spending on residential remodeling and home repairs has climbed steadily, setting a new record this year.

If you are undecided about which improvements to actually splash out on, you will be interested to know that there is some sound advice written about this.

There have been surveys carried out to see which type of renovation will add value to which type of house (houses fall into lower, middle or higher price bracket).

For instance, if you are in the lower bracket of your area, then a fireplace or new flooring come in at 6th or 7th, whereas remodeled windows and a new paint job are tied at 4th and 5th. The top three are bathroom renovation, kitchen renovation and new roof, in that order.

It only gets interesting when you see that for instance, windows are placed third most important in the middle and upper price groups, which seems more logical. Kitchen is first in both those price ranges, but in the middle price range a renovated bathroom is second on the list, and a roof is fourth.

If your house is in the highest bracket, then the roof is number two priority with a bathroom only listed at fourth, flooring comes in fifth.

Some of these results were quite surprising, but they are based on genuine calculations. In all groups, kitchen, bathroom and roof were in the top four, albeit in a different order.

Perhaps the bad news is that if you were planning a cozy fireplace, it may not be quite the buyer-trap that you thought it was – although it would be for me!