Go Green!  Get Free 'Green Stuff’ from Uncle Sam.

As a primary homeowner a tax payer could receive up to a $500 tax credit for increasing the energy efficiency of their home.  If you use your tax return to purchase energy efficient doors, windows, HVAC equipment, water heaters, insulation and roofing materials you can get 10% of that money returned to you as a tax credit (up to the maximum $500) on next year’s return.  If you need some of these items anyway taking advantage of this tax credit just makes financial sense.

There are certain requirements and some paperwork to keep but it is money returning to you. If you do not take advantage of it this year you will miss out. This tax credit expires at the end of this year.  To put it another way, If you receive a tax return of $1000 this year and expect to get about the same back next year, you could spend this year’s return on a $1000 home improvement (materials costs only) and next year you'll receive $1100 back instead of the $1000 because of the tax credit. You would need to spend $5000 on these home improvement projects to max out at the $500 limit ($200 limit on windows only).

For windows and doors the requirement does not indicate it be used as a replacement for an existing unit.  It could be a new door or window installed in your home or an addition.

If you have the need for larger energy efficient items such as a geothermal heat pump, a solar electric system or a wind turbine the tax credit is up to 30% of the installed cost with no upper limit.  This tax credit program expires at the end of 2016. 

If utilizing this tax credit does not get you excited about saving a few hundred dollars on next year’s tax return consider the long term cost savings of the more efficient item you installed in your home.  An example; If you spent $1000 on another layer of insulation in your attic based on need you could save up to an average of $40 per month in related energy costs.  That’s $480 saved each year!  With energy costs on the rise each year the savings will continue each and every month.

Not all windows, doors and HVAC purchases qualify for the tax credit. They must be Energy Star rated to qualify so be sure the vendor of choice knows this to be compliant.  Consult a tax professional or go to energystar.gov for more detailed information. You can call Mr. Handyman at 402-502-5212 for more information and installation.

Selling Your Home This Summer?

Or are you planning to sell your home in the next few years?

The 2013 selling season is approaching; Start planning now to get the best offer on your home.

Let’s face it: It hasn’t been a seller’s market the past few years. For those looking to sell their homes, they’ll need to pull out all the stops, and it starts with simple home improvements.  Here are a few tips to help you get a handle on it.

1.    Patching unsightly nail holes, loose tape seams and chipped corners is an easy way to make walls look fresh and new. 

2.    Painting the walls a warm or neutral color will appeal to the widest audience of buyers. A fresh coat of paint will make the house look and smell clean and new.

3.    Replace dinged, scratched and chipped baseboards and trim. They stand out to the increasingly picky consumer.

4.    If you have carpet or vinyl in a typical wet area like entryway or bathroom replace it with tile.  Tile doesn’t hold dirt like carpet, is cool in the summer and is impervious should the kids or pets track water and dirt in. Tile floors that are lighter in color with a darker grout are most popular right now. It’s a great upgrade that will pay off at the sale.

5.    Different lighting options can influence the mood of any room.  A few new light fixtures throughout the house would be an inexpensive upgrade.   

6.    Updating kitchens and bathrooms pay off in the long run but not in the short term.  If they need upgraded to compete with other homes in your price range, do it.  Before making major renovations, keep in mind that minor upgrades can go a long way. An easy and inexpensive way to breathe new life into a bathroom or kitchen is to replace old light fixtures, faucets and hardware with modern alternatives. A thorough cleaning, re-grouting and new caulking will help a tub or shower look fresh and clean.

7.    Improve the curb appeal. The outside of your home can make a strong first impression, and a well-maintained yard with eye-catching plants and landscaping adds elegance. Consider power washing the siding and deck, while adding a fresh coat of paint to entry doors and trim.

8.    The number one thing home owners can do to ensure their home sells quickly is to keep up on the maintenance. Buyers do not want to purchase a home and spend money to accomplish numerous years’ worth of neglected maintenance.  Caulking around windows and doors, rotted siding and trim, cracked sidewalks and driveways all point to missed maintenance.

 

If you do not have the time or experience to accomplish the upgrades or to keep up on the maintenance please call Mr. Handyman at 402-502-5212.  We have the professionals that can take care of everything on your to-do-list.

Kitchen Remodel in Your Thoughts?

Kitchen Remodeling Basics

The new year brings with it a new to-do list for your home. Is a kitchen remodel on it for 2013? If so, then ask yourself the following questions when putting together your plan.

#1.    What is my goal?
Do you want to completely replace the cabinets, countertops and flooring, or do you simply want to give it a surface makeover? The difference between these two goals will be thousands of dollars.

If you plan to completely remodel the kitchen, make a list of everything you want to do. Do you plan to replace cabinets and countertops? Is a new floor in the plan? Will new appliances go where the older ones sit now or elsewhere in the room? Do you want to add windows or doors, install new lighting, knock-down walls?

If you simply desire a surface makeover, then refinishing cabinets instead of replacing them, and updating hardware, will get the job done in that area. A new countertop and sink can be added to the refinished cabinets.  New appliances can still be on the want list, but you will need to keep them where the current connections exist. The cost of moving water and gas lines can add thousands to the cost of the project.

#2    What is my budget?
There are two ways of putting together a budget for a kitchen remodel. You can either take your list of wants and go window/internet-shopping for ideas, then add up the costs, only making compromises once you see the expense of your desires.

Or you can set a fixed dollar amount and shop only within your means. Frankly, this option proves the best way to not overspend on a kitchen remodel, as you won’t even see the super-expensive appliances, granite or custom cabinets, and be tempted to go above and beyond what you can realistically afford.

With either approach, you should always keep resale value in mind. In the right market location, you can recoup up to 90 percent of the cost of a kitchen remodel during resale. You also should consider resale when making your design choices. If you plan to move in the next five years or so, you might want to stick with finishes and floors that suit a wider homebuyer base, as opposed to creating a quirky kitchen only your family will love. Potential homebuyers will factor in their own kitchen remodeling costs when making an offer on a house that does not meet their own tastes.

Consider all of these factors before speaking with a contractor or professional handyman about the project.  They will need to know your projected budget and desires before they can give you an idea of the costs.  Remember, now is the time to get exactly what you want in your kitchen so stretching your budget now will pay in your overall satisfaction through the years.

Most people focus strictly on their tastes and wants when thinking of changes to the kitchen.  Putting a dollar figure as a budget will help shape the overall method to acheiving that goal without breaking the bank.

Mr. Handyman does more than small jobs around your home.  Each year we complete many bathroom and kitchen remodels for our satisfied customers.  Please consider Mr. Handyman for your larger projects too.  Mr. Handyman can be reached at 402-502-5212.

Baby Proof Your Home

I have a Baby on the Way. How Can I Baby Proof my Home?

So you have a baby on the way, congratulations! The first step in baby proofing your home is to look at the environment from the point of view your baby will have once it starts crawling. By crawling around your home on your hands and knees, you can see the world from a baby’s-eye view, which will present dangers you hadn’t seen before. As your child starts to walk, you of course will need to reevaluate your child proofing measures.

Tips for Baby Proofing your Home

Key things to look for:

• What’s within the baby’s reach? Are there small objects on or close to the floor that the baby could choke on? Place unsafe objects higher up or put them away for a period of time.
• Are the sharp edges on furniture such as coffee tables or end tables covered up?
• Do you have large, top heavy furniture? As babys start to crawl they begin pulling themselves up on furniture. Making sure dresser and cabinet drawers stay shut and bolting certain pieces of furniture to the wall can ensure the safety of your baby.

Home repairs to prepare for your baby:

• Place outlet covers on electrical outlets.
• Install safety gates in doorways of unsafe rooms and stairwells. Remember to buy safety gates that bolt to the wall for use at the top of stairs. They are much more secure than pressure gates.
• Prevent pinched fingers by using doorstops and door holders on doors and their hinges.
• Install windows that are double hung and can be opened from the top.
• Check existing smoke detectors and install a fire extinguisher, especially in the kitchen.
• Install childproof locks on all lower cabinets and drawers.

Mr. Handyman can help make your home a safer place for your entire family, while helping you to prepare for your newest arrival! Whether it’s painting the nursery or assembling a new crib, we will have the job completed on time and done right, so you can feel prepared for your family’s new addition. We provide both minor and major home repairs you can depend on to be correct when we walk out the door. Don't trust the process of baby proofing your home to just anyone, request services from America's most trusted handyman.  Call today 402-502-5212.

Cleaning Secrets!

            Wipe Rain X on shower doors and tile to keep soap scum from sticking.

 

Armor All will clean hard water deposits off of plastic items like dish drainers and room humidifiers.

Use a moistened dishwashing glove to wipe over furniture to remove pet hair and then rinse the glove to remove.

If you have a hard time keeping focused on cleaning - set your oven timer for 30 minutes and clean straight until it goes off and see how much you get done.

A used dryer sheet works great to dust black or espresso colored furniture – it helps repel dust for a longer period of time.

The product Bar Keeper’s Friend will clean porcelain kitchen sinks as well as remove the scratches off of your white dishes.

Clean your bathtub using a mixture of one part vinegar and one part dish soap.  Spray on your bathtub and leave it for one hour … rinse and wipe clean.  Your tub will sparkle and shine without scrubbing.

If you have problems with fruit flies use a small glass bowl, ½ a cup of wine and a couple of small pieces of fruit, cover with plastic wrap. Poke a couple of holes in the plastic wrap and leave the bowl out for a couple of days… fruit flies will be caught and your problem solved.

Danish oil finish can be used to cover scratches on most furniture and wood trim. It comes in different colors so you can match the color of the wood. It is as simple as wipe on and wipe off.

 

Prepare in Times of Disaster

The hurricane and storm on the east coast offers us in the midwest no comfort except thankfulness that it did not happen here. It does remind us what we could experience here in the form of natural disasters, flooding, tornadoes and blizzards. Preparing for an evacuation should be done prior to the emergency so when it comes the family can continue to thrive after the emergency.

Ready in 10 Minutes Kit.

If a disaster was eminent, such as flooding, a chemical leak or a tornado bearing down on your community and you only had 10 minutes to evacuate, what would you do? It is vitally important to have a plan and an evacuation kit that is ready to go at any moment.
Ready in 10 evacuation plan must include a way to instantly locate and safeguard the vital information, documents and keepsakes that you’ll need to have access to after the emergency has passed. To start the plan you need to know:

• Who will be going with you, of course your immediate family and pets but others may be considered.
• Where you will go for the different disasters that may take place
• Where you will stay for both short term and long term stays. It may be a while before you can return or you may not have a home to return to.
• How will each of you get there?

The ready in 10 plan should also include a checklist of vital items to escape with:

• Medical records and medications for each person
• Insurance and deed information
• Wallet, purse, cell phone, chargers, keys, contact information for others
• Vital information documents, birth certificates, marriage license etc.
• Toiletries and a change of clothes for a couple of days
• Food and water necessities for the trip out
• Battery powered radio, flashlight.
• Keepsakes or treasured items
• Financial documents

A person or family can never fully prepare for a disaster but being able to pick up their lives after the emergency is the second most important task behind surviving it in the first place. Taking time to prepare your evacuation plan prior to any emergency situation may save your life and make it much easier as a survivor.

Fall Maintenance Tasks

Fall Maintenance tasks

October is usually the start of chilly weather and it appears to be 3 weeks early. Here are some general maintenance tasks that should be accomplished in and around the home this month.

Clean and maintain major appliances
Clean the drip pans of your electric stove, clean behind the stove, dishwasher and washer & dryer. Pull out the refrigerator and clean the coils and drip pan underneath. Wipe down the furnace, water heater and water softener. Clean around the dishwasher strainer and look for debris in the washing arm (spins and squirts water during the wash/rinse cycle)

Keep gutters clean from leaves & debris Once the leaves fall, keep the gutters clean. Water damage is very costly and can make your home very uncomfortable with mold and mildew, not to mention repair headaches. Some folks prefer to use a powered blower to blast debris out of the gutters.

Clean your garbage disposal
Clean and deodorize your in-sink garbage disposal by packing it with ice cubes and 1/2 cup of baking soda; then turn it on. After the grinding noise stops, pour a kettle full of boiling water into the sink.

Change furnace filter
Some furnace filters are washable. Have two on hand. One in use, one cleaned and ready to install. Remove the dirty one and install the clean one. Wash and dry the dirty one for use next month.

Check operation of your sump-pump
Take the top off the sump and remove any debris that may have collected in there. Pour at least 5 gallons of water into the sump, slowly, to ensure pump is operational. Some people like to run a hose into the sump area, turn the water on to a slow rate and allow the pump to operate for about 1/2 an hour or so. Do not leave it unattended though.

Touch-up woodwork Use "Old English Scratch Remover" or matching stain to cover dents and scratches on your woodwork. Keeping up on this task at least once a year will help preserve a well maintained look to the inside of your home. It only takes a few minutes in each room to accomplish.

Turn on your Whole-House humidifier Many homes are blessed with a whole-house humidifier. If you are lucky enough to have one you should turn on the water supply and usually a manual switch near the humidifier. It is usually at the furnace. Change the water pad (filter-looking device) when there are a lot of white crusty mineral deposits on it.
If you do not have a whole-house humidifier you can hang a large towel or sheet in the shower and keep it wet. The water will evaporate and get into the air. Change out the towel or sheet often (maybe once per week) and make sure it does not get moldy.

Cover outside hose bibs (water spigots) Most new homes have the freeze-proof spigots but they can still freeze if the hose is not removed for the wintertime. This time of year ALWAYS remove the hose after each use. If you do not know if your spigots are freeze proof it won’t hurt to cover them. The foam covers only cost a few dollars to purchase and a few minutes to install. Installing one could save you thousands in repair costs and insurance claims.