When it’s time to sell your home, which upgrade will bring a bigger return on your remodeling investment: Granite or Corian counters? A bigger master bath or a walk-in closet? Tile or wood floors? New windows or a new roof? A patio or a deck? Will the remodel you are considering now add a lot…
While showing off her new kitchen/dining room addition one evening, Lily Richards explained to me why she and her husband, Arnie, never considered hiring a contractor to oversee the project. “We’re kind of conservative financially. . . ,” Lily began. “We’re cheap,” Arnie broke in. And, he added, “We’re too egocentric.” What’s more, the couple…
So how did Richard Gomez manage to build an architect-designed home in Long Beach for less than $300,000, including the land? Here’s what made it possible: 1. Richard bought the lot in 2001 for $30,000. Why so cheap? The lot is tiny, at 45 feet by 50 feet, and it had some "issues" that had…
Question from reader Al in Hollywood: We have a 1950s bungalow-style house (two bedrooms and two bathrooms) with a very small “master suite” with a small bedroom (180 square feet) adjoined by a very small bathroom (50 square feet with a stall shower, sink and toilet). We only use this bedroom as a guest bedroom…
You know why this kitchen in Dani Taylor’s Northridge house is so good-looking? That’s because she had so many years to think about it while other projects took priority. First, Dani and her husband added on a family room for their blended family. Then, when the family grew bigger, a new master suite seemed more…
(Excerpt from Ask a Renovation Lender, with John Sway, Wells Fargo Mortgage) QUESTION: We are looking to buy a house that is in foreclosure. The asking price is $550,000 and the house and guest house are in such a state of disrepair (mold, water damage, botched/unsafe remodeling, etc.) that we believe we’d have to tear…
<p><a href=”http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/10/dollars.jpg” onclick=”window.open(this.href, ‘_blank’, ‘width=284,height=423,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0′); return false”><img alt=”Dollars” title=”Dollars” src=”http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/images/2007/06/10/dollars.jpg” width=”100″ height=”148″ border=”0″ style=”float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px;” /></a><em>(Excerpt from <a href=”http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/2007/06/coming_monday_a.html#comments”>Ask a Renovation Lender</a>, with <a href=”mailto:john.sway@wellsfargo.com”>John Sway</a>, Wells Fargo Mortgage)</em></p> <p><strong>QUESTION</strong>: We are looking to buy a house that is in foreclosure. The asking price is $550,000 and the house and…
Forget the granite or tile conundrum. The big remodeling question is this: “Where do you get the money?” Here are some of the remodel finance strategies I’ve seen over the years: — Sale of stocks — Cash inheritance from family — Cash-out refinance — Sale of elderly parent’s home to pay for remodel, which included…
Appliances, fixtures: $8,900 Travertine floor: $1,700 Granite counter tops: $3,300 Electrical: $900 Replace window: $300 Painting, misc. hardware: $900 Total: $16,000 When Reese Lackey remodeled the kitchen in his 1927 Hollywood Hills house, he wasn’t worried about his tastes as he planned to flip the newly purchased house for a profit. His main goal was…
. . . that wouldn’t fit in the previous post. The reddish granite has a nice glow, and you can see the DCS range. That one lone upper cabinet could look goofy hanging there all by itself, but taking off the door and making it more of a display area was very effective. If the…