Clean your gutters. After a long winter, dirt and debris will gather in the gutters. Clean them out and ensure that they are still in good repair. Direct the downspouts away from your foundation. If the ground closest to the house along the foundation puddles water from the downspout, add extenders to direct the water further away from the house so that the water doesn’t cause damage.

Inspect your roof. If you can’t remember the last time you had a roof inspection, it’s probably time to call in a professional to take care of any repairs. Check for loose shingles or damage, and have them fixed before leaks happen. If you had issues with roof dams or heavy snow accumulation on the roof during winter, you might see damage to the lowest few feet of your roof. Ice and water can seep under the flashing, wreaking havoc on insulation and the roof deck below.

Check your foundation, basement and crawlspace. Before those spring rains hit, check the foundation around your house for cracks or imperfections. Seal them or call in a contractor if necessary to keep water from seeping into your house. The same goes for walls and floors of your basement and crawlspace. Check for any signs of moisture and seal as necessary. Also, keep a close eye on the sump pump. Ensure that it’s working properly and get a battery backup just in case.

Maintain your A/C. Call a qualified HVAC contractor to give your air-conditioning system a once over. Doing so each year will help ensure that the system is running at peak performance and help to lower your energy bills. Be sure that the inspector looks at the system’s condensate drain hose where sediment can build up. Use a wet-vac to suction out any blockage.

Fix the deck. If you have a wood deck, now’s the time to inspect the surface for warping, loose boards and popped nails that could cause damage to treading feet. If you have stains or discolorations, you should reseal the deck so that it is protected against heavy spring and summer rains.

Clean the water heater. The average lifespan of a water heater is eight to 12 years. If yours is more than five years old, you should check around the base for any leakage or rust. If you find some, replace the heater. For areas with hard water, you may be required to drain the water heater to eliminate sediment that builds up in the tank.

Though it is true that newly remodeled kitchens and bathrooms, deck additions and other improvements can add to the value of your home, look closely at the true return on investment before you leap into the project.

These home improvements might pay for themselves

Each year, Remodeling Magazine compares the average cost of the most popular home improvement projects and compares them with the average value the project adds at resale time. If you are thinking about putting your home on the market in the next few years, these home improvement projects could offer the biggest bang for your buck.

1. Minor kitchen remodel

The kitchen is often what sells the home, so it pays to make it as welcoming as possible. A minor kitchen remodel can offer an average return on investment of 72.1 percent. The recoup can be even greater when you turn to money-savers like cabinet refacing and vinyl tile flooring. Think a more expensive remodel is better? Think again. The 2011 average return on investment for a major kitchen remodel was 57.4 percent–much less than you might make back by taking the cheaper route.

2. Siding replacement

At a 78 percent return on investment, adding fiber cement siding is definitely a good idea for a home improvement project. Vinyl siding can also be a good option, giving you back 69.5 percent of what you put into it.

3. Entry door replacement

The front door makes a first impression and provides security for your family. Opting for a steel entry door can provide beauty and safety while giving you a nice 73 percent return on investment. With an average cost of $1,238 per project, it is also one of the most affordable improvements you can make.

4. Creating an attic bedroom

The more bedrooms you have in your home, the more potential home-buyers you will attract. Adding an attic bedroom can give you a 72.5 percent average return on investment. In some cases, since the bones of the room are already in place, an attic bedroom can be substantially cheaper than a new construction addition.

Other upgrades to consider

There are many other common home improvement projects that can bring you a boost when it’s time for resale. Other good options include vinyl replacement windows and the addition of a wooden deck. Replacing your garage door with a new one is one of the most affordable projects at an average cost of $1,512, and it is also one of the nicest returns, giving you back an average of 71.9 percent on investment.

Doing your research pays off

Before you choose to sink money into a remodel, look into what the latest trends are and what potential home-buyers in your area are looking for, then plan your improvements accordingly. If the goal is to enjoy the improvements for a few years and then sell the house for a tidy profit, these four projects can help you make that plan a reality.

Thanks to Shannon Dauphin at Build Direct

Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies notes that homeowners are redirecting their remodeling dollars away from kitchen and bath remodels, room additions, and interiors. But pros in some areas are still doing a brisk business in two-story additions, often to enlarge a kitchen, add a home office, or build a tricked-out master suite that’s separate from the rest of the family’s bedrooms.

That project is among the most expensive of remodeling undertakings, so contractors are taking care to add value to the home as they add space. Here are 16 tips from pros who are successfully building up and out:

–Use the existing house as inspiration for the addition. Installing a different style of siding, roofing, and windows on the addition will make it obvious that the new rooms were not built as part of the original house.

–Duplicate architectural elements from the main house in both the interior and exterior of the addition—on both floors—to create a sense of unity between old and new. In a home with a bay window and window seat in the existing living room, Ward designed a similar area in the new family room.

–Mismatched windows are a telltale sign that part of the house has been added on. Choose windows in the same style and material—or at least a lookalike material—as the ones on the original structure. Keep the sill lines even on both structures.

–Blend the new flooring with the old. Ward notes that the rich-but-worn look of old hardwood floors is hard to replicate with brand-new material.

–You can also make an addition “match” the rest of the house by remodeling parts of the existing structure so it includes some of the addition’s modern touches. One builder did this to a brick home whose owner wanted board-and-batten shake siding on the two-story addition. He re-sided a pair of dormers on the opposite end of the house, too, so the facade looks balanced and the addition appears to be part of the original structure.

–Likewise, try to replicate the addition’s up-to-date structural, safety, and energy-efficiency improvements in the older part by suggesting that the homeowner bring the whole house—and not just the addition, as required—up to code.

–Incorporate modern materials that look authentic and match the main house but that are engineered to last longer, hold up better to harsh weather, and require less maintenance. Builders are installing high-end, solid-core fiberglass doors and textured fiber-cement siding that looks as much like wood as the years-old material on the rest of the home.

–Convince your clients to upgrade the HVAC. An air-conditioning unit that’s properly sized for the original structure will not perform well if you add more than about 30 square feet to the house. Most clients resist replacing their existing units because of the cost, but that their homes are usually uncomfortably humid later if they don’t—especially if the two-story addition includes an unconditioned garage under new living quarters.

-Consider the “flow” of the house. This is a very big deal. A lot of effort is put into making sure [the layout of the house] still makes sense, once it has an addition, so you don’t have to go to the middle of the living room to get to the new kitchen. Sometimes that means reallocating the space in rooms besides the ones you’re adding on.

–Step the addition forward or back a few feet from the original part to avoid turning the building into a big rectangle. This makes for a profile that’s interesting to look at, rather than one gigantic box. Likewise, making the addition’s roof line a bit lower than the roof on the main house can make it easier to flash.

–Still, the trusses between floors should line up precisely. Otherwise, the floors and ceilings of the addition won’t even out with those of the original structure.

–Plan for a large staircase. If you’re lucky, the home’s existing staircase is located close enough to the two-story addition that a new one isn’t needed. If a new staircase is needed, however, it’s likely to take up more space than you might want to.

–Remove existing walls to create larger rooms. Addition can do more than add rooms; they can transform the small, separate kitchen, dining room, and living room into a single, spacious, open area for cooking, socializing, and watching TV. Vaulted ceilings are popular for additions for the same reason.

–Consider alternative framing members for large spans on two-story additions. Lightweight steel beams are thinner than I-joists or engineered LDL beams and have saved him from exceeding height restrictions. Using thicker framing members can create problems with head clearance at the top of staircases, due to the thicker product raises the elevation of the floor.

–If the addition leaves the backyard too small for a good-size deck, build the deck on the side of the house instead. The majority of people that do additions end up adding a sundeck.

–Educate the homeowner about zoning restrictions. Many clients ask for additions that are larger than local laws allow because they are unaware of regulations restricting them from building too close to the property line or covering too high a percentage of the lot. Some communities have height restrictions for multiple-story additions as well.

—Thanks to Sharon O’Malley of Building Products magazine

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index showed Tuesday that prices increased in August from July in 10 of the 20 cities tracked. That marked the fifth straight month that at least half of the cities in the survey showed monthly gains.

The biggest price increases were in Washington, Chicago and Detroit. The greatest declines were in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

The August data provides a “modest glimmer of hope” that some areas may have bottomed out and could be turning around, said David M. Blitzer, chairman of S&P’s index committee. He noted that cities in the Midwest — Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis — have shown some strength since May.

Still, Robert Shiller, the co-founder of the index and a Yale economics professor, said in an interview on CNBC that overall home prices were “flat” and a recovery in the struggling housing market was not on the horizon.

Over the past 12 months, prices have fallen in all but two cities. Detroit and Washington were the only two cities to show year-over-year gains.

The index, which covers half of all U.S. homes, measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a three-month moving average. The August data are the latest available.

“We certainly believe the bulk of the decline in housing is behind us and indeed, one might even say that ‘housing’ is more likely to improve from here,” said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist for BTIG. “But given the overwhelming level of inventory that remains on the market … further price declines seem almost assured to help clear the market.”

Prices are certain to fall again once banks resume millions of foreclosures that have been delayed because of a yearlong government investigation into mortgage lending practices.

Those homes at risk of foreclosure promise “to keep pressure on prices for some time,” said Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR Inc.

Home prices have stabilized in coastal cities over the past six months, helped by a rush of spring buyers and investors. But this year, home prices in many cities, including Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tampa, have reached their lowest points since the housing bust more than four years ago.

Many people are reluctant to purchase a home more than two years after the recession officially ended. Even the lowest mortgage rates in history haven’t been enough to lift sales.

Some can’t qualify for loans or meet higher down payment requirements. Many with good credit and stable jobs are holding off because they fear that home prices will keep falling.

Sales of previously occupied home sales are on pace to match last year’s dismal figures — the worst in 13 years. Sales of new homes fell to a six-month low in August and this year could be the worst since the government began keeping records a half century ago.

Foreclosures and short sales — when a lender accepts less for a home than what is owed on a mortgage — makes up about 30 percent of all home sales last month, up from about 10 percent in past years. The large number of unsold homes and foreclosures are sending prices lower and hurting sales.

By Associated Press

The inventory of new homes for sale recorded another all-time record low (records go back to 1963) at 166,000 homes or a 6.2 months’ supply. The May low breaks the record low established in April, which broke the record in March, which was the lowest since April 1967. The number of new homes for sale that are completed and ready to occupy is at an even lower level of 64,000 or an average of 2 new homes per county.

Median new home prices dropped 3.4% from May 2010 as the share of homes sold over $300,000 continued to fall, which is a likely effect from a larger share of first time home buyers and fewer repeat buyers in the market.

The second half of 2011 new home sales rate should improve slowly as the economy improves, employment grows and prospective home buyers regain confidence in their economic and employment future.

Time savings continues to be a huge trend, so speed cooking functions are in high demand. Likewise, technology that simplifies cooking – from “smart” ovens to induction cooktops – are hot, with the caveat that the technology must be easy to use. At the same time, cooking appliances that offer the ability to create gourmet meals are also in demand as entertaining at home remains a popular trend.

Below are some of the hottest trends in cooking appliances today:

• Technology that enables homeowners to do more with less time, work and clean up is extremely popular right now. That means there’s a growing demand for everything from pre-programmed ovens that simplify cooking to cooktops with easy-clean surfaces.
• For those with a passion for gourmet cooking, commercial style cooking equipment is still hot, with consumers looking for duel fuel ranges and cooking appliances that give them greater control (i.e. going from super high BTUs to ultra low simmer capabilities). From a design standpoint, options run the gamut from the ever-popular stainless steel to warmer, stylish hues to bold primary colors.
• Design flexibility is a key trend in kitchen design today, creating a growing interest in multifunctional products and cooking appliances that offer placement flexibility, such as drawer microwaves, double oven ranges, etc.
• Consumers are more price conscious than in years past, so cooking appliances need to offer real value at every price point.
• Healthy cooking continues to be a hot trend, driving interest in steam ovens and cooktops that offer a healthy grilling option.
• With fewer consumers ready to jump into a full-scale kitchen expansion, there’s a growing interest in maximizing outdoor kitchen spaces, with upscale grills that include a host of bells and whistles.

Thanks to Kitchen & Bath Design News

The BuildFax Remodeling Index for April 2011 shows that remodeling activity for the month was higher than any April since BuildFax started tracking the market in 2004.

The latest BFRI index indicates that residential remodeling activity registered the eighteenth-straight month of year-over-year gains, demonstrating that many Americans are continuing to remodel their current homes, rather than purchasing new homes.

The BFRI is the only source directly reporting residential remodeling activity across the nation with monthly information derived through related building permit activity filed with local building departments across the country.

The April 2011 index rose 15 percent year-over-year—and for the eighteenth straight month—in April to 109.7, the highest April number in the index to date.

That follows year-over-year gains of 17 percent in March, 20 percent in February and 22 percent in January.

“April traditionally sets a baseline for the rest of the year in residential remodeling activity, and April 2011 is the best we’ve seen since the beginning of the index in April 2004,” said Joe Emison, vice president of research and development at BuildFax.  “The BFRI is indexed to start at 100 in April 2004 and here we are seven years later, after significant drops in housing value, and the index is almost 110. That means there were almost 10 percent more residential remodels in April 2011 than in April 2004. Given the relatively pessimistic economic news that we heard about April, including a slowing recovery, this is a nice surprise for the industry.”

In April, all regions posted month-over-month gains, and only the Midwest posted a year-over-year loss. The West was up 16.8 points (18 percent) year-over-year and up 5.3 points (5 percent) month-over-month.  The Midwest was down 16.9 points (19 percent) year-over-year and up 10.7 points (17 percent) month-over-month, recovering slightly from a lower-than-average March. The Northeast was up 3.2 points (5 percent) year-over-year and 9.1 points (14 percent) month-over-month, and the South was up 9.6 points (11 percent) year-over-year and 10 points (12 percent) month-over-month.

Surface prep: It’s very important to get all the grease, grime and dirt build-up off the surfaces before painting. Use a strong cleanser and a scrub brush and go over the surfaces well. If you don’t, the new paint can’t grab on.

De-glossing: A glossy surface doesn’t allow the paint to properly adhere. A light sanding will help give the new paint something to hold on to. If your house was built before 1978 and it hasn’t been painted in a while, please consult a professional. Many paints pre-1978 contain lead and sanding can release dust into the air.

Painting: There are two types of paint: latex and oil base. Installing them in the incorrect order can result in pealing. When oil based paints dry, they have a durable, slick surface. This is one of the reasons they last for so long. If you don’t break down that surface, latex paint will not adhere to it. After prepping, apply a good even coat of oil based primer/sealer. This will give you a fresh start and allow both types of paints to adhere.