3 Tips to Save Money on Home Improvements

There are some tips and tricks on keeping costs down while renovating your home on a budget. In this article we’ll discuss 3 tips to save money on home improvements, including: updating your high-energy appliances, reducing supply costs and hiring a contractor.

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Updating Your High Energy Appliances
In a similar vein, you’ll get the most bang for your home improvement buck if you upgrade inefficient appliances in your home. The top energy suckers in the home are: heating systems, air conditioning, hot water heaters, dehumidifiers, and refrigerators, according to Energy.gov.
There are easy ways to adjust the energy usage of these appliances, such as installing a programmable thermostat and running appliances at night. At some point, though, you’ll have to decide between repairing (or hacking) your home appliance or replacing it. Source: LifeHacker

Reducing Supply Costs
Sign up for a tool library subscription. These cooperatives provide low-cost rentals or free check out to people who pay $25 to $100 for a yearly subscription. You can save money on tools that you won’t use often, like tree pruning saws, apple cider presses, string trimmers and more.
To find out if there’s a tool library in your town, go to Wikipedia and type in “List of tool-lending libraries.” They will give you a list by country and state.
- Look for floor model sales. Each year, your local hardware, home improvement, cabinet and furniture stores replace their floor models. They usually sell those models for a small percentage of what they are charging for new projects.
- Buy remnants on smaller projects. Carpet, tile or brick remnants are those that were left over after someone else’s large job. Make sure to measure your square footage needs before you buy.
- Keep an eye out for tools at garage sales. Most tools stand up to a lot of wear and tear, and an older, sturdier tool might serve you better than a new model. Search the classified ads for garage sales that feature tools.
- Rent tools that you will only need once in a while. For example, a pressure washer, heat gun or carpet cleaner can be rented for as little as $25 for a few hours, and the maintenance will be performed by the rental shop.
- Check the “oops” section of the home improvement or paint store. These are colors that were improperly mixed or that the customer didn’t like. Furniture painting and one-room paint jobs can often be done with paint that has been reduced to as little as $5 per gallon.
- Look for building supply auctions. Search the Internet for these special events, where building supplies are sold at a fraction of the price. Items may be scratched, dented or just the result of a shipping mistake.  Source: wikiHow

Hiring a Contractor
Though the practice is controversial among the trades, some contractors will offer consulting and mentoring services to skilled do–it–yourselfers on an hourly basis. Chicago–area builder Ted Welch charges $150 per hour for such coaching, with a two–hour minimum commitment. “The most satisfied clients tend to be those who have good manual dexterity, who realize that skills need to be practiced in order to be perfected, and who are willing to risk making a few mistakes and then learn from them,” he says. Source: ThisOldHouse

Contact:
Kerrisdale Roofing & Drains
8279 Ross St, Vancouver, BC V5X 4W1
(604) 360-2114

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