Home Remodeling

When planning your home remodeling project you want to take into consideration the investment you are about to make.  Sometimes people get too anxious and excited for their remodel and tend to go overboard with the costs.  I always urge the homeowner to “get what you want, and go big”, but that can be done within the confines of the comparable homes in the area.  If you live in a $250k-$350k neighborhood, you don’t want to be doing $1 million dollar work on your home.  You can get the million dollar look without going that extra step and using that real stone on the front of your home, or going way overboard with the interior finish.

There are some great ways to add value to your home without making a huge investment.  Below are just a few things that you can do to enjoy your home more while adding great value.

• Adding cultured stone to the front of your house with new siding.  If you have that old masonite siding with a 12″ reveal, it’s time for a facelift.  While you are replacing the siding it is easy to add a half wall of cutface stone to dress up the front of your home.
• Remodeling your kitchen is another good way to add value to your home.  With all the new kitchen cabinets accessories out today, adding your new kitchen will increase the functionality of the space.  As far as the countertops, I believe that granite can be used in a kitchen no matter what price range your home is in.  That said, using an exotic granite that is over $100 a square foot would not be cost effective in a $200k home obviously.
• Bathroom remodel is also a great way to increase your quality of life while adding value to your home.  Walk-in showers are a fad that is here to stay, and it is a fixture that we use everyday of our lives.  Bathrooms can get expensive so be careful on the costs when remodeling your bathroom space.

• Backyard renovations are a great way to enjoy your outdoor space and add value.  Stamped patio’s are a great alternative to a treated deck.  You can add concrete seating around the patio with built-in fire pit.  Most suburbs of Des Moines do not allow real wood fire pits, so we can run a gas line and have gas fire pit you can enjoy.  If a fire-pit is not your thing, then you can always add an outdoor kitchen with grilling area.

These are just a few ways to add value to your home while being easy on your pocketbook.  With more and more people staying put in today’s economy there is more need to remodel and add the space needed.

Stamped Patio with Firepit Area

Stamped concrete can be found on projects dating back to the 1950′s.  Installation techniques and materials improved throughout the 1960′s and 1970′s.  By the 1980′s manufactures had developed proven materials and installation techniques.  Concrete contractors were becoming skilled at installing a variety of patterns and colors.  Stamped concrete has been recognized in the building industry as a favorable surfacing material for a variety of applications.  Today, many homeowners are using the application for patios and even driveways.  The cost is more than triple the price of regular concrete, ranging from $10-$12 per square foot.

Installation of stamed patios can be tricky, so it is recommended that you hire professional contractor to do the work.  The color is usually applied to the concrete in the cement truck, then it is poured in the formed area and finished smooth just as you would finish a regular concrete slab.  Once the area is finished and starts to harden, you begin to apply a compliment color of powdered release to the slab. The release gives the concrete a “marbled” look, which offsets the color of the concrete.  As the release is applied, you can now begin stamping the concrete.
There are many different styles and patterns of stamps available.  Most stamps are made of a rigid rubber material and are numerically or alphabetically numbered.  When you begin stamping, make sure all the stamps are correctly laid out in the desired pattern.  Typically, 3 to 4 people need to be present while stamping – one laying the stamps, one handing the correct stamps to the stamper, and one tamping the stamps.  As you are stamping, the release needs to be applied ahead of the stamper.
Once the patio is stamped, wait 24 hours and power wash all excess release off the slab.  The release should adhere in the low lying stamped areas.

After the excess release has been removed, wait 3 days and apply the sealer.  The sealer gives the slab a wet look and protects the color from fading.  Apply the sealer with a paint roller, usually 2 coats are needed, with 24 hours between coats.  For the best results, the second coat of sealer needs to be applied in the opposite direction of the first coat.  Once the second coat cures, you are free to enjoy your new stamped patio area.

As you can see, there are many steps involved in stapming a concrete slab, hence the additional costs.  The stamped patio we installed in the pictures below, the homeowner wanted a firepit area.  This application allows the homeowner to get full use of their stamped patio area.