Everybody is going green these days, at least a little.  Whichever remodeling project you are about to undertake, there are actually some surprisingly easy and inexpensive ways to make the whole thing a little more environmentally friendly without compromising the quality of the final result.

You could begin by discussing with your chosen remodeling contractor the possibility of adding some recycled materials to the overall plan.  Recycling is the oldest and easiest way to go green and the concept can be applied to many different aspects of a remodeling project.  Most remodeling contractors are now used to hearing such requests from their clients and will be able to point you in the right direction.

Installing energy efficient new appliances as part of a remodeling project can do as much for the health of your bank balance as it can for the welfare of the planet.  Make sure the appliances that you buy have good Energy Star ratings and install new programmable thermostats and do not forget to consider installing more energy efficient windows.

The majority of remodeling jobs involve at least a little paint work and here you can help the environment by asking your painting contractor to use only non toxic paints and primers, which are also better for your health, as toxic paints can give off potentially harmful fumes.

One last little way to go green?  Ask your remodeling contractor to use as many resources from the local area as possible.  This of course decreases the need for transportation which takes a little bit of pressure off our overtaxed atmosphere.

The holiday season is almost upon us and for many of us that means opening our homes up to overnight guests.  These guests will, of course, be expecting a comfy bed, a few good meals and a nice bathroom in which to primp and preen before the festivities begin.

A cracked, chipped or just downright dingy bath tub will hardly live up to your guests expectations.  Although there may be no time to undertake a whole bathroom remodel, or even to replace just the tub itself, a bath tub liner can solve the problem quickly and easily and improve the appearance of your bathroom on the whole.

An increasing number of bathroom remodeling contractors are offering tub lining services these days and such projects can often be completed in just one day.  A bath tub liner is no substitute in most cases for a full bathroom remodel, but as a quick and relatively inexpensive fix for a badly damaged bath tub they do the job very well.

Many of the modern tub liners fit directly over the existing tub and there is no need for any additional plumbing work to be performed before the bath tub is operational.

Most commonly these liners are made from acrylic, PVC or plastic and are just as durable as any modern bathtub.  It is still important however to work only with a licensed and experienced bathroom remodeling firm, so that you can be confident the job is going to be done properly, so when your guests do descend you can offer them a clean and attractive bathroom to freshen up in.

Mold.  It is not just ugly and in many cases smelly, it can also pose a serious hazard to your health.  Even if you live in a very dry climate it is more than likely that at least a little bit of this nasty stuff is lurking somewhere.

There are a number of different types of mold that can infest your home.  Most of them are fairly harmless, but black mold is a completely different story altogether.  This form of mold can literally destroy both your home and your health and even prove fatal.

In some cases, when black mold has attacked a home the problem has become so bad and the environment so dangerously toxic that the only solution has been to burn the whole structure to the ground.

Black mold is usually actually greenish black in appearance and when wet it has a shiny appearance.  If you suspect that the mold you have discovered in your home is of the black variety, do not attempt to get rid of it on your own, call in a professional at once.  Trying to remove it yourself usually only serves to spread the mold spores around, releasing them into the air and instantly making matters worse.  The guys who do this for a living have all the tools and training to make black mold removal as safe and efficient as possible.  They will also be able to help you determine the extent of the damage, what steps must be taken to make everything safe and how to prevent the mold from ever coming back again.

If you are trying to sell your current home you may not want to invest the time and money a major remodeling project requires, but you do want your home to appeal to buyers and stand out from any others they may be considering in the area.  To that end there are a number of inexpensive home improvements you can make that will increase both the perceived value and the curb appeal of your home.

Add Fresh Coats of Paint – Invest in the services of a painting contractor and have them give your whole house a nice new coat of paint in neutral colors.  Spending the few extra dollars to have the job done professionally will ensure the project is finished quickly and everything about your home looks even and neat.  You need not use the most expensive paints in the world for the project, but you will be amazed by the difference this simple makeover makes to the appearance of the whole interior.

Upgrade Lighting Fixtures – Outdated or broken lighting fixtures can be very discouraging for potential buyers.  Most house hunters are naturally on the lookout for potential problems that may complicate their lives and many consider the prospect of having to install a number of new light fittings one of those.  In addition, make sure all the lights in your home, including those in the basement and attic, actually work and call in an electrician to repair any that do not.

Spruce Up the Entrance – You never get a second chance to make a first impression and the entrance to your home is a potential buyer’s first sight of the place.  Many house hunters will do a drive-by before their viewing appointment and, if the outside of the home looks unappealing, they may not choose to view the property any further at all.  If your front door is looking a little worse for wear and needs more than a lick of paint to save it, replace it. This simple investment may indeed make all the difference.

Painting the kid’s bedroom is one thing, but do you really have what it takes to tackle the toughest of painting jobs, the exterior of your home?  When making the decision whether to hire a painting contractor or to try and go it alone, here are a few points to consider:

How’s your Paint IQ ? -  The paint that is used on the exterior of any home has to be able to stand up to the all the extremes that Mother Nature can  throw at it, from freezing cold winds to baking hot sun.  It must resist chipping and cracking and be as fade resistant as possible.  Sure, you can ask the guy at the home improvement store for a recommendation, but he has not seen your house or assessed its particular construction.  A painting contractor is not out to sell you on any one brand of paint and will make an honest evaluation of what the right materials will be for the job  before the project begins.

Do you have a head for heights? – Painting the exterior of your home means reaching some pretty lofty heights.  Even if you can find a ladder tall enough to reach all the nooks and crannies, how comfortable are you with the thought of balancing on it for hours on end?

Do you have the time? – Painting the exterior of your home is not a weekend project for the D.I.Y. enthusiast.  In order for an exterior paint job to be worth doing at all, surfaces must be cleaned, prepared, and primed before the first layer of paint goes on.  How happy will the neighbors be with a half blue, half red house and a muddle of paint cans, ladders and tarps cluttering up the landscape for months on end?

Painting the exterior of your home can give it an instant face lift and improve its “curb appeal” immensely, but only if the job is done right.  This is one home improvement project that really is best left to the professionals.

The real estate ad sounds like you may have found the perfect property at a bargain price. “3 bedrooms, 2 baths, fireplace, nice neighborhood”.  Then the kicker comes at the end of the ad – “Needs T.L.C.” or “handyman special”.  Do you give the property a look or cross it off the shopping list?

There are a number of factors to be considered before buying a “fixer upper”, so by all means go and look, but keep a few things in mind:

Is this home worth saving? – To answer that question properly you will need the advice of a good contractor.  If a property seems to have potential upon a first viewing go back again, but this time with a professional in tow.  Some problems – peeling wallpaper, an outdated bathroom – are perfectly obvious, but other potentially big problems are not (rotting floors, inadequate plumbing and much more).

How much will the improvements cost? – If you are beginning to seriously consider the property’s potential, gather estimates from contractors of how much each needed improvement will realistically cost.  After that, add those costs to the home’s list price.  Now compare that final dollar amount to the value of similar, better kept homes, in the area.  If the home you are thinking about purchasing is listed for say, $130,000 while others in the area are going for the $180,000 mark and you believe that you will be able to keep the cost of renovations under $40,000, you may have really found a bargain.

Can you finance all the work? – If you will be relying on a mortgage to purchase the home, the bank’s evaluation will, in most cases be based upon the current state of the property, not on its potential value once renovations are complete and you may find there is not enough money available from your mortgage to finance the renovations.  There are low cost renovation loans available, some even government sponsored, but you will have to do some number crunching to make fairly certain that you will be able to make both payments.

You make a Saturday morning trip to Home Depot to pick up a couple of light bulbs and a can of paint to touch up those scratches on the front door.  Thanks to a smooth talking sales assistant you leave with ten packs of vinyl floor tiles, something called a framing square, some glue, a nail gun and big ideas about laying a new kitchen floor by Sunday afternoon.  The only problem?  Changing a light bulb was previously the pinnacle of your home improvement experience.

In an attempt not only to save money but also to emulate all of the “home improvement gurus” who are popping up all over cable TV and make D.I.Y. home improvement look so very easy, more people than ever are trying their hand at some pretty complicated home renovation projects.

The only difficulty is that many are going ahead with these projects full of energy and excitement (in the beginning) and failing to plan very far ahead.  Cut to that kitchen floor on Sunday afternoon.  Half of the floor is exposed and the pungent smell of mold is in the air (who knew that was there?).  A whole box of tiles is wasted because they cracked while being cut and to top it all off the amateur Bob Vila who suggested the venture just shot a nail into his hand with that gun thing!  The rest of the afternoon is shot because it will be spent in the ER.

In fact ER doctors have seen a rise in the number of home improvement related injuries over the last couple of years, ranging from eye injuries caused by flying debris, to amputated fingers when a power saw was just a little too powerful, and lots of those nail gun injuries. In fact, according to a joint CDC/Duke University study, the incidence of consumer nail gun injuries seen in emergency rooms across the US rose 200% between 1991 and 2005.

There is nothing wrong with undertaking a little home improvement project once in a while. However, for the bigger jobs call in a professional, at least the first time.