Year: 2024

When planning your home renovations, don’t forget to consult an arborist. Trees need careful consideration before, during, and after construction to stay healthy and unharmed. Lee Rouse, Bayou Tree Service’s Baton Rouge branch manager, emphasizes the importance of protecting tree roots, which are often shallow and extend widely. Whether you’re adding a pool, irrigation system, or driveway, an arborist can advise on safeguarding these vital assets that contribute significantly to property value and enjoyment. According to In Register, trees offer unmatched aesthetic benefits — but they’re not easily replaced, especially…

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Home renovation costs vary widely, spanning from $1,200 to $82,000, with an average expenditure of $41,600. It’s important to note that this average includes high-end projects involving demolition, new plumbing fixtures, and other costly additions. For those renovating small-to-medium-sized homes, expenses typically cap around $62,000, even for more complex projects. According to Forbes, after hiring an architect and a structural engineer to completely redesign a home’s floor plan, the next step is typically a gut renovation. This starts with a thorough demolition, leaving just the studs and foundation. After that,…

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Lesley Mair’s aspiration for coastal living prompted her to purchase her initial seaside home in East Wittering, West Sussex, in 2015. Captivated by the location, she later set her sights on a beachfront property facing the sea. “Fortunately, one of my closest friends had acquired this property and rented it to me,” she explains. By 2020, she successfully persuaded them to sell it to her, embarking on an extensive renovation project thereafter. According to House Beautiful, inspiration for the renovation, both inside and out, was the property’s location on the…

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During the early stages of the pandemic, prices skyrocketed for nearly all home-related items. Now, with people resuming normal activities, high interest rates, and improved supply chains, lumber prices have returned to more reasonable levels. According to Marketplace, people stuck at home started spending money on their homes, which drove up the price of construction materials, especially lumber. Plus, people moved to new places where they could work from home, so new home construction shot up, adding even more demand. However, all the other stuff that goes into homebuilding and…

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Renovation spending reached its peak in 2023 and continues to surpass pre-Covid levels. Homeowners are reluctant to relinquish their low-rate mortgages, and fewer are renovating with the intention to sell their homes. According to Bloomberg, during the initial phase of the pandemic, historically low loan rates drove increased home sales and spending on renovations across the United States. With interest rates now on the rise, more homeowners are opting to stay in place, yet they continue to invest heavily in enhancements such as bathroom renovations and landscaping upgrades, maintaining near-record…

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The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University reported that spending on home improvement projects rose from $328 billion in 2019 to $472 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach $485 billion by 2024. According to City Business, of the 31% who haven’t attempted to remodel aspects of their home on their own, nearly half admit their fear got the best of them. They avoid even the attempt at renovations in case they might mess their home up. Other homeowners believe they need more skills than they have,…

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When you open a book, words swirl through your mind. Opening a window, cars and trains rush between cities. These actions seamlessly blend the indoors and outdoors. In a world trending towards non-ownership, this architect’s home was designed amidst cherished items gathered over time, each carrying a piece of his past self. According to Arch Daily, the site is located in a densely populated residential area at the foot of Tokyo Skytree. Despite being just a room in an apartment complex, its location allows for a direct experience of urban…

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