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Must Read Articles > Budgeting for my Home Improvement Project By JR Girskis

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Home improvement projects, if you can afford them, are almost always a good idea as they add value and beauty to your home. Essentially, they improve your quality of life by improving the quality of your home. There are numerous home improvement projects that can add to your quality of life, and if you put in a little sweat equity, you can achieve an even greater return on investment. Here are some ways to figure out if that new home improvement project is right for you, and your family.

Step 1: Determine Your BudgetStep number one always has to be determining how much you can afford to spend without straining your current budget. It’s a relatively simple calculation to make: add your current monthly expenses (groceries, utilities, et al) then subtract that number from your monthly net income (income less withholding for taxes). The remainder is how much (per month) that you’ll be able to pay on your home improvement without dipping into your savings. Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with dipping into your savings so long as it hasn’t been ear-marked for a future investment like home improvement.

Step 2: Think With Your Wallet Let your budget guide the project. If you can’t afford it, you can’t do it, and you’ll just have to wait for supplemental income or savings to make themselves available. It’s important to play your home improvement by the numbers to avoid financial discomfort in the wake of your project. If the projects is time sensitive, though, there are a few more tips and tricks that might put your project in motion.

Step 3: Get a Loan Finance your project with a personal loan. Depending on your credit and income, a loan may put you over the top and allow your project to go forward. Most lenders will allow you 45% of your debt-to-income ratio. The easiest way to find out how much they’ll lend you is by just calling or stopping by the bank to ask.

Step 4: Factor in EquityConsider your home improvement options. Some improvements are guaranteed to increase the resale value of your home while others will affect it negligibly. If your goal is to increase the overall value of your home, consider changing the flooring or adding a bathroom. These measures will increase resale value dramatically while something like putting up wallpaper won’t change it much or, if the buyer dislikes the paper, might actually bring it down.

Step 5: DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Buy a book. Home Depot offers free home improvement classes, and you can buy DIY books at large bookstores (or hardware stores) for usually less than $10. Compare this to the likely hundreds if not thousands you might spend hiring somebody to do a particular job for you is going to be the easiest way to save money right off the line. Stay away from contractors unless they’re absolutely necessary. With a little elbow grease and the cost of a how-to book from a major hardware store you can perform all but the most major renovations yourself.

Step 6: Save the Money One of the most simple ways to budget for a home improvement project is to simply save your money. Determine the cost of the project, when you want it completed, and then save that amount each month. For example, a $5000 home improvement project, you want completed in 12 months, will mean you must save $416 each month. And who knows, by the end of those 12 months, you may have changed your mind, and now you have a nest egg of savings for a vacation, or smaller home improvement project.

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Iowa Illinois Home Improvement Contractors Disclaimer: The replacement vinyl window, roofing contractor and vinyl and steel siding installation information presented within this website is for informational purposes only. Please contact us or see our huge showroom to discuss your particular vinyl window, sunroom or siding needs. Specialists of quality replacement windows, siding, sunrooms, roofing, gutter cap, heater cap, entry doors, storm doors and estimates are always free. Who is Suburban Construction? Brian Girskis launched Suburban Construction in 1985 and the family-owned and operated company is growing strong some 25 years and two generations later. His son, J.R. Girskis, is the company president and the third generation was born a few months ago. The Davenport-based company supplies and installs windows, siding and doors for the residential market. In 25 years, Suburban has completed more than 24,000 jobs. “We are always focused on the customer,” said general manager Darin Wilson. “Without the customer, we don’t have a business.” The company was honored as a 2007 Dealer of the Year by Associated Materials Inc., or AMI. “Suburban Construction is a company that definitely goes over and above servicing their customers,” Wayne Fredrick, executive vice president of AMI Sales, said. Working with a large customer base allows Suburban to purchase and buy goods for substantially less then its competitors, Wilson said. “We’re one of the only companies in the nation that offers a lifetime warranty on the product after we install it,” he said. The company doesn’t make money if things go wrong after the installation so crews make sure the job is done properly, he said. With energy conservation such a huge concern, products offered have the Energy Star rating so homeowners see savings on their energy bills. “With today’s home market being so inconsistent, it’s easier to have someone come in and give you a new home on top of your current home rather than having to pack up all your stuff,” he said. For example, by installing new insulated siding, Wilson added, an older home can essentially be turned into a new residence. Founder Brian Girskis still keeps a hand in the business. He was in the manufacturing and wholesale end of the industry in the 1970s and 1980s and distributed material to companies similar to Suburban. “I saw they weren’t generating any repeat business. I learned what not to do from those other people,” Girskis said. “Most of our business is referral business and that’s what we want to keep.” The office and showroom originally were based in downtown Bettendorf. Girskis relocated the company to Davenport in 1995. His decision to specialize in windows, siding and doors was based on two factors: getting better buying power that is passed onto the consumer and building something of value, Girskis said. “We try to do a Cadillac for the price of a Chevy. I’m very satisfied but we’re always looking to do better,” he said. Products Suburban Construction specializes in: Replacement Windows from AMI – Suburban Construction and quality windows by Associated Materials Incorporated, set the standard by which other replacement windows are measured. Innovation has resulted in a collection of windows that are designed and engineered to provide beauty, performance, ease of operation, virtually no maintenance, and increased energy-efficiency. You want a fair price. Don’t be misled by others offering replacement windows for a cheap price. Often times, this is a low-end window you might use for a garage, not your home. Usually, this cheap price doesn’t include measuring charges, custom sizing, replacing rotten wood, insulating inside weight cavities and around perimeters, or covering the outside window trim with maintenance-free aluminum and sealant. At Suburban, you always get a complete installation without any hidden costs. Gutter Cap is a must for the bitter midwest winters! Ice and snow build up in gutters, causing gutter seams to break! In addition, the weight of heavy snow causes gutters to loosen while the back up of ice behind gutters causes moisture damage to fascia. · The Gutter Cap combines surface tension with “capillary action!” This patented design allows rainwater to adhere to the dome of the cap while leaves and debris blow OFF the roof. · Your existing gutter is a free flowing drainage system with Gutter Cap. · Gutter Cap saves you the time, hassle & DANGER of cleaning Gutters…plus saves you upwards of thousands of dollars in damage each year! 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A fiberglass door simply outperforms wood and steel doors. It won't crack, swell, rot, dent, ding or rust - so it's virtually maintenance free. And only Therma-Tru fiberglass entryways offer full door systems designed, built and tested to the industry's highest standards. You may consider the addition of storm doors to be an unnecessary expense, and may even believe that adding storm doors will decrease the beauty of your home or bring down its market value. Many realtors agree, however, that the addition of storm doors can actually improve your home’s market value, as storm doors will help, in general, to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Energy zoning with triple pane freedom maxx 10 windows can help save you great money. Sun Clean Glass® is a new self cleaning glass technology created by PPG industries. It uses a durable transparent coating that is fused to the surface of the glass with high temperatures during the production of the glass. This glass is available in almost all Suburban Construction replacement windows with one goal in mind, that you spend less time cleaning your windows and more time doing the things you love.

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