What can I do to improve this kitchen?
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Property Taxes & Improvements--How Do I Know I Can Afford Them?
Comments (21)Wow, thanks for all the responses. I am going to have to reread this over very slowly so that I understand everything you all said. To answer some of your questions and comments, it's not too much house for me Gardenspice because I am buying it for cash. Taxes are high in New Jersey. They are $6700. on this house now. I want to make sure I can continue paying the taxes on it when I get older so I don't want to do anything to it that's going to cost me more money in taxes. I understand that taxes go up anyway. But I want to keep them from going up as much as possible. The taxes are one reason I am looking into building an apartment in one of the outbuildings on the property. I'm thinking ahead for old age. I want to keep this house until I die. If I had a tenant, it would help with the taxes. Unless the tax cost of the improvement cancels out any profits I would make on rent. Of course I will look into all the rules and laws I have to follow if I was going to do something like this down the road and I'd never do it without getting proper permits, etc. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't follow the rules! I am also looking into other ways to make some money with this property. Making an apartment was one idea. I've also thought of having weddings and other events there. I'm a bit of an entrepreneur and will do a lot of research. Whatever we do, we will be doing all the work ourselves. As far as what's going on inside the house right now, there are open permits on it now that the code officer told us was transferrable to us so we can complete the work. Nothing is hooked up in this house. The work was in progress and then the owners had to stop. It will take us three weeks to hook it all up. There will be lots more work to do but in three weeks we'll have enough done that we will be able to get the certificate of occupancy to move in. Other than the tax man kind of rushing me off the phone, all the town guys we've spoken to about this property have been very helpful and supportive of us--they want us in there. The house has been empty for a while and I think they're afraid someone's going to buy it and turn it into some kind of halfway house type thing (it's a big old Victorian) and they would rather have a family in there who is going to give it tender loving care. It is in a town with other multiple dwelling buildings, bed & breakfasts, plus it's on five acres. I'm not even sure what I want to do with it and what I can do to it at this point. My goal is taking care of these taxes. Where I live now, on an 11 acre farm in Virginia, my taxes are only $846 a year so this is going to be sticker shock! And this whole thing might be moot if I don't get my farm sold. We lost our buyer two days before closing! Now we're praying the old Victorian is still going to be there when we get a new buyer!...See MoreMy kitchen is new but i hate it...(pics) what can i do to improve
Comments (37)Dear Polar Princess, I am happy to read of your recent survivorship and a getting new lease on life. I think your oak cabinets look very well made and can be a star with some new accessories. Oak is a timeless, beautiful wood. Here are the changes I would try for minimal cost: 1) As has been mentioned numerous times: remove the stenciling & ivy to freshen the look. 2) If you can easily remove the light bridge over the sink and add molding to the top of the 2 cabinets where it connected, that will also modernize the look, as previous poster suggested, for not much money. 3) Backsplash: Provide Maximum sizzle and splash, which will transform the kitchen with a shimmering glass tile mosaic. See link below as example. Your area is not big, so you could pull this off for only $200 to $250 in materials. 4) Definitely bring in the brown leather bar stools you like or even something very modern in style as a contrast. 5) Counter tops: white laminate is not necessarily bad. In fact, if you add a shimmering glass backsplash that is a nice counterpoint to the white counters, you may find they are now more pleasing to you, without going to the expense of adding granite. You already know how easy to maintain your laminate counters are. You might jazz them up with some interesting place mats or update your centerpiece to be more in keeping with the brown leather & mosaics. 6) Window valence: maybe replace the lace look with something more tailored to complement the new backsplash and stools. 7) Wall paint: See how the backsplash changes the look and decide if you want to add wall color or not. 8) If you still yearn for SS appliances, check into changing out the front panels of the frig and dishwasher with SS. Don't think that is possible with the stove. I would really keep the bisque because they will look nice with the new backsplash as well. The link is from a larger website with many different choices of mosaic color combinations. The featured one is Anima because I think it would complement your while/bisque and oak and brown leather. Also check out several of the Spectralight (with and without El Dorado), Shimmerfly (one is Honey Pearl)and others which might complement your adjacent room colors. Good luck with all your decisions. We celebrate that you are here to make them! Anna Lee F Here is a link that might be useful: Glass tile backsplash...See MoreThoughts on what I can do to improve curb appeal?
Comments (51)I think Hoovb makes a great point. Start by cleaning up the landscaping. It's got great bones, just needs to be pruned and edited. Get a good pruning book and basic landscaping book. I recommend Cass Turnbull's "The Complete Guide to Landscape Design, Renovation, and Maintenance: A Practical Handbook for the Home Landscape Gardener" 1991. It's out of print but get it from your local library inter-library loan or buy it used on Amazon. He's a great writer about freshening up a landscape and design principles but correct pruning is the first step to maintaining a good front yard landscape. Why spend money redoing something that will look great with just a little TLC. Then same with the rest of your house, just tweak it and then when everything else is said and done and you still want to paint it, then paint it. I had similar issues when I first bought my house, I had a lot I wanted to do but I chose projects that would impact my day-to-day living in the house first and were big ticket items, like taking out carpeting and redoing the wood floors. If everything else about the house is perfect at this point, then paint it. You've got two good options either way....See MoreKitchen Reno - how can I improve my kitchen?
Comments (24)Here is a plan that could work. You could keep the same basic kitchen layout (the appliances work where they are, IMO), just remove some walls to open it up, essentially transforming it into a galley kitchen. Some of my measurements are off and the cabinetry could likely extend a little more to the left as you have it in your plan. On the right of the kitchen, bring in the peninsula and cabinetry so that they end at the wall (otherwise the passageway between the kitchen and pantry becomes too narrow). I would skip the overhang for benches, and fully use the space for storage and extra counter space. Remove the uppers above the peninsula. Remove the pantry around the fridge and add uppers and more counter space on that wall between the fridge and range. I would consider mounting a small TV in the kitchen somewhere, on a full motion/swivel wall mount so that you can push it against the wall when not in use. Or use a tablet computer, and get a stand/mount for it. Removing the hall in front of the bedrooms and bathroom, and the overhang for the peninsula, gives you enough space and clearance to add a pantry and more cabinetry, or just a wider pantry and no cabinetry. Alternatively, you could also place a desk, wine bar or message center against this wall. Moving the entrance closet by the front door provides separation, no more "walking into a big room" feeling, and improves the flow between the living room and kitchen. It also give you a wall for your tv, making it easier to lay out your living room. I would replace the wall unit and purchase one that is less substantial. Consider mounting the TV on the wall and having a unit underneath, and maybe shelves on each side. Do you currently use your living room or your family room more often? I would suggest making the larger one the family room, and the smaller one with the fireplace into the more formal living room or sitting room. Mounting the TV above the fireplace (or removing it altogether) also makes that room much easier to lay out. The master bedroom door is in a awkward location in terms of natural flow. Even in an open space, it would make more sense to have it accessible through the "hall" passing from the entrance between the kitchen and family room....See MoreRelated Professionals
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