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We have established the fact that we are “DIY challenged” when it comes to finishing a basement with a bathroom and learned valuable important lessons in home improvement.  It’s a good thing that we haven’t done high cost mistakes before it was too late.  We have done more work for our contractor that’s for sure.  I highly recommend that DIYers should read on building code before starting on a project to avoid naive mistakes.

We wanted a general contractor who is licensed, bonded and insured.  Of course not to mention affordable and have quality work. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Home Improvement General Contractor, MD, Service Magic

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Basement Project

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
In the last 3 weeks or so I have been obsessively doing a feasibility study on whether to finish the basement or not.  After all, it is a big decision to make since it translates to spending thousands of dollars.  We have been faced with this decision because we do plan to sell the townhouse in the near future.  Knowing that it is a buyer’s market right now, buyers can be more picky.  We have thought about lowering the price less the “perceived valued” of the basement but then that takes away the control from us because it’s giving the buyer the power to decide how to value the basement and will be reflected on how much they would offer for the house.  We need to make the house be on par with the other houses in the neighborhood and we only realized that all have finished basements. It only makes sense too because since we have a 1,200 sq ft town home, living space is at a premium. Being able to to sell the house for a good price will enable us to come up with a targeted down payment for the next home. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: basement remodel, building code, home maintenance

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BGEHome Water Heater Installation

Our water heater is 15 years old, it was originally installed by the contractors who built the houses in the development.  I learned that contractor grade water heaters are rated good for 5 years, so we consider our selves lucky to have lasted this long and it’s still working.  Recently, we have seen some of our neighbors having their basement cleaned out including ripping out carpets due to water heater failing.   It would only make sense that before spending money on finishing the basement, we should replace the old water heater first.

Since we had a very good experience with BGEHome Service for installing our sump pump, it was a no brainer that we would call them for the water heater.  I asked for a quote including installation and it was a very fair price(I looked around how much home improvement stores sell water heaters).   I was told that they can install it the next day if I wanted to.  Since I was told that it would probably take the whole day, I had to schedule it for a more convenient time for us.

Installation day came and we received a call at 7:30 in the morning, the BGEHome guy let us know that we should expect him at 11:00 am.  He came right on time, very courteous and professional.  He even gave an impromptu lesson about the water heater, here is what I learned:

• a gas powered water heater needs enough room to “breathe”(adequate combustion air availability) and shouldn’t be closed off in a tiny closet,
• it should not be installed in a bedroom because should the airways of the system get clogged- carbon monoxide will be trapped in the space and will be fatal to the person sleeping in the room- this reminded us to buy a carbon monoxide detector for the basement.
• a permit is needed to replace the water heater, only licensed Master Plumbers can pull a permit.  It is understandable why, it deals with gas and water pipes.

The installation only took hours and now we only have to wait for the county inspectors.

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Real Estate from a Homeowner’s Point of View

I have been spending my free time watching the real estate market quite closely in the last month or two. This interest stems from the decision that we want to move due to BRAC. We will still be staying in Maryland but a little bit farther away from where we currently are now. While the BRAC is a good thing for Maryland because it means 22,000 jobs coming this way. It also means our immediate area will be more congested than we prefer living in the suburbs. I guess it’s just that we are country folks we want some breathing space.

Location, Location, Location
Our current location is very strategic. Very close to Fort Meade, 20 minutes away to Baltimore, Annapolis, Columbia and Washington DC. Only a stones throw away from grocery stores and major retailers like Target(with a Starbucks bistro), Walmart and Kohls. Having a Panera Bread and Chick Fillet seals the deal. Our subdivision offers amenities: swimming pools(3), tennis courts, wooded walk paths with mature trees and added bonus is the county library.

To Sell
With the rest of the country’s real estate market on a slump, our immediate area in Anne Arundel County has been slightly affected. Homes no longer sell in a few days but in 2-3 months with a 6-7% decrease in value(normal sales and not short sales) which is much better than national average. Since the comparable homes selling in our area have 3 bedrooms/2.5+ baths with finished basements, we have decided to finish the basement. Although we can always drop the price and not finish the basement, we cannot afford to be low balled because we need the equity to put down on the next house. We are looking at adding a full bath instead of a half to be more competitive, but it all boils down to the cost. According to real estate experts, right now buyers are really more interested in the price than in the upgrades. So spending on luxury features is not really recommended because of the risk of not getting the return for the investment.

Basement Project
Basically, we need to enclose the basement with dry wall and add a bathroom. I was reading the Cost vs Value Report 2007 and I am still reeling to see the numbers that a basement midrange remodel would cost around a staggering $53,519 with a 75.1% return of ROI(that’s a loss!) ! Our budget is nowhere that figure nor are we prepared to sink in that kind of investment because it pretty much eats up 50% of the equity we need for a down payment for the next home. Next week we will be interviewing general contractors and requesting proposals, any future decision will be based on those numbers. I just hope that the estimates will be realistic or else we will have to become our own general contractor/project manager and be the one to call in the electrician, plumber, carpenters, dry wall specialists and whoever else.

Selling Points
We have already made investments on the house that makes it attractive to any buyer. We have a 3 year old 30 years warranty roof, I have yet to see our neighbors replace their aging contractor-grade roofs. Most of what I’ve seen are just patch work to remedy leaks which are dangerous because they can lead to mold problem which can cost thousands of dollars just to clean up. We also offer a spanking brand new sump pump, exotic eco-friendly hard wood floors on the main level, new water heater and we will be installing new carpets on the bedroom level.

Tags: Anne Arundel County Maryland, BRAC, MD Real Estate

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BGEHome Service Works!

We had a nasty thunderstorm last Wednesday night. We found out that our sump pump failed when our basement flooded for the first time in the 7 years since we moved in. The flood was ankle high in the deepest parts, we are thankful that we were there and it didn’t rain during a one week vacation. Last year, I already had a “feeling” that something was wrong because something was pretty noisy in the basement but it comes and goes. We thought about having the sump pump replaced but for some reason we were very pre-occupied by more pressing issues.

We called BGEHome Thursday morning at around 8:00am and a courteous and professional guy was at our footstep by 12:00noon. He replaced the pump in less than an hour! The great thing about it we were only charged $50 instead of $434 because we have a Smart Service contract with them since last year. For $30/month contract covers cooling, heating, water heater, electrical, plumbing, etc. If something breaks down parts and labor are covered and we only pay the deductible, it certainly pays for itself even from the yearly cooling/heating maintenance. It’s an easy way to save-up solely for an unexpected high cost home related emergency repair. We most definitely appreciate the priority service because we experienced having to wait for weeks for a service from a mom and pop operator. It definitely simplifies life by not having to scramble for an HVAC, plumber and electrician when we need them most.

It’s great when things work out as smoothly as possible. The positive experience helped us decide that we are going to call BGEHome to replace our water heater by next month. I was already told that water heaters last between 8-15 years. It’s now past 15 years, definitely on borrowed time. It’s better to prevent a possible basement disaster or I’ll be kicking myself if something happens again due to a problem that could have been prevented.

Thanks BGEHome!

Tags: BGEHome, HVAC, Maryland plumber, Service Contract, Smart Service

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