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1. Turn off the power at the electrical panel or remove the "key" fuse on the gray box outside.

The biggest cost drivers in a kitchen remodel are 1) New cabinetry, 2) Relocating fixtures and appliances, and 3) New countertops in that order.

In the last month I have spoken with a handful of clients about ice dams and it felt like every other call to the Home Improvement Show on Newsradio WOOD 1300 has been on the same subject. West MI Morning News even had me on last week for an interview regarding Ice Dams. Click here to listen to the podcast of that interview. In brief written-form here are the essentials you need to know about Ice Dams:

Today I was on the phone with a client who at one time felt trapped in her home. When they bought it, they loved that they were on the river and that the kitchen was larger than the one in their previous home. They love fell apart on the day they moved in as rain was dripping in the house in multiple places and kept dwindling as the years passed. After their flat roof leaked for the 3rd time, they had had enough. He declared, "It is time to get a real roof on this house." We created a beautiful octagonal roof where the flat roof once was, along with an addition that housed a new kitchen that was better suited to their lifestyle. We solved the major problems with the home and transformed the old into a house built for entertaining and enjoying the water. Her advice to you all reading this, "I wish we had thought to rent a storage facility or POD instead of stacking up a ll our future during the project," and, "It takes time in a home to figure out what you like and dislike, but with mortgage rates being what they are, this is a great time to fix the problems in your home. Our first mortgage on this house was 16%."

Location, Location, Location. When you look around your home, do words like cozy and familiar morph into words like cramped and out-dated? Is great design and a strategic remodel in a few areas of your home the difference between loving and hating your home? Strategic remodeling is doing what your home needs to stay current - nothing more. We consult with literally hundreds of homeowners each year on what they need to get what they want at home. The one thing we are not is One Trick Ponies. The satisfying variety that comes from analyzing the needs of each home I am in is one of the main reasons I am a professional remodeler. We help people like you "Love the home you're in."

How much you enjoy your home on a daily basis is also return on your investment. Trust that you have good judgment when you make major remodeling decisions. Resale value only matters on the day you sign a purchase agreement. On the other days, it is more or less academic. Over time, real estate increases in value in a beautiful way.

Move vs. Remodel when every room in your home is too small. Enlarging or even adding one or two rooms won't solve the problem. Remodel vs. Move when your kids leave the house. Reconfigure the bedroom wing of your house into the master suite. It's rebalancing your portfolio by making every square foot earn its keep.

It's time to put a refresher coat of bark mulch on your landscape beds. You make the call to the "mulch man" and he asks, how much mulch (wood chips) do you need? You freeze and panic. You ask, how much do most people need? He says, it depends, but our truck has a minimum order charge of 6 yards to include delivery. Most people order 6-8 yards. How many do you want? You think to yourself...I live in a big house and I have a lot of landscaping....and you say, "I'll take 10 yards please." After all, you wouldn't want him coming back to bring you 2 yards if you were short and then you'd have to pay for another 6 yards! You end up only needing 6 yards and there you are with 4 yards of wood chips keeping you from parking in your garage for a month while you try to play it cool with neighbors and invite them to enjoy your benevolence and come get some mulch from you. Hey, I've done it, you've done it...everyone does it. I will help you with this right now.

We buy a house because of the vision we have for it. We see ourselves living here. We see our family future here. Then slowly we begin to look at our house differently.

Q: I listen to you show on Saturdays and we are in the process of redoing our outside deck. The current deck is “wood” and has been up since the house was built 21 yrs ago. We would like to replace the deck and at the same time expand the size and change the location of the stairs...The materials used would depend on the cost and durability of the product.

Have you reviewed your home improvement projects done in 2010 for eligible Energy Tax Credits?