Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 7, 1991 TAG: 9104060325
SECTION: A GUIDE TO BETTER HOMES PAGE: 4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KIM SUNDERLAND
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
In that situation, Virginia Tech Housing Specialist Kathleen Parrott believes the remodeling may make the house harder to sell. Also, the resale value of a house will not necessarily cover the cost of the remodeling.
That could mean that you'd lose money.
However, there are remodeling projects that add value, such as a third or fourth bedroom, a fireplace, a second bathroom, modernizing the kitchen or adding storage space.
And additional storage space is something everyone always needs. Think about reorganization, remodeling - with additions or computer design - or just storing your stuff in another location.
"There are ways to create more storage in your house without just cleaning the place out," said Parrott, who has three tips to better stow all the stuff you need to keep to live your everyday life - better known as reorganization.
First, analyze what's stored where. Parrott says that you need to store items depending on how often they are used.
For example, items used most frequently need to be stored so that they're most accessible, which means in the area below eye level and above your hip. Items used less frequently should be stored in the area that includes just over your head and below your knee. Items seldom used should be stored below your knees or above your head.
Secondly, store items close to where they are used at the very first or very last. Take your spaghetti pan for instance. The first thing you do with it when you take it out of the cabinet is put water in it; so you may want to store it near the sink.
Or dinner plates. Store them near the sink, where they get used last when they're washed, or store them near the table, where you use them first when you set the dinner table.
Thirdly, label everything. "Don't store unknowns," Parrott advised. Think of these principals as convenience factors," she added.
General contractors can also help you with storage problems. They can construct storage sheds, additions or do remodeling to help with the excess that your life has created through the years.
Randy Frye, owner of Frye Home Improvement Inc. on U.S. 460, is currently in the process of converting a two-car garage in Radford into a family den. The project will take two to three weeks to complete and includes dropping the ceiling, putting up paneling, painting, carpeting, adding sliding glass doors and putting in ledges. Total cost? From $10,000 to $15,000.
"There's more remodeling being done now because it's cheaper than buying a new house," said Frye, who's company has been in business since 1980 and uses only quality materials. An 8-by-8 shed, for example, costs roughly $1,200 to $1,500.
Frye has also converted attics, which cost about $10,000 to renovate. He said space needs can be better met by utilizing what's already in a home and adding shelving, closets, etc.
Another easy way to do that is to consider using computer designs.
"Computers are making it easier to make a sale," said Shirley Dorman, a designer and an owner of The Cabinet Shop in Pembroke, which uses computers to do designs.
Dorman, who has a home office set up in Giles County, said when measurements are entered, computers can draw out a room and then print out cabinets needed and costs. It gives a perspective view of what the customer will get beforehand.
"Computerized design systems have been around for about five years, but they're just now catching on in this area," Dorman said. "It can be impersonal, but it's up to the designer to make it a tool that helps with arrangement."
Computerized design helps with storage by showing how much more you can get in a room. And since many cabinets have accessories that roll out or tilt out, there can be even more space utilized.
Dorman said that depending on what is needed, costs range from $1,700 to $35,000. The top price includes new appliances, as well as countertops, flooring, wood work, etc.
But what if you've just totally outgrown your home or apartment and have nowhere else to put stuff?
You may want to consider professionally run storage businesses, like Self-Storage in Blacksburg, an operation run by Mary and Loy Burch since 1980.
"This type of operation allows people to store seasonal items," said Mary Burch. "And we have 50 different sized units to choose from."
Burch said that Self-Storage provides closet-sized rooms up to rooms that are as big as a double garage. Prices vary from $21-per-month for a 4-by-5 room up to $100-per-month for a 12-by-40.
And security is important. At Self-Storage, not only do the owners live on the premises, but they have a chain-link fence and guard dogs.
"We always know what's going on around here," Burch said.
So don't despair. If you've accumulated so much stuff that you think it would be easier to move to a hut on a desolate island in the Caribbean, think again. All you need to do is to get to work on your room, garage or house. There IS a place for everything.
by CNB