Advantage Tips

Dress up that old fireplace

2012-01-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

If you have a traditional red brick fireplace. You can replace the bricks with a prefabricated stacked stone. It is siimple and dramatically changes the appearance. (Allied concrete has some great selections).

Keep it light

2011-12-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

Keep ceramic tile light color in smaller rooms. Use paint and vanities color to accent the room.

Tile locks you in for years so staying neutral and light in smaller rooms is wise.

You do not want to walk into a dungeon

2011-11-28T04:38:00.000-08:00

If at all possible open up the stairwell going down into a basement. The simples way to do this is to cut out a some area above the railing towards the bottom. This allows lights to flow into the stairwell which is so helpful. Another way is to add scones to the walls in the stairwell.

Ceramic for vinyl

2011-11-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

Ceramic tile to replace vinyl is an easy yet cost effective way to improve any room. You can get tile for as low as $1 a ft. If you putting it on concrete, with a little reading, you can probably do it yourself.

Crown Molding

2011-11-08T07:51:00.000-08:00

Crown molding is another very inexpensive way to dress up a dining room or for that matter any room. This can be done with either a one piece molding or 2 or 3 piece. The higher the ceiling the more pieces you can use. Paint it a brillians white to match your baseboards and this will allow you to bring some color into your room.

Molding sure helps

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Dress up your dining room with chair- rail molding. This goes nrmally about 3 ft up from the floor an allows a great break point for painting. The safest way to go is with white on the molding and below and a color that draws from your curtains.

Adding color to a room

2011-10-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

Most customers try to stay very conservative with paint colors, never knowing for sure how dark they can go. If you have alot of light coming into the room or bookshelves you can be a little risky.

If you not sure go one color lighter on the swatch and see how it looks. Adding an additonal coat one shade darker does not cost much. This will allow you to take the risk which can dramatically change the feel of a room.

Your not stuck with your old fireplace

2011-10-18T05:19:00.000-07:00

If you are tired of looking at that red brick fireplace you do have options. One very basic idea

is to paint it. Yes, with a quality paint designed for this you can paint it any color you want. It is hard to go wrong with white, it really brightens up any room. If you want to spend more, normally around 2-3 k, another option would be to re-face it. In short, remove your brick front or go on top of it with a tile or faux stone/ brick.

Finishes matter

2011-10-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Choosing your paint finish. It is is a room with alo0t of windows, you may want to soften the finish with Satin or even flat. Light (sun) tends to show every imperfection in your wall so use a less shiney finish. The trim can still be semi-gloss.

Its a partnership

2011-10-03T04:54:00.000-07:00

When hiring a contractor, make sure you think alike. It is important that you both have the same iidea/ goal of what the finished project should look and funtion like.

2 MIrrors may be better than 1

2011-09-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

If you have a vanity with 2 sinks in it( it sometimes referred to a his and her usually in master bath) and one large mirror above it go with two smaller mirrors looks great. Oval mirrors really look good. It goes without saying that new smaller light fixtures will be needed.

Sean Castorina

Update your plumbing fixtures

2011-09-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Not everyone can afford a complete bathroom re-do so start with just your fixtures. It is
amazing what brushed nickel or rubbed oil faucet and light fixtures can do.

If you see blue tape come out your in trouble!

2011-09-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Let me let you in on a secret. Professional painters rarily use blue tape. Profession painters
free hand all their cuts. If they had to use tape the job would take forever. Just for fun, ask whoever is doing your painting if they use painters tape. The instances that a pianter would use tape is when they are painting above tile or 2 colors next to each other. If you have a simple room being painted just ask if tape will be used, if so, you may want to pass.

In-Law Suites

2011-08-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

Least expensive way to add room

2011-03-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

A screen porch will be your favorite room on your house from April through October.
Easy to keep clean, since you do not have to dust or vacuum, it is basically a maintenance free room. With some inexpensive furniture outdoor furniture, wicker is cheap and looks great, you have an outdoor haven. It is great for entertaining and just reading a book. I keep a wicker table
that I have a couple books that I only read when I am outside.

Add some warnth and atmosphere

2011-01-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

Get some color on the walls! If your interior is still the builders grade white or antique white, it is time for some color. I am not saying every room, but some color can make a huge difference. Dining rooms need color, kitchens need color, master bedrooms need color. You need to have an atmosphere in these rooms. Color adds atmosphere and warmth.

Update your kitchen and bath floors

2010-12-05T04:53:00.000-08:00

If you have vinyl on either your bathroom or kitchen floors its time to bring things into the 2000's.
Ceramic Tile is very durable inexpensive way to bring new color into these rooms but also bring value. Ceramic tile is so cheap at Lowes and Home Depot there is no reason not to update.

Interior Designers are worth every penny

2010-11-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

I encourage clients to use a, interior designer when painting more than 3 rooms. Most clients
have no idea what really matches their furniture. A designer can pull everything together. In the end, for the small amount a designer cost for picking new colors or just confirming what you have already in mind, they are so helpful. At, Advantage Handyman Services, we have a staff designer. who assists our clients so the final project is always a home run.

Basment are the best return on dollar

2010-10-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

Basement finishing is without a doubt the best return on your money for a home improvement project. Where else can you get finished space for around 30$ square foot? With a little creativity you can add a theater, workout room, game area and endless storage in this space.

Make it look like you spent a furtune

2010-10-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how many time people will show me previous projects they have gotten done at their house. They will say we got this kitchen remodeled for 20k. I think to myself, it looks like you spent 20k. The goal should always be to spend 15k and make it look like you spent 20.

Sean Castorina
Owner

Kitchen makeover for under 4k

2010-10-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

Simple tips to a inexpensive kitchen makeover.
1. Paint cabinets white if they are old. Even million dollar houses do a lot of the kitchens in simple white cabinets.
2. Replace the counter tops with remnant granite.
3. New hardware on cabinets, brushed nickel , brushed copper
4. New sink to match cabinet hardware.
5. Buy a nice faucet, it will make it look you spend a lot on everything else.

Sean Castorina
Advantage Handyman Services

Easy way to add some extra space

2010-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how a screen porch, which you will use 7-8 months out of the year, can add some great space to your home. It is a great good to eat, relax and read in. There is just something about being outside, without the sun beating down on you that is refreshing. A wicker sofa on such a porch creates the perfect reading area. Add a colorful plant on a table and it will be where you want to eat dinner.

Facelift

2010-08-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

A simple front porch can give a house a total makeover. It gives the house a focal point.
I see so many houses that just need some thing going on in front. Most older houses could surely use a front porch. I find that even a small porch 6 feet wide by 6 feet deep can be dramatic.
A suggest gable on the front (a roof) to match your existing house pitch. Use a columns with some character and a whole new look is the outcome.

Open up the stairway

2010-08-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

A simple, but one of my favorite basement ideas. When you are coming down the stairs to the basement, open up the wall. Above the banister cut out a triangle that flows with the natural opening. This allows you to look into the basement from the stairs. It is amazing how much light this ads. Stairways ae normally too dark going to a basement.

Storage is a must when finishing basement

2010-08-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

There is never enough storage in a home it seems. When finishing your basement be very smart about storage. You can create storage spaces in many please. It is common to have calls that may recess under a fireplace that is on the floor above. These are great spaces for shelves. Finishing under stairs can be a great way to store toys or christmas decorations. It saving money not finishing a few hundred feet can save a lot of money, No carpet, electric, drywall, etc. Take a 10
by 10 foot areas and designate if for storage. It only take one wall and a door. It is also easy to build loft within this room to hold seasonal clothing, etc.

Its like a marriage

2010-08-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

When choosing a contractor to do a project that will take more than 4 weeks choose someone you like. May sound simple even funny, but you need someone your comfortable talking to, trust and just like.
Projects are stressful and having someone doing the job or managing it that you like makes things better.

Inexpensive bathroom makeover

2010-08-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

The lease expensive way to change the look of your bath is to change out old chrome fixtures for brushed nickel. Keep you vanity but paint it or re-stain it. It is also amazing how cheap granite counter top can be. If you have a small vanity it is not hard to get a piece of remnant granite. Also, if you have outdated tile color in your bath, they can be painted. These are all simple and pretty inexpensive.

Painting

2010-07-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you have a home built before 1978 consider the possibility that you home may contain lead.
It is very possible. Choose a company with an EPA Cerftifed Renovators certification. This company is trained to identfiy, contain and dispose of lead if found. If not, the containment practices used will keep the mess to a minimum.

Interior painting

2010-07-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

If you are planning on getting the interior of your house painted. Hire painters that specialize in interior painting. May sound crazy, but outside painting is not even close to inside painting. Inside painting requires the ability to "cut in". This means having straight paint lines from the ceiling to the walls. Being able to run straight lines from moldings. It also requires being aware of the homeowner. Loud workers who leave a mess each day will grow old quick. Quick tip, great painters will not use tape.

Exterior Painting

2010-07-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

As the owner of Advantage Handyman Services, I constantly hear customers say they get cheap estimates to paint the exterior of their home. I tell them "unless you are going to sit in a lawn chair and wathc them, you don't know what your getting". There are too many short cuts that can be taken on a paint job. We always caulk, sand and prime needed areas. Also, if a company does not have a carpenter on staff, be careful. When this company find wood rot, which is common, they are just going to paint over it. We send a carpenter to the job to perform any wood rot replacement before the paint job if finished. You Get What You Pay For, Trust ME!

Bathroom Remodeling

2010-01-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

Bathroom remodels are not near as expensive as you may think. If your bathroom is over 10 years old and has had no attention, its time.. Some easy fixes. Swam that vinyl floor for some ceramic tile. Second. lets update that tub with a higher one with some character. Lets put a ceramic tile surrounding the tub. You can just add a new top to that vanity and it will make a huge difference. Updating all your fixtures is also an easy way to make big improvement on a dime. Advantage Handyman Services 434-817-7222