For your wallet and your safety, be a smart shopper

Published 12:01 am Sunday, February 13, 2011

These days, smaller home projects are the rage and fancy projects have been moved to the very back page.

That’s right. According to the experts, and the long lines at hardware stores and home centers, Americans have decided to rekindle their relationships with their homes, but in a far more cost-effective way. The day of the $100,000 kitchen has all but vaporized.

More money is being directed toward practical and sensible improvements such as energy upgrades and other projects that can improve comfort and lifestyle while cutting costs. More steak and less sizzle is definitely the trend.

No matter what the project, greed and evil lurk in the shadows waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting consumer. Overpricing does exist. Today, one needs to do more than just get three bids.

Go to your computer search engine and study what’s available. Look for viable suggestions and solutions that will safely and cost effectively fulfill your needs. For example, there are companies that offer radiant blankets for the attic that save energy and improve comfort.

And we agree that radiant blankets placed atop attic insulation can save big energy bucks. What isn’t so palatable is the price that many of these companies charge. The contract price can total just over $2,500 for 2,000-square-foot attic. The do-it-yourself version: $250, 10 times cheaper.

Every now and then trends change. In one decade people want more rooms and cubbies. The next decade it’s open space. This is an open-space decade. Today’s trend is to “remove walls” to create the desired open space rather than spend big bucks on a room expansion.

But wall removal is more complex than one might imagine. Most contractors know that there are walls which hold the house up (load-bearing walls) and there are walls that don’t (nonbearing walls).

Many contractors will tell you that removing a nonbearing wall is OK. However, there is more to a wall than what it does or doesn’t hold up.

Some nonbearing walls shouldn’t be removed because they provide important strength to a home’s structural integrity. These walls are called “shear walls.” Shear walls prevent your home from falling over like a house of cards.

Less expensive and less experienced contractors may overlook shear walls, removing them because they don’t support anything.

Consult a structural engineer and have your plan evaluated by an expert before removing any wall. This doesn’t mean that a shear wall can’t be removed, only that if it is removed the shear must be relocated.

Be a wise shopper no matter what the economy. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a cheap price is the best price. We don’t want our homes falling down on us, do we?

For tips from James and Morris Carey, go to www.onthehouse.com or call the listener hot line, 800-737-2474, ext. 59. The Careys are also on KRKO (1380-AM) from 6 to 10 a.m. every Saturday.