Q. Should I make it one open space that a buyer could use as a gym or game room, or make a closed-off bedroom and make the rest of the space as a living area? The basement has a separate half-bath and a walkout to the backyard. Thank you in advance

A. Check houses in your area. They will be your competition when it comes to selling. Also a real estate sales person can tell you the trends in your area. A half bath suggests a leisure space or maybe a guest room to me.

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Q. I am asking for any creative and inexpensive ideas for remodeling our basement bathroom. Its a small 8'x9' full bath that I want to make feel like the infamous Playboy mansion grotto, without all the craziness. Please help! Thanks!!!

A. If you have a company in your area that sells styrafoam 4x8s for home walls--they are several inches thick--get a few and cut cavelike stalagmites and stalagmites. Foam is usually blue unfortunately. You will probably have to glue it to the walls but use a minimum of construction glue--just enough to hold it--like liquid nails. Then paint it with art gesso or a stucco paint. For a final application of color, use several shades of greys or tans. You can cut the foam with a foam saw or ask what is recommended. I used a sharp electric knife and a saw. You can also gouge out veins and crannies with scoops etc. if you just have large pieces in places. I did this for an exhibit and it worked pretty well.

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Q. My husband and I are planning to have our basement remodeled. Its a medium sized room and we will have a half bath and closet installed. How long does it usually take to have all this done?

A. My brother-in-law renovated his entire house (by himself) in 8 months. He pretty much gutted the entire thing and started from scratch. For one large room and adding a half bath and closet done by professionals, I would say less than 3 months. I would get some time and price quotes from various contractors. You could average the time they give you, but they usually underestimate the actual remodeling.

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Q. My family owns a business that sells kitchen and bath cabinets. Any ideas on way's to advertise and make it grow effectively? It's not that we are small, but obviously you always want more? any suggestions will me read. thanks for the help. If you are in the kitchen/bath business please let me know what did or did not work for you. Thanks for the help!

A. You are kidding right? Have ya heard? We are in the worse depression since 1928 and the economy still continues to deteriorate. I can promise you that the last thing on peoples minds now is spending a wad of money on a new kitchen. They dont know when they too will be layed off. Besides everyone knows homes are depreaciating at a rapid pace. Why dump $20 grand into an asset that is losing value faster then this country is losing jobs. Any child knows better then that. Even the wealthy stopped spending money on their homes but this is the only market worth going after because some still are spending, just being more careful. The economy is choosing what cabinet to buy, not the customer. Those who walk into my showroom make a beeline for the pretty cherry but end up buying the less costly oak. As little as 3 years ago I had 3 to 5 people per week coming in with a $25,000 kitchen budget. Today once a month some one walks in with a broken drawer box they need replaced. The best part is when they walk in with a stack of bids 5" thick and ask you for another one. New home starts across America stands just about at zero. Now to answer your question with a wish and a prayer. Advertising in newpapers or magazines is a waste of money. The consumer is numb from ads that bombard them every day. Most saying the same old crap. Lowest prices of the year. Best sale yet. Compare and save. Free installation...and on and on. Another waste of money are those contractor referral services. You pay for so called qualified leads. But only one in 100 ever call you back. Most of us honestly believe the Bob Vila and Service Master referral services have hundreds of fake phone numbers to sell leads with. Out of about 40 leads so far that we paid $25 each for, we got 2 small jobs from them. The one thing that does work is very expensive. It's called google optimization. It cost us $1500. What it does is anyone searching key words will get YOUR business web site as the very first listing on google. Google already knows where the searcher lives. If they simply type "cabinets" into the google search bar, YOUR company will come up because google knows the searcher lives in Anytown,USA so it will find Anytown Cabinet company. My friend all you can do is sit and wait. I just hope you are living off the fat from the good days. But for most of us, the fat is decomposing quickly. I been in in this biz for 29 years and I still stand. But perhaps 70% of everyone I knew in the cabinet biz has moved on to something else. It is not good out there and I see little hope of any improvement in the housing market as well as the economy for a very very long time. Of course that is not what this govt says when they try to pull the wool over we the peasants heads. They are liars, criminals and crooks. I am honest and truthful with nothing to gain by being honest and truthful. I wish you luck. I really do.

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Q. They remodel bathrooms by inserting a full bathtub acrylic finish ceiling to floor. I think they call themselves bath magic. How much would they charge for a standard bathtub? I am looking for a ballpark figure.

A. The company is called Bain Magique in French and Bath Fitter in English. Bath Fitter products are custom made for each individual bathroom so we offer free in-home estimates with no obligation. There are many different styles and shapes of tubs and we need to identify exactly the model in a home and match it to one of our more than 700 molds. Our products are made of high-gloss, high impact acrylic, the same material used in high-end spas. We offer a Lifetime Warranty. Our prices depend on a variety of factors and begin at $1,100. Please visit the www.bathfitter.com to design you own bathroom and/or find a location near you. You can also call the 1-800-892-2847 or email me at jpatry@bathfitter.com.

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Q. Is tile best even if the bathroom is small?

A.

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Q. What type of floor do you have in your bathroom? I have a really small bathroom!

A. Now, I know my answer isn't in your question; but you should consider it. For a small bathroom you should consider cork flooring. Not only is it a natural renewable resource, which helps you have a greener home, it's great for use in both bathrooms and kitchens. Cork flooring is obviously made of cork, which naturally contains suberin which is a waxy substance that repels both pests, moisture, mold and mildew. It also would give a wood-type appear in your bathroom which would give it that extra decor look. Since it's a smaller bathroom the cost difference won't be much at all. Hopefully you can throw this into your mix of possibilities. As with your main question; ceramic is the best since you'll have the possibilities of moisture and water issues.

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Q. The ones I have found so far are either too complicated...I don't need an inch by inch grid, or just too limited in choices. I very much appreciate your respectful, dignified answer to my question AND the valuable site information. Thank you!

A. Am I understand you correctly? You like pictures? Sample Plans? Virtual remodeling sites while impressive - often do little in actually helping a homeowner understand what they want other than leading them to an interior kitchen designer along with passing on wild ideas. Try these simple websites. Kitchen Planing Pictures http://www.brandsconstruction.com/CopperminePhotos/index.php Bathroom Designs http://www.homeplansforfree.com/Free-Bathroom-Floor-Plan-Design-Layout-Pictures/index.php Detailed details sound like they are too much for you - still for happiness when the project is complete - Understanding your goals now really is very important! New Kitchens 101: Free Kitchen Planning Lessons http://www.brandsconstruction.com/Blogb2/blog5.php Wishing you the Best!

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