Author: handy_command

The lights are off, you’re all set for bed, it’s at a decent hour so you know you’re going to get plenty of rest, and you’re on the verge of falling asleep when you hear something else falling. The tiniest drop of water hitting the sink, a sound that is now impossible to unhear. Leaky plumbing is a definite nuisance, but it goes much deeper than just being a disruption to your sleep schedule.

Handyman at Your Command knows that fixing a leak can save you in so many ways. Take a look at the benefits you’ll encounter from fixing that leak, and call us to take care of it for you!

1. It Saves Water

It makes sense that stopping a leak in its tracks will save water. Just how much water could possibly be saved from a couple drops, anyways?

As it turns out, quite a bit. According to the EPA, “The average household’s leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year and ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day.” Even if you don’t realize it, your home might very well be in the ten percent of homes that are huge water wasters. As one of our most precious commodities, fixing that leak sooner rather than later is one of the most environmentally conscious things you can do.

2. It Saves You Money

Would you rather spend $20 on seeing movies, grabbing food with friends, or lose it to a leaky faucet? A seemingly miniscule, slow drip can cost about $20 a year. Other reports show that fixing a leak can save you 10 percent of your annual water bill. That might not seem like a ton of money, but who would want to lose $20 to something like a leaky faucet? For more significant or faster leaks, the price can increase anywhere from $60 to $200 a year. Leaks are, simply put, money going down the drain. Call us at Handyman at Your Command to get that leak taken care of ASAP, and start saving money!

3. It Saves You a Headache

We’ve all heard that familiar drip… drip… drip… and we know how annoying it can be. The sound of water plinking every few seconds is practically enough to drive someone mad. Not only is a leak irritating from the constant, repetitive noise it makes, the source of irritation comes from knowing that water and money are both being wasted. Don’t delay any further, contact a handyman to fix your leaky plumbing!

4. It Saves You From Further Damage

We’ve all seen sinks with the rust-colored stain in the sink basin, and it’s not exactly a pretty sight. Unchecked leaks mean that water is consistently hitting the same spot, and the minerals within water are compromising the surface of the sink. Fixing a leak will cost you so much less than replacing a sink or sink basin, partially because it’s a preventative measure instead of a reactive one.

Additionally, if water is leaking onto your laminate or hardwood floor, this will cause damage to the flooring, which can be such a pain to fix. Laminate flooring, for example, does not do well with water, and water damage can often lead to needing the entire surface to be replaced.

Dripping water doesn’t necessarily seem like it will have a substantial  impact, but even events in nature point to how water can cause insane amounts of change over time. Stalactites, found in caves, for example, are massive structures that are entirely caused from the dripping of water. Erosion from water has shaped some of the most powerful landscapes on Earth, including the Grand Canyon. Never underestimate the power of water!

Leaks seem small, but they pack a pretty big punch. Don’t wait for the water to be wasted, your money down the drain, the headaches leaks can cause, or the impending damage that can happen. The moment you notice a leak is the moment to call Handyman at Your Command. We are your Top Rated Local® Handyman Service serving the Bethesda, Maryland area, and we are happy to help. Schedule an appointment with us today!

Unless you are backpacking through the wilderness or living off the grid in a cabin somewhere, you and everyone else uses electricity almost every day of the year (even reading this, you’re consuming electricity). We use electricity so frequently, it’s such a part of our daily lives, that we often forget about any of the harm it can cause. Yet the facts remain that electricity can be extremely dangerous, assuredly so for the inexperienced or amateur electrical workers, but even for professionals as well.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports on some of the hazards of construction and electrical work. The “Fatal Four” refers to four categories that account for more than half of the deaths that occur in construction each year: Falls, Struck by Object, Caught-in/between, and Electrocutions. As OSHA states, “Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 602 workers’ lives in America every year.”

If these electrical dangers affect the lives of experienced construction and electrical workers, the lesson to take away is that when your home needs electrical repairs, call a handyman. Take a look at our list of signs that your home is in need of electrical work, and give Handyman at Your Command a call to safely handle your electrical needs.

Electrical Sockets and Switches

If something isn’t working with your socket, you’ll realize it pretty quickly. Here are a couple of tests you can safely use to double check if your socket is working:

• Make sure electricity is running to the socket. In some homes, a switch is required to bring electricity to that particular outlet. Check to see if this is the case first.
• Try plugging in an electrical device that you know is in working condition (like a phone charger, for example). If plugging the working device into the questionable socket has no effect on the device, this is a sign that something might be up.

This sign of a socket not working is assuming that the socket looks normal. If you see corrosion, discoloring, or any other physical evidence that the socket is not in an ideal condition, it probably is time to replace the socket.

Sometimes, damage can happen to light switches as well. Installing a new switch can sometimes be a bit tricky, especially if you know very little about electrical work. Handyman at Your Command is a solid choice for fixing light switches in your home. Working with an electrical handyman is a great resource to ensure your home has electricity in a safe manner.

Ceiling Fans

With warmer weather here to stay for the next few months, having a properly working ceiling fan is practically a necessity. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, Handyman at Your Command knows how humid the east coast can get. Let us help alleviate the heat by installing a ceiling fan for you!

Fans can be a bit tricky, considering they involve installing a light fixture as well as the fan itself. Save yourself the time and the potential danger of electrical work, and contact your local electrical handyman to set you up for summer and beyond.

Watch lightning during a thunderstorm, or experience even the smallest jolt of voltage, and you know that electricity is pretty powerful stuff. We are so lucky to have the access to electricity that we have, and we want to be able to use it in a safe and secure manner. If your home is experiencing some of the signs that electrical repair is needed, give Handyman at Your Command a call to provide the help you need. Contact us for your electrical needs today!

We get it. Your home is your castle. And you want the best abode in the neighborhood. That’s why you’re thinking about home improvement in the first place. Renovations are an excellent way to make your home your own, and they can add value to your property. That said, some “upgrades” simply don’t add value to your property.

Think about it: Would you want to buy a property with four acres of grass? Most folks won’t since that’ll require a lot of maintenance, or a complete landscaping makeover. Would you buy a home with a six-car garage? Probably not (we’re only assuming on this one… you may be a car collector after all).

 

In short, there are renovations and home improvements that add value to your home, and then there are changes which may actually deter potential homebuyers, should you choose to sell your property in the future. Today, we’re going to take some time to outline a few of those changes which may actually be detrimental to the value of your home. Here are some of the most common, yet generally unnecessary home improvements that you may want to reconsider:

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Scrapping a Bedroom

If you’re thinking about transforming a bedroom in your home into a different space, think twice. You may not want to turn that fourth bedroom into an office just yet. Families look for homes with the right amount of bedrooms, and they tend to care less about the extra spaces and additions in the homes that they’re perusing. So, you could lose money if you transform a bedroom into an office, or worse, if you turn that bedroom into a massive walk-in closet for your master bedroom.

If you do opt to transform a bedroom into an office, keep it simple, and be sure that it can double as a bedroom when you put your home on the market. Just roll in some office furniture and cabinets, you don’t have to start tearing down walls.

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Overzealous Landscaping

Good landscaping does improve home value — in fact, a picturesque landscape boosts your home’s curb appeal, which may help you to find a buyer when the time comes. However, you don’t want to pour too much cash into the landscape; it’s likely you won’t get that money back when you sell. Keep outdoor renovations simple, and keep the total cost of a landscaping or outdoor living space overhaul to 10 percent of the total cost of the home (or less).

Now, if you’re the ultimate barbecue buff, maybe it’ll be worth it to build in a hardscaped patio, complete with an exterior kitchen. Perhaps your passion for the outdoors extends beyond the wallet. Then go ahead, put in those granite countertops, and add that wood-fired oven. Just don’t plan on getting all of those dollars back when your home is on the market.

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Digging a Pool

Putting a pool in the back yard may be more costly than you might think, and you won’t recoup those dollars when you sell. Pools are especially over the top here in Maryland, and they require thousands of dollars in maintenance and heating costs. Your home’s next owners likely won’t cherish those hefty bills. Refrain from installing a pool. Consider a non-permanent spa if you’re really connected to water activities.

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An Excessive Basement

Your basement should match the rest of your home, in both aesthetic, usefulness, and cost. Don’t spend too much money creating the ultimate entertainment room or mancave.

Now, upgrading your basement is a good idea! Consider finishing an unfinished basement with a couple bedrooms and a bathroom remodel. Just be wary that building a full-service bar may be overly costly. Remember, if your basement is the best space in your home, then you may be tossing dollars out the window.

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Built-In Home Theaters

Nearly every home in America has a TV in it, sure. But it may be unnecessary to install a theater system, surround sound system, and custom cabinetry for all of your electronics. Why? Well, technology changes. Any permanent theater and entertainment upgrades that you install may be out of fashion in a matter of months — think about those homes with awkward spaces to hold those massive projection style televisions. Those homeowners are now stuck with a big hole in their wall or cabinet, and a thin flat screen.

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Adding an Aquarium

While you may be passionate about fish, not every homeowner shares the same passion for fanciful cold-blooded vertebrates. An aquarium may look great, and sure, it’s a killer icebreaker, but your home’s next owner may not know a thing about angelfish, and they won’t want to keep the empty tank that’s dividing the living room and kitchen.

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Unique Spaces

Considering installing a custom putting green, complete with faux-grass in your basement? Or perhaps you’d like to install a climbing wall in the living room. Make sure these additions aren’t permanent, or consider spending your cash on a golf or gym membership. If you’re considering a truly unique space, just remember that homebuyers out there often don’t have the same taste.

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Don’t DIY

Regardless of the home improvements that you do decide to do, be sure to hire a professional. As USA Today points out in their article, the quality of a renovation is as important as the purpose of the renovation (if not moreso). Erica Rawes, the author, notes:

“Quality construction is essential in any home renovation.” She continues, stating, “If you hire a contractor, make sure you hire someone you can trust. If you are unfamiliar with the business, this may require a bit of homework. Conduct research, read reviews, and ask around until you find someone with an excellent reputation.”

Those are words that we can stand behind here at Handyman at Your Command. As your Top Rated Local® handyman contractor company, we strive to provide excellent, professional home improvement services. We believe that our reviews speak for themselves. If you live here in Bethesda or the surrounding area, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you’re curious about our home improvement services, and don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment right here online!

What do you feel when you walk into your bathroom? Most bathroom-related-emotions can be divided into three categories:

• Vaguely disgusted. You walk in and everything feels a little bit grimy, even if you just scrubbed it all down. It might be down to outdated and old fixtures that still look dirty no matter how much you clean them or old tiles and flooring that have seen better days.
• Neutrally uninspired. Maybe your bathroom doesn’t create any emotions in you. It’s just a room where you go to do your business and get out as quickly as possible. The white-on-white-on-white color scheme is neither offensive or inspiring.
• Blissful. When you walk into your bathroom, you feel like you’ve been swept away to a distant, exotic spa. Everything looks great, smells wonderful, and you keep thinking of more tasks you can do in the bathroom because it’s your favorite room in the house.

Your bathroom probably falls somewhere within these three categories. If it’s the last one, congratulations! This probably isn’t the article for you. But if your bathroom is one of the first two, it’s time to consider undergoing a bathroom remodel in your Bethesda home (and if your bathroom falls into that first category, you need to skip the rest of this article and call us now!). There are a number of benefits to remodeling your bathroom, and we’ve seen them all over the years. Here are the three biggest benefits you could experience once our team is done with the remodeling work in your bathroom!

Why You Should Remodel Your Bathroom

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Help reduce your stress level.

It’s true: remodeling your bathroom could actually help lower your stress level. The fact is you spend a lot of time in your bathroom over the course of your life. On average, people spend about a year and a half over their lifetime in the bathroom; more if you take long showers or do your makeup in there. If you are going to spend that much time in one place, it might as well be a good place to spend it. Spending that amount of time in a pleasant environment could actually help reduce your stress levels, too. Imagine walking into a spa-like oasis first thing in the morning. It’s a much nicer way to start your day, standing under a rain shower head and walking across heated tiles, than suffering through your current cramped set-up. It’s a lot less stressful when you have all of the storage that you need and aren’t fighting a cramped and dirty countertop for space. Having a mini-retreat within your home where you can relax, unwind, and let the stresses of everyday life melt away can have a big benefit on your well-being. Plus, if you are getting the spa experience at home, that could help relieve the stress on your wallet, too!

Bathroom remodeling ideas that could help reduce your stress:

• Waterfall shower heads
• Walk-in shower
• Heated bathroom floor tiles
• Dimmable lighting
• Soaking tub

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Create a bathroom that works for your family.

Does your current bathroom work for all of the members of your household? Remodeling your bathroom ensures you are getting a bathroom that meets the needs of your family instead of trying to make do with something that’s less-than-ideal. Remodeling your bathroom doesn’t always have to mean you turn it into a spa, after all. Sometimes it means that you are adding more storage for towels and bath toys. Or maybe you are taking out the bath and adding a walk-in shower to meet the needs of aging household members. Or perhaps you don’t have a tub and you need to put one in for the littlest members of your household. Bathrooms are deeply personal spaces and they should be designed to help every member of your family, with the facilities and storage that you all need. Remodeling your current space can give you all of that and more. An experienced contractor can give you even more ideas about improvements that could be made to make the space more functional for your family.

Bathroom remodeling ideas that could work for your family:

• Storage cabinets that maximize the available space
• In-shower storage built into the wall
• Bathtub for children
• Walk-in showers for seniors
• Separate toilet cubicles for busy households

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Increase the value of your home.

This is probably the biggest benefit of them all. Having your bathroom renovated could actually end up making you money in the long run. That’s because bathroom upgrades can increase the equity of your house by a lot. It’s one of the most profitable things you can do to increase the value of your home, actually, along with kitchen remodeling. How much value it adds to your home will depend on what you do to the bathroom and the finished look. If adding value is your main goal, then you can work with an experienced handyman to find ways to save on the costs of the fixtures and the work in order to maximize your return. In some circumstances, the value that’s added to the equity of your home can actually be more than what you paid for the remodeling work itself; in most circumstances, though, you can expect to add around 60-70% of the cost of the remodel to the value of your home. So, if you spend $10,000 remodeling your bathroom, on average you can expect to add $6500 to your home’s value. If you really want to maximize the value of your home, find space for an additional bathroom. It can add an average of $20,000 to the value of your home.

Bathroom remodeling ideas that could increase the value of your home:

• New flooring
• New paint or tile
• Upgraded fixtures (toilet, shower, sink)
• New lighting fixtures

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Ready to Start the Remodeling Process?

Those benefits won’t mean much if you don’t have a contractor you can trust with your remodeling project. That’s why you’ll want to contact Handyman at Your Command. We work in and around the Bethesda area, providing contracting services to clients who need a trusted, experienced, and reliable handyman to help them around the house. Our bathroom remodeling services include:

• Installing new countertops
• Installing new vanities
• Repairing and replacing the toilet
• Replacing tubs and shower surrounds
• and much more!

We’d love to talk to you about your bathroom remodeling project. We can tell you more about our services and how we can help, as well as provide you with an estimate on the work. Give us a call or request an appointment with a member of our team to review your project through our website. We’re looking forward to working with you on your bathroom remodeling project or anything else that needs to be done around your home!

Remodeling any aspect of your home takes work, way more than you probably realize. Though it is a great decision to remodel your home, a lot more goes into seeing it completed successfully than just putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Bathroom remodels especially, have been known to increase the value of your home in many ways. By making the guest bathroom welcoming and inviting, you are not only giving your guests a feeling of belonging, but also potential buyers. The only issue with bathroom remodeling is if it is done poorly, it is very noticeable and can actually hurt the value of your home.
It is not your fault to think that home improvement would seem easier than it actually is. Television channels such as HGTV is notorious for having professionals from shows like Flip or Flop and Fixer Upper, make every renovation look simple and easy. In actuality, a project such as a bathroom remodel takes time, money, and effort. When you are working five days a week, odds are, you won’t likely see the renovations completed until months after initially starting. This can be problematic for homes that only have one bathroom or have multiple members in a family. Bathrooms are one of the most important rooms in a home, so a remodel should never be taken lightly.
Remodeling a bathroom should be a serious project, which means you need to plan, plan, and then plan some more. If you make any mistakes, you will likely be living with them for the rest of your time in your current home. The following blog is a list of all the factors you must plan out before beginning your renovation project.

Layout

Laying out what you would like in your new bathroom is extremely important, otherwise you will not know the new dimensions you will need. It is essential to draft your newly-renovated bathroom as maneuverable and comfortable as possible. This means, that you need to model your bathroom with as much space as possible. Nothing is worse than building out your bathroom, only to find out that you installed the toilet too close to the door. Drawing up reliable plan is so important to the remodeling process, in order to ensure you get the bathroom you want at the end of the project.
Aside from planning, measuring out distance is also really important. For example, you never want to build the shower too close to your toilet. Why? No matter if you decide to create the shower with glass or a shower curtain, water will find its way out of the shower. If you build the toilet too close to the shower, water will collect and form a hard-to-reach pocket that will be difficult to clean.
When planning out your bathroom you will also want to make sure you have created enough space for storage, such as towels and toiletries. By providing an easy-to-reach access to these types of items, you will never be caught off guard and ask your relatives for a towel while you drip-dry.

Location

In many instances, remodels don’t typically mean a bathroom removal, so if you have a bathroom in an odd place in your house, there isn’t a ton you can do. You can hire a specialty plumber and relocate your bathroom to another room, but the steps to complete a task like that are long, difficult, and expensive. If your bathroom is in a place that is less than desirable — say near your bedroom — there are ways to fix the problem. When remodeling your bathroom, you can always install an exhaust fan. This is helpful in two distinct ways; one, an exhaust fan helps create a white-noise that will help drown out activity in the bathroom. Second, bathroom exhaust fans help control odors in the bathroom. You and the people you live with will appreciate your new remodeling choice, as it will significantly improve the overall smells in your home.

Materials

Remodels are exciting because it generally means you can switch out your previous bathroom materials. Over time, bathrooms can collect moisture that gradually deteriorates certain materials. Also, after years of water damage and build up, some countertop materials collect damages and mold.
Flooring for example, you never want to install carpet. Carpet collects both water and natural grime. If your old bathroom is fashioned with carpet, updating your bathroom is of extreme benefit to you; and if you are considering installing a carpet floor, it is best if you reconsider.
Tile and marble have so far proven the most durable and long-lasting materials for bathroom renovations. Though white tile is not recommended for counter spaces, darker colored tiles work well in bathrooms. The only downside with tile and marble is that they tend to be cold to the touch and slippery when wet.
Laminate flooring is a good choice in most situations, however, manufacturers still have yet to invent a waterproof laminate floor — not without a lack of trying.

Theme

An exciting factor of planning your bathroom remodel is choosing your new bathroom theme or aesthetic. Every good, well-thought-out bathroom has some kind of overarching theme to tie in the colors and fixtures you decide to go with. When planning a bathroom theme, most people choose to decorate with a sea or ocean-theme. This type of theme generally concerns colors such as blue, white, and browns. No matter if you want to keep your current bathroom theme, you will have to repaint your bathroom. When you remodel, you will likely have to destroy or remove old fixtures that will scratch up or chip your bathroom’s current paint job. If you want to paint your bathroom, hiring a professional painter is always a good decision. Paint can be staining and if you are not careful, you can end up spilling paint on your brand new floors and fixtures. By hiring a professional, you take the stress out of your life and guarantee yourself a gorgeous paint job in your new bathroom.

Plumbing

Plumbing will always be the most challenging factor of a bathroom remodel. Of all home renovations, adjusting new remodels to plumbing can be difficult and frustrating. Often remodels will include new sink fixtures and sink bowls. New fixtures take time to understand, which if you are trying to complete your remodel yourself, the whole process can be too complicated to ever fully comprehend. By hiring a local plumber, you can significantly lower your stress levels and make sure your fixtures are installed perfectly.

If you believe that your bathroom remodeling project will be an intense challenge for you, hire a handyman that can help you achieve your renovation wishes. If you live in the Beltsville area, Handyman @ Your Command is here to help you with all your bathroom renovation needs. Contact us today!