You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that home renovation can be a major undertaking. Nor do you have to send NASA all those calculations, presumptions and conclusions in order to buckle in for the thrill ride of home repair. But how easy is it to ensure that your project is less house of horrors and more tunnel of love?

WHERE TO START
According to the 2005 Cost vs. Value Report midrange bathroom improvements of about $10,500 yielded a national average 102.2% return on investment (ROI). The same report also noted that kitchen upgrades classified as “minor” (costing around $14,900) offered a 98.5% return while “upscale” improvements averaging $81,552 only offered a 84.8% recoup of investment. This proves that how you spend your money will be largely dictated by where you spend your money when improving your home.

Living in the Lowcountry, residents learn to adapt to the various kinds of pests invading yards and homes. Although these pests are sometimes unavoidable, keeping them under control is essential to enjoying our area. Fire ants, termites, and the infamous Palmetto Bug are pests commonly found in the Lowcountry. Most homeowners can tell you how fire ants once took over their backyards or how Palmetto Bugs always seem to find their way indoors. Knowledge of pest control options and prevention are essential in keeping your home free of creepy crawlies. 

There’s so much to think about when choosing a fireplace for your home. Would you prefer a gas burning, wood burning or electric fireplace? What type of mantel would best accent your home? What kind of accessories will you want for your fireplace?

Fireplaces not only keep us warm; they add a certain feel to the home. They remind us of sitting around a warm fire sharing good conversation with friends, cuddling up to loved ones, sipping a cup of hot chocolate or enjoying a romantic evening with that special someone.

Fireplaces should be the focal point of a room. What do you want to convey to your guests about your home and who you are? Is a Victorian style fireplace your style, or would a more modern electric fireplace be more fitting for your home? There are fireplaces made of stone, metal and brick. There are even two-way and three-way fireplaces found in upscale homes.

Winter is here. You’re cold, bored and sick of looking at the same old walls. It’s time for a change before cabin fever sets in. But what if you don’t have time for a vacation or money for a new home? Are you doomed to psychosis? No. You just need to think inside the box.

Investing in home improvements is one of the wisest decisions a homeowner can make. And one, if done correctly, that will not only increase the value of your home but offer nearly a one hundred percent return on investment (ROI). It’s all about moderation.

According to the 2005 Cost v. Value Report, midrange bathroom improvements of about $10,500 yielded a national average 102.2% ROI. Kitchen upgrades that were classified as “minor” and cost around $14,900 offered a 98.5% return while “upscale” improvements averaging $81,552 only offered a 84.8% recoup of investment. The point being that you don’t have to break the bank to improve your digs in an aesthetic, as well as cost effective, manner.

Technology touches almost every aspect of modern life. It helps people communicate, work and get around. Many people revel in the way technology makes life easier and more fun. New gadgets hit stores every day and technology is constantly outdoing itself. But technology plays an important role in daily life far beyond your computer and cell phone.

Although you may not give it a second thought, the technology used to build your home makes it more beautiful and durable. It helps keep your family and belongings safe, and saves you money. Technological advances play a big role in the durability of your home, the size of your electric bill and how well it can weather a major storm.

Does your home workout room consist of a treadmill in the corner and dumbbells collecting dust under the bed? If you’re tired of spending hundreds of dollars on gym memberships, create a luxurious home fitness center from top to bottom right at home.

LET'S GET WARMED UP!
First you must decide which room will be best for your fitness center. If you’re an empty nester, turn a child’s bedroom into a fitness room. Do you have a room that gets little use? Consider a rec room, guest room, office or garage. If your budget allows it, adding onto your home can give you limitless possibilities.

Think about how to best use your room. Plan the room around your workout routine. You can divide the room into sections. For example, make an area specifically for cardio with a separate area for a weight bench and free weights. Do you want a special section devoted to Pilates or yoga? One part of the room can have an area for floor mats and exercise balls. You might want to include an area for relaxing after your workout with plush chairs and a chaise lounge.

What is your budget? If you are building a home gym, consider luxurious add-ons like a eucalyptus steam room, sauna, massage room, etc. Many home gyms are accompanied with in home spas. A tanning room could complete the gym, especially if you’re spending hundreds of dollars at tanning salons.

When building a home gym, hire a contractor, decorator and personal trainer to help you create the ideal gym devoted to your specific needs.

How times have changed! The home office of yesterday was all about physical forms like furniture, location, arrangements, ergonomics, etc. In fact, many of the work-from-home magazines are still featuring these subjects. But according to technology consultant Raymond Wenig, today the high-tech focus is on functions, operations, services, access, sharing, deliveries and protection.

Ray, an MIT graduate and founder of the Lowcountry Technology Alliance, sees the future trending toward portable devices with selectable services and auto-adaptable features. He further sees the home office becoming a “virtual office,” enabling the user to go anywhere while still maintaining access and connectivity, with a set of services always available including multi-media communications, task management, idea logging and time management.

The future is also leading toward a mixed use of broadband (high speed) wired and wireless connectivity with fiber to the fixed locations and wireless for mobility. A host of information processes are becoming available to the home/virtual office, such as on-line banking, electronic bill paying, vacation and travel planning, work team collaboration and social networking.

Letters to the editor notwithstanding, (and yes, traffic is frustrating, and worse), Hilton Head Island is still an extraordinarily nice place in which to live. Compared to many cities and towns across the nation, local endeavors to keep it attractive are far superior and one doesn’t have to travel far to appreciate it. The point being that a great deal of work is ongoing to make our public spaces not just livable, but extraordinarily appealing. And this is for everyone – not just plantation dwellers. While money spent for public beautification is not chiefly done for gain, it inevitably achieves positive results in the lives of its inhabitants. 

Much has been made, justifiably, of the entrance planting to various residential plantations, including a contest for the most attractive. All of them are very well designed and maintained and are a beautiful part of the environment. But though visible to all from the highway, they are private landscapes, installed to enhance the reputation of the plantation. However, many public spaces on Hilton Head deserving of attention and praise go too often unsung and taken for granted. Only open your eyes to the beauty we are treated to daily and forget, if but for a calming moment, the traffic aggravation on Highway 278.

One of the hallmarks of coastal chic is the marriage of rustic charm with breathtaking color schemes. But what to do when you’ve found that perfect piece to fit your home but the color is all wrong?

One cheap and easy way to achieve the coastal chic look is through spray paint, according to design expert, author and do-it-yourself television personality Kathy Peterson.

“When it comes to experimenting with color and style, spray paint is to decorating what speed-dating is to relationships,” Peterson says. “You can get great results without a big commitment of time or money.” Love the color? Keep it and build on it with flower arrangements, pillows, throws and other accessories. Was your color fling just a flirtation? No problem. With today’s trendy spray paint color palettes, it’s easy to find love with another color the second time around. To achieve that coastal chic look on furniture from chairs to nightstands, find paint in a pure white tone or highlight with soothing pastels. You can even find an earth tone and distress it yourself for that ‘lived in’ look.

You’ve fallen in love with Hilton Head’s famous beaches, perfect weather, Southern charm and gorgeous homes. You’ve finally found the perfect island oasis in the place and for the right price. You’ve decided to rent your property when you’re not using it, but you’ve heard the risks of renting and that little voice in the back of your head is making you hesitant to take the plunge. What if you knew a way to make sure your home stayed in pristine condition from anywhere in the country? What if you knew an expert who could help market your home to interested renters? By enlisting the help of a property management company, you do.

In the following pages, you’ll meet some of the Lowcountry’s most trusted and reputable property management companies. They know property owners are busy people, and work hard to provide homeowners with personable service and high quality care. Not only do they help care for your biggest investment, they also take care of all the fine print and details for you. Protect your investment, and yourself, by entrusting it to the very best.