May a Lucky Michigan Homeowner Win!

As a partner of CertainTeed, Infinity Home Improvement is well acquainted with this manufacturer of quality home building products. We’ve enhanced many Michigan homes using those products, including roofing materials. So it’s a pleasure to share some terrific news from CertainTeed that is giving you a chance to win a hefty home improvement prize package.

The Exterior Living Spaces Home Makeover Video Contest gives Michigan homeowners a chance to compete with people nationwide for a shot at a $75,000 outdoor oasis featuring a wide variety of CertainTeed products. That selection includes vinyl or fiber cement siding, roofing, housewrap, decking, railing, fence and trim. Landscaping and deck furniture also come with the prize package, and installation of the CertainTeed products is included as well.

In order to submit an entry, you’ll need to make a short video introducing yourself and your Michigan home. The video can be shot on something as simple as your smartphone, but make sure it’s at least 30 seconds and no more than 90 seconds. Good audio is important too so make sure what you say can be heard easily.

Before just recording yourself, take some time to craft a compelling story that’s attention grabbing and clearly illustrates why your home deserves a facelift. What sets your story apart from others and gives it a truly unique angle? What makes enhancing your home or restoring its former beauty so vital?

Once your video is ready, upload it at www.facebook.com/certainteedlivingspaces. Encourage friends, family and coworkers to view your video and vote for it. The Top 10 videos will compete for the top prize, and 9 entrants will receive a runner-up prize. Of course, let us know you entered the contest by posting about it on our Facebook page and Tweeting about it @InfinityHI.

Not all sunrooms are created equal though. Betterliving has created a series of sunrooms to fit the needs of different customers with different goals in mind for this extra space. For example, a four season vinyl sunroom is ideal for the Michigan climate, fully insulated to provide a taste of outdoor living all year long while still indoors. Another available option is a look of natural wood in a ceiling system that’s durable and maintenance-free. These Betterliving options are available locally through Infinity Home Improvement.

Beyond improving the attractiveness of your home, providing additional space and increasing a home’s value, Betterliving sunrooms installed by Infinity Home Improvement provide numerous other benefits too. Customers primarily talk about the change in lifestyle. Some even describe it as a vacation spot right at home. That makes the nature of this kind of home improvement investment very different than other projects. It’s one that we’ll get use instantly and constantly, making it a decision you’ll appreciate over and over once expert installation by Infinity Home Improvement is complete.

Infinity Home Improvement makes these Betterliving sunrooms available for homeowners in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing and surrounding areas. As part of our comprehensive range of home improvement services, including roofing, gutters and bathroom remodeling, Infinity Home Improvement offers a free, in-home consultation and estimate so making an informed decision is as simple as possible. Call 888-601-2580 to discuss your interest in a Betterliving sunroom. Then be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @InfinityHI.

In Michigan, there’s no shortage of contractors who will gladly accept the job. After all, how hard can building one room be, right? Even your brother Ted probably offered to do it cheaply. But creating an extension of your existing home is more involved than Ted is probably qualified to handle. He may be great at constructing a tree house for his nieces and nephews, but a room addition needs to be integrated with the rest of the home, a demand that even the best tree houses don’t have to meet.

Integration of a room addition with the rest of the house involves a systematic approach. After all, you’ll want the same heating and cooling as the rest of the house receives. Electrical work will also be necessary, and considering your primary and secondary uses for the room, plumbing work may also be essential. Your choice in flooring may differ from the rest of the house, but the foundation beneath it cannot be so arbitrarily chosen.

Once you decide what you want that room to contain and provide, start seeking estimates from reputable contractors. Beyond looking at line items in a proposal, ask questions about who would be doing the actual work. Will it be the contractor exclusively or will it involve a subcontractor? There may be a difference in how the job gets done and quality of the overall service provided, including keeping the work area clean.

Infinity Home Improvement is equipped to handle your room addition needs from start to finish. Call us at 888.691.2580 to schedule a free estimate. Then visit us at www.facebook.com/InfinityHome Improvement and follow us on Twitter @InfinityHI.

If you are one of those homeowners who enjoyed lower heating bills, congratulations! Coming out ahead in any particular area of household-related expenses is a major accomplishment. But an even bigger accomplishment is wisely using the extra money originally budgeted for a specific home expense that wasn’t needed.

Let’s look at an example. We’ll keep the math simple by setting the normal heating bill for the winter at $1000. That translates to an average of $200 a month from November through March. A savings of 15 percent drops the expense to $850, leaving you with $150 not spent on heating. At the end of the heating season, the options of where to put that $150 are numerous.

One challenge is not looking at the collective $150 as a mere $30 a month during that period. That lower figure can quickly be absorbed by grocery shopping, movie tickets, fuel or whatever necessity or indulgence you choose. In most cases, the cash quickly gets forgotten. But saved as a whole, the amount can become a means of enhancing life at home.

Improving a home’s function is one option. That can include new roofing, new gutters, or even bathroom remodeling. Improving a home’s appearance with replacement siding, for example, can be another goal of saving.

Moving forward, consider creating a specific goal for the savings. If you’re a coin-in-the-jar type person, label that jar to help you visualize how that extra cash and change will transform your home. Walking by a container labeled “REPLACEMENT WINDOWS” every day is a terrific way to turn an idea into a reality.

Of course, many home projects may be more affordable than you think. In some cases, such as the addition of insulation, they may provide a quick Return On Investment too. So rather than save and speculate, get answers. Infinity Home Improvement is here to help our Michigan neighbors, and you can reach us by phone (888.691.2580) or email, and stay in touch on Facebook or Twitter @InfinityHI.

Photo courtesy of Hollyn Johnson, Gazette News Service

It’s time away from school and the normal routine for you and your family, but it’s hardly a break. You still have meals to prepare, laundry to do, errands to run and all those other mundane tasks to finish during the course of the week. So how does the family who spends the week at home cope? We came up with a list of 5 activities to stir up some staycation fun.

Fast 5 Ideas for a Sizzling Staycation

1. Get moving.
Sitting around watching television all day is not the way to spend the week. Limit TV time to evening hours only and spend the daytime in motion. Alternate between “work” and play, such as following an hour of the kids cleaning their rooms with an hour of arts & crafts.

2. Host a party.
This doesn’t need to be a formal event with invitations and heavy-duty planning. Give everyone 1-2 days notice and keep the party simple. Use your “get moving” time to decorate with homemade decorations. Develop a theme, such as Beach Party, to give the party a focus too. Since many other parents will be looking for activities, schedule the party during an afternoon.

3. Invite a local “expert” to teach a class.
Someone you know with expert skills in an area, such as photography or filmmaking, may be available for a few hours to host a workshop for the kids in your neighborhood. Consider thanking him or her in cupcakes and write a recommendation for future paid gigs.

4. Schedule a movie marathon.
Our unseasonably warm March provided some ideal outdoor time and Spring Break week is not bad either. But counter cooler or inclement weather with a day of your favorite family movies. It could be a good time to introduce the kids to the films you liked when you were little.

5. Plan a project.
Make family time to discuss a home improvement project that’s been on your mind. It might be a little one you can work on together. It could even be a bigger project, such as an addition to the house, that will have a great impact on everyone in the family.

Keep in mind, the function and appearance of every room in your house serves a great purpose. When you’re ready to make changes based on needs or tastes, consider the advantages of turning to a professional home improvement contractor to help you through the process. For a free consultation and estimate, contact Infinity Home Improvement at 888-601-2580. We also invite you to like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InfinityHomeImprovement and follow us on Twitter at @InfinityHI.

Sure, gutter cleaning in Michigan can be an adventure.The opportunity to discover all sorts of items can make it feel more like a scavenger hunt than a household task. Of course, what sort of gems you might come across can differ from house to house. So let’s take a look at the top five types of gutter-cleaning discoveries you can make.

Top 5 Gutter-Cleaning Discoveries

5. Tree debris. It doesn’t even have to be from trees on your property. It could be leaves and pine needles from your neighbor’s trees. It’s doubtful they will agree to help you do the cleaning though.

4. Roof debris. Pieces of shingles or other roofing materials, including nails, can collect here, washed down by rain.

3. Animal remains. Decomposition can make it hard to accurately establish a cause of death, you CSI wannabe, but this critter is definitely not resting in peace. At least you now know where the horrible smell lately was coming from.

2. Toys. The mystery of the missing ball has been solved. It’s been in the gutter since October. It’s no longer worth saving but at least another case can be closed.

1. Gutter Helmet. As you stand on your shaky ladder and remove all the fascinating little items, you look over at your neighbors gutters and realize they all have gutter protection.

Slowly come down off the ladder. Throw out the trash you cleaned out of the gutters. Walk inside and pick up the phone. Call Infinity Home Improvement at 888-601-2580 and let’s discuss getting you the gutter protection your home deserves and using that ladder a whole lot less every year.

Photo courtesy of DetroitNews.com

There’s a good chance that you’re not yet recovered from the Ohio upset of Michigan in the NCAA Tournament. It could take some time. Judging by the program’s 20,000 followers on Twitter, @umichbball, that’s a lot of heartaches to heal at once.

If 20,000 people sounds like a lot, consider the football program has four times that many followers. Yes, @umichfootball has 82.1K, according to its Twitter page. Meantime, Infinity Home Improvement (@InfinityHI) has less than 1 percent of that number. Luckily, we don’t have to compete with them.

As you start to find more businesses using social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook, you may eagerly follow some of them while ignoring others. So here’s a question for you. What prompts you to follow a business? Think about what each business offers that attracts you, at least long enough to click on the appropriate button.

For retailers, the lure used may involve future savings, such as special discounts only given to online followers. For other companies, a chance to win free product could be an incentive. Or maybe it’s just fun to tell the world who you like and support.

Following home improvement contractors may be a bit different. We’re not in your mind week-to-week like many other companies. Our services are specialized, and until you need us, it’s likely you give little thought to what we can do for you. But that’s the very reason finding a reputable contractor now and beginning a relationship online makes sense.

Before a home improvement service, such as bathroom remodeling or roofing, is urgently needed, getting acquainted with a company’s services, approach and reviews can save time and energy later. The beauty of Twitter is that you can choose to follow and unfollow at any given time, meaning you can track a company’s tweets and evaluate continuously based on what you read. The decision to contact the contractor can come days, weeks or even months later.

For Michigan homeowners in Grand Rapids, Flint, Kalamazoo, Jackson, Lansing and beyond, we invite you to learn the Infinity Home Improvement difference by visiting more of our site. Among the must-see pages features one of our premier products, Gutter Helmet. Of course, find us on Twitter too and we’ll keep you informed and inspired in the weeks and months leading up to your next great change at home.

It’s a time when what’s old is new again, and that’s not a reference to the Bob Hope traveling exhibit that’s making a stop at the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids for the next three months. No, we’re talking about time when spring cleaning can lead to some big changes at home. Your home. You are planning to do some spring cleaning this week, right?

You’ll be cleaning inside. You’ll be tidying up outside. You may have help or you may do it alone. But a mild week ahead gives you time to open more than the windows. Open your mind to what’s possible to accomplish in this spring.

We would give you a Top 10 but then you’d be spending several more minutes on your laptop or your smartphone instead of joyfully embracing the welcome change in temperatures. So let’s give you a list we’ll call High Five for Spring. Sure, it’s corny. But you’ll remember it.

High Five for Spring
1. Gutters. Get ‘em replaced. Not only is the average monthly rainfall on the rise in the spring months, it’s not uncommon to see 5-7 inches in one month. Remember the soggy May days of 2001 and 2004 when rainfall totals topped 9 inches? Infinity Home Improvement offers Gutter Helmet too so you’ll never have to clean gutters again.

2. Roofing. Fix it, and don’t forget it. A failing roof can cause more damage to the rest of your home so make sure this area is covered first, pun intended, in your list of priorities. Infinity Home Improvement can help, and when you’re ready to upgrade to metal, we’ll show you the way.

3. Windows. Whether they’re older or newer, keeping them clean is important. Safely wash and polish them, taking time to clean the corners too. Renewal by Anderson is an exceptional option when you’re ready to replace those old windows with ones that come designed for an improved look and function.

4. Bathrooms. We could throw statistics at you about the average amount of times you visit this room daily but you know you practically live in there. So doesn’t the room in which you freshen up deserve a refreshing of its own? A bathtub liner or bathtub refinishing by Infinity Home Improvement may help or you may have the urge for a complete bathroom remodeling.

5. Indoor Air Quality. What you don’t see could hurt you. That’s the threat of indoor toxins that you and your family may be exposed to. But an air purification system can make a tremendous difference, and Infinity Home Improvement can install SafeAir, the most effective system available.

Infinity Home Improvement can help you with the High Five for Spring and much more. Call 888-601-2580 for a free estimate. But you’ll have to handle the spring cleaning on your own—or bribe the kids to help you.

It might be helpful to know how home improvement projects in general affect the sale of homes in Michigan. Unlike home sales in the Pacific region, with its cost-value ratio of more than 70%, homeowners in the East North Central states, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, only recouped an average of 55%. That puts us at a distinct disadvantage, due in part to the lower home values at resale.

Statistics aside, the key to selling your Michigan home isn’t based on the dollar total of your home improvement projects. The goal is to get a legitimate offer in a timely fashion, and making key repairs and enhancements can make that more likely. A key repair would be addressing the most noticeable issues, such as damage to a roof, a deck or the foundation. Beyond the aesthetic value, make sure these areas are functional too. They need to last well beyond the closing date.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, there are a few preferences to keep in mind on a national level. Hardwood floors are more desirable than carpeting, vinyl or ceramic flooring. Fireplaces are also not as fashionable anymore. Durable, low-maintenance laminate countertops also appear to be replacing interest in granite countertops. Again, this information comes from a survey so it’s important to keep in mind that the tastes of the people looking at your Michigan home may differ.

The bottom line is that you make smart decisions that make your individual home look most attractive to a buyer without having to heavily invest in home improvement projects where you might not get your money back. Whether you’re doing this for the first or fifth time, it’s essential to find a reputable contractor who can guide you through your options for the particular projects you choose to do and advise you on what not to do. For homeowners in Grand Rapids, Flint, Kalamazoo, Lansing and surrounding areas, we invite you to make that call to Infinity Home Improvement at 888-601-2580.

No one really likes to wait anymore. Maybe they never did. But the truth is, you really shouldn’t have to wait to get where you want to go anymore. And if where you want to go is just a matter of living in a better version of the home you’re already in, you shouldn’t wait for that either.

Of course, home improvement customers often find themselves waiting. It might be waiting weeks for new carpet to be installed or furniture to be delivered. That comes in the mix of waiting in lines everywhere else from your commute to work to renewing your driver’s license to doing the grocery shopping.

Enough waiting, we say. Let’s inject more high speed into other areas of life. Let’s create some express lanes away from the supermarket.

This kind of timely responsiveness to the customer is how we operate at Infinity Home Improvement. You shouldn’t have to wait to get an appointment when you’re ready to move forward with a project. We can find a day and time to come see you and get things rolling. Sure, we can’t move at 110 miles per hour, but not even that high-speed train truly travels that fast the entire 138-mile route.

That raises another point. Speed is certainly attractive, but dependability is what keeps customers coming back. A contractor who shows up a day after the initial customer call may be impressive but arriving without the expertise necessary to successfully complete the project is purely a waste of your time and your money. And homeowners in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Flint—and beyond—deserve much better.