Home improvement or home renovation is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Often, a professional handyperson is hired to perform the improvements but, typically, most improvements are done on an amateur DIY basis by the homeowner. Renovation is the process of restoring or improving a structure. ... This article is about people called professionals. ... The terms handyperson, handywoman, or handyman, describe someone competent in a variety of small skills or inventive or ingenious in repair or maintenance work; somebody who earns money by the experience and skill to perform a variety of small jobs and/or odd jobs in and around your home. ... For the 1994 film, see Amateur (film). ... See also: DIY Network, a cable TV network. ... Home insurance, or homeowners insurance, is an insurance policy that combines insurance on the home, its contents, loss of use (additional living expenses) and, often, the other personal possessions of the homeowner, as well as liability insurance for accidents that may happen at the home. ...

The sitcom Home Improvement used the home improvement theme for comedic purposes. American cable channel HGTV features many do-it-yourself shows, as does sister channel DIY Network and the competing Discovery Home. A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... For other uses, see Home Improvement (disambiguation). ... In literature, a theme is a broad idea in a story, or a message or lesson conveyed by a work. ... Home & Garden Television, better known as HGTV, is a cable television network in the U.S. and Canada. ... DIY Network is a channel owned by Scripps Howard which focuses on do it yourself projects at home. ... Discovery Home is a television network on cable TV in the U.S. Run by Discovery Communications (which runs the Discovery Channel), it is the main competitor to HGTV. Discovery Home Channel Come and see our house. ...

[edit] Types of home improvement

While it most often refers to building projects that alter the structure of an existing home, home renovation can include improvements to lawns and gardens and outbuildings like gazebos and garages. For other uses, see Home (disambiguation). ... For the chosen plaintext attack used by the British during World War II, see gardening (cryptanalysis). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Home improvement projects generally have one or more of the following goals:

[edit] Beautification and added features

• Wallpapering and painting walls or installing wood panelling.
• Adding new flooring such as carpets, tiling, linoleum, wood flooring, or solid hardwood flooring.
• Upgrading cabinets, fixtures, and sinks in the kitchen and bathroom.
• Replacing siding and windows
• Improving the backyard with sliding doors, wooden patio decks, patio gardens, jacuzzis, swimming pools, and fencing.

Mary Cassatts painting of two ladies drinking tea in a room with red-blue striped wallpapers. ... For other uses , see Painting (disambiguation). ... A brick wall A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. ... For other uses, see Wood (disambiguation). ... Panelling is a wallcovering constructed from interlocking wooden components. ... An example of a flooring job Flooring is the general term for a permanent covering of a floor. ... For other uses, see Carpet (disambiguation). ... Mission, or barrel, roof tiles A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, porcelain, metal or even glass. ... A linoleum kitchen floor Linoleum is a floor covering made from solidified linseed oil (linoxyn) in combination with wood flour or cork dust over a burlap or canvas backing. ... Parquet redirects here. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Parquetry. ... A cabinet is a usually oblong piece of furniture, often attached to a wall and made of wood, used throughout the world for the storage of clothes or other miscellaneous items. ... In the law of real property, fixtures are anything that would otherwise be a chattel that have, by reason of incorporation or affixation, become permanently attached to the real property. ... For other uses, see Sink (disambiguation). ... A kitchen is a room used for food preparation and sometimes entertainment. ... A typical American bathroom A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context. ... Corrugated steel siding, for the side of a barn. ... For other uses, see Window (disambiguation). ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... The front door of a house is often decorated to appear inviting. ... A deck in the backyard of a suburban house. ... A patio garden is an outdoor garden space generally used for dining or recreation that often adjoins a residence and is typically paved. ... For other uses, see Jacuzzi (disambiguation). ... For the 2003 film, see Swimming Pool (film). ... A fence in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania. ...

[edit] Comfort

• Upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC)
• Increasing the capacity of plumbing and electrical systems.
• Waterproofing basements.
• Soundproofing rooms, especially bedrooms and baths.

HVAC may also stand for High-voltage alternating current HVAC is an initialism that stands for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. This is sometimes referred to as climate control. ... Return inlet (left)Supply outlet (right). ... Note: in the broadest sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. ... A plumber wrench for working on pipes and fittings A complex arrangement of rigid steel piping, stop valves regulate flow to various parts of the building. ... The article on electrical energy is located elsewhere. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A townhouse with basement windows showing A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. ... Soundproofing is any means of to reducing the intensity of sound with respect to a specified source and receptor. ...

[edit] Maintenance and repair

Maintenance projects can include:

• Roof tear-off and replacement.
• Concrete and masonry repairs to the foundation and chimney.
• Repairing plumbing and electrical systems.

For automobile roofs, see Sunroof. ... This article is about the construction material. ... This article refers to the building structure component; for the fraternal organization, see Freemasonry. ... A foundation is a structure that transmits loads from a building or road to the underlying ground. ... Look up Chimney in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A plumber wrench for working on pipes and fittings A complex arrangement of rigid steel piping, stop valves regulate flow to various parts of the building. ... The article on electrical energy is located elsewhere. ...

[edit] Additional space

Additional living space may be added by:

• Turning marginal areas into livable spaces such as turning basements into recrooms or attics into spare bedrooms.
• Extending one's house with rooms added to the side of one's home or, sometimes, extra levels to the original roof.

A recreation room (also known as a rec room) is a room used for a variety of purposes, such as parties, games and other everyday or casual use. ... This article is about the area generally found above a house. ... A bedroom is a room where people sleep. ... For automobile roofs, see Sunroof. ...

[edit] Saving energy

Homeowners may reduce utility costs with: A public utility is a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. ...

• Energy-efficient insulation, windows, and lighting.
• Renewable energy with biomass pellet stoves, wood-burning stoves, solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal exchange heat pumps (see autonomous building)

tytytrtyty This article is about energy efficiency as a ratio. ... Thermal insulation on the Huygens probe The term thermal insulation can refer to materials used to reduce the rate of heat transfer, or the methods and processes used to reduce heat transfer. ... Not to be confused with lightning. ... Renewable energy effectively utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. ... For the use of the term in ecology, see Biomass (ecology). ... A pellet stove uses small, biological fuel pellets which are renewable and very clean-burning. ... A stove is a heat-producing device. ... A photovoltaic module is composed of individual PV cells. ... This article is about the machine for converting the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical energy. ... A geothermal exchange heat pump, also known as a ground source heat pump (GSHP), is a heat pump that uses the Earth as either a heat source, when operating in heating mode, or a heat sink, when operating in cooling mode. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Off-the-grid. ...

[edit] Safety and preparedness

Emergency preparedness safety measures such as: Emergency operations or Emergency preparedness is a set of doctrines to prepare civil society to cope with natural or man-made disasters. ...

• Home fire and burglar alarm systems.
• Security doors, windows, and shutters.
• Storm cellars as protection from tornadoes and hurricanes.
• Bombshelters especially during the 1950s as protection from nuclear war.

Burglar (or intrusion), fire and safety alarms are found in electronic form today. ... A window shutter panel is a solid, firm, erect, stable, strong, window covering usually consisting of side stiles, top and bottom rails, and louvers. ... Categories: Stub ... A sign pointing to an old fallout shelter in New York City. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ...

[edit] Professional versus do-it-yourself

There are three main approaches to managing a home improvement project: hiring a general contractor, directly hiring specialized contractors, or doing the work oneself.

A general contractor oversees a home improvement project that involves multiple trades. A general contractor acts as project manager, providing access to the site, removing debris, coordinating work schedules, and performing some aspects of the work. A general contractor is an organization or individual that contracts with another organization or individual (the owner) for the construction of a building, road or other facility. ...

Sometimes homeowners bypass the general contractor, and hire tradesmen themselves, including plumbers, electricians and roofers. For a colloquial American use, see White House Plumbers; in London, see Worshipful Company of Plumbers A plumber is a tradesman who specialises in installing and maintaining systems used for plumbing, heating, drainage, potable (drinking) water or industrial process plant piping. ... TVA electricians, Tennessee, 1942. ... A roofer specializes in roof construction, concentrating on rafters, beams, and trusses. ...

Another strategy is to "do it yourself" (DIY). Several major American retailers, such as Home Depot and Lowes, specialize in selling materials and tools for DIY home improvement. These stores host classes and carry numerous books to teach customers how to do the work themselves. See also: DIY Network, a cable TV network. ... The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. ... for a similarly named firm, see Loews Theatres Lowes (NYSE: LOW) is an American chain of home improvement and major appliance retail stores. ...

[edit] Home improvement industry

Home or residential renovation is a $300 billion industry in the United States,^[1] and a $48 billion industry in Canada.^[2] The average cost per project is $3,000 in the United States and $11,000-15,000 in Canada.^[3] A residential area is a type of land use where the predominant use is residential. ...

There are several types of companies that contribute to the booming renovation industry. Supply businesses such as Home Depot, Lowes, Home Hardware and Rona Lansing provide all the materials and tools necessary to facilitate home renovations. Several media companies and online companies and home improvement site offer tips, guidelines and trends give homeowners ideas for design and décor. The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. ... for a similarly named firm, see Loews Theatres Lowes (NYSE: LOW) is an American chain of home improvement and major appliance retail stores. ... Home Hardware is a privately-owned Canadian home improvement and construction retailer which supplies to contractors and individual consumers. ... Categories: Stub | Companies of Canada ... All Saints Chapel in the Cathedral Basilica of St. ... Interior decoration or décor is the art of decorating a room so that it is attractive, easy to use, and functions well with the existing architecture. ...

[edit] Associations

Playing a critical role are the professional associations created to represent the architects, architectural technologists, interior designers and skilled trades that provide specialized services to homeowners. These associations provide credibility, trade guidelines and useful information to help homeowners learn more about the trades they are about to hire. This article or section should be merged with professional body In countries where the legal system entitles defendants to a jury by their peers, the general public may not be considered sufficiently knowledgeable in a field of practice to act as a peer in some legal cases. ... for building and structual design see; Architect Architects are a metal band from Brighton in southern England. ... Interior design is a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. ...

Associations include:

• CHBA
• ARIDO
• NKBA
• CCA
• ECAO
• CRCA
• NARI

[edit] Renovation Contractors

Perhaps the most important or visible professionals in the renovation industry are renovation contractors or skilled trades. These are the builders that have specialized credentials, licensing and experience to perform renovation services in specific municipalities. While there is a fairly large ‘grey market’ of unlicensed companies, there are those that have membership in a reputable association or are accredited by a professional organization. Builders are the machines in Blame! which add more structure within the Megastructure. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A municipality or general-purpose district (compare with: special-purpose district) is an administrative local area generally composed of a clearly defined territory and commonly referring to a city, town, or village government. ...

[edit] See also

Home improvement Portal

• Home repair
• Refurbishment
• Repair and maintenance

Image File history File links Preferences-system. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Renovation at the Parthenon Refurbishment (restoration) is the process of major maintenance or minor repair of an item, either aesthetically or mechanically. ... Repair and Maintenance is fixing any sort of mechanical or electrical device should it get out of order or broken (repair) as well as performing the routine actions which keep the device in working order (maintenance) or prevent trouble from arising (preventive maintenance). ...

[edit] Specific technologies

• Replacement windows

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

[edit] References

1. ^ National Association of Home Builders
2. ^ Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
3. ^ Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

[edit] Further reading

• Litchfield, Michael (2005). Renovation 3rd Edition. Taunton Press. ISBN 1-56158-588-2.