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Oct 06
Love0

Welcome to Austin: The Live Music Capital of the World

By Art, Inspiration

Welcome to Austin: The Live Music Capital of the World

Austin is known for many amazing attributes but we are most proud to boast our incredible live music scene. The “live music capital” slogan became famous in 1991 after it was discovered that the ATX had more music venues per capita than anywhere else in the United States. However, the “live music capital of the world” is more than just a slogan. Live music is a way of life here in Austin, Texas. You can find an incredible live music show any night of the week in some of the venues that make our city what it is. Broken Spoke, Antone’s Nightclub, The Saxon Pub, The Continental Club, and Historic Scoot Inn are some well-known local gems trusted for showcasing local and touring talent. However, this list barely begins to scratch the surface of all the noteworthy music venues in the heart of our city.


AHR’s Live Music Roots

Ronnie Jackson, owner of Austin Home Renovations, is one of the musicians who makes Austin’s live music community the magic that it is known for. He is a singer, songwriter and guitar aficionado who creates songs about life, love and The American Dream. Ronnie can be found playing music at The Saxon Pub or Broken Spoke when not overseeing AHR job sites. Whether he is playing music for a crowd or enjoying a show as a fan, Ronnie is an integral part of the Austin music scene. In addition to home improvement, music is a way of life for Ronnie, as it is for many other Austinites.

“When God created Songwriters, he pulled out all the stops. Songwriters are a unique and special class of human beings. They are warm and fuzzy, serious and passionate. They are creative, fun loving, caring and emotional,” said Ronnie.

You can catch Ronnie live around the Austin music scene or listen to his newest song “Making It Up As I Go” from the comfort of your own home here. We highly recommend you get out and embrace the culture of The Live Music Capital of the World, whether you are new to the 512, or if you are a long time resident who reminisces on the “Old Austin” days.

Aug 05
Love0

How To Get Your Austin, Texas Home Refinance Ready

By Inspiration, refinance, Resources

You’ve probably been hearing the word “refinance” a lot these days if you’re a homeowner in Austin, Texas. This comes as no surprise. It’s a great time to re-finance your home here in the proclaimed Live Music Capital of the World. There’s much to prepare for in order to do it the right way and maximize your ROI. It should come as no surprise that getting your home ready for a re-appraisal is incredibly important in the refinancing process. So, just how do you get ready for a re-appraisal? We’re glad you asked!

A combination of research, cleaning and home renovations can help you raise your home’s re-appraisal value in order to get your home refinance ready. The condition of your home at the time of appraisal actually plays a big role in its determined value, which ultimately affects your refinance rate. Remember the $500 rule. This mean that most appraisers measure a home’s value in increments of $500, so for all minor repairs left for the appraiser to find, such as broken doors or holes in the walls, could add up very quickly when multiplied by $500. If possible, take care of all small and relatively affordable problems on your own before having an appraiser out. It could end up making a huge difference in your determined home value.

Upgrades and renovations can also greatly affect the reappraisal value or your home. We found this list of renovations that contribute most to home value by Realvals incredibly insightful. Amongst the list are: Remodeling kitchens and bathrooms, landscaping to improve curb appeal, adding a deck or outdoor kitchen, installing a new roof and opening up some walls (if they are not load bearing).

Keep in mind that the updates which add the most home value can vary housing market to housing market. It’s also a good idea to speak with a realtor in your neck of the woods about what renovations are catching the eye of homebuyers in your city! Local realtors are usually experts on this subject. 

We’re happy to help you get refinance ready with the renovations and upgrades necessary for maximizing your home’s determined value. Contact us today for a free quote!

Jul 15
Love0

Creating the Perfect Home Office: Tips & Tricks 

By Resources

Many Austin, Texas based companies have decided against transitioning employees back to the office after over a year of working form home, despite restrictions becoming a lot more relaxed. Working from home has become the new norm for many of us, and lots of people have grown to actually prefer working this way. This means that those make-shift home offices (such as sprawling out across the coffee table in the middle of the living room) may not cut it anymore. It’s the perfect time to take the plunge and commit to renovating a new office in your Austin, Texas home. 

Find The Right Space 

It’s important to find the right space for your home office. An underutilized spare bedroom, or an unnecessary dining room are great candidates from a home office conversion project. If options such as these are unavailable, you can always think outside the box and look into converting a garage or adding a home extension. However, these options often require even more planning, budgeting and proper permitting from the city. 

Check for Required Power Connections 

Once you’ve chosen the right space it’s time to make sure it contains enough required power connections for your home office needs. Take some time to think about how power connections are necessary for all of your work from home needs; this can include plugins for your router, computer, second monitor, lighting, as well as laptop, tablet and phone chargers.  You may find it’s time to consult with an electrician. 

Design Around Your Needs

Not all work-from-home jobs are the same, so make sure to consider all of your own unique home office needs when tackling your home office conversion project. For example, if your job requires a lot of video conferencing think about the kind of lighting and backdrop space is needed.  We recommend really thinking about your own daily work tasks when designing, building, converting and renovating to accommodate!

Select a Desk & Comfortable Chair 

These two things make a big difference. Your desk should meet all of your needs for storage and devices. The right chair is one that doesn’t cause an achey back at the end of the day. Pro-tip: read reviews or even try sitting on different ergonomic chairs at office supply stores before buying one. We also suggest measuring your home office space before buying these things, so that you know they will fit properly.

Incorporate storage

A functional home office requires an appropriate amount of home storage. Make sure you leave enough room for filing cabinets, shelving and even building out a storage closet if necessary when planning and measuring out the conversion. If you are converting a bedroom, you can utilize the existing closet as office storage.

Home Office AustinPersonalize the Space

Once all the heavy lifting is done its time to personalize the space. Personal touches can help with daily work motivation and inspiration. Think about paint, plants, accents and art that you want to personalize your work space with. HGTV has some great decor ideas here.

The Good News

Creating the perfect home office may require a lot of work, but there are plenty of benefits to having this dedicated workspace: more inspiration, higher productivity, and even some tax write-offs (especially for those of ya’ll who are self employed). We hope you are able to find the perfect spot to create your own home office. We are here to help as well! If you’re ready to commit to creating your own home office, contact us today for a free quote.

Jul 08
Love0

Renovation Tips for New Austin Homeowners

By Resources

You’ve found your first home — the house has good bones and its in a perfect location, but you know it’s going to need some serious renovating before you’re ready to call it your “dream home”. Your offer has been accepted, paperwork signed, and the keys are finally in your possession. Now it’s time to start seriously planning those renovations! We know it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start, especially for first time Austin homebuyers, so we’ve put together a list of tips to help you tackle the next steps. 

Set a Project Budget

Setting a project budget is arguably one of the most important parts of any home renovation planning. Make sure to be realistic about your budget, then consider all of the costs of your renovation plans: materials, contractors, etc. The costs of all of these things should never exceed your budget — if they do then its probably time to revise your plan. 

Create a Contingency Fund

Setting a budget is incredibly important, but we suggest also creating a contingency fund to cover the “what if’s”. It’s recommended to set aside at least 10% above the estimate bid to cover any surprises that may come up. You also need to consider that every time you make a change, the costs are extremely likely to increase. Unforeseen things are likely to happen and minds often change, so a contingency fund is very beneficial. 

Plan Time to Get Necessary Permits

Certain home renovation projects (such as a new garage, patio or other additions) can actually require obtaining permits. The permit process ranges from a couple of days to several weeks. Often times you need to close on your new home purchase before you can even start the paperwork to obtain these type of permits. It’s important to consider this when planning a big renovation project, and allow yourself enough time to get one before diving in head first. 

Find the Right Contractors 

It’s important to find the right contractor for every home renovation job that is not DIY material. You want to make sure that hired contractors are comfortable and experienced in executing your home improvement ideas. Ensure contractors are people that you can actually foresee yourself working well with over the duration of your project. Not all contractors are the same, but we know of a great home renovation team if you are looking…

Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!

It’s important to find the right contractors, because you are going to need to communicate with them often. Expect to have meetings with your contractor often and speak up about your needs. Clear communication and expectations are the key to creating your dream home. 

Manage Your Expectations 

We all love a good home makeover show (us included), but it’s important to remember entire kitchen remodels don’t happen in an hour. It can actually take up to several weeks. A quality and thorough renovation is a time commitment. You should budget your time in the same fashion that you budget your finances when it comes to home renovation projects.

Get an Estimate

Contractors should offer a free estimate. You can get a free estimate from us here when you are ready to make your dream home a reality.

Jul 02
Love0

Happy 4th of July From AHR

By Holiday

Happy Independence Day!

We want to take a moment to wish you all a happy July 4th weekend. We hope you and your loved ones all have a safe, fun and relaxing holiday full of BBQ and fireworks. Freedom isn’t free. Thank you to everyone one who has served our country!

Sincerely,

The Austin Home Renovations Team

Jun 14
Love0

Top Austin Staycation Spots

By Inspiration, Resources

You probably already know that you might need to make alternative lodging arrangements if you’re planning a large-scale renovation project for your Austin Home. It’s probably not ideal to tip toe around in-laws or impose on neighbors for the entirety of the renovation project time. It’s also not always realistic to plan a long out of country vacation during renovation time. Luckily, there are plenty of amazing Austin staycation destination spots that don’t require too much travel or time away from work and school. These awesome staycation spots can serve as an alternative to staying with friends and family during your home renovation time. 

Lakeway Resort and Spa 

This relaxing and gorgeous resort overlooks the beautiful Lake Travis, and boasts multiple lake-view pools for an amazing getaway. One of the pools is for adults only and complete with a swim-up bar, which is perfect for a fun and romantic adult vacation; the other pool is kid friendly and complete with an epic water slide! The resort is also known for its amazing spa services. This stunning location is a beautiful and relaxing spot to occupy during your home renovation project time, whether you book an exciting excision or divide to stay at the hotel for the duration of your visit.

Cypress Valley Treehouses

Cypress Valley Treehouses are a perfect place to staycation during your home renovation project time if you’re looking for a getaway that switching things up from the ordinary. That’s right, you get to literally stay in a gorgeous treehouse that has been converted into a dream hotel room of the wildest imagination. There are several different treehouse lodging options depending on your needs: some are more suitable for families with children, while others are a perfectly suited for a romantic couple’s staycation. This gorgeous, unique, and breathtaking spot is located in Spicewood, Texas, which is only an hour outside of Austin.

Austin Motel 

South Congress is known for its funky and eccentric music venues, foodie restaurants and fun clothing stores, which makes it a true heart of Austin staycation spot to consider during your home project time. The Austin Motel adds to the overall “Keep Austin Weird” vibe with its charmingly funky aesthetic, and staying here puts you a short walk away from all of the fun that South Austin has to offer! Bonus points: The motel’s courtyard has a pool that is well known for it’s fun-filled nighttime pool parties with DJ’s and neon lighting. 

Hotel ZaZa 

Hotel ZaZa is right in the heart of downtown Austin. The hotel manages to be artsy, eccentric and upscale all at the same time. You’re only a short walk away from all of the best of Austin nightlife, and the hotel itself has multiple cocktail bars and happenings as well. The pool is complete with a cabana bar and view that overlooks the entire city! This is a great staycation option for your home project. 

We hope you found this list fun and helpful, whether you need a staycation for home renovation time, or just for a nice getaway. We are proud to serve the Austin area! We’d love the opportunity to help you make your dream home a reality. Contact us today for a free quote!

May 27
Love0

Happy Memorial Day from AHR

By Holiday

A Time For Remembrance

We want to take a moment to wish you a Happy Memorial Day weekend. We hope you and your loved ones all have a safe, fun and relaxing holiday while also honoring America’s fallen heroes. Thank you to everyone one who has served our country!

Sincerely,

The Austin Home Renovations Team

 

May 24
Love0

Summer Renovation Ideas and Tips for Austin, Texas Homeowners

By Inspiration, Resources

Austin homeowners know how exciting and fun, yet hot Texas summers can truly be. Despite the hot temperatures, summers can actually be a great time for Austinites to dive into home renovation projects for a number of reasons, such as:empty homes due to family trips, as well as more need for backyard entertainment spaces. We’ve put together a handy list of must-know summer home remodeling ideas and tips for Austin, Texas homeowners.

Focus On Windows 

Natural sunlight can really elevate the look and feel of a home by creating an inviting atmosphere. We suggest modernizing windows in a fashion that matches your home’s overall feel. We also highly recommend doing your research and committing to windows that are built to keep the cold out and warm in — you’ll be happy you did so when the temperatures reach 100 degrees in the summer!

Refinish Outdoor Surfaces 

A nice gloss on a wooden deck protects it and makes it looks like new — its a double win! Since summer usually entails backyard BBQ’s, its definitely a great time to refinish your decks, re-oil wood and scrape off old paint to repaint outdoor surfaces. Impress your friends and family with an updated and beautiful backyard oasis. 


Elevate Your Kitchen With Quartz Countertops 

Quartz makes a kitchen feel sleek and updated without a high cost. We recommend replacing old countertops with new quartz ones: the stone looks nice, is relatively affordable, and is easy to take care of!


Upgrade Your Flooring

New floors go a long way, and summer is a great time to switch out dated carpet or tile! Vinyl plank flooring is a great and affordable option that can save you from a big hardwood splurge. 

Install An Outdoor Kitchen in Your Own Backyard 

Outdoor kitchens are an exciting addition to any backyard area and summer is a great time to get them installed. They’re particularly great for homeowners in Austin, because of the many unique elements to our city: from the warm climate to the eccentric culture. Backyard kitchens increase home value, are wonderful for entertaining, and are easy to clean. 

This short list barely begins to scratch the surface of summer home remodeling tips, but we hope that it has been informative for Austin, Texas homeowners. We are happy to answer your additional questions, and help you make your dream home a reality. Contact us today for a free quote today!

Mar 09
Love0

How to Plan for Your Home Renovation 

By Resources

Getting started is usually the hardest part of just about anything in life, and home renovation projects are no exception to that. There are many important and timely things to consider before diving head first into a remodel. We’ve put together a list of those things to make your life a bit easier!

Do Your Homework

It’s important to do your homework before starting any home renovation project of any size. This part should never be rushed. The more prepared you are, the better your project will turn out. Take your homework seriously and make sure to spend enough time exploring concepts, budgets and time-constraints. The most fun part of the planning process is usually finding inspiration and putting together home renovation themes, color palettes and other elements for your upcoming home renovation project!

Set a Project Budget 

Setting a project budget is arguably one of the most important parts of home renovation planning. It usually comes after the fun part of choosing themes and concepts. Make sure to be realistic about your budget, then consider all of the costs of your renovation plans (materials, contractors, etc). The costs should never exceed your budget — if they do then its probably time to revise your plan.

Build a Timeline

We all love a good home makeover show (us included), but it’s important to remember entire kitchen remodels don’t happen in an hour. It can actually take up to several weeks. A quality and thorough renovation is a time commitment. You should budget your time in the same fashion that your budget your finances when it comes to home renovation projects.

Find the Right Contractors

It’s important to find the right contractor for every home renovation job. You want to make sure that the contractors you hire are comfortable and experienced in executing your home improvement ideas. Make sure your contractors are people that you can actually foresee yourself working well with over the duration of your project. Not all contractors are the same, but we know of a great home renovation team if you are looking!

Clear the Space (this means pets too!)

It should come as no surprise that home renovation projects can get a little messy with saw dust, paint and everything in between. That’s why it is so important to clear the renovation space where possible to avoid bigger messes. This might mean that you, your family and your pets may have to stay in a hotel or at a family members house for bigger projects. This is a very important considerations to plan!

We hope that you found this list helpful for making your dream home a reality! We are happy to help you with the heavy lifting of your home renovation project once you’ve done your homework, set a budget and timeline, and cleared the space. You can contact us here for a free home renovation consultation!

Feb 20
Love0

Texas Strong — We’re Here to Help!

By Resources

Texans are made of tough stuff, and this past week put us to the test.

Temperatures have began to warm up and the snow is finally melting, but there is work to be done to restore normalcy in the winter storm aftermath. Our team at Austin Home Renovations will be out and about to provide damage control this weekend. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you are overwhelmed and need help! We will do everything within our abilities to help restore things back to normal. 

We are Texas Strong, and we are even stronger together as a community. Check on your neighbors, family and friends. We will get through this together!

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