Bright Star Handyman Service is a proud recipient of HireHaven’s Top 25 Painters in Pennsylvania list. As a full service handyman company servicing South Jersey & the Philadelphia regions, painting is one of the many home services we offer.
Three Ways to Freshen Up the Look of a Room
It’s finally springtime and aside from the usual ‘spring cleaning’, you might be looking for other home improvement ideas to keep yourself busy while the weather warms up enough to do the outside projects. Here are three ways to spice up your rooms this spring.
Add a Little Paint
You may be looking for something simple and affordable rather than a big expensive project, so know that a coat of fresh paint (chosen well) never hurt any aesthetic. Take to Pinterest to inspire you with a new color scheme to carry the fresh feel of spring throughout the rest of the year. Maybe you aren’t looking to repaint the entire house, but you know that big wall in the living room that you can never figure out what to do with? Turn it into an accent wall with a color that ‘pops’ or upcycled panels. Trellised rooms are exciting to the eye and can be a great creative project that will occupy some time.
Hang & Rearrange
Redecorating always feels good when you’re in the need for something fresh. If you aren’t emotionally attached to the artwork you have already, consider finding some new pieces to accent the room. A nice mirror or a creative family portrait montage brings a new energy into an otherwise stagnant space. There are thousands of DIY projects to incorporate some crafty art into your home during the season of fresh starts. Sometimes, even the rearranging of the furniture can give you the fresh new look you are craving! Plants can also bring a brand new life to your space.
Add Some Depth to the Walls
If you are feeling adventurous and motivated, wainscotting or paneling might be just the spring project to take on. Wainscoting is not only aesthetically pleasing, it also protects the lower portions of your walls from damage. Adding trim or molding to wainscoting creates an elegant, classy look to an otherwise boring wall. Some people are even taking to decorating their ceilings with different panel designs to add a little extra charm. However, this undertaking doesn’t have to be pricey. A suggestion is to apply a grid of 1x6 drywall panels to a drywalled surface, add a coat of paint to the grid, and then magically, the boards, stiles, and rails create a look like something out of a design magazine.
Whatever it is that calls to you, all three of these are easy enough and have millions of points of inspiration throughout the internet to help get you started on spicing up the rooms in your home before summer projects start. It is time to let go of the old and bring in the new! Reach out to Bright Star Handyman Service for all of your home renovation needs in Philadelphia and South Jersey!
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween to all of our friends and family in South Jersey and Philadelphia! We are grateful for your love and support as we enter the last quarter of the year! If you have been considering a home renovation or remodel, now is the time to reach out to Bright Star Handyman Service for a free consultation regarding your next home improvement project.
If you’re curious about whether or not Bright Star is the right fit for you, check out our ever-growing project gallery or our Facebook reviews from satisfied clients. We love hearing from you and supporting you in your kitchen remodel, bathroom redesign, new deck build, garage or basement renovation, or anything else you can imagine! From installing new windows to adding an extra bedroom, we’re happy to help you!
From all of us at Bright Star, we hope you and your family have a safe and Happy Halloween!
What the 20 Most Popular Home Renovations Are Really Worth in 2018
Photo Credit to www.bidvine.com
Planning to remodel your kitchen, add a master suite, or undertake some other pricey home renovation in 2018? Watch out—not all of these home improvements pay off like they did in the past, according to Remodeling magazine's latest Cost vs. Value Report.
For this much-referenced annual report, now in its 31st year, researchers pinpointed the average return on investment of 20 popular home renovations by canvassing contractors nationwide on how much these upgrades cost to complete, then compared that with how much real estate agents estimated these features would boost a home's market price (in other words, their value).
And the news isn't so good for homeowners looking to remodel on a massive scale: The report found that in 2018, Americans should expect to make back only about 56% of the money they spend on renovations. That's down from 64% the previous two years.
Happy Independence Day!
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
Bright Star Handyman Service wishes all of you a Happy 4th of July! Whether you plan to hang out with your friends on your brand new outdoor patio, or check out the local fireworks show, we hope you have the best day off!
While we’re all about the fireworks celebrations, we want to remind you to keep your pets inside as the sun starts to set today. Each year, many runaway animals end up breaking out of their backyards due to fireworks and end up in shelters on July 5th. We care about all members of your family and want to make sure your furry friends feel safe, too!
Sometimes it’s easy to feel like we live in a divisive time nationally, we encourage all of you to focus on the things you’re grateful for and what makes us all the same. We are all Americans and we have our freedoms that our forefathers fought so diligently to protect.
We’re grateful for all of our amazing clients and the opportunity to help you live your best and most comfortable life! If you live in the Philadelphia or South Jersey areas and haven’t worked with us yet, please don’t hesitate to reach out about achieving your dream home!
Happy 4th of July!
Want To Save On Home Repairs? Hire A Handyman!
A handyman is a skilled worker who can handle a variety of projects. He or she may have received formal education and training or may simply be self-taught. He or she may also be a specialist that has knowledge on other skills. For example, a handyman may be a licensed electrician that has a hobby of woodworking so he also knows about carpentry.
Handymen are not regulated so their competency for similar skills may be different. For example, one handyman may be better than another in terms of plumbing, unlike licensed plumbers who have almost similar capabilities. Some handymen will have a wider skill set than others that could involve plumbing, electrical expertise, carpentry, tiling or painting.
What a Handyman Can and Cannot Do
If the project requires a permit or has to be done according to code or standard, you will need a licensed professional. Not all handymen are licensed on a specific field so you will have to choose contractors. It is also a good idea to give emergency jobs like broken electrical wiring to specialists.
Based on a CostFigure article, the service cost of a handyman is charged at an hourly rate so you will possibly spend more for a job that requires a long time to finish or needs multiple workers than if you opted for a contractor. For example, a South Jersey handyman price might vary greatly from a Philadelphia handyman price. One handyman may have better tools than the average household but if the job requires heavy-duty equipment, then it is a good idea to hire contractors.
That said, Bright Star Handyman Service can handle a variety of minor jobs that do not require a lot of manpower or complex equipment. These can involve:
plumbing - installing new pipes or repairing leaky faucets
caulking - applying fresh caulk to windows, doors, and siding
repairing decks and porches - replacing broken boards or applying sealant
painting - painting or touching-up small sections
gutter maintenance - cleaning gutters and installing guards
home exterior repairs - replacing sidings or shingles
extra jobs - replacing light fixtures and doorknobs
How Can You Save Money with a Handyman
For multiple simple jobs that require different skills, especially in South Jersey or Philadelphia, Bright Star handyman service will cost less than hiring multiple specialists. For example, replacing a leaky pipe and a broken light switch as well as painting a section of wall can be done cheaper and within the same day by a handyman than when you hire a plumber, an electrician, and a painter. Aside from this, the rate of a handyman is also lower because his overhead costs are a fraction of that of a large company.
Unlike when dealing with a contractor, you will have to supply the materials for a handyman (e.g. paint, pipes), but the effort of buying the materials yourself means that you get the retail value. You can also choose the manufacturer, material and finish, or warranty agreements.
Contractors usually provide the materials for a project and while this saves effort on your part, the price will be a little higher because they put a markup on the materials. You will also be limited to the products that they have in stock.
Sometimes you will have the skills to finish a DIY but you do not have the necessary equipment such as portable power tools. If you Google “handyman near me” you do not even have to buy tools or devote time and effort, just find your best options and compare pricing. Aside from tools, the experience of a handyman will allow him to do a better job than a DIY, such that there are no wrong installations that can cause potential damage and further costs.
Another aspect of a DIY is the risk of potential injury, especially for elderly clients such as when climbing ladders to clean gutters or replace shingles. A handyman will be comfortable with these jobs and will be safer so potential injuries are minimized. In this case, additional cost due to injury is prevented.
Tasks that are part of the routine maintenance of a house can add up and if the homeowner cannot keep up, further damage may ensure which will cost more to repair. Hiring a handyman will allow you to finish multiple repair work in a single day. Examples of these are loose siding or shingles and peeling paint. These are minor issues and may simply be unsightly but if not addressed, the material underneath may become damaged and will cost more to repair.
Finally, there are unique projects that will cost very high if a professional will take the job. For example, laying holiday lights on a tree and ensuring that it is grounded and safe to operate can be difficult especially for elderly people. Hiring a Bright Star handyman will not be a waste because he can fix the plumbing in the sink after laying the lights. Hiring a licensed electrician will simply be an overkill.
To make the most of hiring a handyman, you should try to create a list of repairs that need to be completed in a single visit. Also note that some states like California require a license from the State Contractors License Board if the handyman has to work on a bigger job so you have to check if the handyman you are hiring has a license.
Thank you, Philadelphia & South Jersey!
From all of us at Bright Star Handyman Service, thank you for your continued business! We are proud to service the Philadelphia and South Jersey regions with everything from paint to carpentry. Wishing all of our clients a very happy Thanksgiving.
Some Handyman Projects You Just Shouldn’t DIY
There are many home projects that you can DIY, but when it comes to handyman work, some things are better left to the pros. Here are a couple home improvement projects you probably want to hire out:
- Structural Labor: When it comes to jobs like tearing down walls or removing and installing large appliances, there is a lot going on within the walls, like electrical wires, that you must consider before getting the job done.
- Kitchen & Bath Renovation: Let’s face it, kitchen and bath renovations take a lot of time, resources and money. Take the guesswork out of installation, and have a professional help you with large jobs like kitchen and bathroom remodels.
- Carpentry: Woodworking takes skill. Unless you have a lot of woodworking expertise, carpentry projects are best left to handyman service professionals!
Bright Star Handyman Service is dedicated to helping South Jersey & Philadelphia homeowners build, create and renovate their homes. No need for DIY when Bright Star provides a great value and high quality workmanship.
Check out our recent projects here.