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Who, or what's to blame for lake's problem smell? - Local History ...

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Thursday, JUly 21, 1994<br />

Minimize your home improvement costs<br />

Maklng IJnprovements can do m<strong>or</strong>e<br />

than improve the appearance <strong>or</strong> comf<strong>or</strong>t<br />

of your home. hc<strong>or</strong>chng <strong>to</strong> the<br />

MIchIgan AssOC!atlon of CPAs<br />

(MACPA), spenchng money on certam<br />

improvements now can offer you Slgmficant<br />

tax savings later.<br />

Tax law clearly differentiates<br />

between home repairs and capital<br />

improvements - the improvements<br />

that offer you tax advantages. Repairs<br />

keep <strong>or</strong> rest<strong>or</strong>e property <strong>to</strong> good w<strong>or</strong>king<br />

condition. Examples of repairs<br />

include repainting, fixing a broken<br />

wmdow <strong>or</strong> fixing gutters. Capital<br />

improvements, on the other hand,<br />

increase the value of your property,<br />

lengthen Its life <strong>or</strong> adapt it <strong>to</strong> a different<br />

use. Examples include remodeling<br />

a kitchen <strong>or</strong> bathroom, creating a master<br />

swte, adding a fireplace <strong>or</strong> putting<br />

aluminum siding on your home.<br />

Expenses mcurred f<strong>or</strong> capital improvements<br />

can be added <strong>to</strong> the basis of your<br />

residence - that is, the <strong>to</strong>tal amount<br />

you paid f<strong>or</strong> the property. When you<br />

sell your residence, the taxable gain is<br />

determmed by subtractmg your b8Sls<br />

in the home from the sellIng pnce. The<br />

greater your basis, the lower your taxable<br />

profit.<br />

Be sure <strong>to</strong> keep receIpts f<strong>or</strong> all your<br />

capital expenditures. This WIn keep<br />

you from overlooking expenses that can<br />

increase your basis and will enable you<br />

<strong>to</strong> substantiate your capital gain calculation<br />

should the IRS ever question it.<br />

Bef<strong>or</strong>e making a home improvement,<br />

it's WIse <strong>to</strong> consider whether<br />

you'll be able <strong>to</strong> recover its cost when<br />

you sell your home. Certain features<br />

are m<strong>or</strong>e valued by home buyers than<br />

others and, consequently, are m<strong>or</strong>e<br />

likely <strong>to</strong> add <strong>to</strong> your home's market<br />

value. Today, you're likely <strong>to</strong> recover<br />

costs f<strong>or</strong> expanding a master bedroom,<br />

adding an office <strong>or</strong> study <strong>or</strong> building a<br />

new bathroom. However, adding a<br />

greenhouse <strong>or</strong> installing a hand-l8ld<br />

brick wall <strong>to</strong> your front do<strong>or</strong> is not lJkely<br />

<strong>to</strong> offer you the same payback when<br />

you sell your home.<br />

Also, don't undertake projects that<br />

plevate your property's value above the<br />

neighb<strong>or</strong>hood nonn. If the houses m<br />

your community generally sell f<strong>or</strong><br />

about $100,000 and your home<br />

Improvements would boost your home.<br />

's value <strong>to</strong> $150,000, chances are you<br />

won't recover your costs.<br />

How you finance your improvement<br />

will affect its ultimate cost. It's wise <strong>to</strong><br />

finance as much of the improvement as<br />

possible with cash, thereby avoiding<br />

hefty interest charges. If you can't<br />

come up with sufficient cash, consider<br />

taking out a home equity loon <strong>or</strong> b<strong>or</strong>rowing<br />

against a home equity line of<br />

credit. The interest rate on such loans<br />

is usually less than that charged by<br />

banks f<strong>or</strong> home improvement and<br />

other loans. What's m<strong>or</strong>e, except f<strong>or</strong><br />

certain hIgh-income individuals who<br />

are subject <strong>to</strong> an overall reduction in<br />

itemized deductions, generally you can<br />

fully deduct interest pald on home<br />

equity loans. However, since you are<br />

usmg your home as collateral, be sure<br />

YourHome Page 3<br />

you b<strong>or</strong>row only an amount that you<br />

are capable of repaymg.<br />

AVOId usmg your credit card <strong>to</strong><br />

finance home improvements. Interest<br />

rates on maj<strong>or</strong> bank cards are usually<br />

hIgh and can tack on thousands of dol.<br />

lars <strong>to</strong> the actual cost of the Improvement.<br />

Bef<strong>or</strong>e mOVIng ahead Wlth a maj<strong>or</strong><br />

Improvement, be sure <strong>to</strong> get pnce<br />

quotes from several contract<strong>or</strong>s. Have<br />

a budget In mind and ask the contract<strong>or</strong><br />

<strong>to</strong> outline In wnting the speClfic<br />

w<strong>or</strong>k that will be completed based on<br />

the budget you established. Ask the<br />

contract<strong>or</strong> <strong>to</strong> show you pho<strong>to</strong>graphs of<br />

Slmllar projects completed on sinular<br />

budgets.<br />

Finally, be sure <strong>to</strong> check contract<strong>or</strong>s'<br />

references. The MACPA recommends<br />

that you ask each reference if<br />

the Job was completed on time and<br />

within budget. This will gIve you a<br />

good idea of whether your home<br />

improvement will be completed in a<br />

tlmely and cost-effectlve manner.<br />

Detroit Edison incentives available f<strong>or</strong> home construction<br />

After investIng thousands of dollars<br />

<strong>to</strong> remodel <strong>or</strong> build a new home, the<br />

last tffing a homeowner needs is high<br />

energy bills<br />

Detroit Edison cus<strong>to</strong>mers who qualify<br />

f<strong>or</strong> the utility's Energy-Efficient<br />

Home Constroction Program not only<br />

pay lower annual energy bills compared<br />

WIth conventIOnal homes, but<br />

also could qualify <strong>to</strong> receIve up <strong>to</strong><br />

$5,000 in incentIves from the utJlity.<br />

1__<br />

US WHAT YOU WANT•..IT'S AS GOOD AS DONE, TM<br />

- EIGHT OFFICES TO SRRVR YOU-<br />

The home constructlon program<br />

offers builders and homeowners mcentIves<br />

f<strong>or</strong> instalhng energy-efficient<br />

wall and cellmg msulation, WIndows,<br />

lighting, maj<strong>or</strong> electric appliances and<br />

high-efficiency cooling. Additionally,<br />

homeowners qualify f<strong>or</strong> DetrOIt<br />

Echson's lower time-of-day rate The<br />

program is available <strong>to</strong> owners and<br />

bUIlders of "all.electric" homes, which<br />

are homes eqUIpped Wlth electnc heat.<br />

H_o_u_s_e_h_o_l_d_H_e_l_p __<br />

Whether your home IS new <strong>or</strong> old, it<br />

should be waterproofed, especially<br />

basement and crawl space walls<br />

where the entry of water and<br />

mOisture ultimately leads <strong>to</strong><br />

deteri<strong>or</strong>atIOn and damage. With a httle<br />

know-how and the right <strong>to</strong>ols, you can<br />

eaSily waterproof areas where leakage<br />

has started <strong>or</strong> prevent it in areas<br />

where It may occur. To get started,<br />

you'll need the following <strong>to</strong>ols and<br />

products' hammer, chisel, wooden<br />

paddle trowel, wire brush, large pail,<br />

heavy.'duty masonry paint brush,<br />

hydraulIc water-s<strong>to</strong>p ce~ent and<br />

waterproofing masonry coatIng.<br />

r<strong>or</strong>.;:E THE SOURCE AND<br />

PREPARE THE SURFACE: Inspect<br />

the walls and locate the source of the<br />

leakage. Once you've found it, use<br />

your hammer and chIsel it <strong>to</strong> enlarge<br />

the crack <strong>or</strong> hole ~ut square~y <strong>or</strong><br />

undercut while enlargIng the caVIty <strong>to</strong><br />

a mmimum depth and width of ~/4<br />

lOch, then remove all loose mater~al<br />

from the cavIty and scrub WIth a WIre<br />

brush and water.<br />

PREPARE MIXTURE AND APPLY<br />

TO SURFACE. Prepare a miXture oC<br />

one part water and 4 1/,2 par~s<br />

hydraulic water.s<strong>to</strong>p cement 10 a pall<br />

and roll the mixed amount in your<br />

hands until you feel it begin <strong>to</strong> stiffen<br />

and become warm (only mix as much<br />

as you can apply in a three-minute<br />

period). Beginnmg at the <strong>to</strong>p of the<br />

crack <strong>or</strong> hole, press the cement in<strong>to</strong><br />

the cavity with your fingers and<br />

maintain pressure f<strong>or</strong> a few minutes<br />

<strong>or</strong> until the cement sets Then smooth<br />

the surface with a trowel. (W<strong>or</strong>k<br />

gloves should be w<strong>or</strong>n when<br />

completing this step.)<br />

APPLY WATERPROOFING<br />

MASONRY COATING: When the<br />

cement has set, the entire area should<br />

be painted with a wlltprproofing<br />

masonry coating Remove any paint,<br />

loose m<strong>or</strong>tar <strong>or</strong> dirt with a wire brush<br />

and water Next, mix masonry coating<br />

and water acc<strong>or</strong>ding <strong>to</strong> instructIons on<br />

package. Dampen the surface WIth a<br />

hose Just bef<strong>or</strong>e usmg a masonry paint<br />

brush <strong>to</strong> apply the mIxture in a<br />

circular scrubbing motIon <strong>to</strong> ensure<br />

penetration of waterproofing<br />

Ingredients. FIrst coat should dry f<strong>or</strong><br />

24 <strong>to</strong> 48 hours bef<strong>or</strong>e applying second<br />

coat Waterproofing masonry coating<br />

will continue <strong>to</strong> cure and harden f<strong>or</strong><br />

one month.<br />

Should you have any questions<br />

about this job, call the QUIKRETE<br />

Companies at 1-800-282-5828. They<br />

are the helpful people who provided<br />

the above inf<strong>or</strong>mation and will be<br />

happy <strong>to</strong> be of 888istance.<br />

ing and cooling systems.<br />

"Home constructJon - whether<br />

building new <strong>or</strong> remodeling - is an<br />

expensive venture," saId WJ1ham<br />

Steele, bwlder h8lson f<strong>or</strong> DetrOIt<br />

Echson.<br />

"This program helps homeowners<br />

A RAREFIND~~~~~~<br />

EvelyWoods four bed<br />

room Colonial. First<br />

flo<strong>or</strong> library, new<br />

kItchen with oak cabinets<br />

and ceramic flo<strong>or</strong>.<br />

Remodeled bath and<br />

freshly painted throughout.<br />

Call Marilyn Kenzie<br />

704.6013<br />

Sup

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