Many do-it-yourself homeowners enjoy upgrading their own home rather than hiring a licensed contractor to do so. As long as you do the work in accordance with current building standards and acquire all the necessary permits, this is perfectly fine — with one caveat. In California, if the work requires a building permit and you want to sell your home within a year of when the permit gets final approval, state law requires you hire a contractor.
Candidly, I cannot explain this (except to assume that contractors have good lobbyists). In cases where all work is up to code and has been cleared by the building inspector, homeowners should be allowed to sell their home whenever they please. Whether you do the work yourself or hire someone, here are some summer projects that can add value to your home.
Around here, redwood decks are most common, but they are by no means the only option. Artificial boards made of recycled materials can also be a good choice because they are low-maintenance — no staining required — and they’re touted to last a long time. Based on those factors, I had a Trex deck installed at my house.
Unfortunately, several boards deteriorated and had to be replaced, but I was impressed when Trex immediately replaced the faulty boards at no cost to me. Even though Trex performed admirably, I decided to change the surface boards to ipe (pronounced e-pay). It’s a dense Brazilian hardwood, so dense that you cannot drive a nail through it.
You basically have thre.
