Welcome back to our two-part color series! In Part 1, we talked about using color to add focus, depth, and drama to a room by painting to enhance the architecture. For today's post, we are going to help you to find the right hues to bring your remodeled rooms to life.

In a world where thousands of colors can be yours for just $30 a gallon, remember that there are only seven colors in the paint spectrum ? red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. We suggest trying to eliminate a couple even before you go to the pick out samples.

A good method to narrow down your color scheme is to start by selecting three colors from an existing object in your home. Take a pillow from the sofa, a piece of artwork or a painting, or a decorative rug?anything that conveys comfort or has an emotional connection for you?and take that object (or a good true-color picture of it) to the paint store. Find three sample strips with those colors, and you instantly have 9-18 colors you can use, (since each sample strip typically contains six paint colors).

The next step is to choose one of the three paint colors as your wall color and to save the other two to be used around the room in fabric or furnishings. To choose colors for adjacent rooms, take the same original three color sample strips and select another color. Finally, choose a fourth color that can be used as an accent: infuse a little of that color into every room of the house?by way of a pillow or plate or artwork to create a connection and smooth color flow between rooms.

If you find yourself color-blocked and unable to choose your color sample cards at the paint store, take a look at the deepest shade on the color strip. If you can live with the one at the bottom, then you'll more than likely be okay with the middle or top shade, but if you choose by looking at the top lightest colors, all the cards in that category will start to look the same.

Once you have chosen your colors, consider the finish you'll be using. Though today's flat paints have increased stain resistance, conventional wisdom has long held that a satin or eggshell finish is best for walls because it is easy to keep clean and doesn?t draw attention to imperfections. Semi-gloss and high-gloss finishes create an interesting visual effect on the entire wall. Paint one wall in a flat or satin finish and the adjacent wall in a semi-gloss, both in the same color, and when the light hits the walls, it creates an almost corduroy or velvety effect.

Similarly, you can paint the walls flat and the ceiling semi-gloss to achieve a matte and sheen contrast. But keep in mind that the higher the gloss, the more sheen and the more attention you draw to the surface. Used strategically, color and gloss together can emphasize the best features of any room.

5 Common Color Mistakes
1. Being afraid.
The world can be divided into people who are ?color courageous? and people who are ?color shy.? People who live in colorful interiors have gotten over the fear of making a mistake with color choices. If you are ?color shy,? the best way to get over this is to always start with a color you love ? chosen from a rug, a painting, or a fabric ? and then test it on a wall in the room you're thinking of painting. If you feel that it's too strong/deep of a color, consider asking your paint store to formulate it at half-strength to lighten it or to tone it down by adding more gray.

2. Putting too much on the walls.
Be aware of the intensity of the colors in your rooms. If you're choosing an object with five or six strong colors to match paint for your room, Don't paint the walls in equally strong hues. Let the object be the focal point and let the walls act as a lighter accent.

3. Putting too little on the walls.
If you think your room is boring, look at it in terms of the ?60-30-10 rule? that many interior designers employ, which states: 60% of the color in a space generally comes from the walls; 30% from the upholstery, floor covering, or window treatments; and 10% from accent pieces, accessories, and artwork. Feel free to be bold with the walls, but remember the other design aspects of the room.

4. Rushing the process.
The best way to find a color you can live with is to paint a 4-by-4-foot swatch on the wall and actually live with it for at least 24 to 48 hours so that you can see it in natural and artificial light and at different times of day. Taking the extra time to do a swatch test is definitely worth it to find the right color for your room.

5. Forgetting about primer.
When changing the color of a wall, primer (white or tinted) is vital to displaying the actual color you picked out. Priming ensures there will be no interference from the previous wall color and will allow the truest hue to show on your walls.

Color can add a lot to a room, but it can also take away just as much if chosen poorly. Hopefully the tips in our two-part series can help you to find the perfect color for your future kitchen, bathroom, or basement remodel. If you're considering remodeling an area of your home, be sure to contact us for a fast, free estimate today!

*image courtesy of ColourFeeling/Wikimedia Commons

I bought a house as a ?quick cash sale? ? basically I pay 75% of value of house to homeowner but offer it to close nearly immediately. If title is okay can usually close in 5 days or so. Does not work often but often enough to run the ad in newspapers on weekends and all the cheap magazine type buy swap sell type places and on Craigslist. Sometimes to close an estate or avoid a tax forfeiture it works and I get a decent property priced to where it can be sold for a profit and turned quickly. These are the places that I usually do some fast upgrades on as well because most often they had been on market in past and just not sold for some reason or another so the upgrades are what makes it'sell when it would not before.

This house was actually relatively nice considering how I acquired it. It was only 25 years old, aside from new carpet and paint did not need a lot inside. Under $5000 total to have it ready to go but there was a big issue. It had a very large yard (over æ acre and out in the country) that should have been a selling point but because it was at the base of a large rocky wooded hillside the yard was more swamp than grass for 2 weeks after every rain storm. When I looked at it the first time looked like yard just was not well maintained and in serious need of some grass seed and weed killer. When I went back 2 weeks later after had been purchased and new paint and carpets done, (coincidentally after 5 days of rain in between) was 2 inches of scummy water on 1/3rd of lawn and was a mosquito hatchery.

Now was clear why was nothing but huge mowed ?lawn? with no real landscaping or even bushes planted. Being on a rural road there was no real drainage ditches on sides of road to run a drainage tile into and nestled into hills that was the only place one could run a drainage tile. The only answer I got when asking around involved hundreds of loads of gravel and rock recovered by top soil ? but even then raising the lawn would then make everything drain towards the house, an even bigger problem.

I was reading and searching for an answer when somehow I landed on an answer ? put in a pond. A little bit of research and a couple hours getting the permit from the town office and the excavator was on the way. A bit of advice from the extension office at Cornell University went a long way in making sure it would be big enough to collect even spring runoff at snow melt and they helped find the spring that was just below the surface of the ground contributing to the problem as well. I did also have a large pond pump put in and took the dirt excavated from it to build a berm with pond liners in them to hold the spring waters off the rest of the yard. Spent $5000 on a huge deck with a small ?fishing pier? and a fountain in the middle.

It went from being a large featureless lawn/swamp to being a country home with its own small private pond of about a quarter acre with an entertainment deck, and even after increasing the price of the property $20k from what had originally planned to not only cover the costs but add to the profit, it'sold with less than 3 weeks on the market and a larger than expected profit. Sometimes creative thinking pays off.

Most homeowners who have an unfinished basement in their homes usually have a desire to finish that basement and transform it into a more usable area. Remodeling a finished or unfinished basement is a great way to add value, space and comfort to your home. Basements are ideal for casual social activities for the whole family, just for the kids, or just for the guys.

A few weeks back, we featured a blog post on 7 tips for Creating the Perfect Finished Basement or Basement Remodel and today we are going to talk about 6 of the most common mistakes made when remodeling a basement. All of these pitfalls revolve around some degree of water damage, which can easily turn your dream remodel into a nightmare, but each one is unique in-and-of itself.

Below are the six most common mistakes homeowners make in basement remodeling projects:

#1 ? Finishing a Wet, Damp or Flood-Prone Basement
Because of the way they are built, basements are more prone to moisture and flooding, especially in low-lying areas that are below sea level. Basements are essentially a box of porous concrete, buried in the ground. When that ground gets saturated with water, the resulting hydrostatic pressure pushes the water against the foundation walls and will eventually find its way into your basement ? whether through cracks, joints between walls and floors, or infiltrating the concrete through capillary action. In addition, floods caused by plumbing leaks or broken hot water heaters are an ever present risk. Without proper drainage, a reliable sump pump system, and proper dehumidification, no basement is dry enough to be finished.

#2 ? Using wooden studs, fiberglass insulation and drywall.
While these materials are stables of construction for finishing rooms above ground, in a basement they usually spell disaster. Basements are naturally humid, and all these materials ? wood, paper and fiberglass ? have the tendency to absorb moisture. When you combine moisture with organic matter, you create ideal conditions for mold to develop. Basement walls should be finished with 100% inorganic and waterproof materials that will survive a basement flood or water accident.

#3 ? Using wooden subfloors, hardwood or cork floors.
As we mentioned above, anything that is made with organic materials is a bad idea for basements. Manufacturers might tell you that these products are chemically treated to be mold resistant or may contain something called a vapor barrier (more on that below), but read the fine print before committing to anything. Look for basement flooring solutions that are specifically engineered to wit'stand all sorts of basement moisture conditions.

#4 ? Improper use of vapor barriers.
?If you attach poly sheets over the studs and the fiberglass, and then attach the drywall, you can pretty much use any type of finish you want, because the ?vapor barrier? will protect the materials.? This statement is a complete fabrication and will only lead to compounded problems down the road. According to the US Department of Energy?s Building America Best Practices recommendations, moisture from basement walls and floors should be allowed to evaporate and dry to the interior. This kind of ?vapor barrier? will only do one thing: trap the water vapor between the concrete and the barrier, where it can condensate, and can cause mold to grow.

#5 ? Not having a backup sump pump.
Every year, millions of dollars are spent on basement flood cleanup, restoration and replacement of flood-damaged property. To make matters worse, the damage is never covered under homeowners insurance, and even special flood insurance establishes coverage limits when it comes to basements. Even if your basement is properly waterproofed and has a good working sump pump, without a battery operated backup sump pump, you are at risk for a basement flood. Keep in mind that the same storms that have the potential to flood your basement can also cause power outages. No power means no pump. Battery backups are also useful in case of a primary pump failure or other electrical malfunction.

#6 ? Disregarding moisture control.
Although proper waterproofing and good basement finishing choices can greatly improve conditions in the basement, in some cases they will not suffice to control the moisture in the basement. Basement moisture levels tend to be higher because of temperature differences between the basement and the areas above ground. When basement moisture levels go above 60% mold will start to develop, especially in organic surfaces. Even if you Don't see it, if the basement smells musty, mold is most likely present. Basement moisture levels should be closely monitored and a dehumidifier should be used to keep RH levels at or below 55%.

Although these pitfalls all fall under one large umbrella, they are commonly overlooked and can cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to your home. By taking the necessary precautions in dealing with water and its potential damage, you will save yourself time, money and frustration later on. MDV Remodeling can take a look at your basement and let you know where to begin. We will also let you know what potential pitfalls you could incur during the creation of your dream basement. Contact us today for a free estimate.

Remodeling a finished or unfinished basement is a great way to add value, space and comfort to your home. Basements are ideal for casual social activities for the whole family, just for the kids or just for the guys. it's the perfect spot for the big screen TV, pool table, and to stash board games and craft supplies.

Here are 7 tips to get you started on choosing the finished basement of your dreams:

1. Make it feel like home?

Whether your current basement is a raw and unfinished or completely finished but in need of an upgrade, it's important to remember that this space needs to be inviting for you and your family. Choose comfortable furnishing that can easily accommodate guests, but still works within the space available. Include the amenities that fit the room you want, like surround sound systems, Internet connections and proper lighting (more on that later), and finish it with dÈcor that appeals to those who will use it most.

2. Cater to your needs as well as your wants?

Do you fight with family member of the use of the bathroom(s) in your home? Do your house guests sleep on couches or air mattresses when they spend the night? Do you hate having to run upstairs to the kitchen when hosting a game-time get together? Then why not include a spare bedroom and full or half bath or a kitchenette in your basement remodel? Space permitting, the inclusion of addition living accommodations can be just what you need to complement the basement that you want!

3. Install a safe, yet attractive staircase?

You already have a set of stairs that lead to the basement, but no one ever said you couldn?t add a little style while still providing a necessary function. Try installing a floating or winding staircase. Add in a landing or two to add levels and depth to the room. Just be sure that whatever type of staircase you decide to go with is compliant with building and safety codes; this is where a licensed contractor can help.

4. Don't forget the windows and doors?

it's sometime easy to forget the existing windows and doors can also be upgraded and added to if you so desire. Adding or enlarging basement windows and exterior doors will add natural light and ventilation and can significantly increase your enjoyment of this living space. These features can also work in conjunction with outdoor renovations to provide a shared space for gatherings.

5. Finish the basement walls and ceilings?

Basement wall are usually made from cinder blocks or poured concrete, so most finished basements have drywall, plywood, paneling, or paint over the concrete. But that doesn?t mean you give your basement wall some ?main-floor? styling as well! The same can be said for the ceilings. Conceal the joists, pipes, and duct work with drywall or paneling to bring the polish of main-level rooms to the basement.

6. Add in good lighting to complement the room?

Good lighting is key to the success of your finished basement. Recessed or track lighting provides great overall light, while accent lighting and area lamps can provide a warmer, cozier feel. Your lighting needs will largely depend on what is being built, but the wrong lighting can make use of the room difficult, if not downright intolerable (like glare on your brand-new flat screen television).

7. Don't forget the storage areas?

Most basements are the go-to storage area in the home, so why not built in attractive and versatile storage that complements the remodeled area. Closets, built-in entertainment units and shelving will add a lot to the form and function of a room when incorporated into the remodel design.

Whether it's a man-cave or a playroom for the kids; a home office or family room/den, these tips will help to ensure that your remodeled finished basement is exactly what you want and need! MDV Remodeling has a great deal of experience finishing basements for family areas, in-law suit's, aging in place remodels and more. Schedule your free estimate today. In our initial meeting, we will go over all the options available to you that fit your space and budget.