No Picture
Home Maintenance

Great Home Remodeling Ideas That Cost Less Than a TV

You’ve seen them, you love them and you really, really want one. A huge wall mountable led or plasma screen TV, with all the bells and whistles. The kind that dominates the living room and brings you every program in high definition and surround sound. They only cost about $2,500 these days, so why are other members of the household still balking at the idea of getting one? Maybe because there are some home remodeling projects that cost less than that big TV and will do a lot more to increase the home’s aesthetic appeal and its value as well.
Refinish Your Kitchen Cabinets
Never mind new TVs, how about new kitchen cabinets to replace the ones you currently have that would be right at home in an 80s sitcom but do little to make your kitchen a nice place to hang out.
Ripping out all your kitchen cabinets will probably cost over the $2,500 mark but having them refaced shouldn’t and it is a great way to breathe new life into your home.
Have a Custom Closet Built
Who couldn’t use an extra closet to get some of that clutter off the floor and neatly hidden away from sight? Instead of going for The Hulk of all TVs, why not invest the money in a custom built closet? Your home will be neater and you’ll be increasing its value as well.
Get a Solar Water Heater
You complain every time the energy bills come in, they keep going up all the time. How does an investment that helps the environment and saves you money on monthly bills sound? Having a solar hot water heater installed averages out at under the $2,500 mark and, unlike that television, it will pay for itself in energy savings in just a few years.
Have a Masonry Fireplace Built
That TV you have your eye on will undoubtedly supply you with hours of quality entertainment but it will also be all but obsolete within ten years. Having a real masonry fireplace built will really enhance your evenings at home, whether you are alone or entertaining, reduce your energy bills and add to the value of your home considerably.
Refinish Your Wood Floors
Wood floors are beautiful but, over the years and with all the traffic they have to endure, they can end up looking a little worse for wear, especially if you have been a little lax on the maintenance front. A good professional sanding and refinishing job can change all that and the price tag is a lot less than the one on that TV. Because this process actually exposes fresh wood, the results will make your floor look brand new, literally melting away all those years of abuse.
So, before you head out for the electronics store, think about the state of your home and whether all that money could be a little better spent. Then when all the improvements are finished you should still have enough cash left over to get a more modest television set to enjoy in your newly improved environment.

No Picture
General Article

Helpful Bathroom Renovation And Cleaning Tips

Helpful Bathroom Renovation And Cleaning Tips

One of the most daunting things for most home owners is attempting to complete a home improvement task for themselves rather than calling out a local builder. As we are in the middle of what looks like a rather large recession more and more people are being tempted to have a go at doing the work themselves. One of the more popular home improvement tasks that people are attempting is fitting a new bathroom. Here are a few simple tips to help the job go well and without any problems.

The first and most important task to do is to ensure that the water supply is turned off and that everyone else in the house is aware that it must stay off. The last thing you want is someone turning the water back on when you have un-capped pipes in the bathroom. This would be a disaster and will create a huge clear up job. You should also check to see that you have all of the necessary tools to complete the jobs that you are about to undertake in the bathroom. Depending on what tasks you are doing will dictate what tools you will need.

Make sure that you have enough space to dispose of the old bathroom suite that you are removing as well being able to get the new suite into the bathroom. This problem is more common than you would imagine and can be very embarrassing.

It might also be advisable to get the help of a friend for the weekend or for a couple of days to help you with some of the more fiddly jobs such as plumbing in the taps and holding up the basin. An extra pair hands can go a long way to helping to make the task more bearable.

If you heed these few tips you should find the task of renovating your bathroom much easier.

More and more people are turning their bathrooms into little designer rooms in the house and going away from the basic room of functionality that it used to be. But with this are a few little problems such as the fact that the bathroom is now a much more difficult room to keep clean than it once was. One such example of this is the appearance in many homes of a shower screen rather than a shower curtain that used to be the mainstay of many older bathrooms. So what is the best way to clean a shower screen properly?

In days gone by people would simply take a shower curtain down and put it in the washing machine, simple. But you cannot do this with a shower screen because of its size so it has to be cleaned in situ. Although it is more time consuming and labour intensive to clean a shower screen it is not that difficult a job.

Using hot water with a mild bleach solution you should soak a cloth and then apply the cloth to the screen, washing in a circular motion. This should remove any soap residue and help to clean the glass panel. Next you should run the cloth through the cleaning solution once more and then run the cloth around the frame of the shower screen taking extra care with the hinges to ensure they are clean. Finally you should open the shower screen inwards and taking the cloth run it along the seal that keeps the water from leaking out of the shower. This is important to keep clean as this can start to degrade and rot over time if not looked after properly.

So hopefully these useful tips will help to keep your shower screen looking clean and fresh.

No Picture
General Article

Moroccan Lanterns – Add That Moroccan Flair to Your Living Room

Moroccan Lanterns – Add That Moroccan Flair to Your Living Room

Moroccan lanterns can be displayed in a variety of ways in your room or household. The goal is to place them in areas where the room will benefit from their light in order to set the mood. If you have been wondering about different ways to display your lanterns try some of these ideas.

The most basic way of displaying lanterns is allowing them to sit on something. Whether you are setting them on a table or other type of furniture, they can look very nice when presented this way. They make for good accent pieces when they are arranged somewhere in a room in this format. An example would be to put a small lantern on a desk or end table.

Another great option is to hang the lanterns from above on the ceiling. This is often quite attractive. It is also a great way to create a mood in the room. If you have Moroccan lanterns hanging above something such as a table in the room or arranged to hang from different areas in the room, it can be a nice addition to the decor.

You can also consider mixing both approaches. This can be a great idea if you are working with lanterns of multiple colors. Not only is it a very interesting arrangement, but it also gives the eyes many different elements to look at and encourages for them to travel around various parts of the room. This is a great idea if you have a very intense decor that you want people to notice many details in.

Keep in mind, Moroccan lanterns are not something that you would use for bright light. If you want that, you will have to try a different style of lighting in the room. These are best used for subtle lighting effects. Likewise, you can make a large impact from the subtle use of these lamps and the light they can shed.

Also, consider that the lanterns might not fit in every decor or theme. While they are quite versatile, there are likely some decors that they would not really fit in with. Consider at least incorporating them into one room in the house. This will bring some variety into your style and affect the decor that is present.

Mainly, you should be creative with the displaying of your Moroccan lanterns. Try to come up with ideas of what you want to do with the lanterns or the lighting ideally. This will allow you to come up with ideas of what you want to do specifically in the room and what you want to achieve with the mood. You can use these lanterns for beautiful and edgy styles.

You should be able to create a display that is unique and serves its purpose. These are just a few general ideas to encourage the brainstorming process. Keep in mind that the more impact you make with your lighting, the more of an impact you can also make with the decor in the room as well.

No Picture
General Article

There’s More Than One Use for a Jar

There’s More Than One Use for a Jar

Jars have typically been used to store homemade goods. These include jams, preserves, powders and spices, and other items. But jars can also become a part of your home decor and home design.

A design idea that you might consider is using oversized jars or oversized wine bottles. These make a nice addition to your kitchen setting, your porch or your backyard. These pieces will surely stand out because of their unusual size. If you plan to include these in your design, make sure you acquire more than one because oversized jars and wine bottles look good when they are grouped together.

Another design idea that you might have for jars is to use them as part of your lighting. This type of lighting is ideal for use in the kitchen because they create that warm, country style living and of course, they are unique. Although there are a lot of styles and designs that have modernized the appearance of a jar pendant light, sticking to the traditional look makes it more homey and more comforting. You can use colored jars but we suggest using the clear ones since you will be using them in the kitchen, an area where you want proper lighting. Uniform sized and styled jars are commonly used. But as an experiment as well as a design idea, try using different styles of clear jars but keep them at least of the same size. And when you’re done with this design experiment, let us know how it turns out.

From homemade goods to other items, there’s truly more than one use for a jar. Great things do come in glass.

No Picture
General Article

Handy Information for Bathroom Remodeling

Handy Information for Bathroom Remodeling

When you purchase a home you go into it knowing there are things that you will need to change. That happens so that you can make it your own and make it your home. When thinking about remodeling your home there are several things to think about as you venture into these projects. You need to figure out a budget, how far you want to immerse yourself in renovation and the style that you are looking to achieve with your home renovation project.

Bathroom remodeling is growing fast as suppliers are offering spa like fixtures and home owners are looking to create a quiet retreat from the busy world in their very own homes. There are so many levels of remodeling when it comes to bathrooms. First you must decide if you are going to enlarge a bathroom gutting it and basically starting from scratch or are you happy with a coat of paint, new fixtures and some new lights. Of course a lot of this will depend on your budget and willingness to immerse in a complete remodel.

I would suggest creating a list of your wants and needs. Determine how much you are willing to budget for the bathroom remodeling project and exactly what you are looking to have on the outcome of the project.

Start with determining what types of faucets and fixtures you have verses what you would like. Look around the current room and ask yourself some questions. Do you like the current layout? Are the tub, sink and toilet all going to stay or are you interested in replacing them? What about the vanity? Is there enough space for towels or are you interested in adding a linen closet? Do you want the closet inside the current space or do you want to add a space on the outside of the actual bathroom? Other things that you need to ask your self is are you okay with tub surrounds or are you more interested in specialized tiling? All of these things will help determine if your project is capable of being done within your budget or if you need to wait or scale back expectations.

Also look into lighting. So many different options are currently available. Do you like the look of fluorescent lights or do you want a more natural light. Is there a window in your bathroom to provide natural light and you are looking to enhance the natural light of the room? Recessed lights are also very popular and can be done to also provide heating elements in spaces like stand up showers.

It is fun to determine paint. Paint will help create an environment in your bathroom. If you are looking for a sea/ocean feel verse a spa feel verse a fun kids space. Paint can change the mood without a lot of expense. If your budget is small think about trying to paint to see if that is enough change to create a certain feel for your bathroom setting. This might be a simple solution to a major bathroom renovation until you can afford the more luxurious renovations.

Budget is the number one factor in any remodel but especially in a bathroom remodel. Every dime spent adds up quickly. Often during a renovation we don’t take in to account the minor expenses like caulk or new electrical fixtures. Make sure expenses don’t sneak up on you with thorough planning before you contemplate an all out, full scale bathroom renovation.