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Bathroom Remodel

Carpenter Services For Home Improvement

Are you starting to get bored with how your house looks inside and out? Do you have an idea or a plan brewing in your mind for a few months now, even for a year, with how you can bring new life to your home? If you say yes but unfortunately you do not have the carpentry skills to turn your ideas into reality, then it is time to look for some carpenter services to help you out.
In every city and every town there are a good number of contractors offering their carpenter services. And these carpenters have a wide range of skills level, usually depending on their experience and also the size of the company. For example, a lone carpenter who has been in his trade for only a couple of years must just be specializing in home repairs. That is for things like fixing your door and window, fixing a creaking floor or building a nice tree house for your kids.
There are also the big time guys, carpenters who can work on every carpentry and construction project and for the usual homeowner customer, they are offering home improvement services. These are the guys that you would want to contact if your home remodeling ideas consist of putting up an addition to your house, re-roofing, or completely remodeling the inside of your home.
When projects as big as these are part of your home improvement plan, then you should put much effort in finding and hiring the right carpenter for the job. You can start by asking a friend who recently had a home improvement project of his own if he can recommend the carpenter that worked for him. That is the best kind of recommendation that you can get because not only is your friend a reliable source, but you can actually see the work of that carpenter.
If that does not work for you, then simply make some phone calls and individually interview these carpenters. Look for the amount of experience that they have and most importantly, ask for a portfolio of their previous carpentry projects so that you can have a good idea if they are the right people to do your home improvement.
However, if all you want is a set of new kitchen cabinets then you will have to look for carpenters who specialize on cabinetry. Some carpenters would prefer to just work on one specialization than to spread their services too thinly. Because in this way they can master the art of cabinetry and be looked upon as the expert or authority on that kind of carpenter services.
And there are the multitude of carpenters who call themselves the handymen and who can do all the minor home repairs including some electrical and plumbing repairs. These are the people that you will call when all you want are some minor repair jobs.
Therefore the important thing is to assess how complicated or big your home improvement or whatever home repair that you want. Then narrow down your list of likely contractors who you think can actually do the job.

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Bathroom Remodel

How To Avoid These Top 10 Mistakes Homeowners Typically Make In Home Remodeling

1. Don’t Hire the Wrong Guy.
The number one home remodeling mistake people make while remodeling their home’s is hiring the wrong contractors. Hiring the wrong guy can make your life miserable and make you regret ever trying to improve your home in the first place. Make sure you investigate a proposed contractors credentials and get referrals. When considering a home remodeling contractor a good place to start is your local BBB. From there use common sense and ask questions. If something doesn’t feel or sound right move on to the next guy until you are comfortable. Lastly, get Everything in writing, you’ll be glad you did.
2. Do Your Research.
Being well informed about not only your home but the options you have and housing trends will prevent you from making big mistakes down the road. For instance even if you love pink walls and paneling its probably not a good idea to install them in your house. You may love it and if you never plan on selling or having company then great go for it, make yourself happy. But resale should always be kept in mind since you never truly know what the future will bring.
3. Honey Do, Doesn’t Always Mean Honey Can.
Keep your own abilities in mind. It is better to hire a professional for a task that you are sure you do not know how to do. By the time you figure it out, you will have more money and time involved than hiring a professional from the start. Save money and build sweat equity by accomplishing tasks you are comfortable with. You will not be doing yourself any favors by doing shoddy work on your home. Poor workmanship stands out and never adds value to your home.
4. Plan for the Future.
When Home Remodeling consider how changing life styles will be accommodated by your home. If you finish your basement for a play area for your kids it would be a good idea to run wiring for media areas, or pool table lighting so that when the kids out grow the play room you can easily covert the function of the space without elaborate remodeling costs.
5. Don’t Throw Good Money at Bad Money.
Make sure you take into account long term home remodeling goals. It doesn’t make sense to install new flooring this spring if you plan to build a room addition in the fall. Make long term goals and follow them. Make sure that you tackle tasks in the right order to prevent double paying or getting stuck short of your goals.
6. Don’t Band-Aid a Mistake.
If you put a Band-Aid on a mistake it’s a mistake with a Band-Aid on it. Make sure you are not covering up problems but instead addressing them properly. For instance, if you open up a bathroom wall and you see mold and structural water damage address the new found issues before covering them up. Putting a Band-Aid on it, or covering up the issue will only prolong your problems.
7. Allocate Enough Money.
Due to the common occurrence of unforeseen issues it is always a good Idea to allocate 10–15% in addition to your proposed budget. Having the extra money available will make life a lot easier if problems occur. Not much could be worse than running out of money before completion.
8. PPPPPP.
The old six P’s from college also applies to your home remodeling projects. Proper prior planning prevents poor performance. Make sure the plan is clear and your budget allocated before beginning. Making changes in the middle can jack the price through he roof. Re-designing your original plans mid-way through the remodeling phase always affects construction schedules and always increases the cost of your original plan.
9. See it Through.
When getting involved in any home remodeling project be prepared to go the distance with it. Often times unforeseen issues arise and need to be addressed accordingly. Stopping short will leave you with a half finished look.
10. Selecting the Wrong Materials.
It is a common mistake to select materials that by themselves look great, but when combined with other selections just do not work. Common examples are flooring, paint color, wall and floor tile, countertop selections and even lighting and fixtures. A good tip is when planning your project attain samples of each product so that the items can be physically placed together providing you an actual visualization of the final result. There’s nothing worse than realizing after your home remodeling project is done that, the colors and designs you have chosen clash or just don’t compliment each other well. Do not forget this important step.

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Bathroom Remodel

Cabinet Knobs During a Bathroom Makeover

We all spend a lot of time in our bathrooms, so it just makes sense that we want the bathroom to be a comfortable and inviting space to spend that time in. The more your bathroom reflects your personal style and taste, the more it becomes a retreat for you – a place that you can go into in the morning and get energized and ready to take on the day, and a place that you can retire to in order to relax at the end of that day. Unfortunately, we do not always have the time or money to take on a complete bathroom makeover when we need it most, because, as everyone knows, home remodeling projects like that often require a major investment of both time and money.
The good news is that you can still give your bathroom a makeover without completely changing everything and spending time and money you do not have to spare. One of the easiest and most inexpensive bathroom makeover projects just involves installing new cabinet hardware. Simply changing your old cabinet knobs out for new ones with a fresh new design will make a major difference in the overall appearance of your bathroom. This is an easy and simple update that you can make on your own, and it will not cost you an arm and a leg.
Adding new cabinet knobs to your bathroom cupboards changes the whole look of the cupboards, even if you do not go so far as to repaint or re-stain the cupboards themselves. Think of cabinet hardware as jewelry for your cabinets, and you will begin to see the possibilities. When you go shopping for your new hardware, look for pieces that will jazz up the way your bathroom currently looks. For example, modern or contemporary bathroom will benefit from sleek chrome or stainless steel pieces, and a warm and cozy, more traditionally decorated bathroom will get a big style boost that is both elegant and rich with oil rubbed bronze hardware.
New cabinet knobs and pulls can be installed quickly and easily, and will give your bathroom an instant style update. You can install your new bathroom cabinet hardware by yourself in just one afternoon, even if you are not the most adept at most home repair and remodeling projects. To make the process easier, you can pick up templates at your local home improvement store that will clearly mark where you need to drill your holes or install the knobs and pulls, which will ensure that everything lines up neatly and evenly. Once you’re done, your bathroom will have a fresh new look that didn’t eat up too much of your time or your bank balance!

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Bathroom Remodel

Home Remodeling Ideas – Wall Aquariums

Keeping pets, like many things, can be quite the double edged sword. On the one hand they can make great companions and be lots of fun but, on the other, some are noisy, messy and take a great deal of looking after.
A home aquarium is a different story. Not only can you have pets that can be left alone while you go on a weekend break but fish won’t bite the mail man either. Better still, in many aquarium aficionados’ eyes their fishes’ home is actually a marvellous addition to your home’s d?�cor.
For years luxury hotels and restaurants have been using built in, rather than free standing aquariums to house their fish. Now that trend is moving into residential homes as well.
There are two basic types of wall aquariums for home installation. The first option is to buy a tank that attaches to the wall in much the same way as a plasma TV does. If this idea appeals to you it is a fairly inexpensive solution but just make sure you hire a professional to install it. If the wall you choose is not strong enough to hold the tank the results could be disastrous, for both your home and the poor fish.
A slightly more expensive but often more secure and attractive solution is to build the aquarium into the wall itself. When a professional remodeling contractor or carpenter replaces part of the wall to accommodate the aquarium the results are usually stunning. People can easily view the fish and their habitat from both sides, and also in some cases look through the aquarium itself to see the room on the other side.

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Bathroom Remodel

Home Improvement Tips New Real Estate Investors Can Use to Maximize Returns on Rental Properties

As the foreclosure crisis continues to draw millions of previous homeowners into rentals across the country, investors and land lords, particularly those in the rapidly growing sector of single family homes, are finding themselves in the perfect storm of relatively low home prices and rising rental rates. Furthermore, the ability to attract high quality renters, such as previous homeowners and their families, allows investors a higher chance of placing the leasing agreement in good hands. But in order to increase your chances for a higher return-on-investment, here are a few ideas to give that leading edge and renter’s appeal. The idea behind these ideas is to provide your property with affordable, highly durable and low maintenance renovations that will add value, beauty and functionality to your investment.
Everybody knows that a first impression can go a real long way, and so can landscaping, a little pressure cleaning and/or a fresh coat of exterior paint. Keeping the property’s first impression should boost your demand for a minimal to moderate investment. Landscaping does not and should not be elaborate, and more importantly, should remain extremely easy to maintain for any potential renters. In some parts of the country people are even turning to organic green dyes that are sprayed over lawns to bring the lush green look back to their property. And as crazy as this might sound, for many years, lawn painting has commonly been used for athletic fields and golf courses. Pressure cleaning the driveways and roofs of the property will also assist in maintaining the aesthetics of the home, as will a fresh coat of paint on a driveway or the exterior of the home if it is needed.
In the interior, the two main areas to focus on will be the kitchen and bathroom spaces, particularly in the kitchen. Whether a property is being sold or rented, the kitchen is always front and center for any decision, and it is this central living space that can be the deal maker or breaker. Making sure that the cabinetry is in working order and free from things such as water damage and unsightly doors is important. If any or all of these areas are in need of repair, affordable kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanity options are readily available and reasonably priced. Ready-to-assemble cabinets, also known as RTA cabinets or knock downs, many times offer investors a highly durable, all wood construction solution that will cost significantly less than many name brand cabinet manufacturers, while providing an overall better product. Intimate areas such as toilets, showers and bath tubs should also be almost immaculate, and free of mold and water stains. In all, a renter is more likely to focus their attention on these critical areas, with again, the kitchen being an important selling point for any renter or buyer. A fresh coat of affordable high gloss interior paint throughout the entire home and clean flooring is a must for any rental property.
It is important that new real estate investors always remember that they will not be living in this home themselves, and ensuring that the upgrades you commit to are aligned with your property’s investment. Maintaining an affordable budget that will allow you to achieve profitability in as little time as possible should be job one.