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Home Renovation

Home Remodeling: Time To De-Clutter Your Kids’ Rooms – Simple Tips To Get The Process Started

All kids have toys. Kids of all ages. The clutter just tends to creep up and it all begins to blend in with the surroundings. What parent has not stumbled over a toy that they would have preferred not to? With a New Year, comes a new reason to de-clutter your kids’ kids may turn their noses up at first- give them time; they will think their room looks pretty nice once the process is complete.
Clothes, clothes, clothes. Do your kids just toss their clean/dirty clothes on the floor? Make sure you have a special container for them to place all of their dirty clothes in. Maybe it’s a clothes basket, a clothes hamper, or a special box that you have made together. The key sure you have a specific container for their dirty clothes and they know that their dirty clothes go in the container. Most kids from the age of three should be able to grasp this concept. Mom & Dad may have to show a little guidance along the way, but this will work.
Introducing a desk to a youngster is a good idea at around the age of three. This desk can be their work space. From coloring books, puzzles, writing utensils, and homework; this designated area should be well lit and offer your child a quiet setting. As a parent, it will be up to you to determine when, or if, a computer should be used on this desk. We live in an age of electronic apps and our kids are jumping in at all different ages. Ultimately, it’s up to you, the parent, as to when you will decide when to take the electronic plunge.
Make sure you have a kid friendly toy box in the room. If you have a toy box that looks old and dilapidated, chances are that you and your kids will not be encouraged to use the toy box. There are many unique toy boxes in the market place today. Toy boxes that kids will want to use and actually want to store their toys in them. Use some creativity, tie the toy box in with the d?�cor of your kids’ room and you will have a kid friendly toy box.
If space is truly an issue, you will want to make use of the space underneath your kids’ beds. If your kids’ beds don’t have built in storage units, you can use some boxes that fit underneath the bed to store anything that seems to be in the way. From clothes to stuffed animals, this space can be used to your liking. This area would also work as a great place to store an extra set of bedding. What parent hasn’t stripped a bed in the middle of the night and had to hunt down new bedding? This would alleviate the night time hunt!
The clutter does not have to exist. Work with your kids and they will appreciate the fact that you do care. Once you have removed all of the clutter, you will probably notice that a fresh coat of paint and a new floor would really “wow” your kids’ room. Laminate flooring i s a healthy choice when it comes to flooring in your kids’ bedroom, as it is scratch resistant and will not harbor those “crumbs” or dust mites. Make the de-cluttering process a family project and enjoy the fact that the days of stumbling over all of those toys should come to an end!

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Home Renovation

Dumpster Rentals – When the Average Home Owner Might Need a Large Receptacle

There comes a time in every home owner’s life when it is necessary to clean house. In some cases home owners accumulate so much that it could become necessary to call a local dumpster rental company.
Of course, not all home owners find their garages, storage rooms, basements, or attics overflowing. Sometimes a dumpster may be the perfect solution for clean up during or after a home remodeling, re-roofing project, or major landscaping project. Home owners are often prompted to dispose of excess possessions when they are getting ready to put their home up for sale. While a homeowner may reach a point where they do not really notice unwanted items piling up, a prospective home buyer notices. Nothing looks and feels better than seeing a cluttered and unkempt area restored to its rightful purpose.
Since most city trash disposal companies limit the amount of rubbish they pick up weekly, as well as the types of trash accepted, it becomes the home owner’s responsibility to call in a dumpster company to move excessive accumulations, unwanted furniture or appliances, and trash.
One of the first questions that must be addressed is the size of the dumpster required for the job at hand. These units come in yardage sizes varying from ten to as huge as thirty or forty yard containers. A typical ten yard unit might be 12’x8’x4′ though dumpsters do come in a variety of dimensions. A ten yard dumpster should hold the clean out from a small basement or garage, the roof shingles from a 1500 square foot roof, or a small kitchen or bath remodel. A thirty yard container could hold the trash from a major home addition or the construction of a small home. It could probably accommodate the demolition of a garage or shed on the property. When in doubt about what size to order, a call to a dumpster rental company should help.
When renting a container unit from a dumpster rental business, the customer is charged according to the size of the unit, the length of the rental term, and any weight exceeding the weight that was negotiated when the contract was signed for the rental. If a ten yard dumpster is rented, but the actual weight of your trash is twelve tons, an extra charge will be added to the rental fee. When the rental company disposes of your unwanted items at a dump site, they are charged by weight, so that extra charge is, of course, passed on to the consumer.
It is amazing what one can put into a trash dumpster. While each state may have slightly different regulations about types of debris that are disallowed, almost anything goes. Be sure to check with the dumpster rental company for a list of items that are not permitted. The usual exceptions would be chemicals, gasoline, oils, and other toxic or flammable substances.
Most companies will accept anything from your yard, including lawn equipment, yard waste, leaves, grass, and brush. Water heaters and furnaces can be taken away, as can other appliances and electrical equipment. Furniture and construction materials including concrete and brick are also good candidates for removal, but be mindful of weight when disposing of such heavy items. Dumpster service is a valuable opportunity for the home owner to dispose of unwanted items and enjoy the good feelings and added space when the clean-up is complete.

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Home Renovation

Reasons to Bring in a Home Remodeling Designer Early

Buying a new home is not only an expensive venture, but it is also time consuming and stressful. Therefore, instead of purchasing a new home that will better suit the ever growing and changing needs of their families, many homeowners opt for a home remodel. To make this process go more smoothly, it’s a good idea to get home remodeling designers involved as early on as possible.
Here are some of the benefits that go along with having your designers engaged in the project from the beginning:
Knowledge of Structural Codes and Architectural Styles
Your remodeling team will be able to tell you if your preliminary plans are possible, sound and able to fit in with the architectural style of your home. Not only will your designer have the ability to read architectural blueprints and have up-to-date knowledge regarding the latest structural codes, but they will be your advocate and will communicate your house remodel design vision to the contractor and team working on the project.
Anticipate Future Needs
House designers can help you plan for future needs and uses for your house, which in turn will save you money on remodeling costs later down the line. Home design should take into consideration accommodations for a growing family, potential guests, storage, space for entertaining and so forth. Remodel designer team will be able to give you suggestions on how to best achieve these future needs, as well as help you enhance and improve the energy efficiency and style of your home in order to save you money on energy and maintenance.
Make the Most out of Your Budget
Remodeling can become a pricey process, but the designers can often help reduce some of the costs while retaining the quality of materials with the industry discounts they receive. To stay within your budget, a designer can hunt for and transform low-cost or salvaged items into brand-new furnishings and accessories that look similar to the designer brand items.
Save Time
Months of research for your plans, product samples, the soundness of your plans, etc., can go into the home remodel process if you are doing it on your own. With all of the material options out there, it can be overwhelming and hard to know where to begin. A home remodeling designer can take the weight off your shoulders and do the research for you. Professional designers already possess the knowledge needed to aid you in figuring out which of your design ideas will work realistically. They can also purchase the materials you will need for your home and set up and oversee contractors working in your home. Designers will take a more hands-on role in the house remodel design process to make it go more smoothly for you.
Getting designers engaged in the design process from the get-go will help you save time, money and stress, as well as get your project up and running and create an end result that you will be satisfied with.

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Home Renovation

Advantage of Quartz Countertops for Your Kitchen

Buying a new home is not something that everyone could afford. Of course it is an undeniable fact that everyone has a dream house and if you are married, you tend to share your ideas with your spouse and make a combined dream house meant for your family as a whole. Dream house is not just about the space and comforts that your child may inherit after your life. It is not about the value of the property too in the market at certain period of time though people do tend to sell their homes at one point of time and opt for newer modular homes. In general you can treat it as an asset but dream house in general means more than the word.
Dream house is also about the decorating and defining each and every partitions of your home. In general you have the master bedroom, few other bedrooms depending upon its total space, bathrooms, kitchen, living hall, garden etc. In general the rooms can be decorated in a certain manner and classified as kid’s bedroom, study room, devotional room, music and leisure room, library etc. Every woman invariably desires for the perfect kitchen. It is considered as her field and she has every right to design the kitchen as per her wishes and countertops form the heart of the kitchen.
There are several kinds of countertops available in different shapes, styles, sinks, materials and colors in the market. The benefits of natural stone such as quartz countertops over manufactured countertops such as corian, formica etc are quite outstanding. The quartz countertops serves better than granite countertops as well.
It is a combination of the best qualities of laminate counters and natural stone surfaces. Quartz countertops are quite new in the market and used only over the past few years. Ever since they were used in remodeling kitchens they have gained popularity and granite industries have started to face severe competition. Granite has lost its aura and it has to been taken into notification that granite has been the choice for interior decorators and architects for decades when it came to kitchens.
Quartz countertops contain 95% of crushed quartz and 5% of polymers. This factor of infusing materials has led to scratch proof and almost maintenance free. It has also given birth to the variety of quartz countertops with different colors that range from monolithic black to translucent white to sandy browns.
Color choices attracts customers more than the traditional ones and with the choices for kitchen floors and cabinets increasing, it is necessary for every designer to match the color of the countertop with the rest of the kitchen.
Benefits:
1. It is the most durable countertop
2. Quartz tiles or slabs can be easily installed on walls
3. Variety of designer colors
4. Customized edges
5. They need not be sealed like the granite countertop
6. Easy install of under mount sink
7. Direct installation of faucets
8. Heat resistance and thus hot pans and pots can be placed on the top
9. Adds value to your kitchen and home
10. Resistant to bacteria and thus has longer life time.

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Home Renovation

Wash Your Deck Like a Pro After Reading These Easy Tips

Any modern homeowner who has a superb deck knows that it is much more cozy and appealing when it is immaculately clean. However, constant changes in temperature, everyday use and the presence of numerous environmental toxins will someday take their toll on its luster and beauty, ultimately leading to unsightly blemishing and even rapid wood deterioration. Sounds quite frightening, right?
No need to worry just yet. Here are a few useful cleaning tips and advice that will not just help preserve the exquisiteness of your precious home addition but extend the life and integrity of the wood as well. Apart from making deck maintenance a breeze, you’ll definitely on your way to take your remodeling know-how to an even higher level in a jiffy:
Clear the deck of everything
In order to clean your deck thoroughly, you have to meticulously remove everything on it first – or else you’ll be perennially disrupted by wayward objects that always get in your way in the process. Make sure you start with smaller and lighter items like potted plants, deck chairs and shades before getting to the big stuff so you won’t have to worry about forgetting or overlooking anything. Cover delicate flora around your deck, too, to prevent damage.
Get rid of any visible debris
Start off by gathering larger bits of debris by hand, taking care of the more minuscule ones with a stiff-bristled broom. Make sure you remove wedged fragments of dirt, leaves and pebbles caught between your decking boards so water can easily run through the cracks and corners (similarly, this also prevents premature wood deterioration in the long run). Carefully work the more stubborn pieces of debris loose with a putty knife or a screwdriver.
Give your deck a spa treatment
Use a garden hose with a spraying attachment to douse the whole deck area with water. Thoroughly apply a liberal amount of laundry detergent or commercial deck cleaner until all sections are finished. Add a bit of bleach on areas with mildew and algae growth. Remember to scrub harder in places where dirt has gathered the most or chances are you might have to do another round of scouring sooner or later. Completely rinse your deck.
Reseal your deck for added protection
Wait until your deck has completely dried – usually after two to three days – before resealing it. Go for versatile brands that contain an active mildewcide as well as a waterproofing agent to make your deck as tough as possible the whole year round. Keep in mind to check your deck for debris such as minute flecks of dirt and dust that may have gathered while it was drying before applying the resealer for maximum effectiveness.
Replace deck furniture and accessories
As soon as the resealer fully dries, replace the furniture onto the deck along with other items like mirrors, parasols, assorted works of art and other attractions that you wish to put there to boost its engaging ambiance. To make it even more exciting, try mixing everything up from furniture arrangement to color themes to make your deck look like new again. Finally, as a reward for a great job, get yourself a cold one and have a great time!