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3 Tips For Finding Honest, Reputable Contractors

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Are you dealing with a leaky faucet in your bathroom or kitchen? Do you need some shingles replaced in that old roof that was still on the house when you bought it? Maybe you need a new front door installed, or even a new fence put up in your backyard? Or maybe your furnace has stopped working? Or maybe your air conditioner is making a funny noise?

Like it or not, there are a myriad of things that can go wrong. And you know what they say… if it can go wrong, it will! Well, even if you have better luck than that, odds are very good that, at some point down the road, you are going to find yourself in a situation where something is going to break down. Maybe it will be minor, or maybe it will be major, but there is one thing that you can be sure of: unless you are interested in fixing it yourself, you are going to need to hire a contractor to get it done for you.

If you think that hiring a contractor is kind of a scary thought, I don’t really blame you. All of us have heard horror stories about unscrupulous ‘professionals’ who did a poor job and charged more money than they had estimated, only to leave the homeowner confused, frustrated, and in a tough situation. Is that how all contractors are? Of course not! The key is to figure out how to weed out the bad ones so that you can hire the good ones!

Here are 5 tips that will help you to do just that.

1. Ask Friends and Family

One of the best ways to find a contractor is to ask people close to you who they have hired before. Getting someone referred to you by a friend or family member that you trust can be one of the best ways to get in touch with an honest, reputable contractor. As a precaution, you should still check into what kind of a job they did, just to make sure that the results are similar to what you have in mind.

2. Check the Newspaper

The business section of the newspaper is a great way to find contractors in your area. A lot of professionals use the newspaper as an advertising medium, especially in smaller communities.

When using the newspaper to find contractors, always get more than one bid. It is never a bad idea to have at least three different professionals bidding on the same project. This will allow you to gauge the professionalism of each one against the others, which will most likely reveal who the most experienced. When it comes to contracting out repair work for your home, it is important to go with someone who knows what they are doing… not just the guy with the lowest price!

Here is a brief checklist that can help you to further investigate any possible contractors that you might be considering for your project. If you can answer yes to these questions, then there is a good chance that you are on the right track to the right kind of professional!

  • Does this contractor seem qualified?
  • Are you getting a competitive price?
  • Does this contractor have references available?
  • Have you gotten good reviews from any references?
  • Does this contractor seem to have a detailed, general knowledge of the industry?
  • Is this contractor legally registered and licensed to do the work needed?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, then you are probably headed in the right direction with your choices.

3. Look on Angieslist.com

Angieslist.com is an online review service where you can find and leave reviews about local professionals. The best thing about Angieslist.com is the fact that it is completely consumer driven. This means that companies and businesses are not allowed to advertise or leave themselves reviews. Plus, this feature is policed and monitored by the website, because they need to follow up and verify with every review before they will allow it to be posted to the website.

Whether you are looking for a professional to install cedar fencing in your yard, a carpenter to add onto your house, or an electrician to fix that broken porch light… you will be able to find honest, fair reviews of local professionals on Angieslist.com.  We also used the great resources and advice found at www.a1-fence.com where there are lots of design ideas.

Finding a contractor is not always easy, but with a little bit of fact finding and investigation, you can make the process a ton easier on yourself by eliminating so-called ‘professionals’ who might make your problem worse!

Melissa Cameron is a wife, a mother of two, and also a successful freelance writer. She lives in Austin, Texas, and enjoys yoga, fitness, eco-friendly living, and staying in shape! She actually got inspired to write this article while utilizing websites to research the price difference between professional Milwaukee fence companies and those from her hometown of Austin.  Because she’s thinking of doing home project, Melissa decided that she wanted to impart some helpful tips to her readers for finding reputable, honest contractors.





DIY Tips For Remodeling Your Kitchen

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Keeping your kitchen up to date and in style has several advantages. It makes your home look stylish, more comfortable, and more appealing to guests. Companies are constantly coming out with newer appliances with special options and features that make food preparation go much more smoothly. Also, an up to date kitchen is a high priority for many home buyers, so if you are thinking about selling your home and are looking for a way to make it stand out, a kitchen remodel can really go a long way. Right now, DIY is all the rage. With a plethora of internet resources that give insight and direction as to the best way to do your own projects, reliable information is more available than ever before. As you plan your kitchen remodeling project, here are a few ideas that you might want to consider.

A New Backsplash

Kitchen backsplashes are useful and attractive. Not only do they protect the walls during food preparation and cleanup, they also add a splash of color or intrigue to a room. Glass tile for a kitchen backsplash is a great option. Not only does glass make it easy to wipe up spatters, it also has a glossy sheen that provides a luminous reflection. When choose glass for the tile that you use in your backsplash, you add depth and dimension to the room. It looks especially attractive when you install lighting underneath your cabinetry.

Accent Pieces

When you choose the colors for your cabinetry, backsplash, and other things in your kitchen, you have to strike a delicate balance between neutrals and accent colors. Usually people go with countertops and a backsplash that is fairly neutral, although they may choose a mosaic pattern for their backsplash that uses a bright color or two. When you select your backsplash and counter, look for subtle similarities in the colors. You could use the same tile for each of these areas, or use different tile.

Once you have established the neutral background in your kitchen, you can make the room look really impressive by adding in small pops of color here and there. Try using brightly colored towels, curtains, picture frames, vases, or even a fruit bowl.

Basic Installation Tips

One of the most common misconceptions is that each tiny tile in mosaic backsplashes has to be installed individually. Thankfully, it is possible to buy sheets of mosaic designs that are the size of standard tiles, which is usually 12 inches by 12 inches. When you install kitchen tile, whether it is the mosaic or another style, following a few basic tips will help you ensure that the tile looks nice when you are finished.

  • Carefully clean the wall underneath the backsplash. Kitchen walls can accumulate particles of dust and oil, but adhesive sticks a lot better to a clean surface.
  • Before you start putting up any tile, lay out your tiles exactly how they will be spaced so that you can get an accurate measurement.
  • Use a starter board and a level when you install your first tile. This will help to ensure that your entire backsplash goes in straight and level.

When you work carefully and choose tile that will look great in your kitchen, your DIY remodeling project can look professional. To check out some great tile options, visit the Glass Tile Store website.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Image author owned

Article courtesy of the GlassTileStore, where you can get the best selection of tile for your kitchen and bathroom.

Four Of The Best Shower Enclosures For Your Bathroom

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Unless you opt for a more open wet room or the splish splash taking a bath (in a bath and shower combo unit) method of washing away your daily sins, you will more than likely want to go for one of the number of shower enclosures available for use in your new bathroom.

These come in all manner of sizes, suitable for bathrooms big and small. Some are designed to fit into the corner of a bathroom to save space, while others are slightly larger and allow users to walk in to the shower, almost as if their bathroom was a sauna at some luxury hotel.

Whichever design you opt for, unfortunately towels are not provided – unless of course you bought them in preparation for your new bathroom that is!

Quadrant Enclosures

This type of unit is an old favourite as it is one of the more space conscious of shower enclosures in terms of its design. Fitting snuggly into the corner of your bathroom, it can provide an abundance of space to take your shower in, regardless of your bathroom size.

This type of unit is free standing and is often designed to have a central opening, ideal if your bathroom is on the small side.

Sliding Door Enclosures

A variation of quadrant shower enclosures is the sliding door variety, offering the same ease and space saving of the quadrant, but with…you guessed it, a sliding door. Once again, this acts as a great way of saving space as the door doesn’t encroach on any of the space available in your bathroom.

These can typically be installed so that they slide either to the left or right, depending on how your unit is fitted, so you’ll never need to worry about doors getting in your way.

Walk In Enclosure

For something entirely different, you can dispense with the frames and other concerns by opting for a more minimalist, walk in shower enclosure.

Get rid of the doors, and provide yourself with an extra level of space with one of these units, which also give your bathroom an elegant and stylish tone to boot. These can be fitted with either a tray or set into the floor if your bathroom allows for such a design.

Bi-Fold Enclosure

As the name suggests this type of unit has a double fold, allowing the door to compact neatly before pushing inwards, once again acting as a great way to save space. These are typically available for either an alcove or as a corner enclosure, so can fit snuggly into any size bathroom.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide which of the many shower enclosures available out there is most suitable for your bathroom, but with such an abundance of different ones on offer, you should never run short of ideas.

Louisa Jenkins is an interior design specialist with a particular interest in helping people pick shower enclosures that best utilise the space available in their bathrooms

5 Things You Should Store In Electronic Safes

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Electronic safes are one of the most secure items that you can purchase for your home or office. Most of these types of safes are small so they do not allow for the placement of many items in them. So what are the things that you could be storing here? The first thing that you need to eletronic safesconsider is that you are able to keep the contents of the safe intact from fire damage or weather related catastrophes. So here are some ideas of what you can keep in the safe.

Important Documents

Important personal documents can be very hard to replace so keeping them in electronic safes makes all the sense in the world. If you have any documents that you do not use as often or which are hard to replace, then keeping them in the safe is your best choice. There should be enough room to keep this type of documents with you in there. So make sure to know which items you want to keep in the safe.

Valuables

Valuables and jewelry are another thing that you should consider keeping in electronic safes. You may have noticed that a lot of hotels have these types of safes in them and placing your jewelry in them ensures that they will be safe while staying there. Make sure to only place the most valuable items in the safe. That way you will not be running out of room. Keeping them organized inside your safe so that you have the most room.

Gold Coins

If you own gold coins, electronic safes are a perfect place to keep them. That is because they will protect your coins against fire and theft. Many people have gold coins as a form of investment and as such, you don’t want anything to happen to them. You need to choose the right safe for your gold coins as the size can vary and you need to keep all of them or at least most of them in the same place.

Money

If you own a business or even if you are traveling, using an electronic safe to keep your cash is the most logical choice. If there were to be a fire at your place of business or the hotel you are staying in, the safe will protect your money from being destroyed. The level of security of an electronic safe also makes it perfect to protect you against theft. The amount of cash that you keep in the safe depends on how much you like to keep in your home or business with you at all times.

Bonds And Bank Deposits

While staying on the investments and documents category keeping your bonds and your bank deposits in the safe will ensure that you always have the information handy as well as the bonds. You do not have to trade your bonds until they reach maturity so keeping them in there is a perfect way to not lose them. If you were to lose your bonds when you don’t use a safe, you could end up losing a big part of your investment.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=vault&ex=1#pg:2|

Trixxie has written this article for Anchor Safes – An expert in electronic security safe deposit vaults.

Playing the Perfect Host in Your Kitchen

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Although the primary function of the kitchen is to provide a place in which we can cook, eat and store food, it has also become a place to socialise. It is true that parties and social gatherings often take place in other rooms in the home such as the lounge or dining room, but it is likely that one of the first places you show your guests into is the kitchen. It is the ultimate place to create a great pre-party atmosphere, so whether you are having a few drinks before a night out or a full-blown house party, there are several things you can include in your kitchen to make it the perfect place to host a party.

Snacks

Of course, the kitchen is the part of the home where you expect to find food. So as your guests enter the room, what could be more inviting to them than an array of tasty snacks to feast upon whilst you gather their coats and pour them a drink? There are several kinds of food that wold be appropriate for this kind of occasion; for example crisps, nuts or chocolates. Get a few of their favourites in stock and you’ll surely get top marks on your hosting skills. You could even go a bit further and make your own!

Alcohol Decanters

When hosting a party, unless you are blessed with the presence of a bar in your home, the alcohol is bound to be stored in the kitchen. Rather than letting bottles and cans take over all the empty space, a good idea might be to buy a decanter; that way whiskey, wine, cocktails or whatever else you choose to serve can be poured easily into your guest’s glasses and your kitchen will look less cluttered. There’s something stylish about a decanter as well, having one on display will give your kitchen quite the professional look.

Breakfast Bar

A breakfast bar is not just somewhere for you to sit when you eat the most important meal of the day, it also provides room to place the snacks and drinks necessary for a fun night in. Breakfast bars are perfect for small gatherings where you get together with a few friends to drink, laugh and catch up, a good place to arrange the refreshments for a house party, or the comforting place you retreat to for that sobering coffee after a night out!

Kitchens are the best room in the house when it comes to throwing a party and there are many ways in which you can arrange yours in order to entertain your friends and family.

This Guest Post was written by Kutchenhaus.co.uk who like to make an impression with their High Gloss Kitchens

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