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Trying To Keep Up With The Joneses? 5 Improvements To Make To Your Home

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Trying to “keep up with the Joneses” can be a bad thing if you feel pressured to spend more money than you can afford; but it can be a good thing if it motivates you to apply more effort in various aspects of your life. One way in which trying to keep up with the Joneses can be beneficial is if it motivates you to invest more money in maintaining and updating your home. Investing money and effort into improving your home can increase property values for your whole neighborhood.

Here are 5 home improvements worth making:

1. New siding or outdoor paint

If the outside of your home has siding, adding new vinyl or fiber/cement siding gives the outside of your home an instant facelift. According to HGTV, new siding is an investment that will definitely pay off if you ever choose to sell your home. Similarly, if you don’t have siding, painting the outside of your home can bring equally good results. Make the outside of your home something that reflects well on your neighborhood.

2. New roofing

A roof that’s in poor repair instantly brings down the value of your property – as well as the value of the surrounding homes. Leaking roofs can bring water damage, which can in turn wreak havoc on the inside of your home. An old, worn-out roof is noticeable and unattractive. Even though a new roof is expensive, it’s definitely a worthwhile investment. When it comes time to sell your house, potential buyers will be relieved to know that they won’t be facing the ordeal of having to repair their roof.

3. Plantation shutters

Window treatments are an important but often overlooked investment in your home, and plantation shutters are the top of the line choice. Many people opt for less expensive blinds, shades and curtains, but the trade-off is a significant difference in quality. Taking shortcuts on your window coverings is a bad idea, and it’s a mistake that’s sure to be noticed by your neighbors. Plantation shutters last longer, do a better job of keeping out the weather and they look better. In addition, plantation shutters improve the value of your home.

4. Extra bathrooms

The larger your family, the more bathrooms you want to have. Adding an extra bathroom should be a high priority if your house only has one, or if you have fewer bathrooms than other houses in your neighborhood. Today’s home buyers want multiple bathrooms. Although adding another bathroom is not inexpensive, but it is an investment you will appreciate on a regular basis. When it comes time to sell, you’ll especially appreciate the way the extra bathroom increases the value of your home.

5. Adding a back deck

Curb appeal – the impression your house makes when a visitor first drives up – is a big deal. However, focusing only on the front yard is missing out on the fact that the back yard holds a lot of potential. According to the DIY Network, building a deck adds to your property value in several ways. By providing an extra space for relaxing and including amenities on your deck such as a hot tub and furniture, a deck increases the total square footage of your home and provides a great place to unwind.

Keeping up with the neighbors can be a very positive form of peer pressure, especially when it motivates you to invest more in making your home a source of pride. Your home is your biggest investment; treat it accordingly!

Nicole is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about home decorating and home improvement projects, including everything from home decorating on a budget to the best shutters in Perth, Australia.





How To Give Your Living Room A Facelift On A Budget

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Sometimes the desire to redesign your living room will just hit you. You’ll be lying on your sofa, staring at the ceiling or walls of the room or even just at the furniture and just think “it’s about time I changed this room up a bit”. However, not everyone can afford to make really expensive changes and buy new furniture but whilst this is unfortunate, it is not the end of the world.

 

It is entirely possible to redesign your living room on a budget, so below are some handy tips which will help you do this.

1. Analyse what you currently have and what you really need

A lot of people will just go out and spend money on things they like…not things they actually need. Therefore it’s a good idea to make a list of everything you currently have and then see if you’re willing to get rid of anything (sell it for a small sum) and then it will be clearer as to what your living room is now in need of.

Keep in mind all that you plan to keep will have to fit in with your new theme or style, so be stringent but also beware of getting rid of things you might be able to customise or revamp later on. (Discussed in point 4)

2. Spend less, buy more

Many people are snobbish about buying furniture or fabrics at sales or at online auctions but that’s just silly. Just think about how much money you will be able to save through buying in the sales or from buying second-hand goods. A lot of sites like eBay, Gumtree and Freecycle offer thousands of products that have hardly been used but are at hugely discounted prices.

Buying second-hand furniture also means your goods have a bit more history to them, rather than buying brand new from the store, where they have no history at all. You need to be prepared to do a lot of digging before you find exactly what you are looking for though, so be patient because there are so many good deals out there.

3. Change the room’s layout

This is, without a doubt one of the cheapest options when it comes to redesigning your living room; this costs nothing! You’d be amazed at just how much a room’s outlook can change when you just shift the furniture around a little bit. For instance don’t be afraid to place furniture at angles or even completely remove certain furniture from the room, both of which will totally change the room’s look.

It’s a good idea to have a think about how you are going to be able to create the most space in your living room. Living rooms always look and feel nicer when they are open, so do a few trials before deciding on what your favourite layout is going to be.

4. Customise and revamp

Before getting rid of any furniture and spending any money to replace what you’re getting rid of, think about whether you can revamp your goods. Often, people will throw out sofas simply because the colours no longer match the colour scheme of the room, or the sofa covers have become a bit old and tattered.

It can often be cheaper to reupholster your old sofas than it is to buy a whole brand new suite so look into the costs involved in reupholstering. Alternatively if you’re up for a challenge, buy the fabric you want and do it yourself. With wooden furniture, it’s also very easy to revamp. All you need to do is sand down the varnished finish and re-varnish to make furniture looks as good as new, or even paint it to fit in with the new look of your living room.

5. Create a focal point and add accessories

One of the cheapest options for redesigning a living room is to paint it. Paint is very affordable and can really make a huge difference to how a room looks. It’s always a good idea to give your living room a lick of paint every few years or so anyway, just to keep it looking fresh. However, keep in mind you can really make your room stand out by adding a focal point. You can do this very cheaply by just painting one wall a different colour.

You should also look at adding a few accessories here and there, such as lamps, rugs, artwork and cushions. Not only can you pick up all of these kinds of accessories for very reasonable prices, thus saving a lot of money but they will also really make your living room look lovely and homely. You can also inject a whole range of new colours into the room, as well as make old furniture look a lot nicer, i.e. by using new throws and cushions.

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Laura writes for Jaga vertical radiators. When not blogging, she can often be found switching out her radiators on a whim.

Essentials For The Modern Small Bathroom

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These days the bathroom has taken much more significance when it comes to planning a home’s look.

Before, they were often overlooked as a lot of our UK bathrooms are a little on the small side in truth, so many people didn’t really think about them as anything more than a quick stopping point during the day.

Nowadays though people have realised that the bathroom is a great room in the house, whether it be for seeking a moment of solitude in an otherwise hectic day or just as another room to add the homeowner’s own unique styles to.

Combined Vanity Furniture

You want to have everything in your bathroom, cupboards, toilet, sink – the lot, but alas space is not really a luxury you can afford in a small bathroom.

Combined vanity furniture is the way to go when it comes to saving room. As the name implies, it is the combination of your usual toilet essentials into one space saving whole – perfect when you’re operating in a small space.

Bi Fold Shower Enclosure

The only thing you then need in order to make sure your small bathroom has all the usual essentials is a place to wash.

Bi fold shower enclosures are great as a space saving option as the way the door folds in the middle and swings inwards and across the shower, means the door doesn’t have to swing outwards and hence use some of the space that you could otherwise utilise in other ways.

Bathroom Furniture

The use of a vanity unit may then enable you enough room for a further piece of bathroom furniture if you are lucky – this can be used to store your remaining every day essentials.

Perhaps to better utilise the space instead of going for a separate mirror and cabinet, you can combine the two with a mirror cabinet.

Towel Radiators

In smaller bathrooms a nice sized radiator was often impossible to go for due to the size it would take.

However towel radiators are becoming increasingly popular. Not only do they provide the heat the room requires, it warms up your towels nicely, and most importantly doesn’t take up a lot of room.

Towel radiators come in electric as well as more traditional options, meaning they can operate independently from your overall central heating unit and they come in a range of designs too.

A few Accessories to finish

Depending on the remaining space available, you can then opt to pick up a few extras such as toilet roll holders, a bin for every day waste, dispensers to add a little extra style to the room and maybe even a bathroom mat.

You might only have a small bathroom then, but thanks to space saving towel radiators, showers and vanity units, you can still give your bathroom a great modern look.

Louisa Jenkins is an interior design expert. She offers advice on a number of topics including ways for people with small bathrooms to still give them a modern look – she believes that towel radiators and other bathroom essentials can still be used in a bathroom, whatever the size,  to make them one of most eye-catching rooms in the entire house.

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.

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

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