Tag Archives: improvement

Home Improvement Ideas

There are several home improvement ideas that could be implemented to increase the value of your home while making it more beautiful. Putting these ideas into action will make your home more livable, enhancing the comfort you experience daily. More than this though, making use of home improvement ideas to make your home better is a prudent investment.

When the term ‘home improvement’ is used, the most common mental image people have Do – It – Yourself (DIY) package. While home improvement can be DIY, it goes beyond that to professional installations and repairs. Home improvement projects range from a simple paint job to complete remodeling.
There are a number of home improvement projects which over time have become the most commonly undertaken, they are: Kitchen remodeling; Bathroom remodeling and additions; heating system installation; and window replacement among others. From these, there are countless ideas which you could implement to make your home more comfortable and beautiful.

The kitchen is a nice place to start when considering a home improvement project. Getting your kitchen to have that new and shiny look is a good start. The biggest challenge here would be the kitchen cabinets. To get around this, you could either remodel with new cabinets or reface the ones you already have; this will depend on your budget as remodeling your kitchen cabinets will cost twice as much as refacing the existing cabinets.

Another home improvement idea when working with your kitchen would be to change the kitchen flooring. The kitchen floor can make a world of difference to the overall look of the kitchen. Kitchen flooring comes in different selections these days. You have a choice of hardwood floors, ceramic and stone tiles. You could also decide to use laminate flooring, which is a pretty new but increasingly popular option.

The bathroom is another prime area of a house when it comes to home improvement. If and when you decide to put your home on the market, the bathroom is one place that could easily put off a potential buyer. So directing some attention that way can only be an advantage, especially as you get to enjoy a more comfortable surrounding as a result.

When it comes to the bathroom, there are several home improvement ideas that could be applied. Here, a change of tiles could just be what your bathroom needs for a more modern look. Adding wainscoting or changing the one that is already there could give the bathroom a more finished look. You might want to change the bathtub or add another one; there are just so many things one could do to give added beauty to a bathroom and make it more upscale.

Changing your windows to sliding windows, picture windows, bay windows or any of the many window styles available can also make a difference to the look of your house.

Shawn Hickman is the Search Marketing Manager for Sears Home Improvements. If you would like more Home Improvement Ideas, visit the Home Improvement section of the Sears Home Services website.

Home Improvement Companies

Home improvement companies have grown increasingly in demand for a number of reasons. First of all, the recession saw a lot of home improvement projects being undertaken by home owners. The reason for this is that there were fewer home buyers, therefore homeowners decided to invest time and money into their homes. This is a long term plan which makes such investment a prudent one.

As a result, home improvement has become a huge niche which has grown past the DIY stage, when it was just a hobby. Different areas of the house are being tackled in home improvement projects to add value to the house and as investments in the houses. Homeowners have therefore realized the benefit of having these projects professionally and expertly handled.

Home improvement companies are varied and are as wide as the niche itself. They range from the architects and interior designers who are involved in the planning of a home improvement project, to those that provide such services as remodeling, painting and plumbing. Then there are the companies that provide the materials needed for a home improvement projects. Some companies combine all these functions into their services so that they serve as a one-stop shop for all things home improvement.

If you decide to make use of a home improvement company that provides all your home improvement needs, you need to make sure that all their contractors have current licenses to operate within the area your home is located.

Also, it is always best to purchase the materials you need for your home improvement projects from a reputable home improvement company. If that company has a reputation for quality materials in the industry, you are very likely to get the best materials and advice from them. They are conversant with the different types of materials and their functions and can advice you appropriately. Furthermore, because of their reputation, they are more likely to have a really good warranty program should anything go wrong with your materials.

Most home improvement companies will give you a free estimate before you begin your home improvement project. This is very important when you are planning your project because home improvement projects are notorious for becoming increasingly expensive as you go on if you fail to plan and have an estimate in the first place.

It is easy to think that home improvement should be a DIY project and if you have some experience in handling DIY projects, this is not a bad thing. However, using a home improvement company could save you time and money, which you could lose from mistakes you might make along the way. If you are willing to make the mistakes and learn as you go, home improvement companies will also come in handy with advice and quality products.

Shawn Hickman is the Search Marketing Manager for Sears Home Improvements. If you would like more Home Improvement Ideas, visit the Home Improvement section of the Sears Home Services website.

Home Improvement Remodeling

What to add and what not to add is the question every home owner seeking improvement will ask. Home improvement involves the reorganization and upgrading of the indoor and outdoor environment.

For a lot of home owners, the landscaping is really important. Landscaping influences the mood or aura of your home, a home with a pool and a fountain translates to a tranquil and serene environment. Moreover, a garden that is well kept with beautiful landscaping could be an attraction to homebuyers when and if you do eventually decide to put your home on the market.

Home improvements are a great investment in your house and you get a more comfortable and beautiful home in the process. There are two main methods of home improvement; you could choose to do a complete overhaul of your home or just do a remodeling project.

Home improvement remodeling is much less expensive than a complete overhaul and could be anything from changing your kitchen floors to changing the heating system in your home.

The kitchen is one of the more popular home improvement remodeling projects. The areas for remodeling in a kitchen are vast and there is always something extra you could do to enhance the look of your kitchen and add more value to the home as a whole. Some kitchen home improvement remodeling projects could be as complex as placing an island in a kitchen that had none before or could be simply refacing existing cabinets.

The bathroom is another area that is the focus of home improvement remodeling. There is just so much that can be done in a bathroom. You could simply change the tiles and there are many tiles to choose from including ceramic tiles or you could change the whole look of the bathroom; add an oriental or eastern feel to your bathroom.

You could also decide on an addition to your existing home such as a patio. You might want to change the look of our present patio or add a patio where one did not previously exist. Concrete slabs are quite common even though tiles of different materials are gradually gaining popularity.

Whatever form of home improvement remodeling you eventually decide to engage in, it is realy important to make sure that you are making the most of your money. This should be done by ensuring that the materials you are using are of the highest quality, to avoid your having to replace materials soon after the project is done. Furthermore, working with a qualified and reputable home improvement company is imperative to make certain that you are getting value for your money.

Home improvement means that you are adding value to your home, which translates as a prudent investment. You get the added advantage of living in a beautiful environment that affords you maximum comfort.

Shawn Hickman is the Search Marketing Manager for Sears Home Improvements. If you would like more Home Improvement Ideas, visit the Home Improvement section of the Sears Home Services website.

Home Improvement Shows

Several individuals today are watching home improvement shows and these shows appear to be pushing Canadians to renovate their home into a dream home rather than realizing the monetary realities of renovation.

Surveys show that, though sixty% of the individuals within the survey who had a home renovation worked up a budget for it, 27% spent more than they’d originally budgeted.
It’s not straightforward to stay within budget when you’re doing a renovation. Boost that pressure all of the home improvement shows on T.V. or all of the decorating magazines that make the homeowner need the most recent and fanciest in appliances and decoration. Most individuals who renovate their homes wish to stay inside budget, but all of these influences will frequently tempt them to increase themselves a bit to have the features they see on T.V.

Even while not this, it’s tough to predict additional prices and make sure there is enough cash to hide any project overruns. Money specialists recommend that you have got the financing for the project lined up ahead of time in the form of a personal loan or a home equity loan. This can offer the home-owner the required cushion for added costs. Even if you don’t use the line of credit, it’s good to have it to cover contingencies. What if you are having a space added, and then you find out there’s a drawback with the electrical system that has got to be repaired?

The surveys show that sixty eight% of the respondents used savings to pay for their home renovations, but they still will require coming up with to stave off monetary problems. Of the householders surveyed, 34% were borrowing to hide the cost of the house improvement.
Do not get caught up within the entice of trying to imitate the attractive mansions you see on these home and garden T.V shows. Do not let the beginning of a home improvement become the top of your marriage. A study by the British Gas Association and revealed on their web site house.co.uk indicates that additional than [*fr1] of the do-it-yourself home improvement comes are galvanized by these shows, and that 80% of the families doing the projects are having arguments over them.

2 thirds of the families have serious disagreements over the color theme of the project! The aim of the analysis was to find out consumer perspective toward DIY. The location, house.co.uk is a a national registry of screened tradesmen who are promoted by HomePro Ltd. the leading on line provider of trade professionals.

Having a professional could help a family avoid the deputes that occur in DIY comes and could save money in the long term, since so many families have to pay extra to fix their DIY mistakes.

Here are the high ten reasons for the disputes:

10. The Mars/Venus trap. Men are from Mars and ladies are from Venus and they cannot agree.
9. Lack of data to try and do the job.
8. The high costs.
7. Stress.
6. The disruption within the household the renovations cause.
5. Finding time to finish the project.
4. Unfinished jobs.
3. Misconceptions about the job. The T.V. show makes it look thus easy.
2. The one doing the work extremely does not want to try to to it.

And the high reason (hardly appears worthwhile):

Disagreements over the colour scheme.
Several individuals are reluctant to determine concerning moving as a result of of uncertainty in the housing market, therefore they’re following the lead of T.V. shows and renovating instead of moving.

Kitty Cooper been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Home Improvement ,you can also check out her latest website about: Cheap Diamond Earrings Which reviews and lists the best Princess Diamond Earrings

Home Improvement Storage Projects

Creating storage in your home can be a lot of fun.  Home improvement enthusiasts usually prefer to do the job themselves instead of hiring someone to do it for them.  It’s fun to work with your hands, learn some new skills, and be able to customize the project to fit exactly what you need and want.  Most people complain that their home does not have enough storage.  Before you move, consider these home improvement storage projects to create space and have fun in the process.

1)  If building is an attractive option for you, then you may consider building a simple trunk to create some storage for your home.  Trunks look nice, can double as seats, and give you a few cubic feet of space to store anything from linens to shoes.  Trunks or bench seats that open up to reveal storage are popular for bedrooms, bathrooms and home entryways.

2)  Another building option is shelves.  If you know how to use a router or would like to learn, a bookshelf is a great place to start.  Shelves can be used for toys, clothes, books, electronics and more.  They are attractive in your home and create space without taking up a lot of space.  Shelving installed in your closet is another great way to help keep your closet organized without taking up more space in your home.  Smaller shelves are great for little things that don’t have anywhere else to go.  Expanding or raising the top shelf in your closet can give you a great place for more long-term storage items.

3)  If you do raise the top shelf in your closet, you may have room for an additional hanging bar in your closet.  Adding hanging bars to the sides of the closet is another way to add some additional hanging space for your clothing.  You may also consider placing some low shelves or cabinets in the bottom of your closet for storage, laundry, shoes, or sports equipment.  Hanging short items, like women’s shirts, all together above the shelves or cabinets will give you extra room to fit them in.

4)  Another way to make extra room in your bedroom, linen, or coat closet is to use specialty clothes hangers.  You can empty dresser drawers by using tie hangers, belt hangers, lingerie hangers, and swimwear hangers.  Use these drawers for storing things like cameras, chargers, or whatever else is cluttering up your house.

Jo Granville is on the staff of Only Hangers, a leading online resource for wood hangers, coat hangers and all types of clothes hangers which is recognized for the excellent quality and value of its wood hanger and coat hanger offerings. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyhangers.com.

Home Improvement Books

Home Improvement and Repair Books are a very useful resource when it comes to home improvement DIY. Home repair is an unavoidable circumstance faced by everyone at one stage or the other. Any home owner is supposed to be prepared for this dreaded situation as constant wear and tear of home appliances and various other climatic conditions lead to home repairs and improvement.

Home Improvements, big or small cannot be ignored or postponed as doing any such activity leads to more aggravated problems and higher is the expenditure. However, everyone desires to run away or avoid such hassles such as the leaking roof, termites in the framework, seeping basement, squirrels in the attic, furnace failing, broken down air conditioner, and many more simple home repairs as well as home improvement like adding on rooms or installing a new kitchen.

Improvement books can help the novice when it comes to home repair and home re-modeling. Home repairs being a common problem is almost solved individually. Only when technical involvement is high, the professionals are asked to attend. As they turn to be expensive, people are trying to solve their own problems. Not only are the professionals expensive, but are also time consuming. To avoid such grave conditions, improvement books have come as a great source of relief. There are many books written by experts and exceptional professionals who have come out and published books to give ideas to solve home repairs and improvements to save money and time.

Home improvement books are one of the best ways to protect your expensive investment. Though homes are the highly prized investment, they often call less maintenance than a car. However, you should fix any problem of your home repair before it completely breaks down. By following the tips and solutions provided in the books, it is possible to evade the financial stake. These books offer you a seasonal plan of checking all the particular areas that may create problems. You can follow the illustrated instruction of what, where and when to do. You can comprehend by reading the book, when it is actually time to call for a professional. You can treat the home improvement books as the most trustworthy home maintenance official program that guides and steers you in making the apposite choices.

Daniel Organ is the author and creator of http://homerepairsdiy.com/home-improvement-books.html and has first hand knowledge of re-modeling and repairing his families home. Daniel has researched all information as a guide only and for those who need specific help, can be referred to better information via the website.

Home Improvement Grant Money

American taxpayers in need of crucial home repairs, but cannot afford the financing, can apply for free home improvement grants to get those jobs done without spending much, if any money. By following the links below you can begin exploring the national database and locate the specific free grant programs that may apply to you and your home. But for now, let’s talk for a moment about what can be accomplished by availing this generous funding.

With good reason, those who prove to have the most immediate and dire needs for financial assistance in order to afford repairs that are required to insure their health and safety take precedence in the eyes of the government and usually are reviewed quite quickly. If you are in need of repairs along the lines of broken sewage systems, furnaces, water tanks, or other things of the like, you may be able to receive your home improvement grant on an urgency basis. Otherwise, the waiting period is around six weeks, which still isn’t too bad.

Some who have needs or desires of less urgency, are often able to receive home improvement grants to make minor cosmetic repairs like new wallpaper, carpeting, paint jobs, etc. Others take a more constructive approach and completely remodel, adding additional rooms, refinishing basements, building swimming pools and more. Landlords of multi unit apartment buildings regularly obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars in free government money to finance repairs that are detrimental in keeping their tenants safe.

There are two things that are accomplished by any American taxpayer who succeeds in obtaining this funding. The first is receiving free money, since home improvement grant are in no way repayable. And the second great advantage is that investing in your home improvements greatly increases your property value and builds equity in your home almost instantly. You’re about ready to start clicking those links now, aren’t you?

Get Grants for Individuals and see how much money you qualify to receive today and never pay back.

Home improvement tips

Everybody enjoys a good home makeover programme but Grand Designs is one of the most enjoyable. It follows people that are about to build a new life, literally; occasionally they build with their own bare hands but more often than not they use contractors, but the basic premise stays the same: to build a home that suits their needs, wants and dreams.

On the back of the success of the series came Grand Designs Live, which has now blossomed into the United Kingdom’s most popular contemporary home event. This year it is returning to Excel London for the eighth year in a row. With everything from new green innovations to kitsch kitchen appliances, this event has it all. This year over 500 exhibitors, dispersed among seven different sections, will be taking part. It is the ideal place to visit for home inspiration and, let’s face it, many people would rather do our own DIY and home improvements allowing us to can stay put in our properties rather than trying to climb up the property ladder in the current market.

Home improvement can be placed into different categories: from the minimal and basic, like a new lick of paint; to the dramatic and big, like extensions and loft conversions. If these large scale renovations are a little out of your price range right now, don’t fret. There are plenty of ways to quite dramatically improve your home without costing the big bucks.

Doors

First impressions count. Make your external doors stand out. Get rid of any crumbling, old and out dated front doors in favour of fresh, contemporary and stylish doors that fit the new image you are trying to create with your home.

Don’t forget about the internal doors either. It’s quite easy to brush over internal doors, however you’ll do so at your cost. Peeling paint may be easily sorted, but doors that don’t fit the look of the room need to be replaced. For example, if you live in a Victorian terrace, 1970s pine doors just won’t cut it.

Soft Furnishings

Injecting colour, pattern and texture to a room is best and most straightforwardly achieved with soft furnishings. Cushions, throws, new three-piece suite covers, curtains, drapes and blinds can make a surprising difference particularly when incorporated holistically.

Flooring

Don’t just think that by laying some Swedish pine floorboards your interior will be instantly improved. Some rooms benefit from carpets, whilst others cry for solid wood. Tiles and slate are another option and don’t discount dark colours; deep and dark hues can have a dramatic effect, especially when contrasted with light-coloured walls.

Henry Vincent is a professional home renovator and decorator. He recommends Todd Doors for quality internal doors.

Home Improvement Projects Start Small

Most people are about 90% satisfied with their home. For that small 10% though the urge to make adjustments and changes to their property have some homeowners doing projects that can make their house more appealing and livable. Home improvement projects often start out in one room and spread throughout the house. Working to make a house more livable for the family and meet the demands of each individual, the renovation projects that are contracted by professionals allow a homeowner to have exactly what they want from their house when all the work is done. By starting out small and doing simple improvements many homeowners are able to manage their schedule of changes and improvements throughout their home.

One way to start out making changes to the exterior of the house without disrupting the daily routine of the family is to install replacement windows. San Diego homeowners that are looking to increase their energy efficiency and lower their air conditioning costs have found that by using vinyl windows, San Diego property values have increased somewhat. With low E windows that have a high R value the resale market for homes has shown improvement. But most people just enjoy the benefit of having their house be more energy efficient with their window upgrade.

Once the windows have been brought in a number of homeowners chose to continue their treatment of the house by purchasing complimenting sliding glass doors that are matched to the vinyl windows and also provide a cost savings on the utility bills. With greater efficiency inside their dwelling many people go on to add new lighting fixtures and other small touches to their homes that can enhance the style of their living space.

For those that are more aggressive in their renovation strategy, the tearing down of walls and remodeling of the kitchen leads them to change out the floor plan of their house and create a space that is perfect for entertaining guest and preparing meals. With an addition to the kitchen the opportunity to add new windows that allow more light into the home or a set of stylish French doors give San Diego homeowners a more appealing place to live that is customized to their standards. Whether it is just making a home more energy efficient or doing a few renovations within the property many San Diego homeowners are finding that with the right touches to their windows and doors they have a beautiful house that looks great from the neighborhood and is practical and functional for them and their family.

Vinyl Masters (http://www.vinylmasters.com/) is one of the best sliding doors San Diego has to offer.

DIY Home Improvement

Of course, nearly everyone as at some point tried DIY home improvement. But does it increase the potential selling value of a home after? According to interior designer Scot McAllister:

“Home improvements, their costs and their resultant profits are not a precise science. For this reason, it’s hard to specifically quantify what works and what doesn’t. For example, laminate flooring has undergone a popularity nosedive due to the market being flooded by so many photographic plastic options.”

McAllister continues with:

“Their cheapness has created a stigma – and even expensive options have become tarred with the same brush. When replacement costs start ticking away in buyers’ heads you don’t need to be Carol Vorderman to understand that offers will be reduced.”

DIY projects that increase the value of a home

To raise the value of a house, you need to carry out DIY home improvement projects that will definitely withstand the test of time. For example, if you do have laminate flooring you can install vintage wooden doors.

 

To install wooden doors, you would need a screwdriver, a pair of thick gloves, 4-inch door-frame screws and a hammer. To remove the door from the frame, simply unscrew the hinges from the door frame.

Get that old door off

Once the hinges come off, slowly ease the door from frame itself, taking care not to damage the edges. You would want to of course, preserve the old door for use later on. Home values go up when front doors are beautiful- so choose the replacement door properly.

Another interesting DIY home improvement project that can raise the value of your home is replacing worn out bathroom tiles.

If the tiles are more than a decade old and you plan on selling within the next few months, now would be the opportune time to replace the tiles.

Replacing worn out tiles

The replacement of worn out bathroom tiles is a bit more difficult than the first project, Of course, the tiles in the bathroom can no longer be recovered completely intact, so make sure you can dispose of the broken tiles immediately afterward.

Designer tiles can be put in place of the old ones. Designer tiles employ a variety of new colors and textures that will naturally emphasize the dimensions of the bathroom.

 

For this project you would need a few sacks for tile disposal, a large chisel or a crow bar and a mallet or an equivalent. If possible, work the tiles when they are wet as this reduces friction and lessens dust clouds during working. Drive the crowbar against the underside of the tiles and slowly work around the tiles.

Ease the tiles off the floor, making sure that none are left behind. Smooth white cement may be used to install the new designer tiles after the bathroom floor has been re-leveled.

 

Justin Ray, an interior designer for the TV show How Not to Decorate warns people:

“A bad DIY project will always detract from the resale value. Anything that looks unprofessional, such as a badly-fitted kitchen or uneven plastering, will get buyers wondering.”

 

For DIY and home improvement projects Benedict recommends Dekorbeton Decorative Concrete and Roof Bond Roof Insulation