Archive for Online Home Improvement
May 23, 2008 at 2:51 am · Filed under Online Home Improvement
When most homeowners are considering a home improvement project, many times it is to add additional living space to the home. Many homeowners also have financial constraints when planning a remodeling project. A good solution is to consider a basement renovation.
Utilize Existing Space
By utilizing a well-planned basement home improvement, space that is already available can be optimized without the enormous expense of constructing a new addition to the home.
Every successful basement remodeling project begins with a detailed plan. It is advisable to enlist the services of either an architect or remodeling design specialist. It is important to measure the basement and come up with a set of drawings for the project; both designer and homeowner should have input to the design.
Special Considerations
Basements come with special considerations for incorporating them into the available living space offered by the home. Basements are prone to water and humidity problems. If there is a history of such problems they must be addressed in the renovation design.
If mold has been a problem, it must be treated with a microbial agent
and then be removed. There are special mold inhibitor paints available that yield excellent results in preventing a re-occurrence, with a single application. Adding adequate basement ventilation in the renovation design plans will help control excess humidity.
Basements also commonly contain the heating, plumbing, electrical and load bearing systems for the entire home. A successful renovation plan will usually hide components such as plumbing or furnace ducts, but will provide access to them, should it become necessary.
If the design includes adding plumbing for a new bathroom, existing concrete slabs sometimes pose a problem. If any concrete must be broken to add plumbing, be sure to include that aspect of the project in the plans.
When planning the basement renovation project, it is important to be thorough and to make sure it is exactly the way you want it before work begins. Desired or necessary changes should be made on paper, not in mid-construction. Plans should include specific details about materials, fixtures, exact cost, and project completion timelines.
Selecting a Contractor
Once you have the final detailed plans, it is time to start the selection process for a contractor. Exact duplicates of the plan should be furnished to all potential candidates to insure an accurate bid from each.
Ask each candidate for licensing and insurance credentials, as well as references from projects similar to yours. Take the time to ask other homeowners about the contractor’s performance on their projects.
Canadians seeking a suitable contractor for their project can visit www.HandyCanadian.com to help with the screening and selection process. This convenient on-line resource lists only reputable, licensed contractors and their references.
Max Sheppard is Co-Owner of HandyCanadian.com: where homeowners locate professional landscaping contractors, and qualifying contractors acquire new leads.
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May 10, 2008 at 11:49 pm · Filed under Online Home Improvement
The use of color is also something very personal. It stimulates our senses, power our mood, and helps create a particular ambiance. How we respond to an individual color depends on our nature, extroverts tend to feel happy with bold colors, while introverts prefer more passive colors. Through using specific combinations of color, combined with a careful consideration of simple color schemes is often the most effective.
Try not to use more than one or two principal colors in a room, as well as a contrasting or balancing tone. The best way to choose a background color for the room is to trial with a palette of different shades and tones, in combination with the color and textures of the furniture and materials. Remember the general color schemes of a home have to be in agreement. The walls define the space in a room, while the colors, to a large degree, define the mood.
Colored light, furnishing materials, and structural proportions, we can create a home that is welcoming, helpful, and comfortable. Walls are similar to background music: each color tone is like a musical note can create a pleasant-sounding harmony while others grate with each other. The color with which we surround ourselves will without doubt have an effect on us, and so it is important to feel comfortable with our choice. A discussion with a professional color consultant can help to decide individual needs and select appropriate color.
Colors can be divided into three main groups: those that stimulate and uplift, those that relax and calm, and those that provide harmony or balance. So, having taken a number of things into thought when decorating a room, such as the size of the space, the amount of light, the function if the room, and the style and mood we wish to create, we finally, and most importantly, need to consider the needs of the people who use it.
About The Author:
Roger King has been involved in home interior painting for several years, and has been helping people find and review the best value for interior painting solutions. Visit his Web site www.decorativeinteriorpainting.com to learn more about this service.
May 7, 2008 at 5:00 am · Filed under Online Home Improvement
As your baby starts to move around the house, it is extremely important that you protect her from the poisons routinely kept in the home. Here are some tips to help keep your child safe.
Go through what you have and throw out what you don’t need
Have an old box of lye around? You’re probably not ever going to use it, and it’s terribly dangerous, so get rid of it. Keep only the products you really use, so that there are fewer things to have to keep locked up.
Keep things locked up
Assemble all your cleaning supplies, and put them in locked cabinets. Don’t assume that putting them in a higher cabinet keeps your child safe. Sometimes babies seem to learn to climb overnight, so simply storing items on a higher shelf might not be enough.
Don’t store poisons in old food containers
Your baby will learn early on to recognize things like a juice container or baby food jar so don’t use empty ones to store hazardous products.
Throw empty containers away outside
Don’t put the empty bleach container in the kitchen trash can - rinse it and take it to the outside trash can immediately.
Check your plants
There are many common houseplants that are poisonous, including philodendron, English ivy, holly, mistletoe, and hyacinths, so it’s best to remove these or keep them well out of reach.
Some things you might not think of as poisonous
Your cosmetics, over the counter medicines, vitamins, and mothballs can all be poisonous, so keep these locked up or out of the way. Get used to reading labels, so that you can keep tabs on new things that come into the house.
If you’ve never had children before, keeping up with products that can be poisonous can be a challenge at first. But, take some time, preferably before the baby is born, to sort through your items and store them properly. Then, be diligent about buying the safest items you can. For instance, non-chlorine bleach is safer than chlorine. And, always look for child-proof caps on products you plan to buy. Learn to substitute. Did you know you can use olive oil to polish furniture and vinegar to clean your hardwood floors? These kinds of substitutions can make your home safer, and give you fewer items to look up. And, finally, don’t forget to post your local poison control phone number right by the phone. It could save your child’s life.
Sarah is a 41 year old wife and mother of two boys and one girl. She spent many years as a manager in the corporate world, and gave it up to be a stay at home mom. www.infantresources.com“> Click here now and get her incredible baby minicourse - absolutely free.
May 2, 2008 at 11:47 pm · Filed under Online Home Improvement
Home improvement books are just as common as magazines and
catalogues. They are not full of the same information though,
they tend to stick on true stories or architectural designers
stories! Home improvement books are more than light reading in
fact I would consider them heavy reading especially for those
who want a project to be simple splash of paint. If this is the
case then don’t bother purchasing a home improvement book as it
is a waste of money and time reading it.
The books that are usually on sale are by pure professionals and
no less. They go into extreme detail how they managed to get
their projects completed, how they paid for it and how much it
cost them in total. Books are more for people with an interest
in home improvement and who use it as a hobby, books are not
recommended for those who just want to do some improvements to
their homes, reading the book will just completely put them off
and make them change their mind.
The avid home improvement reader will know who all the top
authors are and the top titles, so I don’t have to do into
detail about them, but what you do need to know is that these
books are extremely detailed and long to read, you have to
really love the subject to read about it, otherwise there is not
much point in buying one as you will get a few pages in and fall
asleep, unless of course that it what you are after…a bed time
story?
Home improvement books are like gold for home improvement
enthusiasts! They thoroughly enjoy reading the content and well
who can blame them, everyone to their own I suppose! Just
remember this though that these books are NOT for the small
projects people, these books will only bore and tire you, these
are for people who want to do full blown house building and
extensions! If you want something to help you along with smaller
projects then invest in a small magazine or a catalogue just
don’t invest in one of these books as it will definitely put you
off home improvements!
April 18, 2008 at 9:36 am · Filed under Online Home Improvement
This area of home life is different from others in that it involves all the senses and to that degree it is successful, engendering varying emotions. Decorating isn’t really a hobby, nor is it merely an activity; it’s a driving force of many people to live in comfortable and pleasing surroundings while they regenerate from a stressful world.
Yet, decorating by itself is not nearly as completely satisfying as having an organized home that is rich in beautiful detail. Decorating and organizing go hand-in-hand, like a one-two punch of home completion.
In an effort to motivate you to action, use these suggestions to help you on your way to an organized home this spring and summer.
Paper Clutter
1. If you’re like my dear Mother and you still have newspapers from 1978 because you haven’t read them all: Don’t walk, RUN to the sanitation department and rent an industrial sized dumpster to leave in your driveway for a week.
2. I’m giving you permission to touch your incoming mail and papers more than once - only if the second “touching” is on the way to the dumpster.
3. You know that pile of “things to file” that keeps growing? Guess what - dump that too. You can always print off another copy or send away for the info. over the Internet. (This, coming from the daughter of a paper monster…)
Clothing
Twice a year, my mom would make me try on clothes for the upcoming season. She would invariably choose cold mornings to try on summer things and the hottest day on record to slip into woolens and flannels… (If your kids give you flack for trying on clothes in the comfort of air conditioning, you may use this as your own example.) If you haven’t worn something in the time it took you to have your second child, it’s probably not worth hanging on to (unless, of course, the dumpster is full).
Use a great tip I just discovered: Pick three nights a week to try on 5 items in your closet, then go to your dressers and do the same thing. At this rate, the average American woman should be able to go through all her clothes in about 3 years, 9 months and 14 days. No need to worry, it’ll be a different season then!
Kids’ Toys
1. You could try to “limit” the number of toys they play with each month and cycle them to and from the garage so your little ones get variety.
2. That takes too much effort. I just threatened my boys if they left toys out on their floor at bedtime, they would be in the dumpster the next day (the toys, silly!). Do this twice, and you’ll have this hot spot under control.
I hope these points have given you some new ways to look at the problem of clutter and refreshing methods to deal with them. Given the fun you’ll have with that dumpster, you might want to consider renting a second one for the hubby’s stuff.
I’ll tell you what. If you really do rent a dumpster (okay, it can be the smaller version) I’ll have a reward for your diligence. Ladies - Email me that you filled your dumpster to the very tippy top and something funny that happened during the process. I’ll send you a coupon for a discount on a Fragrance Lamp that will fill your home with lovely aromas. Gentlemen - Email me the same (that is, that you actually rented the thing and filled it, and an amusing related story) and I will send you a Gift Certificate for your wife. Such a deal!
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Lisa DeClue is a WAHM and really does love her Mother. She owns Decorating with HGPgal, a website incorporating interior and garden/patio decorating resources, articles, tips and a monthly newsletter in addition to a unique business opportunity. Subscribe to the newsletter at http://HGPgal.com/newsletter.html and be entered into the monthly prize drawing.
