If your home's curb appeal makes a great first impression, everyone -- including potential homebuyers -- will want to see what's inside.

Check out these simple, low-cost improvements that you can do in a day, a week, or a month.

 

 

Create perfect symmetry

Symmetry is not only pleasing to the eye, it's also the simplest to arrange. Symmetrical compositions of light fixtures and front-door accents create welcoming entryways. This door is flanked by two sidelights. The black lantern-style sconces not only safely guide visitors to the door, but also coordinate with the black door and urns.

 

 

Replace old hardware

House numbers, the entry door lockset, a wall-mounted mailbox, and an overhead light fixture are all elements that can add style and interest to your home's exterior. If they're out of date or dingy, your home may not be conveying the aesthetic you think it is. These elements add the most appeal when they function collectively, rather than as mix-and-match pieces. Oiled-bronze finishes suit traditional homes, while brushed nickel suits more contemporary ones.

 

 

 

Dress up the front door

Your home's front entry is the focal point of its curb appeal. Make a statement by giving your front door a blast of color with paint or by installing a custom wood door. Clean off any dirty spots around the knob, and use metal polish on the door fixtures. Your entry should also reflect the home's interior, so choose a swag or a wreath that reflects your personal style.

 

 

Do a mailbox makeover

Mailboxes should complement the home and express the homeowner's personality. When choosing a hanging drop box, pick a box that mirrors your home's trimmings. Dress up posted boxes by staining or painting the wooden post to match the house's trim and woodwork. Create structures for your box from materials found throughout the hardscaping. Warning: Consult a professional when designing and building structures.

 

Install outdoor lighting

Low-voltage landscape lighting makes a huge impact on your home's curb appeal while also providing safety and security. Fixtures can add accent lighting to trees or the house or can illuminate a walking path. If you aren't able to use lights that require wiring, install solar fixtures (but understand that their light levels are not as bright or as reliable).

 

Create an instant garden

Container gardens add a welcoming feel and colorful appeal to any home exterior -- quickly and affordably. You can buy ready-made containers from garden centers or create your own with your favorite plants. For most landscapes, a staggered, asymmetrical arrangement works best to create a dynamic setting.

 

Renew planter beds

Get garden beds into shape by pruning growth, pulling weeds, planting flowers, and adding new mulch to restore color that was taken away by sunlight and harsh weather. If stone or brick borders your bed, consider cleaning and resetting any pieces that are soiled or dislodged. If your border is old or tired-looking, try upgrading to stone or a decorative cast-concrete edging system.

 

 

Install window boxes

Window boxes offer a fast, easy way to bring color and charm to your home exterior. Choose boxes made from copper or iron for a traditional look, or painted wood for a cottage feel. Mix and match flowers and plants to suit your lighting conditions and color scheme.

 

Make a grand entry

Even with a small budget, there are ways to draw attention to your front door. Molding acts like an architectural eyeliner when applied to the sides and top of the doorway. Notice how the white door casing makes this door pop.

 

Add outdoor art

Give your yard a little spunk by adding weather-resistant artwork. Choose pieces that complement your home's natural palette and exterior elements. Birdbaths, metal cutouts, sculptures, and wind chimes are good choices for outdoor art. Water sculptures not only function as yard art, but the burbling sounds soothe and make hot days feel cooler. Place fountains on level ground in optimum hearing and sight vantage points. Avoid spots in leaf-dropping range.

 

 

Add shutters or accent trim

Shutters and trim add a welcoming layer of beauty to your home's exterior. Shutters also control light and ventilation, and provide additional security. Exterior shutters can be made of wood, aluminum, vinyl, composite, or fiberglass. New composite materials, such as PVC resins or polyurethane, make trim details durable and low maintenance.

 

Add arbors or fence panels

Arbors, garden gates, and short sections of decorative fence panels will enhance your garden and the value of your home. These amenities can be found in easy-to-build kits or prefab sections you simply connect together. For best results, paint or stain these items with colors already on your house.

[Full Article]

Ensuring a Successful Remodeling Experience

Are you tired of cooking in a cramped kitchen with avocado green appliances? Do you envision yourself in a gourmet kitchen, complete with custom cabinetry, granite countertops and large windows?

As a contractor and co-owner of a full-service construction company, I field many calls from homeowners looking to improve and update their properties. Although most remodeling projects are neither simple nor quickly done, the finished project can be very satisfying and greatly improve your quality of life. Following are some guidelines that can assist you in preparing for a remodeling project.

1 Create your remodel plan
List all the work you want to have done, along with how much you can afford to spend. Talk with your spouse and family members and listen to everyone’s ideas with an open mind. Once the work list is complete, prioritize so that the most important improvement projects are listed first.

Establish your budget: Remember to be realistic – you may not be able to afford every item on your work list. Now it’s time to determine exactly how much you can afford to spend. During this budget process, consider carefully how each item on your work list will affect your home’s value. Also, remember to factor in an additional 10-15% of your total budget to cover any unforeseen added expenses. It is not the contractor’s fault, nor financial responsibility, if your old bathtub leaked for years and created rotted sub-flooring underneath.

2 Choose a Contractor
Building and remodeling both require experience, knowledge, and problem-solving skills, so look beyond the dollar amount. Some questions to ask contractors are: Is he or she licensed by the state where the work will be done? Is there proper insurance coverage? Is he or she a member of local and state building associations? Does the contractor have an office staff to answer your calls or will you be leaving messages and waiting to be called back? Can the contractor provide references of recent customers, and a detailed proposal at no charge? Will the work be guaranteed, and for how long? Be patient while waiting for the detailed proposals, especially if the work involves plumbing and electrical. Many contractors will bid out work to subcontractors, and cannot give you a completed proposal without all this necessary information.

3 Scrutinize your contract before signing
Most contractors use a firm price, with allowances for certain extras. Be sure that the work listed is detailed, and includes all labor, materials and clean up. The final amount should be within your budget, and the timetable one you are comfortable with. Make sure that the payment schedule is reasonable: most reputable contractors require only a 10-15% good-faith down payment, with additional payments to follow as the work progresses.

4 Keep thorough records
Keep all documents related to your project together and in a safe place. This includes the contract, insurance certificates, building and site plans, invoices, receipts and any other correspondence. Making a note of all phone calls will avoid any misunderstandings later.

5 Be realistic about the construction phase
Although each remodel job is different, all share typical work zone elements: nail guns, drills and saws are loud and create a lot of dust. Workers and delivery trucks will be coming and going all day. Prepare your family for the temporary disruption that building projects create, and be realistic in your expectations. Construction remodeling is not a perfect process; things can, and occasionally do, go wrong. But if you have chosen an experienced and savvy contractor, problem solving should be taken care of in a timely manner.

6 Sit back and enjoy the transformation
Don’t try to micro-manage the workers. You are spending your hard-earned money to have a general contractor manage the project for you. If you are not happy with something, or have a question as to why workers are or are not doing something, call your contractor. Many different talented workers will be coming together to perform specific jobs, and you are paying for their time and expertise. Don’t interrupt their work unnecessarily – asking questions or trying to direct them may end up costing you more money. If you decide that you want to make a change to the original work order, understand that changes will increase both the time and expense of your project. It is best to be certain of the work you want done, and keep to the original contract as much as possible.

Once the work is complete, and the jobsite is cleaned up, have a final walk-through with your contractor. This is your opportunity to examine the quality of work and ensure that you are satisfied. Having your home remodeled will give you a newfound respect and appreciation for your home, as well as the contractor who attended to all of the details and made your dream a reality.  

[Full Article]

Bathroom Remodeling - Convert Your Bathroom Into The Trendiest Area In Your House

Bathroom remodeling is one of the most common home improvement jobs. This is because it is used by both family and guests. As a homeowner, you want to be able to take pride in your bathroom.

Advantages of Bathroom Remodeling

While there are plenty of advantages to bathroom remodeling, you should first decide if it is a want or a need. Sometimes, you may just want a change. Other times, families grow and it is time to update and remodel to make more room. Before you start tearing apart your bathroom, you need to know what you want the end product to look like.

The nice thing about bathroom remodeling is that it allows you to experiment with design, techniques and accessories. Now days, people are starting to see the bathroom as a real room of the house, not just a place to get into and out of. New trends include pedestal sinks, towel warmers, warming lights and event stereo equipment built into the ceiling. Also, the updates will be well worth it if you decide to sell your home.

Bathroom Remodeling Designs

Sometimes people have been thinking of bathroom remodeling for years. For others, it is a relatively new itch. Ideas and inspiration can come from magazines, HGTV or browsing your local home improvement store. But, before you start taking out sinks and demolishing cabinets, have a plan.

After you have a plan, you should set a budget. While a little bit of updating can be done with new light fixtures and a faucet, which is not always what you want. If you are going to be completely gutting the room, you need to know what you are in for. It is not unheard of for the project to take anywhere from $5000 to $25,000.

If you have a smaller bathroom, some minor changes may scratch that itch. A new coat of paint or changing the mirror will give the room a new appearance. Also, switching the shower curtain or towels that are a different color than what you usually hang can add a spark of 'new' to your bathroom.

Changing the sink, faucet, tiles and vanity mirror are among the most commonly considered changes for the bathroom. You can do anything from install-heated tiles or maybe just a change in color is what you are looking for. Often, the fist thing you see when you enter a bathroom is the sink. This would be a good starting point for your remodel. Pick the sink and the rest will follow.

New faucets can give your old sink new life. Also, mirrors come in a variety of sizes, shapes and finishes. No longer are medicine cabinets square and white. Now, you can get them to flush mount right into the wall and the outside mirror can be round, arched, frameless. You can have finishes that are gold, silver, brass or antique. It seems that it is only limited by your imagination.

Why should you consider an Interior Designer

If you are planning an extensive remodel and your budget allows you to hire a designer, it may help the overall look and feel of the project. However, a good contractor will be able to not only do the job, but also help you to get what you are looking for. They will, for example, be able to tell you it may not be a good idea to put 12"x12" tiles in a small space.

One of the really nice things about professionals who deal with bathroom remodeling is that they know what kind of options are out there and can help you stay on budget. If you had a granite counter top in mind, but it would be too expensive, they can direct you to the more cost effective Carrion counters. They know all the latest products because they work with them.

Summary:

With the bathroom being one of the few places that is shared by the entire family and guests, it is a place you should take pride in. It is therefore important that you consider bathroom remodeling to upgrade your bathroom. While some people are good with new light fixtures and mirrors, others will gut the room and start over. What ever you are looking for, there is a wide range of options available.

[Full Article]

Adding floor-to-ceiling style

Does your fireplace need a facelift? Are your walls looking drab? If so, plenty of simple ways exist to create your own look with solid hardwood molding. Here are a few suggestions from the Hardwood Manufacturers Association:

Q. Can I “stack” stock moldings for a custom look?
Absolutely. Custom-built hardwood moldings can be expensive, but chances are you can get the custom look you want on a modest budget. The standard width of trim is five inches. By combining some of the more than 350 molding profiles and shapes that are available off the shelf in stores, it’s easy to build up or “stack” standard profiles to create the effect of a single piece of wood several inches wider in virtually any style.

Q. How can I combine stock pieces of wood to create a baseboard?
Many baseboards, especially those in new homes, can use some sprucing up. Visit your local home center or lumber supply house to find at least two pieces of stock hardwood that, together, can create the look you want. For a traditional baseboard, start from the floor with a relatively flat trim board that is four to six inches high. Add a piece of trim molding with a convex or rounded shape (such as a basic quarter-round) at the bottom of the flat trim board. Then top off the flat board with a recessed profile. The finished product should measure six to eight inches high.

Q. What type of wood molding should I choose?
Hardwoods such as oak and maple are the best choice for window and door casings and anything else likely to be bumped, such as baseboards, paneling and chair rails. To make sure the trim you choose is solid, check to see if the grain pattern on the face of the product continues over the ends and sides. When budget is an issue, it’s possible to get the look of a more expensive hardwood such as cherry, for instance, by using a cherry stain on a less expensive hardwood such as poplar or basswood. This technique works especially well in decorative applications above eye level—crown moldings and recessed ceiling patterns, for instance.

Q. How much of the wall should wainscoting cover?
Wainscoting traditionally is made of individual tongue-and-groove solid hardwood boards. It typically is either the height of a chair rail (running along the bottom third of the wall) or the height of a plate rail (covering the bottom two-thirds of the wall.) In a room with eight- to nine-foot-high ceilings, wainscoting at chair-rail height typically falls 32 to 36 inches up the wall. For higher wainscoting, at least 60 inches is usually best. To pick your spot, consider dividing the height of your room by three and drawing a line at the point you find most visually appealing.

Q. How can I dress up my fireplace mantel?
The fireplace tends to be the focal point of a room, so enhancing it with moldings, wainscoting or paneling is well worth the effort. If your mantel features decorative details, choose wall moldings to complement that look. Molding strips will create the look of raised paneling. Use decorative hardwood medallions and other ornamental period-style moldings to add visual interest to a plain mantel face. Stain trim the same color as the mantel, or gild or paint it as an accent. Consider extending the design elements to include built-in seating, bookcases or cabinets. When budget is a concern, transform a drab fireplace wall with a simple wood-plank mantel supported by antique-looking wood brackets.

[Full Article]