House
Improving Your Kitchen Without Renovating
The kitchen is the heart of your home, and a room you should take pride in and keep up to date, not only so you can cook, eat and socialise in a special area but also to increase the price the property should you choose to move one day. The kitchen is the first room potential buyers will look at, and if it’s up-to-date and looks good, buyers won’t have to worry about splashing out on any renovations.
If your kitchen is fairly up-to-date with appliances and furniture but you want to spruce it up, there are plenty of ways you can modernise your kitchen without a full renovation. Take a look below at some of our lighting tips to help give your kitchen a new lease of life.
Change the lighting
The lighting can really change the overall look of a room so why not speak to a lighting specialist to give you guidance on the best type of lighting for your kitchen? You’d be surprised how lighting can give the illusion of more space in your kitchen and create just the right ambiance for different tasks in the kitchen.
The first step is to make sure your kitchen is getting as much natural light as possible – natural light makes a room appear larger and gives it a light and airy feel. Keep your windows uncluttered so you’re letting in as much natural daylight as possible.
You should then think about practical lighting – for example, over the cooker and over food preparation areas so you have enough light to perform all of your usual tasks with ease. You should also consider feature lighting (if you have the budget for it) – feature lighting is aesthetically pleasing rather than practical, although it can create different tones to the kitchen, which can give the illusion of more space. It would be worth speaking to a lighting specialist if you want to implement feature lighting. You could add feature lighting to your cabinets or a focal area of your kitchen to give it more emphasis – for example, add feature lighting to a breakfast bar to make it stand out and show it off. Pedant lighting always gives a grand impression, think hanging lighting over the dining table to make your kitchen look luxurious.
Lighting is a brilliant way of transforming a room without fully renovating it – and it doesn’t have to cost the world. Some lighting fixtures can be pricey but you can also find cheaper, low budget budget, which still looks fantastic – it all depends on the budget you have.
You should consider using low energy light bulbs for your kitchen as you will be conserving energy to help the environment and also saving yourself money on energy bills, which as you probably know have gone through the roof recently.
It’s easy to give your kitchen a bit of sparkle without fully renovating but if you do choose to renovate or remodel, make sure you plan …
Beauty In Utility Travels With Colored Concrete Flooring
What better way than adorning your floor with colored concrete? Considering the fact that the modern lifestyle today seeks exclusivity, the options available with coloring concrete are endless.
Today’s colored concrete flooring is nothing but an elegant, wearable and a reflection of your personal style. You need the right contractor to describe the imagination you want to have with your flooring. However, note that color matching is not an exact science. Each contractor applies different techniques for coloring the countertops and employing different types and amounts of cement and aggregates to achieve great results.
Therefore, coloring the concrete surface throughout the remodeling schedule is the best way to enjoy the atmosphere in your place. A beautifully adorned place, with a dull and lifeless floor is like a bride covering a stained old coat over her spectacular wedding gown. No matter how lovely the space, the bad flooring kills the entire effect-and it is the first thing clients will notice. Similarly a home’s curb appeal soars when its image is complete. Shine on a floor is the pinnacle of clean, a symbol of a company’s attention to detail, and the best foot forward for your clients. You should remember that the floor is the basic foundation of your room and floor and d?�cor should go hand in hand. The function of a floor is twofold: it should be pleasing to the eye as well as practical.
So, you can enjoy that special feeling in with color surfacing. Color surface comes with assured exclusivity, and elegance; and the success of your business is built on the foundation in which it is handled. Just because concrete is underfoot, do not overlook your floor to be a style-maker. Take a look around. You will be surprised at how much plain and dull concrete is actually there.
It can hide future stains
When pouring new color on concrete, you can add colorant during the mixing process, which will provide a uniform tinting. There are also plenty of options for using color concrete mostly on driveway, parking lots, sideways, and other parking areas. With color concrete you can watch your concrete becoming stained with oil and grease, tire marks, and dirt.
It has chameleon like qualities
Colored concrete flooring has some rewarding qualities that will give you decades of service when properly installed and maintained.
Colored concrete remains a staple in the world of decorative concrete. While the technology has changed gravely in the past few years, its uses and popularity continue to grow. Bringing the beauty of colored concrete flooring into your place is a great way to instantly change the look of a business and home.…
Home Warranty Programs – Home Appliance Insurance That Meets Your Needs
When looking for a good home warranty program, which benefits and details are important to you? One of the first things that many people think about is how much the premium will be. Although this is very important, you should be careful to make sure that you are considering all of your options. I have held home appliance insurance for many years now and hopefully I will be able to give you a few pointers on choosing the best one for you.
The first thing that you should consider is how much coverage you need. The basic question that you need to ask yourself is how much risk you are willing to take. If you have a brand new home, you are probably willing to take a lot more risk than someone living in a 25 year old house with an aging heat pump or furnace. The level risk that you feel comfortable with is the basis for deciding on any insurance policy.
For example, if you feel comfortable with fixing small things around the house like leaky faucets or even a broken garbage disposal, then you would probably feel okay with having a policy that does not include small appliances and the like. But many homeowners want the peace of mind knowing that they don’t have to worry about how and when their appliances will get repaired if they have a breakdown.
Another thing to consider is the cost of a repair of a particular appliance. Many of the insurance policies will cover small things like microwaves. If you have a small stand alone microwave, then the replacement cost will be very minimal these days. But on the other hand if you have a built in microwave that functions as a ventilation hood and lighting for your cook top, then the replacement costs could be substantial.
Believe it or not, there are so many appliances and systems in your home that you can repair or replace yourself with very little know how. If I have a problem with something, I always Google it to see if I can fix it myself. Many of the mega home improvement warehouses are also a wealth of knowledge for the do it yourself repair person.
Here is the main reason why people feel that they need to buy a home warranty; the fear of having to replace or repair their HVAC system. Replacement of your heat pump or air conditioner could cost several thousand dollars. The risk of having this type of failure is more than people want to deal with. That is where these types of home warranty programs offer peace of mind and will serve you well.…
Having a Hoot With Interior Design and Owls
Are you looking to introduce a new theme into your interior design or home decor? Choosing something new is all down to a matter of taste and opinion but if you just want to be trendy and current, there are plenty of pointers available in the home sections of high street shops and stores. If you like the idea of having an “owl” theme in your home, then you are in luck, because (at the time of writing) owls are incredibly popular, not just for home items but for clothes, toys and many other things as well.
We are talking about the home, so what you can do to introduce the wonderful owl to your decor? Here are just a few quick ideas.
Hallway – For most homes, the hallway is the entrance to the house and the first place to make an impression when entering. How about an owl inspired mirror directly facing your front door? It will certainly make an impression on your guests when they enter and it will make a statement that you are right up to date with your home design. An owl shaped clock could also be really cool in the hall. It’s often a place people look for the time as they head out the door and it will add further to your growing theme.
Bedroom – The bed is always the quickest and easiest way to introduce something new to your room. You could treat yourself to a brand new duvet cover that has a cute owl print on it. A tastefully chosen owl picture or painting can make a feature of a bedroom wall whilst complimenting your bed. If you are lucky enough to have fitted sliding wardrobes in your room, then some owl themed transfers on the doors will again make a feature.
Living Room/Dining Room – There are endless ways in which your owls can be implemented into these rooms, whether it’s cushions/covers, curtains, tablecloths, rugs, ornaments and pictures. It’s just a case of deciding what you like without completely going owl overboard!
Bathroom – Once again, you will be spoiled for choice when trying to bring owls into the bathroom with some lovely pieces available. There are trinket holders, toiletry jars, toothbrush holders or even a trendy shower curtain!
Not only will you have the theme you want but also have a bright and trendy look throughout your owl inspired home.…
EarthWerks Flooring – A Beauty Only Mother Nature Could Create
A product of the 73-year old Texas-based Swiff-Train flooring manufacturer, EarthWerks is known by the hardwood flooring industry as a leader in natural-looking hardwood floors, with woods so beautiful, only Mother Nature herself could shape them.
Woods created by EarthWerks are subtle and soft. The company’s artisans favor soft touches of pigment and light distressing techniques rather than splashing the woods with bold colors and hiding the wood’s natural character.
In EarthWerk’s Prestige engineered line, oak, walnut, maple, birch, hickory and cherry hardwoods are handsculpted and hand scraped at the surface, with a variety of colors and color application techniques. The techniques, such as the “bleed technique” are what truly separate this line from all other manufacturers.
With the “bleed technique,” color seeps onto the outer edges of the planks. When the floor is installed, the darker outer edges make each individual plank stand out, giving the floor a very earth, “old-world” feel. Natural French Bleed Cherry is absolutely charming, with a floor that looks to have come straight out of a 17th century French cottage.
Walnut Antique is another hit in this collection, hand sculpted with rich shades of umber and burnt sienna. Birch Latte is another favorite, also hand scraped, with shades of russet and sepia swirled so eloquently to create a marble effect.
If the swirls are something that appeals to you, you’ll also appreciate Smooth Walnut Natural, with a soft watercolor effect softly blending light to medium shades of brown. The depth of the walnut woods in this collection are truly incredible!
In EarthWerk’s Durango collection, you’ll see some of this marble effect as well, but with more of an American-Western vibe. The clay-colored Mesa and the coppery Sunset are favorites of that line, although people who enjoy dark wood floors will be drawn to Adobe.
All woods in both collections come in the standard five-inch wide planks with random lengths. Durango’s woods are beveled on four sides, whereas Prestige’s are either four-side rolled or micro beleved. Prestige offers a lifetime structural warranty with a 25-year finish, while Durango offers a 20-year finish warranty.…
Be Safe With These Crucial Home Security Tips
Whether you own your home or you are renting, you want it to be a safe place. You may not be sure what kinds of things you can do to better secure your living space, which is why this article is here! This article will help you make your house much safer.
Purchase a safe to lock all of the extremely valuable items in your home in one place. This is very important, as you do not want your gold, diamonds and personal items exposed if someone were to break into your house. The safe should be situated in an inconspicuous area of your home.
Buy fire resistant roofing, flooring and ceiling materials. This is a good way to protect your home against fires, for instance if you live near power lines or in a dry area. Avoiding fire hazards is a great way to keep things safe.
Do not post on your social media accounts regarding when you will be away on vacation. Although your first instinct is to share the news about an upcoming trip that excites you, the info may well fall into the hands of people who’d be interested in burglarizing your home while you’re away.
Don’t overlook your garage as a potential access point for thieves. There is a way to prevent burglars from entering your home through the garage. Try putting a C-clamp on your garage door track. This will stop the door from rising if you want to keep it closed.
Trust your instincts when it comes to hiring a home security company. You should be very picky when it comes to letting people inspect your home. Never be afraid to ask for a new installer or to get an entirely new firm. You want your new system to protect you, not be the way the thief gets into your home.
If you’ve got skylights, don’t neglect them when ensuring your home’s security. Skylights are a great addition to any home, but they are also tempting entryways for crooks. The hardware that secures your skylights should be sturdy and durable.
If you want to make your house even more secure, a cheap way to do that is to buy outside lights with motion detectors. In the evening hours, this lighting can provide extra security and an economical way to light your front entrance way when you arrive. If positioned correctly on the exterior of your home, the motion detectors make it virtually impossible for an intruder to sneak onto your property.
Ask a home security company to come to your house and design a security system that is perfect for your needs. Everyone has different needs, and your security system should be designed to protect your home and family. If you find a company that will tailor the plan you choose to your needs, you can get the highest level of security that makes you feel comfortable.
Now is the time to put this advice into action. Don’t let the time you spend …
Give Your Home A Brand New Look With This Helpful Advice
There is nothing more important in home renovation than to know exactly what you are getting into. The piece below is meant to give you the facts you need as you embark on your home improvement journey. This information is helpful for both experienced and non-experienced people.
Before you begin customizing your home, settle on a specific style. If you know your style, you can plan your project out before you begin to work. It’s easy to change styles mid-stream without recognizing it until it’s too late. Then the time to make adjustments and changes will be costly.
Solar panels are beneficial additions to any home. The installation cost is not cheap, but it can save you money in the long run. This can save your money your electric bills. This is also a good way to reduce your impact on the environment.
Safety should be a top concern when improving your house. There’s a certain amount of risk involved in most improvement work, and you can add to it significantly if you don’t know what you’re doing. Read your tools’ instructions carefully and ask for assistance, if necessary, from employees at your local hardware store. Check online for help.
Prior to making up your mind about any particular type of home renovation, visit a few open houses in the area. You’ll get some great ideas on the newest styles. Many model homes even hire a decorator to include window coverings and furniture to complete the effect, so you can copy the ones you like best and skip a lot of trial and error when updating your own home.
Good lighting makes an incredible difference in any room. Bright rooms look nice and have a positive effect on people. You can make a room brighter by simply installing more lights. Just changing the lighting in a room can give it a fresh new look and open it up.
You should never undervalue the benefits that a top quality door can offer. The door will be seen by every visitor you have. If your door does not fit correctly and is not well insulated, you will lose heat and air conditioning through it. Old locks also defeat your security.
Many times building an addition can be more economical that investing in a new home. A renovation can allow you to alter your home to fit your lifestyle and needs without having to go through all of the work, stress and expense of moving. Plus, a home renovation is financially much less than a new home purchase.
Paint the walls to update a dated looking home. Fresh paint can completely transform a room. Paint is very affordable and can increase your home’s value. A good tip is to use light colors that look good with the decor of your home.
As you’ve read, it’s essential to make sure you’re prepared for your project. These suggestions can aid home improvement beginners and people with a few projects behind them. Keep these tips in …
Give Your Home Interior A Makeover With These Quick Tips
Do you like a nicely decorated home, but feel intimidated by interior design? Once you get into interior design you can truly make your home look good. Keep reading for great ideas that can help.
A nice tip for interior design is including various textures or patterns into the room you design. Different patterns and textures add detail and accent each other. If you are designing a room to look more contemporary, patterns and textures are a must.
Get creative when choosing counter-tops for your kitchen. You could go with granite, but other materials like cork, wood and concrete are also options. They can be less costly than other options and will give the kitchen a unique style of its very own.
Ensure that you are keeping track of all the latest trends. You wouldn’t want to appear to be stuck in the 1970’s with outdated decor. Therefore, you should search around and discover how others are renovating their homes nowadays.
Each room in your home should be decorated on the basis of its intended purpose. Ask yourself how many people will be in this room at the same time and what they will be doing. For instance, if you are improving your living room you should make sure their is seating for your family and potential visitors, but if you are working on a bedroom, you should make that room more personal.
Do not jump right into putting paint on the walls. Pick out a color scheme that you know you will love. Paint samples can help you figure out the perfect fit for your room. Take a look at how the paints look in various lighting throughout the day. Seeing a color on your own wall may change your overall opinion of the fit.
Hard surface flooring can cause a room to feel cold and hostile; to warm it up, use large area carpets or throw rugs. Make sure you turn your rugs every now and again so they stay evenly worn. Changing locations or a quick flip or spin can help extend your rug’s good looks.
Don’t be afraid to use your creativity if you are going to paint a room. The Internet is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to this topic. Trying new approaches with painting can lead to a boring looking room come alive in a very quick time.
Mirrors are a great way to open up small spaces. The mirrors will create the illusion of a bigger room and you can make your house look better. Invest in a beautiful mirror to facilitate your interior design project.
Round up a collection. Collections are groupings of like items placed together in a tasteful manner. For instance, three vases make a collection of vases. Three pictures also makes a collection. Group them together for a great display and get people talking!
Based on what you now know, you will be more aware of what works well within interior design. Now that you’re aware of …
Clear The Pipes And Let The Water Run With These Plumbing Tips
Plumbing problems can always pop up. Some plumbing problems require only a simple fix; however, others can be more complicated. It doesn’t matter how skilled you are, when you’re educated properly on plumbing you can fix most problems within a reasonable time period.
If you have a frozen pipe, turn on the nearest faucet so the water has an escape route when the pipe starts to thaw. This can prevent damage to your house because it lets the pressure that is in the pipe out, and keeps it from bursting.
To maintain a clean, well-functioning septic tank, it is recommended that you clean it out once every five years. Doing this prevents any sediment from getting built up within the tank, which causes a backup in your home or causes your entire septic system to fail. If the cost of pumping your septic tank seems a bit steep, remember that the cost of cleanup and repair of a failed septic system will be much higher.
Knowing all your different tools and how they are used will be a great help when you work on a plumbing job. So be sure to read through all your manuals as well as research as much as you can on the internet where you can gain information to help you with your projects. Plan thoroughly before attempting a repair. Mistakes can be very expensive to fix.
Do not use harsh chemicals to clean or treat your toilet. These tablets have chemicals that can damage rubber parts that are essential to the proper functioning of your toilet.
Ensure that if something goes wrong in your garbage disposal that you resist any and all urges you have that might make you want to put your hands inside to fix a problem. Even while turned off, the garbage disposal is still a dangerous place for your fingers. Troubleshooting techniques and schematics of your garbage disposal are available on the Internet.
Keep grease, fat and oil out of your kitchen drain. Whenever they cool, they tend to harden and make clogs inside your drains. Even with a garbage disposal, you are going to cause it to be less efficient and risk drain backups. The best thing to do is to dispose of oil-based liquids away from your sinks.
Always have cold water running when you are using your garbage disposal. The helps sharpen the blades and clears out the drain mechanism. If you use hot water, any grease in the disposal will liquefy, causing it to accumulate further down the drain, which could cause clogs.
Trash should go in the trash basket, not the toilet. Use the toilet for what it is designed for, and it won’t give you a lot of problems. Never flush paper towels, tissue, diapers, or tampons. These things do not break up correctly and can clog your pipes. In addition, you should only use the amount of toilet paper that is absolutely necessary when cleaning yourself.
As you know, plumbing can have lots …
Interior Design Trends to Incorporate in Your Home this 2019
We all fell in love with minimalism in the recent years—it’s super clean, simple, airy and fresh. Most of all, it’s classic. You’ll never go wrong with it. If that’s your personality, you’d still embrace minimalism even now. However, this 2019, we look forward to a different take on interiors. Many homeowners have been choosing more out of the box home décor pieces, textures, patterns, and colors.
Nothing wrong with minimalism—this year is all about being yourself and letting your personality shine through your abode. So, if you are your constant minimalist self, don’t be afraid to be the same you. After all, interior design should be about your personal sense of style. But in case you want to incorporate some new trends this year in your latest home revamp project, don’t hesitate to get some fresh ideas below.
Rooms Popping with Warm, Vibrant Colors
Yellow accent chair, red accent wall—you’ll see lots of it in the new home designs this year as many home owners are loving a warm and vibrant color palette that exudes energy, boldness, cheer, and happiness. Many home owners have taken the leap from the play-safe grays to out-of-the-box color combinations that give a home more attitude and confidence.
If you’re still afraid to paint your home with some vibrance, thinking that it might go wrong or you might dislike it afterwards, you can do baby steps in adding color to your home. For example, you can add a statement piece in a room such as a yellow accent chair, or an orange sofa. Just let those colors pop! Gradually, you’ll realize that adding color isn’t as scary as you think. Check out some ideas from this interesting article.
Brass and Copper Accents
We’ve seen lots of rose gold pieces in many home interiors in 2018. This year though, brass and copper accents are in. You can incorporate this trend in your bathroom or kitchen fixtures, modern vintage chandeliers, planters, vases, and other home décor pieces. You can add brass and copper accents by choosing drawer knobs and handles with these metals. Brass or copper door knobs and locks would be a great idea, too, giving your home, a rustic but timeless feel.
But more than the look and feel of those doors and cabinets, you need to prioritize safety, especially for your prized possessions that are hidden inside special drawers. Make sure you always have duplicate keys to avoid any possible hassles. Find out more about that here: slotenmakersgids.nl
Earth Tones as a Backdrop or Color Palette
Because we’re moving on from gray tones, we need something new for our more neutral and lighter color palette as a backdrop for most walls of the home’s interiors. Of course, it should blend well with more vibrant colors such as reds, yellows, and oranges. And what else is perfect for that? Earth tones!
Biophilic Design
In the past years, urban living has taken us far from nature. All we see are hard, concrete surfaces, glimmering …