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Simple Steps To Redesigning Your Home
The idea of overhauling the design of your home completely is one that horrifies some homeowners; the potentially huge costs, the amount of work involved and the state of the home whilst work is ongoing are just three of the potential stumbling blocks. Another, perhaps more overlooked factor, is people’s fear of interior design.
Interior design is often seen as a bit of a closed shop, what with various designers being paid millions for their work. This is somewhat of an assumption however; with a bit of basic knowledge, some help from a specialist and interior design software, planning your ideal bedroom, bathroom or kitchen is simple and more importantly, fun.
The first step to good interior design is having a decent idea of what you have to work with, and what you will be using it for. Be realistic about the amount of space you have and use it creatively; as much as you may love a particular set of units, if they’re going to overwhelm the room then there is no point in having them.
Consider what you’re going to be using your rooms for – the bedroom, for example, will require a bed, storage space for clothing and other items and whatever else you may have (televisions, weights, etc). Kitchens will usually have a cooker, a microwave and a sink as well as other appliances so think about what you’re going to need before you go ahead and plan your rooms.
The fun part of interior design is choosing a decorative theme for your home. Bedrooms are particularly great to plan, with potential influences ranging from Edwardian classic style to space-age futuristic designs! Kitchens and bathroom design tends to be more conservative but still, be expressive – you want your home to reflect the personality of the people living in it.
Come up with a few rough ideas and designs for your home – these won’t be of a professional standard but at this point it doesn’t matter. Measure out your home and draw up some rough floor plans. From there, you can go as wild as you like! Experiment with placement of items, taking measurements into account, until you have a layout you like.
Another good idea is to draw some pictures visualising the design as you see it in your head. Whilst this may sound like a futile task if you aren’t particularly artistic, working from a visualisation is far easier than trying to describe a visual task in words.
The final step is to go along to a specialist store or call a designer to work out your design using home design software. This may seem like a bit of a step backwards considering you’ve done a lot yourself but the benefits of home design software are massive and should help flag up any design issues. Generally this software is expensive and requires training, so working with a specialist is recommended.
Interior design software allows you to create 3D visualisations of your dream designs …
Simple Ways to Cut Your Hot Water Bill
Your hot water bill can be reduced by making use of some simple tricks that will permit you to consume less water and thus pay less. The first thing you need to know is that the water pipes in your home need to be in good condition and free of leaks to avoid water losses. A dripping hot water connection is literally money down the drain. It is a good idea to do a visual inspection of the piping in your basement every two years or so.
Another good way of saving on your hot water bill is to use other types of water heaters, such as a tankless water heater that heats water on demand. It will save you plenty of energy, because the water gets heated only when needed. This is in contrast to a conventional tank that works to keep the entire tank of water at a constant temperature at all times.
Some other ways of reducing the bill is to make some changes to your shower. The new models of energy efficient shower heads help to save energy and water without reducing pressure. Low flow shower heads use up to 70 per less water than normal ones. Some models provide adjustable spray jets that reduce heat loss and improve comfort. An energy efficient shower head consumes about 5 liters per minute, as opposed to a traditional one that averages about 14 liters per minute.
The reduced flow results in a reduction of water consumption, so you will save on your water bills and sewer bills. For those of you who have septic tanks and wells, it makes for less wear and tear on your pumping equipment and the number of times you will need to have your septic tank pumped out. To further reduce your water consumption, consider installing a shower head with a stop button, or a single handle faucet, which you can press to interrupt the flow. The advantage of this button is that you can interrupt the flow while you soap or shampoo, then turn it back on and rinse at the same rate and temperature as before.
A large number of shower faucets are fitted with safety devices such as valves to regulate pressure and maintain the water temperature at a constant level. In a household with small children or elderly folks, this is an essential way to keep everyone safe from burns that can result from scalding hot water.
You can also save more water and energy by taking quick showers instead of long baths. You will consume as much as 50 per less hot water depending on the shower head you use. For example, a shower of 5 minutes with a flow rate of 9.5 liters per minute, consumes approximately 47.5 liters of water while a bath, half full, requires an average of about 100 liters of water. A timer, such as an hourglass or a manual timer, can help to control and reduce the time spent in the shower. …
Designing Your Home Made Simple With These Easy Tips
Embarking on an interior design project is a big and often scary undertaking. Most of them do not know where to start. You are very lucky; this article will outline some ways you can liven up your home.
A good tip for interior design is the use of the room in question. For kid’s rooms, you want something more colorful and fun. Use more subdued colors in a library where serenity is the goal.
Include several patterns or textures into a room when you are designing it. Textures and patterns draw attention to the detail of your room and can really accent any smooth surfaces you have such as wood or glass. If you’re making a contemporary room, you must use textures and patterns.
Seriously think about your financial situation and what your budget is for interior design before you spend the money. It is never a good idea to start something that your budget may not ultimately support. This can help lower your anxiety and stress levels when designing your new space.
Placing all the artwork in the room at eye level allows it to be shown to its best effect. If you hang it anywhere else it can destroy the delicate balance in your room, and even make your space look smaller.
A good interior design tip is to make sure you’re always following up on the latest style trends. You never want to be someone who looks like they been living in the past, especially the 70’s, with that old tacky wallpaper. See what others are doing to their home nowadays.
Hard surface flooring can cause a room to feel cold and hostile; to warm it up, use large area carpets or throw rugs. Ensure you rotate the rugs on a regular basis in order to evenly minimize wear and tear due to traffic. Quick spins or changing the spot can help your rugs continue to look new for a longer period of time.
It’s very common for a home to have at least one small room that needs to feel larger than it really is. If you want to make your small spaces appear larger, use light and bright paint. Dark colors in small rooms make the room look even smaller that it is.
Consider how long you are planning to live in your current home before making it too personalized. If you do not plan to live there for another five years, you might want to design your home in a neutral fashion. What you might consider awesome might turn off a potential buyer later on.
Decorating a basement is completely possible. Basements tend to be cave like in appearance. Go ahead and give your basement a better look with brighter colors and by adding in a mirror or two.
You should now be more prepared to begin making some changes on the interior design elements of your home. Things don’t have to be hard. Begin with the information you read about here, and before …
Pest Control Made Simple With These Easy Tips
Have you found evidence that there is something living in your pantry? Do you tend to hear scurrying from within your ceiling? If you’ve said yes to either of these, then chances are, you have a problem with pests. This article contains some helpful hints for taking care of pests.
Use steel wool to plug in openings where rodents can enter. The steel wool makes it nearly impossible for rodents to chew through. Any opening larger than a half inch should be stuffed. It is possible for these animals to make their way through very tiny openings.
Learn the local ordinances and building codes to see what special treatments you have access to so that you can control your pests. Using banned chemicals can affect a home sale later on. Instead, find out what methods of pest control have been used successfully in your area.
Bedbugs have a habit of hiding in tiny places, which makes them hard to eliminate. All holes should be sealed before beginning any type of extermination. By doing so, you can stop bedbugs from emerging from such places after the exterminator has left.
Bushes should be at least about a foot from the house. A lot of insects might live there, no matter what. Having vegetation right up against your home is just asking to have a pest problem, no matter what else you do to keep them out.
Check your plumbing to control your indoor pests. Make sure that all sinks and drains are unclogged, both in and around your home. This organic buildup attracts many insects. Check cleared drains on a monthly basis.
Check out your entire home periodically, even if you have not noticed any pests in your living area. Your home can be affected by underground termites if part of it lies under the ground. Check on the crawl spaces and basement.
Do not leave fallen trees in your yard. Cut up all the branches and the trunk as well to use for firewood. You can also give it to someone else, or sell it if you want to. But, make sure to address the stump regardless. Stumps can easily attract termites to your home.
Do a little research on the rodents or insects that have made your house their home. Discover what appeals to these types of rodents and what they are repelled by. Using an approach geared to the annoying pest you are combating is a good way to ensure your efforts are not wasted.
If you see mice holes in the floor or walls, cut steel wool to size and insert into the holes. Rodents will eat steel wool and eventually die. Fill in the whole with spackle containing steel wool to prevent new holes from being created.
Now, the pest problem is one step closer to ending. Use what you have learned above and take back your home. It is going to take a bit of time, but one day soon you won’t hear scurrying in your …