4 Crucial Tips For Remodeling Your Bathroom

Remodeling a bathroom can be a huge job, but there are some things that can make it easier for you. The bathroom is one of the most rooms in the home and many people end up remodeling their bathroom at some point in time. Maybe you are tired of the old décor or you need to make better use of the space in the bathroom. Whatever the reason you are thinking of remodeling, you definitely want to make sure you do the job right the first time or you will end up wasting thousands of dollars. Here are a few great tips for remodeling your bathroom that can help you make sure you get the most out of your bathroom remodel.
Tip #1 – Keep it Functional
First of all, when you are remodeling the bathroom in your home, make sure you keep it functional. Sure, you want the bathroom to look great, but you have to think about function. It can help to think about what you need out of your bathroom. Is this a bathroom for the kids, a bathroom for guests, or are you remodeling the one off the master bedroom. Think about who will be using the bathroom and it can help you make sure you keep it functional for the people who will be using it the most.
Tip #2 – Make it a Soothing Escape
While function is definitely important, when you remodel your bathroom, you also want to make it a soothing escape. The bathroom is more than just a necessary room. You want to create some atmosphere and give yourself a place that you can escape to for some relaxation at the end of the day. Decorate with colors and a theme that you find relaxing. If you enjoy taking baths, then make sure you incorporate a tub large enough for you to relax in. Keep it functional, but go beyond function to design a beautiful room where you can escape for some well deserved relaxation.
Tip #3 – Consider Doing the Work You Can Yourself
If you have the time and the know-how, consider doing all the work that you can on your own. Having your bathroom remodeled can get pretty expensive, especially if you are having a contractor take care of all the work for you. Just taking care of some of the work yourself can save you a whole lot of money. Sure, there may be some areas you are not experienced in, such as plumbing or electrical work, so it is worth it to pay to have someone else take care of that. However, you can do a lot of the other work yourself for big time savings that free up money to put on other parts of the project.
Tip #4 – Always Decide on a Budget Before Starting
Probably one of the most important tips for you to remember when you are going to do a bathroom remodel is to decide on a budget before starting the project. Many people have no idea how much a bathroom remodel is going to end up costing them. They don’t create a budget and end up spending far more money than they really can afford. It’s a better idea to come up with the amount you can spend first and then come up with a remodeling plan that sticks to that budget. This way you don’t create a lot of debt when remodeling, yet you still get a nice bathroom that you can afford.…

Laminate Kitchen Cabinet Refacing

Lots of people don’t want to deal with the hassle of remodeling their kitchen. They don’t like the way it look but they’re not willing to put in the time, effort, and money it takes to redo the most popular room in the house. But it doesn’t have to create problems in the most trafficked room in the home and it definitely doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. It’s possible that your kitchen just may need some new cabinets. This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to fork out thousands of dollars by tearing out all the old cabinets and putting in new ones. You could just look into some cabinet refacing to find the look and change the feel of your kitchen. A great way to do this without hurting the pocket book too much is using laminate surface for your cabinets.
If your cabinets and shelves are in good condition then you don’t need to worry about tearing them out, purchasing new cabinets, and having them installed as well. When you tear them out it also adds an extra burden on preparing food in your kitchen and puts you out of a kitchen for a certain amount of time. That’s why a lot of people find that their shelves and drawers are in good condition so refacing the cabinet faces, drawer fronts, and cabinet hardware may be the only things that you need replaced. There are a variety of options to do this with but the least expensive and may be the most durable is laminate.
Since the cabinets will not be torn out you will not lose any down time in your kitchen. You just need to choose the type of laminate cover you want on the outside of your cabinets and drawers and then also choose the hardware to go with. The handles and knobs can also make the difference in the look of your kitchen. If you are happy with the layout with of your cabinets you can add little things to make them more efficient by adding cookie sheet dividers or silverware separators in your drawers.
Laminate covers are much less expensive than solid wood or stainless steel cabinets. This will help in your overall costs of remodeling your kitchen. Your cabinet refacing project can be affordable but still allow you to change your kitchen enough through using the laminate surface for all your drawers and cabinet needs.…

The Best Seasons For Home Improvement

The ideal seasons for a home improvement phase are during the spring and summer seasons. Make home summer changes and you’ll find that extra help is always just a stone’s throw away. The summer season is a very good time to move from one house to another house, one city to another city, or even from one state to another state. There are many summer deals and summer bargains during this season which involve your home summer changes like truck rentals, moving van rentals, storage house rentals, warehouse, rentals, and shopping deals. These kinds of bargains and deals are also available during spring season.
There are 5 stages for every home improvement project that you may go through when you are moving houses, changing cities, or changing states. These stages are as follows: concept, planning, implementation, assessment, and evaluation. Though, if you are going to make changes and alterations for your house: these 5 stages are also relevant to your objectives. For changes to be made in the interior make of your house, the first home alteration stage refers to the idea or concept behind the changes which you want to make. There are two kinds of remodeling concepts. The first kind is known as interior concepts while the second type of concept for home remodeling is known as exterior concepts. The concept distinction is quite simple to figure out. Interior concepts refer to the rooms of your house and the exterior refers to the entire surface structure of your house. When you have decided on a type of home remodeling concept, the planning stage involves activities where you can choose the materials you need, choose where to purchase these materials, and plan your expenditures around your financial budget. The expenditure phase includes home remodeling activities which involve the actual purchase of home development materials and the actual use of these materials for your house remodeling activities. The phase of assessment that follows implementation gives room for you to make additional adjustments in your house. Finally, your remodeling evaluation will come from your own feelings and from the opinions of your house guests regarding your remodeling work.
In the same way that home moving is ideally conducted during the seasons of spring and the seasons of summer, house remodeling projects are best implemented during the same aforementioned seasons. These seasons give you the best bargains and discounts on the materials that you need to purchase. You also get similar deals and discounts for the various types of home items which you might need. One of the most important remodeling stages is the planning stage, since this is the stage is where you decide on a purchasing budget for your house remodeling project. The success of your project centers on your plan for home improvement in either the interior or the exterior parts of your house. This will depend on your ability to work with your financial budget and not against it. So make sure that you keep a close watch on everything.…

Bathroom Remodeling – Tips for Improving Family Bathroom Safety With Your Remodel

The bathroom can quickly turn into one of the most dangerous rooms in your home if it isn’t appropriately designed for safety. Safety is even more important if you have small children, elderly people, or someone with a disability in your home. If you decided to do a bathroom remodel, this is the perfect time to work in improving the safety of the bathroom for your family. Here are a few bathroom remodeling tips that are important for keeping your family safe and comfortable in the bathroom.
Tip #1 – Start with Non-Slip Flooring
One great tip for a bathroom remodel is to start off with non-slip flooring. The right flooring is essential in the bathroom. Your flooring needs to stand up to water, since the bathroom often deals with puddles and humidity. You also need to ensure that the flooring has a non-slip surface so there is less likelihood of a fall occurring.
Tip #2 – Avoid Steps if Possible
While many people feel that steps add some visual appeal to the bathroom area, you should avoid steps if you can for safety reasons. Steps that lead into the shower, tub or the bathroom can end up being dangerous. Older people and children are more likely to have problems with steps. Instead of using steps when you’re working on a bathroom remodel, consider adding a platform area around the tub. This allows you to easily sit down while getting in and out of the tub.
Tip #3 – Use Anti-Scald Faucets
When installing new faucets as a part of your bathroom remodel, make sure you use anti-scald faucets to keep your family safe. These faucets should be used on the sink, shower and bathtub. This is especially important if you have small children that will be using the bathroom. Anti-scald faucets will help prevent accidental scalding accidents in the bathroom.
Tip #4 – Go with Shatterproof Shower Doors
If you’re planning to have a shower that includes shower doors, make sure that you install shatterproof shower doors. Shatterproof doors are much safer in your bathroom. They won’t shatter, helping to prevent injuries within the bathroom area.
Tip #5 – Ensure Electrical Outlets are GFCI
It’s also important to ensure that the electrical outlets in your bathroom are GFCI outlets, which stands for ground fault circuit interrupters. These special outlets are designed for areas where water may accidentally be splashed in the area. Not only will they keep your electrical system safe, but they’ll help prevent electrical injuries from occurring in your bathroom as well.
Tip #6 – Use Grab Bars Throughout the Bathroom
You’ll want to make sure you add some grab bars throughout the bathroom as you remodel the bathroom area. Grab bars help to provide more safety in the bathroom, especially to those who are elderly or disabled. Of course, the entire family can benefit from the improved safety that comes with installed grab bars. These bars can be added in bathtubs, in showers and in toilet areas as well. When choosing grab bars for installation, make sure that you choose models that hold at least 250 pounds. You can find these bars in various finishes, shapes and sizes, allowing you to find the options that work best with your bathroom remodel.…

Money Saving Kitchen Design Tips

So we have compiled this money saving kitchen design tips feature to help you update your kitchen on a budget. And keep an eye out over the next few weeks as we add more to the list.
1. Do not automatically head to your kitchen retailer for new cabinets. Instead, sand them down and using thinned white house paint brush it over the surface. Wait a few moments and then wipe the surface. This will give you a fantastic mottled paint look that brings out the grain in your wood. Seal it with a wax for that quality finish
2. Pick up packs of Christmas Lights during the January sales and remove the coloured covers. The remaining white bulbs can then be tacked under cabinets and in hidden alcoves to add some cool new kitchen lighting.
3. Purchase some clear glass jars and store dry food in them such as pulses, nuts and seeds. This can add colour, texture and a ‘foodie’ feel to your kitchen design.
4. Create a kitchen wall border or some texture to your kitchen cabinets with a small piece of sponge and some paint. You can even add it to the hem of your curtains!
5. Create your own wooden cutting board by heading to the local builders’ merchants and asking for an off cut of pine or oak. Take it home a carefully sand it down using various grades of sandpaper. You can then varnish or stain it and smooth off any edges to create an ‘expensive’ cutting board.
6. Repaint the kitchen walls. It is amazing what difference a lick of paint can make. Think carefully about adding a new colour to the theme too as this can really bring your tired kitchen alive.
7. Add some fabric to the mix by looking for a new tablecloth or curtain design as this can be a very cost effective way of reinvigorating your kitchen space.
8. Create a fake stone look for your kitchen worktops by learning how to create a fauz stone finish using paints (Google: Faux Stone Finish). To do it you need to prime your worktops with a special primer and this needs to dry for several hours before you can then start painting over the top. The results can be very impressive.…

Ideas For Landscaping Your Front And Back Yard

Everyone wants to pull up to their home and see a gorgeous yard in front of them or maybe, enjoy a barbecue in the back yard with friends and family, who are impressed by the landscaping. This article will help you to learn what it takes to create a look that is attractive to all.

If you want to transform your yard, try re-edging your flower and rock beds using a soft, curved design. Curved beds are all the rage these days, while right angles are considered boring and passe. Cutting fresh edges could be an inexpensive task that could have a great impact on the way your flower bed and lawn looks.

Be sure to plan what your landscape before you buy. Try sketching out your landscape design on a piece of paper prior to actually planting and building. When you know exactly what materials you need and where you are going to be putting them, it can help you avoid wasting money.

Select your plants carefully, as they have a big impact on your overall landscaping project. Find out how much sunlight your plants need to thrive. Don’t plant a tree in an area where it can’t grow to its full capacity. Take time to be sure your plants are going to thrive.

Most people don’t think about buying landscaping products online. Of course, online shopping is very convenient and allows access to landscaping plants that are hard to find or even rare in your local retailers.

Add some paving stones to your landscaping project, to create walkways. This can help to keep people off of your lawn, and it adds beauty to your property. You can line the walkways with some native flowers, to increase the beauty, and further enhance the appearance of your entire property.

Find alternative ways to get your materials. You can simply pick up stones on natural sites or bricks on demolition sites. Some cities give out free mulch or lumber. You should also talk with your neighbors and find out if they have any extra supplies they would sell you at a discounted price.

Consider growing a hedge or bamboo plants to add privacy to your hard. Bamboo is a hardy grass, and it grows very quickly. It can add a lot of beauty to your property, and also give you a privacy barrier from neighbors or noisy streets. Just be cautious when growing bamboo as it does grow very quickly, meaning you will have to prune it regularly to keep it from becoming over grown.

A great way to tie your entire landscape together is to use anchor plants. Anchor plants are plants that you repeatedly use that will give your entire design a sense of unity and balance. This way your landscaping will flow together seamlessly and look as good as it possibly can.

It doesn’t matter if you hire a company to do the work for you or decide to tackle it all yourself, you must be educated in landscaping, before you let anyone touch a shovel or a rake. Knowing what’s involved, will save you time and money. Take what you’ve learned here and do it right the first time.…