Bathroom Makeover Tips Before You Sell Your House
When you’re preparing to sell your home, it’s important to remember that the first impressions you give to prospective buyers are often the ones that last. So it makes sense to undertake simple improvements that can be completed relatively quickly and cheaply in key areas. A bathroom makeover is a great way to improve the look of this part of the house — particularly if you feel that it’s an area that lets the rest of your home down and might put off potential purchasers.
Some homeowners decide to go in for a major rehab project before they put their house on the market. But unless you’re sure that you can recoup the expense that you’d be investing with a full bathroom remodel, it may be better to make cosmetic changes and improve the look of the fixtures and fittings that you already have with some simple cleaning and decorating tactics.
So how do you start fixing up your bathroom to maximize its appeal without having to spend a lot of time and money on a major remodeling project? Here are some suggestions to get you started:
Cleaning: it goes without saying that when you’re getting ready to sell your house, everything needs to be sparkling clean — and this is especially important in a bathroom. As well as the bath tub and sink, make sure the floor mats, walls and countertops are clean. Get rid of lime scale around faucets and plug holes, clean grout (you can find a special grout cleaning pen for the purpose) and polish glass shelves and steel or chrome fixtures.
Check Seals and Fixtures: even if major fittings such as the bath, basin or toilet are in good repair, the seals around them may be damaged or cracked, grungy or leaky. You can remove damaged or badly stained sealant and replace it at little cost, often greatly enhancing the overall appearance. If your bath is worn or chipped, consider having it resurfaced if you don’t want to go to the expense of replacing it entirely. If your faucets are old-fashioned or showing signs of wear and tear, it may be a good idea to invest in new ones.
Resolve Bathroom Moisture Problems: water is a key element in the bathroom, of course. But over time, poor ventilation or leaks can cause water stains, peeling paint or even mold growth. A serious mold problem can require professional inspection and treatment, so it’s important to control humidity levels through good ventilation and use specialist cleaning products to prevent mold growth. Blistering paint or other surface damage may also require treatment.
De-clutter: clear away personal items and toiletries from your countertops. Having clear surfaces may make these areas seem larger and will de-personalize the space, allowing house viewers to imagine their own belongings in the room. For the same reason, it may help to replace your favorite patterned towels or shower curtain with plain white or cream alternatives.…
A New Kitchen, Can It Increase the Value of Your Home?
The two most important rooms in a house are the bathroom and the kitchen. When a person is deciding what they need to do to improve their home, they need to decide how they can get the best return on their investment. Some home renovation projects are not good for the overall value of the home. One example is building a pool. When you put in a pool, you limit the number of people who would look at your house and do not help the value despite spending a large amount of money. For the amount someone will spend on an in ground pool, they can renovate their kitchen. Doing this will almost always improve the value of the home, and many people see almost a total return on their investment if not more.
The key to making money through your kitchen renovation is to do it right. What is right depends on the home you live in. A person who owns a modest home should not overdo their kitchen renovation. People looking at other homes in the area might not be concerned if they have the top of the line appliances or what kind of stone is used in their counter-tops and will not want to pay extra for a home that has them. Pick a renovation that is reasonable for the homes in your neighborhood and do not go over the top.
Kitchen renovation projects can cost as little as a person wants or as much as they can spend. For a few hundred dollars a person can paint their cabinets, change out their hardware and their kitchen will have a brand new look. For people with a more extensive budget, a complete kitchen redo can cost over $100,000. For most people the number will come somewhere in between.
When choosing a new kitchen a person will look at four basic areas. Cabinets, counter-tops, floors and appliances are the four basic categories. Some people will be able to refinish their existing cabinets and just replace their counter-top. When looking at counter-tops there are man-made materials and different stones. The natural stones are more expensive. The newer man made materials sometimes look like a natural stone at the fraction of the cost. For flooring a person can choose many different products including tile, wood flooring, laminate and linoleum. Appliances are now more energy efficient than ever. The cost of these appliances is slightly more, but the money that is saved over the long term is worth the extra cost.
When choosing a kitchen a person has plenty of options. In order to get started the first thing that must be decided is the budget. Everything else will work off of that. visit https://sanka7a.com/.…
How Important Is a Home Renovation Guide?
Individuals aiming to embark on home improvement projects should consider the importance of a home renovation guide. Planning is crucial to completing the project successfully within the estimated budget. Here is a guide that can help you manage your renovation more effectively.
• Hire a contractor – Verify the contractor’s license and retain a copy of the license before commencing the project. Ensure that the members of the contractor’s team are reputable and experienced professionals.
• Verify the contractor’s reference – This is an important thing to do as this would enable you to confirm the capability of the contractor. Ask for references. If you can, physically checking previous projects is most ideal.
• Review the agreement – Prior to signing an agreement, read the document carefully. It is important to understand all the clauses well, and any doubts should be cleared first before signing. Since the agreement is binding on all the parties, its importance cannot be overemphasized.
• Make a budget – Providing the contractor with a budget limit is recommended. But, you should consider that the cheapest is not necessarily the best option to take, and trying to complete the project on your own to save costs may prove to be detrimental.
• Check the home equity – Check with your mortgage provider on the home equity that can be drawn on your home. Also check with other lenders for the best deals. Inquiring beforehand gives you an idea of the total amount of money you can spend on the project.
• Making decisions – Many homeowners rely on their contractors, architects and other consultants to make decisions. Although listening to the experts is a good way to go, their preference and ideas may not always suit your taste and needs. Hence, you may ask for ideas from these professionals but you must make the final decision. After all, it is your home.
• Prepare a list of what is needed – Before commencing a renovation project, list down all that is required as well as timetables and deadlines. This enables the contractors to work out the plans accordingly and provide you with an estimate on the cost of renovation more accurately.
• Prioritize the requirements – You may want to undertake several home improvements; however, since you need to work around a budget, you have to execute your plans according to priorities which would involve accomplishing that which you need urgently the most first before the others.
• Research for the best deals – Before finalizing the list of building materials, fixtures and other requirements, research and shop around to find the best deals. Internet resources can be highly beneficial for this purpose. Looking for wholesale retailers within your vicinity can bring substantial savings too. Always get at least 3 quotes before deciding, to avoid being overpriced.
Home improvement is a costly decision for homeowners to make but there can be options. This guide can help and remember to consider these points before deciding to take on a remodeling project no matter how big or small.…
Designing a White Kitchen
More often than not, you would choose a white kitchen renovation if you are a person who yearns for spotless and sleek design for your home space. Many homemakers now are choosing to cheer up their kitchens by designing it focusing on white as a binding theme. White is a very versatile choice of color. The best reason why white is often used because it projects a larger kitchen compared to the actual size. If your kitchen now is small, painting the walls white and getting white items can make your room feel larger.
Most of your times with your family and friends are spent in the kitchen, so the bright and clean tone of white can help you and your family or friends to have a comfortable and relaxing environment. This will project bright mood and will definitely make your day.
You can start working on your white kitchen by painting the walls with white paint. Never choose glossy white since it could be over reflective of natural light. Choose opaque white since this can blend easily with most furniture and accessories. Painting the walls with white paint is easy, but if you don’t have the time you can hire services for the paint job during your kitchen renovation. It is okay to add other color shades other than white just make certain that they are only for accent and will not dominate the primary color for your kitchen.
After the paint job, more kitchen renovation ideas you should consider are kitchen appliances, furniture and accessories that are white in color or could complement white. White kitchen furniture can project a remarkable change regardless of the quantity of natural light in your kitchen. White cabinets are great since they can complement with kitchen counters with vibrant colors. White basically provides a breathable, well ventilated and clean tone to any room so why not use this color for the busiest part of your home?
Aside from this, white furniture can also complement any color of white accessories. White can also highlight the natural splendor of any wood furniture. There are also interior designers who choose solid wood furniture with soft curves and finish to complement with your white kitchen.
If you prefer white for your kitchen, be certain to choose the kind of finish. Common finishes are painted or stained and either opaque or glossy. White kitchen furniture are part of essentials department for many manufacturers so you can easily find and buy a new one if you like to have a bright and breathable kitchen.…
Kitchen Cabinet Ideas – Important Ways to Implement Organization to Your Cupboards
There are lots of kitchen cabinets ideas that you can find these days if you want to use it to organize your kitchen. In fact, the ways to organize your kitchen can even reach a hundred and the key is to select a style that could help you save money and time. First idea you can implement is to put labels so that you could keep everyone in the family well informed of where everything should be going. For example, the snack cabinet should be labeled so that the children would know where they would get their food.
Some plastic tubs can also be used to make the organization a lot simpler. These tubs are used to segregate various types of food and kitchen stuff. You can store some cereals, chips, and candies in the tubs. You can also place some cooking utensils in the tubs and other baking supplies. Make sure too that the tubs are clear so that you can easily see what you are trying to find.
Another effective kitchen cabinet idea is to organize your cabinets also by items. You can place cans, boxes, and bags in each shelf and cabinet. Some families even draw a map so that you would know for sure what each cabinet has. You can even place your listing right inside the cabinet or maybe in the cabinet doors. You also have the option to place the listing in your refrigerator to serve as a guide for every member of the household.…
Easy & Creative Kitchen Remodeling Ideas
When given the chance to remodel an area of one’s house, the kitchen is usually the first one that is chosen because it is where a lot of the family spends quite a few hours of their day. All of their meals are here, homework is done at the kitchen table, the preparations for meals are done here, and meetings are held here with various people from kids to traveling in-laws.
Aside from the living or dining room, this place is the most used room in the house. So, to have it remodeled is a great idea, especially if the house is more than 10 years old, the kitchen will definitely need updating, because of all the new energy saving ovens, stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves that are now available. If one is planning to sell their home soon, remodeling the kitchen would add value to the house and add to the functionality of the kitchen.
Most people like to update their kitchen cabinetry at least once a decade. This gives them the chance to keep their kitchen in style because styles do not change that rapidly in home decor and it can be expensive. The first thing to consider when updating the cabinetry is the quality of the cabinets. It would not do to have cabinets that got wet one time and the facing began to peel off of it.
So, ask for the cabinets that can endure a lot of water and liquids, because there will be spills and they will not just be the typical glass of water. There will be soda pop, juice, milk, and a variety of other liquids spilt on the cabinets that could possibly strip away its beauty. A good question to ask the sales associate in the store before buying any cabinets is: Will these cabinets be stripped if lemon juice, vinegar or soup is split on it? If the answer is yes, try to pick something else.
Another quality consideration is the temperature of your kitchen. How hot does it usually get when cooking? Does the oven turn into a melting point that causes everything, including you to sweat? If so, consider the damage that could do to your new cabinets. Would you really want to have to replace them in a year or so because they are so warped from the heat that you cannot open them? Ask the sales associate what temperature heat the cabinets can withstand before they warp or are damaged.
When remodeling, one needs to consider the option of having custom cabinets made versus buying cabinets off of the showroom floor. Sure, the custom cabinets will look amazing in the kitchen and should be made of materials that are strong enough to handle the abuse of your kitchen, but will the debt of those custom cabinets be paid off before you are ready to renovate the kitchen again? With standard cabinets, you can afford to buy them and install them without breaking the bank. So, keep your budget in mind when shopping around for new cabinets.…
Great Ways to Shop at a Kitchen Store
If you love your kitchen, you could probably wander through a kitchen store for days. In your mind, you’ll be trying out tile, countertops, and cabinets in your own kitchen, preparing for yet another remodel. This isn’t always a healthy or smart way to shop, though, especially if you ever want to actually get that remodel done. Before you head to the kitchen store the next time around, try one of these shopping methods to help you complete your trip more quickly and get to the remodeling part even faster.
On some trips, you really do just need to look around. This is true if you’re getting ready to do a kitchen remodel but aren’t quite sure what you want to do. In this case, take a notebook. If the store manager will let you, take a camera to snap some pictures, as well. If you’re going to paint your kitchen, grab some paint chips from the hardware store to take along, as well. On this trip, all you’re doing is gathering ideas and taking notes on the colors, textures, and particular items that you like best. Make sure you’re descriptive enough that you can actually remember what you were looking at when you wrote down your notes!
Once you know what you need, it’s time to start making lists before your next trip to the kitchen store. If you’re like a lot of people, your remodel will go in stages. You’ll probably head to the store more than a couple of times during a full remodeling session. Think through all the things you need to do and the order in which you need to do them. If, for instance, you’re painting your cabinets and replacing countertops, you’ll probably need to rip out the old countertops and then paint the cabinets before replacing the countertops again.
Either way, at this point, you should be going into the kitchen store armed with a detailed list of everything you need. Write down measurements, quantities, and as much other information as you can. This way, you get just what you need, and you don’t have to come back to the store when you aren’t ready to be back there quite yet. This will make the remodeling process work more quickly so that you can get your kitchen function and beautiful before you know it.…