Kitchen Remodel Design
Renovating a kitchen can be an overwhelming experience. But, if you end up with the kitchen of your dream, it will be worth the effort. There are two things to keep in mind when renovating a kitchen, such as kitchen designs and functionality.
When planning a kitchen design, it is imperative to start with a kitchen layout. Looking through magazines, online design websites, or visiting kitchen appliance stores will give you ideas. However, you will want to be realistic in planning your kitchen design. Sometimes, it’s easy to flip through magazines and fall in love with how a kitchen is laid out. But, when you try to replicate the same picture in your kitchen, you may find that you don’t have enough room for that center island with the built-in wine cooler, sink, and range. Be sure that the design you select can fit into your existing kitchen or that you have the budget to knock down some walls or extend your house.
To help you decide on your kitchen’s layout and design, go through your daily regimen of use for the kitchen. What would you like to improve? What do you want to remain the same? Do you have enough cabinet space? Do you want display shelving for your collection of china?
If you cook for a large family or have dinner parties, you may want additional counter space for food preparation. Would moving your refrigerator or placing your stove against another wall give you additional working space or make it easier for you to move around the kitchen? Perhaps, you need to install a dishwasher that’s close enough to a storage cabinet so that unloading dishes it more convenient for you.
These are the types of questions that you will need to answer before renovating a kitchen. The answers will allow you to get a kitchen design that meets all of your needs to work in your kitchen. The end result of your renovation should be a kitchen that is both functional and beautiful.…
Why Bathroom Remodeling Pays
Bathroom remodeling is one of the most popular home improvement projects undertaken by homeowners throughout the U.S. By working with an experienced bathroom remodeling contractor, you can plan for a bathroom remodel that will increase the value of your home, reduce your energy costs and save water. Using environmentally friendly materials can also help to save the environment. This is why bathroom remodeling pays.
Updating and upgrading your bathroom, especially a master bathroom, increases your comfort as you live in the home. It also increases the value of your home by 61 – 74% of the cost of the remodel. Although you will not get this money back immediately, you can expect to recover this much of your cost when you sell your home. That, by any standards, is a good return on investment.
Careful planning with a qualified bathroom remodeling contractor will give you the opportunity to choose construction materials that are environmentally friendly in terms of how they are made and in terms of saving natural resources by reducing usage. Consider, if you will, that by choosing a low-flow or dual flush toilet you can save as much as four gallons of water with every flush (depending on the fixture you are replacing). Considering that each person flushes an average of nine times per day (minimum), a family of four would save 180 gallons of water every day. And low flow faucets and showerheads also save significant amounts of water.
Now let’s assume that your home is all electric. By upgrading the insulation in your bathroom, changing your window to a triple-paned vinyl framed window with Xenon gas between the panes, you will reduce your energy usage for heating and cooling by one-third in the bathroom. Then install an energy-efficient ventilation fan, an energy-efficient spa tub or shower, and energy-efficient lighting fixtures, and you can reduce your demand for electricity even more. If the bathroom you are remodeling is heavily used, your energy savings increases.
Next think carefully about the materials you will use for your remodel. Your contractor will be able to help you decide which materials are best for your needs and your location. Some of the materials you might want to consider are: environmentally friendly drywall, recycled glass tile, cork floor tiles (for comfort and beauty), natural paints, and engineered wood.
And you can consider other options for your bathroom that will improve energy efficiency, such as: an instant water heater for sinks, a whirlpool tub with an in-line water heater, radiant floor heating, insulate walls behind shower and tub, UV blocking window coating, a skylight or roof window (or tunnel/tube light) to bring in more natural light or motion activated light switches.
These are just a few of the materials, additional features, and considerations for you to discuss with your contractor. This should be enough information to help you understand why bathroom remodeling pays. In fact, by carefully considering your options, the materials you will use in your remodel and special features, you can expect to recover the cost of your remodel within a couple of years by combining the increased value of your home, your energy savings and your reduced water and sewer expenses. There’s no question that bathroom remodeling pays big.
Consider bathroom remodeling in your home. Work closely with your contractor in making choices and planning your remodel. You might be surprised to see just how much difference it will make!
Copyright 2009 by ABCD Publishing…
Different Types Of Wood Used To Install Hardwood Floors
Installing hardwood floors is an important part of the entire idea of home remodeling. Such wooden floors come in different types, shades, colors, and wood variety and look extremely stunning. Known basically for their uniqueness and beauty, hardwood floors also add charm to any room, thus helping in home remodeling to a great extent. Mainly due to this feature, numerous homeowners in a number of US cities like Beaverton (Oregon) and Tigard (Oregon) prefer to change the floors of their homes as a part of their plan of home improvement.
There are different types of woods that can be used for hardwood flooring. However, you have to keep a few things in mind before you decide what type of wood to use. For example, wooden floors can easily get scraped, scratched, and beaten down from regular wear and tear. Here are a few types of woods that can be used for hardwood flooring:
1. Engineered wood: These types are constructed with 3 to 5 layers of different types of woods and each layer is glued together under pressure and heat. Since engineered wood floorings are least affected by humidity, these can be installed either on or above or below ground level.
2. Laminate wood: These are versatile in nature since they look almost like real wood. Laminate woods are actually plywood with layers of veneer that look like real wood. These are durable and strong and the superficial layer cannot be scratched and is resistant to moisture. It is often seen in US cities, like Portland (Oregon) and Beaverton (Oregon) that residents use this type of wood to install hardwood floor for their homes.
3. Plastic laminates: These types of flooring are made of a fiber wood center which in turn is sandwiched between twin layers of laminates. These wooden floors cannot be sanded and refinished, so when they wear out after regular use the only option is to get them replaced. Plastic laminates are easy to install and are suitable for those parts of the home where people move around regularly like the kitchen or the passage-way.…
The Pet Safe Fence Reviewed
The Pet Safe Fence Reviewed
There are several electronic or hidden wireless radio dog fences on the market today, but a few have separated from the pack and established themselves as leaders in the industry. The Pet Safe fence is one of those. Pet Safe has made electronic pet products for many years and they have established a terrific reputation among pet owners for creating quality products that are durable and work well. The Pet Safe fence for dogs is no different. Below is a synopsis of consumer reviews of this specific wireless radio electronic dog fence.
While they are not the cheapest on the market, Pet Safe dog fences are among the best and offer several features that most of the other brands don’t. First, the dog collar that is included in the system not only beeps when the dog nears the boundary, it also vibrates. This goes a long way in helping to train the dog to not even get near the boundary and greatly reduces the amount of times a correction occurs.
Secondly, the batteries that are required to run the system are regular old 9 volt batteries. Not only does this cut down on the cost involved with buying new batteries, it also makes it much simpler for owners to switch them out.
The hidden fence system comes with literally everything you need to run the containment system. It even includes over 1000 feet of wire so that you can definitely cover every area of the yard, and any bushes or flower gardens you would like your pet to stay out of. Also, if any wire needs replacing, you should have an ample amount left over to do it.
The shock levels are accurate and consistent. There is no problem with random shocks or shocks that are too powerful on occasion. Trust me, your pet will sure appreciate this feature.…
Some Hidden Truths About Electronic Fences
Some Hidden Truths About Electronic Fences
When you start looking for electronic fences, chances are that you can easily be taken in by the claims of various manufacturers. Each manufacturer goes to great lengths to tout their electronic fences as being incredibly secure and safe. However, upon closer inspection, it will soon dawn on you that these fences have some inherent dangers and so before purchasing them, it pays to look at the different pros and cons involved.
One of the main disadvantages to using electronic fences is that these fences can easily scare your pet. A dog for example can become extremely scared and this can turn him into a very aggressive beast that will attack anyone and everyone. The only good news is that such consequences are quite rare and not every dog will act in this way.
Secondly, the jolt given by the electronically operated fence may or may not deter your pet from trying to get out. The jolt given by such fences is meant to force the pet back into their safe areas. On some animals, this might be enough while for others it may fall short and so the ones that are not deterred will not care about the jolt and will escape from their homes.
Another major worry about these kinds of fences is that the fence will not deter strays from getting in. In fact, the fence will only attempt to control your pet and so in case a stray or other loose and possibly aggressive dog gets close to the fence, then there is no security available against their getting in.
Aggressive dogs are seldom deterred by electronic fences and so this is another major worry. In addition, such fences are also quite ineffectual in regard to keeping an animal thief away and so there is a grave danger that such thieves can enter the yard and make off with your pet. This shows that there are numerous hidden dangers that you need to be aware about.
Yet another problem with using electronic fences is that these rely on giving the animal some pain as punishment for trying to break bounds. This is really reinforcement of a negative kind that can make your dog live in mortal fear of getting painful electric jolts, even if his behavior is normal. It is far better to forgo the use of such fences and instead you should devote your time, money and effort in providing your dog with positive training that will show him how to remain within his safe area.
A dog that is surrounded by electronic fences will certainly be more prone to becoming aggressive at being confined and the shocks that they receive will only worsen their attitude. In fact, if the dog becomes sufficiently agitated, he will not hesitate in breaking through an unseen fence and in this way will nullify the advantage of using such fences.
The worst that can be said about electronically operated fences is that in some instances use of such fences will actually encourage your pet to make an attempt to escape.…
Should You Always Go With the Lowest Quote for Your Kitchen Renovations?
As consumers we often use the price of a product or service to determine its relative worth, by judging a highly priced item to be luxurious and decadent, as well as reliable and durable. It makes sense, then, to stop and think before you choose the lowest quote for your kitchen renovations. While getting a home improvement project finished way under budget is always an exciting prospect, you also need to consider the extended life of your kitchen renovation, and the impact it will have on your daily cooking habits and lifestyle.
Cheap contractors and designers need to cut costs somewhere, after all, and that might mean that your budget kitchen renovation is completed using weak and unstable materials and dodgy time saving techniques. To properly judge the price estimates given to you by prospective contractors, you need to have a good idea of the costs involved in an average kitchen renovation and a firm set of requirements for your perfect space.
You should also ask your kitchen renovation professionals about the techniques, processes and materials they plan to use, which make up the quote given to you. You can then evaluate these methods instead of just making a blind judgement based on monetary costs. The price of a kitchen renovation can be significantly cut, for example, by re-finishing and reusing elements and materials from your existing space. In this case a low price estimate could still indicate a high quality construction project.
You also need to weigh up the different pros and cons offered to you in each quote given to you by a home interiors designer. While a ‘green’ or environmentally friendly builder might give you a very high quote in comparison to other contractors, the price might be worth the budgetary compromise as the construction of your kitchen renovation will have less of an impact on the environment and will consume less energy in the future.
To make sure that your contractors and designers aren’t adding in hidden costs anywhere in your quote, you can use an online building costs calculator to find an unbiased estimate for the entire project. These automated estimators can include the cost of contractor services, of various materials and include product prices such as appliances or a particular cabinetry system in the final figure given to you.
Remember that the cost of your kitchen renovation will largely depend on the style you prefer for your home, so it is important to use a consistent design brief to find a contractor that offers the best value for money service.…
Texas Land For Sale – Why Texas Is The State To Live In To Beat The Recession
Texas Land For Sale – Why Texas Is The State To Live In To Beat The Recession
We all want out of this mess called the second great depression and for sure an awful recession, but how to beat the financial mess? If you truly want out you just might have to pick up stakes as they say and move to greener grasses, and there is no better place to live than Texas if this is your plan. The economy is more diversified in Texas with energy, high tech and health care. Houston is a great place if you have experience in the oil and gas business. Austin is a leader in the education and high tech industry with is poised to make a major come back once he economy rebounds a little more. San Antonio is very stable in the health care industry and also has great military spending happening.
Buying land for sale in Texas will also save you on overall taxes, there is no state income tax and land taxes for the most part are lower than most of the country. East Texas in particular has some very advantageous property taxes and makes a great area to live in.
I have named several great Texas cities to live in for economic reasons; here is a couple for laid a more laid back family environment. Tyler in East Texas is a great environment for family living. Health care, education and certainly tax base Smith County is a true winner. When looking for Texas land for sale the state is so big with so many good cites and counties to live in I suggest doing a lot of home work online and see if you know anybody that has moved to the area to get some final input.
If you have ever thought about moving or if your business is suffering more than you can stand I would certainly look at making the move to the Lone Star State, you can improve your economic situation by moving there.…