Have you decided to make some improvements to your home, but you lack experience regarding how to go about doing so? Do not feel bad. You have come to the right place. This article is going to provide you with valuable tips you can use to make your home just the way you want it!
Fix the leaky faucet in your house. The water wasted from leaks can add up to hundreds of gallons per year, leading to a higher water bill for you and an unnecessary waste of a natural resource. Fixing a leak can be as simple as replacing a washer, so there is no reason not to do this simple improvement for your home.
If you don't already have some, install some ceiling fans in all your rooms. You can use these to cool rooms and circulate the air, reducing the need to use your air conditioning unit. This in turn will save you money on your electric bill and most likely increase the life expectancy of your air conditioner.
It is wise to trim any branches that are overhanging your roof. In a storm they may break off, fall and spear your roof. In a snowstorm they will dump their load of snow, which may accumulate as ice. Also, falling leaves from these branches may accumulate and cause dampness on the roof, and clog the gutters.
TV entertainment stands cost quite a bit of money. A great viable alternative to those expensive stands is buying a nice dresser. You can put your TV on top and use the dresser drawers to store your DVDs and CD's. Your remote controls and electronic manuals can also be stored in a drawer preventing it from being an eyesore.
Write out a list of all things that your home needs before you set out to your favorite home improvement store. List the things you will need so you will not have to go to the store too many times.
Keep your placemats and linen napkins clean by storing them in appropriate sized zipper sealed bags. Be sure to label the bag with a sharpie clearly stating how many pieces of each are within the bag. Don't forget to force the air out and seal the bags as flat as possible to only use minimal space.
Resist the temptation to use fancy bricks with decorative faces in your next home improvement project. Not only is such brickwork an unnecessary expense, it is rarely as strong and durable as ordinary brick. Decorative bricks are easier to deface, spoiling their aesthetic advantages. Finally, decorative brick styles are rarely produced for long, making it incredibly difficult to find matching replacements for repair work later.
If your home lacks windows and natural lighting, consider replacing one of your solid exterior doors with a French door. A French door combines solid wood craftsmanship with a broad expanse of plate glass, to let in a great deal of natural sunlight. This will instantly brighten the look and feel of any room, making it seem airier and more spacious.
Brighten up tired furniture with slipcovers. If your furniture is worn or stained, or you just want to change the look of your room, use slipcovers. They come in a large variety of fabrics, and are available in solid colors or patterned. A great feature of slipcovers is that they are washable, which is very handy if you have kids or pets!
If you're looking to build some recreational fun into your home, keep in mind that anything that poses as a potential hazard can raise your home insurance premiums. Adding a swimming pool or trampoline for the kids can increase your yearly premiums as much as 10 percent. Make sure to take this into consideration prior to purchasing to determine if the benefits outweigh the additional insurance costs.
If you are a smoker, purchase an ozone spray and paint your walls before putting your house on the market. Also move all smoking to the outside of your home. Smoke odors can quickly turn off a potential buyer. Some people are very sensitive to them and they can be difficult to get rid of too, making your house hard to sell.
When home renovations become part of your real estate plan, always pad cost estimates. No matter how expert the person is who gives you the estimate, you must include a safety margin. Even a contractor's overall estimate - which usually comes with its own contingency factor - should have a second margin put on top of it. Renovations almost never come in on-budget, so you should try to be prepared.
Home improvement is a money saver; even though, it costs money at the outset. Updated appliances will create energy savings. Another great way to save money through improvements is to put new insulation in the home and to fix the roof if damaged. As you begin to run down the list of your different improvement options, you will learn which improvements will save you some money in the long term.
To keep the water pipes under your home from freezing in the winter months, use foam pipe insulation to keep the cold air from seizing your pipes with ice. This pre-slit black foam slips easily onto your copper or PVC pipes, and you can secure it with duct tape.
Windows
To seal bugs out while reducing your home heating and cooling expenses, use caulk to completely seal cracks, holes or any other openings that you notice. Use caulk around your home's baseboards, windows and even electrical outlets. After your caulk is dry, bugs will not longer be able to get in, and your home will also be better insulated.
Most basements have very little, if any, natural lighting. Plan your basement well so that it gets enough light coming in. Does your basement have walls that come up from ground level? You can pierce these walls and install some windows to improve the lighting of your basement.
Homes with older windows are likely losing up to one-fifth of their heating and cooling out the thin glass the windows are made of. This can be reduced by equipping large windows with a second glaze. Your electricity bills will be lower and you will still be able to have comfort in the worst temperatures.
Replace your windows. If you have cracked, damaged, or drafty windows, replacing them is a quick home improvement project that has a great payoff. Replacing them with weather resistant or high efficiency windows will allow them to pay for themselves in no time and also give your home a fresh new look.
Hunt down drafts in your house around your windows and doors, and seal them with insulation or weather-stripping to make your home more energy-efficient. On a breezy day, hold a lit candle or a stick of burning incense around the edges of your doors and windows -- with the drapes tied back away from the edges -- to easily spot drafty areas as the flame moves or the smoke wafts.
Whether it is summer or winter you should always check for drafts. There is nothing more frustrating than heating or cooling the outside. Use a lighted candle near a window or door, and if the candle flickers, you know you probably have a crack to seal. Be sure to check all sides of all the windows and exterior doors.
When you are looking to replace or install window treatments in your home, look into options that tint the windows to reduce the sun glare that comes through during the day as well as shades that can keep your home insulated. This means that the heat will be kept in during the winter and the cool in during the summers.
Enhancing your home's curb appeal is simple and highly effective. Keep the grounds well mowed and neatly trim all hedges. Add a couple of strategically placed shrubs. Maintain a clear walkway. Power wash your walls and roof. Make sure the windows are gleaming. All of these changes will make a good impression on visitors to your home.
Making your home improvements energy efficient will be good for the environment and for your bills. You should use money to block drafts, seal windows, and insulate walls before doing any aesthetic renovations and then take the money you save on your bills and put it away towards the renovations you dream of.
If you find that your utility bills are through the roof, consider having someone come and inspect your home for efficiency issues. Often you will find that your windows and doors need to be replaced, and the new ones will pay for themselves in no time with the savings on your heating bill.
It is neither unusual nor embarrassing to be inexperienced when it comes to making home improvements. If you know what you are doing, you can make your home look spectacular. This article is intended to assist you in doing just that.
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