Good Home Design

Posts Tagged ‘wood’

Home improvement may seem easy enough, but getting caught in the middle of it and its complexities can surely give you second thoughts. The truth is, the subject is real tricky; on one hand you can catch yourself shelling out large sums just to get some job done, and on the other you will simply realize that you can get around all those big expenses with just a shoestring budget and get the job done. And since the second option is more appealing, you want to get the most of it. What you need are simple but effective home improvement tips to help gear you up for this wonderful adventure.

- Adding a wooden deck promises better return on the investments made than when opting for composite ones. But to make things more complicated, note that wood needs more maintenance than composite materials. It’s worth weighing these options if you are thinking ahead in the long run. Whatever you have decided on, the addition of decks will always mean more square footage outside your home. And this will surely increase the value of the house once you’ve decided to put it up for sale.

- Another feature of home improvement tips that you should take into consideration is the issue with sidings. A fiber cement siding is increasingly becoming popular as an alternative to the traditional vinyl siding because it has all the attractive features that wood sidings posses, and none of its flaws. Getting your hands on fiber cement siding will also trouble you less when it comes to maintenance, aside from being termite and fire resistant. It’s paint colors can hold for a very long time.

- Improving your windows is a great thing, especially if you have a much older home. Aging windows are better replaced with vinyl windows. They look great wherever you place them; they are cost-effective and only require little maintenance.

- Home improvement tips can cover both major and minor projects. A minor kitchen remodel can do lots of good things for every home. It can be a simple countertop replacement with modern surfaces like granite, changing your cabinets with new, moderately-priced sets, or an upgrading of the appliances with newer models, preferably the quiet ones with stainless steel surfaces.

- Attics can always be used as extra bedrooms. One good way to expand the living space inside homes is the attic. This idea will not require you to build extensions that may look messy outside your house.

- The same thing goes to your basement. It’s a good space that you can exploit. Basements, especially those with at least a seven foot height from floor to ceiling can be transformed into recreation rooms or as guest suites.

Top it all off with a touch of landscaping. It can be a very simple and inexpensive way of enhancing your home’s appeal in a dramatic way. An improved walkway with plantings on both sides, complete with fencing can increase the value of your house. Improving our homes is an exciting journey; a good planning using these home improvement tips can do so many good things for the family.

Additions to or improvements to your home are always considered as an investment. Your fence is an important asset to your home. It brings safety, it has the potential to add curb appeal and therefore add value to your property. When getting a fence fixed or installed, you need to ask specific questions before you tell the contractor ‘the job is yours’. The following is a guide to what questions to ask and the why behind them.

What kind of fencing can he build?

It would be good if he’s OK with building various types of fences like wood, wrought iron, composite, chain link or colorbond fencing. This is advantageous since he’ll be able to give you advice based on experience on one type of fencing versus another for your home. Most importantly, he should be well versed in the type of fence that you want installed.

How much does the job cost?

Get a quote – you want to know how much the job is going to cost you before committing. You want to know how much they will charge for the job. All other things remaining equal, you can get the same quality work for less if you spend a little more time doing the research.

Does he have a warranty and how long is it?

The average in the fencing industry is 3 months. Some fencing contractors can also offer warranty from the manufacturers of the fencing you want installed.

What is his credibility?

This question should be answered in secret as much as possible. Do background checks if you can. If there are persons in your area with similar type of fencing, you can ask them who did it and get some information on the contractor and their satisfaction on the job done. If there are more complaints than compliments, this is probably not the person for the job. A referral is always better than just looking them up in the yellow pages or the internet since a person can give a testimony or the contractor’s work and way of operating on the previous project.

Does the contractor or company have a website?

If there is a website check it out. You can learn a lot about a person or company just be viewing their website.

Does He Have a License and Insurance?

Fencing contractors should have sufficient liability insurance in order to cover damages related to the job. As a customer, you would feel more at ease working with you so that for instance, if the contractor made a mistake on the job and it is a cost to you or if he damaged something on your property, you can make claims to protect your interests. In addition, a contractor with a license will be taken more seriously than one who doesn’t.

If you are looking to add a bit of country to your home interior this spring, but don’t have a large budget, you will be happy to know that a few well-placed accents can go a long way. This article looks at the key ways in which you can create your own country home interior with a contemporary twist.

Window Treatments

One of the easiest ways to achieve a cozy cottage feel is to change the window treatments. Try replacing a contemporary curtain with a sheer panel drape with a long, flowing valance on a wrought iron curtain pole. Country cottages bring the beauty of the outdoors inside, so forgo the blinds and heavy draperies to let the sunshine into your living area. Look for inexpensive wrought iron pieces to coordinate with the wrought iron curtain pole. A wrought iron candelabra is a great addition to a country sitting area.

Décor and more

Another quick and easy way to transform a room into a country space is to update the pillows on the settee. If your goal is to create a cozy cottage look, consider bold floral patterns with light colors and coordinating stripes or blocks.

Look for inexpensive artwork at discount stores to replace older pieces that may not fit into the new look. Country framing doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Simple frames made from old wood add a touch of whimsy.

Walls and flooring

Consider repainting walls if you currently have a dark color in place. Using light-colored settee covers can also brighten up the room. Country homes typically have light colors and hues of white scattered throughout the living space.

If you have hardwood flooring covered by a modern rug, consider replacing the rug or doing away with the rug altogether. Browse flea markets or local artisans for area rugs with a shabby chic look.

Bring the Outdoors In

If you have a garden, be sure to bring in a variety of cuttings to scatter around the room in vases. But don’t have to stop there. Bring some outdoor furniture into your living area as well. A worn rocking chair from out back can add country appeal to any room. Consider adding flower boxes to outside windows as well. You will enjoy watching bees and ladybugs work as you lounge inside. Another way to bring nature closer to you is to place a bird feeder near the window.

You don’t need to be a master carpenter to build furniture and other wood projects, what you need are quality DIY woodworking plans. Seriously, with the right plans and maybe a little bit of video instruction, if you have basic woodworking skills you can build just about anything.

Have you been to the furniture store lately. Even the cheap stuff costs a lot of money.

Case in point; we needed a new bed and wanted a Captains Bed. You know the kind with the storage underneath. We shopped around one Saturday and went to 5 different stores. The least expensive Captains Bed we could find was seventeen hundred dollars! And it was not even very nice.

It was mostly particle board and the only hardwood was on the trim on the drawer fronts and some on the head board and foot board.

We did see one bed we really loved but it was four thousand dollars! Sure we could have bought it, on credit and paid for it for three years or whatever – but we did not want to do that.

Instead I took a picture with my phone and my thinking was that as long as I had a picture I could build it. Well that is not entirely accurate.

It did not take long for me to figure out that I was not going to figure this out with out help. I consulted one of my friends who is a professional carpenter and he was very quick to tell me that what I needed was a plan.

What I needed was some DIY woodworking plans, but where to get them? I went to the hardware store and there were some books but they were hard to understand.

I was ready to give up when some guy I did not even know started talking to me at the book store (where I was looking for woodworking plans), and told me to try searching online.

Sure enough I found a whole bunch of them. This brought up another problem, which ones were any good, which ones do I buy?

So what I did was my home work. I started reading all reviews and going to forums and checking each product for what I wanted. What I wanted was easy to use and read DIY woodworking plans. Plans that were down-loadable but from an actual company that I could call to get customer service if I needed it, oh and some video instruction of some sort would be nice to.

The good news is that they are out there. There is definitely a couple of very good companies offering these types of products.