Tag: decor

Easy To-Do Tips in Selling Your House

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Selling your home can be tedious. Without having to spend too much in maintaining the beauty of your home once placed on the market, here are some simple tips you can easily do.

Preserve the beauty of what you already have

Inspect your house thoroughly and look at it objectively. Note all of the plus factors of your home – things like its warm feel, sturdy roof, well-build windows, its interiors, and the like. Once you placed your home for sale, make sure that no other damage will be made for the next couple of months. In short, keep anything that is perfect as it is.

Beautify your yard

Many times, the owners overlook the fact that people first see their front yards. Create a great impression by having them notice how beautiful and tidy that portion of your house that greets everyone first. Mowing your lawn will not cost you anything, just like pruning your plants or cleaning up grubby spots.

Keep a clutter-free home

It is now more than ever you would need removing the clutter of your home. Remove things that are unnecessary and put things in their proper places. You can also dedicate a hidden place where you can put all of these clutter just so the buyers will not see it but make sure that you keep your closets clutter-free as many prefer large storage spaces, and it could be a good selling point for your home.

De-scentisize your home

This means, you would need to keep an odor-free place. It is a big turn off for any prospective buyer pet smells or any other unpleasant household odor. It would also be best to hang some sweet-smelling fragrances in certain areas as it could create a good relaxing feeling for your prospective buyers.

Do some touch-ups

You might need to restore some vital portion of your house without spending too much. It is not hard to have a seemingly new, sparkling house – all you need is clean up or repaint walls. You can buy cheap warm-colored paints as you can do the painting yourself. Fix doors and windows and some nice plants here and there.

Hire a reputable real-estate agent

This is crucial as you would not want to wait endlessly for prospective buyers to come to you. Their experience can give you further advice as well and certainly their expertise would keep you from doing the dirty job of finding the best buyer for your home.

Set a reasonable price

Your agent can help you on this part but you can also ask trusted friends what they think is a reasonable price for your home. This way, you will not have to put a very low price just so you can sell the house immediately. …

Following A Plant Based Diet Is Easy With Home Gardens

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Many people today are turning to a plant-based diet as an alternative to diets too rich in saturated meat products, junk food, and highly processed foods. In some cases, it involves spending more time in the produce section of your local grocery store, looking for fruits and vegetables that are grown organically and spending extra money on them.

You can follow a great plant-based diet in an even better way while growing your fruits and vegetables in your own home garden. If you live in an apartment, you can start a container garden in front of a sunny window. If you have a plot of land to turn into a garden you can go big with a garden filled with healthy fruits and vegetables. You can grow almost anything in a small garden so you have the spring, summer and fall to eat off your own land.

Vegetables Easily Grown At Home

Tomatoes lend themselves well to container gardening and can grow like wild in the good earth of your back yard. They grow and ripen all season long so you can pick what you need for sandwiches, salads, snacks, fresh sauces and even for juicing.

You can grow your own peas or beans in a container or in your backyard garden. They are rich in phytonutrients that have their maximum potency if you simply pick what you need and eat them as soon as possible; you have the greatest amount of healthy phytonutrients and antioxidants in the food shortly after picking them.

Peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, and greens like Kale are great options for a home garden and allow you to reach for healthy and super fresh produce all summer long and into the fall.

Your Home Garden

If you decide to have a back yard home garden, you need to decide if you want to grow organic foods or not. Organic gardening is the best possible choice because the food is grown without pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. This means no harmful chemicals exist with the food you pick and you can even eat them straight out of the garden without having to wash them extensively.

Grow a wide variety of foods that become ripe at different times of the season:

Radishes, for example, take only a few weeks to become edible and, after pulling them up, you have room to grow a row of something else. Most people grow tomatoes and some people grow carrots, lettuce, and potatoes.

Both potatoes and squash need the entire summer to become available for eating so all you need to do is to keep them weed-free and watch them grow. In the early autumn or late summer, you can dig up the potatoes and harvest the squash. These types of produce can be kept at room temperature or in a cool place for many months so you have instant winter eating from vegetables you grew in the summer.

Lettuce and other greens can be grown and harvested all summer long for the …

Bathroom Lighting Ideas To Consider

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Bathroom lighting can make the difference between one that is adequate and comfortable to one that is irritating and oftentimes not sufficient for your bathroom. This is why you need some bathroom lighting idea so your bathroom lighting will fall on the former category.

When looking around for the lighting to have on your bathroom, try to consider the manufacturer that offers fixture installation as well as the lighting. There are those that offer this kind of service. The best thing about getting them is that they are capable of considering the overall designs of your bathroom and will come up with the proper lighting to complete the whole bathroom design.

Furthermore, take into account the many purposes you and other members of the household are using the bathroom. It may be the area where you dress up and groom yourself. If this is the case, you probably would want the kind of lighting that does not reflect any shadows and shades.

If the prime purpose of the bathroom is for bathing and other related things, then having a centralized lighting fixture may be enough. You do not have to add more bulbs on the sides of a mirror. This is not the best option if you are also saving up on energy consumption.

Keep in mind also that there moist and moisture thrive inside the bathroom. Your lighting should be durable enough to withstand those things. If positioned improperly, it might even cause some serious problems to you and your home.

The bathroom is one part of the house where you and your family frequently come to. Having the right kind of lighting will ensure that all struggles in trying to look good are eliminated. It also means that you will not grope around just to find what you are looking for.

Look for some bathroom lighting idea that you think will suit your needs the most. With the variety of ideas out there, there is definitely one that will work for you and your bathroom. …

Benefits of an Exterior House Painting Contractor

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With home improvement projects, homeowners would be wise to find all the help that they can get, especially if they do not know the first thing about home painting or home improvement in general. With a wealth of experience, professional painters can handle the exterior painting project with relative ease. This kind of professional approach to the project is just what the homeowner needs to ensure a successful home improvement endeavor.

With an exterior house painting contractor, homeowners will be able to move through their exterior painting projects very easily. They will be able to relaxing knowing that their work is in good hands and that professionals trained in the field of home painting are doing the project. An exterior house painting contractor will be able to handle problems as the arise as well. With the proper training or adequate experience, a professional contractor will be able to handle these problems so that they do not become larger issues later on in the remodel. This will ensure that things move along nicely and everyone experiences a hassle free remodeling project.

An exterior house painting contractor will make everything easier so long as the communication is given a top priority. With the homeowner and the contractor on the same page, the project will move along nicely. This means less stress and a more enjoyable experience for all. Painting has been given a bad wrap because of the problems that homeowners encounter when attempting the project. When a contractor is involved, and good communication is practiced, the problems are declined and the whole project looks to go much smoother. …

Home Fire Safety – Interior Stairway Design Fire Safety Guidelines

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INTRODUCTION

This article is about custom home designing fire safety in an interior stairway.

As to home fire safety in home building plans, much codified ado is made of fire-blocking wall and floor structure, but not much at all on stairway design and stairway construction.

Comment: This codified ado even sort-of includes home fire safety in regard to stairway structure. See IRC 2003, R311.2.2 “Under stair protection. Enclosed accessible space under stairs shall have walls, under stair surface and any soffits protected on the enclosed side with ½-inch (12.7mm) gypsum board.” For fire safety in stairway design and stairway construction, it’s a beginning. Note, please, that there’s no mention of fire-rated gypsum board and heavier weight material as are referenced elsewhere – and have been for quite a long while – for garage wall and ceiling surfaces abutting habitable space.

IMPORTANT DIGRESSION

And there are the high-value references to smoke alarms in home fire safety building codes nationwide, references albeit at minimum levels of materials and methods, in the author’s opinion.

Comment: Minimums? That’s what this custom home designer thinks. Following are designer house plan set stipulations that may be written into smoke alarm methods and materials to extend home fire safety codified minimums. Each alarm shall run on both permanent 120V and replaceable battery, shall feature a combination of ionization and photoelectric sensors. None shall disconnect by wall switch. Each shall connect to a 120V line as first load on a frequently used lighting circuit with overcurrent protection at the panelboard suitable for a double tap. For sleeping areas, an alarm shall be installed according to manufacturer’s specifications on either side of any passage between a sleeping area and a path to egress

HOME FIRE SAFETY – STAIRWAY DESIGN AND STAIRWAY CONSTRUCTION PROLOGUE

So, what about the eminently more airflow-permissive stairwell itself?

In a house aflame, a residential interior stairway can occasion two events: the passage of both occupants to safety and firemen for the sake of safety and the passage of smoke and flame between interior floor levels.

Comment: It might seem as though interior stairway design and stairway construction, this key locus of interior structure in interior fire conditions – good (human transport) and bad (smoke and fire transport) – is at least largely forsaken by residential building authorities having jurisdiction.

WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO?

In regard to stairwells, that is stairwell design and stairwell construction, what’s at stake is fire-degraded stairway construction, wood stud walls and wood ceiling joists collapsing within the stairwell, engaging stairway and its contents, including people contents, and thereby precluding occupants’ easy physical movement between floor levels.

HOME FIRE SAFETY – INTERIOR STAIRWAY DESIGN FIRE SAFETY GUIDELINES

A residential, interior stairway, other than a spiral stairway – below the stair stringer shall be sheathed from outer stair stringer to outer stair stringer including header cleat with not less than 1 layer of 5/8″ Type-X gypsum board glued, screwed, and taped. It shall be mudded not less than 3 coats, paying …

How To Power Wash Your Shed

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When you have found one of the many sheds for sale, the next step is to keep it preserved. The most important thing to consider in the upkeep of your garden storage shed are: Time, Cost and Methods. All of it comes down to repairs and approaches to schedule them correctly along with how much you want to pay for them. Here we’re going to discuss strategies to keep your shed in good working order as well as how to do it on a budget.

One thing that will quickly ruin you shed is dirt and grime accumulation. Dirt will most probably occur regardless of whether you prefer it or not, but the important thing is to stay in front of it. Make sure to differentiate dirt from black mildew. Black mold will take place even when it is hot and dry. The good news is that dirt and mold can be quickly cleaned off using an electric power washer. Although the paint is peeling, go on and power wash that shed just before repainting a shed. If there is green mildew it means there is moisture trapped somewhere. Before you electric power wash consider and discover the source of the trouble. Check and make sure all mold, dirt and debris are removed before you prime and paint. The most beneficial cleaner to make use of for power washing is bleach mixed with drinking water. Make sure you check your concentrations and protect your skin and eyes before starting.

Probe the wooden exterior and interior of your shed to test for strength. If the wood looks gentle or soft, you could be subject to wood rot. Checking for wooden rot is very important to accomplish any time after a tough rain or simply a rainy season. Should you uncover wood rot: under no circumstances fear! Repair is easy as well as not very expensive to resolve. You should remove all rotten wood areas as well as test the surrounding wood to ensure the rot hasn’t spread. Swap the region with new sound wooden and prime and paint. It is actually always much better to repair wood rot mainly because wood rot is usually localized and would not require a whole replacement of siding.

The overall cleanliness within your garden shed is important to its longevity. Use insecticides on the inside and exterior of your garden barn to help keep out carpenter ants and bees which can damage the wood and add to wood rot. Aside from chemicals to keep wood destroying insects out, a little bit of elbow grease and a keen eye are all you need to keep you new shed or pole barn looking good for years to come. If you do start to notice some determination, hopefully you can follow our simply steps to rectify the situation and keep on enjoying your new garden shed.…

Home Decor – Picking Paint Color Part I

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One of the easiest ways to change the entire look of a room is to paint it or change the current paint color. Most people leave their walls white, because they have no idea what color they want to use in a room or which walls they should paint. There are so many different ways to apply paint to a room. You can paint this wall but not that one. Paint this wall a light color and that one a dark color. Paint all the walls dark and use white for the trim. Maybe you want to paint the ceiling. There are a lot of decisions to make. When it comes to paint you don’t have to know exactly what you want to do until you know what color(s) you want in a room. What walls or ceiling you paint depends entirely upon the mood you want for that room, and if you have a dark color or a light color.

The first thing to think about when picking a paint color is to choose what room you are going to start decorating. Starting with a smaller room is a good idea just in case you don’t like the results. If you don’t, you can always start over. Bathrooms are usually a good place to start because of their size. Applying new home decor to any room where you are changing the entire look, can get expensive if you choose a room that is too big. Focus on one of the smaller rooms in your home when just getting started.

The second thing to think about when picking paint color is to determine the mood you want to set for that room. What room are you planning to decorate? The bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom. How do you want to feel when you walk into the room. Do you want a soothing and relaxing room to go to when you’re tired or stressed out? Do you want a bright and bold room with a lot of pizzazz What type of feeling do you want portrayed inside the room? If you already have decorations and don’t want to replace them, you will need to choose a color that compliments the current home decor. If you are planning to replace everything and can start over fresh, you can choose a color you like or one that portrays the mood you are looking for.…

House Cat Training – Litter Box Rules

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In order to achieve successful house cat training you need to follow some specific rules relating the cat's litter box. Cats do have a tendency to use a litter box. But you do not want your cat soiling the house right?

First you must make sure that the litter box is made of a washable material. Plastic would be fine. The sides of the box should be low enough for your cat to enter and high enough to contain the litter.

OK now let's point out some basic litter box rules for a successful house cat training:

1. Keep the box in a quiet and safe place but do not hide it! Your cat should be able to find the litter box easily.

2. When you notice your cat using it's litter box give it some kind of reward afterwards. Keep winning the cat until you're sure it uses the litter box regularly.

3. Another effective house cat training method is to keep the litter box reliably clean. Do not over do it! Scoop the box daily and wash it weekly.

4. If your catch your cat accidentally soiling your house do not punish your pet. The punishment method will not work with cats. It will only make them afraid of you. Try to find out why your cat did not make use of the litter box and try to figure out a solution. House cat training is not always easy.

5. Try not to change the brand of the litter. Cats do not like changes and may respond by soiling the house.

6. Try not to use spotted litter as many cats hate that. They prefer their own odors inside and around the litter box.

If you follow the rules above and your cat is still soiling your house then maybe there's a medical problem affecting the animal's behavior. Maybe your cat is displaying some kind of aggression that needs to be treated as soon as possible. Try to clean the soiled area as good as you can to show the cat that that area should remain clean.

You can also consult a professional veterinarian or you can buy a house cat training book to get some answers on cat training. …

Kitchen Colors That Work For You

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A kitchen can be a fun room to decorate. You probably spend a lot of time in the kitchen so why not give it a little of your personality? Adding to your walls, counter-tops, floor and cabinets can make your kitchen an infinitely more enjoyable place to work. You can use a color scheme in your kitchen to really define the look and feel of your space, so go ahead and make it your own.

Modern Vibe – There is something a little wonderful about working in a kitchen that you love. You can create energy in your kitchen by bringing in colors like cobalt blue or a bright, sunny yellow. You may choose to saturate your appliances with color, or you may choose to leave them neutral, so that you can easily change your color scheme around them.

Warm and Wonderful – If you enjoy nothing more than entertaining in your kitchen, why not set it aglow with warm earth tones. This color palette creates an inviting and comfortable atmosphere throughout your space that is sure to make your guests feel right at home.

Laid Back – You can create a wonderful casual feel in your kitchen so that anyone who enters will enjoy the space. Green is a soothing color, and it will work well to create balance in your kitchen. It is also an organic color, so it works well when you combine it with an environment filled with food. Add some yellow accents and your kitchen will simply be delicious.

Industrial Lines – If you like a clean and clear space to work in, then you may prefer a more industrial vibe for your kitchen space. Stainless steel and white make a kitchen that exudes cleanliness, and it provides a great backdrop for any accessories or focal point that you want to display.

Romantic Response – If you would much rather cook your romantic dinner at home than go out to a restaurant, then this is the look for you. Use warm wood tones and dark colors to give your kitchen a rich and luxurious feel. As you light your candles to enjoy your romantic dinner the dark tones of the room will highlight the romance of the candle's glow.

As you are designing your perfect kitchen there are a few things that you want to keep in mind.

Continuity – Even when you are using color to create a strong mood in your kitchen, you will want to connect it to the rest of your home's decor to keep it feeling cohesive. One of the easiest ways to do this is to pull a color from an adjoining room and include it in your kitchen.

Coordinate – While counter-tops and flooring are pretty permanent fixtures in your home, you can use wall color to link your room to the rest of the house and to make it feel balanced. For example, if you have a granite counter-top, you can choose a color from the granite …

3 Tips On House Repairs

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Many people are worried and get stressed out with the maintenance work that needs to be done inside the home. There are lots of things to be addressed and people get confused on where they should start from. They are unable to decide which section of the house requires more attention. Let us start with the plumbing section. If you are suspecting any water leakages or pipeline damages then a good option is to call plumbing experts or a plumbing contractor. They can be the best choice to fix all of your house water damages before the problem becomes worse. Try to contact them as soon as possible in order to start the first procedure of your house maintenance.

Beside this, there are other areas to cover. Here are some of the following much-needed repairs that you must consider before it gets worse.

Repairing the roof damages:

Often, many houses have the problem of roof leakage. This problem is quite common and creates a lot of nuisance especially after the heavy rain falls. If your house has the same problem then it is best to address this issue as soon as possible. If this problem is not addressed in time, it can damage the entire roof top and there is a possibility that the walls of your house will receive some cracks and fissures.

To avoid these weird consequences, it is better if you repair the roof tops urgently. You can do it on your own by purchasing the materials to plaster the damaged part of the roof. If you find the damage more serious, you can always call the labor experts to fix the problem. The leaked area should be plastered properly otherwise there is a chance that the leakage will occur again. Try to get good quality cement so that the damage does not come back again.

Repairing the wire section:

There are many instances when the main wire section of the house has some flaws inside. This can provoke a house fire if the wiring is not done properly. It is best to fix the problem urgently so you do not have any further complications. Just call the expert electrician, because he can give good advice on how to improve the wiring and update the wrongly placed wires. Once the wires are properly set, you can relax knowing the wiring is safe and it is not a fire hazard.

Repairing the walls:

Once you have fixed the main areas of your house, now you can look forward to repair the wall section. Walls are the borders of your house and they should be repaired in order to keep the good impression alive for the visitors.

Just inspect each wall for any cracks or fissures. If you find any such damage, use a thin plaster to cover the gaps or cracks. Once the plaster is dried, you can start repainting the walls. You can use this opportunity to change the wall color to update the look of the …