While the term home-improvement is often associated with costly remodeling jobs, there are plenty of simple ways to increase the value of your home. With a little home improvement knowledge, you can get a better-looking home with out spending much time or money. Take a look at these tips to get an idea of where to start.
Install ceiling fans to circulate the air in your home. During summer the fan can be adjusted to blow down, and during the winter it can adjusted to draw the air up. This increases the efficiency of the utilities in your home so that you pay less in heating and cooling costs and save energy.
Changing a tire can be problematic if you don't happen to be a very strong person. Loosening the lug nuts, in particular, can take more strength than many of us have. Use a cheater bar! A yard long piece of pipe that is just big enough to fit over the end of your lug wrench will give you that extra leverage to get the job done.
Design a renovation with an eye to creating built-in storage. For example, a broom closet can be reborn into a small pantry, or you can add floor-level shelving to a coat closest for shoes and bags. If you are renovating to sell a home, the benefit of the added storage can be the deciding factor in a buyer's decision.
Painting is a perennial task. Water-based latex paints make for the easiest clean-up. You only need soap and water. But sometimes oil paint is best for a job. It is longer lasting. When cleaning up from oil paint, use cooking oil on your brushes to dissolve the paint. Then you can use soap and water.
One great way to make the inside of your home sparkle is to put new molding in. New molding helps create a fresh sense in your living space. You can purchase special molding with beautiful carvings on them to add a unique touch of elegance and style to your home.
When working on household plumbing projects it's always a good idea to shut off the water. Shutting off the water will prevent any potential pipe damage during repair process. It will also prevent water from flooding into your home and causing costly water damage that can be a burden to repair.
When doing home improvement projects around kitchens with gas stoves, gas fire places, or gas water heaters, it is very important to turn off the gas supply line. This will prevent any chances of injury or death caused by gas leaks, which can lead to suffocation or creating deadly gas explosions.
When you undertake any home improvement project, don't destroy things too quickly. You should always check the structure behind a wall or a cabinet before you tear it down. If you mess up electrical components, then you will incur extra costs.
Children can easily climb out of windows or doors and harm themselves. Oftentimes, children think of ways to escape out of doors and crevices before you do. Make sure to keep your child safe by installing window and door safety locks that only your or older children are able to open.
If you plan on using bricks for your project, you should always purchase more bricks than you need. When repairs or additions must be made to brick work, it can be surprisingly difficult to match new bricks to the color and texture of the originals. Brick colors and styles change often; therefore, you should purchase extra bricks for any repairs. Buying extra bricks is cost effective and can be stored so you can use them later.
Flooring replacement can be very expensive. One way to do it that is affordable is to get rid of the floor that is there and stain the concrete instead. This will give your home a modern and industrial aesthetic that can work well with a variety of different decors.
A large and bulky cabinet and sink can easily take up the biggest part of a tiny bathroom and make the area seem downright claustrophobic. Free up some additional space by having the cabinet and sink removed and replacing them with a sleek and attractive pedestal sink. The look is timeless, and the narrow silhouette will free up a great deal of space.
If your home seems small, try this professional interior decorating tip. Move the furnishings away from the walls. It makes the room seem like there's more square footage, and it looks very modern too.
If your bathroom is looking a bit bland, you can put in a new vanity to add a touch of class and elegance. As time goes on, your old vanity will look worn and begin to warp. If you want to improve your bathroom, just buy vanity and drop it in for a touch of class.
Before starting off on any home improvement project involving painting, make sure you have the essential tools at hand. Painter's tape will prevent damage to doorways and windowsills, and a drop cloth will protect both your shoes and the floor. The right-sized brush will ease painting, and a roller and extension handle are vital for painting ceilings.
Tips On Home Siding
For a high-impact update that can be completed in less than a day, consider freshening up your front door with one or two coats of brightly colored, ultra-glossy paint. Homes with light-colored brick or siding look best with a bright red or blue door; darkly colored homes do best with a deep, cool color like eggplant or slate blue.
Paint your shutters and front door. Homes with light-colored brick or vinyl siding look especially attractive with bright red or blue paint; a darkly colored home exterior looks great with a deep, cool color like eggplant or jade green.
When repainting the exterior of your home, use plastic sheeting and masking tape to avoid getting paint on unwanted surfaces, such as your windows. Use drop cloths to protect your driveway, porch, and shrubs from dripping paint. You will also want to use 3-inch masking tape to protect the trim while you are painting the siding on your house.
To remove green algae from your vinyl siding, mix a few cups of vinegar and a big squirt of dish or laundry detergent into a bucket of hot water. Apply the mixture and scrub with a sponge mop from top to bottom and rinse well with water from a garden hose, sprayer or power washer.
The most important thing you need to know when choosing a new siding for your home is to know the R-Value. The R-Value is the measure of thermal resistance used in the building industry. Be sure you know the R-Value that is right for your zip code. These statistics are available through the US Department of Energy.
Stucco happens to be a good alternative when replacing the siding on the outside of your home. It is easy to install; it may require forms to install and require the help of a professional but once you have put it on the home it will last for a very long time.
Stucco can be an expensive project. You should be sure this is what you want before going through with it. Even if you have your mind set on a specific look, you may be able to achieve it using more cost-effective materials.
When you are replacing your siding with veneer some positive things to keep in mind about that material are the functional advantages to other sidings. The veneers can protect your home quite well from damages, they are very easy to install, and require little to almost no maintenance which is very important.
Updating the outside of your house by repainting the exterior or updating the siding is a very cost value added home improvement. It is one of the most effective ways to increase the sale price of your home. By giving your home an exterior facelift you can instantly add more buying appeal to your home.
Deciding on a vinyl siding replacement? If you want an investment that is easily recouped, consider vinyl siding. You should get back around 80 percent of your initial investment.
No matter what your budget, there are plenty of ways to get a better-looking home. Keep these tips in mind the next time you look around your house. You should easily be able to find a do-it-yourself project that will make your home feel like new again.
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