Friday 16 March 2012

Solid Advice For Adding New Rooms To Your Home

By Ian Jones


The art of home improvement is so much more than just putting in a new sink. It takes a great deal of research, a lot of hard work, and careful attention to detail to really make sure that things look nice and that they are safely installed. The tips below can help you improve your home improvement skills.

When designing a renovation for your home, consider the value to you of a personal touch versus the return on investment you will receive upon selling the home. The more individualized you make your renovation, the less likely it is that someone else will want to buy it for enough to cover the cost of the work.

Don't overlook the addition of storage space to your new or existing home. Most homes are substantially lacking in storage space. Add built in bookshelves to the living room or dining room. Turn a broom closet near the kitchen into a food pantry. Small changes and additions will really add up.

Always keep the big picture in mind when embarking on a long term home improvement project. Your budget may dictate that you break up a project into several smaller, more manageable pieces, but take care that the finished product doesn't look like a hodgepodge of unrelated, poorly thought out elements.

For a professional finish when painting furniture or other items, consider using spray paint instead of painting with a brush. You can better control the application of the paint, and when the furniture dries, it will not have any brush marks. Modern spray paint comes in a huge range of finishing textures and colors, so you can find paint to complete almost any project.

If you are moving new, large appliances into your home, protect your floors. If you have hardwood floors, it is very easy to scratch them while moving in appliances. Try adding some of the easy slide pads to the bottom of your appliances or furniture to enable a smooth and safe slide across hardwood floors.

Consider starting a compost bin for your leftover produce scraps. There are several simple methods available and you will be helping the environment. At the same time, you are creating fabulous nutrient rich fertilizer. Compost fertilizer can be used for your flowers and shrubs in addition to being the perfect choice for your new fruits and vegetables.

Landscaping can easily add value to your home by creating curb appeal. Shrubs and hedges are generally affordable and easy to maintain. Trees, on the other hand, are not recommended for many reasons. Foremost, immature trees do little to enhance the attractiveness of a yard, while mature trees are often very expensive.

Amongst all the other home improvements you need to create a rental suite, put a separate entrance above all else. You will appreciate it when your renters don't bump into you as you're trying to get your groceries inside the house, and they will give you a higher rent amount for the privilege.

Choose wallpaper patterns carefully. Avoid using overpowering patterns in small spaces; conversely, using a bold design in a very large room will make it appear cozier. Never use a patterned wallpaper if you have patterned carpet or window coverings. For a room full of awkward corners and recesses, pick a wallpaper with a random design that the eye doesn't tend to follow. This will help to disguise any imperfections in the walls.

For slow-draining toilets caused by tree roots, use a foaming tree root remover in your toilet every six months. While regular granules of copper sulfate do work, only the tree roots that come into contact with the granules are killed. A foaming product fills the entire pipe with solution, ensuring that all of the roots die and break off, leaving your pipes free and clear.

Set up a payment schedule with your home improvement contractor based on the amount of total work completed, NOT a time line. This will give you the ability to fire the contractor if the work isn't at the quality you expected without leaving incomplete projects or the contractor requesting more money.

For a home improvement that offers an outstanding return, replace your outdated entry door with a steel front door. According to a recent study, homeowners who invested in a steel entry door, recouped nearly 129% of the project's cost when their house was sold. A new steel door can boost your home's curb appeal, and it makes a home more energy efficient.

If you are looking to invest in repairing your home, whether it is the interior or exterior, a valuable resource for getting ideas and helpful tips and advice are television programs on the home and garden network in your area. Not only will they give you ideas, more often than not, they will show you how to go about tackling the project while giving you motivation to complete your own projects.

The above smart tips will get you looking at home improvements like a professional, so your projects will all sail straight for success instead of taking a more expensive, roundabout way to getting where you ultimately want to be. With the right attitude and mental preparation, you can transform your home into a dream home.




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