Thursday, March 29, 2012

Tips And Tricks On How To Improve Your Home

By Steve Brian


For everyone that owns a home, home improvement is an interesting and engaging topic. Although we all want to have the nicest home possible, for many people, taking on a home improvement project can seem scary and overwhelming. This article is meant to provide you with the information you need to take on the basic home improvement project.

Installing carpet can be a daunting task if done yourself, or an expensive task if you pay a professional to do it. Fortunately there is an alternative. Much like vinyl floor tiles, there are carpet tiles that exist. These too have adhesive backing that allows you to install them easily, and they look just like real sheet carpeting when installed.

There are many tax credits that you can get as a home owner for energy saving improvements. Do some research, find out what they are and go for it. You will not only be increasing the value of your home but you will also be saving yourself on unneeded tax liability.

Renovate your home to allow for the use of more energy-efficient and natural lighting. This is an easy way to reduce your electric bill while also helping to save the environment. Compact fluorescent bulbs will last longer, use less energy, and provide a more comfortable lighting than incandescents. It is easy to replace the bulbs in your home with these.

Make sure to clear your gutters from leaves and debris in the fall. The combination of being clogged with leaves and freezing water can cause damage to your home and actually cause basement leaking. Since it is not something you see everyday as a reminder, make a note on your "to do" list as soon as leaves start to fall.

When planning your kitchen, make sure your stove and your refrigerator are not right next to each other. If you set them side-by-side, they will both have to work too hard. You will waste energy and get less life from your appliances with this arrangement, and neither will perform optimally.

Any home improvement project intense enough to involve opening a house's walls should include some new wiring for modern electronics. Even though the cutting edge of high-tech has moved on to wireless computer networking, adding integral Ethernet wiring to your home increases network security, offers added convenience and improves resale value.

Consider adding an extra bathroom to boost the value of your home. Even if you do not plan on using it except when you have a guest over, the expenses linked to an additional bathroom are definitely worth it. If you have a house with two levels, build the bathrooms on top of one another to save on plumbing.

People think their house will sell for more if they install a new central vacuuming system or underfloor, radiant heating. Meanwhile, they forget to paint the home's exterior or repair the shutters that hang crooked. Buyers will register these things and think the home is a fixer-upper. Remember, first impressions also matter with your home.

Never let extra space in your home go to waste. Reconsider your unused laundry room, hall closet, or walk-in pantry as a home office or mud room. These hidden areas generally already have built-in shelves, so you don't have to invest in wall units or bookshelves. Keep the area from feeling too enclosed by turning a full-sized door into a pocket door.

If you have an elderly parent living in your home, you need to plan home improvements and renovations with an eye to mobility, safety, and accessibility. A step-in shower stall, for example, is much easier to access and reduces the risk of slipping. Simple changes such as grab bars can make your home more comfortable and safer for your parent as well.

Organize your garage by buying some clear plastic boxes and arranging items according to type and how often you use them. Label your plastic boxes and make sure they're stack-able. This is a cost effective way of cleaning out your garage, as well as keeping rodents and bugs away from your things.

Dirty ceiling vents can make your home look bad. You can purchase and install new ceiling vents, giving your home a cleaner and neater look.

Now that you have gathered the knowledge that is needed to complete home projects, gather the tools that you need to get going. If you find that you are stuck at some point of your project, take the time to re-read the information from this article to see if you can find the solution to the problem.




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