You may hear the words home-improvement and think to yourself, “I could never do something like that! There are a lot of projects you can complete even though you have no experience. Improving your home has some long term benefits and the following article should give you some great ideas as to how you can do it all yourself.
Choose a white tile or any other light colored substance when re-doing your roof. Having a light colored roof will help keep your attic cool by deflecting the sun’s rays. You will be able to reduce all of your monthly energy bills by doing this.
Fans are a must in the hot summer months. This will help keep you more comfortable while reducing energy. Using ceiling and room fans can reduce your energy consumption by not using the air conditioner. This can lower your electric bill.
It can be very expensive to purchase new furniture. Sometimes you can find great bargains in second-hand stores or yard sales. You might find real treasures amongst your used items, like furniture for instance. Although certain improvements involve a lot of work, they can really improve your home in the long run.
Drywall Mud
Stay away from busy fabrics when picking out furniture. If you do, you will have the challenge of coordinating your home to that pattern until you recover or discard the items of furnishing. Purchase furniture that is decorated or made in solid colors and tones, then accessorize with patterns. You can use pillows and blankets to combine and create muted patterns.
Drywall mud can be used not only for repair of pocks and holes, but also to add some visual depth to your walls as a texture agent. The process of texturing is not difficult. Put the drywall mud on. Use tools to give it texture. A stiff brush will work, as will a sponge, a fork and even a plastic bag. Anything that gives an interesting texture.
You can store your supplies between floor joists or ceiling rafters. You can easily store two by fours or pieces of molding in these spaces. Just add some furring strips to two exposed floor joists.
It is important to make a plan before beginning any renovation project. A concrete plan is essential if you want your project to be within your budget and completed on time. If you make changes midway through the project, you will increase both the time and the expense. Having plans in mind prior to hiring contractors helps make your home improvement task easier for them and you.
When you start your improvement jobs, don’t be quick to demolish. Before removing anything, be sure to check the wall structure behind it. If electrical elements were damaged, it may be costly to make the necessary repairs.
Two PVC pipes can be easily attached using primer and cement made for PVC. Make sure that the products you use fit your pipes. Make sure the PVC pipes are dry before attempting to glue them together.
Find the gas shutoff prior to starting any home improvement project that is located in the kitchen or in any other place that contains a gas line. Caution is the best guide for these projects. You can be seriously injured or start a fire during the project.
Hardwood Floors
Home improvement doesn’t have to be aesthetic only. You should work on home safety measures as well, like plotting escape routes in case of a fire or other disaster. In an emergency, it is easy to panic. Working out a safe way to escape from your home during a fire or disaster can ensure that you will all be safe. So get together and plan a route and think of all possible outcomes of each one.
Have a knowledgeable professional look at the floors you already have in your home before you install new hardwood floors. Often, there are beautiful hardwood floors hidden under layers of old linoleum and carpet. The result will be a high quality, nicer looking floor with less expense.
Basements generally don’t get much in the way of natural lighting. To turn your basement into a more livable space, come up with a plan to include artificial lighting to brighten it up. Some basements have walls which reach above the ground outside. You might be able to put windows in this area if this is the case.
Having some fun is the best part of home improvements. Although it’s important that you are careful and serious when doing your work, it is also vital that you have a great time doing it. If you aren’t enjoying the project, it’s more likely that you’ll make mistakes. Think about finding a professional to do the job for you if cannot do it yourself.
Before doing any home improvement projects in the kitchen or bathroom, it’s important to turn off the main water supply. It may seem obvious, but a lot of homeowners forget this step and end up with a huge mess.
Before you start staining or painting wood, use sandpaper in order to make the surface smooth; then wipe the item using a damp rag. If you want a smooth effect, choose a piece of sandpaper with a very fine grit. Wiping the surface with the rag or tack cloth removes any remaining dust, which will ensure a smooth, even finish.
When you are doing home improvements, you should ensure you do them your way, but stay with the theme of the neighborhood. You do not want to be the only person on the block that has a tower attached to the top of their property! It will make it much harder to sell your home if you ever decide to.
A normal wood fireplace used for heating might not be such a great idea. While a traditional fireplace looks great, it is an inefficient heat source. Most of the energy is lost through the chimney. The fire will need fresh air to grow and that can suck a lot of oxygen from your home.
When planning a home improvement project, take care of rewiring and plumbing issues first. These repairs usually require holes to be drilled into walls and floors, so it is best to do these repairs before others such as wallpapering or laying new flooring. Furthermore, walls that are exposed during renovations are more easily accessible for wiring and plumbing projects.
If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you owe it to yourself to buy only the best tools and supplies. It might be more expensive in the beginning, but it will save you money for years. The higher the quality, the more time and wear you will get out of it. Tools can be expensive and you don’t want to have to replace them regularly.
Update the look of a room by replacing the doorknob. This project won’t require more than an hour of your time. A screwdriver is the most complex tool you require. You can find new, decorative doorknobs at home improvement stores.
Be mindful of which product you choose to help clean a nasty clog. Many of these products are very harsh. Don’t used drain cleaners that are crystallized; these often stick to pipes and cause damage. Be sure that the drain cleaner you use can work with the septic tank you have.
You can do most of your home’s needed improvements. A huge addition will need a contractors, of course. You might be able to paint, do simple repairs to your plumbing, and other things without professional assistance. Doing things yourself can really keep costs down.
“Age-in-place” home improvements should be a major priority when it comes to home improvement. Age-in-place is simply a design philosophy which takes into account how homeowners age while they own the house. Whether your renovations are in a house you plan to stay in forever, or a home that will eventually be sold, age-in-place improvements increase the comfort of your home as well as it’s value.
You can circulate air more efficiently by getting some ceiling fans in the rooms you use the most. These fans can help save energy from running the air conditioner and they can also push warm air down in the winter months. Many models of fans are able to reverse their blade direction, allowing on either forcing air up or down.
When planning to do home improvement work on your house, a good homeowner will spend his money on high class materials and fixtures as opposed to buying pricey decor and furnishings. Once a home gets sold, the owner brings his decor with him. In contrast, the market value of a home is greatly enhanced by quality fixtures that remain with the house after it’s sold.
Some homeowners think they can sell their home for a higher price by putting in radiant heating or a central vacuuming system. They let this distract them from doing more important things, like painting the exterior or replacing shutters. Would-be-buyers are soured by exteriors that make homes look like fixer-uppers. It is important to remember that first impressions are important when it comes to your home.
Do you have spots on your lawn where grass won’t grow? If the answer is yes, add some grass seed to your lawn. A lousy lawn can really ruin the look of a house. A lush lawn gives your home curb appeal.
When deciding on replacing your siding, remember how expensive it can be to choose stucco. Be sure you’re prepared to invest in stucco. You may think that you want a certain look, but you may find a much cheaper alternative.
If you have mold or rust, get it taken care of right away. Older homes often exhibit these small problems, and they can spread and become big problems very quickly. It’s much simpler to address the issue when it can be fixed quickly. It will end up costing you both time and money if you let a small problem escalate. Bleach can help with mold. A bit of sandpaper and elbow grease is often enough to get rid of small rust patches.
If you want to tackle a home improvement task that can add a lot of value to your home while also adding a level of comfort, look into attaching a deck to your home. Decks and porches beckon you to relax and entertain guests.
Like we said earlier, just because you are a novice does not mean that there are not a lot of projects you can do on your home. Now that you have read this article, you hopefully have gotten some new confidence is your ability to do some home improvement work by yourself. By doing so, you’ll be very proud of yourself because you are the one doing all the work.
When decorating, utilize the 60/30/10 rule. This simply means that 60% of the room should be the primary color with 30% of the room being your secondary color and the remaining 10% should be your accent color. In practice, utilize the primary color for the walls, and the upholstery should feature the secondary color with the last 10 percent being used as an accent.
