Home Improvement Tips

People around the world would like to improve the look and feel of their homes. Most, however, never undertake decorating projects, as they view this as a luxury in which only the wealthy can indulge.

The term ‘decorating’, however, should not imply affluence, but simply that careful planning and creativity have gone into organizing an area. These are all skills everyone can acquire with thought and practice.

Here are some suggestions for creating a space that reflects your tastes and personal style, whatever your budget is.

Select the room in which you would like to begin your project.

Take stock of every detail in the room: furniture, walls, floor, windows, size and entry/exit. Consider the features you like the most and how you can enhance them and likewise, how you can downplay those you like the least.

Some obvious ones are: the living room – for watching TV, reading, entertaining; the bedroom – for sleeping, storing personal items, reading, dressing, etc.

Visualise what you would like the room to look like at the end. Make sketches or simply describe on paper your vision of the finished product.

Some common decorating problems and tips on how to solve them:

Small room: Painting the walls in a light shade will create a cool, spacious feeling in a small cramped space.

Low ceiling: Paint ceiling white or a lighter shade than walls, to ‘lift’ and give the feeling of height.

Dingy, discolored floor: Wood or tile floors can be stripped and refinished. Also, an area rug can cover an ugly floor.

Crowded room: Ensure that furniture is scaled to suit the size of the room.

Avoid mixing too many colours and patterns in a small space. Opt for monochromatic schemes (varying shades of the same colour), sheer or lace curtains instead of heavy drapes, solids or simple pattern for bed linen or upholstering, etc.

More Tips

Additions: This becomes necessary for many of us and sometimes can be problematic if the right approach is not taken; Additions can be disastrous if not done the proper way. It is ever so important to consult an Architect, to ensure that too much weight is not placed in any one area, and to prevent leaking joints etc.

Aesthetics: Pay keen attention to the aesthetics of your living environment. This includes trees, colour, and fixtures.

Building: Plan to do construction in phases so that you can look at the total picture; Let’s face it, this is a lifetime investment, so make it worth it for you and your family. Don’t rush it and avoid avoidable mistakes!

Fencing: It is important that you don’t just choose any fence, choose a fence that is appropriate for your neighbourhood, but most of all one that will complement the design of your house.

Golden rules: Your safety is important, stick to building codes and abide by building regulations; Know what, when, where, and how, to observe these rules. Your safety, health and the structure and design of your property are most important!

Kitchen: This is where most of us spend our time on a daily basis; Make it simple and user friendly, your kitchen must have room for movement in case you need to exit quickly. Designs must not conflict with the general safety of this area.

Layout: Quickly consult an Architect to make sure that your hobbies don’t suffer as a result of the layout of your premises. Make your property conducive to your likes or dislikes; Stick to what you enjoy best, if it is gardening, landscaping or swimming.

Lighting: We often concentrate on internal lighting for our property, however external lighting is equally as important; Motion detectors, and floodlights provide a very effective source of protection for you home.

Painting: Make the area alive and one that can build on your confidence and keep you high spirited. Dull colors take away rather than complement. Stick to your personality, and if what you see makes you feel good, go ahead!

Patios: Enjoying the pleasure of your own home means a time to relax, a time to reflect and even entertain guests; Patios not only add to the comfort of your house but also provide a lot of ventilation to your home.

Roofing: Roofing goes with your house design, and can make that which is ordinary, extraordinary; Stick to your budget but make sure that your choice of roofing is durable and won’t require changing after a few years.

Valuations: We often times wonder ‘what’s the value of our property’ and whether or not the value can fluctuate, increase or decrease; One way you can use to determine the value of your property is to know the last sale value in the area, look at the location and where the land or house is in proximity to yours and take a look at the structure of both houses. Ask yourself questions like ”Is the building an antique structure?“

Walls: Retaining walls are a great idea for lands with slops to prevent erosion; Construct holes in them to relieve pressure and crumbling!

Home Maintenance Checklist

Most homeowners know regular maintenance is a must. Anytime is the perfect time for routine maintenance checks on many areas of your home. But how do you decide what needs to be done, and in what priority?

The experts at ServiceMagic.com, a Web site that helps connect homeowners with prescreened contractors in their area, offer the following checklist to help you shape up your home:

  • Gutters and downspouts:  Remove leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts. Reattach gutters that have pulled away from the house. Run a hose on the roof and check for proper drainage. If leaks exist, dry the area and use caulking or epoxy to seal the leak.
  • Siding: Clean siding with a pressure washer to keep mold from growing. Check all wood surfaces for weathering and paint failure. If wood is showing through, sand the immediate area and apply a primer coat before painting. If paint is peeling, scrape loose paint and sand smooth before painting.
  • Exterior caulking: Inspect caulking and replace if deteriorating. Scrape out all the eroding caulk and re-caulk the needed area.
  • Window sills, door sills, and thresholds: Fill cracks, caulk edges, repaint or replace if necessary.
  • Window and door screens: Clean screening and check for holes. Holes bigger than a quarter leave plenty of room for bugs to climb in. Patch holes or replace the screen. Save bad screen to patch holes next year. Tighten or repair any loose or damaged frames and repaint. Replace broken, worn, or missing hardware. Wind can ruin screens and frames that are allowed to flap and move, so make sure they are securely fastened. Tighten and lubricate door hinges and closers.
  • Drain waste and vent system: Flush out system.
  • Hot water heater: Lubricate circulating pump and motor.
  • Evaporative air conditioner: Clean unit, check belt tension and adjust if needed. Replace cracked or worn belt.
  • Heat pump: Lubricate blower motor.
  • Foundation: Check foundation walls, floors, concrete and masonry for cracking, heaving, or deterioration. If a significant number of bricks are losing their mortar, call a professional. If you can slide a nickel into a crack in your concrete floor, slab or foundation, call a professional immediately.
  • Roof: Inspect roof surface flashing, eaves and soffits. Check flashings around all surface projections and sidewalls.
  • Decks and porches: Check all decks, patios, porches, stairs and railings for loose members and deterioration. Open decks and wood fences need to be treated every four to six years, depending on how much exposure they get to sun and rain. If the stain doesn’t look like it should, or water has turned some of the wood a dark gray, hire a professional to treat your deck and fence.
  • Landscape: Cut back and trim all vegetation and overgrown bushes that are touching structures. Limbs and leaves can cut into your home’s paint, requiring that side of the house to be repainted. A little trimming can save a lot of money and time.
  • Sprinklers: Check lawn sprinkler system for leaky valves, exposed lines and improperly working sprinkler heads. If there is an area of your yard that collects too much water or doesn’t get enough, run the sprinklers to figure out the problem. If it’s not something you can fix yourself, call a professional before your lawn needs the water.