Design Articles

This is a contributed post and contains affiliate links

Whether it is you or a family member who suffers from allergies and respiratory conditions, it is important that you make some home adjustments so they can live better. From eczema to pollen and dust allergy, there are plenty of conditions that can limit a person’s life and prevent them from enjoying their home. Below you will find a few tips on how making your home healthier for people who suffer from asthma or allergies.

The first thing you need to get right is ensuring that the indoor air quality is up to standard. If you have air ducts, get them cleaned regularly so the dust particles will not circulate in the house all the time. You might also want to consider getting rid of the carpets that will embed all the small particles that can cause allergies and install easy-to-clean wooden or stone floor instead. Air purifiers can also help reduce the pollution indoors and help people breathe.

Reduce Your Chemical Use

If you have a family member who is allergic to some chemicals, you might want to opt for natural cleaning products and laundry detergents. This will not only be good for the environment and your health, but also your budget. You can make your bathroom shine using only white vinegar in a spray bottle, and the substance has antibacterial effects, too. Alternatively, invest in a quality steam cleaner.

Keep Your Home a Level Temperature

Those suffering from asthma will need to stay in a controlled home, and if you have drafts or your insulation is not perfect, they are more likely to catch a cold and develop complications. You should, however, not make it too hot during the night. Get a smart thermostat that will help you control the humidity and temperature remotely all the time. Insulate your home so you can have a warm winter without spending a fortune.

Purify the Water

It might also be a good idea to get rid of the residues and toxins not removed by the water treatment systems. People with extreme sensitivity will develop various conditions when they come across impurities in the water. You can get a tankless water purifier that will eliminate the harmful chemicals and the residues hiding in your pipework.  

Get Non-flowering Plants

People with pollen allergies will not appreciate flowering plants in the house. You can opt for palms and plants that don’t flower at all. This way, the plants can still purify the air and eliminate dust and other particles, but will not distribute pollen in the house. You can also prevent bugs and bees coming into the house, which is handy if you have a family member who is allergic to the bites.

When it comes to family members with allergies, it is important that you prevent health issues and improve the quality of the air in the house during the winter months. Get an air purifier, get rid of soft furnishing that is hard to clean, and you can live a happy and healthy life.

Your home should be a place to rest, reflect, and immerse yourself in tranquility. Japanese culture promotes a sense of harmony at home through feng shui, a practice that allows you to balance the energy of a room. “Zen” could directly translate to “meditative state.” In order to find this peaceful state of mind, you’ll have to follow these tips and tricks to make your home the oasis you deserve.

Fill It with Greenery

Photo by Mike Marquez on Unsplash

Studies have shown that plants can boost your mood and relieve some of your stress as well. NASA has even revealed that plants can remove up to 87% of air toxins in any 24 hour period. There’s a reason why Pinterest boards consist of rooms overflowing with natural light and growing vines, besides aesthetics. Surrounding yourself with plants can make you feel more at ease by bringing some of the outdoors in, centering you to nature whenever you need to be.

Move around your furniture

Following the ancient art of Feng Shui is a good way to bring zen into your home. Be mindful of mirrors, revolve around natural woods, and create a sense of harmony starting at the entrance of the front door. Rearranging the furniture in your home is a simple (and cost-effective) way to balance the energy in your home. You’d be surprised how much more at peace you can feel when you are mindful of your home.

Stick to Minimalism

Photo by Sarah Dorweiler on Unsplash

While the minimalist lifestyle isn’t for everyone, it does promote essential ideals to keep in mind when creating a zen home. Keeping spaces tidy and clutter-free with chic storage is an easy way to lower your stress levels at the end of the day. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. The New York Times best-selling author Marie Kondo, aka KonMari, developed the KonMari method that can help you get a start on tackling the clutter. “The most efficient tidying order starts with clothing, then books, papers and miscellaneous items, before finishing off with things that have high sentimental value, like photos and albums,” KonMari tells the New York Times.

Let in all natural light

Natural light is the source of every home’s energy, so let it pour in. You would be surprised how affected we are by harsh fluorescent lighting, so opt for soft sources of lighting instead. Play around with the placement of lamps and let them breathe new life into the corner of a room. If you play your cards right, it can make your home feel that much more spacious and airy.

Stick to Earth Tones

Photo by Joseph Albanese on Unsplash

Palettes centering around earth hues usually bring us a sense of calm and serenity, with good reason. “If you’re going for more of a relaxing Zen-like atmosphere, you’ll want to use cool colors like blue hues or soft neutrals,” says interior designer Shelly Lynch-Sparks. Creating a sense of harmony between any colors you use is very important when building a balanced room.

Turn your spare room into a yoga studio

Imagine a dim, airy space lit with candlelight and enough space to stretch into any yoga pose. A home yoga studio could be yours through simple tips that can create a sense of zen in your room. It could be your own meditative space with a beauty cabinet overflowing with essential natural oils. “We’re seeing a lot of people incorporating everything from eucalyptus to tea tree and CBD oils into their yoga practice to relax after a long stressful day or to soothe and relieve tension in sore muscles,” says Marc Lewis, executive editor at Remedy Review.

Keep electronics out of sight

Displays have the potential to disturb any peaceful ambiance, just by reminding you of the outside world instead of what surrounds you. Keep electronics hidden where you can to create a more mindful space. You’ll find yourself picking up a magazine or book more often than if you turned your attention towards your iPad.

Surround Yourself with Cozy Textures

Photo by Daniil Silantev on Unsplash

Play with texture to give depth to any room, turning a keen eye on the little details. A shaggy beige rug or white fluffy pillow can make your room feel cozy while still lowkey. This is an opportunity to showcase your decorating skills with interesting fabrics and textiles for a more zen space.

Use natural woods

In the world of Feng Shui, bamboo is believed to attract luck and abundance through its cleansing energy and representation of all natural elements (water, wood, fire, earth, and metal). The element of natural wood is essential when it comes to crafting a harmonious environment. If you’re lucky to have hardwood floors, showcase them by only using soft, light colors.

Purify with an aroma diffuser

An essential oil aroma diffuser has the ability to purify the air around you, leading to a relaxed and tranquil space. Aromatherapy does wonders when it comes to a peaceful mind, so bring those elements in for a peaceful home. Oil diffusers provide moisture, which helps clear your sinuses and pores as well as healing dry skin.

With these ten tips and tricks, you can bring zen into your home by creating a sense of balance and harmony that will eventually reflect in your everyday life.

This article is authored by Vanessa Bermudez

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

If you want to make your home that much more beautiful than it currently is, there are many ways of doing so high you can attend to. There are many ways in which the part of the world you happen to live in might affect your home decor and so on, but the truth is that there are just as many which are practically universal laws when it comes to home design. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the things you can do to make your home more beautiful, no matter where you are in the world. As long as you pay attention to some of these universal trends, you will find that your home is always looking its best no matter what.

Space

First things first, you need to make sure that you are making the best possible use of the space in your home. This is at once one of the most important and most difficult things to get right, and often it is a matter of trial and error to ensure that you get it right in your home. The amount of space you have in your home is vital to think about because it lends a lot to the feeling of home within the home, and also because it means that you know exactly what you have to work with, and what you don’t. Make sure you are aware of what space you have, how you can make it work as effectively as possible, and how you might even be able to make more of it, so that you can have even more to work with as you attempt to make your home beautiful.

Furniture

Much of what you want to achieve can be done so by looking at the furniture alone, and for that reason this is one of the first things you will want to look into if you are hoping for a much more beautiful home in no time at all. You can always change the furniture around, and sometimes even just moving it around the room is sufficient to ensure that you are achieving the results you want. You can of course also achieve plenty by looking into getting hold of some particularly elegant furniture, so this is something to consider as well. As long as you are happy with the furniture choices, your home will be that much more likely to look and feel beautiful, so this is definitely something to think about early on in the design process.

Color

The better you understand color, the more likely it is that you can make your home beautiful, regardless of the culture you are in or where you are on planet Earth. Colors tend to have the same intrinsic instinctive meaning for humans everywhere, and you can use this understanding of different colors to make your home that much more beautiful, and to produce the kind of effects you might be looking for. Do that, and your home will be in the kind of range of styles that you want it to be much more easily.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

If you own property, odds are that you’ll hope to rent it in full, or rent some of the rooms. This means that you’ll need to interface with prospective tenants sooner or later. In order to care for this process appropriately, you need to keep in mind a few positive processes. Landlording is not an easy job. It requires a hands-on approach, even when using services that help mitigate this responsibility. You need to stay aware of the entire process from top to bottom and ensure that it’s handled correctly from the first instance.

However, all of this can seem like just words if we fail to start correctly. So let’s start correctly. When you’re established, and begin to post listings for your property, handling tenant inquiries is essential. To ensure you respect this process and find the best renter for your aims, consider the following:

Vetting Information

First of all, you need to ensure the tenant opting to rent your property can be trusted. Without this guarantee, you’re putting plenty on the line. Vetting a client is essential before accepting them. This is often an accepted process. Asking fees for the tenant to submit an interest in the property, and then having their credit history checked and their financial standing verified can be worthwhile. This is usually a fairly painless process.

A quick credit check will only throw up red flags if the person is heavily in debt, or has financial judgments against their name. Financial history can be verified by them submitting their most recent bank statements to the trusted authority. On top of that, you may ask for reference testimonials from previous letting agents, and even those they work for. All of this can contribute to a picture of a client that may or may not inform your decision to let them rent. Be sure to do this politely, respectfully and promptly, as this is quite an artificial process from the beginning.

Contact & First Meetings

Meet your tenant if approved, no matter how busy. It can be good for them to put a face to a name, and it shows you care about their business. This is how long-term tenants are made.

Management

Property maintenance can be hard if you’re a very busy landlord. It might be that you have many properties to manage at one time, and you’ll likely experience a few maintenance issues in more than one at a time. As the old saying goes, you can wait for a bus for two hours, and then three will show up. For this reason, it’s essential to use services that help you keep on top of all these requirements. Allowing tenants to flag issues, while seeing to them in an adequate time can help the whole process go smoothly, and ensure you keep your prospective tenants comfortable. This is important for any tenancy inquiry because they will be looking for well-maintained homes. A home in ready shape for a move can ensure that the entire inquiry process is completed more quickly. In other words, taking care of this can help respect the inquiry if successful. With these tips, you’re sure to handle tenant inquiries correctly.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

When it comes to finding the ideal venue to conduct your business venture, there are a lot of different things you will need to consider. First of all, you will need to consider your budget, the type of business you will be conducting and the number of people you plan to hire. Here are some helpful tips for helping you figure out exactly what kind of office space you should look for this year.

Location is key

The first and perhaps one of the most important decisions that you need to make when looking at an office space is the location of it. When you are choosing possible places to conduct your business you need to think about making sure it is close to transport links and in an easy to find a location for the convenience of not only yourself but for your staff and also for anyone who wants to come and visit you at work. Make sure you pick a place which is in a good location and you are much more likely to find success.

Think of your budget

Budget is the big question when looking at any part of your business, and an office space can be a huge chunk out of your budget depending on where you live and the rental prices in the area. Be sure that you don’t scrimp on an office for your business and invest in it because not only will it help you come across as more professional, but it might be a place you want to stay in for a long while. Investing some money in a good office is better than cheaping out and then dealing with a space which is uninspiring.

Is it managed?

When you come to buy or rent an office space you will have a few options to choose from. You can either buy a piece of land yourself and turn it into your own office, you can rent an existing store or office from a landlord, or you can look at serviced offices which will usually host many different small businesses under one roof. What you decide to do will largely depend on how quickly you think the business I’ll grow and how much money you have available for the job.

Light and color

It might sound trivial to be looking at elements such as lighting and color when you find a workspace, but it can really have a huge impact on morale and productivity at work. You need to make sure that your office is an inspiring place and that it is completely successful for everyone who works there. Making sure you choose somewhere with lots of windows and light exposure and bright colors can have a larger impact on your success as a venture than you think.

Outdoor space

If you can find an office which has an outdoor space, you should leap in with both feet right away. The value of a quiet outdoor area in your office can be huge because it provides people with somewhere to come for fresh air and also helps to make sure that everyone in your office has a place they can come if they need a little peace and quiet for a project or for issues with stress or anxiety.

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

When more and more lifestyle influencers recommend embracing the DIY side of life, it’s easy for homeowners to fall into the trap of overconfidence. When the photos you found on social media or in your favorite magazine make it look simple, you can feel tempted into giving DIY a go. After all, there is a sense of pride and self-satisfaction in making your own home that nothing can replace. Except however that doing it yourself only works if you know what you’re doing. You can’t just pick up your tools and hope for the best. And that precisely why numerous enthusiastic homeowners suffer every year from the consequences of a bad DIY decision. Here are the many ways in which amateur DIY can affect you and your home.

It requires knowledge you don’t always have

If you’ve been dreaming of a large and exciting garden to improve your curb appeal, you need to understand that keeping your outdoors looking fresh and luxuriant requires a lot of work. From the creation of a theme, which gives your garden its personality, to the control of weeds, you can’t afford to get lazy. However, having an eye for colors and details is not enough when it comes to your flowers and greens. Indeed, keeping your plants alive requires substantial knowledge of each plant’s requirements in terms of water, soil, and shade. Additionally, not all plants can cohabit — some might attack specific species when placed in their vicinity. In short, you can’t embrace on a large-scale project without research.

It puts you at risk of faults

Ultimately, if you’ve got no or little experience of working with electricity, plumbing, and internal structure, it’s fair to say that you should give up on the dream of building your own home. Even tiny homes owners need the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure their permanent safety in the property. For extensive construction or renovation projects, it’s best to contact general contracting services to protect your home. Indeed, most home insurers refuse to cover damages perpetrated by amateur DIY work.

It stresses you out

The very first DIY project that homeowners choose to carry is moving houses. Indeed, the appeal of moving yourself is primarily financial. You don’t need to pay for additional services. Admittedly, you will have to pack and carry all your belongings. For long-distance movers, it can be an exhausting experience, which comes on top of the stress of changing location. With professional movers, you might get insurance coverage for your items, yet when you move there’s no compensation for the things you break or lose.

The result can be messy

Painting walls is the second most common DIY project that can be linked to high stress. Indeed, while it seems easy to grab a paintbrush and pick a color, there are a lot more know-how and best practices tips involved. From not washing your walls before painting to leaving fixtures exposed, amateur mistakes can significantly affect the end result.

The DIY appeal is not without risk. If you’re not into crafting, it’s best to pick small and manageable projects before you approach time and effort demanding works that require more skills and experience.

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

I get it. I don’t think anyone’s idea of fun would be to move house. Yes, it will be exciting for a small part of it. The idea of a new place, the next chapter in your life and the adventures you might have in your new home. But in order to get to the final destination, you must first sell your home and move, and this is where the stress comes in. However, it doesn’t need to be this way. I wanted to share with you some of the things that you could do to help take the stress out of it.

Don’t rely on other people

Moving home is not going to be the easiest thing that you do, there is a reason why people say it is stressful, and often that can be because you are relying on others to do the job for you. Sometimes just having the platform to advertise your home is enough and advertising and marketing your home yourself could be an option. Systems like SWMRIC can give you valuable information about the area and pricing etc, and often by cutting out the middleman you can save yourself a lot of money in fees and commission. Which means more money for you.

Make your house sellable beforehand

One of the biggest problems that people face is ensuring that their house looks sellable before putting it on the market. It may sound crazy, but you do want to appeal to the mass market. So redecorating your home and making some small investments here and there could be the ideal solution. A more neutral color scheme could help you appeal to more buyers, as this enables them to envision their own things in your home or what they may want to do with it. Also investing time to get rid of clutter and make the space tidier can help to make rooms appear larger and more spacious.

Plan ahead

It is also important for you to plan ahead as best you can and that can mean anything from the actual packing process to the moving in dates and who will help. Packing can be started quite soon after a sale is looking to complete, and a great tip would be to consider packing for your new home so that unloading is far less stressful at the other end. You could also plan the dates you, move, the help you end and whether or not you need to book a removal company to help you do it.

Be realistic

Finally, the best advice when it comes to selling and moving on is to ensure that you are realistic. You need to be realistic with your time, you need to be realistic with your expectations and you need to be realistic with yourself. These things take time and they can be very stressful, so ensuring you expect the unexpected can help you remain in control of the situation.

I hope that these tips help you when it comes to selling your home.

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

If you’re someone that has always wanted to buy their own home, when you start the process, you will often be really excited about it. But at the same time, you’ll know that buying a house is such a big deal. And because of that, it can freak you out a little! But if you don’t want to get too stressed out about the process, here’s what to do.

Set Realistic Expectations

So first of all, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re just being realistic about this whole process. Because wanting to buy a house is a really big thing to do. And it will stress you out if you’re not realistic. When you’re thinking of the house that you want to get or the budget, just be as realistic as possible so that you don’t stress out so much.

Take Your Time

Another thing that can help you is to make sure that you just do it in your own time. Don’t push yourself to get the money together in a crazy fast time if it’s going to impact on your lifestyle.

Understand The Stats

Lastly, it’s going to make you feel so much better if you understand how you compare to the average first time home buyer. Don’t feel as if you’re too late or that you should have done this already. Instead, take a look at the statistics in the infographic below. As then you will find that actually, you’re right on track.

Infographic Design By 1st-time home buyer loans

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

During the warm summer season, it’s tempting to forget all your household worries by laying in the sunshine with a cool drink; and why not? You have every right to enjoy the sun and some relaxation time. However, you don’t want to venture into autumn and winter with a home and garden full of issues that you’d wish you’d sorted out before. You’ll want to be snuggling up by a cozy fire, and relaxing in front of a movie on those cold winter nights, surrounded by an environment that you’re happy with. Therefore, you may want to consider sorting out some of the following things while the weather is warm, and your spirits and energy are high.

Outside Projects

It’s always worth checking over the outside of your house for any damage that the cold, stormy weather, may have caused the exterior over the last winter. Summer is the time to get on top of any existing issues, so that you won’t have to deal with any leaks, damp, or draughts, through the chilly dark nights that will be coming up. You have the chance to consider things like a Heat-Line heat cable so that you’ll know your roof can be de-iced with ease when winter sets in, which will prevent potential damage.

If you’re not confident enough to scale a ladder and check out what’s happening on your roof and with your guttering, then it may be time to call in a professional. Often, experts will come and have a look, and give you a quote, free of charge; just make sure that you contact a reputable company, that can be held accountable for any work they carry out.

Tidy Environments

The summer is the perfect time to get rid of your old, unwanted items, and freshen up your living space. Gather together some boxes and large bags, before going through each room of your home and cleaning out everything that hasn’t been used, worn, or looked at, for more than six months. Create a sorting system of things that are no use to anyone and should be thrown away, items to give to shelters and charities, and usable pieces that you can sell in a yard or trunk sale.

Summer has the best months to hold a successful yard or garage sale and could be a fun experience for the whole family to get involved with. Not only will the weather be warm enough to sit and stand outside all day; your neighbors are likely to be walking around and enjoying the sunshine as much as you are. Encourage your kids to clean out their rooms, and to sell anything they don’t need anymore, for some extra pocket money (this is always a great incentive). You’ll be making some extra cash to squirrel away for the holiday season, and creating a clean and organized living environment for you and your family.

By organizing your home and living environment now, in the traditional vacation months, you’ll be able to save time, money, and a lot of unnecessary stress. You can create your perfect cozy abode before it’s too late and the weather is cold. Therefore, plan ahead, and ensure that you and your family have a lovely, cozy winter at home this year.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

Are you looking to turn away home buyers from your property? Are you keen to put as many obstacles in their way as possible? Are you content to never sell your home?

We are assuming the answer to the questions posed is ‘no.’ However, if your home is up for sale, and you have been having trouble selling it, then there may be a very good reason as to why. The following are the surefire ways to turn off a potential home buyer.

Surefire Ways To Turn Off A Home Buyer

Kids toys on the living room floor, dishes in the sink, unmade beds, clothes scattered everywhere…you can have a messy home in your own time, but before the buyer knocks on your door, you really do need to have a tidy up. They don’t want to step over your stuff as they navigate the health and safety nightmare that is your house, and you don’t want the indignity of them seeing your untidiness anyway. The house needs to be spotless, with clean and tidy rooms, as the buyer won’t get an impression of what they can do with the space if they can’t actually see it!

Neglecting curb appeal

Of course, the home buyer may not actually make it into your home if the exterior is in a mess. If your garden is an overgrown tangle of grass and weeds, if the paint job on the outside walls and windows are faded and scuffed, and if your home’s clutter extends to the driveway, the home buyer will hesitate at the gate, rather than risk seeing what the inside of your house is like. You need to focus on the curb appeal, as first impressions really are everything. Get your garden into shape, powerwash the drive, and add a fresh of coat of paint to the home’s exterior. You want to dazzle the buyer on arrival, not repulse them with your lack of overall care.

Having an outdated home

Particularly when trying to appeal to the younger end of the house buying market, it is in your best interest to add some modern appeal to your home. The only time when you shouldn’t is when you are trying to sell a cottage or a property with vintage interest. You may need to undertake a few renovations, but considering these will add to your home’s value, you shouldn’t be out of pocket for long. So upgrade your windows with a trusted window installation company, install some modern appliances, and remove anything that looks as if it belongs in the 1970’s, rather than today’s modern era.

Making the wrong upgrade choices

When adding value to your home, there are some upgrades that are worth the investment, and some that aren’t. Follow the link for the must-haves, but know that personal design choices, room conversions, and outdoor extras (such as a play area), aren’t really worth your time and money. There are some things that the home buyer can do once they have moved in, and the last thing they want is for you to make internal and external renovation choices for them. They may like what you have done, but then again, they may rip up all of your hard work and start again. Assuming they buy the house in the first place, of course. Sometimes less is more, so allow the buyer the use of their imagination when viewing your property.

Your home smells

Sorry to be so rude, but it might. You might not recognise these smells yourself, so ask a friend or a neighbour to cast their nose over your property to sniff out any odours you may have become used to. If you have damp in certain rooms, if you have a smoker in the house, if there are pets running around, and if you have had garlic for dinner, there will be nasty smells around your home. So our advice is this. Get on top of damp problems, put the pets outside, clean up the kitty litter, and eat something that won’t leave an odour in the house or on your breath. Spray the air fresheners around, situate flowers around your house, burn some incense, bake some biscuits for that homely smell, and let the buyer come into a home that won’t cause them to turn their noses up!

Your home is in a bad state of repair

Rotting window frames, creaking doors, squeaky floorboards, dripping taps, unpleasant drafts, unsightly stains on walls and floors…these may not be huge issues to you, but they will be to the buyer. And then there are the bigger maintenance issues, such as a leaking roof, poorly hinged doors, and plumbing issues, all of which are guaranteed to make the buyer think twice about buying your potential death trap of a house. The buyer needs confidence in what they are buying, so they are unlikely to consider anywhere that demands huge amounts of work, unless you are advertising your house as a fixer-upper. Get on top of any maintenance issues, or bring in the experts to get the job done for you.

You!

Dare we say it, but you may be the reason why your home isn’t selling! If any of the above is true, then perhaps you are putting obstacles in the buyer’s way. It may be that you don’t want to sell your house after all, so throwing toys around the room before the buyer arrives, or eating a bucket load of garlic, may be your way to purposefully turn off the buyer. On the other hand, you may want to sell, but if you get emotional every time a buyer takes an interest, perhaps because of the many memories the property holds for you, then you are going to scare the buyer aware. So, our advice is this: let the realtor show your property instead of you, or if you really are trying to sabotage the sale, take the house off the market and stop wasting everybody’s time!

Did any of the above relate to you and your property? If so, take action now, as you may be stuck in your home for a long time to come. We wish you every success in your house move!

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

We spend a lot of time outside when the summer springs on us. If we have a garden, we plant all kinds of colorful flowers and hopefully harvest some fruits and vegetables for summer soups and kebabs, or we go out into town or down to the beach. Staying inside can get just a bit too hot, but does it have to stay that way?

It’s hot outside, it’s hot and humid inside, and you’re trying to strip off as many layers as you can without looking like you’re headed to the beach! So now’s the time to make sure all the sweat collecting around your temples is worth it, and do some housework to make sure your home is as cool, calm, and collected as possible! Here’s a couple of the best moves to make.

How’s Your Roof?

It’s the area of the house that keeps you protected from the elements the most, seeing as the sky and everything it could tip on you is right above it. And because of that, a roof can be the first place to decay after a house has been built, and could do with some repairs every few years or so. Now’s the perfect time to carry those things out!

But during the summer, if you don’t have a roof that’s properly insulated, to keep the heat trapped out or the cool in, you’re going to want to change that. Check out Cool it! The Best Roofs for Hot Climates if you don’t know what you can do about your attic area and the protection over it, as there’s a lot of conflicting info out there. The summer is always going to be a hot period in our lives, and there’s no changing that, so make sure your home stands up to the test each year.

Get to Dusting

There’s a lot of dust in our houses, no matter how clean we think it is. But during the summer we can actually see it floating in the air, and we’re more likely to notice it collecting around our furniture and other possessions. So now’s the perfect time to pick up a cloth and a can of polish, and get wiping from top to bottom.

Don’t forget to put a pair of gloves on as well, as you might find a few dead moths or bugs in your lampshades and behind your bookcases. Pull everything out of the way and get to cleaning; it’s a great way to have a clean house throughout the autumn, and means all the spiders that come crawling in won’t just be adding to the mess!

Housework is something we do all year round, but there’s a couple of special mentions that need to go towards the sun’s ability to illuminate the problem areas in our homes! So make sure you get to areas like these; whilst you’re at it, open the windows and get an air dehumidifier!

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

Look around your home right now and ask yourself whether you are happy. If there is one place in the world that you should be happy, it’s the home that you live in. At some point, we all look around and wish for more space. Some people choose to sell up and move on to a home that has the extra bathrooms and bedrooms that they need. Others see the value in renovation, and it’s in renovation your creative streak can really bubble to the surface. In the modern world of real estate, space is a commodity that you can trade with, as people are always looking for more room for their families. The one place that you can utilize for your family’s needs is the basement and building down for the beautiful bedroom that you’ve always wanted is a decision that you absolutely should make for your home. The best bit? It’s an option that doesn’t necessarily have to be hard to do and it doesn’t have to break the bank, either. You can use the space that you’ve already got: no planning permission needed, to make your beautiful bedroom an entire floor of your home. This makes it more than just a room; it can be a retreat away from the rest of the home that is entirely yours.

With a little creativity and a lot of organization, you can turn your dark basement used for storage into a light, bright and airy bedroom with built in wardrobe space and a bathroom just for you. Right now, you may be shaking your head and wondering how you can level your concrete down there without damaging your foundations, but don’t panic – there are experts for that. The basement space is one that isn’t utilized enough and now you get the chance to make that change and have a transformation that your whole family will be talking about. So, what should you be thinking about when you want to renovate the basement of your home?

It’s Chilly!

The basement is known for its chill and damp interior. The very basic thing that you need to complete for your basement is the insulation. While it’s nice to have a cool place to sleep, it doesn’t mean you want to feel the chill from the exposed brick walls come in, so it’s time to invest in insulation and plasterboard. It can really define your comfort for your basement and if it’s not done right, you’re going to have some very expensive mistakes to fix. It’s best to call in the experts here and get the insulation of your basement done right, so that you don’t undo everything when you’ve finished and it’s still chilly and damp! Wood is a great insulator, so think about using wooden panels for the walls to keep the cold out.

Style Choices.

A basement has the benefit of usually being a very unusual shape. Most of the time, the steps to the basement go to the middle of the room from the upper floors, which mean the room is shaped around the steps. This can give you some leeway when it comes to choosing where you want your bathroom and built in wardrobes to go. You can choose to leave some of the beams and elements exposed if you want to save some cash, but just make sure that any wood you leave exposed is treated properly. An accent concrete wall can give you an industrial look that most people spend a lot of money trying to imitate. Choose your style carefully, as everything from your furniture choices to your color picks will be what makes your basement look good – or not.

Visual Space.

The worst thing that you can do is create a bedroom and bathroom combo that shrinks the size of your basement. Some homes don’t have the luxury of having enough space for both, so there’s a chance that you could only have enough space for just a small bedroom rather than a large bedroom and ensuite. Perception is everything and when you have a smaller basement, you have to think about going for cleaner lines and with the right design, even the tiniest of additional bedrooms can look beautiful and elegant. There are so many little tricks for the eye to think that you’re working with a bigger space, and one of those is using patterns like chevrons and stripes to make the room look big.

Color Palette.

Basements tend not to have windows, with most homeowners installing spotlights instead. Painting the basement bedroom is important if you want to have a light space to work with. Add an accent wall to inject a little warmth in, but don’t go entirely dark with your color scheme. The last thing that you’ll want to do is close of a space that you’re trying to open up. Use a simple color scheme, two colors at the most so that the room doesn’t look too busy. Basements don’t have much in the way of natural light, so the airier you go with your color scheme, the better off you’ll be.

Accent It.

Your basement space, once decorated, will look beautiful, as long as you’ve given it a touch of opulence. The quality of the bedding, the mattress and the artwork that you use is going to have the visual impact that you really want to give. It can be a little haven right in your home, meaning that you can find that burst of tranquillity that you didn’t get at the top of the house. It’s a great way to find space for a break from the rest of the home.

Your basement can be beautiful, pull in more value and give you a space that you didn’t have before. Don’t discount the space under your home; use it and elevate it to be the most beautiful bedroom that you’ve ever had in the home. Take your time and plan it right!

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

If your home’s bathroom has seen better days and it’s beginning to look very tired right now, you should see what you can do to make it feel a little more alive. There are so many modern upgrades you can make, but some are more impactful than others. It’s all about striking that balance between aesthetics and practicality in your bathroom. Read on now to learn about some of the modern bathroom upgrades you should consider making.

Create a Place to Sit

It’s a nice idea to have a small corner of the bathroom that acts as somewhere to sit as you drive off after a shower or apply products. It could be something very simple like a rustic old stool or something a bit more elaborate. As long as it’s a furniture item that’s suitable for the bathroom, you should go for it. It’s a practical touch that will really work wonders for you.

Remodel if Your Layout is Poor

The layout of your bathroom is obviously very important because this dictates how you’ll be able to use it. If you feel like the layout is all wrong, it might be worth considering a big remodel if that’s something that you’re willing to pay for. There are plenty of good bathroom remodeling contractors out there that you can work with. So it doesn’t have to involve much work on your part.

Replace Your Faucets

If you’re not too happy with the key fixtures in your bathroom but you can’t afford to replace them, it’s a good idea to replace the faucets instead. These are small and cheap, meaning they’re easy for you to replace. You should think carefully about how you do this. But if you get it right, you will find that you make your bathroom look more modern right away, and that’s definitely a good thing.

Upgrade the Tiling

A new set of tiles in your bathroom can instantly make the space feel fresher and more modern. It’s the kind of upgrade that has a big impact. You could stick to tiling the walls if you want, but going a step further and improving the quality, standard and durability of the tiles on the floor will also have a big impact on the room, so you might want to update these too.

Convert a Vintage Dresser

If you have an old vintage wooden dresser that you no longer have a use for, it might be a good idea to convert it into a vanity for your bathroom. It’s a nice project to take on and more and more people are doing this kind of thing with dressers. It’s something to consider at least.

It’s definitely important to make your bathroom as modern and contemporary as it can be, but that doesn’t necessarily mean having to spend a lot of money. There are big money changes that could be very positive for you, but smaller upgrades can have a big impact on the room as well.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

A lot of people don’t realize just how important the exterior of their home is. They don’t believe that they should focus as much on it as they do the interior, and their reasoning is usually something along the lines of “I don’t see it as much, so therefore, I don’t need to care about it as much”. And that’s fair enough, but there are plenty of reasons why the exterior of your home needs just as much care.

Even if you don’t “see” the exterior of your home, it’s really the only thing that’s protecting you from the outside. If some of your siding is coming apart or roof tiles are falling off, then you’re going to be at risk during adverse weather, rain or even thieves that can exploit weaknesses in your home. In fact, many people just don’t seem to realize how important their exterior is when it comes to creating an image of their home for guests and family members.

In this post, we’ll be discussing why the exterior of your home tends to matter just as much as the interior. For stylistic reasons, hygiene and even your own safety, we’ll be taking a look at a couple of reasons why you should be focusing on improving the exterior of your home in addition to the interior.

First Impressions Matter

Kerb appeal is more important than you might think. If you’re inviting a date over or want your family to come over for dinner, then you need to make your home actually look inviting. If the insides of your home contrast against the outside, then it’s going to feel weird when they walk in. The idea is to generate a lasting impression on anyone that walks past your home. You want to make them feel like your home is spectacular and deserves a glance.

Safety First

Safety is important, which is why we’d always recommend performing external inspections on your home. This doesn’t need to be very thorough if you do it regularly, but if you haven’t inspected your roof, siding or garage recently, then it’s worth a deep look during the day so you have clear visibility. Check for things like broken siding, cracked tiles, a warped roof due to the weather or even holes in your home that are being caused by rodents or even weather.

Keeping Rodents Out

Another good reason to renovate your exterior is to keep rodents out. Even something simple like installing a fence or fixing it up can help you keep pests out that could otherwise ruin your garden or even set up their home inside of yours. Pests can be frustrating to deal with, which is why we recommend that you do hire pest control as soon as you see signs of something like a rodent infestation so that you can identify how they’re getting into your home and put a stop to it.

It Affects Your Indoors

Whether it’s windows keeping the cold out or fixing your roof so that it doesn’t cause leaks in your bedroom, the exterior quality of your home can affect the indoors. Renewal by Andersen window replacement is a good example of a service that can help your exterior look amazing by switching up your windows, but it can also give benefits for the interior of your home because you can let more light in, you can change how the sunlight affects your home and it can be safer with new windows because they’re less likely to be broken in by thieves.

Landscaping Does Wonders

Landscaping can be the ultimate cure-all for your front and backyard woes. It’s a brilliant way to change how the land around your home looks and you can do amazing things with it. From raising the land and planting a different array of flowers to straightening out the lawn and adding a rustic stone path to your front entrance, there are thousands of ways to add a beautiful look to your home via landscaping. It’s a wonderful way to add value to your home as well, in the event you want to sell in the future!

Hopefully, this article has given you some idea of why it’s so important to worry about not just the interior, but also exterior of your home. These are pretty serious points, so we hope that you’ve taken them on board and are already considering a contractor or even performing some work of your own to upgrade the exterior of your property and give it a new look.

This is a Contributed Post and contains affiliate links

If you have a house or you are looking to buy a house this year, one feature which you might love is your garden. A garden is a great way to express your creativity. When you are trying to create a beautiful garden for yourself and your family there are so many things you can think about, and here are some of the main things that you can do.

Plant Flowers

The first and likely the most obvious way to get a garden which is stunning and full of life is to plant some flowers. There are countless different types of flowers to choose from for your garden and you can really let your inner self out here. Make sure that you think about the different parts of your garden and ensure that you place flowers either in the sun or the shade depending on their preferred environments. You will notice some great variety in types of flowers and think about what flowers you want to bloom at different times in the year.

Control Weeds

Weeds are the absolute bane of every gardener’s life. They are invasive, hardy and they take over EVERYTHING. If you want to have a truly stunning garden this year you will want to make sure that you keep on top of weeding and make sure that they cannot grow and overtake your entire garden space. You can use weed killer and even use salt or bleach in between your paving slabs to kill, off the weeds at the root.

 Create a Theme
If you want to make a garden which really stands out and looks incredible right from the start you can think about creating a theme for your outdoor space. For example, if you wanted to make a lovely relaxing space you could go for a Japanese style garden with lots of cherry trees, acres and a large pond with koi carp. Coming up with a theme can make it easier for you to choose your garden features because it will allow you to go off other people’s gardens.

 Bring in Art

If you love the idea of adding extra color and character to your garden this year, did you know that you can actually add artwork into your garden this year? You can buy canvas prints and portraits which are waterproof and will add a huge amount of color and stunning imagery to your outdoor space. You could have a sunset scene, a beach or even an animal hanging in your garden and this can be absolutely amazing.

Add Colorful Pots

If you have lots of plant pots already in your back garden, you are likely to be sick of seeing the color terracotta for good, and we really don’t blame you at all for this. Those old-fashioned looking plant pots can just stick out like a sore thumb against a lovely garden and it is a shame that they mar the landscape. However, all is not lost because with some spray paint and bright colors you can transform a boring plant pot into something which looks incredible and looks amazing against the green backdrop. Colors such as yellow, red and pink work particularly well and add some character to the space.

Create a Herb Garden

If you want a garden which actually has a function, you can think about creating a herb garden in your backyard using a simple wooden trough as your planter. You can have some fun planting seeds of your favorite herbs such as garlic, basil, rosemary, thyme and loads more, placing this in a sunny spot in the garden will give you a great smell in the garden as well as give you the ability to use fresh herbs in cooking rather than dried ones. It can make a big difference to your cooking and adds an attractive feature to the garden.

 Make it Simple

If you enjoy a minimalist design inside your home, you also make a simple design on the garden. Your garden can consist of simple grasses, shrubs and you can choose two colors which will fill the space during the spring and summer months. Colour combinations such as white and red, orange and yellow or blue and pink can work amazingly in your outdoor space and it can make it feel like a stunning show garden. Simplicity adds some lovely elegance to the space and it will require less maintenance too.

Make a Feature

If you fancy making your garden more interesting and fun this year, you can think about adding a fun design feature such as a pond or an arch which can be filled with climbing roses or wisteria. There are so many awesome features that you can bring into the home which will make the space feel more exciting and give you something really fun to look at and interact with.

Don’t Clutter

If there is anything that you can take on board from this list for your garden, it is not to clutter up your space too much. It can be incredibly messy if you over plant flowers and you let your plants grow out too much, so try to keep things fairly tidy and organized in your garden. You are still able to have a wild garden and keep it in check, so make sure you go out a few times during the summer to clean things off.

Vary Textures

You can have some fun with your garden by playing around with some different textures and sizes if the plants you use. There are many different shapes and textures of leaves and flowers that you can buy from your local garden center so you can buy a few different types and have them arranged in one flowerbed to make a stunning display. For example, you can go with long, tall grasses, some medium, rounded bedding plants such as poppies, and finish with some tiny nigella plants which have feather-like leaves and stunning blue or white flowers. Play around and don’t be afraid to have lots of different types of plants.

Add a Wooden Deck

If you are thinking of upgrading your patio area this year, why not think about adding a stunning decking into the garden? You can look at different timber frame design to find a great timber deck or even a timber pergola which will act as a wonderful feature in the garden as well as the perfect place for you to sit out in the summer and have parties with your family and your friends.

Make a Cozy Area

The final and most fun project you can do to make a stunning garden this year is to make yourself a cost area in the garden where you can sit down at the end of a long week and drink a glass of wine while you enjoy the fresh air. You can start off with a pergola, an arbor or a simple patio area which has some sort of rain cover over the top for the evenings. You can decorate the area by painting the wooden beams, hanging some art and having a trellis for climbing plants to thrive and grow. You can then add a table for you to place your drinks on, and this can house a candle, some tea lights and a vase of flowers or a small plant pot. You can then finish off the cost area with lots of cushions and a blanket, some fairy lights and a chiminea for you to warm yourself up on cold evenings. A cozy area in the garden can make the whole area feel amazing and is beautiful.

This is a contributed post and contains affiliate links

When you want to sell a house, there is a secret to doing it. You need to stage it. You need to set it up so that if someone walks into your house, they can take one look and want to buy it. It doesn’t matter whether you want to sell it to make more money or you’re downsizing to a new property, you need to make sure that you can pull in those buyers and get an offer on your house.

Empty houses are far harder to sell because buyers like to have a visual on what they’re buying rather than trying to picture what furniture could look like on an empty floor. It’s also true that if your home is too cluttered and too busy, you could put buyers off. They want clean lines, tidy furniture and a room that has just enough furniture that they can see what they would like to do with it. There are many things that you can do with your house, but your bedroom is going to sell it for most. They say it’s the kitchen that’s the selling point, but if you put a female buyer in a master bedroom with no closet space, she’s going to look away quicker than you think! So, follow the staging rules below and you will be able to sell your home in no time at all.

Less is more when it comes to your bedroom. Find the nearest mattress store and buy yourself a new mattress to use in the lead up to your house sale. It’s an investment because a bed with a new mattress topped with pillows and comforters is going to look even, cozy and comfortable in your bedroom. A dilapidated mattress with lumps doesn’t look so inviting and inviting is what you want!

Creating a budget is another important rule of staging. You have to invest a little money to make a little back, and your budget has to be clean and stuck to the whole time. Even if your budget is a little one, you can paint your bedside tables or hang some framed art just to give your room a little more of a boost.

Open the windows and let in some natural light, especially if it’s a summery day. Net curtains should not be covering the windows during the selling period, because you want as much light as possible to flood the room and brighten it up. Make sure that your curtains and treatments on your windows are color matched to the rest of the room and don’t be afraid to get stuck in with some window cleaner for that extra shine.

It doesn’t hurt to bring in carpet cleaners before you put your home on the market. A thick, clean and beautiful carpet in the bedroom is a huge selling point for your house and can be what you need to impress.

Take time to stage your bedroom and get it as tidy as possible, and you can sell your home in no time.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

Clutter has become the boogeyman of all things interior design related as of late. Even when you’re aiming hard to evoke a certain style or scene, you’re well warned to avoid overstuffing the room with things that tend to draw the eye away from key elements of design. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to work with the barest minimum. Here, we’re going to look at how your keen attention to detail can work even without the clutter.

Pretty up the practical points

Prettiness and practicality are the ideal. We have heard a lot about avoiding putting too many knick-knacks on bookshelves, coffee tables, mantelpieces and the like. However, if the room has a practical space like the desk or storage cubbies, this can the perfect place to accent with one or two knick-knacks. You still want to avoid overdoing it, but practical spaces by themselves look a little bare and unfun, so those extra details can help give them some much-needed life while keeping other surfaces clean and simple. You have to know when to let the furniture speak for itself and when it needs a little help.

Making existing elements match

When decorating the room, we tend to look at the big picture first. The walls, the flooring, the major pieces of furniture. If you want to really appeal to those who can pick out fine details, you have to update the other elements, too. Choose the right window treatments and shop by drapery hardware material to make sure that any curtain rods match. Update the wall art when you update your walls. Don’t neglect to accent the room with matching area rugs and throw pillows even if you’re opting for a more contemporary style.

Mismatch with care

Mismatched home décor is all the rage these days, but many people are rightfully wary of it. Get it wrong and it can look like you came into a room with no plan at all. Instead, the right idea is to keep the majority of your furniture and fittings in one style. Then you choose a few individual elements of different materials and textures to apply on top like a single layer. Keep those mismatched elements consistent with each other, however, to ensure that the effect looks intentional, not like an unfortunate accident.

Stick to the color scheme

This is a simple rule, but it’s one that needs to be reinforced time and time again. The room should rely primarily on two colors, and everything should fit into or around that palette. Online room color pickers can help you test out different colors and its best to work your way up. Rather than choosing wall colors first, pick your central piece of furniture and choose wall and floor colors that contrast nicely with it.

Learning to add detail is all about being selective. Make use of the core elements and permanent (or semi-permanent) parts of the room. Above all else, stick to the core style and color scheme.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

If you are worried because you are not sure if your home is welcoming enough or if you feel as though you need your home to be more inviting then here are some top tips that will help you to get started.

It’s All About The Lighting

Mood lighting isn’t for romance at all. When you set the lighting, you need to take into account the guests that you are having over. For example, if you know that you are going to have friends over for a few drinks then you may want to have the wall lights turned on and the overhead lights turned off. If you are having someone over for coffee on the other hand then you may want to do the opposite. By taking into account the people who you are going to have over, you can then be sure to really provide them with a super welcoming atmosphere.

Textures

Textures are incredibly important when it comes to coziness. If you want to make your home feel more welcoming then try and surround your room with things that are nice to touch. This can include smooth blankets, fluffy cushions and even smooth wooden furniture as well. The more things that you can do to make your home feel less rigid, the more welcoming it will feel in general. Honeycomb cellular shades are also a fantastic option, as you can control the amount of light that comes into a room.

Layer Up!

You really do need to focus on layers when you do style your home. You need to focus on having things like pillows, blankets and everything else that you can think of so that you can have a super plush and a very cozy relaxing time. Of course, if you need some more ideas then consider having things like throws or even things like teddy bears as well. This can make a huge difference in the comfort level of your home and it can also make it feel way warmer.

Intimate Seating

It’s super important that you don’t place your seating too far apart. When you do this, you then create a sense of distance between your guests and this is the last thing that you want. If you want to avoid this then try and place your seating very close together and try and have some sort of table in-between as well. This will create a sense of space but it will also help you to create a sense of intimacy as well which is ideal when you want to make your guests feel incredibly comfortable from the moment they arrive. Of course, if you want to step things up even more then consider adding a rug in-between as well. This will create a sense of warmth and it will also help you to give your guests some added comfort as well.

So there are so many things that you can do to try and make the most out of your home design and by taking into account the above tips, you can be sure to make your guests feel more welcome than ever before.

This is a contributed post and contains affiliate links

The season of spending long and hot afternoons in the garden is finally upon us, and you may be beginning to think about hosting a few parties so that you can socialize with your friends and family. However, after a long winter, your home and garden might be in need of a little “TLC” due to neglect in the colder weather. It’s understandable that you want your home in tip-top shape before inviting guests over, so take a look at these tips on how to get your home summer party ready.

Spruce up the Garden:

With this glorious weather, it’s likely that you’ll be spending a ton of time in your garden with your guests, lapping up as much of the sun as possible. So, you’ll ideally want to have your garden looking it’s best in time for your get-togethers. Take a look at these ideas on how to spruce up the garden quickly:

• Pot some fresh flowers to instantly add color to your garden. It will also attract more bees to pollinate the rest of your garden too.
• Buy some sails or a gazebo for your garden so that there’s always an area of shade for you and your guests to sit under. There’s nothing worse than not being able to relieve yourself from the hot sun for a little while!
• Buy garden ornaments to dot around your garden to add character and personalization.
• If you’re going for a more tranquil theme in your garden, consider adding a focal point like a gentle water feature or a bird bath.
• Repaint the shed and any other structures to freshen up your garden instantly.

You don’t have to do major work to your garden to have it ready and looking great for your guests, so consider making smaller changes to really transform your garden!

Renew Details in the Bathroom:

One room that all of your guests will visit at least once is your bathroom. When cold beverages are flowing it’s all too easy to find yourself nipping off to the toilet. That’s why it’s important to renew some of the details in your bathroom so that you can wow your guests with your lovely home. If you’re planning on completely remodeling your bathroom, we recommend you take a look at https://kitchensacramento.com/bathroom-remodeling-guide-tips/ for the best tips and tricks. However, if you’re looking for some quick changes that you could be making, then why not consider renewing your shower curtain, or changing your taps for a brand new look for a fraction of the price? Buy a new bathroom set to give the room a whole new look, pair it will a good scrub and your bathroom will look as good as new!

Declutter the Kitchen:

Another room that will be used a lot is your kitchen, due to the fact that you’re serving food and drinks. While your kitchen might not need redoing, it might be looking a little sad. Sometimes, the best transformations come from decluttering a room and giving it a deep clean. Try this and you’ll soon notice how amazing your kitchen looks! You could treat yourself to some new artwork for your kitchen walls to add something else for your guests to admire.

Impress Your Guests with a New Design Feature:

There’s no better feeling than making something yourself and being able to show it off to your guests, so why not do exactly that? Take a look at these easy-to-make design features that your guests will just love:

• A bar to serve your drinks from, and this can be done either inside or outside of your home! Don’t forget to add a fridge to keep everything cool!
• An outside seating area. Seats can be made from pretty much anything, so get creative and see what you can come up with!
• A brick BBQ/pizza oven. The perfect way to spend as much time outside as possible and impress your guests!

Update Smaller Details to Make a Big Impact:

Finally, we’ve mentioned making smaller changes quite a lot, so why not use this idea for your whole home? Things like giving your walls a lick of paint, or changing the door handles make more difference than you may think! Check out this list of small changes that make a big impact at home and see what tickles your fancy!

Following these tips and tricks will have your home ship shape in no time. Enjoy the glorious summer!

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

Our homes are something we like to take pride in. But as much as we rely on our homes, and as much as they serve us well, they know how to let us down at just the right time. It can be so stressful owning a home when everything seems to be falling down around us. Considering you spend so much time in the home, we want to make sure you avoid all of the stress it can potentially bring. We think that we know some of the most common ways that your home can let you down, and how you can stop all of it from happening. Save yourself some time, effort, and money, and have a read of the information we’ve got below for you.

Leaky Problems

There’s one thing that you really don’t want your home to fall victim to, and that’s a problem with the drains, pipes, or water supply. It can so easily happen though, whether your home is new or old. You could have a leaky pipe lying underneath your floorboards that’s just drip, drip, dripping away. At first, you won’t even know it’s happening. But, as the drips build and build, so does the damp and the puddle that it’s creating. After a few weeks maybe, it’ll be coming through your ceiling, and on a mission to ruin the rest of your home. As soon as you get the first sign of this, you need to contact a company such as Home Angels. It’s all well and good just having a bit of a damp ceiling, but as soon as that builds and builds, you’ve got a weight being added to the structure. If a leak is undetected for long enough, that weight literally has the power to bring the ceiling down, and the money it would cost to get that sorted would be so much more extensive.

Energy Drainer

Your home can definitely be an energy drainer if you let it. The money that people spend on bills is terrible, and the home plays a really big part in this. Some homes are just more expensive to maintain and fuel than others, and this is something that you should have researched from the very beginning. But, if you’re struggling at the minute, you need to think what could be draining it. Are you using energy saving light bulbs? Are you using a smart meter to monitor and control your spendings? Do you have double glazing to protect and heat your home? These are all things you need to consider changing!

Loss Of Value

Think of a home like a car. It can really depreciate in value, or you can do some work to it to bring the value up. If your home is old, you’ve owned it for years, and you haven’t done anything to renovate it, it might be time to think about doing that. Your home can really let you down price wise, but if you were to renovate the kitchen and bathrooms to make it more modern, it could add thousands to the price of your h

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

Building your family home is generally seen as an excellent option. It means you can design and create the perfect home for your specific family. The kids will have their own bedrooms that are custom-made for them. You will have as many rooms in the house as you need, and it will all come together very nicely.

However, there are plenty of things that demand your attention when you want to build your home. If you forget about them, then it could mean the whole process goes up in smoke. So, here are some of the critical things you can’t neglect:

Make Sure You Can Actually Build On Your Land

Some people are gifted land by family members as a present, or it’s just handed down through generations. If you live in the countryside and have a family with a farming background, then this is likely to happen to you. Other people just go out and buy land because it looks like an attractive offer and you can now build on it or use it for other purposes. Lastly, you have people who own their home, and want to knock it down and then rebuild one on the same patch of land.

Regardless of your situation, you have to make sure you can actually build on your land. By this I mean; can you legally build a house there, and is it safe? The legal part should be reasonably easy to find out as you have to contact your local government and let them know of your plans. If everything is fine, then your plans will be approved. For the safety part, you should think about getting your land inspected. There are companies like Cochran Engineering that provide land surveys to help see the state of your land. It could transpire that the surface just isn’t healthy or stable enough for a house to be built on. Ideally, you want to figure this out before you start trying to build a house!

Figure Out Where Your Family Will Stay During The Build

Naturally, your family needs to have a place to stay while your new home is being built. If you already have a home and are creating a new one in a new location, then you should be fine. You can stay in your old one until the new one is built, and there’s nothing to worry about.

However, issues arise when people want to rebuild their current home. You knock it down and replace it with something far better and more updated. The problem is; where do you live during the construction time? It could take well over a year for your house to be built, so what will your family do during this time? It’s down to you to ensure you have a place to live and live comfortably. Perhaps your parents have a big enough house to let you stay with them while your new one is built? If not, then the next best option is probably renting a home until your new one is ready for you. My advice is to try and find the cheapest place to rent as you don’t want to spend loads renting while also spending money building your family home.

Try To Estimate The Costs As Accurately As Possible

It’s so crucial that you’re aware of how much the whole building process will cost you and your family. This isn’t something you should do on impulse and then think about the costs after. Many families started building a house and realized near the end that they didn’t have enough money to finish everything. So, their home was either left incomplete until they managed to get enough cash to finish it, or they had to cut corner and miss out on specific features.

The last thing you want is to end up in a dangerous financial position after building your home. So, before you decide if this is the option for you, you have to try and estimate the costs as accurately as possible. There are loads of things to take into account – too many to go through in this piece, unfortunately. But, I can tell you some of the key costs; paying for the actual construction of your home, paying for surveys, paying to rent somewhere else to live (if applicable to your situation), paying for interior decoration, and so on. Work out how much this whole idea will cost you, and it will help you budget accordingly going forward.

Look At Similar Houses For Sale

Finally, you have one last thing to consider after you’ve estimated the costs; would it not be cheaper to just buy a home? You may take a look at all the costs, work out a rough idea for the price range you’re looking at, and think that it’s terribly expensive. At this point, you may think your dreams of moving into a new home are over. However, what if you had a look at some of the houses for sale on the property market and realized it’s actually cheaper to buy?

This doesn’t always happen – it tends to be cheaper to build than buy. But, if you do find a dream home on the market that costs around about the same as the one you want to develop, then it may be a better option to just buy and skip all the effort of building. What I’ll add to this is that looking at similar houses for sale is a good way to show you whether or not you’re paying too much to build your home. It may seem like it’ll cost you a fortune, but when you look at the same type of house on the market, you could find out that building is far more affordable. Either way, having a browse through the property market will help you figure out if you should carry on and build your home, or just buy one instead. Keep these things in mind if you’re thinking about building a family home. Believe me, they’re not the type of things you can afford to forget!

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

Summer is well and truly in full swing and that means that we have some great days ahead. Enjoying being outside, spending time with family and friends and taking advantage of the lighter evenings. But, summer also means that our homes can become incredibly hot. Heat isn’t always so comfortable, and if you don’t have the tie to just sit out and enjoy it, it can be quite unbearable to keep up with your normal routine. Even just walking around your home doing your normal jobs and chores can become a struggle and have you turning into a sweaty mess.

However, there are tried and tested methods to help keep you and your home cool, so I thought I would share with you some of the great things to consider. Whether it is small changes or big investments I hope that some of these options help you withstand the heat on those glorious summer days to come.

Open up the windows in the morning and at night

One of the first things to consider would be to make the most of the cooler morning and evening air before the temperatures rise during the day. First thing, open up the windows and allow the fresh cool air to circulate your home. Once the temperature has reduced shut them before the air gets too warm on the outside. Again, doing this in the evening can also help benefit your home. Once the sun sets or in the evening, the temperature can drop, leaving you with a cool breeze to enjoy in an evening. Leaving a window open while you sleep as well can aid you in having a better nights sleep.

Have good working air conditioning to keep certain rooms cool

The next thing to think about would be to perhaps invest in an air conditioning unit. This is one of the best ways to keep your home cool during the day and can work especially well in the rooms you will be using more frequently such as your kitchen, living room or bedroom. If you have an air conditioning unit already installed, then companies like Affordable Air Conditioning & Heating can ensure that it is in tip-top condition. The last thing you want is a hot day and no air con to relieve you of the heat. However, not everyone is able to have air conditioning, so investing in some good fans could provide you with a lower cost solution.

Keep curtains and blinds closed during the day

The next thing I would suggest would be to consider keeping blinds and curtains drawn during the day. This stops the sun shining through their wounds and effectively warming up the room like an oven. The curtain or blind can act as a block, and while you room may still get warm, it won’t be anywhere near as bad. It might also be worth considering a lighter material as a curtain during the summer months, as a heavy material may act as an insulator of heat rather than expelling it.

Close off unused rooms

There will be rooms in your home that you won’t be using on a day to day basis, especially in the heat as you are more likely to be outside enjoying the good weather. So why not close those rooms off? It helps to keep certain rooms cooler, and combining that with the curtains or blinds being shut can help you to reduce the temperature in certain rooms. This might be worth doing for bedrooms so that when you go up later in the vending, open the windows for some breeze, your bedrooms won’t be as hot as they could have been.

Switch the sheets

During the winter months we are probably all for their blankets and flannels sheets to keep us warm at night, but during the summer this just does n’t cut it. Make sure that you have sheets that you can use during different seasons that are of different extrudes and materials. Cotton is always going to be a safer bet during the summer months as it is a cooler material that will allow your skin to breath.

Change the duvet

Changing the sheets is one thing, but what about the rest of your bed? The duvet might be a little too thick for summer, and so it may be worth switching to a thinner duvet or even avoiding the duvet altogether and just using the bed sheet. The last thing you want is to feel too hot at night, especially as your body needs to reduce in temperature by a degree or so in order to aid you into a sleep. Your pillows may also be causing you issues and these days you can buy mattresses and pillows specific to body temperature, helping you to keep cooler when the temperature rises.

Focus on your body temperature rather than the house

It is easy to place all of your focus on your house when it comes to keeping things cools, but actually having some focus on your own body temperature can also make a big difference. Drinking ice cold drinks, a cold compress and dressing in breathable material to keep you cool could help to reduce your overall body temperature. At the beginning and end of your day, you could also have a cold shower to keep the temperature down and allow you to freshen up.

Cook outside

Finally, cooking is one thing we can’t avoid in this heat, and while you may be living on salads, you might need to cook something at some point. So instead choose to cook outside. Cooking meats on the BBQ is a great accompaniment to salads. You can even bake potatoes on there and grill vegetables helping you to avoid the oven entirely. There are also plenty of recipes online to help keep you inspired.

I hope that this has made you more aware of some of the ways you can keep yourself and your home cool this summer.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

If you have a home then you will know how important it is to keep it looking nice and spacious. You will also know how important it is for you to try and keep the value of your home high as well, but this is easier said than done. After all, at times you just don’t know where to start and this can cause you to experience serious problems later down the line. If you want to get some hints and tips, however, then you can take a look below.

Freshen Things Up

You would be surprised at how much a new lick of paint can make a difference to any room. The main thing that you have to do here is to make sure that you keep it simple and that you are careful with your color choices. If you have a very rich and colored wall then you may want to add some light to this room to try and balance it out. White shades may look too bland here, so try and mix the matt and gloss ratio. This will really help you to make the most out of your home and it will also help you to maintain the same style throughout the house. Remember that having a feature wall is great, but only if you are able to pull off the theme throughout the home. It might also be worth investing in furniture for the living room as well, as this can really bring out the true feel of luxury.

Flowers

Nothing can quite compare to freshly cut flowers. These are great if you want to spruce up your home and the best thing about them is that they can be placed just about anywhere. You can place them on the counter, on the bedside table or even on the windowsill. When you do pick some flowers, make sure that you stick with one color scheme. This can include orchids or even artificial flowers if you want. Of course, if you want to try and step things up to that next level then one thing that you can do is take the time to open the windows and frame your flowers properly. This involves placing them in open windows and making sure that they match in with the color of the curtains. For example, white or pale curtains look great with sunflowers, and roses look great with dark red or burgundy curtains.

Lighting

It’s also an idea for you to swap out any lighting fixtures to ones that are more elegant. Chandeliers help to create a focal point in the room and they are also great if you want to make the whole room more modern. If you cannot afford something like this then this is completely understandable, so consider replacing your lampshades and increase the wattage of the bulbs that you have. When you have more light in a room, this will help you to make the whole room much brighter and it will also help you to accent the design or even the color scheme that you have right now. Remember the more things you can match in, the more modern your home will look.

Hang things Up High

Luxurious homes tend to have very high ceilings. If you have a high ceiling then this is great because you can easily make the most out of this by decorating your walls accordingly. If you don’t have high ceilings however then it is more than possible for you to hang your art or even your paintings up as high as possible. You also need to hang your curtains up as high as you can as this will create the illusion of height when you actually don’t have it. You’d be surprised at how much this can help you to make the most out of your home space and you would also be surprised at how easy it is for you to bring the whole thing together.

Matching Things In

If you have a lot of picture frames that are all different sizes then try and place them on your mantle or even on a side table. If you do not have any picture frames then you should certainly consider investing in some. The main reason for this is because they can decorate the room without taking up too much space. When you do choose your picture frames, try and choose silver or even chrome. The main reason for this is because they are reflective, so it will make the space seem bigger. If you can, avoid gold because it can come across as being cheap or garish.

Mirrors are the Way to Go

When you are able to add a mirror to the wall, you will find that this can really open up the room. A good rule of thumb is to try and place your mirror across the entrances of the room. This will make the room feel way more open and you can even have metal framed mirrors as well. If you don’t want to have mirrors around your home, or if you know that mirrors just wouldn’t fit in the home that you have then one thing that you can do is have cork boards or even pictures that have a metal frame. When you do this, you will open up the space way more when compared and it can make a huge difference to how your room feels.

Textures

When you think of textures, what do you think of? Velvet? Silk? Exactly. For this reason, you should be focusing on things that mimic things like this. Cushions are great for things like this and you would be surprised at how easy it is for you to give that luxurious feel without breaking the bank. If you can, avoid cushions that have motifs or text across them, and try and make them as plain as possible.

There really are so many things that you can do to make your home stand out, and you can also make it look way more luxurious without having to worry about your budget as well. All you have to do is follow the above tips and you will soon be well on your way.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

There should be many things on your list to do to your home. But amongst the rush of everyday life, we often put the little home improvements that we need to do, right to the back of our list. However, you’ll soon get to the point where you just know that certain things need to be done. Or, you’ll be completely oblivious to the small changes that could make a big difference to your home. Whatever point you’re at, we’re here to help. There are some minor things that we think you should have done to your home. If you haven’t, it’s time to give them a whirl, and for you to let us know if they made a difference! So have a read on to find out what’s on our hitlist.

Dirt Removal

We’re not trying to suggest that your house is dirty on the surface. You could be spot on with your cleaning yet there will definitely be some underlying dirt in your home. It just gets worked into all the crack and the corners, until it builds up and up. One area that can really take a hit without you realizing it is the carpet. Best way to get rid of that is by using a steamer to draw all of the dirt out. You can find out which one will work for you on Steam Insider. All you have to do is use it once or twice, just to make sure that you’re definitely getting everything out. The water inside the steamer will run clean when you’ve got it all up. Even though it might not have looked bad before, you’ll see a definite difference once you have used it. We would also recommend that you have a deep clean of areas such as the bathroom and kitchen once a month. It’s so easy for these rooms to collect grime and dirt, just because of all of the moisture and activity that goes on in the room!

Value Increases

Of course, you’re going to want your home to increase in value, but it isn’t just going to do it on its own. If you’re not in a position to extend, think about using the space that you have to add some value. For example, if you have a loft or even a basement to make use of, you could convert it into another room. Just that extra room can add over $10,000 in value to your home, and we know it won’t cost anywhere near that to renovate. The same goes for the bathrooms and the kitchen. The more modern you make it, the more the home is going to sell for.

Focused On Beautiful Decor

You have to be able to respect beautiful decor, and there really is some of that around at the minute. Beautiful decor to us is something that’s simple, yet elegant. Take the velvet grey sofas, with the grey carpet and white walls. It’s so subtle, yet somehow it looks effortlessly elegant. This is what you want to try and achieve, and checking out designs blogs such as this is going to help you get that look.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

There’s so such thing as a magic remedy for interior design, but if all you want to do is quickly fix up your living room before your relatives visit or want to impress your significant other, then there are plenty of quick little ways to make your home look beautiful. In this post, we’ll be showing a couple of home interior hacks that can transform your home in just a couple of minutes.

Get rid of the clutter

Simply get rid of the clutter by storing it in a box, throwing it all into a closet or even hiding it behind the sofa. If there’s a lot of clutter, you need to get rid of it as soon as possible! This will make your home feel a lot more spacious, cleaner and relaxing to lounge in. You’ll want to find a permanent solution for the clutter, but for now, you can simply hide it in a cupboard or keep it out of sight to make your home look beautiful.

Make way for furniture

Furniture is far better when it isn’t surrounded by loads of different things. Whether it’s your coffee table or your sofa, make sure there’s a lot of space around it so that it doesn’t appear cluttered. Pull it away from the walls, separate your end tables and keep things spacious. For a more long-term solution, you’ll want to consider home staging from Spindle Design Co. because they can give you a better design plan for your furniture. For now, it’s fine to just rearrange your furniture a little by giving it more space.

Remove something

The more you take away, the more beautiful your home will look. It sounds like a strange tip, but it’s related to removing clutter. A lot of things in your home are probably taking up far too much space (even if it’s a painting or things on your shelves) and the less there is to look at, the more spacious your rooms will feel.

Simplify your decorations

You might be trying too hard with your decorations if you walk into your rooms and feel overwhelmed by colors and shapes. The idea is to embrace simple decorations such as plants and flowers. For instance, you could pot a few plants from your garden and put them around your rooms as decorations instead of using large and colorful paintings that stand out far too much.

Clean the windows

People don’t realize just how important it is to clean their windows. The film of dust and grime can not only appear unsightly when you look at the windows, but they can also potentially block sunlight, reducing the brightness of the natural light that enters your home. Give your windows a good clean and remove all of the dust and grime to make your home shine and appear more spacious and luxurious with all the extra natural light.

There you have it! Five quick and simple ways to transform your home with ease. There are some long-term solutions you can use in addition to these, but for now, these basic steps will help you impress your guests and give your rooms a quick boost in their appearance.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

We all know that moving house is arguably one of the most stressful things you ever do in your lifetime, and yet it is something that most of us end up having to do a number of times. Obviously, you want to make sure that you are doing whatever you can to make the move as least stressful as possible. There are many things plenty that you can do to be sure that happens. In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the more important checks you might want to make in order to be sure that you are making the most of your move. As long as you pay attention to the following things, you should find that your new home is going to serve you very well, and that it is likely to be somewhere you can live happily for a long time.

The Locks

From a security point of view, one of the first things you definitely want to check is the locks on the house. However many doors and windows there are, be sure that all the locks work. You never know how much hassle and potential trouble this can cause you in the future otherwise, so it is definitely worth looking into when you have moved in. if you are feeling particularly security conscious, you might even want to think about changing the locks shortly after you have moved in. the previous residents could well have made a key, or even a relative of theirs, and you never know who has a copy, and therefore the means to get into your new house. Changing the locks is definitely a wise move for that very reason.

Dampness & Humidity

In many cases, you might find that there is a lot of dampness in a new place, especially if the property has been empty for a time and you can’t be sure of anyone having been there to properly take care of the building. It is a good idea to go around all the walls and ceilings and even underneath carpets and check for damp. Although having a little damp is not necessarily going to be the end of the world, the truth is that it can soon become a much more serious problem, and that will only mean that you are going to have to shell out for proper mold removal at some point in the future. If left alone for long enough, it can even prove to be something of a major health issue, so it is absolutely vital that you check your new home for damp at your earliest convenience. If you think you have discovered some, consider calling an expert to deal with it as soon as possible – and in the meantime, make sure you keep the air flowing through the house. You might even want to think about using a dehumidifier to stop it getting worse and hopefully even dry it out a little.

The Foundation

Clearly enough, there are few things which are quite as important as the foundation that your home is built upon. If there are any problems with that, then it can mean severe safety and comfort issues further down the line. In the worst case scenario, you could even be talking about the potential for a sinking or collapsing house. But you might well be wondering how you can possibly check the foundation for problems, and the truth is that it is not all that hard. If you look at the walls and doors, you should see that the doors fit perfectly well in their frames. If not, it could be a foundation problem. Similarly, if you look at the outside walls you might notice that there is a wonky appearance to some of the stones or bricks. This too could be a sign of a faulty or poor foundation. If you suspect this problem, you should absolutely not leave it alone, as it could be deadly further down the line. Instead, be sure to have it looked at and rectified as soon as you possibly can. It might even save a life in the long run.

The Plumbing

The last thing you want is to discover that there is a persistent leak in your new home, so one of the first checks you will want to make will be the plumbing. Although it might seem obvious, you might be surprised how often people completely fail to take care of the plumbing before they move into a property. If you want to be extra safe and careful, then you should go round and look at all the pipes that you have access to and check for any leaks. Similarly, be sure to give all the taps a go and keep your eye and ear out for anything unusual. If you see any wet areas which should not be, then you will want to call out the professionals immediately. It might even be worth your while to call out the likes of Davis Plumbing & Drain Service to carry out a check up on your home. They will be able to check all of the b plumbing, but also the drains outside, which could well stop you from having some pretty unpleasant – and smelly – problems in the future. As long as you are confident the plumbing is safe and secure, you will feel much better about moving in, so it’s incredibly important.

The Electrics

Arguably, the single most important check to make for the case of security and safety is that the electrics are in working order, and in particular that there are no obvious problems which might lead to electrocution or even fire. This is not something you should do unless you are qualified, so unless you are sure to call out a professional electrician to check it for you. This might it be the first thing you want to spend money on after moving into a new home, but the truth is that you could save money in the long run by spotting a problem early. More importantly, of course, you could also save someone’s life. Being sure of the electrics in your house being safe is definitely the kind of peace of mind that you want to have after moving in, so it is worth checking it out.

The Smoke Detectors

If you do ever have a fire – and it is always a possibility – then you will want to do whatever you can to keep yourself and everyone else safe. Obviously enough, one of the most important things here is the smoke detectors, and this is something you should check when you move in. However, it might not be enough to simply check and see if they work. To be extra vigilant, you might as well take this opportunity to completely replace the batteries, as that way you can be absolutely sure that they are going to work for a long time. Of course, even after doing so you should still check them regularly – but starting off life in your new home with new batteries in the fire alarms is definitely going to be worth doing, if only for the peace of mind it will afford you.

The Water Valve

Certain things are really useful to know about before you need them, especially as more often than not you are going to need to use them quickly in an emergency situation. Such an item is the water shut-off valve, which is something you might need to use if you ever have a problem with your water supply, especially if you have a serious plumbing problem which is leading to leakage somewhere in the home. By locating the waster valve upon moving into the home, you will then know exactly where it is when you need it in future, which could make all the difference when that emergency situation comes. It will also come in handy if you need to get the plumber in and they need to know where it is before they commence on their work. In all likelihood, the previous residents will be able to tell you where it is, but it not you might need to hunt around a little. Thankfully, it is generally pretty easy to locate with a little trial and error.

The Fuse Box

Knowing where the fuse box means that you won’t have to worry when you have electrical problems in the house. Given that one of the main problems you’ll face with your electrics is a fuse being blown or a circuit shorted out, you will find that knowing where the fuse box is could save you on one or two occasions. If you are struggling to locate it, ask either the estate agent or the previous residents. You need to know where this is for the future, so it is best to do so now rather than later.

As long as you make the above checks, you will find that you can get settled into your new home much more quickly, and safely, than if you do not.

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

If you know that there are a ton of jobs that you need to get done around the home but you just don’t have the money to try and get them all done then you are not alone. There are so many people who go through problems like this every single day, but there are things that you can do about this, such as trying to tackle the job yourself. DIY jobs are easier than you think when you have the right tools at your disposal.

Wrench

It’s super important that you have a wrench set. When you do have a wrench set, you will soon find that you open up a huge world of different possibilities. This can include fixing leaking pipes and even dealing with any loose connections as well. A wrench can also help you to replace washers and pipes, not to mention that it can also help you to prevent leaks from happening as well so that is very important for you to take into consideration. If you do have a wrench set, buy some plumbing tape to make things easier the next time you have to make a repair.

Air Compressor

If you don’t have an air compressor right now then you can pick one up from here: https://www.aircompressorscout.net. The main reason why you need to invest in an air compressor is to get any painting jobs done around the house with ease and this is great if you need to paint over some fine wood or even some cabinets. If you do this with a brush then you just won’t get that nice and smooth finish, so this is a great tool when you look at the bigger picture.

Wire Strippers

Wires fray and break over time and there is just nothing you can do about this. If you don’t have the tools you need to replace the wire that has broken then your device will be left unusable for quite some time. This is the last thing that you need as it is a complete waste of money but if you have the tools you need to replace the wire or the plug then this is great. All you need is some screwdrivers, some wire cutters, some electrical tape and knowledge of wiring. This is very easy for you to take care of and you’d be surprised at how much confidence it can give you.

Step Ladders

Ladders come in way handier than you’d like to think. You don’t need to have a full set, just a small stool will do, but it can help you to fix any high cabinets, change lightbulbs and even repair light fixtures. You can also fix curtain rails and hang pictures when you have a good old pair of step ladders as well so this is one of the many things that you have to think about when the time does come for you to get started with your own DIY project.

So there are so many tools that are out there and they can all help you to expand your own DIY knowledge!

This is a contributed post that contains affiliate links

The warmer season is finally upon us and while the majority of us are heading to the great outdoors to lap up as much sun as possible, we also need time to cool off and return to normal temperature to prevent sunstroke. This can be difficult to do when your home is just as hot as it is outdoors, and can lead to frustration and loss of sleep because of it being too warm. Luckily, there are some easy and fast solutions to this dilemma, so take a look at how you can make your home summer ready.

Get some blackout blinds

You may have used them in your child’s bedroom in the summer to block out the light at bedtime so that they can easily fall asleep. Consider using them in other rooms of your home to keep your rooms as cool as possible. Keep your windows slightly open to let fresh air in, and the blinds down to prevent the sunlight from heating up the room. Opt for a lighter color or white if possible to reflect the heat away rather than absorb it into the room. You will find that at the end of each day, the rooms with blackout blinds are much cooler than those without.

Use a dehumidifier

You’ve probably noticed how muggy it gets when you’ve had a particularly hot day. This is because warm air can carry small particles of moisture – causing you to become sweaty and making the air harder to breathe in. Buy yourself a dehumidifier for your home to take away the moisture particles in the air. The Frigidaire is a really good choice because of it’s impressive energy ratings and also the fact that you can see the water collecting inside, allowing you to drain it at the right time. You will quickly notice how much cooler your home is, particularly the room that your dehumidifier is in.

Invest in tinted windows

Another fabulous way of keeping your home cool is by investing in tinted windows. You have probably thought of tinted windows on the back of cars, and they work in the same way on your home. They’re useful for both summer and winter as they will retain heat when it’s cold out, and prevent it from getting in when it’s warm outside. Plus, they add extra privacy to your home and stop the sun from bleaching your furniture – meaning it will last much longer. The tint doesn’t have to be really dark to have effective results either, so consider getting tinted windows for your home!

Consider getting air conditioning

Finally, if you’re really struggling with the heat and need to cool down quickly, it might be a good idea to consider getting air conditioning in your home. It’s a great way of having cold air blasted into the room to help you cool off. One downside is that they can use a lot of energy, so make sure you take that into consideration before purchasing.

Use these techniques in your home and you will be able to enjoy the hot weather and have a relaxing and cool home to wind down in at the end of the day!

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

Just like with modern styles, there are several ways of creating a classic living room look, depending on what era and culture to want to theme your room on.

Wallpaper Always Looks Classic

For a very long time, wallpaper was used because it covered a multitude of lumps and bumps, before the time it was possible to get walls as smooth as they do today. Finding classic looking wallpapers is not difficult, but generally sticking with pale backgrounds such as creams, duck egg blues and light greens, with a darker pattern superimposed, will provide you with the first stage of giving your living room a classic look.

Furniture

The furniture depends on the style of decor you are trying to create. It is not unusual when someone is undertaking this task, to scour the second-hand shops for old furniture and then restore it to its original glory. Sometimes all it needs is the wood sanding and re-varnishing, and new covering on the seats and backs, and you have got chairs that really look the part.

Another alternative is to buy Amish furniture, which always has a classic feel to it. Generally made entirely from wood, it tends to be in traditional styles.

Frames For Mirrors and Pictures

You can go to any framing workshop in the US and they will have frames that are suitable for the style you are putting in your living room. Frames come in so many different colors and the choice is huge, but generally sticking with gold or black quite fancy frames on your mirrors and pictures will do the trick.

Fireplaces

Open fireplaces were the norm in traditional living rooms, and before TV’s came along they were usually the focal point. The sofas and armchairs would be placed around the fire, as in the dead of winter it was the only warmth they had. There was no central heating back then, and close the door was a familiar shout. The living room was often the only room that got any heat, apart from the kitchen when cooking was taking place. So every time the door was opened, cold air was let in.

Soft furnishings

Soft furnishing should be the final touch so choose them carefully or they could ruin the whole effect. Often cushions would have had floral patterns or have been heavily embroidered by the ladies of the house. There would have been no sign of any blinds; all the windows would have had curtains, usually quite heavy ones.

Remove Technology

It would be a shame after all the effort you have put into giving your room a classic look to have a computer sitting in the corner. That would ruin the effect totally. You should remove, or hide, all modern technology and only bring it out when you need to use it.

Don’t Be Afraid To Mix And Match

You have to remember that it was only in the 20th century that things started being mass-produced. In classic rooms, and you will see this in many stately homes or museums that you visit, quite often the furniture was a mix of different types.  We are not suggesting that you mix a modern dining table with classic chairs, for instance, but sometimes things from the same era that are not exactly the same can be interesting in your room.

This is a contributed post with affiliate links

Water is a commodity which we all seem to take for granted. It is the most important material we can use and consume every day, and it is crucial that we don’t use too much of it in our homes in order to save money and energy. If you want to reduce your energy bills and your water this month, here are some ways you can do it.

Look after the drains

It might seem like an odd statement, but if you keep your drains unclogged and rust free, you are likely to use less water. If you start to notice big issues with your pipes make sure to call an emergency plumber to fix it, and then start to look after them with cleaning and unclogging regularly. When you have clear pipes you won’t use as much water trying to clear the clog. It’s a simple fact which is easy to implement.

Don’t rinse before using the dishwasher

The whole point of a dishwasher is to clean your dishes. If you always end up rinsing the plates before putting them in, there is no point in even having a dishwasher. Simple scrape food off and let the dishwasher do its job. You’ll use less water and you will notice that rinsing makes no difference.

Drink fridge water

When you are looking for a glass of cool water, you likely end up reaching for the tap and waiting until the water it cold enough. The issue with this is that you are wasting a few glasses worth of water before even pouring one. To save the hassle you can just buy a jug for the fridge, fill it up and leave the water in there for each time you fancy a drink.

Heat your water in the microwave.

If your boiler is on the brink and it seems to take 10 minutes for your tap water to get warm enough in the kitchen to clean up, you will be wasting a staggering amount of water which you don’t need to use. To avoid this wait, fill a bowl with water and pop it in the microwave for a few minutes until it is warm enough. It uses less energy and you waste no water at all.

Don’t leave the tap running

The worst thing you can do for your water consumption is to leave it running while you brush your teeth. If you are brushing your teeth properly it should be taking you at least 2 minutes, so this is a lot of time for water to be running and wasted. Leave it off while you brush and only use it for a few seconds to rinse your mouth and your brush!

Use a low-pressure shower

The easiest way to use less water is to buy a less powerful shower for the bathroom. Although a power shower always feels amazing and it is second to none on a cold day, it uses up a huge amount of water. To save money and energy, make sure you use a low-pressure shower or one which has an eco setting.

This is a Contributed Post with affiliate links

Let’s face it; most people have an incredibly long list of home improvements that they’d like to complete. Sadly, time and budget restrictions make it impossible to do them all at once. Therefore, getting your priorities in order to pick the best upgrade is arguably the most important challenge of all. Without creating those strong foundations, you cannot expect to unlock the full potential of your property.

 Ask the following four questions during that decision-making process. The answers should see you reach the most logical conclusion.

Does The Project Need To Be Completed Quickly?

 Entering this critical decision-making process with the right mindset is essential. A realization that the upgrade you want is always the upgrade you need is probably the most significant factor of all. While the fancy TV or garden pool may put a smile on your face, functional items must take priority.

 Restoring the home’s structural integrity should be top of the list, with the roof being a common item. You must also keep an eye out for internal issues that could lead to significant damage. The Rytech guide to identifying early signs of water leaks could prove to be vital. After rectifying potential dangers, insulation and energy consumption should be the focus.

 Do I Have A Clear Vision?

 While your priorities should be with the functional aspects, esthetic beauty is still important. Before starting the project, you need to know your exact goals. Design ideas from House Method can provide huge inspiration. Ultimately, you want to find innovations and styles that will keep you smiling for several years to come.

 Furniture and furnishings are naturally crucial while color schemes help set the tone. Still, you must also learn to incorporate personal touches such as family photographs into the designs. Failure to do this will ultimately prevent you from unlocking that cozy vibe.

Does The Project Make Financial Sense?

Given that the property is your greatest financial asset, you cannot ignore the monetary aspects. Firstly, you must respect the budget. Making improvements in one part of your life that will bring negativity in other areas simply isn’t a solution.   

 On a similar note, you want to prioritize projects where the boost in property value outweighs the cost. Creating impactful bathroom upgrades is a very smart move. This is because the limited space but significant function allow you to see maximum results. Whichever project you choose, the choice between DIY or calling a pro will be vital too.

 How Will It Improve My Daily Life?

 When making luxury additions, the vision can often be vastly different from the reality. So, while getting a hot tub may sound amazing, you might be better suited to a new mattress that will actively enhance your life on a daily basis. Once again, taking a practical approach is vital.   

 In addition to the positive impacts the upgrade can bring to your world, you must also consider the maintenance. A fish tank can add an amazingly relaxed vibe. But if you don’t have the time for cleaning out the aquarium each week, it may be better to look at another addition. When you’ve considered all of those factors, that final decision can be made with confidence.   

This is a Contributed Post with affiliate links

There are lots of ways in which any homeowner can improve the aesthetics of their lounge and add an element of luxury. Depending on how much you can afford to spend, it is reasonable that you might wish to approach that concept in a manner of different ways. However, there are three suggestions below that always tend to work well across the board. So, if you’re stuck for inspiration or you need some advice when it comes to creating your plan of action, take a few minutes to consider the ideas below.

Consider getting a chandelier

When it comes to selecting the most upmarket light fitting solutions possible for your lounge, it is vital you don’t overlook the idea of getting a chandelier. Of course, most people think those items are far too large for the average home. However, there are some excellent designs on the market at the moment that do not take up too much space. Sure, you might have to make a substantial investment to get a high-end product that is going to stand the test of time and help you to improve your lounge. However, many people think it’s worth the expense.

Buy a stylish antique mirror

It’s always worth searching for some tips for buying antique mirrors before you head down to the auction house or spend your cash online. That is because some items hold their value better than others, and some mirrors that look amazing aren’t worth their asking price. With that in mind, an antique mirror can help to make your space appear larger than it is in reality while also adding something extra special to the aesthetics. People who select modern or minimalist themes will probably choose a mirror in-keeping with that style. However, nothing says luxury like antiques.

Choose real wood instead of carpet

You’ll have to make a decision when it comes to upgrading your home and choosing the best flooring solution for your lounge. Carpet is preferable to some people because it is the most comfortable option on the table. However, if your goal is to add an element of luxury to your living space, real wood flooring is going to work best. Take a look at some photographs online if you want to see the improvements a real wood floor can make. Also, be sure to shop around when it comes to sourcing the materials because it is often possible to get some excellent deals.

Those three suggestions are guaranteed to help all homeowners to add an element of luxury to their lounges. Now all you need to worry about is achieving the same goal throughout other areas of your home. Make sure you shop around, and always search for discounts and deals online if you are on a tight budget. Creating an upmarket atmosphere in your house does not have to break the bank if you’re smart, and you take some of the expert advice from this page. Take a look around before you leave this site today to ensure you don’t overlook anything, and you can benefit from all the free advice. See you next time!

This is a Contributed Post with affiliate links

Furniture often makes all the difference in a home. It’s what transforms a house from cold and bare into warm and welcoming. With the right pieces, there is nothing a homeowner can’t achieve from an interior design perspective. The only thing is choosing the right items in the first place. Pieces will stand out from the crowd, yet that doesn’t mean they are the perfect fit. Once you get it home, there may be a glaring issue. The key is to pick furniture which fits in seamlessly by considering the pitfalls beforehand. To do that, take a look at the tips underneath for inspiration.

Substance Over Style

Style is vital because no one wants to live in an ugly house. However, there is no reason for practicality to take a backseat. If anything, substance deserves to be the number one consideration. This is true if you’re buying a new mattress. There is no point wasting money on something that is stylish but uncomfortable. After all, it isn’t only the décor which deserves consideration but your health too. Kingsdown Mattress reviews is an illustration of how to research the features before signing on the dotted line. Unbiased evaluations should enlighten you further as to the product’s functionality.

Small Spaces

There isn’t always enough room for the basics. Sure, a sofa may fit snuggly yet the armchair is a no go. The same goes for a coffee table and a drinks cabinet (do they still have them anymore?) When space is an issue, there is the option of downsizing. Instead of a huge, overgrown couch, you can buy a smaller one and fit in a chair too. Be sure to take measurements. Otherwise, nothing will squeeze into the room. Other than that, there are furniture alternatives for small spaces. Follow the link for more.

The Function

Some rooms have certain pieces that set them apart from the rest. A bathroom has a toilet, for instance. And, there is no reason to install a WC in the kitchen near the food. It’s disgusting. As obvious as this example is, there are others which are less glaring. Consider a sofa for a moment. Normally found in living and sitting rooms, some people like to put them in bedrooms too. There is nothing wrong with this as long as it maintains its functionality. In short, if you are never going to use it, then don’t waste the space.

Try Before You Buy

You can take all of the above into perspective and still make the wrong decision. Why? It’s because of blind faith. You trust your eyes to show you the way when they are only one facet of the buying process. Your arms and legs and your back can also throw their opinion into the ring if you allow it. To do this, don’t be afraid to try before you buy. Yes, lie on the mattress or sit on the chair and analyze your reaction. It’s a scientific process, people. Is the furniture in your home just right, or does it need a rethink?

This is a contributed post with affiliate links 

When you’re looking to maximize the value of a property, you’ll always want to ensure that you’re taking the right steps to make this happen. Whether we’re talking about your own home, your property abroad, or an investment property. It’s always important for you to ensure that the investment you’re going to make is actually going to pay off. You’ll want to know that it’s maximizing your comfort, but that you’re also going to get something back for the investment too. We all know that your home will have a ceiling, based on the area. So you’ll never want to spend more than your house is actually worth. But it’s great to know that you could increase the property value by up to 15%. So let’s consider five ways to do just that.

Photo by Hardik Pandya on Unsplash

Extending

First of all, you’ve always got the option of extending. Of course, this is something that you’re going to want to ensure that you can actually do. If you know that you have the space available at the side or rear of your property and it won’t take away from the yard too much, then this is a great way to upgrade while still adding value. If you’re running out of room in your own home or you’re renovating a property, this should be your first port of call.

Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash

Landscaping

If you’re looking to sell your house, or you just want to get the most out of it, you’ll definitely want to ensure that you’re taking on the landscaping. A house with a basic yard won’t look as good as when it’s landscaped to perfection. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on this – you may even want to take on some of the renovations yourself, but it is something that you’ll want to focus on if you’re looking to add value.

Adding A Pool

Another great way to add an upgrade that will keep on giving is to think about adding a pool. For this, you’ll find that you’ll want to weigh up the cost versus the value, just to make sure that what you’re thinking of adding is going to pay off. You won’t want to spend thousands if you know that you won’t get the use out of it, or it’s not going to increase the value of the property.

Photo by Vita Vilcina on Unsplash

Converting

Then you’re going to want to consider converted unused spaces that you have – namely your garage. Think about garage door repair and really shaping up the space if you do want to use it as storage. But if you don’t, then you may even want to convert it completely into another living space. Again, this is a great way to add value, especially when combined with an extension.

Redoing The Kitchen

Finally, one thing you should always look to focus on is the kitchen. This is a room that buyers will be interested in the most, and if you’re using it a lot, it’s great to know that you can upgrade what you have to a better standard. Again, this is a great way to add value, particularly if you’re extending or converting at the same time.