Friday 13 July 2012

Be Your Own Contractor With These Home Improvement Tips

By Roxane J. Talisen


Home improvement projects are fun and exciting, but can also be a challenge when you are doing it all yourself. Even if you do choose to employ professional services for your home improvement project, there are things to consider and you want to make only the best choices. Read these tips provided to get a good idea of where to start and what you will encounter.

Do not forget your yard when considering home improvements. Improving the outside of your home is not only aesthetically pleasing , but it can also save you money on utilities. Planting trees can block cold wind in the winter and hot sun in the summer. Planting shrubs and drought tolerant plants versus grass saves money on watering and often looks better.

One of the most overlooked areas of home improvement is the ceilings. Update your old popcorn ceilings! Hire a contractor to scrape the popcorn off the ceilings and add a smooth finish. Maybe think about adding some crown moldings during the ceiling renovations. Moldings add a sophisticated and custom look to any room in the house.

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

Place candles throughout your house. Candles can create a wonderful effect in your home. The effect will be heightened if the candle is scented with a good fragrance. You can place candles in bedrooms, bathrooms, and dining areas. Bathrooms especially benefit from the use of scented candles. Scented candles will give your house a homey feel.

When looking for materials and ideas for your home improvement project, take a look at the home improvement catalogs and magazines. They offer many great ideas and looks for projects throughout the home and offer suggestions on who supplies the materials to complete the project. They are great resources for color schemes and decor too.

Give your front walkway a lift! A home improvement that is unique and original is to remove your front walkway and add brick pavers. This is a fairly simple job but does require a lot of labor. Rent a jackhammer to remove the old concrete walkway. Afterwards you should have a good surface to lay down the pavers!

Always comparison shop for contractors when you need to fix up your home. Later, if you decide to sell your house, it is almost certain you will need to have some repair work done. If the work you require is extensive enough, you will have to hire a contractor. This is not something to do on the spur of the moment. Not all contractors are created equal; shop around before engaging one!

If you are planning a home improvement project that involves turning off the water or removing plumbing fixtures, make alternate arrangements in case things get held up. For example, you don't want your family being stuck without a sink or toilet over the weekend, if the delivery of the new one gets held up.

A great tip when it comes to home improvement is too replace all your old appliances with newer more energy efficient models. Not only will it look better in your kitchen and laundry facility, but it will also save you on your electricity bill. That's two birds with one stone.

As mentioned earlier in this article, home improvements happen best when you have some clear ideas on what to do and how to go about them. Take the tips from this piece and apply them to your home today. In no time at all you will find yourself living in a happier, healthier home.




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