Thursday, January 26, 2012

Home Improvement - What You Need To Know

By Rian Steve


Home improvement might appear very complicated and involved, but if you know what you are doing, it can be a very renewing experience. If you don't know what you are doing, you can really hurt yourself or make your home unsafe. Don't worry, the tips listed below can help you avoid this.

Do not keep your drapes opened all the time if you have carpeting in your living room or family room. The sunlight can actually bleach your carpet, leaving lighter spots where the light most often hits the fibers. Open drapes when the sun is lower in the sky, or strategically place your furniture to block some of the light.

If you're thinking about doing home improvement work, get a home inspection first. If you've owned your home for at least a decade there may be some damage that could affect the safety of your home. Have a home inspector come through and check your entire house, then pay for any repairs before you spend all your money on improvements.

When doing home improvement work the wise homeowner will spend money on high-quality fixtures and materials before spending it on pricey furnishings and decor. The reason is fairly straightforward: Furnishings and decor move with the homeowner after a home is sold. Durable, attractive fixtures stay in place and add greatly to the sale price of the home.

If you're painting your home, you should make sure that you paint the trim last. Moldings can actually be cut to size and painted before you place them on with a finish nailer in order to avoid any drips, but you should always wait until the end. Painting these first will result in you having to go back over them.

Always make sure your air conditioner filters are clean and are replaced regularly. When the filters for your AC are dirty, the airflow is restricted. This causes your AC unit to use more energy, driving up the cost of your energy bill. Therefore, keeping filters clean ensures you enjoy a reduction in your monthly energy expense.

For the easiest modern touch to the home, consider using wallpaper. Wallpaper these days can offer quite modern and funky designs, which can generate a great update for your home. This can give you a great look for the home with less effort than painting.

Improvements to your home will not pay you back right away. Don't make any upgrades or improvements to your home if you will be moving in less than three to five years. This is now the time frame that it takes in order to recoup the costs of the upgrades that you make.

If you are thinking of putting down a new hardwood floor, consider bamboo. Bamboo flooring is very popular nowadays as it is extremely durable. Bamboo is very pliable, so if you drop something extremely heavy on it, you are unlikely to dent it or scuff it. It is remarkable strong, making it particularly suitable for high traffic areas, and it also withstands moisture and humidity very well, so it's perfect for a bathroom or kitchen.

Consider hiring a professional landscaper to help you design a beautiful garden for your front yard. You can decide how much maintenance and effort you are willing to put into the upkeep, and he or she can suggest plants and flowers that will allow you to meet that goal.

So as you can see, home improvement is not as complicated as it may appear. It is involved in terms of research and asking questions, but it is worth it in the end. With the above tips in mind, you should be smarter when it comes to improving things around your home.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment