Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Tips For Understanding Home Improvement In Today's World

By Steve Ian


For some homeowners, home improvement is a non-starter. They may be thinking of the potential expense, mess or hassle that they imagine home improvement projects require. Home improvement need not be difficult, though. The homeowner that plans home improvements carefully and educates him or herself ahead of time, can execute great projects, with a minimum of fuss.

When looking to replace counter tops, go with granite. Most granite is attractive looking, durable, reasonably priced and is able to withhold hot products. Also, because it is so hard, it will not scratch, blister, or crack. It is easy to clean and does not wear down like other counter tops.

Don't become disillusioned when your home improvement project takes longer, more money than you expected, or doesn't turn out as planned. If you've prepared correctly you should have a cushion of money to cover the additional cost, or pay to hire someone to fix the mistakes you've made, so relax.

There are a few electrical tasks that a non-expert can do around the home. One is replacing a light switch. After you turn off the electricity and remove the cover plate, detach the wires on the old switch and replace them in the same order on the new switch.

You will save a ton of money by living in your house while you complete home improvements, so try to stick to one room at a time. This will help make living in your home bearable, until you end up working on the only bathroom! Consider staying with friends if that situation occurs.

Planting a row of hedges can provide one with a home improvement project that will beautify their outside area while also providing a privacy screen to the home. Many different plants can be chosen one to get the best fit for ones needs and tastes. Hedges can be a way to improve one's home.

When caulking the area where your bathtub meets the wall, fill your bathtub with water before you begin. This applies plenty of weight to the tub and ensures that the gap is at its widest point. Without the added weight, your caulking job could crack and fail the first time someone stands in the tub.

Seek out advice before starting on do it yourself projects. There may be important steps you will overlook if you don't know what you are doing. Although many household jobs can be done yourself, it is always a good idea to ask an expert how to do the job properly.

Consider the materials that you are going to use when building an addition or a separate structure on your property: Wood framed structures are going to cost you more to insure because of how flammable they are. Steel or cement framed structures will save you a good bit in home insurance premiums.

When painting your walls, always make sure to properly spread tarps or newspaper over your flooring. You can even go as far as cutting open trash bags and laying them on the floor. Painting is messy and hard/impossible to remove from carpeting and wooden flooring. Take safety measures before you start painting so you don't have to worry about the after effects.

Have a large bulletin board in your kitchen or living room, where you can write reminders for yourself of things you need to do or bills you need to pay. Emergency phone numbers, contacts, brochures, postcards and notes to yourself, look better arranged on a bulletin board and won't clutter your refrigerator or other appliances.

For a unique look in the kitchen, plus extra counter space, consider converting an old dresser into an island. The drawers make excellent storage for utensils and tools, and the top can be covered with granite, marble, butcher block or laminate, to match or coordinate with your existing counter tops. Add casters to the legs for a mobile work space that can tuck against a wall if needed.

What you have just learned from the tips above might not be as specific as you need for any one particular project, but you should get a good idea of how you need to prepare for a home improvement project. It's not just something you should leap into. Use what you've learned here to act as your guide.




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