Bamboo flooring, blinds, furniture…

Imagine for a moment that you’re sitting in a steaming bath, enjoying the penetrating relaxation the hot water provides as it soothes and calms your aching muscles and joints.

The tensions of the day are melting away, as you look upon the classic lines of your new remodeled bathromm. Yes, it might seem like a dream now, but with a little research a lot of planning you can make this a reality.
Unless you are yourself a contractor, bath renovations require high-priced professional help. Plumbers and tile installers will most likely be a necessity. But could be just as important when making the decision as to whether or not to direct your budget to the bath, is the fact that a newly remodeled bath raises the price of your home in a very positive way. Fixtures are at the heart of every bath – and there is much to select from. Sinks can be undermounted or self-rimming; other sit above the countertop like old washbasins used to do. There are pedestal sinks and wall-mounted sinks, in numerous sizes, shapes and finishes.

Making the decision somewhat painful is the fact that renovating a bath is one of most precious things you can do in your home, when looked at on a per square foot basis. The pairing of sink and faucet can give you literally thousands of variations from which to select. Often, the bath tub is used as the focal point of the room.

The biggest fixture, tubs are now high-tech devices, good for therapeutic massages as well as a plain old-fashioned soak. Tubs can define your decoration, or complement what you’ve done with the other fixtures and wall coverings. It can be a large whirlpool designed to soothe away the aches and pains, or a small and delicate turn-of-the-last-century antique to complement your decoration.

There is now a dazzling array of sinks – some are undermounted, others self-rimming, and there is a new movement towards the old “wash basin” style, finished inside and out, sitting above the countertop. And don’t forget pedestal sinks, and wall-mounted sinks. Be prepared to be overwhelmed with huge selections, in every color, texture, style and material. The same holds true with faucets, which have been honed over the years to art forms. You will see that in every aspect of your bath redesign, the ways and methods by which you can express yourself are stunning and seemingly endless – and so it is with faucets, too. Toilet bowls can be simple and functional – but are you remodeling to be “simple and functional?” No, you are remodeling to express yourself, to bring comfort to your life, to enhance the decoration of your home. Here again you are faced with a myriad of options: one piece or two? Gravity flush or power flush? Plain white or color? The list goes on and on.

Coverings coupled with matching fixtures, enabling you to select a bath right off the shelf – a custom bath ready-made! Often, we can get ideas and design assistance at the store where we are purchasing our tile or fixtures. Many ceramic tile and home supply stores have bath groupings set up using the latest materials and design, allowing us to purchase a “custom” bath right off the shelf! Plan on hiring a designer, a plumber and a tile setter at the least.

Frank Sarntarpia
small bathroom designs
home improvement

Although re-decorating your home can be a pleasant experience, remodeling your master bedroom can be extremely satisfying as this is a place where people are spending increasing amounts of time. However, this is a recent occurrence as homeowners have begun to seen the benefits of improving this room and what it can be used for. Of course, there is no reason why it cannot be given a sensual makeover in the same manner that the French and Italians have been doing for a long time; something that certain Western countries seem reluctant to do!

Home Improvement

To do this requires the use of emotionally appealing colors that are more seductive like rouge or lipstick reds, subtle pinks or creamy peaches. If you are fond of candlelight then the addition of strategically placed mirrors will give a dramatic effect that could not be done with conventional lighting. Although there are people that like to read in their master bedroom whether it is on the bed itself or in a relaxing chair this is not a new idea as it has been practiced for centuries when people spent more time in their bedroom.

Kitchen Remodeling

Be sure to provide enough light for reading, which can be done without having to flood the room with harsh reading lights by placing softer lighting throughout the room. Traditionally to achieve the best effect in a room for reading in you should look towards the softer shades of ivory, amber and slate blue. There are those individuals that view a bedroom as a kind of place to go to get away from everyone else so if you are remodeling your master bedroom to provide this style look to add big pillows and cushions and perhaps the odd landscape painting.

Bathroom Remodeling Fixes

Generally a relaxing lounge chair with a floor lamp and table will also work well if you want to use it as a reading room as well. e. designed to create a place where you retreat from the world and unwind, it should provide feeling of total privacy which can be improved by displaying photos of friends, family, and places you love. The most comfortable colors for a sanctuary style room are darker shades like chocolate brown, deep greens and cobalt blues which help make the room feel cozy.

For those people where space is not an issue when they remodel their master bedroom, why not add a few extra touches like a small desk to write on and perhaps some music to listen to. It is not uncommon to place concealed fridges either in addition to tea or coffee making facilities which almost provide the feel of a quality hotel suite. As you spend time remodeling your master bedroom in a way that reflects your lifestyle, it can be a worthwhile project and who knows, you may find yourself spending even more time in this often undervalued room.

The prospect of doing any kind of home improvement work can send even the strongest among us reeling into that glazed-over look due to expenses and the breadth of work likely involved. Ripping apart a bathroom or upgrading the kitchen simply aren’t everyone’s niche or interest. However, a little inexpensive, out-of-the-box creativity can really help bring a time-worn home to life.

Shabby Chic is a style of decorating that uses vintage materials and pieces to create an overall look that’s comfortable, clean and, of course, chic. Typically defined by an abundance of old lace tablecloths, white iron bed frames, sheer curtains and floral prints, shabby chic is old-fashioned, yet contemporary at the same time.

Keep reading to learn how to recreate a shabby chic look in your home without simply looking shabby. Remember, you want it to be worn and soft, not just worn.

The Looks You Want

Start with soft and delicate colors. Shabby chic uses predominantly pastel colors and soft whites to create its look. Paint the walls or any furniture with light shades of pink, grey, muted greens or subdued whites.

Next, use vintage fabrics to get a worn and old look. You can either purchase actual vintage fabrics or simply vintage prints that have been remade. To age the fabric, you can stain it with a light tea brew and take it from a stark and sterile white to a soft and buttery cream.

When working with vintage fabrics, try combining different colors and patterns. Like an old patchwork quilt, match stripes with checks and dots with plaid to create a look that’s eclectic but still pulled together. You can achieve this by using one repeating color or element in each piece of fabric as a way of pulling them together.

Bring Your Furniture to Life

Transform your furniture beyond a coat of paint by updating the hardware to a shabby chic style. Look for glass or vintage knobs and pulls at local flea markets, antique stores and thrift shops. Remember, with shabby chic, they don’t have to match.

While you’re already hunting through flea markets, keep your eyes out for interesting pieces like an old bird cage that could double as a book case or a trunk that could become your next coffee table. Remember, shabby chic is all about making the old new again, so you can be creative.

Creative Thinking is Key

If you’re still in a hunting mood, set your eyes on the closets, attics and storage spaces of your relatives (or even your own) and remember – “if it has good bones, you can use it.”

Finally, always add some cozy touches. Shabby chic style should be warm and inviting, not intimidating. So, make sure there are lots of throws, pillows and old quilts around to make your space really feel like home. In the end, it should look comfortable and inviting.

Home Improvement

Home improvements do not just include things for the inside of your home. It also includes things that you do on the outside of your home as well.

It seems that people have always wanted to maintain a nice looking lawn, which would be attractive to the entire neighborhood. Many homeowners spend a very large sum of money every year to keep their lawn looking as nice as they can. A nice lawn does take a lot of care, and it is not just a seasonal chore.

During the Spring and Summer months you have to constantly be on the lookout for unwanted weeds, and other plants that just seem to creep in right after a rain storm. You may experience new holes or ruts that were not there before, and they need filling in and re-seeded.

Home Improvement Ideas

If you have had any issues with the down spout from your gutter causing this sort of a problem, there is a solution. If you are willing to put in some time, and purchase a few parts, you can divert that excess water, to another area of your lawn. If you already have a sprinkler system to water the lawn you can even divert the water off of your property. Perhaps you have a section of lawn that the sprinklers do not fully get wet enough to keep the grass as green as you would like, you could direct the extra rain water to that section of the lawn.

Home Improvement Ideas

What I am talking about is not going to be seen very much and is worth every penny that you put into it. It is a development that will be in use by everyone very soon. The good thing is it can all be done by yourself, or you may choose to acquire a contractor to install it.

Today most everyone lets the down spout drain onto a concrete slab or block to help with the erosion issue. But if instead of stopping your down spout there, and dug a ditch just deep enough to lay a three inch pipe and cover it back up, then reseed the top of the trench once to pipe and drain have been completed.

With a little thinking, decision making, and a small drawing you can stop all that water build up in those low areas of your lawn. From your down spout figure out which direction you would like to go with your under ground down spout, then you can actually make your drawing as to how far you will want to dig the trench and how much PVC pipe you will need to run your under ground drain. You will also need to purchase a small pot for the end of the drain, and a post to fit inside the pot. You should also obtain a lid that will fit over the pot, and a debris filter for the top of the lawn that can be painted and seen when the lawn is being cut.

You will need at least one 45 or 90 degree elbow to face the drain in the direction you want it to go. The pot will need to have a 3 inch hole at the bottom, so that the 3 inch PVC pipe can fit inside. The center post can be anything to help hold the weight of the debris filter. Once all of this has been glued in with PVC glue it will be ready to go, and you will appreciate your new installation.
Home Remodeling Steps

Ask homeowners today what worries them most about their biggest investment, and they’ll tell you that sometimes it seems like their home is leaking from both ends. They’re spending more money to heat and cool a home, and sometimes they think that it might be better if they just moved. In 2008, what’s best for your home is renovation ideas to improve what you already have. Take the old and make it new with quality home improvement work. Because many homes were built before the advent of new technologies, you can update your house to make it work like a new one with simple home remodeling projects.

Fix up the stale, nagging problems you have first with a great maintenance repair plan. These are repairs that need to be completed even before you consider of adding something new. The home needs to use the least amount of energy to maintain comfortable living quarters, and nowadays the loss of energy is an important concern for many, so don’t forget about insulation and energy efficient windows. Seal them up tight, and get smaller utility bills each and every month. Then perhaps consider a kitchen remodel, a bathroom remodel or even room additions. Out-of-style kitchen and bath facilities can cause you to pay up to 70% more over newer efficient appliances and water equipment.

The next step is to contact a professional Chicago remodeling project contractor. This service is important for many reasons, but the biggest reason is that experience is crucial in developing and executing home improvement upgrades that start and finish right. You’ll have the experience you need when the hard decisions need to be made about repairs, new upgrades or construction. You will also want to finish your project knowing that you have increased the value of your home dramatically.

During any home improvement project, ask the Chicago home improvement contractor any questions you have and expect clear answers. You can stay under budget only if you involve yourself with the construction process. Now that you have signed an agreement for contracting services, you can look at how you are going to complete your remodels. Your general contractor will have solutions for all of your upgrading or remodeling ideas. Once completed, you’ll have a new living space that will make it feel like you moved into a brand new home.

Home Improvement-Winterizing your Home

During the fall is a great time to start winterizing your home. Winterizing is checking your home for any signs that will let some of the elements, such as wind, and even rain to enter your home through an unknown source.

Do it Yourself Home Tips

Winterizing saves you money and keeps a check on things such as windows, doors, attics, and much more. The wind can drain money from your bank account by making your furnace run longer, so your power bill will go up, and the more money you will have to pay. There are some things that you can do to lower the power bill and keep out the elements.

Bathroom Remodeling Steps

I know that it seems as if I am always saying, “make a list”, I AM. People tend to forget things when they do not make a list of something that they want to do. This is not intentional; but how many times have you gone to the super market and came back home to find out that you forgot something that was really important. This would not have happened if it would have been on a list.

Bathroom Remodel

So, as you walk through your home you will want to check all the door jams, and windows, for any sign of outside air coming through to the inside. You not only want to check the inside of the house but the outside as well. The air conditioner may be losing precious cold air. Many air conditioning units will lose air around the unit itself, so you will want to insulate any cracks, holes, air ducts, and vent hoses. If you do not already have them on your doors, door sweeps will keep the heat in and the winter weather out.

You can caulk the window frames and the doors if there is air coming in or going out of the house. An inexpensive way to winterize the windows and other large openings, which are too large to be caulked, is to purchase an inexpensive roll of polyurethane (plastic) and a heavy duty staple gun. Cut a section of the plastic approximately 4 inches larger than the opening and staple the plastic around it. You need to make absolutely sure that no cold air can come through the opening. Using some thin strips of cardboard will allow you to roll the plastic around them and they will help in stretching the plastic tight, and make it much easier to staple to a wooden window frame. On some homes, this may have to be done on the inside, on other types of homes it can be done on the outside.

Next, you will want to check that all your water lines have been properly insulated. Rubber insulators are very inexpensive and easy to put on your pipes yourself. Cold water lines lead to frozen pipes; and cold hot water lines lead to not so hot water by the time it travels from the water heater to the faucet.

Furnaces and chimneys should be cleaned at this time of year. You should have a certified inspector to check the furnace for leaks, and to change any filters that may have become clogged up with dust and dirt. They can also light your pilot light, and inspect all the fuel piping, to ensure that everything is working properly.

Adding extra insulation in the attic will help increase the warmth in the home. You should have at least 12 inches of insulation. Over time, insulation tends to flatten and it does not keep your home insulated very well once this happens.

So you want a new kitchen, yet you don’t have the time or the money to completely redo everything? Don’t despair. Decorating professionals offer tips to help you renew the old kitchen with an updated, freshened face that leaves enough money to fill the pantry.

1. First and foremost, reduce clutter. A tidy look in the kitchen will go a long way in improving its look. It may take a little time to reorganize, but it costs virtually nothing and pays off in a big way. Stow away food items—bags of chips, bread, and other items that never seem to make it to the cupboard. Small appliances should be stored in a cabinet and brought out only when in use. While pots and pans can look decorative when hanging artfully over a cook top, they never look appealing just sitting on countertops.

2. Consider replacing cabinet door and drawer hardware. The styles and colors available today are astonishing. Choose a theme and search online—you’re likely to find everything from polished brass handles sculpted to resemble leaves or flowers to avant-garde geometric shapes. Just about anything you can envision will have representation in knobs and pulls. Prices are all over the board—everywhere from less than a dollar apiece to over ten dollars apiece depending on the style and material used.

3. Make the most of accent colors. Most likely, the predominant colors in your kitchen are neutrals—white or black appliances, wood-toned cabinets, neutral walls. To brighten and enliven the space, add some splashy colors: a lipstick-red area rug, patterned window coverings in a lively shade, a tablecloth in a deeply saturated purple or green. Coordinate the colors, but don’t overthink the need to have everything match perfectly—it will give the space a contrived look.

4. If cabinetry is old and tired, give some thought to redoing the fronts. This will require a little more work, but is an inexpensive way to change the entire look of your kitchen. For a natural wood look, simply sand and restain the fronts, perhaps with a different color stain. For a kickier look, try a color or color wash for brightness. Remember to seal after painting or staining with a waterproof coating to repel spills and splashes.

5. Get dramatic with wall color. There’s no need to repaint the entire kitchen—sometimes, just adding a dynamic color to one wall, or a portion of a wall will add an impressive touch. Recall some of the elegant restaurants you have visited and remember what colors they used in their dining rooms. Dark colors are not out of the question. Because you are only painting a limited area, the overall look will not be dreary. Deep mauves, dark blues, and deep orangey yellows can all be used to interesting effect.

6. Add a little green—by way of plants. If you have a kitchen with adequate light, use live plants in pots—maybe an herb garden that will prove delightfully useful in cooking. If your kitchen will not support live plants easily (or you hate the chore of caring for them), choose artificial plants. Many are so lifelike that it is difficult to distinguish them from the real thing, even close up.

7. Brighten the floors. Consider adding a natural sisal rug or bamboo area rug.

8. Choose one decorative item as a focal point for the kitchen. It might be a big bowl of colorful fruit (which will also encourage healthier snacks), or a large ceramic vase of fresh flowers. Perhaps you have a favorite tureen that was handed down from your grandmother, or an antique cookie jar that you have always loved. Place it on the kitchen table or a center island for best advantage to draw attention away from the more utilitarian areas of your kitchen.