Dressing Your Home
Home Improvement Tips From Leading Developers
Selling a Home: What To Expect Emotionally
Monday, March 21st, 2011
I put my house on the market last summer. It didn’t sell; not a big surprise in this economy. Nevertheless, it was a happy/sad occasion to get it listed.
Happy: I wanted to downsize to something that suited my needs better, since my daughters were starting to move away.
Happy: I was looking forward to not having a mortgage. Having been in real estate for the past five years, I had been struggling to keep up payments.
Sad: It didn’t feel good to be in that situation, but I felt I didn’t have a choice.
Sad: Several months worth of prep work to get it ready for showing were exhausting and emotional.
Best advice on selling a home isn’t the whole picture
As a real estate agent, I told my clients to de-clutter as much as possible so potential buyers could see the bones and get a sense of living there themselves. If ther
How An Energy Audit Can Save You Big Bucks
Monday, February 28th, 2011
We’ve talked about energy audits before here at C&H–they’re a great option if you want to gauge your home’s energy efficiency. Audits also provide an ideal starting point if you’re planning on making your abode more eco-friendly.
Energy audits focus on a few main areas, including air leaks, heating and cooling systems, insulation and lighting, to make sure each system is working properly without wasting resources. An audit will pinpoint areas that can be improved, giving you a great framework from which to plan your next few projects.
And once you make some of the suggested fixes from the energy audit, you’ll likely notice a decrease in your energy bills — and that means more money in your pocket! There’s another added benefit to scheduling an energy audit, thanks to your state and local energy company.
Many energy companies have teamed up with state governments to offer customers bill credits when they’ve made certain energy-efficient improvements to their home.
Kitchen Cabinets Make a Big Difference
Monday, February 28th, 2011Some people who are interested in remodeling their homes have little to no idea how much custom kitchen cabinets can alter the look of the room or even the entire home. When should a person buy new cabinets for the kitchen or bathroom? This may depend on a few things but a lot of it will have to do with when you decide to get the new style your home needs to have a new look.
A lot of older homes have old, out of style cabinetry because that was the style when the home was built. Depending on the area of the homes location, the cabinets of the home may be crude, handmade cupboards that may have layers of paint and gouges on them. If this is the case, one may consider getting rid of the eye soars all together instead of trying to make them look better. An entire home can look totally different just because there are new cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen.
Not only do new bathroom or kitchen cabinets make the appearance of the home more modern, it will also make for more space. Read more…
Tile Layout For Floors: A How-To Guide
Thursday, February 24th, 2011
Tile layout and the preparation involved with tile installation is very important. Here you will find tips and ideas on how to make the process easy to complete so that your tile layout experience is a pleasant one.
The key to making this process effective so that you have a beautiful end result, is taking your time, and double checking your measurements and designs. The following is a list of items that you should have handy while doing the initial tile layout:
- Chalk line marker
- Carpenter square
- Measuring tape
- A box of tiles or samples
- Pen
- Paper
- Idea books* This is necessary if you are going to imitate specific ideas
The supplies listed above will truly make the process easier for you when you are completing the actual tile flooring installation. The bulk of work for any tile project is consumed by the planning stages.