Monday, September 17, 2012

Innovative Ways To Improve Your Home



Many home-improvement jobs can be done without a professional.  Homeowners are able to achieve much more than they believe they can on their own when it comes to improving the look and feel of your home.  Often times a big change can happen on a small budget.  Using home design books and tips from the internet will help you get a supply list together for any project that can be done around your home for a big impact to be had.  Below is a list of home improvements to look into that make a big impact on a budget.

The bedroom is a great starter place for home improvements.  Building a new bed frame or re-doing the current one always adds new life to the bedroom.  Something else that adds a big impact is a change in color and bedding.  Adding texture to the walls or using depth with alternating colors is often a statement in the bedroom.  By adding a mirror above a dresser you can add a lot of character as well.  Whether you need help hanging a mirror or refinishing a bed the internet will be a good source for ideas and directions.

Another way to change up a room’s character is with the addition of custom window treatments.  I would leave designing the blinds and shades to the experts and look into installing the window treatments on your own to save on money.  Consider the statement and function of your current window treatments; what do they say about the space?  Custom window treatments give a room character while possession a function within your home. 

An example I will give is in my daughter’s recent bedroom renovation.  She wanted layers of windowtreatments. We knew she needed a dark room to fall asleep in but also that room darkening shades are not stylish for a pre-teen room.  In order to mix both her needs and her wants we looked online and found a company that sells cellular shades that are single celled and offer a blackout effect when used.  They also disappear into themselves during the day.  We installed them with the sheer layering of curtains and valance every pre-teen dreams of and at night the bonus is she can sleep.  

Speaking of home improvements where children are involved and do it you self project; consider them when it comes to your project. Kids love to help and it is often a hassle to keep them occupied while you are busy improving the home. Consider involving them in a project that they can complete with minimal supervision.  Make them the supervisor of their project and have them take ownership and responsibility for seeing it through. 

 For my daughter she was in charge of building two frames with plywood backer.  We pre-measured and cut the items for her. She was in charge of painting and putting them together as well as hanging them.  One is used as a chalkboard and the other as a cork board.  Something simple to work on that kept her out of hair while we painted, redid her bed frame and installed new window treatments. 

A simple home improvement project that will help in homes where pipes are in crawl spaces or under sinks with little insulation is by adding pipe insulation. This is simple, cheap and effective in preventing pipes freezing gin the winter and sweating in the summer.  Both which can cause damage to the structures around the pipes over time if not dealt with.  

Many home improvement projects can be done by home owners willing to put in the seat equity to get the results desired.  Bigger home improvement projects such as new roofs and barrier free improvements might be where I would call in the professionals but for the minor household improvements most homeowners can handle them easily on their own.

Window Treatments For Windows That Are Hard To Fit



When you begin your search for new window treatments it can often be difficult to figure out exactly what type of blind or shade will work on the type of windows you have.  This article will give you some tips on choosing blinds and shades for your home and various windows. 

·        French Doors: When it comes to window treatments on French doors there are several option to look into. Curtains are an option although they block the view and often are inconvenient when it comes to the doors function. It is better to view French doors as a window rather than a door. It makes adding window treatments simpler. Another tip is to keep with the treatments already used in the room to offer a united look and feel to the room. Cellular shades are often the best option as they come in a variety of materials from sheer to complete room darkening.  You can easily install hold down brackets at the bottom of the door to hold the shade in place.  They allow for the shade to be opened easily.

·         Windows with a View: If your yard backs to a beautiful view the last thing you want to do is to block the view.  I love looking at the river outside of the back windows however I do like privacy from boaters as the evening winds down.  A great option for spaces that offer a great view in custom window treatments is the honeycomb shade.  This shade offers the option of opening and closing from both the top and bottom as well as offering the ability to pull up into itself so that the window looks as if there is no window treatment in place at all. 

·         Arches: When it comes to having window treatments installed in window arches the best option is a custom designed honeycomb shade.  It will literally fan out into a semi-circle.  These can be ordered in room darkening or light filtering materials depending on the desired effect in the room.

·         Sliding Doors:  Vertical blinds are still a very popular option when it comes to sliding doors.  Another window treatment to look into is sliding panels.  It is important that the room’s window treatments are consistent.  If you have sliding doors consider the other treatments in the room before settling.  If you are using sheers throughout the rest of the room it is okay and consistent to use sheers on the door wall.  

·         Windows with Harsh Sun Rays: Sunscreen Roller Shades are a great option when looking to insulate a room against harsh sun rays.  They offer protection from the sun as well as the heat the sun emits. 

A room with new window treatments is immediately changed and upgraded.  When we move in we started with low end mini blinds that offered privacy while we slowly made head way in each room in the house. There are so many lovely options in window blinds and shades available online with easy tips on measuring to ensure you are purchasing the proper size for your windows.  Online window treatments are also incredibly cost effective especially when redoing more than one room.