Category: home improvement

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Selling a home can be difficult

Selling a home can be a difficult prospect. Attracting potential buyers takes a little bit of work, some of it yours and sometimes from a professional. Take a good look at the exterior of your home and use a critical eye. Figure out what you like and don’t like about your homes exterior so that you know what changes need to be made. Also make sure to note anything that is worn or broken, so that they can be repaired or replaced.

You can get rid of mold and mildew by using a pump spray bottle with a mixture of bleach and water. Saturate the area and then pressure wash the exterior of your home to make sure that it and any dirt are all removed.  AJ’s Windows and Gutters can help you fix or replace those windows and gutters that need help.  AJ’s Windows and Gutters in Chicago will wash all the windows, repair screens and storm doors as well as repair or install gutters and down spouts. They can also do the pressure washing as well, if you do not want to do it yourself.

Cleaning up your yard by mowing, weeding and raking will make a tremendous improvement if you haven’t already done it. This should be maintained throughout your entire process of selling your home. Don’t over do it with lawn decorations either. You wouldn’t want the yard to look cluttered. Many buyers will do drive bys to see the exterior of the home after work. Some lights along the walk or driveway will make it look really good in the dark or fading light. Don’t forget your backyard as well. It should be neat as a pin so that potential buyers get a good impression.

After you have pressure washed the house, you may find that a coat of paint is necessary as well. A new door can make the front of your home look great, but if you cannot afford the cost of one, a little paint and a new door knob and lock will make it look much better. You may have to sand it down really good first if it has any pits or scratches.

If you have made any improvements to your home, like additions, extensions or renovations, those will definitely help you to sell the home and make sure that the value of your home is up. Be sure that those renovations were done correctly, because poorly done ones will make the house look ratty. You may want to clean out the closets attic and garage. Investing in a storage unit for those things that you don’t want to get rid of. Buyers want to be able to see how much space is in your home and it shouldn’t be cluttered.

One last thing, when you have your home on the market, sometimes a realtor will call last minute to show your home. Be careful what you cook. Strong odors can be a big turn off especially fish, cabbage and such. Use air fresheners regularly to keep your home smelling clean and fresh.

 

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Venetian masks

Women love to decorate, at least most women do. It is a passion we all share when it comes to making our house a home. Finding new and unique ways to make our home look amazing is a task that can be very daunting. Whether it is because of money, time or just indecision, this process can sometimes take a while. Here are a few ideas to help you decorate your home with style.

Some people like to use a theme for their decorating style. These can be great so long as you go for something really unique and not something that has been done over and over by everyone you know. The Venetian Mask Society has a great theme that is not seen a lot. Hanging a varied assortment of masks on your walls will give you some really great pieces to talk about when friends visit.

If your budget doesn’t allow for any extravagant expenses, you can always use some of these cheap decorating ideas to make your changes and still be happy with it.

  • Painting the space you want to change can make a drastic difference.
  • New lighting can change the ambiance in the room
  • Throw rugs or area rugs can help make a room look more comfortable.
  • Add a few plants or flowers
  • Rearrange the furniture to make for a better or at least new room.
  • Organize your clutter and get rid of anything that just lays around.
  • Use bold colors to accentuate

 

 

 

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Busted pipe

Well this is not good. We ended up with a busted pipe in the basement and there was more damage than we thought. The pipe burst while we were sleeping and we had no clue. By the time I noticed that something was wrong, the basement was knee deep in water. The plumber came and fixed the pipe, as well as pumped the water out for us, but now we have to worry about water damage repair.

The carpets down there will have to come up or be professionally cleaned. The drywall is totally ruined as well. Fortunately, the furniture that is down there in the family room, is rather old so I am not really worried about it. I bought it used so that the kids couldn’t really ruin anything nice. Kids do have a tendency to make a mess and spill stuff so it was smart on my part. I will go find some second hand stuff and buy it cheap, just like I did the first time.

 

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My yard

Well the storms over the weekend wrecked havoc on my yard and trees. I bought some tools from Sherrill Tree so we could go out and clean up the branches that are down and to trim the trees in preparation for the coming winter. I usually do it twice a year. Once in the spring, in time for the spring and summer storms and again in the fall. I kind of dropped the ball this year, because I didn’t do it earlier in the year. I know that I should have but I spaced it.

Our weather was mild this past spring which was why I forgot about it. It will be okay though. Now that it is being done, I will only have to have do it once this year. Next spring I will make sure to get it done when I usually do. I certainly don’t want to have any accidents happen like my next door neighbors. They had a really large branch come down on their porch roof and had to spend a lot of money fixing it. It would have been cheaper for them to have the trees trimmed then to have to deal with fixing the house too.

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Kitchen Designs

As you know I have spent a lot of time remodeling and designing my house. Everyone who has been here absolutely loves what I have done and I have even had a couple of people ask me to help them redo parts of their homes. They have even offered to pay me for my ideas. I recently found some really great kitchen design ideas online. I plan to use them to help do my friend Sandy’s kitchen.

She is coming over later and I will show her some of the new kitchens designs I have found and see what parts she likes. We may be able to mix and match something that suits her personality. I know that she likes the more modern look, and that shouldn’t be a problem to find something that she will love in the online kitchens showrooms.

Her husband has told her to do whatever pleases her, because he knows that he will like it, as their tastes are about the same. Plus, she spends more time in the kitchen than he does anyway, since he can’t cook at all. He practically burns water if he tries to boil it. This works out great for her as she will get exactly what she wants.

 

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Bad summer for bugs

The winter was so mild, that the bugs are really bad this year. Fly’s, horse fly, deer fly’s, mosquitoes, ticks and fleas are horrible. I decided to buy some horst fly sheets for the horses. They will help keep the pests from annoying them or causing sores on them. Since they are light weight, they wont over heat them either. I know that the horses will be more comfortable then they were last summer.

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Home energy audit

If you are looking for home improvement grants, I have just the place for you to go. They can help you solve your energy efficiency problems as well. The home energy team is by far the best that there is. They were able to help me bring my energy bill down by over a hundred dollars a month. That is amazing considering the cost of energy these days. The months that are the worst are middle winter and middle summer, when we run the heater and air conditioner the most.

A Home energy audit can help you bring those costs down considerably. When I had mine done, they found leaks around my windows and insufficient insulation were my two main problems. I was able to get help fixing these problems and have been so happy ever since. My house stays nice and warm in the winter and cool in the hottest summer months. It is the best thing I could have done for my home.

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Have to be replaced

My outdoor patio heaters just quit working. I think it is totally fried. That doesn’t surprise me though, because I use it constantly during the winter and I have had it for a few years now. I bought it for a winter birthday party and when I found out how well it worked, I started using it a lot. I like to sit on the patio and drink my coffee in the morning and heater keeps it nice and warm so that I can enjoy a little bit of outdoors at the same time.

The kids really like it a lot as well. Sometimes, they like to come out here and color or read. During the winter it is usually too cold with out the heater to warm the patio up. Fortunately, my patio can be screened in or enclosed. I have removable windows and panels that make a big difference during inclement weather. It is one of the best investments I have ever made in my home remodeling adventures. I wasn’t really sure at first that it would be worth it, but right after I did it, I bought the first heater and was amazed at how well it works.

The patio is the best place for messy projects. I can take up the rugs that cover the floor, in case the kids spill and if necessary, just hose it off. Those volcano’s they love to do for science projects and the like are always delegated to the back porch. There is only one project substance that is never allowed in my house, even on the patio. That substance is floam. That is the worst stuff ever created for kids to play with. I swear to you that it multiplies all on it’s own, and heaven forbid it gets into any kind of carpeting. You will never get it out. My kids agreed after our one episode with it, that it shouldn’t be allowed back in the house.

Well, I have a lot to do today and I am not getting much of it done sitting in front of the computer. I will talk to everyone later on after I have finished.

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Cleaning up the yard

Don’t ask me how so much garbage and stuff gets all over the yard, because I have no clue. I think a lot of it has been blown in by the wind. It has been really windy lately and I know that stuff have been flying about a lot. I also had a problem one day with a stray animal getting into the garbage, but we picked all of that up already. Oh well, I suppose it is good that the weather isn’t that bad today. A little breezy and over cast, but that is about it. The kids are already working on the yard now. That way we don’t have to mess with it this weekend. Yaay for me!

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A search

I have to make a search for a A Few Good Plumbers. I have some plumbing questions that I need answered right away. I want to re do the main bathroom and put in a heated floor in it. Since I know that it uses water, I believe they will be the ones to ask about it first before I make any decisions. We shall see.