Category: Home Improvements

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A full Saturday

Finally I have time to sit down and relax. It feels good to put my feet up. A day filled with grocery shopping and then running errands is not something I was looking forward to today. I got some great photo frames that I needed and also a new clock for the kitchen that were on sale, so that was a plus.

When I got home, I had a visit this evening from a dear friend, Brenda. She and I are gardening buddies and we are always swapping plants and surprising one another with little garden gifts. It was a welcome visit. We sat talking about more home improvement we wanted to start on our houses, and had the same idea about various tile in the kitchen.

All in all it was a productive but long day. Tomorrow I’m going to dig up some more iris’s to give to my friend, and she is bringing me some of her tile samples that she got so I can look them over.

 

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Chaining rain with rain chains

Never having heard of rain chains except for in something I had read while leafing through a garden magazine a while ago, I decided I’d research them and find out what they were and what they were used for. This was a few years ago, and now I love the ones I have and I indeed want to get more of them, and also more accessories that go with them.

A rain chain is a unique way of catching rain water and sort of recycling it. That is the best way I can describe them. There are really pretty designs and add a great deal of flair and also an old world sort of decoration in the gardens and on porches, decks and sitting areas. Anywhere actually, one would like to catch rain water.

These items chain rain and then the water goes down into a basin or even into a plant to save the water or to water a plant that needs it. I have quite a few now, and so many people have commented on them, that every now and then I will buy a nice rain chain and basin to give as a gift to someone who has come over and was genuinely interested in them. They do make great and also handy gifts. I love to shop for them.

 

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Paving stone and other lawn improvement

Even though I have laid brick in my gardens by myself, I am older and a bit wiser now, so I’m thinking about hiring some professionals to come and tell me about paving stone for my West courtyard. I just don’t have the strength nor the knowledge to do such a great job as I have seen online. The stones are so beautifully installed on the ground and the designs are pretty for that yard.

While I was outside looking at all the possibility for that West side of the yard, I got the opinion of my son about landscape lighting installation. I think it would really look nice and compliment the courtyard I’d like to have built, and also it would keep trespassers off our property, hopefully. That or at least deter them. I’ve wanted lighting all around the house and in the gardens anyway, and to me any kind of landscaping or home improvement basically raises the property value in some cases. It’s a win, win situation.

While doing a really intense study of that West yard, I notice that there are bare spots in the lawn that have been there for nearly 20 years now. It’s in pretty sorry shape, despite of all the time and money I have sunk into grass seed and fertilizer. I think perhaps looking into installing artificial grass. I’ll have to find out more about the pros and cons of that from professionals.

 

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A new screen door

For the last few months, I’ve needed a new latch on the storm/screen door. Finally I looked at the darn thing to figure out what I would need to fix the handle and latch. I figured it shouldn’t be that hard, though I’d never done it before.

The guy I talked to at a store I will not mention right now, took over the job of “helping” me, and though I thought it was a nice offer, I told him I didn’t need help. He tagged along anyway. Nothing bothers me more than a person trying to sell an item, not because a person needs it, but because the “helper” will make a commission. Heck with the part or piece works or not on what one needs it for.

I finally went to another home improvement store, and brought a brand new door. It was on sale, fit perfectly, and it was one I had my eye on for awhile. The kicker is, it was only 15.00 more than the parts the little “helper” had try to sell me.

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More home improvement

The never ending home improvement bug has struck again. I’ve decided that I want to repaint the living room and leave one wall, so mirror tile can be put up. I’m not even going to try my had at this. I’m calling around for the professionals. I don’t want to get into the job of cutting glass, or dropping glass, hanging glass…none of it.

I’ve always wanted one wall of total mirrors though, that wasn’t a bathroom. I’ve been looking at various colors and styles and haven’t made a decision on what I want just yet. I’ve still got to pick out the colors I want to paint the living room. Then again, maybe I’ll pick the kind of mirror I love and then pick the paint. Which ever I do, I want this done right.

After the mirrored wall and new paint job, I’m gong to look for the perfect touches to go with both the antique furniture and the new furniture I plan on getting finally. I’m really looking forward to this renovation of sorts.

 

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Finding the perfect Palm Beach Architects

One of my favorite cousins who I am very close to, called me last night and told me that she has found the perfect Palm Beach Architects to design her new home! The man Katie married is a wonderful husband and father to her two year old son. Not only that, he is very wealthy. I’m happy for my cousin, as she didn’t really have much growing up and even though she married into money, she kept her values and her roots intact. The only thing she has ever dreamed of is a beautiful house. Now she is getting one, and I’m so happy for her.

Her husband John recently was transferred to Palm Beach, and along with getting a generous raise in the corporation he works for, he also had been planning on giving the gift of a beautiful dream home to Katie as soon as they moved to where they would settle permanently. Katie sent me the link to the website of the architects she would like to use, and to be honest, I was blown away with the beauty of their work.

My dear cousin doesn’t know the ins and outs of architecture, but this firm she told me, is getting to know her and guiding her through her decisions while putting their own spin on things as well as hers. When Katie and I were growing up, she always had some awesome ideas for her dream house. Now she has help from awesome professionals and the money to turn those dreams into reality. I’m so thrilled for her.

 

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Home energy audit to save money

Because of this past winter, and the amount that our energy bills were, we have decided to have a home energy audit. I know that this house is old and drafty, but it also can be fixed up to be a warm and cozy place, with the right assistance to show and tell us how we can save money on our energy bills.

I’ve always lived in older homes that were cold and drafty while I was in my 20’s. I loved each house, and it seemed rather “quaint” to have to use lap robes and haul in wood for the fire place, that wasn’t for ambiance, but for real heat. Now that I am older and know more about ways to save money in the long run with the heating bills, I want to hire a home insulation contractor, since I found out we have very little insulation in this house.

I’ve read that there are federal grants for home improvement, and that would help a great deal with the financial aspect of getting my home insulated and perhaps do even more improvement of the house, as I’m super tired of waiting for the money that I save, to be enough for these improvements. It would add to my peace of mind if I knew I could be able to fix this home up.

 

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Musical kids

My sons are very musically inclined. It seems they have teamed up with my friend and blogging buddy Lindsay’s sons to form not one, but two bands. Her sons are nearly the same age as mine, and actually that is how we started being friends. We met through our kids since they all were and are interested in the same things. It was sort of uncanny at first, but now we are both used to.

Today was sort of a blessing for me, for awhile anyway, but my poor friend is about to experience the wonders of music through a whole complete drum set. 🙂 Oh the joys of kids swapping musical instruments.

I think now in this house at least, we are down to 11 various kinds and makes of guitars, a flute, a mandolin, a dulcimer, an electric piano and I know there are a few I’m missing, but you all get the idea. I feel sort of sorry for Linds, but I’m sure there will be another drum set in the house, and I’m going to want to do some home improvement and get the room they play in, sound proofed. It will help a lot with to save the family’s hearing and relaxation.

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Improper venting

After the storm we had yesterday, I went up into the attic since I thought I had heard water dripping on the attic beams. I was a bit leery to go up there since I actually was afraid of what kind of damage I would find. To be quite frank, my husband is not one to do home improvement or home maintenance well at all. If he isn’t interested in a certain project or a “need to be done” chore, he won’t do it, and if he does, it is rigged. Some guys are like that, but it ticks me off when I have to hire someone to follow simple instructions on home fix it things that I can’t do and he won’t do right.

I’ve always been a jack of all trades. A lot of trades. Meaning with me, I know a little about a lot and what I don’t know, I find out. So onto the attic…I ventured upstairs to see that the vent for the bathroom was vented into the attic and that is it. No where except the attic for the moisture to escape. In other words, the husband did a really improper vent job, to say the least. I wasn’t impressed and ticked off great to lots more.

While upstairs, I also notices that the roof is leaking. This is not good. I have to call someone to help me get this fixed a what I am hoping is a reasonable price. I am going to ask a friend of mine who has and will help with the vent for a home cooked meal. Not a problem at all. This is how we barter back and forth.

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Tile cleaning for round rock

When my friend called me to tell me all of the things she was doing to her house, including tile cleaning round rock, (on that one, I’ll admit she stumped me) I had no idea what round rock was. This coming from a person who is a big rock collector. When I say big, I mean big in size of rocks. I collect small rocks and stones also, but I actually had no idea what my friend Amy was talking about.

Amy being from Texas and being a true Texan, tends to use words and sentences, or words for objects, that I (being from the North) have not a clue what she means. When she said she had hired a company who is experienced in tile cleaning round rock, I thought she meant the round rocks that line her driveway. I shake my head on this one, simply because I don’t know what her house looks like, since she just moved in and I’ve not visited, yet. I know she had hired various businesses who specialize in what she want’s done and needs help with, when it comes to the house, so it sometimes confuses my about that my friend is doing next.

After a lengthy phone call, from the Austin area, I found out about tile cleaning round rock, which led to garden talk, of course, since she laughed about what I had thought she was doing. With the money she saved, and help with the matters she needs done to the house, it sounds like I’m going to have to take a trip to Texas!