Tag / motion detector

by Ted

What You Can Do To Improve Your Home!

You may be curious to know if it’s possible to make home improvements by yourself and save some cash. The answer to your question is a qualified yes; you need to be well-informed before deciding whether or not to handle your work by yourself. The following tips will help you decide when to do it yourself and when to enlist professional help.

It’s important to do renovations which add value to your house. Home improvement is a matter of personal taste, but the more personalized your home becomes, the less likely you will be to find a buyer ready to pay a high price for your home.

Prior to purchasing a home, have it inspected by a professional. This will give you an objective evaluation and allow you to see things from different perspective. Enlisting a professional inspector who does not have a stake in the sale is a smart method of keeping things honest.

TIP! Arrange for a professional home inspection if you are buying a home. Home inspectors inspect the home for repairs that are necessary.

Instead of laminate floors, consider real wood. Even though laminates may look like real wood and are easier to manage, they can’t be refinished. In another decade or two, you or another owner will find it necessary to install new flooring rather than simply refinishing.

Motion Detector

Use these two steps to make your ceiling look higher. Either use a floor lamp that is tall or paint stripes. Adding this to your rooms will create an optical illusion for your eye to follow. This can even make your room appear bigger and more spacious than it really is.

TIP! You just need two tips to make your ceiling seem higher. Stripes painted on a wall or a tall lamp can make a huge difference.

Put in a light outside that includes a motion detector, so you can cut down on the cost of your electric bills. You will still be able to turn the light on manually when you need to, and the motion detector can be adjusted for sensitivity.

If you wish to do an easy home improvement project, get to a store and purchase some paint. It is amazing the difference that a little paint can make, and it doesn’t cost a lot to do. Painting your home adds to the beauty and making it much more attractive to a potential buyer.

Use construction adhesive to stop widespread floor squeaks. And it takes quite a bit of sweaty work in the crawl space or the basement; however, the end result justifies the means. With a caulker, put some glue on all the floor joists, so that glue secures subfloor planks to each joist.

TIP! Construction adhesive is great for stopping floor squeaks. You have to work in your crawlspace or in the basement, but it is going to be worth it.

It’s pretty simple to connect two PVC pipes together when you use primer and cement designed specifically for PVC. If you don’t use this stuff, your pipes could leak. The surfaces of the pipes should also be water-free.

Hot glue your hardware to their respective storage containers. Even the most organized system of supplies can be an issue when you’re searching for that one elusive piece of hardware. Written labels do not as easily convey the contents of a container like the actual hardware itself.

Instead of utilizing a commonplace coffee table, select something more unique. An old storage chest can actually be an attractive coffee table. To create some definition on your coffee table, throw some books, magazines and accessories on it. You can go as far as adding a tablecloth and teacups to give it a country look.

TIP! Try using something unusual as a coffee table in your living room. You can use an old chest or old luggage to make a pretty nice storage bin.

When trying to flip a house, the bathroom is key. Most rooms, such as living rooms and bedrooms, are able to be customized easily by the new buyer. But you really need the bathroom to shine. If the tub or sink are not in good condition, replace them right away. Floors made of linoleum may look pretty good and go in rather quick, but they should always be swapped out for a professional tile finish.

Table Lamps

Any home improvement project will be hard work. Get a notebook, and list everything that must be done. Don’t forget to ask a friend or family member to take a look at your list to make sure nothing was missed. This way you will have all of the things that need to be completed in front of you and perhaps you can save some money.

TIP! When you decide to begin a home improvement project, know how much work is required. Make written notes about the entire job, so that you have a good grasp of all the steps involved.

If you’d like your nightstands or end tables to be a little less crowded, replace table lamps with floor lamps. Floor lamps add versatility to room lighting by being easy to move. Table lamps are limited available surface space. Choose a fixture that accents the room or your taste.

Think outside the box in terms of artwork. Instead of expensive objects of art, try using unconventional items such as 3D tiles. Use multi-colored 3D tiles for a striking effect. Match them to your room’s furnishings for a interesting look.

A great improvement idea for a home with children is to pad sharp furniture. Corner protectors and foam tape are available to minimize those sharp corners and edges. As well, loose wiring should always be secured or put out of reach of curious children to prevent electrical or strangling accidents.

TIP! Padding sharp furniture is another great way to improve your home and keep your children safe from harm. You can get protectors for the corners of your furniture from a store or just use tape made of foam.

You can turn a luggage rack that you don’t use any more into a functional side table. Use some glass from a big frame and glue it to the rack to be used as a surface. Add interesting items and a good source of light for a unique item of furniture.

Older homes tend to have carpet throughout the home, but years of use can cause a lot of damage. A wooden floor gives a room a more timeless look, and is more durable than any carpet.

“Age-in-place” concepts can be a great way to make sure your renovation plans are on track with reality. This refers to the concept that takes into account that homeowners inevitably grow older as they live in the home. This type of improvement will increase both the level of comfort, and the value of the house.

TIP! “Age-in-place” concepts can be a great way to make sure your renovation plans are on track with reality. Age-in-place is simply a design philosophy which takes into account how homeowners age while they own the house.

When tackling renovations in your bathroom or kitchen, don’t forget to turn off the water to the room in which you are working before working on fixtures or plumbing. A lot of people overlook this important step and flood their homes and end up with a even higher bill to fix the flood!

A home improvement project can be a great way to express yourself. You can make your home more comfortable and welcoming on a limited budget if you are creative enough. Remember that it is best to call a contractor if you are not ready to take on a major project.

If an elderly parents live in your home, plan your home improvements or renovations to make their living space safe and easily accessible. A shower stall that you can step into is much safer than a bathtub with a shower. Little changes, like grab bars, can help your house to be more safe and comfortable for your parent.

TIP! If there are elderly people in your home, make sure you plan your home improvements with safety and mobility in mind. For example, a step-in shower makes for a safer bathroom, allowing easier access into and out of the stall.

by Ted

Simple Steps For Your Home Improvement Projects

How a person takes care of their home shows the type of person he is. Many people enjoy home improvement because it is exacting and requires great attention to detail. Don’t let that intimidate you. Learning a little about how to do the work helps, and you can start by reading this article.

Fans are a must in the hot summer months. A ceiling fan does an excellent job of circulating air, thereby making any room much cooler. Use both ceiling fans and stationary fans in lieu of your air conditioner to keep both the air and your utility bill cool.

Keep your AC unit running great by cleaning your filter. If the filter is clogged, it will make it hard for the unit to cool your home. The unit will run much longer than needed. Change the filter often to save time and money.

TIP! The filter that is part of your air conditioner should be cleaned or replaced on a regular basis. If the filter gets clogged up, the air conditioning unit will have to work harder to cool your house, using up more energy.

If your trailer, house, or apartment is too small to house a dryer and washer separately, think about installing a combination unit instead. There are lots of combination units on the market that take no more floor area than dishwashers. It is possible to wash and dry clothes in a combo unit.

Pop the bubbles in an old vinyl covering on your floor if you can. Simply cut a small slit in the bubble to release the air pocket. This can flatten that bubble at least on a temporary basis. To keep the floor from coming back up, you will need to add some glue under the slice to secure the vinyl to the floor. Syringe glue is a great choice for this task.

There are a couple of simple tricks you can use to give your ceiling the appearance of being higher than it actually is. Think about painting stripes on the wall or adding tall lamps. Additions like these mean optical illusions that people’s eyes can trace upward. The lines will actually make the ceiling seem taller than it really is.

TIP! You can easily make your ceiling look higher. Consider painting vertical stripes on the walls, or adding a floor lamp.

If you want a simple home improvement, go buy some paint. It makes for an amazing visual change. It ensures buyers will be interested in moving in.

One great home improvement project is insulating. Install weather stripping materials around doors as well as windows. If you are able to minimize the amount of air getting into your home, your heating and cooling systems will run better. This will save lots of money on energy costs in the long run.

Think about your surroundings and perform improvements that are sensible. For instance, having an uncovered deck in Arizona or a sun room that has no ventilation in Michigan would be nonsensical renovations that will have potential buyers questioning your house upkeep decisions. Cater to what is desired, and do not try to go beyond the means of what the climate calls for.

TIP! When you are going to be doing home improvements, make sure you do things that will be viable. For instance, if you live in Arizona and build a deck with no cover, it is not a sensible choice.

Costume Jewelry

Add some bling to a boring corner by hanging big costume jewelry pieces on a coat rack. Never hang your more valuable jewelry, of course, but hanging costume jewelry is a great way to organize it while adding interest to a room. Hanging up jewelry like this not only improves a room’s appearance, it keeps your necklaces free of tangles, too. Choose several items that you wear a lot and display those.

Sometimes the only solution to a squeaky door is to replace the actual door hinge. You can find hinges at different hardware stores. Take the old hinge off, and follow the directions to put your new one on. Align the parts of the hinge and put the pins in place to complete your project.

TIP! It may be time to get a new hinge for your door if you can’t find any other way to silence the squeak. Fortunately, these are easily located at most home improvement stores.

When improving your home, try finding “age-in-place” measurements that can be used for your home. This method factors in the age of the homeowner to determine which improvements will provide the most for your home improvement dollar. Whether your renovations are in a house you plan to stay in forever, or a home that will eventually be sold, age-in-place improvements increase the comfort of your home as well as it’s value.

Make repairs to your home the moment you take notice of damage. Most damage that often happens to your home you may just forget about. Do not think that way! Because the various working systems in your home are interconnected, it is easy for problems to spread quickly. Small problems can quickly blow up into a big one.

If you’re planning to use conventional wood in heating you house, understand that this might not be a good thing to do. Wood stoves are not an efficient heating source due to the fact that a good amount of heat will end up drifting up the chimney instead of going into your home. Even worse, maintaining a fire consumes a great deal of oxygen from the air in your house.

TIP! If you are thinking about adding a wood fireplace to your home, you may want to reconsider. It may be visually appealing but it does not offer true heating efficiency.

There are few home renovations that can take you as far as a finished basement. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Purchase the materials you need from a discount store. Finishing your home’s basement can increase your home’s resale value by over 30%.

A shower is a must for any home, so add one if there is not one in existence in one of your bathrooms. This will lead to water reduction, and a time-saving convenience when wanting to get all household members clean. A five minute shower will use a quarter of the water that a bath will.

There isn’t a lot of natural light in most basements, if any at all. Be sure to install enough lighting that your basement is usable. If you are lucky, your basement walls may extend above ground level. You can pierce these walls and install some windows to improve the lighting of your basement.

TIP! Most basements have very little, if any, natural lighting. To increase your enjoyment of any basement finishing project, carefully consider the layout of the lighting you use.

Motion Detector

Motion detector security lights installed outside can add beauty, functionality and security at a surprisingly low cost. Motion detector lights turn on automatically when an intruder approaches, providing you with the element of surprise and saving you money on electricity! Intruders are discouraged from approaching your house due to the lights activating as they approach.

When you are doing home improvements, you will be wise to spend the money on high quality materials instead of being sorry down the line. This is because the furniture will go with the homeowner, if the home is sold. Fixtures stay with the home and can increase its value.

TIP! To get the most bang for your buck, purchase high-quality materials. You want to invest your money in projects that will improve the value of your home, not merely its appearance.

If your window blinds look torn or battered, replacing these can add to the appearance of your home. The blinds will often get faded from the sun and or become damaged by pets, children or accidents. Installing new blinds is cheap, fast, and simple, and you’ll be surprised with just how significantly it can improve a room’s appearance.

Although home improvement can be a difficult and time-consuming process, this doesn’t mean that you cannot do it yourself. Anyone can engage in these projects. No matter what your level of skill, the tips below can be a big help.

If you’re living in an area that’s fire-prone and you’re considering fencing, opt for white or red cedar. Cedar is good because of its safety with regards to wildfires.

TIP! If you live in dry or fire-prone area and are concerned about choosing the best fencing material for your home, consider red or white cedar fences. Cedar is good because of its safety with regards to wildfires.