Browsing:

Category: Home Decor

Basement Renovations: How To Take Your Basement From Dreary to Dreamy

Basement

Basements: often forgotten, pushed aside, deprioritized in favor of a large kitchen renovation of bathroom remodeling project. Basements, regardless of whether they are finished or unfinished, have a tendency to be boring, dreary, and dull, hence why they are left in the stone age in terms of decoration and renovation.

This being said, there are a few ways that any basement can be elevated and transformed into a warm, welcoming space.

Here are a few ideas of the fantastic spaces that your basement could transform into with a bit of creativity and patience.

A basement bedroom.

Basements can be wonderful places for bedrooms- and no, they don’t have to be cold and stale. Basements often have large rooms and.or open spaces that are perfect for housing a bed, dresser, and a comfortable couch.

This being said, their wall space is abundant, so with a coat of paint and some stylish well decor, they can become cozy sleeping spaces.

A small rental unit.

Finished basements can be turned into small, private rental suites. When fitted with a kitchenette, updated appliances, and a spacious island, your empty basement space can be used to earn some extra income.

You may also choose to lend this space to a friend, relative, or perhaps, your child when he or she is in between jobs or apartments.

A playroom.

Children come with toys, and these toys need a place to live when not in use. Why not use the basement to house the extra toys (and the annoying toys that talk?).

Update the basement with fun colors, comfy places to sit, a child sized table, and maybe even an indoor playground or ball pit and let the kids run wild.

A craft room.

Any crafters out there? If so, consider turning your basement into the ultimate craft room.

Install a table and a stereo-system or TV, a computer and printer, and dedicate a space for all of your craft and creative supplies. Install overhead lights and spend hours making masterpieces!

A home gym.

Workout equipment is big and bulky. This being said, it needs a large space to be kept, which is where the often excessive size of basements come in.

Most basements will easily fit a treadmill, stair climber, weights, and a number of other fitness devices. While you’re at it, set up a sweet sound system and make the most of your home fitness centre.

A home theatre.

With the release of great movies on the rise, movie collectors need a relaxing space in which to enjoy their favorite flicks. This space could be your basement.

With the addition of a large TV (or two?), a sound system, comfy couches or a sectional, and a stylish shelving unit for housing the prized movie collection, your basement could become a home theatre.

For added pizzazz, consider getting your hands on an old fashioned popcorn machine and a fridge or cooler to keep refreshments.


When to Have Your Air Ducts Cleaned and Maintained

air duct cleaning

Just like any other aspect and appliance in your home, air ducts can accumulate dust and dirt that can cause allergies and other medical conditions. With this, it is highly important to have your air ducts cleaned and maintained to prevent such events from occurring. However, one important question is: When should you have your air ducts cleaned?

According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), there is a lot of reasons and factors that contribute to poor indoor air quality. Some of these are:

  • the presence of pets
  • cigarette or tobacco smoke
  • home renovation activities
  • water contamination
  • poor outdoor air quality

With this, it is important to avail a professional service from a reliable air duct cleaning LV company to ensure that your air ducts are working well and improve the indoor air quality. In order to protect the people who are more sensitive to contaminants and those who suffer from allergies and asthma, it is important to have your air ducts cleaned according to the following recommendations by NADCA:

  • Upon moving in to a new home or establishment
  • Every 3 to 5 years
  • After your new home or establishment is constructed—it is highly likely that the air ducts will have debris and dust from the construction phase
  • After a home or establishment is remodeled to remove dust, dirt, and debris
  • After a pest infestation such as rodents, squirrels, insects, and mice
  • You suspect that mold has formed in the air ducts
  • If you noticed that your filters easily become dirty despite changing it on a regular basis.

A clean air duct ensures that the indoor air quality is at its best state and helps ensure a healthy environment for dwellers or occupants. For fast and effective completion of this task, it is highly recommended to hire an experienced professional to maintain this valuable component of your home or establishment. Not only will you be able to save time and energy, but experience cost-savings as well because you wouldn’t have to buy the necessary equipment and cleaning materials.


Tips for painting a ceiling without any trace

Your ceiling needs a touch of paint but you dread to truffle it with traces of roll … Do not panic, follow the advice of pros to find a new ceiling!

Painting a ceiling is always done in two layers. To begin, paint the corners of the walls that are difficult to access with the roller. Using a round brush, you have to take some ceiling paint and put it flush with the walls. Next, you need to determine a square-shaped space to apply paint in one direction, and so on until each delimited square intersects. Be careful to always keep the same meaning, otherwise your ceiling will be full of traces! To avoid being bothered by the light, always work with the windows behind your back.

For ease and time saving, it is advisable to use a pole where the rollers will be fixed. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it is also important to paint the ceilings before the walls.

To best apply a painting on a ceiling, it is absolutely necessary to dose the amount of it. If you put too much paint on your roll, you may run down! Conversely, if there is not enough, the traces of roll will be visible!

Choosing your roll is essential!

Absolutely use a 12 to 14 mm anti-drip roller. If you choose a satin or matte paint, use a short or medium-length roller. On the other hand, if you choose a lacquer or a glossy paint, opt for a roll with short hair.

Synthetic bristle rollers are used with aqueous emulsion paints whereas natural silk and wool rolls are used with solvent paints.

A paint adapted for each ceiling

Bathroom, kitchen or wet room: glycerophtalic paints are the most suitable. They are washable and do not fear moisture.

The ceilings of your rooms are healthy, the monolayer acrylic paints are perfect. Their application is very simple.

In any case, take a quick-drying paint.


How to increase the value of your home?

What types of work to do to increase the value of the house?

You want to sell your property. Here are two main aspects that will need to be taken into account to increase its value: 
1. The technical aspect is undoubtedly what counts in priority and on which it will be necessary to focus all its attention. This will concern in particular:

  • The energy performance of the house;
  • The renovation of everything that needs to be maintained, under penalty of greater damage (roof, facade, etc.);
  • Major development work (upgrading a staircase, enlarging a space with a veranda, etc.).

2. The decor and comfort aspect is a point to improve, but certainly goes second. This will concern for example:

  • The construction of a swimming pool if the terrain lends itself to it;
  • The installation of windows to replace windows to bring more light to a room,
  • Renovation of interior painting;
  • Global maintenance and the interior.

Note: the good news is that all the work that will be undertaken to improve the energy performance of the house, will open right, under certain conditions, to financial assistance and subsidies.

Undertake improvement work without spending too much money: think about help!

If the house takes more value through well thought out work, it is not always necessary to put on the straw so far. Be aware, however, that doing proper work will often cost less than having to renegotiate the selling price.

Among the works to improve the energy performance of your home and then sell it more easily include:

  • Attic insulation for 1 euro;
  • Double or triple-glazed installation to better insulate windows;
  • The installation of insulating shutters ;
  • The installation of a condensing boiler to replace the old boiler.

For all this work, financial aid can greatly reduce the bill. The CITE (30% tax credit), the eco-interest loan , the reduced VAT rate , or the aid of Anah and premiums , are among the most often proposed as part of an improvement in energy performance.

To note: the common imperative to all these aids is to go through a qualified professional RGE (Recognized Guarantor of the Environment).

Before you start or if you do not know where to start, it would be advisable to have a heat balance done by a professional. This is, on the one hand, essential when one wants to sell a house, and on the other hand, it is a good way to know where are located the biggest energy losses of the house.

What works will enhance my home?

Put yourself in the shoes of a buyer. The first thing you notice when you come to visit a house, it is also what is seen the most: roof and facade . While this does not preclude further work, it’s just a question of priorities. In addition to insulation, we must think maintenance and renovation. For example, a roof that has not undergone a major maintenance for a decade, will probably pass into the hands of a professional. Hydrofuge a roof makes it possible to value the property but also to improve its energy performance.
As for the facade, it will also gain to be renovated and repainted in a light color to give it a facelift and modernity. Before the paint coat, an insulating coating may be welcome if the facade tends to crack with moisture.

Our advice: keep your bills well as you can show them to your potential buyers.