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Your Way To A Much Better Home A lot of people that own homes might consider the projects a hard thing to do. They may get caught up thinking about how much the project will cost, or they may convince themselves that the project will be too much hassle. However, it does not have to be hard to improve your home. Education and planning can go a long way toward the completion of home improvement projects that look great and involve minimal fuss and expense. Determine the style that you desire before engaging in a renovation project for your home. Your preferred decorating style will impact the choices available. Without a plan, you can easily end up with mixed styles. If you do this, you'll have to fix the problem, which could prove expensive. Think about getting a combo washer-dryer unit if you are limited on space in your laundry area. Combo units are stacked and take up half the room. The combo unit will wash clothes, and then dry them. Do not allow contractors to perform work on your home before signing a contract. If it's possible, have a lawyer review the contract. Start and end dates, work to be done and warranty information must be stated in the contract. If an interior designer is too expensive for you, do some research to do the job yourself. Look to the internet and magazines for inspiration. Visualizing your home can help significantly. Literature can also provide you with the information you need to get your project done. Get creative and use recycled items such as a previously used luggage rack to make a side table. Take the glass from a large picture frame and secure it to the luggage rack with permanent adhesive. Stack a few books and a lamp, and you have yourself a nice side table. Consider the "age-in-place" philosophy when you are making home renovations. This term takes into account the obvious aging of the homeowner and the use of any improvement that will occur. Age-i- -place additions will increase your comfort both now and in the future, whether you are planning to sell your home or not. When planning a DIY home renovation, create a step-by-step schedule. Consult with a professional builder or contractor to be sure you have left nothing out. Although you don't want to include anyone else, this is necessary, because if a crucial step is omitted, you may end up spending more than necessary or even cause damage to your home. Gutters clogged with leaves or other debris can cause serious problems with drainage in a rainy season. In fact, if you have a leaky basement, the most likely culprit is rainwater running down the outside of your home after overspilling clogged gutters. Regularly clean your gutters to avoid this problem. Although your floor in the kitchen looks level, you should still use a leveling tool when putting up new cabinets. Begin at the highest point of the kitchen and make a benchmark line where those cabinets will be placed. This will ensure they are level during installation. If a home improvement project will require using your street, be courteous and tell your neighbors well ahead of time. Deliveries and equipment during home improvement will often block parts of the

Your Way To A Much Better Home

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Your Way To A Much Better Home

A lot of people that own homes might consider the projects a hard thing to do. They may get caughtup thinking about how much the project will cost, or they may convince themselves that the projectwill be too much hassle. However, it does not have to be hard to improve your home. Education andplanning can go a long way toward the completion of home improvement projects that look greatand involve minimal fuss and expense.

Determine the style that you desire before engaging in a renovation project for your home. Yourpreferred decorating style will impact the choices available. Without a plan, you can easily end upwith mixed styles. If you do this, you'll have to fix the problem, which could prove expensive.

Think about getting a combo washer-dryer unit if you are limited on space in your laundry area.Combo units are stacked and take up half the room. The combo unit will wash clothes, and then drythem.

Do not allow contractors to perform work on your home before signing a contract. If it's possible,have a lawyer review the contract. Start and end dates, work to be done and warranty informationmust be stated in the contract.

If an interior designer is too expensive for you, do some research to do the job yourself. Look to theinternet and magazines for inspiration. Visualizing your home can help significantly. Literature canalso provide you with the information you need to get your project done.

Get creative and use recycled items such as a previously used luggage rack to make a side table.Take the glass from a large picture frame and secure it to the luggage rack with permanentadhesive. Stack a few books and a lamp, and you have yourself a nice side table.

Consider the "age-in-place" philosophy when you are making home renovations. This term takes intoaccount the obvious aging of the homeowner and the use of any improvement that will occur. Age-i--place additions will increase your comfort both now and in the future, whether you are planning tosell your home or not.

When planning a DIY home renovation, create a step-by-step schedule. Consult with a professionalbuilder or contractor to be sure you have left nothing out. Although you don't want to include anyoneelse, this is necessary, because if a crucial step is omitted, you may end up spending more thannecessary or even cause damage to your home.

Gutters clogged with leaves or other debris can cause serious problems with drainage in a rainyseason. In fact, if you have a leaky basement, the most likely culprit is rainwater running down theoutside of your home after overspilling clogged gutters. Regularly clean your gutters to avoid thisproblem.

Although your floor in the kitchen looks level, you should still use a leveling tool when putting upnew cabinets. Begin at the highest point of the kitchen and make a benchmark line where thosecabinets will be placed. This will ensure they are level during installation.

If a home improvement project will require using your street, be courteous and tell your neighborswell ahead of time. Deliveries and equipment during home improvement will often block parts of the

Page 2: Your Way To A Much Better Home

road. Your neighbors deserve some warning before you start the work and inconvenience them.

Choose your color scheme based on something already present in the room. It can be your floor rug,furniture upholstery, or even an item like a favorite lamp. For instance, if your sofa has a patternthat is made up of mauve, green and taupe shades, then select one dominant color from thoseoptions to feature in at least half of the room. Use the other two colors as secondary accent colors.

Hopefully you feel better educated about beginning your home improvement project now that youhave Downpipes read this article. Knowledge is power when it comes to home improvement projects.