If you’re like most homeowners, you probably don’t think of your garage the same way you do the rest of your house. After all, when was the last time you vacuumed your garage floor, or dusted anything in it? Muddy shoes, wet dogs and leaky paint cans would all be tossed out of your living room within seconds. In the garage, however, it’s almost as if anything goes. Most of the time, the garage is the place where we change our car’s oil or hose off a pair of muddy boots — but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pay attention to how well protected our garages are from the elements. Although garages can be a wet and dirty place, it’s still important to make sure that they’re kept as clean and dry as possible.
That’s because even though garages can get grungier than your dining room, they’re still vulnerable to damage from water, cold and other insidious elements from the outside. Water from rain or melting snow can seep into the garage underneath your garage door and cause damage and mold growth. It can get into tiny cracks in your garage floor and expand when it freezes in the winter, creating bigger cracks and serious damage to your foundation. The average cost of cleaning and fixing water damage for homeowners can be as much as $3,000. That means, a little water getting into your garage can become a big problem. Gaps in your garage door also can allow pests and vermin such as mice and insects to sneak in and take residence among your belongings, bringing with them filth and disease. A garage door that does not close completely also allows air heated or cooled by your HVAC system to escape, causing your air conditioner or furnace to work overtime. Ultimately, costing you money in the form of wasted energy.
For these reasons and many more, it’s important that homeowners understand how much a garage door threshold can help them prevent these issues. A properly selected and fitted garage door threshold seal can prevent flooding, infestations and wasted energy. Read the following guide for some tips on choosing the garage door threshold seal that’s right for your garage. The rules may be a little different when it comes to your garage, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be as concerned about protecting it as you are for the rest of your home.
Author Bio: Ashley W. Smith is Managing Director for Garadry. Smith formed the company in 2009 and launched the Garadry website in 2015 to meet the needs of the growing consumer base in the U.S. Garadry designs its own range of innovative weather seal products for anybody with a garage/commercial door.
Choosing The Correct Garage Door Threshold created by Garadry
Renovating your home can improve the overall function and usability of your home. This gives you the opportunity to put your mark on your home. Here are some ways to make your renovation more adaptable for socializing.
To Open Concept or Not
Renovation really allows you to put some personality into your home. Depending on your taste, there is a wide range of options. It is popular to create an open concept floorplan. This allows you to entertain larger groups of people. Some homes may already employ this style. Others may be less accepting of this type of flow. Determine how you want to use your home and design your renovation around that concept. You may be more interested in having smaller, more intimate parties. Take these factors into consideration before deciding on a design plan.
Utilize Lighting
Lighting sets the mood in your home. Consider using lights that can have multiple functions. Adding dimmer switches to your home can change the atmosphere. Accent lighting would also allow you the freedom to highlight segments of your home. Low lighting can create a more intimate setting. Higher lighting creates a brighter and more open finish to your home. Pick light fixtures that are unique. You can change the look of your home by bringing your personality into your lighting choices. Your fixture choices change the style of your home without generally costing too much.
Create Private Areas
Even with the open concept, you still want to have areas in which people can talk quietly. In many cases, this is just placing your furniture in a manner that will encourage dialogue. However, you may want to create nooks in your home that provide a comfortable area to rest from the main party. With homes that are not open concept, this may be easier. Having a separate living room area that is not adjacent to the main flow could be utilized for this purpose. This would be another area in which the lighting could be changed to create the same effect.
Room to Expand
If you have a deck or other outdoor area, consider using unique doors, like those from Nu-Look Glass & Aluminum Windows, that can open fully. There are options in which the entire door system folds against the wall. This would provide you with more space to entertain your guests on those nice days. It creates the ultimate outdoor living experience for your home. Consider dressing up this outdoor area with a fire pit or some other focal point. This will draw your guests to other areas of your home. It can also make your home seem larger, and provide other avenues of entertainment.
Renovation can make your home more usable for entertainment purposes. Use these solutions to create a more social vibe in your home.
Building your home is the most exciting project to undertake. A luxury custom home is a dream come true for many people; everything about your home can be designed with you and your family in mind, down to every last detail. It’s also a huge financial commitment, however, and a responsibility you need to take seriously if it is to be worth every penny.
Here are 10 things you absolutely must consider:
1. How You’ll Make a Practical Space for Living
At the top of your considerations needs to be how you use the space available.
Firstly, consider the possibilities of the space. Make sure you plan adequate space for utilities and storage, and everyday life. It’s easy to get carried away with the aesthetics of the project, like your beautiful staircase or fireplace, for instance, and then to give inadequate consideration to practical spaces like laundry areas.
It’s important to be generous with this kind of space as you do not want these areas to overspill and impinge on focal areas.
Consider storage for toys, coats and shoes, bookcases, walk-in closets and pantries. Areas for pets to sleep and play in should also be of equal importance to any other feature of your home.
2. How You’ll Maximize the Feeling of Space
Equally important is how you will make your home feel spacious. This will make your home feel more luxurious and allow you to enjoy spending time there. The feeling of space is not all about having a large square footage.
Tricks of the trade to create illusions of space are to plan large, well-positioned windows, higher ceilings, wide hallways and open plan areas for cooking, dining and general living.
3. How to Avoid Under-Utilized Space
Creating spaces that will only be used occasionally are a drain on your budget and the space available for living. Guest bedrooms are a typical example of an underused space that often becomes a dumping ground when out of use.
Consider combining your guest space with a home office, or a reading, hobbies or music room.
4. The Style of Your House
How you decide your home will look is a hugely personal decision, but one that needs to be informed by other factors, such as the styles of neighboring homes and the neighborhood in general. Color schemes, landscaping, the build material, the types of windows and doors — all these are vital considerations for luxury custom built homes.
Remember, that people living across from you are going to have to look at your house more often than you are.
5. How Future-proof Your Home Is
Try to envisage how circumstances might change in the years to come and how your home will be able to respond. Will the amount of occupants’ likely change? How will their needs change?
For example, if you’re planning to extend your family at some point, you’ll not only need bedroom space, but also storage for equipment like strollers and kids bikes, and an area that can become a play space. It’s easy to make the mistake of creating the most incredible home for life as it is now, but try not to forget that life can also change quickly.
6. Resale Potential
Yes, you might not be planning to sell on at any point, but we have to be practical here. Life sometimes takes unexpected turns and while the number one person to please when building your own home is yourself, you need to be sure that it will appeal enough to others too should you ever need to resell.
7. How Certain You Are of Your Numbers
This is common sense, but it cannot be understated how easy it is for budgets to fall by the wayside and for the cost of the build to spiral out of control. Being organized and in control is the key, so maintain regular checks to monitor the budget and readjust as necessary along the way.
8. The Environmental Credentials of Your Home
Not only will ensuring your home is friendly to the planet ensure you are guilt-free, but it can also save you money. Depending on where you live, you may be able to apply for grants available for environmentally friendly projects.
You can save money over the long term by making some clever choices about where your energy comes from, too.
9. Plentiful Power Supplies
This may seem like a minor detail, but where you have access to power can make a substantial difference to how you can place your furniture and how usable the finished space is. Give lots of consideration to where you may want to access power in each room, and allow for spare sockets, too.
A wise consideration these days is also a central charging station for phones, tablets, laptops and other devices. This means you can avoid unsightly wires throughout the home, which reduces the chances of you losing track of where your devices are.
10. Lighting Choices
Lastly, if you’ve planned your windows carefully, you’ll have no issues with lighting during the day, since natural light will be adequate even on duller days. To compensate for darker hours of the day, sources of artificial light should be abundant.
Consider how you would like to light up each room according to the variety of activities that may take place there.
AUTHOR BIO
Robert Allam has had an understanding of Trendsetter Homes inside and out since he started with the business as a client over 10 years ago. Eventually becoming part of the company as a Sales Consultant, then Office Manager, and now as Finance and Sales Manager, Robert has seen the company grow from a small team of 4 to a professional team of 16 and has guided many clients through the process of developing their dream of a unique, luxury home.
The thought of cleaning your house can be a daunting task. You may think to yourself that it will take you an entire day to get things right but you don’t always have to clean a house from top to bottom. This infographic from Half Price takes you through the areas you need to focus on if you have an hour and want to do a quick clean. It’s more about making the house clean-er rather than clean!
First, get yourself organised. Gather your supplies and put on some old comfy clothes and trainers. You might like to throw on a music playlist to keep you motivated with your favourite songs. Work through the rooms starting with the kitchen and be quick rather than thorough in each room. For example, a good trick for cleaning the microwave is putting a bit of vinegar and water in the cup and ‘cooking’ it in there for 90 seconds – this lifts any gunk in the microwave so it will just need a quick wipe after.
Another good idea is to take a laundry basket with you as you go from room to room for all items that don’t belong. Replace them in the final 15 minutes of your clean. Check out the full infographic now and remember that a clean home will make you feel so much better.
When selling a home, first impressions count. The first 7-10 seconds is when a buyer forms an opinion and a great way to form these all necessary good first impressions is by home staging.
Home staging is about illusions and creating the perfect moods in your house. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, and best of all, it makes home buyers want to buy it. Instantly! Although not an entirely new concept, it’s gradually picking up favour as sellers see the results. When you consider that houses are not only sold faster when you use home staging, they’re also on average sold for at 17% higher price than a home that is not staged, it’s definitely something you want to know about.
As online property portals are now providing a platform to showcase your house, you may not, as a seller, even have the chance for someone to physically view your property. The images used on these sites can make or break a sale, so they must make the property look perfect.
One of the most important rooms in the house, as we spend a third of our lives in bed, and a room that buyers need to fall in love with, is the bedroom. Mattress Online have created a guide on how to home stage a bedroom to ensure it looks like the bedroom of a buyer’s dream.
When it comes to sheds, you need to think about durability. These convenient exterior objects can be used to store yard equipment and other household items, so they have to be weather-proof. Above all others, wooden and metal sheds are the most popular and feasible choices, but steel sheds might be just the thing you need. If you are interested to find out why you should invest your money in a steel structure, here are the principal advantages of steel sheds.
Reliability of steel structures
Many people equate steel structures to gargantuan skyscrapers and large-scale building projects, but steel can also be used as a reliable basis for small and unassuming structures such as sheds. It makes an appealing building option since it is durable, sustainable and affordable. From wall support to framing and roofing, steel is just as versatile a building material as wood, and when it comes to framing, steel beams are even lighter than timber. It can be used to build quickly and it can be recycled.
Easy to maneuver
Did you know a full timber shed will cost more than a steel shed? Apart from that, bulky logs can be quite a hassle to move around or reposition. Steel sheds are built from a variety of “moving parts” which are delivered in numerous packages. These packages are almost universally flat-packed, so even your kids can help out with moving them around and placing them in positions you see fit.
Low maintenance
The advantages of steel structures are indisputable, but the most popular selling point is low maintenance. When each of us thinks about building a shed in the backyard, we all subconsciously start thinking about what version of this will require the least spring cleaning sessions. Thankfully, the galvanized layer protects against the elements and it is generally easy to clean off any dirt with a bit of fire hose action – which leads us directly to the next advantage.
Fast assembly
Owing to very practical packaging, the assembly of these steel sheds is a relatively brisk task. In fact, if you have some building experience you can probably assemble the shed on your own. However, to avoid potential injuries you should probably hire professionals to finish this project for you. If you need a larger shed that will serve as a multi-purpose structure (a garage, workshop, storage facility, chill zone – you name it), certain companies, as the experts behind Wallandra, will not only ensure that you choose the adequate structure, but also assemble it every step of the way.
Fire and water hazards
The first advice you’ll hear when you opt to build a shed is – keep it at a safe distance from your main house. It is not an uncommon sight to see sheds set ablaze and they can be a real fire hazard. Thankfully, metal is very fire-resistant and galvanized steel would have to be exposed to extremely high temperatures to melt down. As far as water goes, if the issue of rust is taken care of with galvanization, you are pretty much set. There are over 3,500 grades of steel out there, and that is one of many interesting facts about this material. Additionally, steel can soak in water and rot will not settle in like in the case of timber. Also, mold problems are a lot less frequent and easy to manage.
If you have built your household from the ground up and plan to (ideally) spend the rest of your life on this property, you have to build exterior structures for keeps. Sometimes, this might mean you will have to reach deep into your pocket, but it is guaranteed to pay off. With a steel shed in your backyard, you will save money on unpredictable and frequent fixer-uppers which could end up costing more than the original structure.
When remodeling a family home, you understandably may think about dressing up the interior décor in your space, but adding functionality is also important. You may have great ideas about how to make the space more functional and comfortable for you, but you may also think about your teenagers. Through a remodeling project, you may be able to add some thoughtful features that they will love.
A Garage Conversion
If your home currently only has one living area, you could consider adding another living area that is specifically designed as a teen hangout space. Rather than spending money adding more square footage to your home’s existing footprint, you could convert the garage. This garage space could even be used for your teen’s band equipment, hobby items and other things that may be taking up too much space in your home currently. A garage makes for a great teen-friendly hangout space as you can open the garage door when it is being used and have an indoor/outdoor space.
A Private TV or Media Room
Teens and adults rarely agree on what they want to watch on TV, and this holds true for movies as well as television shows. You may be able to convert an unused formal dining or bedroom into a private TV or media room for your teens rather easily. In fact, if the space is already enclosed, you may simply need to add some insulation to the walls and dimmer switches to the already installed lights.
A Private Bathroom
If your teens are currently sharing a bathroom with others in the home, you may regularly hear about messes that others have left behind or about someone spending too much time in the bathroom. These are common arguments, and you may be able to eliminate them entirely by giving your teen his or her own private bathroom. This is a seemingly minor convenience that can make your home a happier and less stressful place to be in.
A Gaming Nook
Many teens love gaming, and they often take up the TV when they are on their console. You may even have consoles and games cluttered up around the TV creating an eyesore. You do not need a large space to create a gaming nook. For example, you can choose a small area of the home to carve out a space for two to four gaming chairs and moderately-sized TV. A few storage features may also be beneficial for storing games, controllers and consoles.
Each teen is unique, and each family deals with unique challenges based on the current layout of the home and the interests or needs of teens. Consider how these or other thoughtful ideas can be implemented through your upcoming home renovation project.
There’s nothing more magical than enjoying the winter charms with your loved ones, drinking hot mulled wine in your cosy outdoor sanctuary. There’s no reason to retreat to your home during winter and look through your windows as your beautiful patio becomes whiter every day. You can easily transform it into a comfy haven for the cold days where you can spend chilly evenings in a warm and inviting ambiance. Here are several tips that can help you prepare your patio for the upcoming winter.
Make it cosy
The end of warm summer days doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your lovely backyard, especially if you have a covered patio. All you need to do is bring out several blankets and pillows to keep you warm while you enjoy quiet, intimate evenings with your friends. Not only will you create an ambience of comfort and warmth, but you’ll also elevate the overall décor of your patio. You can add patterned blankets and throw pillows with enticing winter motifs to set the mood for the upcoming holiday season. You can also introduce a beautiful outdoor rug for your lounge area to keep your feet warm and to create a layered stylish look. Furthermore, if your patio features a neutral colour scheme, throw pillows and blankets will provide you with an opportunity to bring in a pop of colour and break the monotonous look.
Add a heat source
You need to add a heat source to your patio in order to soak in the winter beauty in a warm environment. There are plenty of solutions that will keep you warm while also creating a cosy ambiance. You can go with a propane-based outdoor heater or install a lovely outdoor fireplace. You can opt for a stone fireplace for a rustic look or a gas one that will help you create a modern atmosphere. Adding a fire bowl is yet another authentic solution that will enable you to spend chilly nights outside in a warm ambiance.
Embrace the winter magic
Instead of running off into your house, you should embrace winter and completely enjoy its magic. Get ready for the festive season in time and gather all of your winter-inspired decorations for your outdoor patio, such as beautiful string lights and candles of different sizes, that will bring a sense of romance to your outdoor sanctuary. You should check out some of the beautiful accessories that The Furniture Shack has to offer. From magical candles and lanterns to beautifully designed outdoor rugs, every single detail will help you create a magical and enticing winter atmosphere. You can also consider adding festive decorative items, such as pinecones, evergreen springs and branches to capture the true spirit of winter.
Enclose your patio
If you have a beautiful view from your patio and you’re not a fan of winter, you should consider temporarily enclosing your outdoor haven. Depending on your budget, you can choose between glass and aluminium walls. This way, you will shield your patio from unfavourable weather conditions while still being able to soak in the view of the snow-covered scenery. If you don’t want to completely close your patio, you can install a pergola to cover it.
Keep it clean
Although maintaining your backyard and patio during winter isn’t easy, you shouldn’t let your outdoor furniture and other patio elements become damaged due to improper maintenance. You should find out whether your outdoor items are weather- and water-resistant. If not, you should properly store them away over winter. While aluminium and wooden furniture are weather-resistant, you still need to properly maintain them to ensure their durability. For example, you shouldn’t use protective covers for your wooden furniture to avoid moisture build-ups beneath them. Nonetheless, you should properly and regularly clean your outdoor furniture regardless of the materials to prevent mould growth.
In just a few easy steps, you can prepare your lovely outdoor sanctuary for the wintertime and create an ambiance of cosiness and warmth. Afterwards, you can embrace the winter magic and soak in its beauty.
About the author:
Chloe is an art historian and recreational ballet dancer. She is passionate about photography, dance and music. Her biggest dream is to travel the whole world with her husband and take stunning photographs of beautiful places. She also enjoys learning and writing about home design, since she is crazy about aesthetics.
From remodeling your bathroom to making your kitchen fit for a king/queen, you know that here at Bruzzese Home Improvements we are all about helping make your home the best it can be; but what about the garden? Well, we have just teamed up with the experts at WhatShed and we have this fantastic infographic for you that shows just how good gardening can be.
Now having a nice garden that has all kinds of fantastic plants and delicious food growing in it will, of course, make your home look more complete. While that is great, what we are really looking at is just how good mentally and physically gardening is for you. So while it is great for your home, gardening is even better for you.
To start with, gardening is really going to help your physical wellbeing from a reduced BMI to lessening the chance of your having a heart attack. Spending a few hours in the garden has been proven to be just as effective as spending a full hour in the gym. Gardening is a great way to keep your body active and make sure that you keep feeling young long into your golden years.
As well as being good for the body, you could argue that gardening is even better for the mind. People who spend time in the garden have been scientifically proven to have far lower stress levels. Gardening keeps you calm, takes your mind of the world and in general, it just makes you a far happier person. Gardening is also fantastic for your diet as those people who grow their own fruit and vegetables eat more fruit and vegetables.
So, yes, having a nice and full garden will make your home look nicer and even add value to your property. But you really cannot put a price on the mental and physical benefits that gardening provides you as a person.
Home automation covers a broad range of appliances, amenities, and other conveniences. Given the large scale of household chores and activities that can be carried out automatically, automating your home can superficially appear both daunting and expensive. However, once you understand the broad strokes of creating a smart home, from setting up a central hub to figuring out which tasks you’d like to connect to the system, it’s both reasonably affordable and easy to set up and maintain a home automation system from a company like AMP Smart.
The Basics
The first step in setting up automation in your home is determining which tasks you’d like your system to manage. Creating a smart home leaves plenty of room for customization and no two smart homes will be exactly alike. Generally speaking, you can look at automation as dividing into two distinct categories: devices and amenities. The device category includes audio and visual entertainment systems, computers, and appliances like washers and dryers. Amenities includes lighting, sprinklers, heating and air conditioning, security systems with cameras and door alarms, and other larger-scale systems in and around your home.
While these devices can be automated on a one-to-one basis, the best approach is to create a central control hub for the ultimate smart home experience. This central hub can be a physical unit or control panel, but it can also be achieved through apps that work with your existing tablet or smartphone, though this may depend on the scale of the system, and some mixing and matching is possible. A tablet offers more on-the-go control, but a dedicated console is inherently more secure because it is stationary.
Home automation uses a broad range of protocols, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more specialized platforms like Z-Wave, Thread, Zigbee, and X-10. While the choice is ultimately up to you, a mixed approach built around wi-fi and Z-wave is commonly suggested, as you’re likely experienced with wi-fi and Z-wave has widespread support on a range of devices and systems.
Where to Start
If this is your first time automating aspects of your household, you’ll likely want to do a mix of devices and amenities. Stick with the amenities you already have before adding additional systems like security or smart lawn irrigation. Your HVAC amenities, which includes your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are a perfect starting point. Smart thermostats are surprisingly affordable and simple to install. As a bonus, homeowners with a smart thermostat save around 10 percent annually on energy bills, meaning you’ll quickly recoup the cost of the unit.
Smart light switches and outlets are another house-wide amenity that can easily be adapted. Light timers have been popular for decades as both a convenience and handy security feature and can now be integrated into a larger smart home system. By integrating these with smart switches and outlets, you can not only automate your indoor and outdoor lighting, but also remotely control power to a whole range of devices, be it computers and printers, kitchen appliances, or your washer and dryer units.
Automating your devices can be more involved than just remotely controlling their power supply. There’s a broad range of wireless devices that can be linked up to a central hub for ease of control. One of the more interesting features these offer is the use of smart sensors. By detecting your comings and goings, smart sensors can automatically turn lights and devices on and off depending on whether or not you’re home or in a specific room. They aren’t essential, but are definitely a huge convenience and set your system apart from other smart homes. As said, there are a broad range of devices with smart and automated capabilities, including integrated home audio systems, surveillance cameras, and even coffee pots.
The Sky’s the Limit
The level of automation achievable in your home is really only limited by your imagination. Now that a few generations of products have been released, the cost has settled to a point where it’s possible to have smart home features on any budget. Familiarize yourself with the various protocols used for smart technology and try to aim for consistency, as this will ease the process of placing all your devices and amenities under a central control hub. Focus on automating things you use every day, like lighting or heating, and from there branch out into more exotic implementations.
