Projects to Make Any Room Feel New

Summer is a great time for home improvement projects for a couple of reasons. One of the most important reasons is that you can leave doors and windows open in the summertime to keep your workspace free of fumes from paint, stripper, stain, etc. Another reason is that your partner and—if you have them—older children are around, and tend to be more energized, so you can utilize their help!

Unless you have other pressing projects to complete in your home, this summer might be a good time to vamp up a room that has begun to feel a little worn and drab. Unless you want it to be, this doesn’t have to be a major redecorating job. There are a few relatively quick and easy things that you can do that will instantly brighten up a room with a new kind of light. Below are four suggestions; you can do one or all of them, or pick and choose a few! Either one will make a dramatic difference in whatever room you are working on.

• Wood floors—get them, rip out the carpet that’s covering them, and/or strip, re-stain and re-seal them. Not only does wood flooring add a homey kind of beauty to a room (particularly a living room or sitting room), but it also adds value to your home. If you already have wood flooring that just needs to be redone, you’re lucky. Adding hardwood flooring is more time and labor-intensive. However, it is one of the most surefire ways to make a room feel like a completely new space.

• Paint the walls. One of the best ways to make a room seem totally different is to go with a drastically different color than what’s already on your walls. Is your living room a powder blue? Think about taking the plunge and going a deep red, or maybe just beige with red highlights. When it comes to painting a room, the possibilities are virtually endless. According to interiordezine.com, certain colors have various effects on how a room feels, and how people feel when they are in them, so keep that in mind when selecting a color.

• Replacing your carpet or even simply getting your existing carpet cleaned can make a world of a difference in a room. If you decide to get new carpet, you will have a huge choice of types, colors, and even designs. But if you don’t want to go that far, just a cleaning can make your room look and feel much fresher.

• Another thing you can do either in conjunction with a paint job, or to just to jazz up your color is to add trim and molding to your walls and windows. Wood trim can make an area look both cozy and elegant at the same time. It adds definition, and is sure to change the overall feel of your room.

It’s springtime in the Midwest! That means unpredictable temperatures and frequent rainfalls. Every now and then, though, we get a day that reminds us just why we love summer. Frequently, summer means outdoor parties, and lots of people like to throw those parties themselves. Whether you’re a seasoned summer party host, or just trying your hand at warm-weather get-togethers, here are a few tips to make your backyard shindig enjoyable and memorable.

1. Ensure that the party area is clean. Usually, parties and barbeques are in the backyard, so make sure the pavement is swept and your garden is presentable. Look at your home exterior—does it need a wash, or even a repaint? No one feels comfortable in a dirty environment, and those are important jobs (party or not!) ,so make sure to get them done! Additionally, if you have a deck or patio, you’ll want to clean and re-seal them yearly. Look into redecorating your patio or deck as well—it can be the new life of the party!

2. Keep drinks on ice (or in a garage or patio fridge, if you have one), and serve traditional summertime food. There is a huge menu of summertime foods, and it can include anything from hot dogs and burgers to grilled shrimp, chilled soups and beyond. Just make sure it is easy, fun to eat and not too heavy. Also, make sure to purchase enough food and drink, so no one goes hungry or thirsty. Summer parties tend to last for a long time!

3. Be prepared for the summer outdoors. Citronella candles not only keep insects away, but they add to a lovely summertime ambiance. You can mix them in with other candles too. Be sure also to have addtional lighting such as paper lanterns, so your guests aren’t left in an uncomfortable dark when night falls. Also, keep essential items such as insect repellent and sun block on hand. Summertime can be harsh, and you don’t want your guests walking away with mosquito bites and sunburns!

4. Have a fire! Few things say summer more than a nighttime bonfire, or even a smaller one in a pit. There are many stylish and affordable fire pits available; try to find one that matches the rest of your garden décor. Once the fire is started, bring out foods that are traditionally cooked over a fire. Marshmallows (and the makings for s’mores) and uncooked hot dogs are not only delicious, but also fun to make!

Once you begin hosting summer celebrations, you will find your own way of preparing. It’s never fun to go into new social engagements blindly, though, so these tips can help you get started. One of the most important aspects of being a good and gracious host, at any type of party, is to pay attention to your guests and their needs. If you do that, and follow the above advice, your party is sure to go off without a hitch!

Let the Kids do the Decorating? Why it’s Not Such a Bad Idea.

The thought of giving your kids the paint brush and letting them attack the walls is enough to give any mother goosebumps. After all, isn’t, “Keep the color on the paper,” a mother’s mantra? Although very few people would probably encourage you to let your child make over an entire house, there are some distinct benefits to allowing your kids to help with the decorating, especially the decorating that’s going on in their rooms.

Decorating Gives Kids Ownership

Why do we bother decorating our homes at all? That’s easy, because we like to feel comfortable, live in a home that shows how we express ourselves, organize that home in a way that is convenient for us. Believe it or not, kids feel that way too. Imagine how you would feel if you hated blue but had to spend most of your day in a blue room. You would probably start feeling a little blue, right? By letting kids express themselves through the decorating of their rooms–including choosing the wall color or paper, the theme, and/or the accents–they begin to feel like they own and are comfortable in their rooms.

Ownership Leads to Care

When your kids really like their rooms, when they really feel as if their rooms are “theirs,” they are more likely to treat that room with care. (Yes, that means there might be a shorter fight when it comes to room cleaning, though no one can guarantee it!) They will be less likely to ruin their rooms through writing on walls, not cleaning up messes and allowing friends and/or siblings to do these things.

Decorating Teaches Kids Important Grown Up Lessons

Helping your kids decorate their rooms allows you to address some important concepts that all kids should learn. For instance, it’s a great time to talk about budget and finance–about shopping around, purchasing quality goods at an affordable price, and deciding what you can do by yourself and what you need to hire out. The process also gets kids start to think about the long term. For instance, they know they’re only going to get one framed poster (because more than one is out of their budgets), so they have to decide whether or not they will realistically like Justin Beiber in a year.

Although it probably wouldn’t be wise to allow your teens to decorate your family room while you’re on vacation, encouraging them to decorate their rooms can have these important advantages!

Eating Out While Eating In: Creating a Comfortable Outdoor Dining Experience

As the spring flowers poke their heads through what remains of last year’s leaves, the great outdoors begins to look a whole lot friendlier than it did just one month ago. And the friendlier the great outdoors looks, the more you want to spend more time outside and less time cooped up in your home. Mealtimes provide a great excuse for the whole family to sit down together and enjoy some fresh air and fresh food. But before you can resolve to eat outside, you need to create a space conducive to outdoor dining. These three tips will help you do just that.

If you have a deck, use it! However, if it hasn’t been used since last summer or longer, exercise caution first. Consider hiring a carpenter to inspect and make structural and aesthetic changes to the deck. This way, you’ll make sure your deck is a safe place for the whole family to have fun–even the two-year-old who loves to jump and bounce. Also, a newly repaired deck looks a lot better than one comprised of old, splintering wood. Some new stain and perhaps a few aesthetic details, like a sun roof or built in container garden can change the whole atmosphere of your back yard. Since you know that the ambiance is one of the first things you notice about a restaurant, why not think similarly about the ambiance of dining in your own back yard?

Be deliberate and strategic about buying patio furniture. Although at this time of year most stores are flaunting their patio furniture left and right, don’t fall into the trap of buying something that you think looks nice now but that doesn’t function the way you need it to or that won’t stand the test of harsh Midwest weather. Make sure you buy furniture that can accommodate your whole family, looks great where you want to place it, and is sturdy enough to last through thunderstorms, high winds and the occasional tornado!

Think about how you will get food from your kitchen to your outdoor dining area. If it is a long and tedious path, you might want to consider installing a kitchenette nearer to your deck or patio. For instance, the utility room is a prime place for an addition like this. In addition, you might want to think about building an outdoor grill or simply putting a fridge in your garage for easier access.

Eating out while eating at home can be a fun way to spend time with your family on a warm spring/summer day. However, it can also be a hassle. The tips above can help your dining experience stay fun without being frustrating.

From Snow Blower to Pressure Washer: Five Steps to Washing Your Vinyl Siding

It’s that time of year again when the snow blowers go away and the pressure washers come out. People are ready for warm weather and the outdoor activities that go with them. And when they’re participating in outdoor activities, they don’t want to have to stare at a dirty house. However, thanks to the ice and snow of the winter months, odds are most houses are pretty dirty by this point.

But if your house uses vinyl siding, you’re in lock! Cleaning this type of siding isn’t difficult, but it also isn’t a walk in the park. Cleaning vinyl siding can be slow going because you must attack the worst spots by hand with bleach and water, says Ehow. If you’re starting the siding cleaning process this spring, the following process can help to make that a whole lot easier for you.

Prepare your home for cleaning by covering outlets and light fixtures and moving your furniture.
According to DIY Life, your first step in the cleaning process should be looking for mold. The web site notes that mold will turn white when touched with bleach while dirt will stay black. This is a fast and easy way for you to find mold on a building.

If there is mold, you’ll need to be especially sure it’s gone after you’ve washed the siding. Taking care of mold right away can help protect your family, and there are a number of professionals in the area who can help you if mold remains after you’ve washed the siding.

Get a bucket of bleach and water and take care of the dirtiest parts of the home.
Take out your power washer, and spray down the rest of the home. You don’t have to use a sprinkle, but make sure the water pressure isn’t too great. If it is, it’s easy for water to get into the walls and you can have another mold problem all over again.

Although cleaning siding can look like a daunting task, it’s easy to finish in five simple steps. Of course, for those who don’t have a power washer and don’t want to rent one and for those who simply don’t have the desire or time, professional agencies will often clean your siding for you for a fee. But no matter how you start your washing, you better get too it. Summer (and its summer yard activities) is just around the corner.

Spring has sprung! The flowers are blooming and the weather is warming. It’s an exciting time of year, both for you and your kids. And although you want your kids to get some fresh air and exercise by playing outside, it can be hard to keep the spring outdoors (and off your carpets and walls) when you have a brood of cooped-up children just seeing the end of winter.

That’s why spring cleaning can take on a double meaning. Sure, you may be in the midst of re-organizing your home and reducing clutter to usher in the season, but you’re also probably trying to keep up with the kids just to keep your house sanitary!

If you are tackling spring cleaning with both hands, there are a few tips that can help you stay on top of the jobs and help them overlap just a bit.

Re-consider the color of your walls. If you have a light color, especially white, on your walls, remember that it shows dirt far more easily than another, darker color that can still augment your style. Despite the fact that white is a calm color, if you have little ones, white walls can be more frustrating than soothing. As you complete your spring organizing, think about painting your walls when you’ve moved everything from the room, or into a manageable stack in the middle.

Don’t shampoo your carpet. Even if you have kids that forget to take off their shoes or who have grass-stained feet from running around barefoot, you should not purchase a DIY carpet cleaner and shampooing agent. Carpet shampooing can actually make the carpet sticky, attracting the dirt. Instead, you should simply clean your carpet with soap and water or call a professional carpet cleaner. Or you can always try the third option–getting hardwood floors, something many parents feel helps them keep their piece of mind when they think about accident and spills.

Watch out for wet. Whether it’s a wet basement from the April showers or a spilled vase full of May flowers, make sure you attack wetness right away. Wet carpets, floors, and other parts of your home can lead to mold, which can lead to danger to your and your children’s health. Professional flood repair workers can help you manage everything from reoccurring wetness to serious flood damage.

When spring rolls around, you are probably as eager as your kids to get out of the house, but spring cleaning might mandate you stay in. If you’re extending your spring cleaning process by cleaning up after the kids, the tips above can help you conserve your time (and your sanity)!

How to Hire a Home Professional In Three Easy Steps

If you’re a home owner, you’re eventually going to have to hire a professional to do repairs and make changes around your house. In fact, if you’ve owned a home for a year or so, odds are you’ve already had to contract with some type of home professional. Hiring a professional can take loads off of your mind, allowing you to focus on work, family, and hobbies rather than the state of your home. However, it can also be nerve wracking, as you want to make sure you’re using the right kind of professional, someone who is actually going to help you get the job done and not try to pull a fast one when it comes to payments. If you follow three simple steps, you’ll be more likely to hire a home professional who you can really work with.

Step One: Credibility Matters

When you mention that you need some work done on your home, it probably seems like contractors start coming out of the woodwork. All of a sudden, your friend’s son, co-worker’s uncle, and the guy who checks you out at the supermarket are all home services providers, and they can get you a low rate too. While it’s wonderful to want to help out your neighbors, you can’t go by word of mouth alone. Perhaps one of these options really is as good as he or she sounds, and perhaps you really can save money by going this route, but in order to make sure that’s the case, you’ll need to do some detective work: Find out if the contractor is affiliated with a company.

If the contractor is affiliated with the company, use the company’s web site to see how long they have been in business, if they have any professional memberships (like the Better Business Bureau ), what jobs they’ve completed in the past, and if there are any client testimonials.

Whether or not the contractor is affiliated with a business, call your chamber of commerce to see if any complaints have been filed.

If possible, contact previous homeowners to ask for references.
Run a basic Internet search and check local posting boards Angie’s List to see if anyone has complained about the company or contractor.

Even though a neighbor or an acquaintance may be able to give you a better rate on your project, it’s usually better to go with an employee of an established home services company. This way, you can be sure that he or she has had to provide some type of credentials to get the job and you have someone that you can constantly stay in contact with if you need to discuss the work’s quality after it has been completed.

Step Two: Respect Matters

When you hire someone to work on your home, that person is your employee. Though he or she might have a lot more knowledge about home services, like painting and electrical work, than you do, he or she still needs to talk with you so you can agree to the project’s parameters. In addition, a professional home services provider should be willing to discuss and abide by the vision that you have for the completed project. If your contractor constantly tries to argue with you or disobeys professional and personal rules that you have set (like the deadline for the project or the fact that he or she is not to visit a certain part of your home), it’s time to get a new worker. However, be sure you know the difference between a worker’s suggestion based on professional knowledge and his refusal to honor your plans.

Step Three: Money Matters

When you hire someone to work on your home, you should pay a reasonable amount of money for quality work. Though the amount of money per job changes based on the type of job and the surrounding circumstances, it’s important that you “shop around” and you agree only to services that you can afford. The Internet is a great place to find the going rate for different services –everything from lawn cutting to professional electric work. Just be sure to realize that prices are determined by locality and extenuating circumstances (i.e. an immediate deadline for the project). Thus, you should use the Internet as a guide, but don’t marry it!

From choosing a worker who is affiliated with a business versus one who is not to making sure you can find a worker in your price range, the process of hiring an employee to work on your home can be lengthy. But that’s a good thing. You wouldn’t let just anyone come in your home, would you? If you want to make sure you have a good worker, follow these steps and be selective. Eventually, you’ll find the perfect company for you!