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5 Green And Environment Friendly Home Renovation Ideas

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5 Green And Environment Friendly Home Renovation Ideas

Owning your own property can be a great way to build long-term wealth. While there are many advantages that come with owning a property, to maximize the value you will need to make certain repairs and renovations over time. When you are looking to make renovations and repair today, one great option would be to make renovations using green materials. There are several green renovations options in particular that could make your home more environmentally friendly and also improve the value of your property.

1) Replacing Windows

One of the best green improvements you can make to your home would be to replace your windows with energy-efficient windows. Energy-efficient windows do a much better job of keeping a home warm during the winter and cool during the summer months. This can lead to a significant reduction in your overall energy bills on a monthly basis. Energy-efficient windows can also improve the curb appeal of your home and can be one of the best renovation and repair investments that you can make.

2) Sustainable Flooring

One of the most common trends in housing today is to install hardwood floors. While hardwood floors are beautiful and give a home a very natural look, the use of maple, cherry, and other types of woods in hardwood flooring is not sustainable. While traditional hardwood floors are not made of sustainable materials, there are other more sustainable options that look very similar. Some of the best options to consider today include installing floors made from bamboo or cork, both of which are sustainable, look great, and are very durable.

3) HVAC and Appliances

Another great improvement that you can make to your property that will help to make it more energy efficient is to invest in energy-efficient appliances. Energy efficient appliances, such as HVAC systems, refrigerators, and washing machines, focus on using far less energy than traditional appliances. This can greatly help to reduce your energy usage and bills on a monthly basis. These appliances can also add to the value of your home and provide you with great service.

4) Gas Fireplace

5 Green Upgrades for Your Home

One of the nicest ways to end a long day during the winter is to enjoy a night by the fire in your home. While most people prefer the sound and smell of wood fireplaces, wood-burning fireplaces are not great for the environment. Not only does it lead to deforestation, but it can pollute the local environment as well. A better option today would be to upgrade to a direct-vent gas fireplace. These require no wood and far less gas than other fireplace options.

5) Landscaping

Finally, improving your landscaping can be a great green addition to any home. A nice yard with plenty of nice plants can greatly improve the overall curb appeal of your property. While it can make your home look nicer, landscaping improvements can also be better for the environment. For example, a tree and shrubs can provide additional shade to your home, which can keep it naturally cool during the hot summer months. You could also make a small vegetable garden, which will allow you to grow some of your own food.

7 Home Improvement, Decor Ideas To Decorate Your New House

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7 Home Improvement, Decor Ideas To Decorate Your New House

There is no rush better than the key to a new home being placed in your hand. When you walk through your new home, you won’t think of things you need. After the magic is gone, though, you’ll get down to brass tacks.

Since you’ll bring some furnishings, linens, cleaning supplies, food, and perhaps artwork and books, you won’t need to rush out to buy these. You’d have a good idea if you spent some time in your new home getting to know its rhythms, its moods and what would make you comfortable in it. Then you could go out and buy new things.

1) Lighting

Now you’ve been in your new home for a few days or weeks. You know which sides of the house into which the natural light comes. You will understand when you place your furnishings which walls need light. Sconces, lamps, track lighting, focus lighting, and ambient lighting all have a place in a home. You will figure out which you need and where you need it.

2) Window treatments

Beautiful Window Treatments for your new home

By now you are aware if you have nosy neighbors who casually check out the new neighbor while walking the dog. You know if traffic slows down to look at the house and its owner. You know which windows need treatments as well as what those treatments will be. This is an important and expensive purchase, so do it right the first time. You’ll have years of privacy and enjoyment from this purchase.

3) Tables

George Carlin once did a comedy routine about people and their stuff. He’s right in stating that we need a place for all that stuff. Tables hold stuff, baskets beneath tables hold stuff, and stuff can be hung on walls or dangled from the ceiling. You’ll need a place to put what accumulates in your new house. So hit the flea market, yard sales, and second-hand stores and have some fun!

4) Books and pretty objects

A home needs personality. If you inherited bookcases or hutches from family members, they will need to be filled with something. Nothing is sadder than a piece of furniture with nothing to embrace. Let them embrace your books, crystal objects, wooden pieces, sculpture, perhaps porcelain dolls or sporting things to give your new home that personality.

5) Plants and flowers

Since you’re going to consider how to landscape your new yard, it pays to consider plants and flowers indoors as well. Plants and flowers give a space a lovely perfume. Their colors complement your color scheme and furnishings.

6) Plant paraphernalia

You’ll need gardening-sized shovels and forks. Water hoses and water buckets with spouts will be necessary. Indoors, if the house doesn’t have a mudroom, then the plants and flowers will need to be watered in the kitchen sink or bathtub. Outdoors, you’ll need a lawn mower, weed whacker, and edger as well as rakes and a wheelbarrow.

7) Your dream

Last but not least, whatever you’ve always dreamed of, go out and get it! Don’t let that sofa, king sized bed, or that yard full of fruit trees fade into the woodwork. You deserve a treat, so run out to get your dream now.

Quick And Easy DIY Projects For Your Kitchen

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Quick And Easy DIY Projects For Your Kitchen

Not every project for your kitchen has to involve a long, drawn out process. There are plenty of small updates that will not take entire weekends to accomplish. Here are a few.

Change out those Old Faucets

The plumbing fixtures placed in many homes are usually the simple stock items from construction companies. Therefore, they often lack imagination and unique design. There are hundreds of faucets you can choose from at local hardware stores. If you would like, take a picture of the faucet(s) you want to replace and show an associate upon arrival; this could help you narrow down the choices in terms of shape or material.

Pot Racks

Hanging pot racks about certain parts of the kitchen are a simple way to not only decorate your space, but also to add storage space in unique places. Pot racks can be placed above any kitchen island. This allows the kitchen to remain functional, since usually the space above the island goes untouched anyway.

Under Cabinet Lighting

Lighting under cabinetry is a great addition to the kitchen that adds helpful amounts of lighting for cooking. LED lights are optimal for this feature; there are even LED kits on the market specifically for under-cabinet lighting. At the hardware store, you can choose from those that need to be screwed into the underside of the cabinets, or simpler battery operated kits that stick to the underside.

Cabinet Hardware

Cabinet hardware is one of the easiest ways to place accents all around a kitchen. Counts how many knobs and handles you have; between the drawers and the cabinets, there are more than enough small chances to make your kitchen look modern. Taking pictures is extremely helpful when searching the hardware store; as with faucets, there are hundreds or choices to preview. Also, it is important to take down the CC dimensions of your current pulls. This will assist you in narrowing down the appropriate handles, and save time and money as well. Pay attention to the cost of the knobs and handles, since you will likely be purchasing 20-30 of them to complete the project. You do not have to spend large amounts of revenue to have quality. Perhaps it is best to focus on what you believe looks most unique, and speaks to the design of your kitchen as a whole.

Command Centers

Since living kitchens are such a central place in the home for family, keeping them organized is often a challenge. If it is available, find an empty wall not currently being used and create a storage space for things such as paperwork and other important information. This will simplify the search for important documents, and make it simple for everyone to decide where they should place homework or other papers that need to be accessed easily. This is also a good chance to embed some simple decor items!

Do not forget to have fun with this process. Take the time to look at photos of other’s creations, and alter what you see to fit the uniqueness of your home. Small changes over time will eventually lead to an exciting space for family and friends.