Ideas for Upgrading Your Front Porch
Creating a welcoming home can be as simple as dressing up your front door. Get ideas for upgrading your front porch in this Better Homes and Gardens video:
Install a stylish and energy efficient door and personalize with paint. You can find replacement doors in materials such as aluminum, fiberglass, steel, vinyl and wood.
Refresh your outdoor light fixtures and house numbers with a coat of spray paint in a snazzy color. Alternatively, add a splash of surprising color to your door to distinguish your home from your neighbor’s. Use a paint appropriate to the door material and recommended for outdoor application.
Bring a distinctive look to your home with a new mailbox and house numbers. There are many different styles of accessories suited to every architectural style. Instead of matching the hardware to your home, try juxtaposing front door accessories in a different style, such as modern fixtures to a traditional house.
Add a large container of fresh flowers by the door during the growing season. You can also set up a container garden of different colors and sizes of plants on a table.
For a finishing touch, choose an outdoor rug in colors or patterns that mimics an indoor carpet.
Categories: Home Improvement Tags:
New Tool for Homeowners Researching Their Next Home Improvement Project
BuildLens, a Central California based startup in the residential construction space, is an exciting new platform for connecting homeowners and residential contractors.
BuildLens makes it easy for homeowners to find ideas for their next home improvement project, establish an appropriate budget, and hire a contractor near them.
BuildLens maintains a searchable gallery of construction projects completed all around the world. Each of these projects has been uploaded by contractors who have chosen to advertise their work via their “portfolio.” Every project in a contractor’s portfolio includes images, descriptions, a location of the project, and an associated “budget range” that is appropriate for a project of that particular scope. Homeowners browse through these completed residential construction projects, get inspired, establish an appropriate budget, and then search for contractors with impressive portfolios near them.
With a simple and elegant user experience, homeowners can now view galleries of construction projects completed all around the world or in their local communities. They can filter their search to specific project categories such as tile flooring, outdoor bbqs, or kitchen cabinetry. In addition, all projects are identifiable by, and can be sorted by, “budget ranges”, which are assigned by the contractor that completed and uploaded the project to their portfolio. Because the exact scope of every construction project is different, identifying a “budget range” for each project allows homeowners to set reasonable expectations with regards to what they can get for their money.
An increasingly social site, BuildLens encourages homeowners to rate and share their favorite projects with others via email or their preferred social networks. Homeowners are also able to share their entire list of favorites, which comes in handy during the contractor selection process.
Once a homeowner has built up an extensive collection of “favorites”, they begin searching for contractors with impressive portfolios in their community. After deciding on a small handful of contractors to reach out to, homeowners can simply email their entire list of favorites to prospective contractors. By sharing this list, homeowners are immediately able to convey their ideas for the project, along with their chosen budget range. This has proven to be an invaluable tool for both homeowners and contractors.
“For the first time, we’re seeing clients who know exactly what they want and what they should expect to pay for it. This helps weed out the ‘tire-kickers’, and allows us to focus on what we do best- remodeling,” said Jack Whealan, President of SkyTop Builders.
With a strong belief in the power and simplicity of visual, location based advertising; BuildLens strives to maintain the largest searchable gallery of completed residential construction projects- in the world.
To learn more about BuildLens, including upcoming feature releases, visit http://www.buildlens.com.
Fresno, CA (PRWEB) March 28, 2012
Categories: Home Improvement Tags:
Corner Bath Tubs Provide a Focal Point for Your Bathroom
Do you want a larger bathtub but have a long narrow bathroom? A great solution is a corner bath tub. Corner bath tubs provide a focal point for your bathroom and can be either standard drop-in tubs built into an angled deck in the corner or custom designed. They can be standalone tubs, or they can be fitted into the bathroom, abutting vanities and other cabinets. They are typically installed under windows. If your bathroom has space for a separate shower, a corner bathtub can be a good solution for those who enjoy both showers and soaking.
Most bathtubs for corner installations are five-sided with a triangular basin and are designed to accommodate two-person bathing. Corner bath tubs typically come in five- or six-foot lengths. They are not suitable for all bathrooms as they tend to use a lot of floor space. They provide a convenient ledge for soaps and oils, or for decorative items and plants. While they simplify the job of cleaning the floor, you will need to get into the tub to clean the far reaches of the tub deck.
The Kohler K-1155-F ProFlex 5454 Corner Bath with Flange is designed for drop-in installation. This high-quality acrylic tub measures 54″ x 54″ x 20 1/4″ and comes in white and biscuit finishes (almond is available as a special order). The integral tile flange prevents behind-the-wall water damage. The list price is about $1, 012 but can be found on sale online for about $755.
For a more distinctive look at a slightly higher price, the Neptune WI60S Wind Soaking Corner Tub measures 60″ x 36″ x 22″. The base price of this white acrylic tub is about $1,880; a neck pillow and a non-white finish such as bone or black can be added for an extra $400.
The Jacuzzi EH15-959 Fuzion 6666 Corner Whirlpool Bath provides the ultimate bathing experience. This high-end tub measures 66″ x 66″ x 21 1/2″ and features Jacuzzi technology, fine decking in exotic wenge wood or rich teak, a RapidHeat in-line heater, illumatherapy lighting system, ergonomically designed pillows and digital controls. The retail price is $6,810 but can be found on sale online at around $5,020.
Categories: Home Improvement Tags:
Building Your Own Custom Wine Cellar
If you have a large collection of wines, you have likely considered installing a dedicated room to house your supply. This can seem like a daunting project. However, it doesn’t have to be complicated to build a custom cellar if you keep a few things in mind.
When building a home wine cellar, it’s best to frame an interior room especially for this purpose. Outside walls and concrete can experience temperature fluctuations that can be hard to control and should be avoided. No special construction techniques are needed when building the room itself. However, you will need to make sure that the room is well insulated and has a vapor barrier. This will keep the cool air inside where it belongs and also ensure that the needed humidity stays present. Also, if you are building the cellar in your existing home, make sure that you close all the vents in the area. You should also determine how you plan to cool the room during the planning process. The simplest setups utilize a small, self contained air conditioning unit. For best results, carefully plan the placement and keep the wine cellar cooling units on a thermostat. For a more unobtrusive look, you can duct the room and keep the actual cooler in a different area of the house. This will make your custom wine cellar quieter and also more attractive.
Once you have the basic infrastructure in place, you will need to determine the best setup for the room itself. Your floor should be finished with a natural and heavy duty material such as stone, tile or marble. Vinyl is not the best choice but can be used if you have tight budget constraints. Carpet should never be installed in your custom wine cellar as it is subject to moisture damage and mildew. You will also want to install a sufficient number of wine cellar racks. Use the space to the best advantage, including plenty of storage space. You can also set up a serving station and a small sink for cleanup. Hardwoods like mahogany, oak and redwood are preferred. Never use an artificial finish on the cabinetry. It can actually off-gas and leave an unpleasant taste in your wines. Sufficient lighting should be installed to enhance the design. It’s also very important to choose a suitable door to the cellar. It should be heavy duty and seal tightly enough to hold in the cool air and moisture.
As you can see, installing a custom wine cellar isn’t as difficult as you might have suspected. It can be accomplished as a do-it-yourself project if you are handy with power tools and dimensions, or you can hire a contractor to do the work for you. However, you should carefully supervise the planning and construction to ensure that you get the desired results. While your contractor will likely have experience with the actual construction, they will need your guidance with the specifications and needs of your home wine cellar.
Categories: Home Improvement Tags:
The Timeless Beauty Of Woven Wood Shades
Woven wood shades have gone through many transitions over the years. The current woven wood shades feature the natural beauty of grasses, reeds, bamboo, rattan, woods and sisal for an environmentally friendly product in calming nature colors like brown, off white, tan, green, rust and blues. All the major companies have followed this trend with variations in trims and features. The new woven wood shades are lighter weight and more delicate looking. These blinds have improved lifting mechanisms and features like top down/bottom up controls that allow you to have the top part of the window open and bottom covered or bottom open and top covered.
Each company has its own look and features and a price range going from an economy line to a luxury line. Hunter Douglas has a nice line of woven wood shades in their Alusta woven textures and Provenance woven wood shades.They have the widest size range with available widths from 18 inches to 144 inches and the height from 30 inches to 108 inches. They are known for their lift mechanisms including remote control power rise, and manual systems like the light rise bottom rail, ultra glide single cord system, easy rise continuous cord and top down/bottom up system. They have a very large selection of colors and trims with reasonable prices. Their motorized controls are ideal for many areas.
Bali has a nice selection of woven wood shades in price groups and design groups. They use a symbol to tell you if the design group you are looking at is in the best value, better value, mid range, higher price range or highest price range. There are good choices in every price range. Bali advertises casual elegance and simple sophistication. Comfortex woven wood shades are in the lower price ranges, and they offer a faux wood line made of polyester as well as the natural wood line. They have the least patterns available but have a nice privacy lining.
Smith+Noble Dakota Fabric Valances
Graber woven wood shades are in their Tradewinds line with patterns that go with traditional, sophisticated or contemporary decor. They are grouped in premium assortment, basic assortment, intermediate assortment and platinum assortment. They have standard cord lift, modern operating system and the top down/ bottom up feature. They have the most decorative types to choose from. Kirsch has a nice line of woven wood shades with concealed hardware and 20 pattern groups with enticing names like Caribbean blends and spice cove. Levolor has an attractive wide wooden valance available and some unique lift systems like the cordless handle and the day/night system. All of these companies have a good selection and price range with web sites to help with home shopping.
Categories: Home Improvement Tags: