Tag Archives: diy

The Well-Stocked Toolbox

If you perform your own home repair or do it yourself (DIY) projects then a well-stocked toolbox is a must. The nice thing about having a toolbox is that you can build it up as needed, depending on your level of skill and the size and types of projects you do. Whether you simply want to hang a few pictures or whether you want to rewire some cable, having the right tools always makes the job easier. Here is a guide to the basic tools you should have. Make sure that you don’t purchase cheap tools, or you will pay … Continue reading →

Three Painting Tips

Painting a room is an easy and affordable way to update it, change the decor and make it fresh. If you change nothing else, a coat or two of paint will be a big improvement for your home. Here are three painting tips to help you in your project. 1. If you get interrupted or have to stop painting for the day before you are finished, don’t bother washing out that paint roller. Instead, wrap the roller carefully and tightly in regular kitchen plastic wrap. Then place the wrapped roller in your freezer. Before painting once again, let the roller … Continue reading →

Checking Your Remodeling Recoup Cost

Do you ever wonder what upgrades to your home might add in terms of value? Even with a slumping housing market, you can still increase your home’s resale value with the right renovation. As everyone knows, kitchen and bathrooms get the greatest recoup in investment overall, but some other numbers may surprise you. Recoup value on projects can vary by region. This can make sense in some places, such as insulated windows in New England getting a greater recoup value, while not make sense in other places, such as upgrading an air conditioning system in Texas getting a small recoup … Continue reading →

Should You Hire an Architect?

When you are considering a remodel of a room or an addition to your home, it might be a good idea to hire an architect. After all, unless you have experience, you wouldn’t consider designing your own car or even your own formal dress. Yet, many people plunge ahead into projects on their own because they believe that a professional architect would cost far too much to justify one as an expense. Recently, we saw a home that had an addition on it. While the extra space was a nice addition, it was obvious that the addition did not take … Continue reading →

More Tips for Updating a Garage

Spring cleaning can also mean spring cleaning out. And there is probably no better space in most people’s homes than the garage for an overhaul. I already shared some ideas for simple updates to the garage space that will make a big impact. Now, I have some more tips for you. If you have an outside door leading in to your garage, consider replacing it with a 15-pane door. The panes of glass will let in a lot of light to the space. If you are worried about privacy, you can hand a curtain or blind as needed. For a … Continue reading →

Build a Pool-Side Cabana

One of the coolest things that our neighbors have is a little pool-side cabana. It is great for entertaining. The family and their guests can spend hours by the pool without any need to ever go inside the house. Not only does this add to the fun, but it keeps their house nice and tidy, free from dripping water. A pool-side cabana can be large or small. It can act as a simple changing area, or a complete kitchen stocked with food, drinks and even a kitchen sink. You can also build a cabana that functions somewhere in between, such … Continue reading →

Create Your Own Background Paper

Creating your own background paper is a really simple way to get what you want from your scrapbooking supplies. It isn’t hard nor is it expensive, and often times can save you time and money. There is nothing better than the feeling of a completed coordinated layout, and with the ability to create your own background paper, you can achieve that effect anytime you find yourself without what you need. Here are a few ways to create your own background paper: Inks You can use a brayer or the ink pad by itself to add ink in different patterns or … Continue reading →

4 Ways to Build Equity

Choosing what projects to do around your home can be tough. Usually, we set our projects up according to what we would like to see done, but sometimes doing it that way can cost you money. Whenever you are ready to approach a new project in your home, you should consider the impact on your home’s equity. Having your home worth more than you paid for it can benefit you in many ways. Not only would you be able to get more money from the sale of your home when it comes time to sell it, but you can also … Continue reading →

The DIY Water Cat

Ever since I started incorporating viral animal emails into my blogs, my sister’s always on the lookout for ones that’ll especially tickle me. She hit the nail on the head today with a forward she sent me entitled “Water Leak.” Her message preceding the “story” was: “I DON’T want to give them any ideas, but…” Then the forwarded part of the joke followed: Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills, they knew beyond a doubt that the bills weren’t representative of their actual usage, and no matter how much they tried to conserve the high bills continued. Although they … Continue reading →

Adventures in Carpeting

Last week, we decided to head over to a local flooring store to take a look at our options for kitchen flooring. Here is what happened. Remember now that we were looking around at ideas, availability and pricing to help us make some decisions for a kitchen redo. We wanted to see what types of flooring might look nice, hold up in the kitchen and be affordable. At the flooring store, we met a great salesman who was also a closet designer. I mean that he designs rooms as a side business, not that he designs closets. I’ll call him … Continue reading →