Improve Your Space With These Simple Home Improvement Tips ...

When hiring a contractor to do a home improvement in your home you need to be certain that the contractor has great references. You should contact all of the references that a contractor gives you before you agree to let them do any work on your home. This is a great way for you to find a trustworthy contractor.

If you are taking on your project alone, consider hiring an interior designer for a consultation. An hour with a professional can help clarify what you want to do and help steer you away from those projects that sound good in your head but would be a nightmare to complete.

Check with your local electric and/or gas company to see if you might qualify for a grant to weatherize your home. In the interest of saving energy, your heating and cooling company may insulate your attic, weatherstrip your doors and windows and even replace your ancient heating and cooling system. Take a moment to ask!

Remove a door from its frame without taking out the screws in the hinges. Need to take out a door so you can move a big piece of furniture? All you have to do is drive a nail through the bottom of the barrel of the hinge so the pin slides out of the top. Do that on both hinges and the door is free!

Home improvement and upkeep can be a daunting task but if you attack the each chore systematically you can get the work done quickly and efficiently. Determine what task you will be completing, research and purchase any tools or supplies you may need. Do not push yourself too hard. Take your time to do the job right and you will be justly rewarded.

Try replacing the house numbers outside your house for some easy home improvement. If the house numbers on your house are old, buy some new ones. Try looking for modern house numbers made of stainless steel, aluminum, or brass. Match them with the finish on your exterior light fixtures for better curb appeal.

Xeriscaping is an landscaping option that homeowners in extremely dry climates should take advantage of. Xeriscaping replaces more typical lawns and shrubs with rock beds and plants from arid climates. These alternates require far less irrigation than traditional landscaping, and the exotic plants available for xeriscaping can be more beautiful and striking than common landscape standbys.

To repair a larger hole in your walls, use sheet rock. First make the hole into an uniform square or rectangle by cutting away a measured area. Doing this will make the hole bigger, but will allow you to get exact dimensions for repair. Then cut a piece of sheet rock that is the same size as the square or rectangle you just cut from the wall. Place the newly cut piece of sheet rock in the hole and secure in place with drywall nails. Then apply joint compound to the seams. Cover the seams with joint tape, then apply another layer of joint compound and smooth it out. When dry, paint over it with any color.

Rather than allowing a spare bedroom to sit empty and unused, why not turn it into your own personal library? Even if you don?t feel that you enough books to warrant a library, you can also fill its shelves with DVDs, CDs and your favorite magazines or paper. Add a plush rug and a high-backed chair for an extra touch of class.

Do not wait until December to start winterizing your home, and start in autumn, instead. Weatherstripping and other products that depend on adhesives will stick better while the air and surface temperatures are still warmer, and you need not wait until it?s frigid outside to perform tasks like insulating pipes in the crawlspace.

Never install non-operable windows during a home improvement effort. Except for picture windows or large, exotic glazing, every standard-sized window should be capable of opening. Regardless of climate, for every home there will be times of the year and times of the day when cracking the window open is the best form of air conditioning.

Do-it-yourself hardwood floor installation is especially tempting for homeowners who want to save money by tackling the project on their own. This is fine for most faux-wood kits but if you are using actual wood that must be sanded first, it may be best to hire a professional to handle the sanding. Real wood is quite expensive, and even the smallest sanding goof can ruin the flooring.

These are the things to take into consideration when you want to tackle your first, or your next home improvement project. You don?t have to be an expert to know what you are doing. You just need to have a basic understanding of the do?s and the don?ts which is what we have tried to teach you in this article.

Jenny Mallie owns a retail store which often has for sale water filter systems for home

Source: http://artyapt.com/blog/improve-your-space-with-these-simple-home-improvement-tips/

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