Category: Home

When you begin remodeling areas of the home, you need to think about the function that you need in the home as well as the design that you want to see. If you’re remodeling an area like the attic, you need to plan for the attic remodel cost as it might be higher than other areas of the home. Some of the things that might make the cost of the remodeling project for this area of the home increase would be adding plumbing or adding lights to the room. There are a few ideas that you can consider that will make the most use of the attic space for the family.

Turn a small attic space into a sleeping nook. Paint the room white with a bright floor, such as blue or green. This color combination will make the rooms seem larger. You might want to consider installing another window or two in the room to allow fresh air inside and natural light. You could put one bed with a bookcase in the room or two twin beds in the attic with a nightstand between them. This is an idea if you have people spend the night with your kids or if you plan to have visitors who don’t want to stay at a hotel.

A fun idea would be to turn the attic into a playroom. Your kids can have an area to themselves where they can run, watch television, read and play games. This is a benefit when it’s raining outside and they need something to do instead of playing video games all day. Paint the wall white, hanging fun pictures on the walls for accents. Place carpet on the floor that is in two or three shades of the same color, such as purple or blue. A sectional with colorful covers or bright pillows make the atmosphere fun and inviting. Another idea would be to make a retreat so that you can escape when you need a break after a long day. When you’re designing the attic, think of ways that you can make it comfortable and welcoming instead of a space that is dark and empty.

Your bathroom is one of the key rooms in your house so you need to treat it like it is. By giving it a magnificent makeover, you will get that perfect shine that modern bathrooms have in abundance.

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With 2017 just around the corner, what better way to see in the year with a new improved bathroom? One that follows the current fashion trends and makes your neighbours go green with envy. Let’s start with the decor. Your dull white walls are stuck in the past. Why not cover your walls with stone and get that amazing relaxing haven vibe? It will not only look cool but also give you that modern touch which has been missing for a while. You could also do the same effect with the sink and with the mirrors. Your lighting also needs to be changed. Your bathroom is going to be beautiful so why not highlight this fact with a spotlight in each corner? Those days of a one light system are definitely over. Make the most of your bathroom and flaunt it outrageously.

You don’t want to be standing up in the bath tub and slipping around all the time do you? Well, if you purchase one of these en vogue shower pods, then you won’t be for much longer. Your bathroom is so big that you can keep the bathtub too; as a relaxing alternative for those chilled out Sundays. With a shower pod, wet floors are firmly in the past and you are in the present with these new designs. Acquire a heated towel rack. This should be a high priority item. Not only are they reasonable to purchase but also they provide you with an amazing warm sensation coming out of the hot shower. Nobody wants to dry themselves whilst shivering! You could also look into getting a bidet to wash those areas we sometimes forget about. Although extremely common in Europe, it’s never really caught on here. But why don’t you start a new trend and see where there’s space in your newly designed area of paradise.

Why not treat yourself to a smooth marble floor instead of your rough and ready carpet? It will add elegance and style to your bathroom and add to the cave and beach effect that your now beautiful bathroom is undertaking. Wood is also coming back into trend and you could celebrate this fact by adding a wooden cabinet or two. Where else are you going to store your vast collection of perfumes and aftershaves? Finally, get rid of all the unnecessary clutter. Your bathroom should be minimalist and only contain the essentials, so say goodbye to that old chest of drawers and that rocking chair you randomly put in there one day.

Your bathroom is meant to be a haven and should create a relaxing, stress free break from modern life. With all these new amazing features, you’ll never want to leave.

Have you recently moved into a property for the first time?  Or have you been one of the lucky ones that have managed to buy a property?  Buying a property in the 21st Century is incredibly difficult, so count yourself fortunate. As we look to building a more sustainable environment for future generations, how can we put this ethic into our homes? At the same time making them a comfortable and welcoming environment?  Take a look at these few points and get some inspiration if you want to make an eco-friendly habitat out of your habitat!

Step One: Be Practical

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Being environmentally conscious doesn’t mean scrimping on style! With the focus firmly on upcycling and reusing old products, you can afford to get really creative. You could make 3D wallcoverings from something as simple as a recycled card.

Make sure you put everything you have to new use. That is one simple way of being green.

To be practical, you could do something as simple as sourcing everything you need from the same area, town or city. That way, you are not having items made or shipped, which will increase your carbon footprint.

If you live in an area that is thriving, you may have thrift stores or charity shops in the vicinity. The great thing about these stores is that they are likely to have hidden gems. The other great thing about these shops is that you are always likely to find a bargain. It is also an excellent way to find inspiration for a new way to decorate your home. These shops are usually full to the brim with vintage tea cups, decanters, glasses, coffee tables, and so on.

Step Two: Create A Unified Look

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When it comes to really communicating an individual style to your home, making things match is one of the most obvious approaches. While it can cost a lot of money to really get the style that you want, why don’t you try and purchase everything you can from one supplier?

So if you need to make changes to your staircase and your doors, for example, if you get your building supplies from one place, such as George Hill Building merchants or Whitchurch Builders, it will save you on additional costs like shipping.

Step Three: Feng Shui It!

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If you are into more leftfield approaches, you could use feng shui is a way to give your space a more ethereal feel. Feng shui focuses on arranging your space so that it brings harmony to your home. Even if you are not into this, it’s still a great way to get inspiration for new color and a way to bring some harmony and style into your home.

In Feng Shui, colors are used in relation to their elements, and certain rooms can be painted in different colors to change its ambiance. For example, yellow, the color of sunlight and is, in Feng Shui, a fire or earth element. So it can be used to create a more blissful and happier working environment.

Interior design is a myriad of ideas. It is difficult to be sustainable when making your dream home. However, it can be achieved!

One of the biggest selling point that a property sells on at the moment is its character. They are even constructing new builds in the old Victorian style with high windows and iron railings. But no all of us are blessed with a characterful home from the get go. Luckily there are a few things we can do to inject a bit of personality into an otherwise blank canvas. Read on for some tips.

Range Cooker

Something that estate agents are always hearing is that people want a farmhouse style kitchen. A big part of that is having a massive enamelled range cooker.

Some people prefer the more traditional wood burners, while others are happy to have one that runs on conventional power but looks the part. In combination with a rustic style kitchen, a range cooker like an Aga can go a long way in bringing some character to your home. This even works if the property is brand new.

Attic Reading Nook

People also seem to respond well to homes that have small, comfortable spaces in which to cosy up and relax. A perfect way of creating a space like this is to install a reading nook in the attic or loft.

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Before you start the conversion, you will need to get planning permission and make sure that the roof is in good condition. Depending on what your roof is made out of you may need to speak to a company that works with shingle repair. They can help you prevent nasty leaks in your new library.

Once you have the basics completed, you can choose to install a skylight, bookshelves or some covered seating. Add a lamp and a seriously comfy chair to allow you to have the most comfortable and relaxing experience.

Sunken bath

A relatively new trend in home design is the gorgeous sunken bath. The idea is that by sinking the tub into the floor, it becomes more of a bathing pool, than a traditional bath. Some ground floors bathrooms can house dug in cobwork baths, which are full of character and luxury at the same time.

If a cob bathing pool is a bit much for your home, then why not invest in a freestanding roll top bath. Popular in the Victorian period these are still around today and can help even the smallest room in the house be full of life and character.

Indoor Cottage Finishes  

It is entirely possible now to make even the newest and plainest of houses look like a country cottage from the inside. One way to do this is to have exposed brick walls. These are very popular with the industrial look as well as the country look that we see so much of at the moment.  If you cannot uncover the bricks, then you can buy brick tiles which will give you the same effect.

You can also install fake beams on the ceilings, These give the impression of the property being a traditional oak beamed house. Perfect for hanging swag from come Christmas!

Despite what all the magazines may have you believe, you don’t need to spend a small fortune to update and upgrade your kitchen. Almost any tired-looking kitchen can be totally transformed with a little creativity, time and effort. If you’re getting sick of coming downstairs and looking at a kitchen that’s had its day, there are many things you can do to turn it around. Here are a few great suggestions.

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I’ll start this off with the oldest, and at times most effective trick in the book. Painting the walls! A lot of people feel the need to update their kitchen because it looks and feels too small. If this is the case, then giving all the walls a fresh coat of paint can be the answer to your prayers. Going over your walls with a lighter colour of paint can make the whole room feel more spacious and bright. Dark colours, although useful for some rooms, tend to make a space appear tight and small. I’d go with the ceiling first, as this is the surface that changes colour with more noticeably over time. Sand the walls down and clear up any dirt that’s clinging to them. Use TSP to clear away any grease. Primer to seal the wall is also important. Painting your kitchen won’t cost much, especially if you do all the work yourself.

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The next thing you should do to upgrade your kitchen is improving storage. I’m sure you’ll agree most of us accumulate way too much stuff over the years. This is as true for any room in your house as it is for your kitchen. Set some time aside, and use it to re-organise all your drawers and cupboards. Make it so that there’s no more clutter, and you always know where everything is. As part of this, gather up and get rid of all that miscellaneous stuff that’s been cluttering up your worktops for ages. This won’t cost you a penny, and will make for an instant improvement. You might want to get a whole new set of storage solutions for your kitchen. Drawers in a cupboard let you make use of every last inch of space available to you. Even if you can’t splash out on replacements, you can improve your existing drawers with some soft close drawer slides.

Finally, consider getting some new fabrics. After all, you’ve already put all that time into re-painting the walls. Why not have some fun choosing a new set of fabrics which will compliment them? You might have seat cushions on your kitchen chairs which are looking a little worse for wear. If this is the case, you may want to buy some new covers or completely new cushions. Matching blinds and tablecloths that go with the new colour scheme can be very potent. Oilcloth table coverings are particularly fashionable these days. Whether you’re more into classic floral patterns or bold, minimalist designs, experimenting with the fabrics is a great way to spruce up a knackered kitchen.

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If you’ve lived in the same home for a long time, you might start to notice that it’s no longer the best fit for your lifestyle. Your family might have grown meaning you need more bedrooms and bathrooms. You might start a job or hobby which means you need you need extra office space, or you might require more storage. Rather than adapt your lifestyle to fit your home, you can make your home fit you instead. Here are some of the ways you can go about it.

Extend Your Kitchen

It used to be common for homes to be built with a smaller enclosed kitchen, with larger dining and living space for entertaining. These days most people prefer to go with open plan areas as suggested by articles like this www.schroederdesignbuild.com/10-benefits-of-an-open-concept-floor-plans. Large kitchens which feature islands give us the ability to entertain right from where we cook. Modern day entertaining tends to be a lot less informal, and this newer style of open plan living reflects that. Bigger kitchens also make your job as a home cook much easier too. If your family has grown and you now cater for more people on a daily basis, upgrading and extending your kitchen can be a good way to go. You could either extend outwards or rejig the layout inside and use some space from the living area.

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Utilize Your Loft

If your loft is currently home to a million spiders and a few Christmas decorations, then you’re missing out on all-important space! Converting your loft will give you a brand new room and additional space. Articles like www.theguardian.com/money/2007/jul/25/homeimprovements have suggested the benefits in doing so Even if it’s only used for storage, having a functioning room will allow you to organize things more neatly. You could buy big sets of drawers and cupboards to go up there to store the things you’re not currently using. This should free up space around the rest of the home too.

Build a ‘Garden Room.’

Instead of adding an extension onto your home (or if you have already done this) a great way to gain some additional space is to have a garden room built. If you have a larger garden and can spare the space, then this is a great option. Unlike regular draughty old outbuildings, a well-built garden room will be fully insulated making it suitable to use all year round. They can have electricity and plumbing run to them, making them a properly functioning space. You could transform one into a home office, studio or guest room depending on the kind of space you’re after. My previous post http://www.sillydrunkfish.com/2016/09/make-your-guest-room-comfortable-for.html may give you ideas for how to make your guest room cozy once it’s done!

Add Ensuites

Instead of squabbling over the family bathroom every morning, adding an ensuite or two could make life much easier. It wouldn’t have to take up much space, especially if you opted for a shower cubicle rather than a bath. Sacrificing a small corner of your bedroom would be worth it if a lack of bathrooms is an issue.

Rebuild From Scratch

For a truly personalized home, you could even consider building from scratch. That way you get it customize it to exactly what you want, with a layout that works for your life. You could look at house plans from a site such as https://www.thehouseplanshop.com/country-house-plans/house-plans/18/1.php or speak to an architect to design something completely unique to you.

When you personalize your home, it allows you live your life much more easily. It eliminates the stress of running out of space, or not having enough rooms to fulfill each aspect of your life. Whether you choose build on what you currently have or start again from scratch, personalizing your home means you can live in a place that’s perfectly suited to you.