Five Upgrades that Raise Your Home’s Value

If you plan to own a home for more than five-to-ten years, it’s likely you will make a significant amount of changes to it along the way. These alterations will vary depending on the state of your house when you purchase it. There are some upgrades, though, that are universally beneficial for any homeowner. Listed below are five home upgrades that are valuable across the board.

Polished Landscaping Similarly to how the inside of a home is decorated to reflect a homeowner's tastes, the outside landscaping should do the same. Fill yours with variations of plants, trees, light fixtures, and other swanky garnishes such as a lamp post or a cobblestone walkway. The opportunities to experiment all rely on what your tastes are; some of which you may not even be aware of without the expert help of a professional landscape contractor.

Energy-Efficient Windows If your home windows are outdated or experiencing issues such as drafts or faulty weatherstripping, it may be time to replace yours. Greater home ventilation, insulation, and a lower energy bill are just a few of the many benefits to be had from installing new windows. However, if your windows are in decent shape, you could also add a picture window to provide an expansive view over a lake or a double-hung to breathe air into an otherwise stuffy room.

Swimming Pool or Hot Tub It’s no mystery that swimming pools and hot tubs cost a pretty penny. If it’s within your budget, adding one of these are sure to raise your home’s value. This said, it’s not the only reason to consider incorporating one of them in your backyard. Everyone, for the most part, loves swimming - it’s a luxury - and could also be the deal breaker that wins a prospective homeowner over to to finalizing a purchase deal.

Updated Technologies Old-fashioned technology can be fun to keep around for a while - such as a classic telephone with circular dials - but there comes a time when not getting up to speed with new equipment becomes a detriment to your livelihood and bank account. Incandescent light bulbs, for example, are inefficient compared to the more modern, energy-saving LED and CLF bulbs. Other technologies to update include air conditioning units, thermostats, security systems, light fixtures, in-wall microwaves, and thermostats.

Renovated Rooms In spaces such as the kitchen, bathroom, or living room, a well-executed design can go a long way. Features such as the paint job, flooring, storage capacity, backsplash, and other nuances in design all collectively influence a room’s ambiance. For instance, some people place high importance on the layout of a kitchen. If yours feels clunky or possibly needs more space, it may be in your best interest to remodel it into a more accommodating space.

Easy Steps to Removing Dirty Fingerprints

Over time, it’s inevitable for our belongings to become dirty with fingerprints. Wiping them clean may not be as pressing as say, taking preventive measures against window drafts, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. Spanning from our most cherished technologies to home furniture, we take a look at how to effectively clean up pesky patches of fingerprints. Laptops Grimy laptop screens look gross and negatively impact the quality of picture they provide. To wipe away fingerprints from your laptop screen, unplug it from its charger, turn it off, and find yourself a cleaning kit. These come with a microfiber cloth and cleaning solution that are purposefully tailored for the delicate screens of a laptop. Apply the cleaning solution onto the microfiber cloth, then, gently wipe the perimeter of your screen; make sure to get in between the corners and cracks for the best cleanse. Lastly, make sure to apply soft pressure - but still enough to remove the dirt and fingerprints.

Discs - CDs and DVDS CD and DVD discs are handled on a consistent basis, so it’s no surprise that they collect so many fingerprints. To wipe these clean, the first thing you’ll want to do is remove them out of their containers. Hold the disc with caution, being careful to not add any additional smudges. Next, grab a delicate cloth, warm water, and soap. Moisten the cloth - don’t soak it, the cloth should only be a little wet - and smoothly wipe in a circular motion. To finish, dry the CD with a dry rag or cloth that won’t damage the screen.

Windows Along with energy efficiency, replacement windows play a huge role in a home’s appearance and overall aesthetic. The quickest, most effective solution to dealing with smudgy fingerprints on your replacement windows is none other than the classic window cleaning solution of Windex. Grab a paper towel or rag, spray some windex, and scrub away. After a quick once-over, any signs grease-stained imprints from your fingers will be washed clean in no time.

Walls No different from dealing with the goods above, it’s important to employ an attitude of caution when clearing walls of abrasions and grubby fingerprints. Before you get started, take notice of which walls have paint or wallpaper and which are a standard white; if possible, research the type of paint and wallpaper material you have used to see if the providers have a “best practice cleaning guide.” Next, scout out a delicate cleaning material so that paint isn’t smeared. After you acquire the right materials and are ready to get to work, dip your cloth in lukewarm water mixed with soap. Gently scrub the fingerprints until sufficiently washed; let dry and all signs of fingerprints should be gone.

Brighten Up the Outside of Your Home

By nightfall, if there isn't enough lighting, all of our hard work put into lawn care falls out of sight. Keeping a home's exterior visible after sundown - not to mention making it navigable for walking - requires a spaced-out spread of strategically placed light fixtures. We show the way to a well-lit outdoor space with the tips below.

Pathways Especially for guests that aren’t well acquainted with the exterior layout of your home, lighting the way leading to your door is top-priority. Otherwise, family or friends could fall and face injuries. For pathways, consider adding a row of mushroom landscape path lights on each end to provide safe travels; place them in rows at opposing ends for maximum spread of light. Most pathway lighting fixtures are bought in bulk because of the tiny spread that each individual one provides. Whatever style you choose, make sure these are positioned in a way that sufficiently shows the way and illuminates any obstructions.

Front Yard A large aspect driving home security is signaling to outside passersbys that your home is well-lit. ppoint flood lights around your front lawn so that any opportunity for questionable activity is exposed out in the open. Place an outdoor post light near the front, which acts as a savvy way to foster both a suave look and shed light on your front yard. As for the doorway, there are dozens of wall light options to comb through; for security purpose, choose those with LED bulbs that radiate extremely bright. Lastly, for those concerned about home security, another effective tip is to flick on inside lamps nearby windows; this conveys that you are indeed home and mitigates the chance of suspicious activity around your quarters.

Driveway Another main home entry-point, driveway lighting is used to communicate to others where to park and is helpful for squeezing cars in tight. For best lighting, install bright lanterns parsed out between garage doors. Dozens of fashions - ranging from traditional, industrial, to minimal, and several others - can be experimented with to highlight your home’s core characteristics.

Patio or Deck The patio and deck are prime spots for family parties or social get-togethers. For this reason, it’s vital to light all aspects of them. A fun first option is step lights, which can be installed inside the step and emit a glow to help guide the way up or down a flight of stairs. Similar to the front yard, outdoor posts are great for offering an ambiance and serving as a radiant marker amidst a dark night.

Adding ample exterior lighting to your home is no doubt important. However, at the same time it’s important to keep your energy costs down. If you decide to add new light fixtures to your outdoor home environment, be sure to research energy-efficient appliances and tips so that your bill doesn’t take an unexpected hike.

Sources: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,213652,00.html

Backyard Games for Family Fun

The backyard is a hot spot for hosting get-togethers with friends and family. Listed below are four timelessly fun games you can’t go wrong with when it comes to outdoor gatherings.

Ladder Golf Oddly enough, the only thing about ladder golf that relates to the actual sport of golf are the bolas. What is a bola? A bola is a pair of golf balls connected by a string; in ladder golf, each team attempts to toss a set bolas onto their opponents goals. The goals are a set of three rungs standing upright and separate roughly fifteen-to-twenty feet from one another. Our only word of caution is to be careful while tossing the bolas as they could seriously hurt someone or break a window if hurled strongly enough. Ideal for mid-afternoon summer barbecues, ladder golf is a very straight-to-the-point game that folks of any age can enjoy.

Cornhole In cornhole, two teams take turns tossing bags filled with corn in order to sink into crevices in opposing wooden frames. Each wooden frame has a hole engraved in it near its top - about a foot wide in diameter - that the other team tries to throw its corn bag into. Though the point system varies depending on who you play with, a standard rule is that a bag scored through the hole wins you three points; if the player lands his or her corn bag onto the opposing platform but not the hole, it still leaves them with one point. The game goes on like this until a player attains a sum of 21 points. If you accidentally break a window by an off cornhole toss, call or email Wallside to learn how to install new replacement windows.

Badminton Badminton is a bit like volleyball and tennis combined. It involves setting up a net and placing two teams of one to three players on opposing ends from one another. Each teammate is equipped with a racquet which he or she uses to hit a birdie, which is a piece of cork attached to an assembly of plastic feathers that allow it to soar through the air.

Volleyball You can’t go wrong with a little backyard volleyball. Volleyball kits - which include a net, stakes, and ball - allow you to take the game to the beach, park, or just your backyard. Although known for the intense games that can form from it, volleyball can also be for relaxed family competition to carelessly kick back and hang out playing on a sunny afternoon.

Turn Your Backyard into a Private Haven

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a little solitude. After all, your home is private property. Take a look below to learn how to turn your backyard into a secluded zone blocked off from the street and onlooking neighbors alike.

Plants, plants, plants The most effective strategy to boosting backyard privacy is implementing a wall of plants fenced around the perimeter. For quickest results, pick plants that take the shortest amount of time to grow such as bamboo, cypress, or ornamental grass like little bluestem blue heaven. With the right placement, your exterior and interior aspects (the windows) of your home should be sufficiently covered.

Another popular route taken by homeowners is going with evergreen privacy hedges. When purchased in bulk, however, it should be noted that these can get pretty pricey. Moreover, with such a wide variety of styles to choose from, it may be in your best interest to consult a contractor to learn the best deals and get some insider tips on how to best work with your lawn’s topography.

The classic fence If you’re serious about your home privacy and security, erecting a fence is a time-tested method to do so. Whether you construct a fence yourself or opt to hire a company to do it for you, your first step should be to check with local authorities to see if there are any regulations concerning limitations on size or distance away from home. Once you have this squared away, decide if you’re going more for look or function because there are tons of fence styles out there - some more costly than others. Quaint picket fences are nice, but if what you really want is a stalwart hideaway, then you’ll want one constructed from either vinyl or wood.

Natural yet nifty: outdoor privacy screens Behind your standard fence, privacy screens are probably the most straight-to-the-point decorative tactic to conceal a backyard. But that isn’t to say they come off that way - they actually tend to look totally natural due to the artistic dash they embody. Coming in a diverse range of designs, sizes, materials to choose from, set one of these panels in a patch of open space to don a healthy shield of privacy and spark a look of personal flair.

Also, if you don’t own them already, consider investing in an expansive set of window treatments such as draperies, blinds, or curtains. They look natural, offer a chic look - from the inside and outside - and most importantly, yield a thick layer of home privacy.

References: http://www.listotic.com/13-ways-to-add-privacy-to-your-yard/3/