Liven Up Your Home With Houseplants

Looking for a new way to make your home more vibrant? Houseplants are a great way to do just that! Not only do houseplants make a very nice decorative touch, they can help improve the air quality of your home or even be edible. Plus, they look great sitting next to a new set of vinyl replacement windows!

If you’ve never tried keeping houseplants before or haven’t been very successful in keeping them alive, it’s important to make sure you choose the right types of plants. Some types of plants thrive best in certain temperatures or lighting conditions, so be sure to consider the conditions of the room it’s going to be placed in. Does the room have big windows that let in a lot of direct sunlight or is it in an area of the house that just doesn’t get a lot of sunshine? How warm do you like to keep your house? These are all important factors that can make a big difference in how well your plants grow. If a plant isn’t being kept in the right conditions, it’s just not going to grow and thrive, no matter how good you are at remembering to water it.

Many people feel like they can’t keep houseplants because they’re too forgetful to remember to water them. The good news is there are many types of plants that don’t need a lot of attention. Snake plants, Chinese evergreens, ponytail palms, cast iron plants, peperomia, and pothos are just a few types of plants that are pretty forgiving if you forget to water them now and then.

Want to add some greenery to a room that doesn’t get a lot of light? Look for plants like English ivy, peperomia, cast iron plants, spider plants, Boston ferns, ZZ plants, or philodendrons. These are just a few plants that do well in rooms that have low to medium light levels.

Some types of houseplants can even have practical purposes around the house. For example, aloe is a very popular type of plant to keep in the house. Not only does it grow well indoors, you’ll always have a natural treatment on hand if you ever get burned. Many types of herbs can also be grown indoors. If you’ve ever gone to the grocery store and seen the prices of things like fresh basil or chives, you know how expensive it can be. If you like to cook with fresh herbs a lot, wouldn’t it be nice to have your own herbs on hand?

Houseplants make a wonderful addition to any home. Try keeping them and you might be surprised by how nice it can be to have your own little indoor garden.

Your Guide to Choosing the Right Blinds

Looking for some new window coverings to adorn your new vinyl replacement windows? You’re probably looking at lots of curtains and blinds, trying to decide which one suits your home the best. While curtains are fantastic, blinds certainly do have a lot of advantages. They give you the chance to let in as much or as little light as you like and you can always adjust them as the mood strikes you.

But which type of blinds would work best for you? There are lots of different options out there, so let us help you figure it out.

Horizontal Blinds

Horizontal blinds are the type of blind that you’ll most commonly see used as window coverings in homes. But not all horizontal blinds are created equally. First, there are mini blinds, which are a very popular choice. They’re the most inexpensive type of blind and, as the name suggests, they have smaller slats than other types of blinds. You can find mini blinds in lots of durable materials such as vinyl and aluminum. Mini blinds can be used in just about any room in the house, so it’s easy to see why they’re such a popular choice.

Plantation blinds are another very popular type of horizontal blinds and have larger slats than mini blinds. Thanks to how great they look in so many different styles of decor and how they can help insulate your home, they’ve been referred to as “the ultimate window covering.” Plantation blinds come in vinyl, wood, and faux wood and can be used in any room you’d like. They’re also the only type of window covering that can help add value to your home since they’ll stay with the home when you sell it.

Wood blinds are another type of horizontal blind. Depending on the decor of your room, wood blinds could be a more stylish choice than using blinds made out of something like vinyl or aluminum. Since wood blinds can have a more sophisticated look to them, they’re great for rooms like bedrooms, living rooms, dens, and home offices; anyplace where a room’s decor is important to keep in mind.

Unfortunately, since wood blinds don’t react well to moisture in the air, they shouldn’t be used in kitchens or bathrooms. The biggest downside to wood blinds is that they can be fairly expensive. However, there are a lot of great faux wood blind options that look just like the real deal, but are less expensive and can be used in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms if you want.

Vertical Blinds

Do you have a sliding glass door that leads out to a deck or patio? Vertical blinds are ideal for covering these types of larger windows. Just like any other type of blind, vertical blinds can be opened and shut as needed to let light in and they can be drawn in to be out of the way of the way if you want to go out to your patio or deck. Vertical blinds are available in a multitude of materials, including vinyl, sheer fabrics, faux wood, and aluminum. Vertical blinds are also a great option for other types of windows that are wider than they are tall.

Child Safety

If you have young children to worry about, you’ll want to make sure they’re protected from the strangulation hazards that pull cords on blinds can pose. Many blinds nowadays come with cord free designs and blinds that aren’t cord free typically come with accessories to keep them safe around children.

Things to Consider Before Converting Your Attic

Is your home starting to feel a little cramped? Maybe you could really use an extra bedroom or some extra space for a home office. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to have a really cool entertainment room. If you have an attic that goes underutilized, you might want to consider having your attic converted into a more liveable space. That way, you’ll be able to get the extra space you need without having to move to a larger home.

If you’re thinking of converting your attic, the best thing you can do is call a contractor and have them come out to determine whether or not your attic is suitable for being remodeled. There are a lot of very important factors that come into remodeling an attic and unfortunately, not all attics are suitable for a project like this. A good rule of thumb is that if your attic has A-shaped rafters that leave a lot of space open under the rafters, you might be able to remodel it. But if you have a lot of W-shaped trusses, converting your attic probably won’t be an option for you.

Building codes vary from area to area, but many places have building codes that prevent attics from being renovated. In many areas, building codes require that rooms used as living spaces be at least seven feet tall by seven feet wide for at least 50% of the room. Keep in mind that you’ll also have to consider the thickness of the finishing materials you’ll use on the walls and ceilings when you figure this out. A good contractor will be very knowledgeable about all the building codes that apply to your home and will be very helpful in figuring out whether or not remodeling your attic is a feasible option.

You will also most likely be required to have at least two options for an escape route in the event of an emergency. With attics, this is typically a window and a staircase. But while it’s acceptable to use a pull-down ladder to access an attic when it’s being used for regular attic space, you’ll need to have a permanent staircase if you want to use it as a living area. If you don’t already have a permanent staircase leading to your attic, one will have to be built, so you’ll have to consider how much space that will take up on the lower level of your home.

Another very important thing to look into before remodeling your attic is whether or not the flooring joists are strong enough to be used as a living area. The joists in your attic might be adequate to support things like boxes of holiday decorations, old clothes, or photo albums, but you may need to have your joists strengthened to be able to support the extra weight of furniture and people walking around on a regular basis. Strengthening the floor joists in your attic will also help to reduce noise coming from the attic to the lower level of your home.

A contractor will also be able to help you figure out other things you might not have initially thought of, such as whether or not your existing electrical system would be able to handle the extra demands of this extra room.

If the contractor thinks your attic is a good candidate for remodeling, it’s a project that can help add value to the home and make your home much more enjoyable!

The Best Home Improvement Projects to Help Your Home Sell

If you’re thinking of putting your home on the market in the near future, it’s only natural that you might be looking for improvements you can make that will make your home more appealing to potential buyers. But since home improvement projects can often be expensive, frustrating, and time consuming, you’ll want to make sure you’re putting your time, money, and energy into projects that will have the most impact. Here are a few types of home improvement projects that can be very effective in helping your home sell.

Basic Maintenance

One of the best places to start is by looking at the basics. Think of the things that, if you were looking for a new home yourself, you’d expect to be in good shape as a bare minimum. For most people, this includes things like the roof, windows, exterior doors, and flooring.

These are the sorts of things that you might not be able to ignore fixing. Unless someone is buying a property for the sole purpose of flipping it, nobody wants to walk into a home and immediately start thinking of how much it would cost to repair or replace something, especially when it’s something major like a roof repair. A leaky roof or rooms full of drafty, old windows can be an automatic deal breaker for many homebuyers. Taking care of problems with the roof, getting vinyl replacement windows, or replacing your doors can make your home significantly more attractive.

Even if the problem is something purely cosmetic, like wear and tear on flooring, replacing it will do a lot to make your home more appealing.

Exterior Improvements

As you research ideas for how to get your home ready to sell, you’ll inevitably see the term “curb appeal” used a lot -- and for good reason. Although we’re often told not to judge a book by its cover, a lot of home buyers will be hesitant to even consider a home that has old, worn-out siding or overgrown trees and shrubbery in the front yard, no matter how fantastic the interior is. If your home’s siding has seen better days, replacing it is a great way to help make sure your home makes a great first impression.

As far as gardening goes, you don’t have to hire a landscaper to plan out an elaborate garden for you. Simply making sure your lawn, trees, and shrubs are neatly trimmed and keeping a simple garden can do a lot to boost your home’s curb appeal. If you have a porch, make the most of it! A lot of people have a hard time resisting a nice, inviting-looking porch.

Kitchens and Bathrooms

Kitchens and bathrooms are two of the best areas of your home to put money into improving. Best of all, you probably won’t have to resort to knocking down walls or completely tearing out existing countertops and sinks to make these rooms more appealing. Actually, it’s often the mid-range improvements for kitchens and bathrooms that tend to have the best return on investment. With kitchens, for example, simply getting rid of old appliances in favor of new, energy efficient ones can help make a home buyer be willing to pay more. In the bathroom, doing basic things like replacing sink faucets, applying new caulking, and replacing other fixtures can make a potential homebuyer very happy.

More extensive kitchen and bathroom remodeling jobs tend to be most worthwhile if the rooms look very dated or have issues that can only be addressed by taking drastic measures. If you’re planning a big kitchen renovation, be careful to not go overboard. Unless you’re dealing with an upscale home in a very upper class neighborhood, going all out and turning it into a very high end kitchen might not have a very good return on investment because it could seem out of place with the rest of the home and other homes in the neighborhood.

Streak-Free Windows Made Easy

Washing windows is a chore most people don’t generally look forward to doing. After all, it can take a lot of time to do, depending on how many windows you have, and trying to get your windows look perfectly clear without any streaks can be frustrating. But this is something that should be done at least once, if not twice a year. And if you’ve recently replaced your old, worn out windows with new vinyl replacement windows, you’ll want to keep them looking as nice as possible. The good news is that if you have the right tools for the job, washing your windows and keeping them streak-free doesn’t have to be a challenge.

First of all, always wash your windows on days when the windows won’t be getting much direct sunlight. If you wash windows while they’re in the line of direct sunlight, it can cause your cleaning solution to dry and leave streaks and water spots behind.

Whether you’re washing your windows from the inside or the outside, a squeegee can be one of the best tools you can possibly have to keep your windows streak-free. There’s a good reason why they’re a must-have tool for professional window washers! You should be able to find some for sale at your local hardware store. While you’re there, it couldn’t hurt to pick up a couple extra replacement blades so you’ll have some extras handy in case your blade gets nicked or worn as you’re working. If you start seeing streaks as you wash windows with your squeegee, it’s time to replace your blade.

You can still use squeegees even if you have multi-paned or divided windows. If you aren’t able to find a squeegee in the size you need, it’s possible to cut down a larger one. All you need to do is remove the blade and use a hacksaw to cut the blade holder down until it’s slightly smaller than the width of your window panes. Sand down the cut edge until it’s smooth, then cut the blade down to fit using a utility knife.

Another major key to getting streak-free windows is to start getting rid of dirt, cobwebs, and other debris before you start using cleanser and your squeegee. If you’re washing your windows on the inside, you can simply take a lint-free cloth and wipe the windows, window sills, and window tracks. For outdoor windows, simply spraying them down with a hose should do the trick. This will get rid of the major pieces of dirt so they don’t get stuck to your cloth and get spread around the window as you wash it.

When you apply a cleaning solution to your windows, it’s important to use just enough to get the job done. Using an excessive amount of cleanser can cause streaks. If you’re applying a cleanser with a spray bottle, spray on enough to get the window damp, but not dripping wet. If you’ve made your own cleanser and are applying it from a bucket, apply it with a damp sponge or lint-free cloth, not one that’s soaking wet.

While we’re on the subject of cleansers, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a special cleanser. A window cleaner like Windex will do just fine, or you can make your own cleanser using one part white vinegar to two parts of water. You can either put this mixture into a spray bottle or in a bucket, which ever works best for you.
If you’ve washed and dried your windows once and still see streaks, wash and dry them again. It’s very common for windows, particularly very dirty ones, to need to be washed and dried more than once. Last, but certainly not least, be sure to take a clean lint-free cloth and go around the edges to pick up any excess water or drips that may have been left behind. By now, your windows should be as nice and clear as they were the day they were installed!