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Don’t Over-Landscape Your Home Before Selling

When we decided to sell our home, we knew we had some minor repairs and a little redecorating to perform such as painting, cleaning, and landscaping. The painting and cleaning was easy, but the landscaping was another issue, as we needed to give this some thought and consideration in order to help sell our home. We did not want to spend a lot of money or time on this project, and we did not want to go overboard on elaborate designs or plants, however we did want a yard that would be attractive and appealing to a home buyer. Therefore, we decided to make a list of what we would not want when it came to a landscaped yard if we were buying our home all over again.

High Maintenance Plants

We first thought about the care the landscape would require such as pruning and decided a person moving into a new house had enough to do getting their home in order without the worry of overgrown plants and bushes. Therefore, our choices for plants were ones that requires little maintenance.

Spacing Plants Too Close

Next, we thought of where to put the plants. If the plants were spaced too close together, this could present an appearance of untidiness and crowdedness, as if the plants were just thrown in to fill a space or gap. The homebuyer might see this as more work, as eventually these plants will have to be thinned out.

Year-Round Plants

We thought about what time of year our house might sell, and what the landscape would look like during each season. If it was wintertime, we did not want all plants to appear bare or dead looking. Therefore, our plant choices were a variety of plants that would provide foliage all year round.

Christmas Decorations

Many people like to decorate their houses during the Christmas season with lights or yard ornaments. We considered this when choosing plants for the landscape, as stringing lights in a small tree or over a bush can add a special touch to your home during the Holiday season.

Groundcover (Mulch and Rock)

Once we had chosen our plants, the next thing we needed to look into was groundcover. Should we use mulch or rock? Although mulch is a more natural look, it is not easily maintained, as it needs to be replaced or added to, almost every year. The right color rock, on the other hand, can be very attractive complimenting the color of your home. It provides good drainage for the plants it surrounds and does not have to be replaced as often as mulch.

Be simple in your design and choice when landscaping your home in readiness for selling. Simple is better as the homeowner is looking for easy maintenance, attractiveness, and a look that compliments the house. A simple, not over-landscape design will also provide the buyer with ideas of their own, should they want to do their own landscaping.

Ten Savvy Tips to Remodel, Renovate or Rejuvenate Your Kitchen on a Tight Budget

Do you have an old, outdated kitchen, but don’t have tons of cash to transform the space into your version of House Beautiful? According to www.costhelper.com, an annual assessment of construction costs by the remodeling industry reveals, the average cost to remodel a 200 square foot kitchen runs between $17,000 and $19,000. Once you start adding gourmet touches like solid cherry cabinets, granite countertops, and gourmet quality appliances the cost can soar to many times that. Yikes!

Don’t despair; even if you live on a beer budget you can make your kitchen look new with a minor face-lift, a renovation, or even a knock-down remodel. Creativity, research, flexibility, and DIY sweat equity will help you transform your kitchen at the lowest possible cost. Costhelper.com recommends checking out sites such as www.thisoldhouse.com for practical advice on the how-to’s, and for latest products available for home improvement.

The old adage, “measure twice and cut once” certainly applies here too. If you are working within a budget take the time to find out what works first before you start. The time, money and headaches you’ll save will more than pay for the effort you invested doing research before the first nail gets hammered.

Tip #1: Know what you can afford to spend. Remember your budget needs to cover all materials, installation, and still keep a portion of funds available to pay for unexpected costs. Most remodels happen in older homes where plaster walls can crumble during demolition, in which the electrical wiring got chewed through by the long lost family hamster, or where existing pipes look fine, but spring leaks when the new dishwasher shoots its first surge of water through the system.

One contractor I worked with suggested having up to 10% of the total budget set aside for unexpected problems. At the time I was having my kitchen done that amounted to about $1200, but fortunately we only spent $147 on surprise repairs when part of a plaster wall crumbled and had to be fixed after the demolition.

Tip #2: Establish what fixtures have to go and what, if anything, can stay or be refurbished to look great for a significantly lower cost than purchasing new appliances. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), www.nari.org, offers sound advice to minimize the expense of kitchen renovations. They suggest you make an honest assessment of your current space and consider whether you can keep existing appliances, or at least some of them.

Check your local hardware and appliance stores for kits to reface or paint appliances for a new look at the fraction of the cost. A quick on line search can reveal a plethora of options in a wide range of prices. In addition, working around existing fixtures, plumbing and electrical outlets Nari notes can also save on cost. Perhaps your cabinets can be updated with new pulls, faces, doors or paint.

Tip #3: Save money wherever you can, but don’t be afraid to pay for quality materials that will get heavy use. In my kitchen I purchased high-end flooring with a 10 year manufacturer’s warranty because this part of our house gets the heaviest indoor traffic. The back door entrance to our house gets used most often and leads right into the kitchen. At the time the cost of the premium product seemed high, but over time the value of that investment probably saved having to replace the floor at least once.

In retrospect I probably should have spent more money on the faucet sprayer combination for the sink because the mid-to-lower-range unit I purchased wore out quickly. If you live alone you may be able to purchase a less expensive appliance that still looks great, but will last a long time under light use. If you have a large family an industrial strength dishwasher might be a good investment simply because you will be using the appliance one or more times a day, each and every day of the year.

Tip #4: Consider cheaper alternatives to granite, solid wood or other expensive materials. In my kitchen I selected moderately priced cabinets that had a solid wood front on a particle board and veneer base. Solid wood cabinets would have cost almost three times as much. I chose laminate countertops because that is what I could afford. I would have a more expensive counter surface, but I took the time to look through hundreds of color and finish options before I settled on the textured white laminate I’ve enjoyed for a number of years.

Tip #5: Buy used or surplus materials and appliances at a Habitat for Humanity Restore. These outlets, located throughout the U.S. and Canada, www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx, carry varied stock that is donated by contractors, retailers, and the public. The stock varies, but any purchase you make will help Habitat build more houses for low-income families. You can find anything from insulation and paint to refrigerators, stoves and bathtubs. You may just find a vintage gem.

Tip #6: Look for scratch and dent specials at appliances outlet stores in your area. Sear’s has a large number of outlets nationwide (www.searsoutlet.com). They plan to add an on line shopping portal soon according to the website. Sear’s outlets have a wide range of items 20% to 60% off regular retail prices. These items are new out-of-box, scratch, dent, returns, etc. You can also try typing your town’s name and the words outlet and discount with appliance, cabinets, flooring or other items you need. If you live in a major metropolitan area you just might find some sources you hadn’t realized were available close by in outlying areas.

Tip #7: Scout out clearance deals at your local home improvement store. Our local Home Depot offers unopened returned cans of paint at $5/gallon. The colors are hit and miss, but you might get lucky and find a color that suits you. Also remember that adding white paint to any color can lighten hues a little or a lot. Also look for deals on last season’s or last year’s merchandise. Last year’s ceiling fan design can save you 40% or more over the newest model, but it will look just as good and work just as well.

Tip #8: Search for the hottest deals on line before you shop. Use all the on line price comparison tools to your advantage. There are many sites on line where you can compare availability and prices of just about anything you want. If you are looking for a particular dishwasher or disposal do a search and find what stores charge for that model. You may just happen upon a sale. My favorite places to check prices are www.shopzilla.com, www.bizrate.com, www.pricegrabber.com, and www.mysimon.com. Check out more than one since each site may include different retailers in their system.

Tip #9: If you find an item you like, ask the store manager if they will offer you a discount if you pay cash, or let you buy the floor model at a reduced price. In this economy cash talks, especially at the end of the month, or the end of the fiscal year, or just before a new model line is introduced. Haggling is making a big comeback. The worst that will happen is the manager will tell you no. Then you can decide whether or not to purchase the item or look for a better deal.

Tip #10: Watch for coupons, sales, and rebate deals on the products you plan to buy. Some of my favorite sites to look for discounts include www.fatwallet.com and www.dealhunting.com. Also take time to sign up for email notification of special sales, coupons or offers at local home improvement stores. Check if they have a store credit card that offers a discount on an initial purchase. I used my discount when I remodeled and saved close to $150 by purchasing a large number of the materials I needed on one big shopping trip.

It is possible to get the kitchen of your dreams on a budget. The important thing is to do as much of the work as you can, use professionals for wiring, plumbing and other tasks that require an expert hand, and take over most of the prep, shopping, assembling, and painting as you are capable of doing. Remember, renovation is time consuming and can have many ups, downs and surprises – patience and flexibility will help smooth out the bumps, and help you keep your sanity too.

Next Post: Who are the best granite suppliers in Chicago land area.

When it comes to making your bathroom kid friendly and childproof you do not want to miss anything. We want our children to have fun in the water, be able to reach the toothpaste, and get up on the potty with ease.

Here are some tips on childproofing your bathroom. This does not have to cost you a ton of money either. All of there products are found on Target.com for under $30.

Place a rug on the floor to help with slips and falls. When your child gets out of the bathroom they never stay in one place and end up getting the entire floor wet. This makes it easy for them to fall and hurt themselves. Getting a large rug will help keep them grounded. Try the Tiddliwinks Bath Rug 30 x 20 or Chocolate Kiss Luxury Bath Rug 21 x 34 for covering a larger area.

The Elmo faucet cover will stop your child from bumping their heads on the bathtub faucet. This is great for when they lean their heads back in the bath for hair washings. If you are looking for something a little more sophisticated than Elmo try the Boon Water Deflector and Protective Faucet Cover. This not only looks sheik it also makes a gentle waterfall that cascades 12 inches from the faucet into the tub.

Give your little tyke a place to put their bath toys. This prevents them from tripping or falling over wet toys lying on the floor or bottom of the tub. The Frog Pod Drainable Bath Toy Organizer also has a place for shampoo and conditioner or soap. Keep all of your child’s things in one place.

If you have a baby you might want to think of trying a tub bumper to protect against hurting themselves from slips. The Sesame Street Tub Bumper offers suction grip on the back and friendly faces for your kids to take a bath with.

Things to think of when buying bathroom supplies for children:

– You can’t place your toddler’s toothpaste, toothbrush, hair brush, or anything else for that matter up in the medicine cabinet because they cannot reach it. You want your child to start being able to brush their own teeth and wash their own hands, if they can never reach the items that isn’t going to work very well. Buy something that you can put on the counter within your child’s reach. The Bugs and Leaves Bath Collection will provide a fun atmosphere for your child. I recommend the toothbrush holder, cup, and soap dispenser.

– Bright colors and familiar faces are going to be a big hit. Go for colors that will make the room brighter such as reds, yellows, blues, and greens. Try to get characters or a specific theme for the bathroom. Try Mickey, Disney Princesses, Animals, or something that your child will recognize and enjoy.

– Towels are usually made for large people. Our children end up getting lost in a towel while drying off because it is so big. Buy towels that fit your child’s size. These are easier for them to manage and helps promote independence. You can even try hooded towels for the smaller children. Disney’s Cars Hooded Towel is perfect for your little one. Soft material and bright colors make a big impact.

– A stool that’s easily portable is going to be a must have for your bathroom. This will allow your child to reach the sink, toilet, and tub with confidence.

Kids bathroom remodeling ideas:

Butterflies

If you are going for a softer feel try incorporating butterflies into your bathroom. Choose products that have pastel colors that are still bright. Lavenders, pinks, blues, greens look good in a butterfly bathroom. Buy a shaggy green rug to incorporate a look and feel of grass instead of a butterfly one. Get flower shower hooks to bring even more of the outside into your bathroom. Try putting butterfly decals on the walls or frame them for a more updated look. Change out the trashcan, tissue holder, toothbrush holder, soap dish/dispenser and bathroom cup for butterfly ones.

Princess

Many of us have princesses running around our homes and they deserve to have a princess bathroom too. You can do so many things with this. First choose what princess theme your going with. Some ideas could include Disney Princesses, princess wands and crowns, “insert child’s name” princess room. Find a place in your area that makes those little wooden names and have them create a “Princess Leighton” sign for your bathroom wall or door. Decorate the sign with bold colored feathers and beads to match the color scheme of the bathroom and give the decoration a more feminine feel. Pick a shower curtain that will set the tone of the room. If you’re going with a princess theme and not a specific character then try a solid color shower curtain. Pink, purple, white, or clear would work well. If you are doing a solid shower curtain get a princess rug. Do not forget to change out the trashcan, toothbrush holder, soap dish, and other things out for princess themed items.

Fish

If you have boys and girls try to do something neutral that will please both children. Fish are a popular bath time toy so why not put them on the walls too. Paint your walls light blue like you are in the water and get a shower curtain with fish all over it. A green bath rug on the floor will give the illusion of seaweed. You could even try a beige bath rug for sand. Put bubble decals on the walls and replace your toothbrush holder, bathroom cup, and other accessories with fish and water related ones.

Polka Dots

Polka dots are an easy way to put bright colors in the room for a boy or girl. You could go crazy and not only get a polka dot shower curtain but paint your walls in polka dots. Choose any set of colors that interest you. You could do a rainbow of colors or stick with only two. Buy solid color bath accessories and paint the polka dots on yourself to match the rest of the room. Do large circles as well as small and tiny ones. Don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun with this kind of a room.

Character Based Bathroom

Choose from the hit movie Cars’ characters, Spongebob Squarepants, favorite singers or music groups, sports team, X-Men characters, Mickey Mouse, or anything else your child is into and create a bathroom around their favorite things. This is probably going to be the most expensive route so let me give you a few tips on making this less harsh on your bank account. Go with a solid shower curtain. If you really want the shower curtain try for solid color bath accessories to go with it. Pick the color that is used the most in your character bathroom set and then buy the bath towels, bath accessories, and rug to match that. Get the hand towels and washcloths to match your character set but by buying towels in the main theme’s color you are going to save $200. Trust me no one will notice that these things are not originally part of the set. Plus, you will not be overwhelming everyone with Curious George’s face every time they turn around.

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When I met my husband, we both worked in a big box home improvement store. He attempted to impress me, and others, with talk of power tools, plumbing repair jobs and basic home improvement. Little did I know, it was all talk. I find out the hard way, after we were married.

Why would I have suspected it was all talk? His Christmas list included the typical manly man items. A Dremel tool, power drill, scroll saw and large rolling red tool box. I soon found out it was only a dream or maybe just an illusion. We lived in an apartment for the first year of our marriage, so I didn’t have much opportunity to suspect anything there. Afterall, the apartment management was responsible for repairs. Once we purchased and moved into our home, complete withnew wall to wall carpeting, I quickly found that my husband was an imposter.

First, he spilled something, I don’t know what to this day, on the carpet. Obviously, he could not remove the stain and when I came home I quickly noticed it, a large dark and hardened spot in the carpeted hallway. I kneeled on the floor to examine the spot only to discover dried paint. We hadn’t been painting anywhere in the house. I don’t think we even had paint in the house. Well, we didn’t, unitl that day. I quickly found out that in an attempt to hide the spill, of whatever it was, my husband, the quick thinking handyman that he his, took a carpet sample to the local hardware store.

Afterall, he had experience, he knew hardware stores had the capability of mixing paint to match just about anything. Carpet color match, you bet! He had them match some flat latex wall paint to the color of the carpet, brought it home and painted over the stain on the carpet. To make it worse, he thought it looked good and was actually proud of himself.

Over the next ten years I have experienced some of the craziest repair jobs that have probably ever been completed. Did you know that a shower handle can easily be repaid by supergluing a pair of channel locks to the stem? Anything broken can be repaired by putting something else, towels are his repair tool of choice, over the broken item. Holes in walls can be fixed with a hammer and nail, which are used to place a picture over the original hole.

To think my husband remains employed at a major home improvement store. They say those that can’t do, teach.

Cleaning for Company

You get the phone call from the just-passing-through out-of-town friends, or sister who needs a favor and is dropping by…or maybe you have no excuse and have known for weeks you’re going to be entertaining but you just didn’t get the time to clean — and now people will be here in an hour. How do you spend the hour?

Cleaning for Company: Front Door

Is your front porch covered in sneakers, toys, leaves, newspapers and other miscellany? Grab a broom and an empty box, large plastic container or basket. Pick up quickly, fill the container, and find a good hiding place, such as the cellar, closet or under the porch. You don’t have time to go through this flotsam and jetsam now, but if you clear the porch you can sweep it, and make your entry more welcoming for your guests. If you don’t use the front door often, it’s also a good way to clear cobwebs so your guests don’t walk through them.

Cleaning for Company: Kitchen

This might be the toughest spot to clean up quickly, but it’s worth the effort, since no matter where your guests spend time, people will inevitably end up in the kitchen. Sweep the floor- if you had time, you would have already mopped it, so keep the lights lower if you didn’t! Empty the dishwasher, if for no other reason than that you will have somewhere to stash your last-minute preparation dirty dishes. Break-and-bake cookies are a great 15-minute way to make your kitchen smell like chocolate chip cookies. This old secret used by the real estate industry to see houses works well for company too. Adding fresh flowers from the garden in a simple vase is a perfect last-minute touch. People will think your house is clean if you had time to put out flowers. Check out the best cleaning service company in Chicago land Area.

Cleaning for Company: Powder Room

Someone is going to end up here. Grab a bottle of window cleaner and some paper towels to do a quick wipe-down of any potentially icky spots on floor or fixtures. Check if there’s liquid soap and a clean towel. Empty the trashcan. Something smelling nice is key- either light a candle, spray room freshener or have some other clean scent-infusing mechanism (plug-in item, stick-up, whatever) so your guests are sure this room must have been cleaned recently!

Cleaning for Company: Entertaining Area

Identify where your guests will be eating,. Whether it’s the dining room, or a casual deck or patio, this is the area you’ll want to freshen up before they arrive. If there is woodwork, grab some Murphy’s Oil Soap spray and do a quick swipe of the area- nothing makes a house smell more clean than Murphy’s Oil Soap. (they really should make candles!) Placemats are a great welcoming element if you have them available- as are fresh linen napkins. If not, use paper napkins (even nicer plastic silverware is ok for casual dining and makes clean-up easier) on a buffet area where people can plate up their food. Again, fresh flowers will do wonders for your entertaining area.

Picking up kids’ toys or other clutter and stashing it in a closet, spraying Febreze everywhere and lighting a nice scented candle are a few other last-minute things you can do before the knock on the door. Now, fix yourself a drink, wait for your guests, and enjoy them!

Speed Cleaning for the Busy Homemaker

I am a very busy mom of a toddler with a social schedule that rivals any adult. That being said, I manage to keep my house clean with a few simple daily rituals. My house is not perfect, it will never be perfect, but I will never be accused of having a messy house. So what are these daily tips that will keep your house clean and you family proud to bring their friends over. Here they are:

Daily Vacuuming: Every morning I break out the vacuum cleaner and run over the carpet in the family room. You don’t need to break out the fancy attachments, you don’t need to get into each and every corner, and you just simply need to run the vacuum cleaner over the carpet to get the big stuff.

Play The Clean Up Game: Every night before bed my daughter and I play the clean up game. I sing a silly little song about cleaning her toys and the family room is done in a matter of minutes. The floor is ready for me to vacuum the next day and she is learning responsibility by putting away her toys before bed every night.

Attack The Dishwasher: Okay maybe that is the wrong title, but I make sure that I run the dishwasher once full and immediately after the drying cycle I put the dishes away. This leaves no build-up of dishes on your kitchen counters.

The Daily Wipe Down: I always keep an extra cleaning rag under the bathroom sink and wipe down the sink after I brush my teeth. It has become part of my daily routine and it ensures that the sink stays free of grime and water rings.

Laundry Time: I use the same principle in doing my laundry as I do the dishes. I wash them then immediately put them away. No lingering baskets of clean clothes that need to be ironed for me. I simply hang the clothes on hanger’s right out of the dryer. This saves time on ironing.

Commercial Dust Busting: I love to sit back, relax, and watch a little television. I also hate commercials. I have decided that it is the best time in the world to attack those pesky dust bunnies. I take two minutes every night during the news and run my dust buster up and down my stairwell and over those pesky cat hair accumulations. Then I put the dust buster back on the charger. Dona and done!

Weekly Deep Clean: Now is the time to break out the vacuum attachments, Windex, and the mop for the weekly deep clean. Once a week, usually on Saturday, I spend an hour getting those corners clean, washing the kitchen floor, and getting the obvious spots on the windows. It’s not the highlight of my week, but it’s only an hour and now I can brag that I have the cleanest house on the block!