Looking to Update Your Kitchen for Little Money? Checkout These Ideas!

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Jeremy Leake

Having a top of the line kitchen is something that most people can’t afford. In order to help you update your kitchen inexpensively we found this article with ideas for you. We hope they help give you ideas on updating your kitchen!

————
If you need Apartment complex dryer vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
————

From the article:

The average kitchen remodel costs a staggering $18,856 ??? and high-end ones average $54,909. No bones about it: That’s a whole lotta cash.

But you don’t need to shell out big bucks to make a big impact in an outdated kitchen. Whether you’ve lived in your house for years or you just got the keys, here are some easy ways to give it a refresh:

Get new handles and pulls.
“Changing out cabinetry hardware is one of the easiest and quickest updates,” says HGTV’s Scott McGillivray, author of How to Add Value to Your Home. Look for colorful options or Scott’s favorite, a brushed nickel finish. But resist the temptation to get something too personal or cutesy. “I’ve seen people use hardware that looks like forks and spoons or mini chickens. Those options are fun, but they get old fast,” Scott warns.

Consider painting your cabinets.
Kristy Kropat, an interior designer based in San Francisco, recently moved into a new home, but she didn’t love the kitchen. A complete overhaul wasn’t in the cards (new cabinets are pricey!), so instead, she gave the cabinetry a fresh coat of paint.

The countertop was black, so she picked a light gray for the uppers and lime green for the lower cabinets to brighten things up. “Citrus-like colors ??? orange, yellow and green ??? look great in a kitchen,” she says.

Add a backsplash.
“The beauty of it is that it’s very limited in square footage,” Scott says. “The average backsplash is between 10 and 40 square feet.” His point: It’s an easy-to-tackle area that won’t break the bank. “Even if you’re spending $5 a square foot, you’re talking about a couple hundred bucks in tiles.”

Don’t have the skills to install tile or cash for a contractor? Try paint instead. Just make sure you pick up a semi-gloss, Kristy adds. The glossier the paint, the more it will resist moisture ??? and you can simply wipe it clean when dinner is over.

————–
Looking to remodel your kitchen? Then checkout this article about kitchen remodel ideas that could be of interest to you.
————–

Read the entire article here: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/decorating-ideas/cheap-kitchen-updates

Looking to Create a More Peaceful Home? Try These Ideas!

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Jeremy Leake

Creating a peaceful home isn’t easy. With so many things that happen inside the home it isn’t a mystery of why it’s hard to have peace in the home. In order to help you out we found this article with ideas on how to have a more peaceful home. We hope it helps!

From the article:

Turn your hectic home into the ultimate soothing space with these simple feng shui tips from Janice Sugita, author of The Feng Shui Equation.

Cut clutter
From Health magazine Turn your hectic home into the ultimate soothing space with these simple feng shui tips from Janice Sugita, author of The Feng Shui Equation.

“Remove anything that causes you stressful thoughts,” Sugita says. Do keep a few items that make you smile, like treasured photos.

Balance it out
Love your glass coffee table? Pair it with something cozy, like a plush sofa. Softer elements in the room bring comfort; harder elements provide stability.

————–
Do you want to know what devalues your home? Then checkout this article about what devalues your home that could be of interest to you.
————–

Read the entire article here: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20425645,00.html

Need More Info on Going Solar? Start Here!

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Saving money is something that everyone likes doing. Going solar in order to save money is a big step though. In order to help you out in determining if it’s the best decision for you and your family we found this article with more information. We hope it helps you make the best decision possible!

From the article:

It’s becoming cheaper and easier to power your home with energy from the sun.
It???s a good time to invest in solar energy for your home. The cost of a home solar system has dropped dramatically, and there are even more options available to pay for one. Here???s what you need to know.

Number 1: Solar Systems Are Getting Cheaper. The cost to buy a solar power system has fallen by about 50% since 2007, to an average upfront cost of $4,590 per kilowatt. It???ll likely take you between seven and 15 years to recoup your upfront cost. The higher the electric rate you currently pay, the more sunshine your location receives, and the financial incentives that are available to you can all positively affect your return on solar.

Number 2: You???ll Need Shade-Free Space. For each kilowatt of capacity, you???ll need 100 square feet of mostly unshaded, south-facing space. Solar panels may be mounted on a flat or sloped roof or in your yard. Besides the panels, you???ll need an inverter to convert a direct current to an alternating current, a tie-in to the local utility grid and, possibly, a monitoring system that tells the installer how much power you???re producing.

————–
Looking for ways to cut your electric bill? Then checkout this article about cut electric bill that could be of interest to you.
————–

Read the entire article here: http://www.kiplinger.com/printstory.php?pid=12942

Want to Design Your Home to Prepare for Whatever? Start Here!

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

Being prepared for whatever comes is important. Knowing what to do in order to be prepared is important. In order to help you out we found this article with some helpful information on what to focus on. We hope it helps!

From the article:

People are prepping in various ways for Armageddon, whether it’s a religious end of days, a pandemic, a solar storm, an asteroid, a nuclear war, global warming or a zombie apocalypse.

One way to prep is to make your home a fortress and safe haven from doomsday. But who’s to say prepping for humanity’s grand finale can’t also be elegant and stylish?

Water, water not everywhere
The water could all dry up, get poisoned or become contaminated with radioactivity. Of course, preppers will want their own naturally gathered water supply. This environmentally conscious home by Feldman Architecture, Inc. has large cisterns that capture rainwater. In this case the water is used for landscaping irrigation, but in a water emergency, well, it’s there.

Food shortage storage
When talking about gearing up for the big finish, one of the first things people think of is stockpiling food. Multiple types of disasters would cause transportation to cease and food to go undelivered. For warehousing food you need a great pantry like this one. Anyway, everyone needs nine large jars of peanut butter and six bags of Starbucks coffee squirreled away, right? Better get it before the hoarders do.

Guns and ammo
No proper prepper would be without an impressive set of guns. Unfortunately, we’re not talking about Chris Hemsworth’s biceps. Sigh. Of course, who wouldn’t arm themselves for an alien invasion by making sure the gun lair is fully stocked with weapons and ammo?

————–
Ever heard of universal home design? Then checkout this article about universal home design that could be of interest to you.
————–

Read the entire article here: http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/1053663/hardcore-doomsday-preppers

Need a Home Office? Get Ideas Here!

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Jeremy Leake

If you are in need of a home office but not sure how to design it then you’ve come to the right place. We found this article that we hope will help you design a home office that will meet all of your needs!

From the article:

Home offices are becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity with more people telecommuting or running their own businesses from their homes. It is estimated that one in five Americans work from home. And with the fluctuating cost of gas and increased traffic causing longer commutes, that number is likely to grow even more every year.

Work space is no longer relegated just to the kitchen table or a corner of the guest bedroom; it has been promoted to a room of its own in the home. If you are looking to create a home office, or revamp an existing one, keep the following points in mind:

Separate Your Space
Although you are physically working in the house, it is important to set up your home office so that the lines between your home life and your work life do not get blurred. By creating a barrier, you will be less tempted to take a television break in the middle of your work day or work on spreadsheets when you are supposed to be ???home from the office.???

Design Your Office to Match Your Work Style
When choosing the furniture and layout of your office, make sure if fits the way you choose to work. For example, if you believe in ???a place for everything and everything in its place,??? be sure to allot enough space for adequate storage and file cabinets. If you work on several different projects, set up separate, smaller work stations dedicated to each task.

————–
Looking for more ideas for a home office? Then checkout this article about home office design that could be of interest to you.
————–

Read the entire article here: http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=237652