Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Backyard Improvements That Increase Home Value

The primary purpose of a backyard improvement is to have a place at home where residents can enjoy. Whether it is for relaxation or a venue for family get-together, we want it to have aesthetic value and purpose. And at the same time, a backyard improvement increases home value.

Selling your property might not be in your mind at the moment. But who knows? You might need it one day. So think of your backyard project as an investment that you can enjoy while you still own it. Make this project really stand out like a feature that one cannot take away. It will surely add a significant value to your home.

Garden and Green Space

Most folks love to have a garden for two reasons. First is that they love and would want to see the bloom and enjoy a fresh air every morning and whenever they want. Gardeners and landscapers get a good market for this. The second reason is hobby. Majority of gardeners are hobbyist and all they need is a ready garden setup that they can easily start or improve. But know this; even non-hobbyists have a tendency to like gardening too.

You can add a variety of plants but choose those that have greater value. Bonsai plants, for example, they are valued higher. But do not get carried away by the number and type of plants you can put in. Landscape or arrangement is another important factor. Consult an expert gardener or landscaper if you do not have an idea. The internet holds a lot of information and inspiration that you can use.

Other garden features that add value to your property are the garden fixtures such as garden outdoor umbrellas, outdoor furniture, and fountains. Statues like animals, angels, and gnomes are great additional ornaments too.


Backyard Sanctuary

There are many types of backyard sanctuary and each has a different purpose. Making this backyard project may cost higher or lower depending on your needs and style. But it will really add more value to your home.

You may ask why we build a backyard sanctuary. Well, it is for our own benefit in the first place. Though it costs some amount of money, it allows us to save more in the long run. Once we have it, we do not have to travel the long road to go to a relaxing place in town or out. We can have our get-together, outdoor grilling on weekends, or hang out to enjoy the sun just right in the backyard.

The two most favored outdoor backyard places are the patio and deck. These house extensions contribute to a home-sweet-home. Add to that a dining area and an outdoor kitchen; probably you would not have any difficulty in hosting a get-together and weekend picnics.

A well planned patio and deck design will surely add a great amount of value to your home. Pay special attention to the planning stage of building an outdoor place because this step will help determine if the design is right to add value to your property. After that, you can fill in the outdoor patio furniture, and fixtures such as awnings, outdoor canopy, and patio umbrellas of your choice.

If ever you decide to sell your home in later time, even if the price just pays off your money and effort, it is still a win-win outcome. Remember that you built all these for you to enjoy yourself in the first place.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Things to Consider When Remodeling a Patio

Remodeling a patio is not necessary, but if you want a new outdoor room design for a new year or an incoming season or occasion, doing so will yield a great experience. Expenses are unavoidable, but there are ways to keep it budget friendly.

However, no matter how minimal it is, a budget for the new design will always be money spent. Add to it the time spent for completion, sometimes you have to think twice. To make it easy, you can remodel your patio design little by little. Splitting the project into little phases can be easier to accomplish if it is considerably big. Split it into the following phases;

  • Cleaning the entire space including the removal of debris and unusable fixtures.
  • Rearrangement of patio furniture and installations.
  • Refinishing of old furniture items, deck, floors, and walls.
  • Changing the patio covers, outdoor umbrellas, and shade sails, if necessary.

Getting creative is the best way to remodel a patio and transform it into a new outdoor place that is not just different but better. There are new design trends every other year and season that can be followed. Free guides and how-to tutorials for DIY backyard projects that save you lots of money are available online.

Making an outdoor furniture look brand new is easier and cheaper nowadays. There are online tutorials and guides available for free so you can restore old furniture items at home. All the tools needed for this project are available at home improvement stores.

Deciding on the next patio design from scratch is not easy. Even professional landscapers and decorators need fresh ideas to start the process. If you want to do it yourself, you really need patio design ideas and inspirations. You can find a lot of patio design ideas in the internet.

Remodeling a patio has a lot of benefits. It is not just for your pleasure but also for value. When you do redesign your patio and upgrade it, the value of your house increases. Add to that the pleasure of having a beautiful place for relaxation at home.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Home Improvement and Going Green Tips

It is commonly believed that large industries deliver most of the negative effects to our ecology and nature. Yet, we overlooked that residential areas also has a large contribution to these environmental issues that our world is facing. But it is not too late to act to preserve and bring back our natural environment. Going green is really easy that even in our small ways, at home, we can do many things for the better.

We will discuss in this article how to make our home beautiful in ways that help preserve our natural environment and contributes to its recovery.

Periodic General House Cleaning
Periodic general house cleaning like between seasons has a lot of benefits. It revives the looks of our house and contributes to the reduction of pollution in your local area.

Unclog drains and clear waterways in your area to prevent waste build up. Remove debris and leaves because these can become a breeding ground for harmful organisms.

Unclutter your house and dispose unusable objects, appliances, and gadgets properly. You can even exchange some of these trashes for cash.

General cleaning does not just make your house look better but also makes it a breathable and healthy dwelling place.

Reuse and Recycle Items for Decoration and Design
There may be other things in your house and some may have sentimental value that you do not want to throw away. These can be kept safe in a box or hidden in the attic but they can also be used as a decoration. All you have to do is clean, polish, and accessorize them. Use them as a decor feature for your indoor and outdoor furniture sets.

Your kitchen hosts a lot of things like empty containers, bottles, and mason jars. These can be reused as decorative items. Empty bottles especially from wines and mason jars can be painted from the inside. This creates a beautiful effect and then they can be used as live plant container and flower base for your room and patio furniture setup.

Little mason jars can be reused as an outdoor lantern or patio umbrella lights. They can serve as a light bulb enclosure and make more of them to create a string of lights and chandelier.

Large containers and cans have a significant use in our backyard or garden. Instead of throwing them away which adds to volume of wastes in our landfills, they can be reused as pots for plants. I once discovered an idea to make a patio umbrella base out of large container, soil, and plants.

Here is something interesting. Discarded shoes, boots, teapots, and casseroles used as flower and vegetable plant containers have become popular these days. This idea is very unique and gains more attention. And by the way, harboring plants at home and gardening is helpful for our environment.

Much of these tips help you go green and save money. Good luck on your home improvement.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Patio Design and Decorating Tips for 2013

Every year, decorating trends changes. Now that we have entered 2013, there are new trends for patio design and decorating that start to emerge. These tips are of great help.

Let us start with the color of the year and 2013 is going green. Pantone LLC, the global authority on color that provides standards and trends for the design industry, announced that the color of the year is Emerald.

Emerald color is a great pick for patio and backyard decorating because we can easily incorporate plants and other greens of nature. In fact, green plants are great helpers because they provide accompanying hues for this color of the year.

Conforming to the color of the year, the trend for backyard and patio design is likely to go green and more of nature. We can also see that a blend of beautiful architecture and nature is becoming more of a trend these days.

Incorporating more plants especially vegetable and fruits is worth considering because Emerald color expresses a refreshing and lively look.

With these trends, it is great this year to set up a relaxing outdoor space. Like adding a comfy sofa set or setting up a little table for two where you can enjoy the look and feel of nature in the patio. And when summer comes, you can setup a relaxing patio lounge chair and a side table with matching patio umbrella. You can choose any type of outdoor furniture but wooden texture would reign for a nature inspired outdoor space design.

For existing patio furniture items, repainting or accenting them with emerald would suffice. But if repainting is not doable, try adding pillows and accessories that are in emerald color. You can also buy an emerald colored outdoor umbrella or shade sail which will have a plenty of stocks this year for sure.

Quick tip! When designing and decorating a patio this year, just remember these few words, it is nature, refreshing, and lively. Good luck!