Guest Post - Biggest Home Renovation Mistakes You Should Avoid at All Cost

While seemingly straightforward, a home improvement project will entail meticulous planning and adequate financing. And that's just for starters. Keep in mind that home renovations can be very costly. A kitchen remodel alone can take you back as much as $22,000! Smaller-scale remodels like a bathroom redo can average around $10,000.

While not as painless as roof inspection and maintenance, a home renovation project can be one of your most rewarding investments as long as you are able to navigate the process smoothly. 

If it is your first time, below are some of the most significant renovation mistakes you should avoid at all cost if you want to get the most bang for your buck and keep your sanity intact:

Mistake #01: Rushing the Job

If you have seen countless home improvement shows, you most likely have the impression it is possible to get a renovation project completed in a week. Unfortunately, TV is different from real life. If anything, you need ample time to plan meticulously, carry out the steps thoroughly, and address any unexpected scenarios.

Make it a point to respect the whole renovation process. This is especially true if you are working on a massive renovation project. Typically, planning should take at least three to six months. Ensuring there is ample time can help you assemble the right team, plan the project properly, and address anything unforeseen that comes up.

Mistake #02: Working with the Cheapest Contractor

Make no mistake about it, the lowest bid does not always translate to the best job. Ideally, you need to get written estimates from at least three contractors. Keep in mind that some contractors might give cheap quotes just to get the job then cut corners or install products that are of low quality.

The written estimate should include specific details like the hardware, flooring, exact cabinets, and install costs. Also, it should include the general contractor fee, waste removal plan, insurance, work warranty, and how design changes will be addressed. 

If those crucial details are not included, the contractor is either underestimating the project or is not being thorough. 

Mistake #03: Lowballing Your Renovation Budget

During the renovation process, it is recommended that you make room for a few surprises that might pop up. For instance, let's say you are installing a backsplash. While rare, there is the possibility that you will damage the wall and might need to replace some of the drywall.

From there, you might also discover electrical issues inside the drywall. Before you know it, you need to deal with more than just a new backsplash. In line with this, it would be smart to set aside at least 15 percent of your total project cost for unexpected expenses. This is especially important when you are renovating older homes.

Mistake #04: Creating a Kitchen That's Too Trendy

This is something many homeowners are guilty of. It is vital to keep in mind that the bolder your kitchen, the quicker it can go out of style. A  kitchen that's out of style can bring your home's resale value down significantly. Other kitchen changes you might regret later include overdoing the kitchen appliances at the expense of space.

As a general rule of thumb, don't shove a kitchen island when there is no sufficient space. If your area does not allow at least 36 inches of clearance between the cabinets and your kitchen island, it is recommended that you skip it.

Mistake #05: Not Putting a Floor Drain Where Necessary

If you have home appliances that disperse water like the washing machine or fridge, you must put a floor drain nearby. In most places, this is required and is considered a code requirement. Unfortunately, many homeowners still cut corners and omit it. They often end up regretting it later on.

Putting in a drain can be very beneficial if a hose breaks. It can also help warrant that your house won't flood and is protected against water damage. Ensure you avoid this renovation mistake at all costs if you want to save money that might go to repair costs.

Mistake #06: Working on Too Many Rooms at Once

If you want to stick to the budget you have set, it is recommended that you don't do the entire house all at once. Instead, break the renovations based on rooms and tackle renovations one room at a time.

Breaking down your renovation project by rooms will also allow you to see clear progress and is less overwhelming in general. Any way you look at it, it is ideal to focus your energy on one area first than do a complete overhaul overtime.

Wrap Up

A renovation project should not be frustrating and should run as smoothly as possible. Avoid all the renovation mistakes above at all cost, and you'll be enjoying your newly renovated house in no time.

Author Bio:

Rachel Porter is the content specialist for Custom Contractors Insurance, LLC, an Arizona roofing and contractors insurance company. When not writing, she enjoys reading and mountain biking with her friends.

Spring Cleaning and Maintenance to Start Now for Warmer Months

As spring is here, the warm weather encourages more outdoor activities after staying shut indoors during winter. After a long, harsh winter, this is the perfect time to do some spring cleaning and maintenance that will ensure your home is ready for the summer.

Here is a spring cleaning and maintenance checklist that will ensure your house is in top shape for the hot summer months.

Inspect Your Roofing and Chimney

Start your spring cleaning by inspecting your roof for worn-out shingles, tins, or concrete tiles that need replacing. Proceed to repair damaged roof areas to prevent spring showers from damaging the inside of your home. After inspecting your roof, make sure you assess your chimney’s exterior for any indicators of damage. You should also ensure a qualified chimney sweeper evaluates your chimney.

Clean Gutters

After inspecting the roof, proceed and inspect your gutters. Get rid of the buildup that can cause clogs which cause timber to rot and attract pests. Replace or repair leaky or loose gutters that may cause water damage in the attic, basement, and crawl spaces. Majority of structural damage is caused by improper drainage, thus ensuring your downspouts drain water away from your foundation.

Service Your AC

Contract an air conditioning expert to inspect your AC before summer kicks in. Meanwhile, clean the coils, which help your system operate effectively and efficiently. You should also replace the air filters; murky air filters cause your air conditioner to strain, thus increasing your power bills and potentially damaging your air conditioner. You should check your air filters at least once a month and replace them when necessary.

Paint the Exterior

Winter weather may chip, damper, or dull exterior paint jobs, and spring is the best time to fix this. If you aren’t planning to do a complete house repaint, touch up every chip on shutters, trim, doorway, etc., to immediately improve your home’s aesthetics.

Inspect Hardscaping

The constant thawing and freezing associated with winter are viciously hard on asphalt, concrete, and other types of hardscaping. This may cause cracks and other forms of damage that can cause falls and accidents. Spring is the best time to power wash and your walkways, driveway, stairs, and paths and then seal any gaps and cracks with silicone caulk or concrete crack filler.

Spring is the best time to perform house maintenance. By performing spring maintenance, you can identify and fix damages that your house may have suffered during the harsh winter months and ensure it’s ready for the approaching summer.

Guest Post - Kitchen Renovation: Kitchen Design Trends of 2021

The kitchen serves as the heart of many homes. This is where our most cherished memories are created. Not only does it serve to be an important place for keeping all our appliances and tools for making a meal, but at times kitchens are also the best spaces for storage in the house. 

Without a kitchen, a house would awfully feel empty, as for some. It is where significant conversations and gossips are heard. All of this makes it all the more imperative to make your kitchen look and feel good. 

According to a recent study by Home Stratosphere, more than 31.41% of kitchens follow a traditional design style, followed by 25.18% of kitchens using a contemporary style.

Furthermore, 47.88% of kitchens are medium-sized (70-720 square feet), followed by 39.63% of kitchens that are large (more than 720 square feet).

However, 41.28% of kitchens are found to be favoring brown and white being the second most common color when it comes to color choices. Moreover, 41.02% of kitchens have an L-Shape layout. 

In light of this information, let's take a quick look at some of the best kitchen design trends that await you in 2021. 

• Bright and In Your Eye Colors

A kitchen has the tenacity to be the quietest space in your home and quickly transform into a venue that is also the busiest and source of the most ruckuses.

Due to its dual personality, there are often times where you might have entered an empty kitchen looking for a lost object, tool, or utensil that you need urgently. This is where colors can guide you. 

There are numerous options available. It's fairly common to give your kitchen a loud appeal by using bright colors on cabinets or the area you want people to be most aware of when they enter this space. Bright colors can also help you boost your mood and get you into the grove for some delicious cooking as well.      

• Curves vs Sharp Edges

If you have studied Feng Shui, you might know that indoor places that attract a lot of foot traffic should be devoid of sharp-edged furniture, fixtures, or fittings. This is due to the fact that they might cause someone to injure themselves when moving in a hurry badly.

This is why rounder, smoother, and curves are more appropriate as they seldom deliver the same impact as a sharp and pointy edge. 

There is no doubt that your kitchen is indeed a magnet that has the ability to pull the crowd, especially when you are attending to guests at home, and you are managing several things at a time.

Stick with Feng Shui, ancient geomancy becoming popular worldwide and chose curves over sharp edges when it comes to your kitchen fixtures and fittings.    

• Energy Efficiency

These days, many emphases are being made to reduce our carbon footprint, which has led those who are aware of climate change and global warming to adopt better lifestyles. Many pupils who opt for a personal statement writing service are also aware of such concerns.

Without question, the kitchen uses a ton of energy, which is why the new trend is to keep a lookout for keeping your kitchen as much energy efficient as possible. Some viable tips include:

• Designing your kitchen so that it can use natural air for ventilation and natural light throughout the day to save on energy consumption.

• Installing smart devices with high efficiency and low power ratings to keep energy consumption levels low. 

• Install faucets with a flow rate of no more than 1gpm, or you can also choose to add aerators. 

• Make use of smart, low energy, but bright lightings. This will help you save a lot of power with LED lights. 

• Replace faulty apps as they are not only a hazard but also use more energy while running. 

• Use smart kitchen solutions for lowering down your consumption level of utilities and follow best practices such as making sure that taps, faucets, lights, and even gas outlets are closed when not in use.

• Hidden Appliances

A new trend that is fairly becoming popular these days is where kitchen appliances are hidden from your sight, but they are there for use whenever you need them.

The basic idea is to incorporate your most used and daily appliances into your kitchen fixtures and fittings. You can find several iterations where people simply have their kitchen cold storage or refrigerator as cupboard standing a fixed to the wall. 

What this does is that it makes your kitchen floor less crowded. Hence you have more and ample space to move around and manage yourself freely. It also gives your kitchen a more spacious look as well as the ability to keep secrets.  Young learners who pay for essay may also find such designs quite enthralling and exciting. 

• Intuitive Cabinets, Fixtures, & Fittings

Related to the previous trend, another popular style for kitchens is to have intuitive cabinets that can move, change their structure or shape, or can be transformed.

This allows them to serve multiple purposes. Some of them transform as if they belonged to the Autobots race or something in their previous life.

Plus, there are many fixtures and fittings being released in the present that you can easily pack up to give yourself and others more space and room.

They not only look good and pleasing to watch, but they also offer your kitchen a surprisingly distinct look. Plus, you can always amaze your guests with what your kitchen can do. (And theirs can't!)    

• Quartz/Marble Countertops

Quartz is a human-made and engineered product of natural stone fused with polymer resin, whereas marble is a natural metamorphosed limestone or dolomite rock. Whether you go for marble or quartz, the choice is completely yours. 

Both are actually great for countertops as they definitely raise the appeal of your kitchen to the next level. Even a simple layout and design but with a marble or quartz finish on the top can uplift your kitchen's visage. Marble is indeed desirable, and quartz is also favored for its incredible beauty as well as durability.  

Conclusion 

The kitchen is where all the home parties begin and end. For some couples, the kitchen becomes the place where you begin making out and then leads to all kinds of trouble later on.

No one can deny the kitchen also serves to be a thinking spot for the most absurd thoughts of the day, and things do get messy afterwards when spill and splatter unintentionally, of course. 

No matter how you look at them, kitchens indefinitely more than what meets the eye. But for all the Monica Gellers out there, kitchens can be private and a place of love where much of your dedication shows in how you keep them. Cheers to all of you and to your brand new kitchen look, BANZAI!

Author Bio 

Melissa Calvert currently works as a devoted Lifestyle Counselor at Crowd Writer and Master Thesis. This is where higher education students can acquire professional research paper writing services from experts specializing in their field of study. During her free time, she likes to play the banjo for her loved ones. 

How to Stage a Home Office for Client Meetings

Since more and more people have learned the pros of working remotely, home-based businesses are having a moment. If the chance to run a company completely on your own terms and in your own space excites you, then it might just be your next big career move. Make sure you do it right by creating the perfect home office. 

Although having a dedicated workspace is important for at-home productivity, this is also an important step to consider if you plan to work with clients over video chat or, once it’s safe, in person. Your home office needs to give the best impression. House to Home Organizing is proud to offer services that can help, as well as this primer on how to create a home office that sends the right message.

Get Your To-Dos In Order 

Before you can get to the work of making your business look great, you need to make sure it has a strong foundation. The most spectacular office is nothing if there isn’t a solid business to back it up. That’s why it’s important to start by knocking out the basic to-dos of establishing your company, such as forming an LLC or creating your mission statement.

These tasks don’t just give your business a strong start, but they should also inform how your office is decorated. After all, any part of your business that clients see should be a part of your overall brand. Keep that in mind as you start creating your company, and try to think about how you can manage brand consistency in your workspace and beyond. 

Start Strong with Organizational Advice 

Messy offices give clients the impression that you’re unable to keep up with your tasks, so make sure your space stays neat and organized. The best way to do that is to establish a strong organizational system from the very start. Professional organizers can help you get rid of clutter and develop habits that keep your space functional and looking great. 

If you’ve already gotten started, it’s not too late to start building strong organizational habits. That said, it may be a little tricky to bust up the old habits and stick with the new. Go easy on yourself, and remember to focus on consistency. Once again, having a pro on your side during this process can help you come up with an effective plan to get your workspace back on track.

Decorate for Productivity 

An office that customers see needs to look nice, so put some thought into your decorative process. Focus on decorative features that will boost your productivity while also ensuring clients feel welcome. Avoid highly personalized or unique items unless you’re interested in having a conversation about them, and make sure any humorous decor remains professional. It’s also important to give particular thought to the wall behind your computer, as this will be what people see on video calls. 

There are a few simple decorative features you can use in your office to help you feel more energized and productive during the day. For example, you can use decorative mirrors to boost the amount of light in your room. Decorating with plants is another great move, as this can help reduce stress and improve air quality. Finally, invest in an ergonomic chair and desk set up so you can avoid developing aches or pains throughout the day. 

When starting a home-based business, the way you set up your workspace can go a long way toward boosting your odds for success. Focus on creating an office that looks great - in person or online - and that helps you stay productive throughout the day. The right office can help you build the career you’ve been dreaming of.

Need a hand getting your home-based business organized? Contact us today to start your decluttering journey!