Best Home Improvement Contractors

Kitchen Remodeling Tips

Written by Francine on 12 January 2009

Kitchen remodeling can be an overwhelming job, but with professional help and some solid kitchen remodeling ideas to get you started, things can go smoothly. The kitchen is the heart of your home so why not do all you can to make it more your own? If you take your time, stay organized and plan things out ahead of time, you can turn your kitchen into something truly perfect for your home relatively easily.

HGTV offers these steps you should take when remodeling your kitchen:

Find inspiration for your new kitchen.
Plan your total remodel budget.
Locate, hire and manage a contractor.
Determine your kitchen layout.
Choose the right flooring material.
Decide whether to replace or reface your cabinets.
Buy appliances that match your needs.
Pick a countertop surface that fits your lifestyle.
Select faucets and sinks with style and utility.
Complete your new kitchen with proper lighting.

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Quality Vacuums and Air Systems Keep Allergens out of your Life

Written by Francine on 20 November 2008

Vacuuming does more than improve your home’s appearance. A proper vacuuming also makes the area a cleaner, healthier place to live. If you or someone else in the house suffers from asthma or allergies, then carpet-borne particles from pet dander, dust mites, dust mite feces, pollen, and dust are all eagerly waiting to agitate your condition. In fact, the environment indoors, where people spend 90% of their time, can have a pollutant level 2-5 times higher (or even more) than the outdoor environment! At Basement Systems, we’ve seen more than our share of problems caused by mold, dust mites, and other airborne pollutants. A reliable vacuum cleaner is one line of defense.

Lurking Pollutants

The size of most airborne pollutants is measured in microns (one-millionth of a meter). Common and harmful airborne particles range in size from 2.4 microns to .3 microns. Below are some common household particles and their width:

Human Hair: 60-100 Microns
Dust Mites: 125 Microns
Dust Mite Feces: 10-24 Microns
Pollen: 10-40 Microns
Mold Spores: 2-10 Microns

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Healthy Crawl Spaces

Written by Francine on 15 October 2008

There is an old-fashioned belief still supported by some building codes and general contractors across the U.S. concerning crawl spaces. The belief that crawl spaces should be vented is greatly contributing to the problem of damp, moldy and decaying crawl spaces becoming a true housing epidemic.

According to this belief, crawl spaces need to be protected from ground moisture by the way of a ground vapor barrier (usually a 6 mil plastic sheet) and should be allowed to “breathe” through open vents. This belief says that open vents will dry out the space by allowing outside air to circulate within the crawl space.

It may sound like it makes sense; after all, air is known to dry things. A breeze will dry the clothes on a line and opening a window in the house will help dry out your freshly shampooed carpet, right? However, in a crawl space environment things work a bit differently that they would in open air or at the above floors. Read the rest of this entry »

Basement Layout: What goes where

Written by Francine on 07 September 2008

How do you arrange a room that takes up an entire floor, has poor lighting, and is usually cold and dreary? Where do you even start? There are many ways to approach your basement layout, but you should focus on a layout that adds convenience, organization and function to your home.

Define the Space
First and foremost you must determine what you’ll be using the basement for. Do you want a play area for your kids? Do you need a craft area, guest room or home office? Define the areas before you decide where they should be located in the room. Also, some things in your basement can’t be changed or would be costly to change, such as a metal beam. As doityourself.com says, your basement layout will have to work around these aspects.

Some homeowners may want to build an apartment in their basement with a living room, bedroom, kitchen and full bathroom. Others may want something simpler like a game room, personal gym or laundry room. The website QandAs.com writes that by deciding on the purpose of the space, you can then determine the basement layout. For example, a bathroom may have to be located near a wet bar with a sink to keep the plumbing simple. Read the rest of this entry »

Basement Design Ideas

Written by Francine on 19 July 2008

Designing any room can be tough, but a basement can be especially uninspiring for design ideas. Bad lighting, a cold atmosphere and mechanical eyesores popping out everywhere don’t give homeowners much to work with when they’re coming up with remodeling designs. Use these basement design ideas to guide you as you revamp your basement.

Add Your Individual Style
This basement is yours so all of your basement design ideas should reflect your personal style. Not all trends work for everybody, so it’s best to just use them as inspiration rather than copy them completely. Better Homes and Gardens suggests personalizing the items in your basement, such as repeating a pattern throughout the room by adding it yourself to pillows and window treatments. Choose a color and add squares of paint along the hanging edge of a curtain, and then add painted squares of the same color to pillows.

Continue a color scheme throughout the entire basement for a cohesive feel. Better Homes and Gardens recommends taking mismatched items like vases or plates and painting them, or adding metallic accents to them using a paint pen. If you like to take photographs, frame a few and place them around your basement to make it more personal. Do you have a favorite hobby or interest? Express it in your basement by giving the room a theme. Your basement design ideas can have a sports theme, tropical theme, or even a retro theme. Onlinetips.org says that if your basement is especially gloomy, be sure to use bright colors in your accessories to liven it up. Read the rest of this entry »