HOME PRODUCTS

Updating the look of your house for personal use, or in preparation for selling, may sound like a tremendous amount of work. However, one easy transformation can take place just by changing your window treatments.

Window furnishings can help provide color and instant style to any room. While a well-designed window treatment may not increase the value of the home you are planning to sell, it can make its rooms more appealing to buyers. For instance, draperies can make a window appear larger, or offset imbalance, when they are hung either higher or wider than the actual window. Draperies hung at or near the ceiling even make a room feel taller by drawing the eye higher.

Draperies: An endless number of colors and patterns exist to choose from to help you transform a room. However, you should select a color and design that suits your home. If you intend to try something bold, your other furniture in the room should be neutral enough so as to temper the space. In addition, draperies help increase securities by providing privacy; help provide light and noise control, from and can help insulate your home from cold weather.

Blinds: If your home has outdated, metal horizontal or vertical blinds, strongly consider this an opportunity to update. Depending on the look you want to achieve, window blinds come in a variety of materials including wood, faux wood and fabric. Blinds allow you to easily adjust your view. They are also very easy to clean – just wipe or dust the slats. Choose a material and color that goes with your overall room design.

Shades: Window shades, depending on the fabric, can also allow you to control the light coming into your room, as well as privacy. They come in variety of shades from sheer to a little filtering to total light blocking to shades that block UV light. Woven woods are especially popular today. Cordless options are available too and you can choose from flat roman shades or roller shades depending on your budget. Compared to blinds, shades are easier to install but more difficult to clean.

Hardware: Window treatment hardware trends are becoming more sleek, creative and modern, compared to some of the more elaborate window hardware styles in the past. Window hardware can be made of wood, faux wood, metal and wrought iron. Use of non-standard hardware as curtain rods is also acceptable, from cup hooks, drawer pulls to doorknobs – just make sure to space the hooks evenly, check their durability and install them securely. Attach the fabric panels/draperies using metal rings, fabric tabs or grommets.

Consider your needs and your budget when shopping for window treatments. There are plenty other choices aside from the ones I mentioned above, so make sure to do your research and choose what works best for you. One thing is for sure, updating your window treatment can instantly change the mood and add life to an otherwise dull and dated room.… READ MORE

Part of every person’s dream is to own a house. To be able to do this, one can buy through re-sold homes. Houses of these types are built according to the specifications of the first owner. Everything from the materials used and the design reflects much the taste of its owners. What could possibly lead you to buying it is simply you share their taste in homes.

However, some people would want to have a home that truly reflects them and not merely finding it from other people’s idea of a house. As a result, they would prefer to have their homes newly constructed.

Having newly constructed homes allow you to choose your own materials. You can choose it based on your design. However, a more practical way to do the selection is to base it on your region’s climate. The reason for this is that, your climate has a direct impact to your home’s comfort. When it is too cold outside, you want a home that is warm.

If you have the wrong materials, you may not be able to maintain your interior’s temperature at a desirable level. Hence, your comfort will be altered and you can incur various problems in your dwelling place.

Second reason is longevity of your homes. The kind of climate you have can accelerate the wear and tear of a certain material. Using the wrong type might lead to your homes early degradation. As a result, you may incur costly repairs and for some, they may not be able to enjoy their homes to the fullest. The last thing you want to happen is to pay for expensive repairs before reaching your breakeven point.

Third reason is energy efficiency. No one wants to pay too much for energy use, especially if you have HVAC systems in your home. To be able to attain your heating and cooling needs without paying too much, you need to build a home with good insulation. Know that your building material has a lot to do with this matter.

There are so many materials to choose from. You have wood, concrete, stones, clay and many others.

If you live in warm regions, materials you should use must have the capacity to keep your interiors cool and to allow your home to breathe. The last thing you want to happen is to trap humid area in your homes causing moisture build up that could eventually lead to mold problems. Some construction materials that are best for warm climates are wood and clay.

For colder regions, materials with the best insulating properties are great candidates. Some of these are concrete, bricks and stones. These materials are the perfect solution. Concrete has good insulating abilities. It is used in combination with other materials as a binder. However, stones are renowned to be the best. But try to be careful with your selection. To obtain the best choice, you can seek help from a stonemason.

There are also unconventional materials used … READ MORE