Remodel Your Kitchen Without Breaking the Bank

There could be a number of reasons why you might be considering remodeling your kitchen. Maybe you're a new home owner looking to get started on the "fixer-upper" house you just bought. Maybe you've been in the same house for twenty years and are simply looking to add a little variety and spice to your current dwelling. Whatever the reason, you probably don't want to blow your life savings making sure your cabinets match your stove. Luckily, it is possible to get the look and feel you want without breaking the bank. Proper research, innovative design techniques and, most importantly, simple do-it-yourself projects can help turn your kitchen area from dishware disaster into flat-wear fabulous.

In order to rediscover your kitchen's inherent style and beauty and stay within your budget, it is important to start with a cost effective, proven remodeling plan. Do your research -what types of remodeling plans can you find online or in specialty magazines? How much work will you do yourself? How much will you hire a contractor to work on? Are you hiring a designer? A finishing carpenter? A plumber? Electrician? Getting involved in a remodeling project without answers 21CEto these and similar questions can leave you frustrated and up to your eyeballs in unexpected side projects and expenses.

One of the best (and most fun) ways to cut remodeling costs is to choose a few smaller projects that you feel comfortable handling yourself. Cabinets, lighting fixtures and accessories are fairly simple, fun projects that don't require a background in carpentry or construction. Do you really need to buy brand new cabinets? Perhaps all your current cabinets need is a good sanding and refinishing. Painting or staining freshly sanded cabinets can take years off their look, especially if you add new handles or other accessories. If your cabinets are too old or too damaged to be salvaged, look for replacement cabinets that will fit with your planned design scheme. New cabinets do not have to be a large expense. Look for wholesalers that can get you the latest cabinet styles at a lower cost or join a manufacturer buying group like Direct Buy to get direct access to products at the manufacturer's price.

Another do-it-yourself, money saving project is painting. Before you pick a color scheme, consider how your kitchen relates to the rest of your home. Does the paint need to match what's on your living room walls, or would it look better as a stark contrast? Would the kitchen look and feel better with warm, cozy reds and yellows or cool, sophisticated blues? Do you need to paint the whole kitchen or simply add a few fresh accents here and there? A few coats of a new color can dramatically change the newly remodeled kitchen area, and being creative with color combinations is an easy way to personalize your project. But be careful -like any aspect of your remodeling project, a hastily made decision can come around to bite you once the project is finished.

Lighting installation should be saved for qualified professionals, but that doesn't mean you can't design your lighting scheme yourself. Choose a lighting design that will match your kitchen's layout and color scheme. Under-cabinet fluorescents and rope lights can add a romantic, ambient glow, but they might not offer enough light if you've chosen a dark blue, black or green color scheme. On the other hand, powerful overhead or spotlights might be overkill if you've chosen bright yellows or whites. Creating your own lighting scheme and buying your lighting fixtures and lamps directly from a local lighting wholesaler can save you money on a designer as well as make you feel even that much more involved in your remodeling process.

Of course, you probably won't be able to handle every part of the remodeling process yourself. A good contractor can help you decide which parts of your kitchen should definitely be repaired or replaced and which can be simply touched up. Get bids from a number of contractors, remembering that while price is an important factor it shouldn't be the only thing you consider. Make sure your contractor has a current license, proof of insurance, verifiable references and a list of suppliers. You should also pick someone that you feel comfortable working with. You'll be spending a good deal of time with this person; choosing someone you don't get along with will make your entire remodeling process a miserable one.

Remodeling your kitchen is a big endeavor. It can be frustrating and expensive, and the end product might not be what you had imagined in the beginning of the process. However, with just a little planning, patience and do-it-yourself know-how, it can be an exciting and cost-effective adventure.

~ Ben Anton, 2008

Remodeling Your Home?
Save money on your next home improvement project by visiting your local Direct Buy in Los Angeles.

Finishing Baseboard Trim

Installing trim means you've already gotten through the toughest parts of remodeling a room. Installation of baseboard trim is something akin to icing on a cake and should be taken on as an enjoyable project that signals the end of what may have been a long, hard job. Along with wall and window trim, it's the finishing touch, the accent, the piece de resistance - and knowing this should help propel you easily toward its completion. But don't get in such a hurry that you don't take care to do it right!

Finger-Joint or Continuous-Grain

Before purchasing, decide whether or not you'll be painting or staining after the installation of baseboard trim. This can make a difference in the price of your trim. For baseboard that's going to be painted, you can buy the less-expensive finger-joint trim, which is molding created by joining and machining shorter pieces together to form one continuous length of trim. The seams are visible, but very effectively covered by paint. If you decide on staining the trim, however, you need to go with continuous-grained baseboard. This higher-priced baseboard trim costs more but results in an attractive continuity accentuated by the seamless grain of the wood brought ouA37t by stain. Do all painting and/or staining of the molding before installation.

Begin installation of baseboard trim at an outside corner, if one is present, in the room. Otherwise, start at the wall on the opposite side of where the door going into the room is located. Because this is the first wall people see when they walk into a room, you want this one to have the best-looking baseboard possible. If you run short for some reason or the other on the other walls and need to splice pieces, it won't be nearly so evident.

Angled and Square Ends

Use a power miter saw for installation of baseboard trim at inside and outside corners. A T-bevel can measure odd angles that don't measure what should be neat, 90-degree angles (but rarely are!) and when walls aren't square to floors, baseboard trim can be coped to fit with a coping saw. For the first section of baseboard trim, the cut is simple: Make both ends square, no angle cutting is necessary. It's the subsequent, connecting pieces of baseboard that need to be fitted at either corner of this piece. Those two pieces also are angled only at those corners with their opposites ends being square. The remaining pieces of baseboard are cut with angled ends meeting square ends until the room is finished.

Finishing Up

Use six-penny finishing nails to fasten the baseboard to the studs, which are usually about 16 inches apart along the wall. If you do not have a stud finder, tap along the wall and listen for the hollow versus solid sound that differentiates between a stud being there or not. To hide the nail heads or obvious indentations made by the nails, fill with wood putty to match the stain or touch up with paint, as needed.

Visit OnlineTips.Org for more on finishing trim, including wainscoting and how to use coping saws.

Pressure Treated Lumber

If you are building a deck, retaining wall or a swing set for the kids it is highly likely that your material of choice is pressure treated lumber.

Pressure treated lumber, if installed properly, should provide a 40 year useable life. However, there are some things about pressure treated lumber that you have to know, in order to obtain that life and not have your project fall apart in a few years.

To create pressure treated lumber, raw lumber is impregnated with two waterborne compounds that are copper based chemicals. The amount of copper basically determines the usage and all pressure treated lumber, sold in the US, is supposed to have a tag stapled to the end of the board signifying its pounds of preservative per cubic foot of wood product:

0.25 Above Ground

0.40 Ground Contact

0.60 Permanent Wood Foundation

2.50 Salt Water

Because the lumber is impregnatedAA8 with copper, the choice of fasteners becomes very important. When two dissimilar metals come in contact with one another a galvanic reaction is created, the outcome is that the materials corrode and disintegrate. The higher the levels of copper in the lumber the faster that the corrosion will occur.

Although most people realize that they must use corrosion resistant fasteners and connectors many do not consider items such as flashings and light poles that are also in contact with the pressure treated lumber. Of course the best metals to use for fasteners, flashings and anything else that comes in contact with the deck is stainless steel or copper whenever possible. Stainless steel is expensive and copper is not conveniently available at your local lumber supply so the next best material is steel that has been galvanized.

Galvanized fasteners come in different grades (the thickness of the coating), better manufactures mark the box with a G rating. The higher the G rating, the more zinc used. You shouldnt use less than a G-90 rating and engineers are now suggesting the use of G-185. If the box is not marked it is probably a G-60 or less and this will not provide enough zinc coating to prevent galvanization from occurring. Cadmium plated nuts, bolts and screws do not provide any protection from corrosion whatsoever.

Some manufactures have created composite coatings for use with pressure treated lumber. Read the label on the box and make sure that what you are buying is suitable for the job.

Do not use aluminum flashing, deck flashing must be stainless steel, galvanized or copper. Aluminum corrodes very quickly when in contact with copper. This also means that metals items that come in contact with the pressure treated lumber must also be protected, items such as outdoor furniture, and barbeques should have rubber or vinyl feet or wheels.

For additional information on pressure treated lumber for your home or other renovation projects, visit Renovation Headquarters.

Pebble Stone

With the immense popularity gained by several natural materials inside kitchens and baths, pebble stones have become the number one choice for several people across the globe when it comes to enhancing the interiors.

When it comes to surfacing material, pebble stone is the most preferred stone. Varieties such as earth toned river rock and polished black quartz are extremely famous among pebble stone lovers. The pebble stones are measured for thickness and thereafter assembled on to mesh blacked 12"x12" sections. These sections are specially prepared to be interlocked so that they possess a natural random look when installed. You can also find a 'standing stone' version of these pebble tiles. The tiles have the pebbles standing on end and also attached to mesh backing. These standing stones are available in 4"x12" bricks usually applied to vertical surfaces with the help of mortar.

Pebbles do not require grout for installation. Hence, they provide the appearance of standing stone. These stones make great pieces of dcor for interiors as well as exteriors of homes and offices.

If you want to collect natural pebblE60es, you can find these in Indonesia in abundance. Here, they are hard sorted for flatness, thickness and thereafter joined together individually and bonded on to a mesh backing.

You can easily utilize hand crafted natural pebble stone tile flooring for pools, waterfalls and bathrooms. These are easy to install and you don't require any professional help. These pebbles are hand sanded individually and put into place. Thereafter, these are shipped from overseas. Several stones are attached to tiles and provided a strong mesh backing. After this process these tiles are smoothed down to create an even surface. This makes the stone ideal to walk on.

There are several reasons to consider pebbles stone as an ideal choice for your interiors. Given below are the features of pebble stone that makes it perfect choice for interior dcor.

a) Attractive:
Pebble stone is known to create an amazing area with a variety of colors, designs and borders available under this category on the market.
b) Inexpensive:
Pebble stones are cheaper than other surfaces available in the market such as tile, brick, flagstone or pavers.
c) Porous:
These stones are known to remove puddling and low/high areas.
d) Easy to clean:
Pebble stones are very easy to clean. You can wash these with a hose.
e) Seamless:
You would not find any seams or joints on these stones. The stone are installed over expansion joints or even cracks due to its elasticity that allows for expansion.
f) Wide usage:
Pebble stones can be easily installed on hard surfaces including concrete, asphalt, tile, flagstone, brick or wood decks. You can turn your pool decks, patios, driveways, walks or planters in an area of elegance, style and class. These stones can be easily used for residential, commercial and industrial installations.

Pebble stones look attractive and provide an ultimate choice for installation for interior dcor.

We, at BBM Impex are dedicated to represent the nations treasure of natural stone. visit Pebble supplier & exporter.

I am freelance writer, I have written on many fields that are under the sun. I have passion to play with words. Accuracy, clarity and impact are the hallmarks of my work.

I am not a "Shakespeare", and don't have ability to convert imagination and thoughts into words, If I have to define myself in a few words, I would say I am a copywriter, I have good command over research, expertise to explore extensively and ability to prove that. I can write on any subject, from beauty to intellect, food to travel, paradise to Hades, flowers to nuclear bombs, rainbow to Tsunami, pen to sword, Britney sphere to Halen Keller, Tumors to Health and fitness, celibacy to Seduction. You can also find some of my articles at Freelance SEO Copywriter and Article Ghost Writer

Home Renovation Software

If the time is right and you are in the market to begin home renovations, you probably have some ideas as far as what you would like to get done. Even so, what you are dreaming up in your mind's eye or sketch out on a loose sheet of paper is probably not going to come together in reality. Before you commit yourself to anything with a contractor, it is a good idea to figure out an accurate budget of what it will take to make your dreams a reality. Many companies now offer home renovation software that allows you to educate yourself about the cost commitment of your dream renovation.

Even though there are several free programs to get you familiar with the basics including ones on tools and hardware, spending a little money on comprehensive home renovation software will get you much better look at what it will take to get the project completed. If you are serious about a home renovation, it might be particularly useful if you plan to be your own contractor and carry out most of the project on your own.

If your ideas include paying a professional to work out the details of the project, provide an estimate and complete the work, then you have no reason to invest in home renovation software. A majority of renovation companies will already have the necessary computer programs, as well as a few enticing options when it comes to how you could update your home.

Sure, completing the project on your own might be a rewarding experience and, if all goes as planned, it is definitely the cheaper route. However, your renovation is going to require a lot of planning if you are going to get it right the first time. Choosing the perfect program can put you on the right path before you even pick up a hammer. As you use the program, you can design the desired result on your screen and then tell the program to find the proper m598aterials. It can even help you budget.

After the total budget projected by the program knocks you out, the program is there for you as you scale back your ambitions a bit. You can go back to the plans and adjust the desired result in order to reign in the final cost. Downloading a program free of cost will do the same, and that way you can have a price in mind before you bother to call a contractor. Each home renovation will test the fortitude of the homeowner. Kinks in your plan are inevitable. But, if you find the right home renovation software, you at least have an idea of what to expect.

The copywriter Rob Carlton is specifically passionate about ideas associated to huskytools. You can have a look at his publications on best tools from husky and husky tools and hardware over at http://www.insidewoodworking.com

Accessorize Your Bathroom For an Inviting Experience

For most people the critical aspect of a bathroom is really just does it have a toilet? While we agree this is important, theres more to it when youre talking about that private sanctuary in your home. Women are typically more interested in the look and feel of a bathroom than are men. This is proven in my household where my husbands bathroom can be buried in dirty clothes and dust and he doesnt care as long as theres a good stack of magazines. My bathroom, of course, must be more inviting, less scary.

Accessories can add that perfect inviting touch to any room in your home, including the bathroom. I love walking into bathrooms that have a warm glow, gentle lighting, and they must smell great. This is often difficult to overcome by its very nature, but there are so many good smelling accessories on the market today. Candles, scented oils, room sprays, various soaps; the list really is endless.

More physical accessories are also important. Tower racks, towel warmers, pretty baskets to hold your big fluffy colorful towels, magazine racks with an interesting variety of reading material (critical for those long visits), and of course PLENTY of toilet paper within easy reach.

How about eye appeal? Your bathroom needs to look clean and fresh. Sweep the floor, have a shower curtain or door that is free from stains and mildew, clean the tile grout and cracks. Is your ceiling falling in? Patch it up. Is the floor warping from water damage? Repair it. Are the walls boring and blah? Dress it up with family photos, wall art, cute bathroom decorations (found at any Hobby Lobby or decorator store), even think about repainting or re-wallpapering to give it a fresh look.

For your own personal needs the absolute basics are really all you require, but think of your guests entering the bathroom. This is the scariest thought for me. What will they find? Hair? Dirtiness? Will they think Im a slob? Prepare an inviting space for them and youll naturally benefit.

Kristen Easton is a versatile writer on a variety of consumer topics including the bathroom vanity and hot tubs.

Kitchen Compactor

The kitchen compactor is starting to appear in a large number of new kitchens and for good reason. If you don't know what a kitchen compactor is, it's a device that crushes your rubbish into a significantly smaller amount, making it easier to dispose of. Here are 3 good reasons you should make the investment.

First and foremost, they're incredibly convenient. How many of us have to push the bin down at the end of every week to cram it all in there? A compactor will reduce your waste by a third and take away the hassle of having to do it yourself. It also works tremendously quickly meaning you can do multiple loads very quickly.

Secondly, the compactor is remarkably small meaning it can be hidden away with ease. It also makes very little noise when in operation so there's no danger of it interrupting you when you're trying to have a quiet meal.

Finally, the kitchen compactor is incredibly easy to use. All you have to do is empty the rubbish you want to shrink down into a draw and push a button. It's equally easy to clean as the draws detach for wiping down and disinfecting.

You don't have to46B be working in a commercial kitchen in order to need a kitchen compactor. Large families and student homes tend to produce large amounts of rubbish and have to deal with overflowing bins. Equally, if you have a modern kitchen that's flawlessly clean, a compactor will ensure it stays that way and your bin doesn't get filled to the brim.

There's more information on kitchen appliances at the Kitchen Design Site.

Get The Most For Your Money With Home Remodeling

Every homeowner has a laundry list of improvements they'd like to make on their home. The problem most homeowners run into is that they aren't thinking ahead to the improvements that will provide the best return on their investment. Whether you plan to stay in your home a few short years or you're in it for the long haul, it's still a good idea to recognize the issues - positive or negative - that affect your home's resale value. A recent "Cost vs. Value Report" completed by Remodeling Online divides homes into two major categories (mid-range and upscale) to help homeowners determine where best to spend their money. This article focuses on those mid-range improvements that will bring you the best return on investment (ROI) in the Rolla/St. James, Missouri area.

Replace your Siding

With an 80.9% average rate of return, a phenomenal return for the Midwest, siding replacement was the overall winner for this region. This should be your first indication that buyers really do focus on curb appeal. As with any business, first impressions in real estate are important. You'd be surprised how many people rule out a home just by driving by. I have been on my way to show countless homes, only to find that once the buyer sees the outside of the home, they don't even bother looking inside. They may never see the remodeled bathrooms or new carpet you just invested all your time and energy in, so be sure that your first impression is positive and sticks with them.

Add a Deck

Wooden deck additions came in a close second with a 78.4% ROI. The great rate of return on decks stems in part from the fact that a wooden deck addition is extremely cost-effective. If your home is lacking a deck or similar outdoor space, consider adding a simple wooden deck to spice up the entertaining aspect of your back yard.

Replace Outdate or Inefficient Windows

Exhibiting a 73.7% ROI, vinyl window replacement came in strong as well, with wooden windows not far behind at 70.2%ROI. Window replacement continues to support the importance of curb appeal, and it also shows that bD58uyers are interested in lower energy bills. So, not only do windows increase a home's external appearance, they also help cut down on rising energy costs.

Spruce up the Kitchen & Bath

Any Realtor will tell you that new updates in the kitchen and bath sell a home extremely quickly. Kitchen remodels were categorized as major or minor, with minor remodels edging out major remodels 71.5% to 70.9%. Close behind were bathroom remodels with 68.8%, and bathroom additions came in at 61.8% ROI. Overall, these numbers are fairly strong, which proves that there is truth to the idea that buyers will walk away from a potential home that is lacking a quality kitchen and/or baths.

The Bottom of the Barrel

Roof replacement and office remodels finished at the bottom of the pack. Roof replacements are something that people address when they need to, but not usually because they want to, which brought this remodel in with 59.3% ROI. Few buyers are likely to replace a functional roof for aesthetic reasons, which factors in to its low ROI. However, the office remodel finished even lower, with 53% ROI, probably because most people don't view a home office space as necessary. Buyers are more likely to value rooms important in their everyday living, like kitchens, bathrooms, and family rooms, and see an office space as more of a bonus than a necessity.

This list is by no means a cut-and-dry order of areas you should remodel, but it does give you a general guideline of the remodels that might have greater benefit when it comes time to sell your home. Remember, though, that the location of your home, construction costs, and time frame are constantly changing and uncontrollable variables that can greatly affect these percentages.

Special thanks to: 2007 Hanley Wood, LLC for most of the statistics. Reproduced by permission. Complete city data from Remodeling Online 2007. Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded for free at www.costvsvalue.com.

Justin Renaud is a REALTOR working in the Rolla Missouri Real Estate market. He has been working with buyers and sellers full-time for the last three years. His website http://www.justinrenaud.com is a resource for buyers, sellers, and homeowners to find helpful advice as well as resources discussing the areas of Rolla, MO and St. James, MO.

The information for this article uses statistics for the St. Louis, MO region according to http://www.costvsvalue.com