Home Improvement Information


How to Finance a New Kitchen?


Want to improve the look of your property? Want to add value to your property?Been dreaming of a brand new kitchen? Do not have readily available cash to pay for it?Are you planning an extension to your home, a new kitchen, would you like to have double glazing, a new conservatory, patio, or a new heating system, or are you undertaking the general up keep of your home but finding it hard to pay for?Why not consider a Home Improvement Loan. Make the dream become reality with a UK Home Improvement Loan.

How to Finance a New Extension?


Want to improve the look of your property? Want to add value to your property?The extension plans are ready but the finances are not.Rather than waiting another year why not consider a Home Improvement Loan.

Securing Your Castle


In the world of today, we no longer employ the moat, drawbridge or 30 foot high walls as security devices. However, if we know the correct methods and devices to use, we can attain better security than those devices afforded.

Electrical Savings System; Save up to 40% on Your Electric Bill Every Month


Once a month there's an electric bill coming in the mail with your name on it. For the next week, it's telling the kids to shut the lights off when you're done, And most of the time, you turn them off yourself.

Buying The Right Comforter For Your Bed


Putting the right comforter on your bed can make the whole bedroom look fabulous. Comforters are the most visible of all the bedding pieces, so when you change the comforter you make a large change in the decor of the bedroom itself.

Buying The Right Bed Sheets For Your Bed


You spend a lot of your life in your bed sleeping and rejuvenating for the next day's activity. Sleeping is a process that takes up roughly about about a third of the average person's life.

Five Ways to Create a Healthy Home


Have you ever thought of your home as being healthy or unhealthy? While the concept of a healthy home may be new to some of us, it is steadily gaining popularity with homeowners. A healthy home can include a number of elements from building materials used to construct your home to using non-toxic cleaning products.

Add Sizzle to Your Surroundings


Is your home décor lacking that extra something that spells the difference between comfortable and vibrant or between comfortable and tranquil? Candles might be just the polish your décor needs. Take advantage of the sparkling colors, rich textures, and fresh scents of candles without draining your decorating budget.

You Say Jacuzzi and I Say Whirlpool


What's in a name? Whirlpool baths have been around forever, right? If it weren't for the Jacuzzi brothers in 1956, we wouldn't have the fantastic whirlpool baths of today. According to the Jacuzzi Company, the brothers invented the first pump that could be placed in a bathtub, circulating the water to aid arthritic aches and pains.

The Art of Ice Dam Removal


You may have noticed long icicles hanging from your gutters and not realize the significance of the damage that may be occurring behind them. Icicles are usually one of the first warning signs of possible ice dams on your roof.

Colour Your World With Art


When you buy art, you may think you not consciously choosing a colour scheme so much as buying something which appeals to your eye. You may prefer certain subjects for your pictures, such as land or seascapes, but certain colours, which do appear in these types of painting do evoke inner feelings and emotions.

How To Artify Your Home


Would you like to make your house feel more like a home? Is it comfortable enough, but not really special? If so, I have some easy 'arty' tips to make your environment that bit more special.Before you start making any alterations, or adding anything, you need to clean and declutter.

A Few Simple Facts About Gas And Electric Heating Systems


To make your home more energy efficient, you need to understand the energy efficiency of different types of heating and cooling systems. Many times people are confused by inaccurate information they receive from manufacturers and sellers of heating and cooling equipment.

Geothermal Heat Pumps 101


It seems like about three million of you have asked me to explain how a geothermal system works. Well, maybe not three million, but it's a bunch of you and I'm honored that I have the opportunity to do it.

Why Is Your House Cold?


How many of you have experienced this situation? As the wind blows outside and the temperature drops, you get chilled even while you are standing in the middle of your home.How does this happen?The three biggest problems with the comfort of your home are,1) air infiltration2) air infiltration3) air infiltrationThe total air infiltration in an average house is the equivalent of having a door or window open every day of your life.

Why You Should Get A Patio Awning


In these days of climate change, the UK summer is believe or not, getting warmer and sunnier. Whilst this gives us opportunity to enjoy more time in the garden and sitting on the patio.

Kitchen Magic


It's amazing -- some people manage to get a complete aerobic workout just while preparing dinner! Back and forth, back and forth -- I get tired just watching! Today, pay attention to the way you move while you cook. How many times do you cross the length of your kitchen in one evening? Do you find yourself doing squats to get at your pans? Stretches to reach your dishes? Are you becoming a world-class hurdler, jumping over the dog's dish every time you go from refrigerator to stove? All it takes is a few minutes to re-arrange your kitchen storage, saving you a lot of time and energy in the long run.

Installing a Home Theater System


Thinking about installing a home theater system? You're not alone. Home theater is one of the fastest growing areas areas in home entertainment and the advent of DVD recorders and HDTV means your set-up can now be entirely digital, without an inch of video tape in site.

Log Home Basics


As we start to research log homes, it quickly becomes apparent that there is much more variety than one would ever think. Not only do log homes come in all shapes and sizes, but the logs themselves come in as many variations as you can imagine.

You Get What You Pay for when it Comes to Above Ground Pools


When you think about an above ground pool do you think of the inflatable toy baby pool? That's what I thought and boy was I wrong. In fact, above ground pools are really nice quality and are sometimes the best solution for homeowners.

A Carefully Planned Outdoor Kitchen is Worth the Investment


Do you have any idea how popular outdoor kitchens are becoming? We spend more time at home than ever before and we are fixing up those homes instead of buying new. Homeowners are opting for an outdoor kitchen over other types of remodeling projects because they extend the size of their living space.

New Jersey Home Remodeling


The U.S.

Baking Soda for Cleaning


Baking soda is a common, inexpensive household item that can be used for many kinds of cleaning projects. In an era when we are all exposed to many toxic chemicals, it's nice to know that something so mild can be effective.

Cleaning House and the 80-20 Rule


Cleaning house is one of those things that needs doing again..

Hot Tub Heaven


What will your next home improvement project be? Will it be an inground pool or how about a new deck? Why not consider a hot tub for the new deck? A hot tub is great for relaxing year round. There are lots of things to consider when shopping for your first hot tub.

A Fabric Hammock is Comfortable Casual Chic


If you are looking for unique seating inside or out, why not consider a hammock? What comes to mind when you picture a hammock? Do you see yourself on the islands? Are you swaying in the breeze while watching the kids play in the pool? Are you watching the stars at night on your hammock for two? You can be on vacation year round when you add a hammock to a room or patio. You instantly create a casual chic or sophisticated hand designed elegance.

Feng Shui, Design Psychology and Bed Placement


I love Feng Shui! Whether you believe this ancient Asian design method is based on ancient wisdom or superstition, Feng Shui includes some valuable principles and is simply fun! Consider these Feng Shui rules:- Don't sleep with your feet facing the bedroom door.- Place head of bed so that you can see the doorway.

Interior Design For New Homes


When decorating or making decorating decisions for new homes, it is important to remember that your major decisions could affect decorating choices for quite a long period of time. Commitment to bold or unusual color treatments before you have actually had the opportunity to consider how such changes will coordinate with your furniture placement is not very advisable in this type of situation.

Home Office: Identifying Your Needs


Not many years ago, the thought of working from home was considered a fantastic vision of the distant future. However,with more and more people setting up home offices every day,it is clear that future has arrived earlier that many expected.

Pool Supplies Should Also Contain Safety


A swimming pool with attached spa has just been installed in your backyard. Now you are ready to invite your friends for a big splashy pool party - or are you? Do you have all of the pool supplies you need to maintain your new fiberglass pool? Do you have the chemicals, pool toys, covers, automatic cleaners, pool heater, ladders, liners, slides, diving boards and on and on? You can see pool supplies can add up quickly.

Traditional Interior Design


Traditional interior design encompasses a great variety of elements in a home. From the ceilings to the floor; including the trim, the wall finishes--all the way to the window treatments and the furniture.

Luxurious Whirlpool Baths Aren't Just for the Rich and Famous


A Jacuzzi has been popular since the 40's. We stopped taking the evening bath and are now taking more morning showers, but these wonderful whirlpool baths revolutionized the ways we relaxed and used our tubs.

Bring Out the Comforters for Back to School


If the weather is turning chilly it must time for the kids to go back to school. Bring out the comforters, flannel bed linens, quilts and stadium blankets.

Use Air Filters and Common Sense for Allergy Relief


Do you suffer from allergies or asthma? If you are one of the millions of people that do, air filters and air purifiers provide much needed relief. Do you have smokers in the house? Air filters or air purifiers get rid of smoke and odor in your home.

Picnic Tables for Casual Dining Fun


Picnic tables are the perfect solution for an afternoon or evening get together. They offer everything from different shapes of a picnic table, to ones that fold up in a box.

Hammocks Create a Stress Free Zone


Stress is all around us, from the office to the front yard and everywhere in between. Homeowners are buying hammocks and porch swings to create that stress free zone they need to unwind after a busy day.

Learning Interior Design


Learning interior design can be a simple or complicated task depending on a wide variety of factors including exposure, ability, creativity, and willingness to learn. This article is dedicated to explaining the basic elements that interior design is based upon so that you will have the ability to go out and research these elements on your own in order to advance you ability and perspective of the interior design world.

Ideas For Interior Design


Ideas for interior design are a dime a dozen these days. In fact, you can likely watch one hour of television dedicated to the subject and come away with enough information to design an entire home.

Guides To Interior Design


These days, finding advice or guides to interior design is a quick and easy task. Are you looking to design that 'dream room', the one that you have kept vision of for up teen years and never acted upon? Maybe you're a professional who is interested in livening up their career situation by delving into the world of creative design.

Your Building Your Dream Home, But Where Do You Start?


You have finally found the perfect lot, in the neighborhood of your choice, and at a price you can afford. Now you have to decide what type of house you want built.


More Resources


The Importance of Bedroom Design in a Home Decoration Project.
A home is a place where we live, spend most of our lives,with family members and our loved ones.A bedroom design project includes a careful study of the surrounding of the entire home.
How To Select Scraped//Distressed Hardwood Flooring
Hand-scraped and Distressed hardwood floors are becoming a popular choice in today's upscale homes and commercial buildings. These floors are a newer trend but are rooted in history.
Planning Your In-Wall Speaker System
So you've finally decided to get your favorite music throughout your house. What's next? Where do you go from here? That depends upon your requirements and weather this will be an installation in an existing home or a music system in a new construction home.
Home Inspection Basics
The Home InspectorWhen you think about it, it is a bit odd. A person hires a stranger to snoop around another stranger's house for a couple hours and report back.
5 Questions To Ask Before Starting Any Home Improvement Project
1. What experience does your contractor have with this type of project?How much experience does the home improvement contractor have in doing projects like yours? Does s/he specialize in this type of project, or will s/he be using your home as a learning project? Typically, contractors who have done several projects like yours will have a better idea of the actual costs and production issues involved in your project.
Do You Know How To Use Window Coverings?
Window coverings serve an important role in your home,giving you privacy and also protecting your furniture anddécor from the harshness of prolonged, direct sunlight.But the range of choices is so wide, including blinds,shades, shutters and curtains, that some homeowners have ahard time deciding which they prefer, or whether they canmix their window coverings according to the room where theyare installed.
Chimney Cap Checklist: Four Quick Ways to Evaluate Your Existing Chimney Cap
While you are cleaning leaves out of your home's gutters, dealing with Christmas lights, or adjusting a satellite dish, don't forget to check on your chimney caps while you're on the roof. Chimney caps are those mesh-sided enclosures (usually made of stainless steel, copper, or galvanized steel) atop your chimney to prevent water, animals, bird droppings, and leaves from entering your home.
Planning Permission Tips UK - Is Todays Popular Quest For Contemporary Design The New Bad Taste
Can you remember when people used to install slatted louvre windows as replacement units in their Victorian semis or the stone cladding revolution of the 1980's.We look back & 'tut tut' at these blunders with a comfortable glow of self satisfaction that we would never make such obvious design & development errors in our own projects - we have a far greater sense of good taste haven't we?Trends in the residential development world seem to go in huge swings of about 7 to 10 year cycles and it is often not until the end of one cycle we realise what the mistakes were which is usually triggered by the complete abandonment of the previous trend or methodology for another system.
Do You Make These Window Replacement Mistakes ?
Whether it's a misguided baseball, or storm damage, sooneror later most homeowners will have to deal with windowreplacement, a chore that is not high on any handyman'slist of things they want to do with their spare time.This could involve storm window replacement, replacement ofwindow screens, or installing an entire replacement window.
Warm Up the Night! Patio Heaters and Fire Pits
In some areas right now, the weather is ideal for sitting outside in the evening -- the bugs have gone and the sky is clear -- but the nights are chilly. Don't let the cool evenings send you inside -- extend your outdoor living season by heating your deck or patio.
Planning Permission Tips UK: The Value of Design Statements When Submitting a Planning Application

Roller Blinds
What is behind the popularity of roller blinds. Is it because they are the value for money window treatment or is there anything else in it.
5 Easy Steps to Protect Your Hardwood Floor From Disaster
Common knowledge states that hardwood floors are a great investment for a homeowner. They add a certain charm and character to a home that can't be replicated by laminates, carpeting, or any other type of flooring.
How to Install a New Toilet in 5 Easy Steps
If your toilet is old and in need of repairs, it is cheaper to replace it by installing a new one. This is quite easy to do and can be completed in an afternoon.
Planning Permission UK - Tactics if Appealing to the DOE for a Planning Refusal
Tactics of Appealing to the DOE - There will be times in any Design Agents career when a clients scheme will be refused Planning Permission. Fortunately, our experience is now at a point when we can normally forecast these schemes & steer the client away from that design solution.
Get Your Home Ready To Sell
Have you been considering selling your home in the near future? If you have, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a good long look at your home, using an unbiased eye.After all, a clean, appealing, well maintained home has much better odds of selling, selling for more, and selling faster.
Picnic Tables for Casual Dining Fun
Picnic tables are the perfect solution for an afternoon or evening get together. They offer everything from different shapes of a picnic table, to ones that fold up in a box.
Country Home Accessories
Country home décor is the most sought after home interior and it's no wonder since country décor invites a casual friendly lifestyle.Make sure you carefully study the specific style, and color scheme then carefully coordinate the colors of each element of your country décor.
Electric Radiant and Floor Coverings
If the decision of what type radiant heating system to use was left to the floor-coverings, it would choose electric radiant. Eliminating the risk of water/glycol leaks, standard floor-heights, simple retro-fits, almost unlimited choice of carpet padding, uniform heat flux, easier installations and superior floor or space temperature control are only a few of the advantages of electric radiant heat.
Designing Your Log Home: Tips To Keep You Out of Trouble
Nearly every log home is a custom design, whether you are altering a stock plan or starting from scratch. By their very nature, custom floor plans open up a large number of untested challenges - especially if you are trying to design the house yourself.

More Home Improvement Information:

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A Few Simple Facts About Gas And Electric Heating Systems
To make your home more energy efficient, you need to understand the energy efficiency of different types of heating and cooling systems. Many times people are confused by inaccurate information they receive from manufacturers and sellers of heating and cooling equipment.
Vintage Labels on Marble Tiles
It's refreshing to note that gone are the days that countertops and backsplashes have to match. There are no decorating rules.
A Beautiful Carpet Sets The Mood Of Any Room
The first discovered carpet dates back to 1480 BC in the form of an Egyptian Fresco of handloom. Ever since, carpets have made their mark in most tastefully decorated hearths and homes.
Bathroom Wall Cabinets - Create Extra Space with a Touch of Style!
Is your bathroom looking cluttered? How about fitting new bathroom wall cabinets to store all your toiletries and appliances? These days we all tend to have a myriad of lotions and potions to keep us looking our best, but the result of having so many bottles in our bathrooms is that our bathroom vanity surfaces can become untidy and crowded. Adding more bathroom storage cabinets can give you welcome space to store all your accessories, leaving your surfaces tidy and clutter free!The traditional bathroom medicine cabinet fitted above the sink is no long used just for storing medicines.
The Benefits of Radiant Heat, Comparison
What are the Benefits of Radiant Heating and how do they compare to other heating applications?You maybe be considering radiant heat to install into your existing or your new home but don't quite understand the advantages or the differences between heating applications? Well we would like to inform you of the benefits and the comparisons to other heating applications available.Some of the benefits of radiant heat are:Comfort: Let your bare feet soak up the warmth of soothing heat without the dust and noise associated with other heating sources.
Three Types of Lighting for Room Remodeling
When remodeling a room, choosing the correct lighting is one of the most important considerations. Proper lighting sets the atmosphere of the room, creates a particular mood, or provides accent to an architectural style.
Make Your House A Home
When thinking about polished floors, cushions in place, an exquisite flower arrangement, crisp and folded napkins on the table, take time to think about comfort, family time and kids activities also when decorating or designing your house. A lively place full of warmth and chatter is what makes a 'House' a 'Home'.
Rustic Stone House Signs
You may own a remarkably constructed, attractive house that is perfect from every angle. The outside of the house is designed to demand a second look from anyone passing by.
The Techno-Witch and Magickal Appliances
My favourite episode of Bugs Bunny is the one where Bugs turns into a witch and says: "We ride vacuum cleaners now".It is true that the vacuum cleaner can be substituted for a broom to do a spell.
Country Home Accessories
Country home décor is the most sought after home interior and it's no wonder since country décor invites a casual friendly lifestyle.Make sure you carefully study the specific style, and color scheme then carefully coordinate the colors of each element of your country décor.
Why Is Your House Cold?
How many of you have experienced this situation? As the wind blows outside and the temperature drops, you get chilled even while you are standing in the middle of your home.How does this happen?The three biggest problems with the comfort of your home are,1) air infiltration2) air infiltration3) air infiltrationThe total air infiltration in an average house is the equivalent of having a door or window open every day of your life.
10 Quick Ways to Change Your Fire-less Fireplace from a Black Hole to a Worthy Focal Point
Everyone loves a fireplace aglow with a roaring fire or flickering embers. But your fireplace need not be a gaping empty hole--like a picture frame without a picture--those times you choose not to have a fire.
Warm Up the Night! Patio Heaters and Fire Pits
In some areas right now, the weather is ideal for sitting outside in the evening -- the bugs have gone and the sky is clear -- but the nights are chilly. Don't let the cool evenings send you inside -- extend your outdoor living season by heating your deck or patio.
Planning Permission Tips UK - Pre-application Enquiries to the Council - Is the Delay Worthwhile?
The holiday season is now in full swing & for about the next 6 weeks we tend to see a noticeable downturn in the level of new enquiries which I think is pretty much typical amongst most services. This, for us, is a time when we normally attend to the updating & improvement of our internal administration, so the forecasted lull over the coming weeks will be put to good use.
Change The Style Of Your Interior With A Minimum Of Costs
The style of your interior depends for a great part on the decoration on the walls. Using the right picture on the right place can make your room look bigger.
How to Modify Your Landscaping to Protect Your House from Burglars
Believe it or not, landscaping can be an important part of a good home security plan. A burglar who is "casing the joint" from the street will choose the house with tall shrubs and trees that provide hiding places.
Used But Not Used Up
Some DIY Maintence will put Used tools back in Main Stream Operation:Professional grade tools are made to withstand long hours of use and abuse. Many home shops have a number of Professional grad tools but for the most part most home shops have tools that are some what less in quality.
Replacing Aluminum Frame Single Pane Windows
In our past articles I talked about all the steps required to properly replace your old wood sash windows with energy efficient vinyl windows. I told you how to measure for the new windows.
Planning Permission Tips UK - Rights of Light to Adjoining Neighbours Windows - What You Should Know
Rights of light - What a minefield this topic is when developing or extending a property. This is potentially one of the most subjective Planning issues their is.
Buying the Right Garage Door Opener
If you have recently built a new garage you might be having a difficult time deciding on the right garage door opener. It is certainly something that seems simple at first.