DIY Murphy Bed for Guest/Play Room

Source: creativedecorbybrooke.blogspot.com via Race on Pinterest

If you want to maximize rooms in your house you might as well consider this DIY bed which can be a bed at night for your guest or just a decorative cabinet during the day.  This will give you another vacant room where you can use as play room, study room or a family room when there’s no need to put the bed for guest.  In this generation where people resort to condominiums and townhouses for homes we should learn how to maximize our space for our desired function rooms.  

I guess it’s also advisable for us because we often have guests coming from our hometown province. Since we can’t afford to allot a guest room mainly to accommodate them at times this DIY bed is just perfect for our occasional guests and we can use the room for our play room when there’s no need to use the bed.  Nice home idea.

 

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Proper Maintenance for Your Driveway Paving

Everyone wants to own a home of their own. It’s very exciting to buy your first home. Suddenly you get to call the shots when it comes to the paint color, decorations, remodeling, and the yard design. There is a tremendous sense of freedom, success, and responsibility that comes with home ownership. Despite all the fun and excitement, there is a lot of responsibility that comes with owning a home. You are also in charge of fixing things when they break, maintaining the yard, performing routine maintenance, and seasonal preparations. Your to-do list grows, but it’s worth it! 

Although it’s easy to get overwhelmed by things to do, it’s important that you stay up to date with regular maintenance and prevention to make sure that you don’t have a monumental headache later. For example, you might not think much about your septic system and doing regular maintenance on it. You’ll wish you had when you have a pipe burst and you have a huge mess to clean up. With so many things pressing for your attention, it’s vital you keep organized and stay on top of things. One item that can often get forgotten is your driveway. You might think that your driveway paving in MA is one of those items that can be put low on the priority list because it won’t cause much harm, right? 

Driveway Maintenance 

Driveway maintenance has more important benefits than just cosmetic reasons, although that is a good reason. If you’ve got a great-looking house with a raggedy old driveway, it can be less than desirable. Having a smooth, well-maintained driveway will also protect your family, visitors, and your cars. If your driveway paving in MA has cracks, unlevel surfaces, and potholes, it poses a risk to people of all ages. It doesn’t matter if you’re old or young, anyone can trip on an unpredictable surface. 

For a child, a trip might just require a bandage, but for the elderly, it could mean the hospital. Damaged driveways can also cause damage to your vehicles and other recreational activities through unneeded wear and tear. If your driveway paving has cracks, uneven surfaces, or potholes, it’s important to get them repaired. For routine maintenance, a sealing coat should be applied to your driveway every few years to protect it from the elements and wear. You’ll be happy you put a little time and money into your driveway.

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Thinking of Best Gifts for Family and Friends

With the holiday season coming four months from now some people are thinking of best gift they can give to their family and friends. The coming holiday is known to be the season for giving and the best way to do it is by means of thinking of perfect gifts for each loved one and friend you have. Gifts shouldn’t be the same for all that’s why careful thinking should be done to know special preferences of people in your gift list. Christmas food gift baskets are one of the things I have in mind because I always see these baskets being given to employees by employers as a way of making their staff happier on holidays. In my former job we always have food baskets full of groceries and foods usually needed in cooking holiday feast. 

Well as I’ve mentioned earlier gifts can differ depending on the type of friend you have and the best is to think also of their hobbies, collection and other needs in life. I remember my best friend who is so fond of her cute little dog that she gives time and attention just to ensure that her dog is in the best condition. She sees to it that Sophie, her dog gets vaccination and sometimes bring Sophie to dog salon. 

With these nice thoughts about her dog I know dog gift baskets would be perfect for her and Sophie. BisketBaskets offer their gourmet gift baskets in various kinds. Their hand-created baskets include categories like pet gift baskets, wine gift baskets, chocolate gift baskets, new baby gift baskets, Christmas gift baskets and a lot more. Their pet gift baskets include snacks for the owner and treats for the dogs. As the gift is for two both owner and the dog your recipient would appreciate it very much. So for your gift baskets this coming holiday don’t forget to plan first before indulging in buying.

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Creative Replacement for Curtains

Source: funkyjunkinteriors.net via Race on Pinterest

With the latest renovation made in our kitchen we decided to put away curtains for safety purposes because we have placed the gas range oven in the way of the curtains.  My BIL who did all the good makeover works in the kitchen did some work of art in the clear windows to make it look like painted windows protecting us from intruders seeing us from outside.

Well I still miss having curtains as the small kitchen windows looks bare and when I saw this idea I suddenly imagined myself doing this on my own.  Just imagination because I still have to look for pretty pottery cups.  Thanks to funky junk interiors.

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Signs That You Need Foundation Repair

The foundation is one of the most important parts of a home. It keeps the home stable and intact even when the earth beneath it moves. As a result, a damaged foundation will not provide a home with the stability it needs. When your foundation is damaged, you will need to get foundation repair in Dallas as quickly as possible or your home could suffer the consequences. Know how to tell when your foundation needs repair. 

A Damaged Foundation 

When your foundation is damaged, you will be able to tell just by looking at your house. One of the first things that can happen is changes to your doors and windows. They may become crooked so that your doors hang uneven in their frames.You might not be able to close them all the way and they may swing open on their own. When the same thing happens to windows, you may not be able to open and close your windows as you used to. The windows may even crack under the pressure of the movement and being uneven. Look at the moldings around your windows or cabinets. If they are cracked or falling out, then this means that there is a lot of unusual movement. 

You may notice that your floors become uneven as well. You can test this by putting a ball on the floor. If it rolls to one side or another when your floor used to be flat, this is usually a sign that your foundation is not even like it used to be. When cracks occur between walls and ceilings or floors, the foundation is moving a lot. Cracks in any brick or other secure building materials mean that they are not moving with the rest of the house, so they crack under the pressure. 

Getting Repair 

When you notice any of these things are occurring, call in a professional to look at your foundation and determine if anything is wrong with it. If there is, get foundation repair in Dallas right away or your house will continue to move and fall apart. Get it fixed before the problem gets worse.

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Home Automation Systems to Consider Purchasing

Smart houses are slowly creeping their way into the American home. These home automation systems are no longer for the rich or the elite; they can be installed in any home, old or new, and there are models that are suitable to a wide range of incomes. Americans prefer home automation in Los Angeles since their home setup for functions such as lighting, heating and cooling, security, and electronics isthat much more convenient and easier. There are a variety of systems you can install in your home, depending on what your needs and wants are. 

Lighting  

Many homeowners can appreciate an automated lighting system, so this is often the first thing checked off the list when getting into home automation. Dimmers are often installed to adjust the level of lighting in any given room, whether to add some illumination for when you’re working on a project or to lower the lights for a romantic evening. You can also add dimmers to the fireplace so gas levels are regulated. Remote controls allow you to work the dimmers as well as flip the lights on and off. Some automated lighting systems have sensors so the room will be lit when you enter it.  

Heating and Cooling  

A programmed thermostat is another nice addition to a home. Through this system, you can protect plumbing and keep the house at appropriate temperatures for your pets and home and for when you return. Essentially, a computer is programmed to control what temperatures your house reach and at what times. You may oversee these controls through an Internet connection or through wireless RF signals.  

Security and Surveillance  

A major concern for homeowners is security. A home automation system may come with sensors to detect intruders and other unwanted guests while you’re not home. The sensors set off an alarm and/or dial your or an emergency service’s phone number. Cameras may be set up to monitor activity in your vacant house through a live feed. 

Electronics and Appliances  

Some homeowners prefer to program their appliances for home automation in Los Angeles. Coffee drinkers love waking up to the smell of coffee from an automated coffee maker. Fridges can be set up to have different temperatures for each compartment, and freezers can be adjusted to maintain a steady ice production. Sprinklers may go off at certain times so the owners don’t have to manually turn them on. Last, laundry can be washed and dried when you’re not around or don’t have time to start up the loads.

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Improving a Dull Back Porch

I love outdoor space in our house because I get to see nature and get to smell fresh air but I must admit it's not that attractive and sometimes I'm hesitant to let the visitors stay for long.  When we planned that our huge house will be renovated to become duplex homes I also included our terrace or porch to be converted into an outdoor living room.  Since the house will be divided into two I would expect limited space for several visitors so turning the porch into a real entertaining area would somehow solve the issue of space.

It's nice to see some inspirational ideas like the one presented above at hgtv.com which was also featured in HGTV magazine.  You can see that the bare back porch became inviting and beautiful with the addition of comfortable sofa, DIY decors and colorful accessories.  You will think that it's a real indoor living room except that it's obviously located outside the living room.  This will be perfect for entertaining friends and relatives and definitely a good corner for family's bonding.

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Church Improvement

Along with some home improvement in our church we listed down some things that we will either replace or should be added with stocks like chairs, small tables, cork boards and other small accessories. We discussed the musical instruments separately as it needs a serious planning and decision what to replace and what to repair. Lately our projector that we use for praising song activities is showing signs of over usage and we’re glad that we’re able to maintain it to working condition. 

We need to upgrade on some of the little musical accessories to enjoy quality sounds but for now we need to focus more on the main musical instruments because the cost is somewhat expensive and needs careful planning of the cost. There are also suggestions on buying new amplifier like that of bass amps at musicians friend and it was noted just in case we reached our budget goal. Maintaining our musical instruments to the best of its capabilities is of utmost importance to us because we need it for praising and singing inspirational songs. Hope we’ll be able to achieve our goals.

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Extra Space for Recreational Activities in Your Roofing

As the years go by the percentage of using flat roofing is getting higher especially commercial buildings which finds the need to create an extra space for rooftop and other creative purpose for the top of the building. Some uses it to create a beautiful place atop the building or simply found the need to use flat roofs for style purposes as majority of modern buildings have it. There are advantages and disadvantages of using it as not all homes and areas can be installed with this kind of roofing. For instance, a place which is active in human traffic can’t be accommodated with flat roofs because it can produce damage on the waterproofing membrane which can lead to water leaks in the process.  

Flat Roofing on the other hand offers advantages over the regular slope roofing. It’s proven to be the most cost-efficient roof shape because the space below and above it can be used functionally. It can be an area for recreational activities or be a perfect spot for a green roofing where a beautiful landscape garden can be created. I’ve seen it in many modern buildings these days and needless to say how beautiful it is. Since most of the westerners love to use it despite the common problems that arise they just need to find highly skilled roofing professional to install and maintain the roofs regularly. 

With all these things to consider one should get a company that will be able to give them the most cost effective solution to problems related to Flat Roof. The company should be able to come up with a reliable and good service that will ensure long term good usage to prevent the costly repairs that will affect the budget of the owner. In time they should bring about preventive maintenance in times of heavy rain clogging or building up of snow. With a good company to install and maintain your flat roofs you will never have to worry about its disadvantages and just enjoy the benefits of extra space atop your home or building.

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Saving for Major Home Renovation

I love furniture, home decors and everything about house planning and design. I guess it came from our hobby when we were kids when we always want to draw home plans for our dream house. We have a nice huge house but it’s devoid of pretty interiors. All our furniture are made and designed by my father who took up carpentry as a hobby when he’s not in his government office. All of them are made with quality wood and craftsmanship that even after 3 decades it’s still in good condition. Last year I had some of them restored to its former beauty not just for looking good but for my father’s memories as well. It carries all the sweet memories we had with our father when we were still young and he’s still living. 

Now we’re saving a lot for the general renovation we have in mind and we’re investing on some small business if we’ll have enough finances. My friend is asking me to teach her how to buy gold bars and told me that she’ll let me invest stocks on her future jewelry shop business. She’s now working abroad and saving for the big dream of hers so when she decides to stop working she’ll have something as good investment and source of income.

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Renovation Ideas For Your Home Garage

Garages can quickly become a really big garbage bin for your house – all kinds of stuff gets thrown in there, never to be seen or heard from again, and existing only to turn your garage into an eyesore. To renovate your home garage into a garage/shed that you'll actually get use out of, take these ideas on board.

Shelves are a man's best friend

See that chainsaw on the floor that you spent hundreds of dollars on but now rests in dust? It needs to be a on a shelf. Build yourself some shelves in your garage so you have somewhere to rest your power tools once you've built them. Shelves should be sturdy and attached to your walls securely, at a height that's easy for you to handle, so don't go building them above your head if you're planning on storing your chainsaw and hedge trimmer on them. Keep high use items at elbow height and low use, light items higher up.

Add wheels

If your garage turns into a shed for you on the weekends, build a workbench on wheels instead of installing one that's attached to the wall. That way, you can wheel it out of the way during the week, then bring it out on weekends so you can access all sides of it, which is especially useful when you're measuring or constructing something delicate that shouldn't be pivoted until it's finished.

Add hooks

Why build a whole cupboard if you don't actually need one? If you have shelves and all you'd use a cupboard for is hanging up your protective eyewear and jacket, rip out that old cupboard and install a few hooks instead. It's much better to have your things on display instead of shove in a cupboard – out of sight, out of mind. You can also use hooks to hang up your shovel, broom and even your bike, so they don't hang out in a cupboard getting dusty and being forgotten.

Go high

Build one tall cabinet instead of a few shorter ones and you'll be able to save space and have more storage room. You can keep a small step ladder beside it so you can always have full access, and use the cabinet to store the little things that can't be kept on hooks – containers of screws, your battery charger for your power tools and all the little things in between.

Hang it all

You can also add hanging mesh baskets to your walls, to keep items that might be dirty or wet in place and stop them from making a mud mess in your cabinet. If you've got small gardening tools, they are much better suited to being kept in a mesh basket so they can drain any loose soil or water, instead of being shoved in a cupboard.

To get the job done, you need the right tools on your side. Go to your nearest STIHL dealer today and pick up some STIHL power tools to make your garage renovation a breeze.

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Book Cases Around Sofa

Source: google.com via Race on Pinterest

Many of the modern homes today don't have spacious area like those condominiums I see on TV advertisement or even on the brochures that I receive every now and then. They only maximize their home area and come up with smart designs that could help save spaces. Well I've seen many designs and they all come up to expectations. 

When I saw how people would think of bright ideas that would liven up all parts of the house and apply techniques on using every space of the house. Looking at the pic above you'll see a comfortable sofa surrounded by book cases. Just look at how the designer used all available space to avoid clutter and at the same create a place to store books that you frequently read. So functional yet very nice also..

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