Home Renovation - DIY or Pro

In carrying out work for renovations to your home, you have the option of choosing either Do-It-Yourself or professional solutions. But your choice may not simply be one or the other; it can be a mix of both.

With Do-It-Yourself, you should be pretty competent, and execute good work in order to make the renovation worth carrying out. There is little worse than spending hundreds or thousands of dollars only to be left with an obviously amateur or, worse, malfunctioning “upgrade”.

On the other hand, professional work can end up in high cost, often higher than the estimates that were originally worked up, due to unknowns and changes.

Anyone who watched or still watches “This Old House” knows that homeowners carried out some of the work in order to have professionals do the more skill-demanding tasks, leaving the amateurs to do the time-consuming and unskilled work. Maybe this is a solution to try!

Using the Professional

One of the better reasons to get a number of estimates is that you can often get good ideas from talking to various contractors that you may not have considered yourself.

By actually taking on a contractor, you should save money on materials because pros have discount arrangements with most material suppliers. The pros should also know any special regulations and by-laws that are necessary to the project.

A big benefit of having access to a professional is that there will be very recent products and techniques that the pro has come across that may not be generally known.

Labor Equity

To save money, the homeowner can often make arrangements to carry out specific tasks. Installing such things as faucets is usually within the amateur’s scope, particularly when a professional is available to check the quality.

Kitchen and bathroom cupboards can be brought up to date by changing out or re-finishing the doors and replacing old hardware. Some show-and-tell from the contractor can enable the homeowner to save a lot of money to spend on items requiring professional work - like replacing old countertops with new ones.

If the homeowner is willing to paint trim, there are many products our there that use finger-joint or composite options to higher-priced solid wood. Once painted these options are indistinguishable from new. This also applies to interior doors, if they are needed.

To refresh aging decor or to finish renovations, it is often necessary to re-paint walls and ceilings. Sometimes power fixtures can be installed or replaced to change the look. Too, lighting fixtures can be installed without having to access the electrical circuitry. Much of this work can be relegated to the amateur.

Unless the homeowner is really competent, such things as flooring - hardwood or carpet - should perhaps be left to the professional. However, the homeowner ripping up the old carpet or flooring could save the contractor a lot of time and thus the homeowner money.

There are many more choices than are covered in this article. It just takes some discussion with the short listed contractors to see where sweat equity can be used to reduce the cost of the renovation.

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Tips For Accessorizing Your Home

Accessorizing your home is a very important aspect in the decorating process. When you buy a new outfit it is greatly enhanced with jewelery, scarves and purses for women and ties or watches for men. A home is no different! You can add character and beauty to a home in many ways just by following a few inexpensive changes.

First look at your home and decide what theme you want to accomplish. Is it a contemporary, country, southwest, traditional or ethic style that would suit your personality? Look in magazines, books or the internet to get a flavor of the accessories you would like to see in your home. Have at least one piece you treasure in every room! Purchase accessories that go with the theme and color of your room. Color choices should compliment the main color in the room.

Occasionally it is simply a matter of rearranging some of your accessories on a shelf. It is recommended to group your accessories in odd numbers rather than even numbers. Different heights and textures are also attractive. For example, a night side table can have a lamp, picture frame and small pot of flowers as a grouping.

Entry ways should be uncluttered. This area of the home is the first hint at what the rest of your home is like. A side table with your most dramatic or unusual accessories will set the tone in this important area of your home!

Pictures or art work are often hung too high. The rule of thumb is the picture should be hung so that the middle of the picture is at eye level. Art work should be placed no more than five to eight inches above the sofa or seven to ten inches above a table. Try to align pictures in different geometric shapes (vertical, circular, triangular or rectangular groupings) in various sizes for a different effect.

Bookcases are often found to be too cluttered and full of small knickknacks. Try to vary the size of the shelves vertically for interest. Vary the heights of books with the tallest in the middle. Don’t put small books next to tall books. Take off dust covers from books to show their often rich colors. The upper shelves can be used for candles, family pictures, fancy bowls or larger ornaments in odd number groupings of 1, 3 or 5 pieces. You can also mix and match books with ornaments, but make the books the focal point. Don’t leave a gap between the ceiling and the top of the bookcase. Place a plant on the top shelf for balance.

Lighting is an important element in accessorizing your home. Accent a large picture with a spot light to enhance a focal point in a room. Lighting creates ambiance and should coordinate with the theme you want to create. Get creative with an old lamp by adding tassels, beads or decorative finials. Use faux paint or wrap funky fabric around the base to give it a new lift.

Area rugs can define a space and pull a room together. Place furniture completely on the rug for a warmer effect. Area rugs used under a dining room table should be large enough to also accommodate the chairs when fully pulled out.

Use many pillows on the bed as this can add a splash of color in a bedroom. Vary the colors and patterns of the pillows and graduate the sizes from large to small. Pillows are also great on a sofa and will add tremendous character to a dull living room.

Mirrors are great to expand a smaller space. Try a large mirror that stands on the floor attached to the wall behind a small dining room table. Try leaning a tall mirror behind a bed as a head board for a dramatic look! These mirrors can be five to six feet tall. It has an amazing effect!

Bathrooms can have a spa appeal by placing clear glass bowls filled with colored soaps, bath salts or bubble bath beads on the bathroom counter. Candles are also nice on a bathtub. Low lighting with lit candles will sooth all your troubles away!

Kitchens also can be accessorized to create a gourmet feel. Hang copper pots and pans from a wire rack above to add color. Don’t be afraid to hang plants from any bare ceiling corner to give a lived in feeling to a plain kitchen. Grow a few herb plants on a kitchen window sill to use in your cooking and add wonderful aromas. Accessorize your counter tops with small attractive appliances or cooking utensils. A large bowl of fruit on the kitchen table can be fresh or artificial. Prints are also a welcome addition on kitchen walls.

Have fun trying out new things. Shop around for different accessories for your home. Try antique stores, consignment shops or flea markets for ideas. There are many craft books available that you can also explore. First impressions are lasting. Do not mix beautiful furniture with cheap accessories. Accessories can make or break the ambiance of your home. Be creative and trust your instincts!

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