by David Glenn | Apr 12, 2016 | CRESTICO
Use What You Already Have
One of the easiest ways to decorate cheaply is to use what you already have. From artwork to collectibles. Often times, art pieces can be pretty expensive, but you can easily create a beautiful gallery of pieces by framing children’s pieces or even painting or sketching a few yourself. Even small 5×7 sized pieces can be great to pair with larger pieces.
As for collectibles you can easily create a beautiful statement piece. Place them on a pair of shelves on an empty wall or fill a bookshelf. If you’re like me and collect rocks, try framing them in a shadow box and then hang it. Don’t let them just collect in tins that slowly stack up. From floral arrangements to movie tickets, display nostalgia pieces loud and proud.
Update Your Furniture
Now you don’t necessarily need to buy a whole new set of furniture for this one. Instead, try painting your bookcase or wallpapering it to give it a bit of a new look or boost. If you’re feeling creative, try painting just the back of the shelves to give a pop of color to the room. Other ways to update your furniture is to apply furniture decals with a pattern or favorite print, or to reupholster a chair or couch yourself rather than having an expensive professional do it.
Space Tricks
One of the cheapest interior design tricks is to use less and to create an illusion. Use mirrors to make a room look bigger and use a bigger rug. A larger rug can actually make a room look bigger. If you can’t afford an expensive large rug, try stitching a few smaller ones together. Also clear out extra pieces and knickknacks that you don’t need around the house anymore. Doing this alone can help a room feel neater and more idealistic.
Another key to making a room look bigger is glass. Glass windows and doors give the illusion that the room is much bigger than it is. If you are worried about privacy you can try etched glass that will allow light and space, but also offer privacy.
Wall Art
If you’re looking for a little something to put on the walls, try custom wall decals. These are inexpensive, especially if you order straight from the decal manufacturer easy to install and won’t ruin paint when they come off. Today, there are more than just the typical vinyl quotes. You can find them in a variety of patterns or shapes to create a stunning look in any room. Whether you get sheets in place of wallpaper or even if you do pair a beautiful piece with your favorite quote, custom wall decals can be one of the best design tricks.
Molding or Railing
Another unique design trick is molding or railing. By this, we mean chair railing or crown molding. Installing structures like these throughout a room can change a room from average to beautiful. Both of these can be do-it-yourself projects, which will save you a little bit on hiring a professional. If you do install chair railing, try painting the bottom half of a wall one color and the top half another or alter two different shades of a color. This can create a bold statement in any room.
If you’re feeling especially adventurous, try your hand at wainscoting. A little more labor intensive, however wainscoting creates a more unique and vintage look than you’ll find elsewhere.
The Little Things
Another one of the best ways to decorate without spending too much is to focus on the little things. Throw pillows, hardware, rugs and so much more are great ways to bring uniformity and spice to your house. Door knobs and drawer pulls can be switched out cheaply, take a day to poke around a flea market or two and find some classy pieces. They don’t even have to all match, you can pair several different shapes and styles together.
Throw pillows and rugs and throw blankets are also a cheap way to design a home on a budget. These can easily be switched out for different seasons which can help freshen up a room on a regular basis, and pillows and blankets can be so much cheaper than full repainting jobs.
Though we’ve only mentioned five tricks here, there are still so many different interior design tips you can use to help spruce up your home without spending too much.
by David Glenn | Apr 11, 2016 | CRESTICO
There are more than enough things that homeowners assume they know, yet aren’t fully aware of. Letting things slip under the carpet or become easily forgotten can create more work than you realize. Knowing just what you need to be aware of to keep your home functioning well and always being on top of repairs is one of the biggest jobs of a homeowner. Here are seven things every homeowner should know.
Regular Filter Replacement
Replacing filters, especially for your furnace, on a regular basis is very important if you want to keep your appliances in the best condition. Ideally, they should be changed four times a year. If this feels like excessive, at least do it twice a year. To make it easy, buy several filters at once and label them with the month that you plan on changing them in.
Drain Cleaners
More often than not, the drain cleaner you are using is more corrosive and harmful to your pipes than not. If you have a sink or bathtub that isn’t draining well, try snaking it first before you dump drain cleaner down there. Often, what is blocking your pipes is hair that cleaners won’t take care of very easily. If you do need to use a drain cleaner, invest in a non-corrosive one such as Bio-Clean (plumbers prefer this kind!)
Smoke Alarms
A quarter to about one third of smoke alarms don’t work because of missing or dead batteries. But what most homeowners don’t know is that having just one working smoke alarm can reduce the chances of you dying in a home fire by nearly 50 percent! If you can’t get to all of the smoke alarms regularly to check their batteries, focus on at least one for each floor. If you do have the time, be sure to regularly check your alarms and batteries (at least twice a year). Try working it into your cleaning routine, such as when you’re dusting.
Understand Insurance
Most homeowners are under the mistaken impression that their home is completely insured from catastrophe. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most home insurance policies have stipulations and events that they do not cover. This includes things as major as housing floods and earthquakes. Additionally there is insurance for your appliances called home warranty insurance.
Ducts
According to some studies, the biggest problem with heating and cooling consumption comes from leaking ducts. You would be surprised to see that most of your energy consumption isn’t actually coming from you. Sometimes, not even heating technicians will check for leaks. If you check and feel like your energy consumption is still terribly high, invest in a good power quality meter. These devices can help gauge your family’s energy consumption and show you where you may need to cut back on energy use.
Colors
Choose colors for you house that will work now and later. Though this may seem trivial, it can save you money in the long run. If you enjoy painting your walls, pick something that can work well with different patterns and furniture. Generally, neutrals are best, such as grey or beiges. If you find in 10 years that you want a new red couch but your walls are blue or purple it may not work. Plus, if your walls are what you might call “boring” you can spice up your décor with stunning throw pillows, pottery, towels (in the bathroom and kitchen), and even beautiful rugs. By picking colors that can work always, you will find that you will save money from not having to repaint often and will also save you a headache from picking something that could work with already existing colors.
Your Breaker Panel
Most electrical panels already have labels or lists that indicate which breaker controls which circuit. However, these labels aren’t always completely reliable, especially in older homes with recent remodeling. In these situations, you might find that an outlet in one room is on a completely different circuit as all the other outlets in the same room but that one random outlet isn’t labeled on the circuit box. If you have an orphan outlet, or suspect you do, use a voltage detector to make sure the power is off before proceeding to do any electrical work.
Handy Work
If something can be fixed, you should fix it. Don’t think that some things should be ignored because they don’t seem important (just like those bad drains or smoke alarms). Other things you should fix when you can (or at least take care of) are black mold spots, any leaks, broken doorbells, sticking locks, torn screens, and so much more.
At the same time, if there is something that needs fixing especially big things like plumbing or heating issues, if you’ve done your research but still feel uneasy don’t shy away from hiring a professional. Oftentimes we think we can fix things that we really can’t and shouldn’t. Professionals are there for a reason.
by David Glenn | Mar 16, 2016 | CRESTICO
Pet owners enjoy a wonderful experience with their dogs. Dogs provide companionship, loyalty, love and entertainment to their families. One of the issues that these owners face with dog ownership, though, is the fact that their houses can smell like their pet when they are not careful. You may already understand this fact since you presently have a canine companion of your own, and while you may be accustomed to this odor, visitors might find it repulsive and decline your invitations. Luckily, there are a number of different ways to prevent this unpleasant aroma, such as using dog shampoo, cleaning the dog’s belongings, vacuuming the house and other processes. Read our info below to learn additional information about what we mean by all this.
Vacuum Carpeting to Remove Dog Hair
When you vacuum the carpeting regularly, you remove the hair that the dog sheds. I sprinkle a bit of baking soda onto the carpet and leave it set for about 10 minutes before vacuuming. This can eliminate a certain amount of canine aroma in your house. You must not stop with this step if you wish to make your home smell as non-dog as possible.
Immediately Address Accidents on the Floors and Carpet
When the dog accidentally urinates or defecates on the floors or carpet, you should immediately address this spot to reduce the risk of lingering odors. Blot up the urine and do not rub it, especially with carpeting since you will only spread it. on top of this, pick up the fecal matter and dispose of it. Clean the area with appropriate solutions and you can even spray the carpet with a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda to neutralize the odor or apply one of the solutions that are available in your local pet store to accomplish this task.
Periodically Shampoo Carpeting
Along with vacuuming the carpets, you should shampoo them periodically with a detergent that is designed to remove pet odors. You will discover numerous effective brands on the market today. Shampooing reaches deep in the fibers of the carpet and even the pad underneath to eliminate additional odors.
Groom and Shampoo Your Dog as Needed
At times, the cause of a dog aroma in the house is the fact that your dog needs grooming and shampooing. A dirty, unkempt dog will wreak of body odor enough for it to permeate all areas of the house. Brush your dog as necessary to remove loose hairs and mats before you shampoo it. Even though there are a number of pleasant-smelling dog shampoos on the market, I prefer using Nature’s Remedies dog shampoo since it contains essential oils such as argan, lavender, olive, coconut, tea tree, grape seed and avocado to provide a long lasting, clean, fresh scent. Besides giving the dog a nice aroma, it also is effective in repelling fleas and ticks.
Perform Routine Cleaning on the Dog’s Bedding and Other Belongings
Your dog’s belongings such as bedding, toys and bowls can be other sources of doggy odor that will make your house smell just like your pet. For this reason, your need to wash all of these items weekly or even daily in the case of the dog’s bowls for his or her food and water.
Use Herbs, Spices or Essential Oils to Provide a Pleasant Aroma to the House
On top of the above options for ensuring that your house does not smell like your dog, you can turn to essential oils, spices or herbs to provide a pleasant aroma to your home. Examples of these are lavender oil, peppermint oil, cinnamon, cloves and rosemary. You can buy diffusers for the essential oils or simply heat spices and herbs in water to fill the air with their unique scents.
While you may think that just using the right dog shampoo will improve the doggy smell in your house, you can see by the information above that you must do other things along with this action to obtain a pleasant aroma in your house. When guests arrive at your home, they will be shocked to discover that you own a dog when you accomplish this goal. You can host these visitors with a true sense of pride in the appearance of your home along with its non-doggy aroma.
Selling a home is much much easier when you do not have problems with dog smell!
