Category: Home

If you’re feeling a bit bored during the pandemic, then why not work on your property’s curb appeal? A little bit of work can make your house the envy of the neighbourhood. What’s more, with greater curb appeal, not only will the value of your property rise, but so will the value of other properties in the area!

With greater curb appeal, you can sell your property for more money or ask for more rent. After all, curb appeal sets an excellent first and last impression on potential buyers and renters alike.

Here are some tips that can help you enhance your property’s curb appeal:

1. Refurbish the Driveway

You can instantly boost your property’s curb appeal by refurbishing the driveway. Contact a local and reputable company like Seal-A-Drive to repair or maintain your driveway. This company has been in the business for two decades, is known for excellent customer service, uses the best tools and products, and guarantees its work.

With the right services, your driveway will look better and last longer too. For example, it’s essential to quickly repair cracks in your driveway before they grow larger, especially if you live in a cold city. The regular freeze-thaw cycles can rapidly turn the gaps in your driveway into potholes.

Of course, potholes are dangerous for foot traffic, your vehicles, and your property. Water left in potholes can seep into your property, causing severe and expensive structural damage. That’s why it’s a good idea to hire an asphalt driveway care team before it’s too late.

2. Paint the House

You can ward off boredom by painting your house and improving curb appeal. If you don’t have the energy to paint the whole house, consider painting certain parts of the home like the doors, window sills, etc.

Aside from painting the house, you can try some other cost-effective measures to boost curb appeal:

• Add attractive planters to the porch.
• Spice up the porch further with seating and outdoor rugs.
• Replace the light fixtures with modern ones.
• Change the old mailbox or repaint it.
• Paint the fence a welcoming colour.
• Add an ornamental new gate.
• Install colourful new window boxes.
• Change the old gutters and downspouts.
• Place some interesting outdoor art in your lawn.

3. Manicure the Lawn

A well-manicured lawn looks beautiful, enhances your home’s curb appeal, and can improve the air quality of your home. A professional landscaper can quickly transform the look of your property. Alternatively, you can do it yourself by following tips from the Internet.

Remember, you must correctly mow the lawn and feed it the right amount of fertilizer to keep it healthy. In addition, you must water it the correct amount. Water it too little, and your lawn will starve and turn an unsightly colour. Overwater it, and your grass will suffocate and die.

To make the task less tedious, you can install an automatic sprinkler system that uses a sensor to manage the watering on a rainy day.

By starting a home improvement project, you can find something interesting to do and make your property look more attractive.

Whether you’re interested in selling your home or wondering how to improve it for you and the family, most homes could benefit from a little tender loving care. Home improvement and renovations might sound intimidating, but with some planning and the right ideas, your home could be looking brand new in no time. 

The trick is to know which projects to tackle to optimize your home’s beauty and increase its value. Of course, each house is different and requires unique renovations, but there are also a few standard enhancements that most homes could benefit from. Let’s take a look at some creative renovation ideas that you can apply to your home’s improvement.

Replace Old Windows

Replacing old windows is an investment that will boost your home’s resale value and dramatically improve its curb appeal. New windows are bigger, cleaner, and brighter, increasing the amount of natural light in your home. Most modern windows are energy-efficient, which helps decrease how much you spend on utility bills and reduce your negative environmental impact.  

Have you noticed difficulty opening and closing your windows? Are there leaky holes from decaying frames? Depending on the weather and the quality of your current product, you should replace windows every 15 years or so. 

If you live in an old house and haven’t yet replaced the windows, you might want to consider a renovation project. Unlike earlier window models, new energy-efficient windows will increase the soundproofing in your home by effectively absorbing sound waves from the outdoors. 

Replacing new windows isn’t a do-it-yourself kind of job — get professional to do the installation and hire a manufacturing and installation company to walk you through the process. 

Upgrade the Gardens with Landscaping 

The front yard is the first thing people notice about your house. Interested buyers want to see a manicured lawn, beautiful flowers and plants, and a welcoming front porch. If you have weeds everywhere or brown, dried-up grass, potential buyers will quickly move on to another, more inviting house.

If you have the budget for it, consider hiring a professional landscaping company to turn your front area into a horticulture dream. Laying fresh sod is always a good idea because people love to see deep-green grass. You can also tackle the landscaping without professional help — it just takes a little bit of legwork and time. The important thing is to do it. To properly sell your home a beautiful yard is essential. 

A New Front Door

In addition to a beautifully manicured garden, replace your front door with a brand new, sophisticated one. A new door that’s stylish, practical, and built with a resilient material such as fibreglass will catch the attention of potential homebuyers. 

People want safety and protection from intruders, harsh climate conditions, and pests like animals and bugs. The front door needs to be durable and strong, as well as eye-catching.

Consider an elegant panel embossing or painting it a favourite, striking colour such as red or forest green.

Your home is your castle. Make the most of it and enhance its value by giving it a makeover with these renovation suggestions! 

With the warmer weather upon us, more people are walking, more people are jogging, and that means more people are seeing your home. If you haven’t already, start looking at ways to improve your property’s curb appeal, especially if you’re looking to sell your home in the next year. These upgrades are cost-effective and are a great ROI for building your home’s value.

Upgrade Your Windows & Doors

As a homeowner, you should know that new windows are often the first thing people see when they approach your home. So, make sure that old windows are replaced and that the new ones complete the look of your property. With so many options out in the market nowadays, it is entirely possible to change the property’s overall aesthetic just by switching out the style of windows used.

Picture windows have become more popular as homeowners realize their many benefits. This style of window allows for much more natural light to come into the home, which provides natural heating, and they give picturesque views without having to expose yourself to the elements.

Adding fixed windows to the edges of the front door is another look that has been growing in popularity amongst homeowners. Sidelights are placed on the sides of the door, and transom windows are those affixed horizontally to the top of the door. When you upgrade your door at Centennial Windows & Doors, be sure to ask about sidelight options. When you trust a professional team of end-to-end installers, you’ll know that your new energy-efficient doors and windows will bring you more light and keep your utility bills down.

Create a Garden Space

Many homeowners don’t realize that having a garden space is multipurpose. It’s known to increase curb appeal, it’s therapeutic, and it helps to save the environment. It might even inspire you to do some landscaping work and get back in touch with nature.

Some people value their alone time in the garden so much so that they create a sort of sacred space among the greenery. If you’re looking for a door that gives you the best possible view of your back garden or terrace, garden doors or big, bright patio sliding doors are a great touch.

Illuminate Your Space

Add a little glimmer to your home so that your property can shine at night. A popular trend in landscaping nowadays is uplighting, where fixtures are placed at ground level, and their beam points upwards. You can have the spotlight illuminate specific features of the home or the shrubbery surrounding the property.

Many homeowners mix different types of lighting to create an ambiance and moonlighting appears to be showing up more and more lately. Moonlighting is when light fixtures are placed in high places or high up in trees to form a soft moonlight effect. Not only does it light up more of the area, but it also creates a very romantic and captivating image.

Boosting curb appeal ultimately means boosting your home’s value. The best part is that these upgrades are affordable and don’t take up too much time. You can make a big difference on your property with just a bit of shrewd investment!

4 Interesting Ways Concrete Is Used in Homes

As the most consumed substance in the world after water and the most popular construction material on this planet, concrete has a variety of applications. Commercially, it’s found in drainage systems, sidewalks, roads, runways, bridges, buildings and skyscrapers because of its cost-effectiveness, strength, and ease of use.

Likewise, concrete has a variety of residential applications. Aside from being cheap, strong, and accessible, concrete is an excellent barrier against the heat and the cold, making it a good residential construction material for safety and energy cost purposes. It’s also more versatile than you think, with utilitarian and creative uses at home.

#1 Driveways

Many homeowners prefer driveways made of concrete rather than other materials. Concrete driveways can last anywhere from twenty to over thirty years with periodic maintenance and regular care. Because of this longevity, concrete driveways are more cost-effective than asphalt driveways, even though concrete driveways can cost more to install.

To take care of your concrete driveway, clean it regularly with a gentle detergent and a soft brush. Have an experienced contractor perform maintenance otherwise small cracks will grow larger and deeper. Also, apply a sealant to shield it from staining, corrosion, and damage. Sealants stop the tiny pores in the concrete from absorbing water, salts, and other pollutants.

#2 Decorative Concrete

Many homeowners mistakenly assume that concrete only has practical applications, when concrete can also be stylish. For example, decorative concrete is the art of mixing concrete with other materials to produce a finish that has the best of both worlds. Not only is decorative concrete as attractive as more expensive construction materials, but it has the strength and durability of regular concrete. What’s more, it’s more cost-effective than more traditionally luxurious materials.

That’s why many concrete contractors have expanded their services to include decorative concrete in their portfolio. You can visit Eliteconcrete.ca to learn about such a company that has served its community with its team of contractors for around twenty years, and has earned multiple accolades for its architectural finishes.

• Limestone Finish combines the sleek and stylish look of authentic limestone with the endurance of concrete through the process of mixing and finishing concrete. Not only does this look gorgeous but it’s almost maintenance-free.
• Stamped Concrete uses a sophisticated mixing and finishing technique to give homeowners the classic look of slate or flagstone at a fraction of the cost. The best thing about this finish is that it can be customized to suit any setting.

#3 Accent Walls

One of the easiest ways for homeowners to spice up their living rooms is to add an accent wall. And instead of going for wood, brick, or stone, many homeowners are opting for concrete for an old-school look. Concrete accent walls are easier to install than some other materials and can just as easily be taken down if you change your mind.

#4 Decorative Pieces

Homeowners who aren’t ready to make a large investment but still have the concrete bug use concrete for decorative pieces such as planters, shelves, coffee tables, ashtrays and more. If they’re looking to renovate their kitchen – then they can try a concrete countertop.

There are many interesting ways concrete is used at home. Because of its many great characteristics, the possibilities are endless.

After a long winter, it’s hard to imagine that we’re finally headed toward summer. Only another month or so, and we’ll be complaining about how hot it is!

If you’re like most people, you love the summer weather but also like to escape it with cool, refreshing air conditioning once in a while. To be able to enjoy the heat but retreat indoors with nice cool air is one of the best things about the summer season.

Did you know that it’s highly recommended to give your air conditioning unit a thorough check-up at least once a year? The spring is the best season to do it because it’s just before summer hits so you can get everything prepared just in time. You’ll likely have your AC on most of the time in summer, so you want to get it ready for action.

You’ll definitely want an expert cooling technician to diagnose your AC problems in the spring, but you can also take a look to see if there any issues beforehand. Let’s take a look at what to look for when maintaining your air conditioner.

Clean or Change the Air Filters

Routinely changing or cleaning the air filters in your AC unit will improve its overall efficiency and lifespan. It’s suggested that filters be replaced every month, so be sure to consult your installation and maintenance contractors to find out the exact type you use if you’re unsure.

If you keep the AC on round-the-clock, your filter will require more attention than if you just turn it on every so often. You can clean it with a good vacuum cleaner (take it out of the unit first) and submerge it in water for a few minutes. Always wait until it’s completely dry before putting it back into place.

Filters are subject to a great amount of dust, dirt, pet dander, and other harmful particles. It’s crucial to keep them clean because otherwise, all of those particles will start to float around your home with the cool air that comes from the unit.

Clean the Coils

Your air conditioner’s condenser and evaporator coils collect dirt and dust and over time. All of that dirt will reduce the airflow and insulates the coil, which reduces its ability to absorb heat.

Outdoor condenser coils also become very clogged up and dirty and if the outdoor environment is dusty or if there is foliage close by.

The best solution to this problem is for you to take a look at the coils, assess the situation, and then let your contractor know about it. They’ll be able to clean the air conditioner’s coils if necessary, at your annual maintenance visit.

Clean Any Debris from the Unit

Over time, things such as dirt, leaves, and grass clippings will start to build-up on the outside of your AC unit, and this decreases the system’s capacity and reduces its airflow. Walk around it and trim any plants or shrubs that might be hindering its performance.

The first AC maintenance visit marks the beginning of spring and summer — finally, you can say goodbye to winter!

Secrets to Keep Your Bathroom Fresh

Cleanliness is godliness, and there’s no room in your home more important to keep clean than your washroom. When you have company over, they will leave your home thinking less of you if your bathroom is in bad shape!

Plus, you want to feel clean whenever you use it, and it’s a room that gets used every single day. Keep on reading for some good tips to a deep-clean on the different components of your washroom.

Toilet

Naturally, when keeping things clean in the washroom we need to pay extra attention to the throne in our home which deals with biological waste. Put chlorine bleach in the bowl and let it sit for ten minutes, then scrub the interior and flush it all down.

Make sure to use disinfectant on the toilet’s exterior, including the rim, seat, cover, and the handle. Cleaning your drains and plumbing system is an important component of bathroom cleanliness, too.

It’s a complicated process that requires professionals, so read this to learn more about cleaning your drains and ensuring a blockage doesn’t cause other problems requiring cleaning. Overflowing toilet bowls and messy floors don’t need to be cleaned if they never occur in the first place.

Bath Tub

Sometimes city water contains minerals which causes scummy textures to appear on the porcelain. They look pretty gross, and can ruin the tranquility you’d otherwise feel taking a nice warm candle-lit bath.

For a nice natural solution, fill a spray bottle with equal parts white vinegar and warm water. The acidic contents will work wonders. Just spray the tub and let it rest for fifteen minutes, then wipe it away with a soft sponge.

The moisture in your bathroom causes mould and mildew to grow. Any black spots near your tub’s caulking should be cleaned off with bleach, and scrubbed away with a soft-bristled brush. Your tub will be disinfected and clean, so you can clean yourself in it.

Cleaning Your Showerhead

As pay back for all the times it has cleaned you, it’s time you properly clean your showerhead! Hard water can cause white streaks near the rim to form, and they’re not only ugly to look at, they reduce the water pressure of your shower.

Fill a little sandwich bag with white vinegar, and fasten it around the showerhead using an elastic band. After twenty minutes, take the bag off and turn on the shower to flush out the deposits or gunk from inside the showerhead.

Wipe the showerhead down with a clean and damp cloth to remove the vinegar smell. You’ll have a clean and properly working showerhead, and you’ll love how much less time it takes to rinse the shampoo out of your hair with the improved water pressure.

Keeping a home clean is important, but the bathroom poses unique challenges. Keep these tips in mind concerning your toilet, tub and showerhead, and you can enjoy a fresh and clean room in which to groom and relieve yourself.

A new year is about to dawn and that means that it is time for people everywhere to makes positive changes in their lives. One of the best ways that you can brighten your life just in time for the winter season is by giving your dining area a brand new look. If you start today, you might even be ready in time for Christmas dinner.

1)     Upgrade to a Solid Wood Dining Table

There’s just no comparison to a gorgeous new dining room table. If you want to feel cozy and warm during the colder months, then a great place to start is at the centre of your home. It might not compare to being cuddled up under your blankets, but there’s something about the natural look of solid wood furniture that provides a feeling of warmth. That feeling will only grow once your whole family is gathered around your new table in order to eat a delicious feast you’ve prepared.

Custom Designs

Handcrafted solid wood dining tables are built to last a lifetime. If you want a truly unique piece of furniture, however, the best option is to get your table custom built. Professional companies that have years of experience crafting their own designs will possess many examples from their inventory to give you more options to consider. For example, just take a look at this selection of dining tables and imagine the combinations you could come up with to create a stunning statement piece to complement the décor of your home.

2)     New Window Treatments

After new furniture, your windows are probably the most common feature that you can upgrade in order to reinvigorate your dining room. You’ll be surprised at how different a room can feel simply by installing a different type of shade or window blind.

If you haven’t updated your window treatments in a while, you should take some time to research the newest options available. An added bonus is that upgraded window coverings can allow you to have better control over the amount of light that enters your home. You can even lower your power bill by allowing more natural heat into your home.

3)     Rearrange Your Artwork

If you’re looking for an inexpensive and easy way to bring new life into an old dining room, you could always consider simply rearranging the art on your walls. Changing a room around in a subtle way can have a dramatic effect on how you feel while you’re inside the room. Check online to get some new ideas on interior design regarding art. You could also try changing how your art is framed for a greater effect.

There are many ways to dramatically change the rooms in your home, but nothing is quite as easy and stunning as introducing new solid wood furniture. Get in touch with a company that makes handcrafted solid wood furniture today to see what options are available.

DIY Renovation Tips for Fall

Each season has advantages and disadvantages when it comes to renovation. Here are eight great DIY tips on how to remodel your home for fall:

1. Roof Maintenance and Repair

Fall is a good time to take a look at your roof and decide to maintain or repair it, so that you don’t end up with a roof that leaks in the winter, and is even more difficult to fix because of the winter season.

DIY roof repair can be challenging but is doable. Keeping your roof in good repair helps to keep the job manageable.

2. Eavestroughs and Downspouts

Fall is a good time to clean out all of the leaves and debris that has ended up in your eavestroughs and downspouts. A necessary task which can be made easier by installing covers or guards that limit the amount of debris and which can easily be found at hardware stores.

3. Prepare Your Deck

Prepare your deck for the harsh weather to come. Power wash and hand scrub the deck to make it like new and brush on a protective coat of semitransparent stain to protect it so it will be nice when summer comes around and you spend time outdoors on the deck again.

4. Insulation

Winter is coming! Fall is the time to insulate so that your home will be warm and energy efficient for the coming winter. Depending on your home and needs, you can install insulation in the attic. Another eco-friendly way to insulate starts at the ground floor. With cork! It is easier to install than regular wood flooring and it is durable and earthy, and will warm up the floors and provide a little cushion.

5. Painting

Fall is a good time to do any exterior painting. So much better than painting in the heat of the summer!

Something that will update and refresh your home look is to repaint the front door and exterior accents, highlighting your door. Your home will have more curb appeal with minimal effort.

6. House Numbers and Mailboxes

You can change your house number and mailbox. Decide how much time and cost you want to devote to this project, and you will be left with a whole new look and feel to your house entrance.

7. Ceiling Fan

Installing a ceiling fan is not difficult. You can replace an old light fixture with a ceiling fan that has lights as well. The fan can connect to the existing cable from the old light.

A ceiling fan saves money in both winter and summer. In winter, the fan circulates heated air to keep the room warm, while in summer the fan creates cooling airflows that can aid air conditioners.

8. Programmable Thermostat

Usually, digital thermostats are purchased through, and installed by HVAC contractors, but you can buy them online and install them yourself.

These thermostats can automatically change indoor temperature settings and lower your heating and cooling costs. Some models are simple and control heat only, while some have functions that include cooling and humidifying.

Let fall be a time to get things done!

Bathroom Renovation Ideas

While the summer is the ideal time to renovate the exterior of your home, when autumn hits, those looking for a remodeling project are forced to turn inward, as the colder weather often prohibits any work that needs to be done on the outside of the house.

Whether you’re looking to work on the plumbing, or the countertops or the flooring, there’s always something you can work on to make your bathroom more inviting.

So, if you’re constantly looking for something to work on in your house, now is a great time to get started on those bathroom renovations you’ve been planning.

Below is a list of bathroom renovations you’ll want to get started on immediately.

Installing a Rain Shower

If you’re tall, chances are you’ve encountered a shower that doesn’t exactly work when you’re trying to wash your hair (there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to wash your hair with one hand, and hold the showerhead with the other one).

However, if that shower is in your own home, it might be time for an upgrade. A rain shower is a great option, because the chances are, unless your head literally hits your ceiling, you won’t be too tall for it.

However, it can be a tricky setup, as it requires a water supply in the ceiling. When installing a new bathroom it’s pretty simple, but when you’re remodeling an existing one it becomes trickier—however, it’s no impossible.

His and Her Sinks

For any married couples who sharing a bathroom, it can be difficult to get access to the sink, especially in the morning when both people are getting ready for work—sometimes a standoff ensues during which you both star setting alarms slightly earlier than the other person so you can rush to the bathroom first and get ready for work.

If you’re tired of dealing with the chaos of fighting for the sink (and you’d like to be able to sleep an extra few minutes instead of getting up early to fight for the sink), you can try your hand at installing his and her sinks.

While it won’t be the easiest DIY project—you’ll have to do some cutting and some plumbing—it’s not impossible, and you can do it yourself without hiring a contractor.

Depending on the type of countertop and plumbing you’re dealing with will determine how big of a task it will be.

Retile the Floors

Are you one of the few people who still has laminate floors on their bathroom? Are you tired of this fact and yearning to join the tile floored club?

Retiling your bathroom floor isn’t as big of a project as you may at first think. However, it will still be a big undertaking, as it will require a significant amount of measuring, and cutting to ensure everything ends up fitting properly.

Additionally, tiling isn’t the cheapest material out there, so you’ll have to be prepared to open the checkbook a little bit in order to ensure you’ll be able to finish the job.

Be Inspired to Remodel Your Kitchen

You’ve decided on a kitchen renovation. Maybe because you’re tired of your old kitchen or your kitchen isn’t practical for your needs. Or maybe you are thinking of upgrading in anticipation of a move or you want to increase the value of your home.

Whatever the reason, we have five great ideas from inspiring kitchens to help you remodel your kitchen:

Freshen Your Colour

An easy way to remodel your kitchen is to change its colour. All-white kitchens were all the rage, but now, the most popular colour for a kitchen is blue!

Blue can have a calming effect, and blue is a neutral that can go with anything. That is because blue has so much diversity of shade. It can be a watery shade, a robin’s egg shade, or a navy-blue shade, depending on what mood you want for your kitchen.

Hang Artwork

The kitchen often offers up plenty of wall space. Why not fill those spaces with art? This is where your flair can shine. Will it be vintage food pictures? Landscape pictures? It’s up to you.

Use Light for Function and Mood

A long, linear light fixture over a kitchen island can light the whole room with both uplight and downlight, or just one or the other, and a dimmer switch can be used on a strip of lights to provide mood lighting.

Install a Backsplash

Installing a backsplash can update a kitchen look, and can easily be done over a weekend. You can install a classic white backsplash, or use any tile to show your style.

A backsplash is more than just cosmetic. It protects the wall between the countertop and upper cabinets or shelves, which is especially important around the sink, where water splashes happen, and behind the cooktop where there are grease and food splatters. Installing the tiles only takes a couple of hours. Let them set overnight, then grout them the next day. Easy!

Open Shelving

People have been hesitant to have open shelving, because some of the necessary items in a kitchen can’t be hidden away, making for a messy looking kitchen.

However, open shelving brings elegance to a kitchen, and creates a light, open feeling. The openness allows you to see where everything is, and feels intuitive because you can easily find anything. The shelving material itself can make a statement, with wood, glass, marble and mixed metal finishes, and you can showcase unique or memorable glassware and tableware with specialty lighting.

Storage

The kitchen is a place where there is a need for storage. The trend is minimalist Scandinavian style, which allows for storage, but not for clutter. What is important for storage is that it be organized, with easy access.

Traditional cabinets are being replaced by drawers in today’s kitchens. There is no difference in the amount of storage space between cabinets and drawers, but drawers offer better visibility, with easier access. There’s no bending down or reaching deeply into the cabinet to get to the back.

Let your creativity improve your kitchen the way you want.