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Posts Tagged ‘remodeling’

Stairs Made Easy For Both Your Home & Office

August 8th, 2010
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Getting up a set of stairs in the United States can be quite a troublesome affair. From the constant delays with the raw wood getting delivered to the construction site to your carpenter falling sick in the middle of the build setting your schedule back by a couple of days at the least. Add to the mix the large number of regulations and rules that every State has imposed on getting your stairs up, it almost seems worth not building a second floor! Even though the specifications that every city has laid down differs from the other, it is best to hire a contractor who is familiar with all of them.

WIth the regulation problem solved, you still have the other issues I mentioned left behind to solve. The easiest and cheapest way to make those problems go away that I have found would be ordering a set of prefabricated stairs from a local supplier who would make sure that they conform to your local building codes. What you do once you get your prefabricated stairs is have your contractor install it instead of having the company that made the prefab stairs work on it as it works out a lot cheaper having existing labour work on the installation than having people come over and do them over.

Prefabricated stairs are sets of steps that are made at a factory in your city and then shipped out to your construction site to be installed by your construction crew. This process, while complicated may sound like it would take a lot more time than having someone just build it for you on site but the truth is far from it. It takes about 20 man hours for a skilled carpenter to build a single flight of stairs. And before you think you’re gonna solve the problem by having 5 carpenters work on the stair, remember that too many cooks spoil the broth, like my granny used to say.

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Phoenix Remodeling: How To Create Effective Lighting In Your Home

July 19th, 2010
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Lighting has long been one of the most misunderstood home improvement projects. Many homeowners do not know how to create effective lighting in their homes and often under-light many rooms. To prevent this and have rooms that seem to come alive, Phoenix remodeling authorities suggest that you build levels of lighting. All this means is that you should use various sources of lighting in each room, instead of the standard one or two fixture formula. Good lighting can make a room comfortable and inviting. It can also add a gorgeous sense of drama to certain spaces. To get started, try using a combination of these great lighting ideas.

Living Room Lighting

  • Sconces add character and elegance to rooms. They are soft accent lights that can be used to highlight other objects or even just the texture of the wall. They are also decorative pieces in and of themselves.
  • You can create a gallery-like space by using picture lights above your fabulous wall art.
  • Uplight cans have many uses, but one really good use for them is to accentuate plant life. Place the cans behind your plants to highlight the stunning foliage and flower forms on your plants.
  • To really make your stone or brick fireplace a true centerpiece, use recessed downlights on the mantel or ceiling so that the light cascades across the fireplace. This will highlight the texture of the brick or stone.
  • To keep your hallway and stairway from looking like scary dark tunnels leading out of your living room, use decorative pendant lights to adorn them. This has functional value and looks terrific.

Lighting Ideas For Kitchens

After investing in things like extensive Phoenix kitchen remodeling projects, some homeowners can’t figure out why their kitchens still do not “pop.” Usually, this is because of poor lighting. Luckily, compared to some other rooms, kitchens are easy to accent with light.

  • Natural light is really important in kitchens. If you are planning on doing any Phoenix remodeling projects, skylights and high windows are a wonderful idea. They not only let in lots of beautiful, natural light, but they can also enhance a home’s architectural beauty.
  • Interior-lit cabinets are a hot Phoenix kitchen remodeling idea. They are especially beautiful when used with frosted or colored glass cabinet doors.
  • To increase the functionality and safety of your kitchen, you need good lighting near preparation areas. Adding task lights above prep areas and above the sink area will add some much needed light.
  • You can create a really stylish kitchen by using modern pendant lights. They look amazing above kitchen islands.

In addition to these lighting options, track lighting and recessed lighting are also really popular choices. Homeowners use them in kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms, and anywhere else that might need a modern or contemporary touch.

Balancing Act
Balancing all of your various lighting sources is the last thing you will need to do to make sure that you create effective lighting in your home. Since you will have a number of lights in one room, you must make sure that each is serving a proper function. In general, you will be balancing hard and soft lighting. Use soft lights for your overall lighting to create a comfortable ambiance, and use hard lights to accent objects, textures, and other forms. Using these simple lighting ideas will make your rooms luminous.

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Home Spas: 5 Phoenix Remodeling Ideas For Bathroom Sanctuaries

July 9th, 2010
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With the right features any homeowner’s bathroom can be turned into a luxurious place of serenity. Taking cues from spas and resorts, many Phoenix homeowners are actually opting for gentler, more soothing bathroom environments these days. Therefore, Phoenix bathroom remodeling has taken a turn toward the serene. Where Phoenix homeowners previously might have invested in a jacuzzi, whirl pool tub, or water-blasting showerhead, they are now investing in features like soaking tubs and steam baths.

5 Phoenix Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

Gentle Rain Showerheads
Many Phoenix homeowners do not care to be blasted by water when they take a shower anymore. Instead of taking an “invigorating” shower, many homeowners are now indulging in gentle shower experiences where they can feel like they are under a light rainfall. This is one of the easiest and most cost-effective Phoenix remodeling ideas.

Skylights & High Windows
This Phoenix bathroom remodeling idea will not only create a stunningly calm and serene bathroom atmosphere, but it will also add an incredible amount of value and beauty to your bathroom. High windows and skylights also add more privacy and allow more light to come in than regular windows. The added light will give a lovely, airiness to your bathroom and make it look more spacious.

Electric Floor Heating
No more dancing across a freezing cold floor before and after showers. With this easy and fairly unheard of Phoenix remodeling idea your floor will always be comfortable and warm to the touch. In large bathrooms with floor material that tends to stay cold longer, like stone or tile, electric floor heating is especially useful. In wet rooms, homeowners with floor heaters love sitting on the warm floor under a light waterfall.

Steam Baths
This is a really huge trend in Phoenix bathroom remodeling. Often, this is a luxury you can only get at spas and resorts, but now many homeowners are bringing them into their homes. Keep in mind that if you want to invest in this Phoenix remodeling project, there are some additional remodeling projects that you will also have to invest in:

–Add some type of seated area like a bench
–Install a vapor-tight door in your bathroom
–Add a sloped ceiling to drain condensation
–Have a properly working floor drain added
–OPTIONAL but useful: Add some type of remote fan for better ventilation

Soaking Tubs
You will find that there are many beautiful tub styles to choose from. Just a few options include Japanese, Asian, and Roman soaking tubs. When buying any type of tub it is important that you actually “try out” the tub by sitting inside of it to make sure that you have plenty of room to stretch out.

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