Energy suckers—how to save money in your home

These days, we’re all looking for ways to save money. Energy bills can be a big drain on expenses. Even after you’ve changed all your bulbs to energy-saving CFLs, wash your clothes in cold water, and turn off unnecessary lights, you can still be experiencing high costs. If you’re seeking home improvement ideas, don’t neglect [...]

Tips to update your bathroom and add some pizazz

It’s easy to refresh your bathroom on a budget. This room is often overlooked when decorating is concerned, but it is one of those places that guests use often and can really set the tone for your entire home. Paint does wonders of course to drab or worn white walls. Choose a soothing shade like [...]

How to paint a room, seamlessly

Color can instantly transform any room in your home from drab to fab. Whether you prefer a bright hue or a subtle one, it’s easy to find colors to complement your home. If you’re a novice painter, take heed. There’s a little more to painting that just splattering it on the wall. Follow these expert [...]

5 Cheap home improvement ideas for spring

It is almost Spring, and not only is it time for a good old fashioned, deep spring cleaning, but perhaps it is also time to give your home a facelift.  Upgrading your home does not have to be expensive, in fact you can spend very little on transforming your home into a seasonal epitome of [...]

Home improvement ideas: Room dividers

Hanging divider | home improvement ideas, decorating ideasIn many homes, there is one wide open space that comprises the living room, dining room and kitchen. While your first instinct may be to keep this area open to make it appear larger, breaking up the space will actually add some depth and visual interest to your home. Luckily, this project falls into the cheap and easy category of home improvement ideas if you go with a simple room divider. Here are a few options you can play around with and choose the best for your style.

Energy suckers—how to save money in your home

These days, we’re all looking for ways to save money. Energy bills can be a big drain on expenses. Even after you’ve changed all your bulbs to energy-saving CFLs, wash your clothes in cold water, and turn off unnecessary lights, you can still be experiencing high costs. If you’re seeking home improvement ideas, don’t neglect to think about how to weatherize your home and cut down on rising energy costs.

The likely culprits? Air leaking and phantom power suckers that steal energy even when devices are off, can be the problem. To find out exactly what’s going on and where you’re losing cash, energy consultants across the country have some tips. The easiest route is to hire a professional auditor to figure out where leaks are with sophisticated tools. Of course, your local utility company might offer this service for free. If they don’t, it could cost around $500.

There are many steps homeowners  can take before they call in the pros. Outside airs coming in or escaping through leaky window frames make up about 10 to 25 percent of heating costs. If you want to detect it, just close all your windows and doors on a windy day. Light a stick of incense and hold it up the edge of your window, then just watch for air that. If you want to stop it, it’s a fairly easy method. From the outside, scrape out any cracked or dried caulk, then add a new coat of paintable acrylic latex. From the inside, add a new weather-stripping. You can buy the kit to airtight your windows and save up to $20 off your annual bill for every window you weatherize.

To figure out what the drains on your power are, you can get a Wi-Fi control panel that monitors your electricity usage. You can hook up your major appliances and smart plugs to smart plugs, which then transfer this info to a control panel. This handy device gives you a real-time look at what’s costing you the most and allows you decide what to unplug or simply turn off. Sometimes utility companies offer trials of the home controller free of charge. If your utility isn’t offering this, you can always purchase a monitoring panel at Best Buy or Lowe’s.  With this method, you can save between 10 to 25 percent on your electric bill annually. It’s a great way to feel in control of your home and your money.

 

 

Tips to update your bathroom and add some pizazz

It’s easy to refresh your bathroom on a budget. This room is often overlooked when decorating is concerned, but it is one of those places that guests use often and can really set the tone for your entire home.

Paint does wonders of course to drab or worn white walls. Choose a soothing shade like a light teal or olive green. Quality pewter or stainless steel fixtures from Kohl and Betsey Fields can add a sheen of luxury to your bathroom. You can choose a recessed medicine cabinet to match sconces on the walls. All these can be found in one easy trip to your local hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowe’s.

You can add some contrast and life to your bathroom countertops by adding tiles. Hire a handyman to place them in or else you can do it yourself with a bit of clear caulking to seal the edges up. If you want to save money on that old clawfoot tub and sink that you think might need to be replaced, don’t worry about it. Try reglazing the tub for an easy, clean and updated look.  Have a professional reglaze it and you could save hundreds of dollars getting their fixtures replaced.

If you have wood floors, you can give them new life by painting them with a glossy paint tint that matches your bath’s color scheme.  Get a flea market coat hanger rack to hang your robes and towels on. You’ll just want to make sure to seal the rack with clear water-resistant paint.

Likewise, you can add some pizazz and flavor to your walls by making your own wallpaper. Find vintage book pages or graphic novel pages or even calendar prints that you like and adhere them to bare, clean walls with wallpaper paste. Then seal the surface with a clear, top coat. This cute idea makes your walls look original and stylish.

You can install a pretty pendant lamp or small chandelier in your bathroom to brighten it up and add that elegant touch. Or, look for small accents to brighten up your room. A matching color scheme always works well, as does a new painting or illustration. For quick, beautiful art, find an old calendar with prints or photos that you like and frame them.

A vintage mirror can add an arty touch to your bathroom and be cost-savvy, too. Just remember that home improvement can be done on the cheap, without sacrificing good taste and originality.

 

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