Whether it’s killing off vampire power with items like the Smart Strip power strip, or trying to use the least amount of paper products in my kitchen that I can get away with, I am a person who likes to save money and the environment. It’s a powerful combo, and one that is catching on with more and more homeowners.
Lots of small household upgrades pack a double punch of money savings and eco savings. Your front door for instance. Did you know that replacing exterior doors can save you money? By upgrading your exterior doors to steel or fiberglass you will gain five times as much insulation as with an older, dated door. Better insulation means you don’t need as much energy to heat and cool your home. These doors generally also include built in weather stripping, another great way to trap in heat and stop drafts.
Last but not least, if you upgrade to an EnergyStar approved exterior door you can apply for a tax credit of 30% of the cost of the project for up to $1,500.
Looking for other ways to save? Here are some other tips:
Making it Lovelyblogger, Nicole Balch, who also runs online store Pink Loves Brown, has renovated her Studio exquisitely from this:
To this:
The changes are amazing! Bamboo floors, new paint, and floral curtains really brighten and open up the room.
But what really caught my eye about this space is HOW ORGAZNIZED it is. In the New Year I always resolve to get more organized, and maybe if I had all of these cubbies, boxes, baskets, and areas to put things away I could actually stop talking about being organized…and….actually live clutter free.
Nicole uses her studio as the center of operations for online orders and packaging for her store. Who wouldn’t want to go to work if this was the space you got to go to.
Nicole’s blog tracks her process of renovating her home in Illinois, I definitely recommend checking it out for more inspiration.
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Instead of building a new home, many people are taking old buildings and repurposing them for their needs. It creates a unique space, helps preserve historic buildings, and minimizes waste from materials to build a brand new house from scratch.
Check out these immaculately executed building renovations:
Ladies’ Parlor of the former South Congregational Church in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
By repurposing old buildings homeowners get to incorporate unconventional parts of their building’s original purpose into their own modern use. The swinging institutional doors and the back staircase with the very ecclesiastical high windows are key elements from the building’s original function as a multi-purpose space for church social gatherings. It is these features that create design focal points, and which make living in a repurposed home so fun.
This barn was about to be demolished before the current owners bought it and moved it 45 miles to be made into a home for entertaining family and friends.
In renovating the building, Orion General Contractors carried out a green renovating plan that included energy efficiency and reuse of materials. Over 90% of the materials used for the project were either from the original structure or salvaged from other older buildings, this included most of doors and windows too.
The end product, well, I think it’s nothing short of beautiful, and encompasses much of the building’s original charm. This renovation also received major kudos from Professional Remodeler, for being on the best designs of the year.
The honest truth is that it’s not a quick or inexpensive prospect to buy an old building to renovate. But most homeowners agree that the journey through the project is part of the fun, and the results leave you with a lot to talk about and impress your friends with.
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I have been loving this home trend: incorporating glass-paneled garage doors in place of windows and walls. It opens up rooms, and allows you to multi-purpose your space.
While I’ve noticed businesses latching onto this trend first, more and more homeowners are incorporating it into their homes too.
On Monday I talked about some quick fixes for your dining room. Today, some of my major overhaul ideas if you’re dining room just can’t be revived with small changes.
1. Knock Down Walls: One of the best ways to makeover your dining room, is to create the illusion of more space. My favorite way of doing this is creating “open plans,” which allow for direct flow of traffic between the kitchen living room and dining room. Open plans will make your home feel bigger since you’re eliminating some of the things that take up space, and confine your space, namely, your walls. Check out these examples of an open plan home and how convenient and beautiful it looks to merge your kitchen, dining and often living room spaces.
2. Add windows: Let in the light! Nothing opens up a room and makes it like new more than natural light. Adding windows or making windows in a room bigger can make your space more inviting.
2. New Flooring: New flooring in any room makes it feel brand new. Replace carpet with hardwood, or maybe a new varnish to your hardwoods to give them a new look. This picture is a perfect example of what new flooring, and new windows can do to your dining room.
November, for me, means one thing: Thanksgiving! The food, the friends, the wine, and of course, the assortment of delicious pies.
Nothing makes Thanksgiving more enjoyable than the perfect space to enjoy it in. This week we’ll look at ideas, both big and small, for making the most of your dining room.
Some projects you can finish before your family arrives on the 27th, and others will take longer to plan and execute, but will bring greater, more noticeable results. This week we will look at major and minor ways to change up your dining room.
Part 1: Quick Dining Room Fixes
1. New Lighting : Adding a new light fixture not only adds a new focal point, but can also brighten up a room.
2. New Paint: Add a new coat of paint to a room. A new color scheme can dramatically change the look and feel of a room. Painting can be a great DIY weekend project, or just paint half of the room as seen here to make it an even quicker project:
3. A New Table: A dining room table can make or break your space. Make sure you have a table that fits the space you’re in, and that functions for your purposes for it. If you’re less than happy with your table, maybe it’s time to start scouting out a new one before the family arrives.
You might not think about your stairs that much. You know that they’re there, and you use them to get between floors, but when you think about remodeling, they are the last thing on your mind.
Well, maybe it should be the first. Check out these awesome ways homeowners revamped their stairs:
It’s Halloween today and for most, it means one of day of celebrating ghoulish, fall weather fun.
But, if you like darker palettes not just on Halloween, but all year round, here are some great ways to use a lack of color for amazing effect.
When using darker colors, lighting plays an important role. Notice how well the bright natural light plays against the darker interiors:
I love all the dark wood floors. These types of wood floors can be created with a coat of dark varnish color. It gives a classic aged, antique look:
Obviously this look isn’t for everyone, and honestly, while it has rays of elegance, I prefer much more vibrant color palettes, like in these previous posts:
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