7 Simple Yet Effective House Construction Tips for New Homeowners

Building your first home can be daunting, but it’s rewarding. You can design and build it your way. You can put whatever decor and fixtures you want. You simply can do anything about it. It’s yours anyway. However, before you spend all of your time designing your interiors, you should focus on and mind your home construction first.

As you transition to being a property owner, here are 7 simple yet effective house construction tips that you can consider.

1. Pick out the right contractor.

Hiring a contractor that’s not fit for the job can cause delays and legal problems to your home construction. That’s why it is important to get the service of a well-qualified contractor who can provide invaluable service to the home-building process. Some things to consider when looking for one are credentials, references, past works, style, personality and, of course, price.

Another reason to hire experienced professionals is that they have long been in the business and must have been able to establish great relationships with suppliers and subcontractors. This will mean they can easily get quality materials with discounts. They know what they are doing and where they should get what they need.

2. Complete one project at a time.

Home improvement projects can be costly. Therefore, don’t engage in multiple home projects at once. Although you would want to finish all your improvements as soon as possible, it’s not that easy. It can exhaust your budget and cause enough stress. What you can do is to make a plan and phase them in over time. You can also go cheap first and upgrade later for easy-to-replace items, but not on built-ins.

3. Identify potential issues early on.

Constructing your new home is risky. Even if you have shaped up your space according to your needs during planning, hidden or potential problems may still be possible. And they should be detected before they become huge problems. Identifying these issues early on will help you decrease the risk and cost that they may incur in the long run. 

How and where to start picking out these concerns? This may begin with common home maintenance issues. Check for foundation issues, water damage, unsafe materials, plumbing and electrical works.

4. Budget more than what you expect.

Unforeseen circumstances cannot be put into a budget. No matter how much you think of what you need and estimate their costs, there might be a chance of having add-ons and extra costs. For example, some of the materials or fittings do not match your expectations or you forgot to allocate costs for landscaping of your yard. Having planned for these possible changes in your budget will help you prepare for them.

5. Centralize the plumbing.

When our plumbing fails, that’s when we usually think about our installed system of pipes and fixtures. Although some of these problems may be out of control, you can start reducing the cost of running the plumbing pipes by centralizing them. When planning for your heavy plumbing areas and installing appliances, place them near one another. If they are all located in one corner, the plumber can easily address a problem if one arises.

Also, the main water shut-off valve should be easily accessible. In the event of a sewer clog or leak, you will not be frustrated to turn it on and off because you can easily reach for it. No need for crawling and searching with a flashlight.

6. Invest in new tools.

How do you clean up after construction? Do you have the proper tools to use?

Tools will come in handy for basic repairs, cleaning and home improvement projects. When you just have your new home, you should have them because they will make your tasks possible and even willow you to save money. 

Investing in new tools may also make hiring professionals unnecessary. You can do simple chores your way. Among the tools that should be on your list is an air compressor. It’s a machine that has a variety of applications. When you need to air up your tires or clean your driveway, an air compressor is powerful to use. It’s a must-have.

7. Choose an efficient air-conditioning system.

During the construction of a new home, this can be overlooked in the planning stage. Many homeowners are not aware of the various air-conditioning systems they can choose from. Sometimes, they will just stick to the standard or common units being installed. 

There’s nothing wrong with the minimum standard AC systems. However, you can now have a unit that has increased efficiency and comfort for you and your family. When you invest in these quality units, you won’t have to worry about the noise it produces, the uneven heating or cooling or its poor humidity control. Why think about AC units during construction? Because that’s the best and least expensive time to install such systems. 

DIY Organizing Ideas on Creating Fascinating Rooftop Garden Designs

Living in the city has a lot of perks, but one thing surely we all miss every once in a while is nature. Fortunately there’s an easy solution for all you green-thumbs out there: create your own rooftop garden as your urban escape. Don’t worry, if you start small and build your way up one step at a time such project is absolutely feasible even for a newbie gardener. Let us guide you through the process:

Start Small – The Succulents

Succulents are a great choice as it comes to planning your DIY rooftop garden project. In their majority they require little maintenance, they could create fascinating texture designs, and many species are sturdy enough to endure the winter cold. 

Succulents will help you easily create a vast green carpet on your rooftop for they tend to spread widely if given a chance. Succulents are known to thrive on scarce soil and water, so they are pretty low maintenance plants. However, they love warm weather and sunshine. 

Think of the Jade Plant or the Lucky Tree as some call it. It is a fine-looking succulent that you could prune as bonsai when it grows a bit. In the winter it flowers - its branches get heavy with delicate white blooms.

When going for succulents you should keep in mind that some of them like Echeveria are not tolerant to winter frost. Thus you should be able to cover them or take them inside, if necessary. 

My personal favorite would be Haworthia – these succulent looks really elegant with pointy leaves and white delicate spikes. You could dedicate a planter to each Haworthia or you could let them live a life of their own in raised beds, where they could quickly shape up overlapping colonies.

Spice It Up – The Herbs

Planting herbs is such a rewarding experience – you get the zen feeling of keeping in touch with nature and you end up with your own fresh spices to add to your salad dressings and homemade meals. 

Can you see the mint, parsley, oregano, cilantro pots bursting into think scented greenery? Thyme and dill, and the best of them all – lavender, can you really resist the temptation of dedicating a couple of containers for them?

Just like succulents herbs are pretty much self-growers. An exception would be that on occasions a week or two after planting the seeds you might need to thin your herbs, but that’s about all the involvement required on your part. 

Go Greener – The Veggies

You are looking for organic veggies to add to your healthy diet? Grow them yourself then! Cherry tomatoes could be grown in pots, just as cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli and lettuce. Container vegetable gardening is just as fun as the real gardening, and it’s much easier if you are a novice in this game. Carrots, radishes, peas – you can grow it all on your rooftop.

If your rooftop temperatures are high, consider adding organic mulch to the surface of your containers in order to slow down the water evaporation. 

Add hanging baskets to your rooftop exterior where you could grow strawberries – a fruity touch to your garden in the midst of the vegetable kingdom would add a refreshing touch to it. Consider introducing even more colors to your garden by planting peppers. They love heat, so don’t worry about exposing them to direct sunlight.

Color It Up – The Flowers

The first thing that comes to mind you say: “garden” usually is blooming colorful flowers, right? You cannot forget about those, turn your urban escape corner into a mesmerizing oasis of wild climbing roses. Let a sea of colorful petunias cascade down from a number of hanging baskets. Are you looking for a fairytale rooftop landscape, by all means grow tulips – there is an awful lot of hues to choose from, be brave and allow yourself to go for contrasting colors for a more dramatic look. 

Daffodils on the other hand will give a more serene feel to your rooftop garden, which would be a nice change after the energizing tulips-rich view. 

Liven It Up – The Birds, Bees and Butterflies

And you can’t have flora without fauna, right – they both go hand in hand. Welcome natural musical background by inviting birds in your rooftop garden. Take time to add a few bird feeders. If you add a decorative fountain they’d love it and there’s a great chance that they’ll use it for taking refreshing baths. Is there anything more relaxing and endearing than watching singing birds playing in rippling water?

The humming bees will also follow bird’s lead if you have planted flowers in your garden. Butterflies would prefer to rest on flowers that are protected from windy weather, so make sure you dedicate a spot for them in your garden as well. 

Does it sound like a fascinating project already? There surely is a lot to be done, but who says you need to hurry? Pace yourself, add a planter at a time. In the end your efforts will be rewarded and you’ll feel proud having your morning coffee or tea in the peaceful green heaven you’ve created at your rooftop!

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Renovating Your Bathroom

Making bathroom renovations can be a costly and time consuming process. It’s easier said than done,  but  if you want your bathroom to look as pristine and good shape as ever, then we can say that it’ll be a good investment in the long run. Besides, in this modern age, people are stepping up their game when it comes to refurbishing the interior of their homes, so why not join in the fun?

Before that however, we know that you’re already excited about the thought of creating a bathroom suited to your liking, but we need you to remember a few things that not many people share about when it comes to the overall renovations of your bathroom:

1. How much would it actually cost to remodel your bathroom?

You may think to yourself that remodelling a bathroom shouldn’t be that expensive, since you’re paying for just one section of the house and not the whole thing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. We’re telling you right now, even with basic renovations with cheap materials could still cost you  thousands of dollars. On average, it would still cost you between $5,000 to $25,000, while high quality renovations could go up to $30,000. 

There are a number of factors in renovating bathrooms that could possibly drive up its price. Depending on what you want to renovate and what you want to add inside, prices will always vary because of it. Plumbing is an example of some of those factors you need to take note of.  Luckily for you, Glenmore Park Plumbers offers cheap bathroom renovations that are budget-friendly and won’t trim down your savings too much. Rest assured, you can expect a wide range of quality services coupled with an affordable price suitable for you. So if you have time, check out their website now. 

2. Consider your overall design and style 

Setting up the look and feel of your bathroom is an important factor when pushing with the renovations. However, a bathroom shouldn’t just look aesthetically pleasing to look at. A proper layout must be made in order to get a glimpse of how the room will look once everything’s been put into place, and will help you visualize where exactly will your renovations lead to.  Having a good design ensures that your bathroom contains the appropriate fixtures and ambient, comfortable space for the people inside. With the correct design and careful selection of what to have inside, they can make up for a style that will match your own vision with the perfect amenities with a blend of practicality in between. 

3. Lighting is everything 

If you want your bathroom to look exquisite, then a few light bulbs here and there just isn’t going to cut it. As a homeowner, you should take careful consideration what type of lighting you want displayed in the bathroom. We’re talking about if you want a single ceiling light to illuminate everything, or if you’re the type of person who wants ambient lighting in the shower areas. Naturally, there are four types of lighting for bathrooms: task, decorative, accent, and sparkle. It’s up to you on how you want to mix and match these lighting types, but always remember to pick ones that best suit your bathroom routines and don’t go too overboard on it.

4. Have the right amount of storage space

A well functioning bathroom should also have the right amount of storage for all your toiletries, towels, and other bathroom nitty gritties that you’ll need. Bathrooms are one of the most used rooms inside a household, so be sure that you maximize the space inside your bathroom and find good places for storage.

With so many soaps, lotions, and skin care creams stored inside, it’s easy to get lost in all of them and even easier to make the place messy and untidy, especially if everyone in the family is using the same bathroom. Right now, the main goal is to make it as clean and simple as possible while not sacrificing the overall aesthetic that you want to uphold for the inside. This is something that you should first take note of when drawing up plans on how you want your bathroom’s remodeled design to look like.

5. Be creative and don’t be boring

Renovating your bathroom is a chance not many people get to remodel it for themselves and bring out their creative side in designing their homes. Having said that, we advise everyone to not stick by boring, old-school design and take the chance to make your bathroom look as splendid and elegant as possible. So change those old tiles, paint those torn walls, and start adding those necessary bathroom essentials that everyone’s been using lately, because now’s your chance  to build and design the bathroom you’ve always wanted.

4 Way to Make Money With Your Home

We partnered with a financial company for this post. The opinions in the post are honest. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on our personal views. We are excited because we know you will love it.

When you purchase a home you own an illiquid or non-liquid asset, which means that it can’t be converted to cash easily. That being said, it does not mean you can’t make money off your house to help pay off your mortgage or to simply have supplemental income. 

Here are four easy and creative ways to make money off your house.

1. Rent Out a Room

This might seem obvious, but renting out a room, guesthouse, or backhouse of your home is an easy way to help pay off your mortgage by having immediate and consistent cash flow each month. Furthermore, roommates help split your utility costs and can help with chores around the house, which saves you both time and money.

A good rule of thumb is to charge 0.8–1.0 % of your home’s market value per month for each roommate. For instance, if your property has a value of $500,000 then your rental rate should be between $4,000 and $5,500 per month. 

That 0.2% percentile difference does have an impact. So, it’s suggested that if your property’s value is under $375,000 then charge closer to 0.8% while if your property value is over $375,000 consider a rate closer to 1.1%. You can always look into Financial Services Outsourcing for guidance.

2. Offer Storage Space

If you have an external shed or a garage that isn’t used, then contemplate renting that space out as a storage unit. On average, storage units cost $90.00 a month. In most cities, there are plenty of people in search of affordable alternatives.

You have options when it comes to renting out a storage space. You can allow short-term rentals for college students between breaks or those who are moving in-between spaces and need to temporarily store their belongings. Alternatively, you can rent out an entire garage or driveway to a boat, RV, or camper.

3. Charge for Parking

This option is very much location dependent, but in densely populated areas you might want to share your driveway or parking space for short-term or long-term. Furthermore, if your home is near popular weekend events such as sports events or a music venue, then you can charge people to park in your driveway. If it’s a group of related people, try to charge for multiple parking spaces since they can block one another in. 

This can easily add up to several hundreds of dollars for each event.

4. Create Products + Get a Tax Deduction

If you’ve always wanted to launch your a personal small business then why not start from home? No, you don’t have to be the next computer whiz building cutting-edge technology in your garage. You can though follow your passion or side hustle and use a space within your property to create your own business. Here are some ideas:

• Bake treats and deserts 

• Create jewelry

• Produce artwork 

• Refurbish or construct wood

Even better, depending on the space, you can get a tax deduction for having an exclusive business space. Just make sure that your home business meets any certification, licensing, or permit requirements.

For more unique ideas on how to make money with your home, see Homebuyer’s visual below.