4 Home Renovations to Make When Expecting Guests

Are you someone who hosts overnight guests often? It is important to ensure your home is comfortable enough for your guests. You can start by checking out these four home renovations to make when expecting guests for several days.

Mudroom Addition

A mudroom is sure to make your guests feel right at home. Start by adding a built-in mudroom hutch to your entrance. Your mudroom hutch may include several stalls with hooks for coats and jackets. The hutch should also include shelves above the stalls for outdoor accessories and a space underneath the stalls for footwear. You can even add a bench or chair for putting on or taking off shoes. A mudroom is a great investment because your family can use this space after your guests leave.

Built-In Storage

You may want to add built-in storage to the guest bedroom to ensure your guests have enough space for their belongings. Built-in storage can range from wall shelves to storage beds. Your guests do not need a lot of storage space unless they are staying for several weeks. However, you should always provide enough storage space for them to live comfortably during their stay. They can use the storage bed for their apparel and accessories, and the built-in shelves can be used for comfort items such as picture frames or figurines.

Bathroom Upgrades

It never hurts to look into bathroom renovations when expecting guests. You may want to install a spacious walk-in shower to add a touch of luxury to the space, or maybe you want to add an oversized soaking tub for guests who need to unwind after a day of activities. A narrow built-in shelving unit is perfect for their toiletries and grooming products, while a spacious vanity makes it easier for your guests to get ready each day. Other upgrades may include recessed lighting, an energy-efficient toilet, a rain shower head, and handlebars.

Separate Space

If you have the funds and space, you can always create a separate area for your guests. One idea is to convert an entire basement or garage into an apartment-inspired space. Another idea is to convert the pool house to a guest house for maximum privacy and comfort. If you do not have a pool house, you can have a small guest house added to your backyard. Whether you are converting the basement or pool house, your guest space should at least include a bedroom, bathroom, and small kitchen.

There are several home renovations to consider for your guests, from upgrading the bathroom to creating a separate space. The key is to make your guests feel right at home during their stay.

Guest Post - How to Create a Playroom That's Fun and Functional for Kids

If your home is quickly becoming overrun with children's toys and games, it's time to consider creating a playroom. A well-designed playroom won't just combat clutter, it will also provide your little ones with a stimulating space in which they learn and thrive. Need some inspiration? Read on for some handy tips on how to transform just about any space into a functional playroom your kids will love. 

Create Designated Zones

Younger children have a hard time maintaining focus, quickly losing interest in one activity to concentrate on another. This can swiftly lead to piles of abandoned clutter, throwing a small space into disarray. A simple way to overcome this is to create dedicated activity areas within a playroom. Even a small space can be optimized with zones with a little bit of creative thinking.

To create zones, think about what activities your kids enjoy doing. If they have a passion for arts and crafts, set up a creative station stocked with all the supplies they'll need within easy reach. You can also cater to bookworms by setting up a comfy reading nook or corner. For this, all you'll need is an inexpensive bean bag and bookshelf to house all their favorite literature.

Encourage Imaginative Play

Little ones love nothing more than playing make-believe. Whether it's role-playing as a superhero or pretending to be a fairy tale princess, you can help them live out their fantasies by incorporating a dressing-up box into their playroom. If you have more space to work with, you can be a bit more ambitious and put together a dressing-up corner. A full-length mirror can be picked up relatively inexpensively, while a collapsible clothing rail or valet stand can house all their favorite outfits. 

Brighten Things Up with Artwork

When designing a playroom, the space must be as stimulating as possible. Introducing artwork is therefore a must. Poster prints of their favorite characters are a good place to start. If your little ones are budding artists, you can also create a gallery wall to show off their creations with pride.

For older children, it makes sense to go with a more versatile design scheme. Stick to bold color palettes and statement walls, or introduce chunky fabrics to add texture. If you're dealing with a rather barren space with wooden flooring, an oversized rug is also worth investing in. 

Create a Dedicated Study Space

If there's no space elsewhere in the home for little ones to catch up on their homework, think about incorporating a study space when designing a playroom. An unloved nook can easily be transformed into a learning hub with relatively little effort. In terms of furniture, keep things simple with a small desk and ergonomic chair.

If your playroom is lacking in storage, now's the time to incorporate some. Consider cube storage that can be adapted with drawer inserts and totes that can be used to house books, assignments, and stationery supplies. If you're particularly limited in terms of space, you can always add a fold-down desktop to these storage cabinets to free up square footage once study sessions are completed. If your child regularly requires a helping hand with their studies, it's worth investing in some breakout seating so you can sit with them while they work through their assignments. 

Dual-Purpose Playrooms

If your playroom still needs to double up as a guest bedroom on occasion, think carefully about the kind of furniture you're selecting. If the room is only ever going to host younger overnight guests, a loft bed that incorporates a bunk with a desk is a good option.

However, if your budget can stretch, it may be better to go with a decent daybed. These multifunctional pieces of furniture can be used as comfortable seating solutions during the day, before being reconfigured as a comfortable bed for unexpected guests. Furthermore, most daybeds feature integrated drawer storage, allowing to keep fresh linens and bedding close to hand. 

Make Life Easier with Storage

Every playroom needs plenty of storage. If you're looking to migrate games and toy clutter away from your living space, make sure there's sufficient playroom storage in space. Open storage units are a practical and budget-friendly option. Different inserts will allow you to tailor storage furniture to meet your requirements. Provided you've invested in neutral colors, these units can also serve your children for many years.

To motivate your children to pick up after themselves, make sure your storage is well organized. Introduce a labeling system to make quick work of cleaning up once play sessions are over. Failing that, a color-coding system is an accessible alternative. 

Putting Together a Perfect Playroom

With a bit of initiative, you can turn just about any space into a functional playroom for kids. A spare room is ideal, but even an unused corner in a larger room can be reworked to provide little ones with a space to call their own. Creating activity zones and making use of storage are essential for maintaining order, while multifunctional furniture is ideal for spaces with limited square footage. 

Author Bio: This article was written by Michael Dinneen of NannyCity. NannyCity is a leading Nanny Placement Agency with locations in both NYC & CT. 

How to Determine Your Home's Value Before Refinancing

Refinancing your home can be a great way to improve your financial situation, but you will need to know your home's value before you carry out that transaction. While a professional appraiser is going to be ideal, there are some simple steps that you can take on your own to get a rough estimate of your home's value.

Use an Online Calculator

If you only need a general estimate, then you can use an online calculator to figure out your home’s value. Most of those calculators are completely free to use, and they take many different variables into consideration. That includes the age of the home, how much the home was sold for in previous years, and the current state of the market.

Check the Value of Nearby Homes

You can also take a look at local listings to see how much the homes in your neighborhood are going for. That type of information will be especially useful if a nearby home was recently sold and the final price has been listed. With those prices, you will know exactly what is happening with the real estate in your area and what your home’s value might be if you put it on the market right now.

Consider Your Home’s Upgrades

Your home’s upgrades will need to be factored into the equation as well, and that step in the process is going to be slightly more complex. Depending on what upgrades you have carried out, you might have increased the value of your home by thousands of dollars. That is why it is so important for you to reconsider your home’s value whenever you complete a larger upgrade or addition.

Acquire a Comparative Market Analysis

Depending on where you live, you might be able to acquire a comparative market analysis before refinancing a home mortgage. That type of data is usually collected and analyzed by local real estate agents, and it could be updated as often as once every few weeks. To acquire an analysis, you can call local real estate agents to see if they will email the data or send you a free hard copy.

Once you have estimated your home’s value, you will then need to contact a lender to discuss your refinancing options. With the proper plan in place, refinancing your home could end up saving you thousands in the coming years or even help you pay off your loan early.

Guest Post - 6 Tips to Keep Your Backyard Clean and Organized

Keeping your yard organized may seem like a never-ending battle. However, some tactics and tools give you the upper hand in maintaining a clean, inviting, and organized backyard.

1. Organize Regularly and Schedule Big Projects

Organization and planning are essential when it comes to keeping your backyard clean. It's much easier to stay on top of things when you have a plan and are organized. Tackle the yard in small sections and work on one area at a time. Organization and planning will prevent small projects from adding up and becoming an overwhelming set of tasks. You can also schedule big projects, like Fall Cleanup, Spring Cleaning, or digging that new flower bed on a specific day in your household calendar. When the weather is unfriendly, it's tempting to put off yard work. Having a plan and a schedule will help you be flexible to nature’s unexpected delays.

2. Invest in Quality Outdoor Furniture

Having quality furniture in your backyard can help keep it clean and inviting. If you have a place to sit and relax, you’ll have a space to plan and organize your backyard projects and goals. Choose easy to clean furniture that won’t accumulate dirt and debris quickly. For example, plastic and metal are excellent materials for outdoor furniture. Whicker and fabric furniture is best suited for covered patios and decks. Creating a comfortable space in your backyard is essential because it will encourage you to keep it clean and inviting for yourself and guests. To enhance the appearance of your yard, you can also create pathways so that everyone can walk without getting their feet dirty.

3. Invest in storage Boxes or Sheds

Durable plastic storage boxes are ideal for storing toys and yard decorations. They are easy to assemble, clean, and keep organized. You can find a variety of storage boxes in different shapes and sizes to fit your needs. If you have a lot of toys, you might want to consider getting a storage box that is large enough to store everything. If you only have a few items to keep, a small storage box will work just fine.

If you have large yard tools like a lawnmower, sheds can be an excellent investment. You can also store your tools, lawn equipment, seasonal furniture, yard decorations, and other yard items in a shed.

The best positioning of the sheds and boxes is on high ground at the corner of the yard. Wood or stone stilts help elevate and level the storage devices. Small plants or vines can be planted around the shed or storage box to soften the edges and hide unsightly stilts and leveling devices.

It's essential to have a shed or storage box to protect your belongings, especially if you live in a rainy climate. Finally, ensure you install latches and locks on the sheds and boxes to keep your things secure.

4. Invest in Tubs, Hangers, Racks, and Jars

Having tubs to store your tools is a great way to keep them organized and together. It makes it easier for you to find the tool you need when you need it. Labeling your tubs, racks, and jars is essential. These storage items don’t have to be expensive either. Plastic tubs, shoe boxes, and mason jars are all cheap devices for storing things. 

Wall hangers are great for hanging decorations or larger tools like shovels and rakes. Hangers keep these items off the ground freeing up valuable walking space. Hangers also provide a convenient place to return tools not being used.

Racks are perfect if you have specific tools that you use regularly. For example, having a rack near your grill is ideal for keeping grilling utensils organized and within reach while cooking. You can attach them to the side of your grill or set them on a table.

Finally, jars are perfect for storing smaller items like screws, nails, and washers. Jars will help you to keep your hardware organized and tidy. Clear jars are also a great way to store things that you don't often use since you can look in each jar without opening it to see what is inside.

5. Keep Garden Hoses in Reels or Boxes

A hose reel is perfect for storing your unsightly garden hose when it's not in use and reducing the chances of tripping over it too. This will prevent the hose from becoming tangled, kinked, or degraded from weathering. To ensure you keep your yard looking splendid, find a box that holds all the hose's attachments out of sight.

6. Totes and wagons and wheelbarrows

A great way to save yourself trips is to invest in totes, wagons, and wheelbarrows. These are perfect for items you regularly need - like your garden tools. Having many small items and tools in a tote will help you stay organized and make tackling projects easier.

Investing in a good wagon is also a great way to keep your yard looking spick-and-span. A wagon is excellent for transporting garden trimmings, leaves, grass clippings, and heavy bags of dirt. Additionally, a good wheelbarrow will prevent you from straining your back. 

In Conclusion

Cultivating and maintaining an inviting backyard may seem daunting and overwhelming project. But, using just some of the tips above will help maintain a clean and inviting backyard space. In short, keeping a clean and inviting backyard is equal parts planning, proper storage, and giving yourself time to enjoy your backyard space.  

Author bio: Ck Harrington is a marketing professional writing for JC’s Wildlife. When not tediously typing marketing content, you can find Ck getting dirty in the garden bed or playing with pups. Being a hobby gardener for over 15 years, Ck has learned numerous tips, tricks, and tools for maintaining a zen garden and backyard.