How To Make the Entry to Your Home More Inviting

The entrance to a home is like a smile on someone's face. It is often the first thing you notice about someone's house, and the way it looks can leave a lasting impression. Often, the entry sets the tone for the home's decor and style. Update your entrance to make guests feel welcome.

Upgrade the Door

The door to your home is the focal point of all entries. By updating entry doors, you can completely change the feel of your home.  Replace your traditional front door with one in a different design. Alternately, you can paint the door you have now in a fresh, vibrant hue that will coordinate with your home's exterior while adding a splash of color. Swap out the old hardware with a doorknob, doorbell, or porch mailbox in matching shades or finished metals like polished brass or brushed nickel. Install a stylish suspension lamp or wall sconces on one or both sides of the door.

Enhance the Porch

If you have a porch, overhang, or stoop, give it a fresh coat of paint or thorough scrubbing. Add a cozy glider with comfortable cushions and a side table for snacks or hobbies. Consider installing outdoor shades if the sun shines too brightly at certain times of the day. Attractive all-weather accent rugs, including a sturdy welcome mat, can coordinate with the porch furniture and the home's exterior color to create a balanced and appealing look. Hanging plants or potted shrubs make a nice addition to the corners or near the door.

Brighten the Steps

Concrete steps can be power washed or painted to go with the porch style. You may want to add step lights that come on at night to light the way safely in or out of the house. An attractive handrail made of the same or coordinating substance as the home's exterior, such as vinyl or wood, provides safety along with style. Seasonal accents like floral baskets in the Spring or harvest produce in fall will bring your entry into sharper focus.

Clear the Walkway

Keep the walkway leading to the entrance clear and free of debris, weeds, or overgrown grass. Powerwash or scrub with soapy water designed for a concrete sidewalk or brick pathway leading from the driveway to the porch. You can use decorative ground-level solar lights to illuminate the walkway between the house and the driveway at night. Attractive hardscape designs for concrete or a small vinyl fence or edging for an inlaid brick path helps to emphasize that area. There are many landscaping options to consider for a border along these paths as well.

Give your home a happy new face by remodeling your front entrance. With minimal cost and effort, you can get a brand new look to welcome your visitors.

Common Home Theater Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Adding a home theater brings the wonder and magic of the movie theater right into your home. However, if you're not careful, you could risk running into issues that can seriously dampen your enjoyment of your setup. Look below to explore common home theater mistakes and how to avoid them.

Getting Insufficient Speakers

Many people think that soundbars alone can give them movie theater-quality audio, but unfortunately, these devices can't replicate the authenticity you get from surround sound systems. A modest receiver and a few small speakers strategically placed about the room can outperform most soundbars. On the other hand, soundbars are a viable alternative to built-in screen audio when speakers aren't available. Make sure you get sufficient speakers for the best home theater experience.

Buying Equipment Before Measuring the Room

You could have your sights set on the most cutting-edge technical wonders that promise stunning visual and sound quality. However, if you don't know the size of the room you're operating with, the equipment you buy might not fit. You won’t get the best experience when you have equipment that doesn’t fit well in your theater room. Every aspect of the space will influence your purchases, so you should fully understand it before picking your equipment.

Disorganized and Chaotic Wiring Setup

Wiring a home theater system can be extensive. You have to get the proper speakers, projects, and lighting. As such, organization is crucial. Have every cable adequately labeled so you don’t lose track of them, and don't be afraid to call in technicians to help when you feel overwhelmed. If you choose to set everything up yourself, learn how to install professional wiring; otherwise, essential components may not work correctly and leave you frustrated.

Having to Buy Everything at Once

While having a budget is essential, especially when dealing with expensive hardware, don't be afraid to splurge on quality. Since your home theater is a long-term investment, it could be wise to pay extra for a high-quality upgrade now, like a fantastic surround sound system, while waiting to add additional equipment. With patience, you can gradually build up to having an innovative cinema room without skimping on fundamentals.

Understanding some of the most common home theater mistakes and how to avoid them can help you create the most satisfactory setup. When you finish, you'll have the ideal place to watch movies, play games, listen to music, and much more.

Helpful Tips to Keep the Unseen Areas Clean in Your Home

How often do you get motivated to clean an area of your home because you'd be embarrassed about someone else seeing it like that? In an ideal world, you'd keep every space clean just for yourself, but life rarely works out that way. If others coming by makes you clean the seen areas of your home, does anything get you to keep the unseen spaces clean? Knowing some helpful tips about this makes life easier.

List The Knooks and Crannies

The first thing that you need to do is make a list of the unseen spaces in your home that don't get cleaned regularly. Then, you can create a rotation to visit each of them on a regular basis and touch them up when needed.

Make a Bucket

Your unseen spaces might range from cabinets underneath sinks to your entire attic or basement. Find one space to hide a bucket full of cleaning tools and supplies. They might not be enough to help you clean an entire room, but anything simple to carry around and do some cleaning with makes it easier to get this chore going.

Add the Right Things

Do you see dirt and mud tracked into your basement a lot? Add a good floormat by the door. Do you see things get warped by temperature changes in the attic? A radiant barrier can help maintain a more level temperature. It might even help keep critters and dust out to some degree. Help spaces keep themselves cleaner.

Find the Right Days and Times

Your schedule for cleaning unseen spaces should be flexible. Be honest with yourself about when you're most likely to clean. Some households do it on Saturdays, but others do it on Sundays. Also, are you more likely to get it done in the morning when you're fresh? Or do evenings give you more free time?

Take a Photo

Once you do clean a space, take a photo of it. You can refer to it next time to see how clean it was or still is. That will help you know how much to clean it if any when it's a space you don't lay eyes on every day.

Keeping your unseen areas clean in your home means there are no surprises waiting for you or anyone else the next time someone accesses those spaces. The peace of mind and lack of later work are well worth a bit of consistent effort.

5 Strongest Security Doors to Consider Adding to Your Home

Home security is an essential topic for homebuyers and homeowners alike. There are always some concerns about intruders—from simple burglars to hardened criminals, professional thieves, or hooligans intent on harming others—that make you want to secure your home. You should never go the route of buying a cheap security system and hoping for the best.

Main Door Mahogany Entry Door

It is a more traditional design but still provides impressive security. Most entry doors are made of steel or aluminum and are easily spotted by a criminal. That's why this door is a more appealing alternative. The mahogany entry door is made of solid wood and won't show shoddy artistry. It's also an attractive piece. The natural wood is accented by the red doorknob and knocks with the gold doorknob pulls, giving this entry door a natural "cabin feel." The solid mahogany entry door also includes two deadbolts and a reinforced lock.

Unique Home Designs for an Entry Door

If you can believe it, this entry door is stylish, masculine, and fun. Suppose you're afraid of intruders, then those aesthetics will put your mind at ease. The entry door is solid wood with a red frame and beveled glass on the front and back. This design also allows for a warming glass panel to help keep the temperature in your home toasty warm. A set of chain locks are included as well.

Prime-Line Wood guard Security Door

You can get the Prime-Line Wood guard entry door for a little more money. You can be assured of the best quality materials used in its construction. The door is made from solid wood, with a mahogany finish with minor accenting. This door also has a glass panel on the front and back for an intricate look that won't look like your kids just played building blocks.

GlassCraft ThermaPlus Entry Door

It is one of the top-of-the-line security doors. It's made from solid wood and comes with a lifetime warranty. Like the other models on the list, this door is available in any size. You can choose between eight different styles of sidelights and six different styles of transoms.

Viz-Pro Quick Mount Door

This entry door is perfect for the person who wants to save time. You don't have to be a builder or even a handyman to install this security door on your home. It's made of solid stainless steel with a black enamel finish and comes with an easy-to-install mounting system. The locks and deadbolts come included, so you can focus on finding the right size for your home and opening up your front door in no time.

Conclusion

By now, you should have a better idea of where to start when it comes time to select the right security doors for your home. These top names in security doors are popular due to their quality and excellent looks.