In today’s economy, going green is no longer a choice for many homeowners. Nobody wants to pay utility bills any more than they have to. Fortunately, there are ways to take action without exhausting yourself or your wallet. Here are a few tips to keep in mind in the kitchen, but don’t be afraid to get creative in your other rooms!

Remodeling?

• Consider recycling or reusing your old hardware, cabinets, and plumbing in new ways. Store what you remove instead of destroying or getting rid of it, as you might find yourself using it in a future project.
• Make sure to choose Energy Star products for things like refrigerators, dishwashers, and other appliances. Avoid choosing items with features you don’t need and won’t use.
• Use insulated glass for your windows to retain more heat.
• Install cabinets or drawers specifically designed for removable recycling bins. You’re in control – make recycling easy for yourself!
• Get a built-in water purifier. Instead of the faucet attachment, spring for a built-in under the counter purifier. It’ll help you by conserving more water and filtering better, removing pesticides, metals, bacteria, and more.
• Put in more windows if possible to maximize natural lighting. Add planters for vegetables or herbs. Tomatoes are pretty easy to grow, and it’s always nice to have fresh herbs like basil or thyme to spice meals up. If you have enough space for bigger crops, you can harvest what you don’t use to store for the future or share with your friends and family. If you want to get serious about gardening, think about starting a full garden outdoors or even building a personal greenhouse.
• Install hooks in strategic locations for ladles, spatulas, and other hard-to-store utensils as well as keys, jackets, and other items that inevitably turn into clutter.  Don’t forget to make sure your wall can handle the weight.
• Design custom shelves based on what you need to store.

Not remodeling? Take advantage of the following methods until you decide it’s time to remodel.

• Eliminate appliances that you never use to free up counter space. Waffle irons are a nice idea, but who has the time for that kind of breakfast every day?
• Plug appliances into power strips that you switch off (or unplug) at night.
• Switch all your old-school incandescent light bulbs to CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) to save electricity, energy and trips to the hardware store, as they have a lifespan 8-15 times longer.
• Save your leftovers and cut down on the amount of electricity, energy and time spent cooking. Wash and reuse plastic containers from your groceries, like plastic beverage bottles or tubs of butter or yogurt. These are great for packing individual lunch entrees.
• If your existing windows get lots of sunlight, grow vegetables or herbs in pots on your windowsill.

GRPZ34MEBV8R

A first-time homebuyer is under the impression that he or she must buy re-sale in order to learn what it is like to be a homeowner. This can be helpful for some, but is not necessarily a requirement for homeowners. Some first-time buyers have decided to actually buy land in an area they love and have a structure built. Can this be pricey? Yes it can, although so can the constant maintenance and reconstruction that could happen when dealing with an older house. With the recent problems of flooding, existing structures could not handle a great amount of water because they simply were not designed to.  For example, if there were large amounts of water entering through bulkhead doors or cracks in 80-year-old foundations, a newer home could have been built to withstand the trials of modern day abusive weather by utilizing the most modern means for keeping a home safe from flooding. Read the rest of this entry »

Last month we had talked about remodeling your kitchen and the great benefits to come from that. The kitchen has become the social gathering area of the home over the recent years. Where the living room was once the place to entertain, most people don’t find the need to stand on ceremony in our modern society. Sitting rooms filled with chairs, tables and coasters have made way for all the modern gizmos and gadgets that now fill up this predominantly family oriented space. The kitchen has become the social pool and the kitchen island has become the centerpiece.

Families spend more time in the kitchen then they do in any other room in the house. This most likely is because the kitchen is where the food is, the food is made and the food is eaten. Although with the amount of appliances that are now in the kitchen the counter space has all but disappeared, making it limited for food preparation. The kitchen island not only adds food preparation space, but also storage and seating. In addition, kitchen islands come in an array of designs, sizes and functional options. Read the rest of this entry »

Going Green is not only heard on the lips of self professed environmentalists these days, but one might find that professional people from unsuspected industries have adopted this old yet now popular practice. Not only can going green give a person a sense of responsibility, but also it can be quite favorable on the pocket. Initially going green may seem like an unnecessary expense to some, but the long-term positive effect will help to remove the carbon footprint by utilizing natural resources, while showing a significant savings on comfort utilities over time. Read the rest of this entry »

The garage was once meant for the car, tools, garbage cans and anything else that a family couldn’t have in the actual home. The evolution of the garage has been quick. Could it be the need for greater storage? Could it be that modern families have decided to utilize all their space? Or maybe the exposure of garage band culture called for the renovation and updating from a car hold, to a room that the car happens to inhabit. Once musty and cold, the garage has grown up, gotten a makeover and new purpose.

The garage space traditionally had a concrete floor, but now there are other, more exciting options. The concept of garage flooring with patterns, colors and designs is catching on at a steady rate. From checkerboard to bold colors, many homeowners are customizing their garage floors in order to create a motif. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are like most people, the kitchen is the heart of your home, as the kitchen is the source of nurture, and love for many families.  Having a lovely kitchen is something that many people strive for. Efficiency and space are also key components in an ideal kitchen. Sometimes renovation is required, in order to achieve a kitchen that has all of the components that you need. Once you have decided to proceed with a kitchen remodel, you want to do things right the first time. There are so many things that can unravel if you damage your kitchen with irresponsible DIY. Adhere to some basic rules, and you are only a few short weeks, or months, to the kitchen you have always wanted.
The first thing that you want to make sure that you do, is to hire a contractor, and create your own tentative plan. The reason why doing this is important, is because you want to have some idea of what you expect your kitchen to look like. Simply express the changes that you want to make, by drawing a crude diagram. This diagram does not have to be perfect, or professional looking at all. Read the rest of this entry »

Adding an addition to your home? Most people think room additions are all about knocking out a wall and adding on a family room or expanding an existing room on the ground floor. But did you ever think about going UP, not out?

Room additions are a great idea – they can provide more space for a growing family, accommodate changing lifestyles, and provide greater functionality. But putting on an addition does not limit you to the ground floor. Have you thought about adding a second floor to your house? You can turn a ranch or Cape Cod style house into a beautiful colonial home just by adding a second floor.

Second floor additions can save you money.

That’s right. Second floor additions can actually save you money. Think about it. No foundation work or site preparation, no additional landscaping expense, no new plot plans. You’re not even changing how your house sits on your property. You’re going UP, not out. Read the rest of this entry »