Homebuyers and sellers often hear about "plumbing upgrades", but what does this mean? Generally speaking, upgrading plumbing in the context of buying or selling a home refers to both fixtures and/or the plumbing system itself. Here are some basics to consider when referring to plumbing upgrades.
Fixtures
In bathrooms and kitchens, the faucet fixtures are an easy upgrade that adds style without a lot of spend. If a home is being prepped for sale, the best bet is to use fixtures that will appeal to the most potential buyers — choose a basic finish and design that isn't too specialized. The idea is not necessarily to draw attention to the faucets, but to demonstrate that the fixtures are modern and in good condition.
Toilets are another simple upgrade that will also have a positive effect on how the home is perceived. If space allows, an elongated bowl and a high-profile height are smart changes to make. A neutral color that works with the existing tile and walls is best.
A shower upgrade can be as basic as adding a handheld shower unit to the existing setup. Another effective upgrade is to install a "rain"-type showerhead, which are becoming more popular in new homes. Also consider a thermostatic valve for the shower, which prevents scalding while the shower is running.
Piping
Lately there has been a growing trend toward home repiping. During this process, all water lines in the home are replaced. Sometimes, the line from the water main to the house may need to be replaced as well.
Over time, old metal pipes can degenerate, increasing the potential for leaks, reduced water flow capacity/water pressure, and causing material to flake off inside the pipe. The taste and appearance of water can also be adversely affected. Some older homes have lead pipes, which are less subject to corrosion but pose a serious health hazard for children.
Typically, replacement piping is made of copper or PVC. The best material to use depends on a number of factors, including the hardness of the water and winter temperatures. Homeowners should always seek out the opinions of several contractors before making the important — and not inexpensive — decision to repipe the home.
For Your Real Estate Needs
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Speed Cleaning in 20 minutes or less......
"If it's not dirty, don't clean it," says Queen of Clean Linda Cobb. That's the most important thing to keep in mind when it's time to spruce up before someone stops by. Here is Linda's ultimate guide to a quick cleanup.
1. Take a laundry basket and go from room to room picking up things that don't belong. Stash the basket in a closet or somewhere guests won't look.
2. Next, tidy up the bathroom that guests will use. Wipe it up quickly, light a candle and make it look nice. Remember: That's a room where guests will have a good amount of time to sit privately, unobserved and look around.
3. Next, run the vacuum through the main rooms company will be in and fluff the pillows.
4. Shut the door on other rooms that will not be seen or needed if they're messy.
5. If it's nighttime, turn on some lights. If it's daytime, open up the shutters or the curtains or the blinds. A well-lit room looks cleaner.
6. Finally, simmer a pot of water filled with cinnamon and cloves to give your house a nice, fresh scent.
a special thanks to Emily Lapkin
1. Take a laundry basket and go from room to room picking up things that don't belong. Stash the basket in a closet or somewhere guests won't look.
2. Next, tidy up the bathroom that guests will use. Wipe it up quickly, light a candle and make it look nice. Remember: That's a room where guests will have a good amount of time to sit privately, unobserved and look around.
3. Next, run the vacuum through the main rooms company will be in and fluff the pillows.
4. Shut the door on other rooms that will not be seen or needed if they're messy.
5. If it's nighttime, turn on some lights. If it's daytime, open up the shutters or the curtains or the blinds. A well-lit room looks cleaner.
6. Finally, simmer a pot of water filled with cinnamon and cloves to give your house a nice, fresh scent.
a special thanks to Emily Lapkin
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Bathroom Makeovers
Today more and more homeowners are directing their energy and creativity towards redecorating the bathroom. Be it the family bath, or the master ensuite, the primary focus is on increased luxury comfort and convenience. Many homeowners are looking for new ideas to make their existing bathrooms larger.
Get the Most from Your Space
Redecorating a small bathroom is a common design problem. If you can't expand the room, either by building an addition or by incorporating space from a nearby bedroom or closet, here are some ideas to help you get the most out of the space you have.
There are many ways to give a bathroom a facelift. You can make it visually larger by decorating with light colours. Large prints and bold stripes tend to overpower a small room. Stick to small prints whether you are painting or wallpapering. Limit your accessories. Remember, less can be more!
Try to create a sense of continuity. Bathrooms are chopped up enough by fixtures, so paint and wallpaper walls and ceiling the same colour.
When choosing a wallpaper make sure it is a good vinyl, that isn't prepasted. Wallpaper paste is water based and if the shower isn't ventilated properly, the vapour may cause the wallpaper to lift from the wall. When you paste by hand, use an oil-based glue.
Update Your Fixtures
Whether you are bold, colorful, soft or subtle, there are fixtures available that will reflect your persona and express your style. Everything from hand painted porcelain fixtures complete with matching gold plated faucets, to a variety of natural fixtures including granite, marble, onyx and teakwood are available. Leading manufacturers now work in harmony to create colour coordinated bath products.
If your colour fixtures are outdated, and new ones are out of the question, consider having them refinished. White is always a classic and an excellent choice.
Shower curtains can also make a room visually larger. Choose a clear shower curtain with a solid colour fabric curtain. And mirrors are another good trick to visually expand your space. A long mirror with plenty of lights increases the visual space and prevents having to jostle for mirror space when two people are using the bathroom.
Storage Solutions
If you are planning to change your fixtures, you may want to consider replacing your vanity and sink with a pedestal sink. This will give you more floor space, but you will lose some storage space. Storage space problems can be solved in a variety of ways. Wall-mounted cabinets are a great way to hide bathroom clutter, without taking up valuable floor space. Units can be installed above the toilet, above the mirror or in the deck space below a raised bathtub. If you purchase a low profile toilet, there will be even more room for wall-mounted storage above. Choose cabinets that are no more than six inches deep so they don't get in the way.
Extending your counter-top over the back of the toilet is known as a "banjo top" counter. Be sure there is enough clearance space to raise the tank top should it require service. Open shelving between the toilet and vanity creates handy storage space, looks less bulky than closed storage space, and eliminates the need for clearance for a cupboard door.
A plastic coated wire mounted on a pegboard above a low profile toilet is another way to create storage space and works well as a decorative element.
If you don't have room for a shower stall, try installing a rounded shower base in the corner of a small bathroom, leaving no corners to jut out into valuable floor space. A folding door eliminates the need for clearance space between the pedestal basin and door. If your bathroom is too narrow for a standard vanity, ask your designer or contractor to build a bank of cabinets half as deep. Install a bump out sink because a regular drop in bowl won't fit in this type of cabinet. Since lower cabinets will be shallow, you won't have to reach as far for supplies.
Both light and ventilation are important in a bathroom. Light expands the space and prevents shadows. Ventilation keeps air circulating. A combination fan forced heater/ventilator/ceiling light allows all three work separately or together. This eliminates the need to buy three different fixtures.
Whatever your decorating style, there are a host of new patterns, colours and designs available that will reflect your particular tastes and serve to make your bathroom more functional.
Get the Most from Your Space
Redecorating a small bathroom is a common design problem. If you can't expand the room, either by building an addition or by incorporating space from a nearby bedroom or closet, here are some ideas to help you get the most out of the space you have.
There are many ways to give a bathroom a facelift. You can make it visually larger by decorating with light colours. Large prints and bold stripes tend to overpower a small room. Stick to small prints whether you are painting or wallpapering. Limit your accessories. Remember, less can be more!
Try to create a sense of continuity. Bathrooms are chopped up enough by fixtures, so paint and wallpaper walls and ceiling the same colour.
When choosing a wallpaper make sure it is a good vinyl, that isn't prepasted. Wallpaper paste is water based and if the shower isn't ventilated properly, the vapour may cause the wallpaper to lift from the wall. When you paste by hand, use an oil-based glue.
Update Your Fixtures
Whether you are bold, colorful, soft or subtle, there are fixtures available that will reflect your persona and express your style. Everything from hand painted porcelain fixtures complete with matching gold plated faucets, to a variety of natural fixtures including granite, marble, onyx and teakwood are available. Leading manufacturers now work in harmony to create colour coordinated bath products.
If your colour fixtures are outdated, and new ones are out of the question, consider having them refinished. White is always a classic and an excellent choice.
Shower curtains can also make a room visually larger. Choose a clear shower curtain with a solid colour fabric curtain. And mirrors are another good trick to visually expand your space. A long mirror with plenty of lights increases the visual space and prevents having to jostle for mirror space when two people are using the bathroom.
Storage Solutions
If you are planning to change your fixtures, you may want to consider replacing your vanity and sink with a pedestal sink. This will give you more floor space, but you will lose some storage space. Storage space problems can be solved in a variety of ways. Wall-mounted cabinets are a great way to hide bathroom clutter, without taking up valuable floor space. Units can be installed above the toilet, above the mirror or in the deck space below a raised bathtub. If you purchase a low profile toilet, there will be even more room for wall-mounted storage above. Choose cabinets that are no more than six inches deep so they don't get in the way.
Extending your counter-top over the back of the toilet is known as a "banjo top" counter. Be sure there is enough clearance space to raise the tank top should it require service. Open shelving between the toilet and vanity creates handy storage space, looks less bulky than closed storage space, and eliminates the need for clearance for a cupboard door.
A plastic coated wire mounted on a pegboard above a low profile toilet is another way to create storage space and works well as a decorative element.
If you don't have room for a shower stall, try installing a rounded shower base in the corner of a small bathroom, leaving no corners to jut out into valuable floor space. A folding door eliminates the need for clearance space between the pedestal basin and door. If your bathroom is too narrow for a standard vanity, ask your designer or contractor to build a bank of cabinets half as deep. Install a bump out sink because a regular drop in bowl won't fit in this type of cabinet. Since lower cabinets will be shallow, you won't have to reach as far for supplies.
Both light and ventilation are important in a bathroom. Light expands the space and prevents shadows. Ventilation keeps air circulating. A combination fan forced heater/ventilator/ceiling light allows all three work separately or together. This eliminates the need to buy three different fixtures.
Whatever your decorating style, there are a host of new patterns, colours and designs available that will reflect your particular tastes and serve to make your bathroom more functional.
Article by Orea.com
New Kitchens
If you are looking for the best bang for your renovation dollar, kitchens and bathrooms are still considered to be the projects with the highest potential to add or maintain value in a home.
If you are considering selling your home in the near future, talk to a REALTOR® for tips on how to make your home more appealing and “saleable.” You may find that a new kitchen is not in your best interests and a fresh coat of paint and some minor repairs are all that’s needed. Because renovating a kitchen can be one of the more expensive projects a homeowner will undertake, you’ll want to consider the length of time you expect to stay in your house.
According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada, if you are remodelling your kitchen as a face-lift prior to selling it, it’s recommended that you spend no more than 10-15% of the cost of your house. If you are going to remain in your house for more than five years, you can spend 25% or more – and in most cases you will recoup the cost of the renovation when you sell.
How Much Will it Cost?
Kitchen renovations can cost you anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000 for a cosmetic facelift with no new cabinets, plumbing or electrical changes. Look to spend at least $10,000 if you choose new low-end cabinetry, counters, appliances, flooring, paint, and some minor structural changes. However, the sky’s the limit when it comes to a new kitchen and you can expect to pay $20,000 and up for high quality cabinets, custom work and many upgrades and it's not hard to run a tab of $50,000 or more.
Keeping Costs Down
There are ways to cut costs when updating your kitchen without sacrificing quality.
Regardless of what you do budget, don't skimp on design, appliances, or labor. These are the basis for a functional kitchen and you should get the best you can afford. To keep costs to a minimum, use stock cabinets instead of custom work, laminates instead of solids, and hang on to your current appliances, if you can. Also try to keep your existing plumbing and electrical and don't make structural changes to the room.
Planning ahead in detail will also save you money. Any changes or corrections halfway through the process will be expensive.
Tips for Low Cost Kitchen Makeovers
If your budget is tight and smaller projects are what you’re aiming for, here are a few ideas:
Resurface or Repaint Old Cupboards
Paint is inexpensive and can transform wooden cupboards in a matter of hours. Try a new painting technique, or a textured look, or a zesty combination of colours. You can also resurface old cupboards with wood laminate, or one of the new, non-traditional plastic-based materials that resist chipping, denting and staining. Formica counter tops, for example, provide the look and feel of expensive solid surfacing at about half the cost.
Use More Glass
Replace a few cabinets with glass ones. Glass and mirrors in a room add the illusion of more space, as well as glamour -- especially if you add interior lights to your new cupboards.
Change your hardware
Simply adding new cabinet and drawer handles can change the look of a kitchen! With the many choices in colour, size and style of drawer knobs and handles, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.
Floor and Wall Facelifts
Paint, wallpaper and flooring in a variety of textures, styles, colours and patterns can easily spice up a bland kitchen. Stencil a border around a window, below a ceiling, or between the cupboards and the counter tops and you can change the mood overnight.
Be Innovative
A good kitchen should not only look great, but stand up to daily wear and tear. It should function well and enable people to move freely between it and related areas of the house.
If you plan to completely remodel the kitchen, be honest about your ability. You may want to leave this important job in the hands of an expert who can do the work quickly and professionally. A kitchen designer/contractor can suggest unique ideas and come up with creative solutions to particular problems. Finally, be sure to get at least two bids on the work you plan to do and compare these carefully.
If you are considering selling your home in the near future, talk to a REALTOR® for tips on how to make your home more appealing and “saleable.” You may find that a new kitchen is not in your best interests and a fresh coat of paint and some minor repairs are all that’s needed. Because renovating a kitchen can be one of the more expensive projects a homeowner will undertake, you’ll want to consider the length of time you expect to stay in your house.
According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada, if you are remodelling your kitchen as a face-lift prior to selling it, it’s recommended that you spend no more than 10-15% of the cost of your house. If you are going to remain in your house for more than five years, you can spend 25% or more – and in most cases you will recoup the cost of the renovation when you sell.
How Much Will it Cost?
Kitchen renovations can cost you anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000 for a cosmetic facelift with no new cabinets, plumbing or electrical changes. Look to spend at least $10,000 if you choose new low-end cabinetry, counters, appliances, flooring, paint, and some minor structural changes. However, the sky’s the limit when it comes to a new kitchen and you can expect to pay $20,000 and up for high quality cabinets, custom work and many upgrades and it's not hard to run a tab of $50,000 or more.
Keeping Costs Down
There are ways to cut costs when updating your kitchen without sacrificing quality.
Regardless of what you do budget, don't skimp on design, appliances, or labor. These are the basis for a functional kitchen and you should get the best you can afford. To keep costs to a minimum, use stock cabinets instead of custom work, laminates instead of solids, and hang on to your current appliances, if you can. Also try to keep your existing plumbing and electrical and don't make structural changes to the room.
Planning ahead in detail will also save you money. Any changes or corrections halfway through the process will be expensive.
Tips for Low Cost Kitchen Makeovers
If your budget is tight and smaller projects are what you’re aiming for, here are a few ideas:
Resurface or Repaint Old Cupboards
Paint is inexpensive and can transform wooden cupboards in a matter of hours. Try a new painting technique, or a textured look, or a zesty combination of colours. You can also resurface old cupboards with wood laminate, or one of the new, non-traditional plastic-based materials that resist chipping, denting and staining. Formica counter tops, for example, provide the look and feel of expensive solid surfacing at about half the cost.
Use More Glass
Replace a few cabinets with glass ones. Glass and mirrors in a room add the illusion of more space, as well as glamour -- especially if you add interior lights to your new cupboards.
Change your hardware
Simply adding new cabinet and drawer handles can change the look of a kitchen! With the many choices in colour, size and style of drawer knobs and handles, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.
Floor and Wall Facelifts
Paint, wallpaper and flooring in a variety of textures, styles, colours and patterns can easily spice up a bland kitchen. Stencil a border around a window, below a ceiling, or between the cupboards and the counter tops and you can change the mood overnight.
Be Innovative
A good kitchen should not only look great, but stand up to daily wear and tear. It should function well and enable people to move freely between it and related areas of the house.
If you plan to completely remodel the kitchen, be honest about your ability. You may want to leave this important job in the hands of an expert who can do the work quickly and professionally. A kitchen designer/contractor can suggest unique ideas and come up with creative solutions to particular problems. Finally, be sure to get at least two bids on the work you plan to do and compare these carefully.
Article Source: Orea.com
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