Most water-loving people dream of having a home near the water. In fact, realtors claim that waterfront property is one of the most sought-after and quickest property sales on the market. Here are three things you should know about buying a home near the water – before you buy!

1. Body Boundaries

If you are looking to buy a water-side house, make sure the property lines extend all the way to the edge of the water. If there is a dock, make sure you find out who is legally responsible for the wood plats and piers that constantly need to be replaced. One of the best ways to find the information is to obtain a legal description of the property by asking for an examination by a marine inspection services company. Purchasing a waterfront property with no access to the water would be heartbreaking.

2. Property Improvements

Many buyers believe that once they purchase an area of property, they can make as many improvements as they want. However, many cities and counties limit and restrict waterfront additions, alterations or modifications. This is especially true of modifying or replacing docks, water-side buildings and additions to existing homes. There are also often rules and regulations about removing trees, building fences and hardscape property additions.

3. Hidden Expenses

Waterfront homes often come with land leases because the government or local county maintains possession of the land the homes or cabins are built on. Although that means you won’t be paying property taxes if the land is leased, it requires a long-term property contract with the government or municipality for as long as 100 years that can add up to $750 per month to your expenses. Make sure you understand existing property ownership restrictions before purchasing the home.

Before you buy, have a marine inspection, check for hidden lease expenses, and determine what property alterations are applicable. It may take time to find all the hidden costs and limitations, but it will be well worth it.…

A Dazzling Brilliance: Trends in Home Lighting

If you are out to buy light fittings, you may find yourself spoilt for choice. What are the “rules” for using chandeliers? How many lamps will give me the light I need in the den, without looking too cluttered? Do I have any options in “green” lighting that do not look like utilitarian and industrial cast-offs? Most importantly for some, how do I give my home a style that is forward looking, yet not too avant-garde? This year’s looks in interior design, while featuring the latest in technological innovation, hearken back to the classics without being overtly nostalgic. Lighting trends of 2012 include:

Crystal Opulence

Chandeliers are big in 2012, for those who are in the market to buy light fittings. Light as decorative element, these old-world inspired designs feature classic motifs and graceful styling. Whether in the foyer, in the dining room above the table, or just about anywhere, they can serve to tie the room together into a grand and unified whole. A good rule of thumb for sizing in the dining room is ensuring that the diameter of the chandelier be half the length of the table.

By Your Command – Voice Activation

Another trend that has become more and more popular is the use of voice activation. A bit more advanced than the “clap on, clap off” plug-in adverts of the past, these systems respond to voice commands in much the same way as many other smart products in our homes. When you buy light fittings like these, it is important to find an installer who knows how to calibrate the controls to your voice and the voices of those who will also be using the lighting. Closely related to voice activation are systems that are geared to whatever kind of music you happen to be playing. Let your sounds and lights combine to set the perfect mood.

Pendulum Swings and Drumming Up Some Shade

The drumshade is making a comeback. Whether as a humble beige accent piece or a gold leaf decorated screen, this ubiquitous piece can be found on everything from ornate table lamps to hanging pendants. Speaking of pendants, many of us grew up with the George Nelson Bubble Lamps frosted glass organic shape hanging from ceilings in the family room. While the originals are becoming as scarce as the proverbial hen’s teeth, the style developed back in 1947 has returned, either as a reproduction or as a re-interpretation.

Making It Your Own

Plan and envision your rooms. Decide what you want to say about you, to your family and to your guests. The watchword this year is elegant – see how best you can incorporate elegance into the lighting of your home.…

The Benefits Of Hiring A Bathroom Remodeler

Having your restroom remodeled is something you want to leave up to the professionals. You are going to need a good bathroom remodeler to do the job right and deliver professional results. Since many homeowners are not always well versed in getting renovation projects done properly, it is best for you to hire a professional company that will be able to take your vision and turn it into a reality. There are many benefits to having a professional bathroom remodeler take on your job.

When it comes to selecting a professional company, you need to be aware that different providers perform different services and vary in their pricing. Since there are many different projects that can be done to renovate your bathroom, you want to hire a bathroom remodeler who can perform a variety of services. In order to choose the best provider, you are going to need to screen all of your prospects. Pay special attention to the pricing, credentials and longevity of any companies you are considering. You want someone who has been in business for a long time. That means they have an abundance of customers that can testify about their experiences with the company. This is also a testament to the fact that the company is a good one, since it couldn’t stay in business without a steady stream of customers over the years.

Know what you want done to your facilities before you hire anyone. It doesn’t make much sense to hire a bathroom remodeler if you don’t have a good idea of what you want to be done. An indecisive person is a contractor’s dream, since they can suggest anything and you would be more likely to agree to it. Don’t spend up all of your hard earned money by not having an idea about how you want your facilities transformed. If you need ideas, look in some magazines or go and talk to some professionals at your local home improvement center. Keep in mind that while you are having your bathroom renovated, you may want to invest in more energy efficient fixtures and materials. They will last longer and increase the value of your home.

Make a budget and make sure you don’t go over it. A good way to do this is to have a low-ball price point and a high price point. If you can find a bathroom remodeler that can get the job done and it only costs you the middle range of your budget, you are getting a good deal. Don’t sacrifice quality for price; shop around so you can find a contractor who can get the job done in the manner you are seeking. Make sure that you choose a design that is going to compliment your homes decor and create the ultimate relaxation center in your home. The bathroom is the one area in your home where you should be able to get rid of the stresses of a long …

The Magic of White Marble Tile

There is always a great deal of impetus laid on the need for an impeccable home d?�cor among home owners. They always aim at things that are of the finest quality in various aspects of the interiors. There is a wide range of Carrara White Marble tile that can be placed for the floors of your home. This will bring forth an extraordinary look.

There is very often a popular use of White marble tile in different parts of the house. And this is primarily because white is a preferred color for many. This is one of those neutral colors that can balance several other elements of a d?�cor. The white color of the floors will always balance the color of your walls no matter what color you may choose.

There is a need for the use of tiles in different areas of the house. There is a range of Carrara marble bathroom tiles that will provide a very modern and sophisticated look to the bathrooms and toilets. These are areas where excessive use of water is common and thus there is a need for tiles that are durable and strong.

The use of White marble tile is also preferable for the kitchen and pantry areas of the house. This will ensure a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness. There is an importance of the white color in kitchen areas. There is an easy visibility of everything which will make it easier for you to maintain a clean and tidy kitchen area.

The range of Carrara marble bathrooms tiles are also placed in case of wall placements. This is applicable for the walls of the bathrooms and the kitchen or pantry areas as well. If there are certain areas in the exteriors of the house you can use them as well. You can be assured of durability and long sustenance of polish and fine quality of the finishing as well.

The use of Carrara white marble tile will also bring forth the convenience of the right price range. There are affordable prices of a large collection of tiles that are available. it is extremely cost effective in the long run if you consider in terms of the high quality of looks and appearances even after several years.…

Dealing with an infestation of crawling insects in your home can be frustrating and difficult. In general, it is best to address the problem as soon as possible. Insects have short reproductive cycles, and the population inside your home can spike rapidly. At the first indication that you have any six-legged critters lurking around, you should take action before the problem becomes any worse. Here are some things that you can do to rid your home of crawling insects.

Keep Your Floors Clean

Most crawling insects like to eat any scraps of food you leave on the floor. Making an extra effort to keep your floors clean can give them less to feed on. When you eliminate food sources, your kitchen will be a much less appealing hangout for cockroaches and many different types of ants. For more information about how to get rid of ants Fort Myers FL, contact a pest control service that has extensive experience serving residential customers in your area.

Use a Gel Bait

If you have observed crawling insects anywhere other than your floor, you may have a very active infestation. Gel bait is a good way to put a big dent in the insect population inside your home. The gel bait attracts the insects to feed, but it causes them to die soon after consumption.

Get Help From an Exterminator

Effectively addressing persistent crawling insects could require professional help. An exterminator can advise you about the best way to eradicate an active infestation and also give you some input about preventative treatments to fend off future infestations.

Ultimately, manually killing crawling insects is unlikely to keep your home free of insects. If you see one or two insects in your home, there are probably many more. Making your home less hospitable to insects and using an effective treatment method will help to keep your home of the tiny but annoying intruders.…

Whether you’re getting ready to sell your home or you want to enjoy driving up to a well-maintained exterior, there are many small ways to increase the curb appeal of your house. With a little bit of time and effort, you can transform a drab and boring exterior into a beautifully detailed one.

Trim Trees and Bushes

One of the main ways to change the look of your landscaping for the better is to trim the trees and bushes. When they begin to look gangly and overgrown, it detracts from the overall appeal of your home. To have trees removed you can have tree stump removal Raleigh come in and help. This seemingly small detail can make a huge difference.

Paint the Front Door

Instead of sticking with a plain black front door to welcome guests, choose a bright color that matches your personality. Red is a popular choice, but there are many shades of blue, yellow, gray and green that can optimize the aesthetic style of your house. Once the door is painted, you can purchase a new welcome mat and other small outdoor decor items to enhance the new color. Add a pretty flowering plant to increase the ambiance too.

Add or Upgrade Exterior Lighting

Updating the light fixtures near your front door and garage can immediately strengthen the beauty of your home. With proper uplighting near bushes and trees, you can even evoke a sense of upscale luxury. Make sure the lighting you choose is also functional, with enough brightness to move around at night and keep would-be burglars away.

As you can see, small details make a difference when it comes to increasing the value of your house through the art of curb appeal. Allow potential buyers to immediately feel like they’re coming home when they pull up to view your property.…

Want to Go Green? The Bathroom is a Great Place to Start!

It seems that in recent times people have become more and more aware of the environment, and the world that we live in. A lot of people are starting to look at ways that they can help to reduce their footprint on this planet. You may be wondering what it is that you can do to help. A great place to start is in your very own bathroom. Some of the things that you can do in your bathroom to help the environment is be aware of water and energy conservation, and a few other green methods that you can employ in your bathroom. Stick with us and we will teach you some of these options.

Water conservation has become a major part of being environmentally friendly. In many places there are ongoing droughts and a greater realisation of how important water is to all. Some of the water conservation efforts that you can make in your bathroom are to start taking showers instead of baths. Showers use a lot less water than baths, and if you limit your shower time to 5 minutes or so, you will be saving hundreds and hundreds of litres of water every week. You can install water-saving shower heads in your bar in your shower that will further help this process. And remember the old saying, “If it’s yellow let it mellow, and if it’s brown, flush it down”. Basically, this means that you do not have to flush the toilet every time you use it. Flushing the toilet, on average will use around 10 L of water every time.

Energy conservation is also important as the majority of our energy comes from non-renewable sources, that is, the burning of coal. To be more energy conscious in the bathroom, you can start by installing compact fluorescent light bulbs which use only a fraction of what the old traditional light bulbs use. And remember to turn the lights off when you are not in the bathroom, and also remember to keep an eye on heaters and fans that you may use in the room. They do not need to be running if no one is using the bathroom.

As well as conserving water and energy, there are some other steps you can take in your bathroom. For example, use chemical free products wherever possible. A lot of chemicals are being flushed down the drain and end up in our water supply. Using chemical free products can also be beneficial to your own well being, because a lot of these chemicals have been proven to be cancer producing agents. Another thing that you can do is to use recycled toilet paper. The technology used for recycling has become better and better in recent times, and recycled toilet paper is now of such a high-quality, that it is difficult to tell the difference. Finally, be careful of what you flushed down the toilet. Plastics should …

Planning That Badly-Needed Bathroom Remodel

If you are constantly thinking that you just can’t possibly live with your grungy, dated bathroom any longer, you may want to consider doing a complete remodel. After all, most of us have seen shows on TV that demonstrate the benefits of a complete gutting and rebuilding of existing bathroom space. A fact that the shows often gloss over, however, is how expensive these remodels really are. Sure, if you’re willing to hire someone to come in and perform a total makeover, you’re going to end up with a showplace. However, if you have a smaller budget and would still like to make a difference, there are some things you can do.

The Internet is full of websites that show pictures of remodeled bathrooms. While you may not want, or be able to afford, to do your room just like any of the pictures you see, you can choose different design elements you like from many different pictures and get free tips for how to achieve similar effects on a limited budget. There is a wealth of information available at your fingertips if you just take the time to do your research.

How much space do you have to work with? When houses were built back in the ’50s and ’60s, functionality was the main focus for a bathroom. Therefore, they were built compact and to the point — bathtub, sink, toilet, and few amenities. Today’s homebuyer, however, seems to be looking for large bathrooms with loads of special features. They are after huge, separate showers, stand-alone bathtubs, vessel sinks, and plenty of floor space in which to move around. Most older homes don’t have this kind of space when it comes to existing bathrooms. Therefore, you may have to either work at maximizing the space you have available or looking at removing so walls in order to enlarge the space. Either way, you can add real value to your home.

No one wants a home with only one bathroom any longer. In fact, it’s usually the more the better. With a two story home, the ideal plan has at least a bathroom on each floor and one in the basement. In addition, most people prefer to have en suite bathrooms in at least the master bedroom suite. Adding an en suite to the guest room is also a plus. That is, if you have the space to add all of these bathrooms. To get them, it usually means major renovations of entire floors, but it can be done provided you want to pay for all the work it entails.

Just freshening your bath can have positive results. Repainting with a lighter shade of color, removing dated wallpaper, changing floor tiles, and replacing the old medicine cabinet with something more modern can give the room the facelift it needs without spending huge amounts of money.…

Putting window treatments in your bathroom can be tricky because you need to take into account lighting, privacy and dampness. There are several options to consider to make your bathroom both attractive and functional.

Shades

Light-filtering shades such as cellular shades Cambridge are a great option for a bathroom that would be too dark with a more traditional curtain. Light-filtering shades let in enough sun to keep the bathroom well-lit without sacrificing privacy. Installing a top-down/bottom-up shade also allows you to control who gets to see what view. Those in the bathroom can still see the blue sky and the treetops while those on the outside can only see the top of your head at most.

Blinds

There are different types of blinds that look nice in the bathroom.  Metal, plastic or faux wood blinds all resist mildew but the more natural-looking the material, the classier look for the bathroom. Blinds can be tilted to let in light but to also keep the room private from those on the outside.

Shutters

Shutters always provide an upscale look to any home, but the wood may be subject to warping or splitting in the humidity of the bathroom. Ask your window covering professional about using a smaller version of outside shutters which are treated to withstand all types of weather conditions.

Glass Blocks

If you have a window in your shower, you may find your window treatment options somewhat limited as the constant splash of water may be enough to degrade any covering. Glass blocks may provide the perfect solution. The blocks act as a window that you can’t see through. The light gets in but the shapes in the shower are too distorted to make out, much like wearing another person’s very high prescription glasses.

Bathroom window treatments can do more than just provide privacy. Choosing the right style can make a big difference to the overall look of the room.…

What Can You Do When Remodeling a Small Bathroom Space?

You want to give your tiny bath a new look, but you are afraid that fitting everything you’d like to see in such a stingy area is not feasible. Remember this. The transformation is probably more than possible if you approach it with equal measures of creativity and good, old-fashioned common sense. What can you do when remodeling a small bathroom space? You can use the most important tool you possess… your brain.

First, take stock of the space available. If you are stripping it down to the bare walls, then figure it that way. If you are leaving basic fixtures in place and doing a cosmetic overhaul instead, figure your available space without the space occupied by the fixtures. A simple way is to sketch the room to scale on a sheet of graph paper. Pencil in what items will be inside the room when you start (if any) and then come up with a layout that makes the most of the space you have.

If you don’t have room for a full tub and shower, then maybe making do with a shower only is a space saving solution. Pencil it in. If you have a vanity but it’s too big, try a pedestal sink instead and pencil that in. You can have shelves over the toilet to hold supplies. So shade that in with your pencil, as well.

Soon a picture will begin to emerge. You can have a new look in that tiny space, you simply have to use your brain and some ingenuity to get there. So, what is the correct response when you ask yourself, “What can you do when remodeling a small bathroom space?” You response should always be, “I should use my head and the space I have and create something wonderful”!…