Tips

 

The increasing popularity of home improvement is not surprising. After all, not only does it allow homeowners to improve and personalize their properties, but it can also result in higher values as well as equity too. No matter the scope of the project, however, the tasks that they often entail can be as stressful as they are involving. And if left unchecked, the costs can spiral out of control and put more than a sizeable dent in the bank. To this end, here are a few top tips to stay within the allotted budget for your home improvement project.

1. Keep your options open

Equipment, materials, and tasks like a deck removal are unavoidable expenses that you will undoubtedly have to deal with when tackling a home improvement project. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t keep your expenditure to a minimum. So before you make any purchases, it pays to keep your options open. In this way, not only are you far more likely to find cheaper alternatives, but you’ll be surprised at how much you will be able to save in the process too.

1. Always do your research

While not exactly as exciting as performing the jobs associated with a home improvement project, research is a crucial step that no homeowner should overlook. Tedious as the task might appear to be, time invested in it now will not only provide insight into the feasibility of the project, but it can also help you avoid potentially costly mistakes that will be expensive to rectify.

1. Focus on one task at a time

One of the reasons why home improvement is often associated with high costs and expenditure is that many homeowners often make the mistake of taking on too many tasks at a time. Not only does this leave us more susceptible to mistakes and push the project back but it can also make our expenses spiral out of control too. As such, it makes sense to focus on one job at a time as doing so will help us keep the budget under control better.

1. Refurbish instead of replacing

While many of us would rather buy everything brand new, it just isn’t an economical approach with a home improvement project. From the tools and materials needed to things like furniture and fixtures, it’s always good standard practice to try and refurbish instead of replacing whenever possible. Time-consuming as this might be, it can go a long way, especially when working with a tight budget.

It may not be easy to do a home improvement project on the cheap, but it certainly isn’t impossible to stay within a reasonable budget. With these tips, not only will you be able to avoid errors and mistakes that will take more time and resources to rectify, but you’re also maximizing your chances of keeping your expenses low to stay well within the allotted budget for the tasks at hand.

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People feel amazed when seeing large houses. They might even think that only wealthy people can afford to buy a large luxury house. Although there are benefits that come with a huge home, you might also love residing in a small place. These are some reasons why you would be better off when you choose to live in a small house.

It is easy to maintain

The problem with a huge house is that it is not easy to maintain. You will take time cleaning the place and also spend a lot of money on repair issues. You would rather be in a small home where you can quickly maintain the area. When you do not always have enough time to clean, you will not be a fan of a large house.

It is less expensive

Apart from the fact that spacious lots and houses are expensive, they also come with high taxes, heating and cooling fees, electric bills and insurance costs. You can evade them by opting to live in a small house. You can cut your expenses by half if you choose a little place to reside in.

You will not worry about your possessions

It is a psychological fact that once we have lots of possessions, we start to become fearful of losing them. However, if you have a small house with fewer possessions, to begin with, it will be easier for you to sleep at night. You have nothing much to lose unlike when you have a large property with many items inside.

Less environmental impact

When you have a big house, it requires more materials to build than a small one. There are more resources necessary to get things done. You would rather have a small home where you only need to use a few construction materials to finish the job.

You have more time to do other things

When you have a small house, you will not need to spend a lot of time cleaning. You can finish sweeping the floor and dusting off surfaces in a few minutes. You can have more time with the people you love or to relax during the holidays. However, if you still find the place difficult to maintain and you do not have enough time to tidy things up, you can choose to hire house clean out services. Let these experts do the job and reduce your burden.

Encourage family bonding

You think that it is an exaggerated story when you hear about people living in a huge house and they barely see each other. It is true in many instances though considering the number of rooms and facilities present in the house. When you have a small house, you can easily find your loved ones. There are not a lot of places for people to chill out. Hence, you can spend more time bonding with each other.

Given these reasons, it might be reasonable for you to choose a small house. You can still pursue a large dream house later, but a small one will suffice for now.

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If you’re interested in learning how to use alcohol ink in order to create fun, creative backgrounds for your art projects such as stamping or card making, it’s well worth continuing reading to discover a few useful alcohol ink tips and techniques, which you may find useful!

7 Alcohol ink tips and techniques:

1. Consider purchasing an alcohol ink kit which features a few complementary colors

If you’re unsure of which colors will complement each other, simply opt to purchase an alcohol ink kit which boasts a few shades which have been found to work well together. If you don’t want to rely on trial and error in order to choose the right shades of ink, you simply can’t go wrong opting to purchase an alcohol ink kit, which boasts several high-quality shades.

2. Invest in a good quality alcohol blending solution

It’s well worth investing in a decent alcohol blending solution as you’ll be able to use it to lighten your colors and to clean any spilt alcohol ink off your clothes and hands.

3. Purchase a felt applicator

The best way to mix your alcohol ink is to use a felt applicator, which will allow you to seamlessly blend multiple colors into a new shade.

4. Test your skills out on non-porous surfaces first

While it’s possible to use alcohol ink on porous surfaces, until you’ll confident using alcohol ink, you’ll be far better off practicing your skills on non-porous surfaces such as glossy paper, glass, metal or ceramics. Once you’ve mastered the art of using alcohol ink to decorate non-porous surfaces, you’ll be able to experiment with using alcohol ink in order to decorate porous surfaces such as wood!

5. Use your felt applicator to create a marble inspired background

You may want to use a felt applicator in order to create a marbled effect, which could be suitable for card making or scrapbooking. To create a marble background simply apply your ink directly to the surface which you’re looking to decorate before dabbing the ink which you’ve squirted out around your surface. Until the entire surface which you’re working with has been dabbed with ink.

6. Use a straw to move the ink on your surface around

Alternatively, you may want to try moving the ink on your surface around by blowing through a straw directly onto the ink which you’re looking to create art with!

7. Consider using a stamp in order to create professional looking results

If you’re looking to achieve professional looking results, it’s well worth purchasing or creating a few stamps, which you can use to decorate a variety of materials. Simply squirt alcohol ink directly onto your chosen stamp, before using a felt applicator to evenly spread your alcohol ink over your desired stamp. Once your stamp is sufficiently coated in ink, quickly apply your stamp to your surface, in order to create a clear stamp.

So if you’re looking forward to testing out the tips and techniques listed above, it’s well worth coming up with a brand new creative project which will allow you to practice your inking skills.

If you find creating DIY crafts relaxing and love the thrill of completing DIY projects, continue reading to discover a variety of fun, easy DIY crafts that you may be interested in completing.

Easy DIY Crafts:

1. Tie-dye mugs, cups and plates

If you want to give a new lease on life to your old, white mugs, cups and plates, you may want to consider using tie-dye to turn each mug, cup, and plate that you want to transform into a unique, work of art.

If you’re interested you can use your favorite nail polishes as dyes. Simply fill up a bucket with warm water and pour your chosen nail polish into your bucket of hot water. Just make sure to hold your nail polish under the water as you don’t want your nail polish to sit on the surface as your water and need your nail polish to mix into your water.

Then use a toothpick to mix your nail polish into your hot water, before dipping your mug, cup or plate into the water. Once you remove your piece, let it dry properly. If you want your piece to feature more than one color, simply let it dry before repeating the process above with a new bucket of water and nail polish color.

Whether you’d love to personalize your own coffee cup or you’re looking to DIY a thoughtful gift for a loved one, it’s well worth experimenting with nail polish as a tye dye ingredient.

2. Create a decorative frame for your flat screen television

If you’d like to be able to disguise your television when you’re not using it, it’s well worth measuring your flat screen television in order to create a frame for your television, which will make your television look like a piece of art, rather than an eyesore.

If you’re interested in using your DIY skills to build a custom-made frame for your television, just be sure to make your frame 1cm bigger than your television, so that it will comfortably fit inside its new frame, without incurring any scratches.

3. Give an old chaise or ottoman a new lease on life with brand new fabric

Instead of simply throwing out a chaise or ottoman which has faded or ripped fabric, you’ll easily be able to give your piece of furniture a new lease on life by reupholstering your item with an attractive, eye-catching fabric. If in doubt, you can’t go wrong opting for a luxurious velvet fabric in a dark hue such as navy or burgundy or opting for a classic floral print.

4. Sew your own cushion covers

If you don’t have the skills necessary in order to reupholster a chaise or an ottoman, you may want to work on your sewing skills by creating brand new cushion covers. That way you’ll be able to change your sofa’s cushion covers on a regular basis, which will change the look of your lounge, for a small cost. If you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a new sofa, it’s really worth creating an assortment of varying cushion overs.

So if you’re keen to complete a DIY project this weekend, you can’t go wrong choosing any of the four simple DIY projects which are listed above.