ABC’s of Fine Design

Resale value is not the only thing you should think about when looking into the future of your home. If you plan on living out your days there you should start thinking about how you are going to get around that wonderful home of yours.

Now that people are living longer there are many things that have now started to effect our aging population. Many things that before either never happened or you didn’t have to live with the problem for that long. Now you may have to live with a disability for 20 years before you pass away.

Using Universal Design is the best way to keep your home working for you as you age. Install different heights for your counters so that you can still use them if your in a wheelchair. Install stair lifts if your home has two stories, of course you don’t have to do this until you need it, but save for it as it can cost a great deal of money.

If your building a home and it’s a two or more story. Design it so there is a bedroom type room downstairs. That way if you can’t get up the stairs you don’t have to worry about it, you just move your room down. Also second story laundry rooms are a big thing, but if you also put hookups on the main floor it will make your life easier later on.

I know that most people don’t want to even think about getting old and dying, but it is a fact of life. If you plan for it the process will be much easier and you won’t be a frustrated old man or women who yells at everyone. Of course if your trying to get back at your kids maybe you want to be one of those people.

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My sister has talked about putting in a game room when she moves so that her kids can have their friends over and she doesn’t have to worry about what they are doing. This is a huge trend right now with concerned parents and of course a big trend in the design industry as well.

Decorating this type of room can be hard. You want it kid friendly, but you also want it to be fun for the adults and teens too. That is where good design comes into play. One great accessory for this type of room are posters and pictures that reflect activities that may either go on in the room, or just fun images that spark enjoyment. I like using Vintage Paper Ads because they have a classic but fun look to them that can liven up any room.

There are many sites where you can get ad’s like this, but one of the easiest to use is vintagepaperads.com. Use of classic ads like the one on the left is a great way to show children the history of some of their favorite products. Of course there are even more products to choose from at this site, some of the categories include, Alcohol / Beer, Food / Restaurant and Travel / Tourism. All great picks for a well designed game or entertainment room.

What else you add into that room all depends on your children and your likes and dislikes. Make the room fun for everyone and you won’t have to worry about what your kids are doing. You will know exactly where they are and who they are with since they will be right in your own home.

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If you don’t have a garage already you may want to look into getting one. It really can help up the value of your home and help you get though those cold winters and hot summers. Of course if you prefer you could always just use car covers for your vehicles but you would still have to clean all that snow off and it wouldn’t help the value of your home.

Garages are something that people really look for in a home. Right now the big thing is to have one that is big enough for a boat or even an RV. These are the toy’s people are buying and if your looking to sell your home, a lack of a garage may be a deal breaker.

If your handy and a do it yourself person, there are many garage kits you can buy and you can build the garage yourself, make sure to check your local building codes first so that you don’t start building and find out that you can’t. This would be the cheep and best way to build a garage as you should get most of that money back.

Right now is a good time to just improve your home if your in an area that is not selling well, this will help with not only your home value, but it may help improve the value of the homes around you.

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Have you ever been standing in your home and felt a draft, do you pay way to much for your heating bill. I know I use to, but there are ways to change both of these things. One of the mist important is to use good insulation in your home. Insulation will keep you warm and lower your heating cost. Insulation is the cheapest way to improve the heating and cooling of your home.

If your looking for sound proofing insulation is also what you want it will keep the noise from your neighbors away. It will also help you keep your privacy in areas you may want it most like bathrooms, bed rooms and possibly an entertainment or game room. Use it in these areas and you wont be kept up by the big game or wake up to your significant other’s shower noises when you want to sleep in.

So help keep your sanity and your money, by making sure your home is well insulated for a cold winter or hot summer and enjoy your home and the time you spend in it.

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Something that has always stuck out at me is the amount of concrete located in a cemetery, if you think about it usually cheaper headstones are made of concrete, there are benches and memorial plaques. Even the flower planters are made of concrete. Why? Well concrete is not that expensive, it’s strong and it hold up to weather. It is also cheep to ship. There is a great website you can check out if you want to use concrete at your home, Doty & Sons is a great place to buy concrete items and they do have a good selection of merchandise. Not only can you find a plaque for your loved one, but you can get things for a local park you may be helping with, or a school.

Concrete items are a big thing in design because of there strength and versatility. You see concrete tables at restaurants and in parks. Most of the trash receptacles are concrete. There is a reason that cities are called concrete jungles, concrete is used everywhere. It’s the foundation for your home. It’s fire proof and it’s cheep. So next time your thinking of doing a design project for your home or business take a look at concrete and check out that website, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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One thing that I always liked about my grandparent old home was there screened in porch. It allowed you to be outside but kept the bugs out. The one thing I never liked about it though was that it looked horrible. It was metal and looked like it.

Now of course you can get these wonderful conservatories that look so much better and have many more options. You can have full glass or half glass. I personally prefer full, unless your trying to hide something from your view. You can also get single, double or sliding glass doors instead of just the standard single.

I find it so refreshing to find home improvements like this because they are both stylish and useful. I know when I build my home I plan on putting one in and if you live in any kind of climate they can be really a wonderful addition to your home and lifestyle.

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I was looking though some blog today and I found a great blog that, I think, all of my wonderful readers, meaning you, would like. It is called Helpful Advice for Home Construction Improvement, yes a mouthful I know, but still a good name. It has lots of helpful advice for your DIY’s.

The posts I found most intriguing for me were the post about building a farmers porch, My mother would love to put that kind of a porch on the front of her home, which she just had built 2 years ago. I have bookmarked this for my step-father, who really doesn’t know much about this stuff, but thinks he does, I’m sure I’ll have to reference this a few times if they ever get the project going.

So if your looking for more building and construction ideas, then interior design ideas check out this blog, it’s really a great find.

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