bedroom — Home and Garden Diva

Bathroom Remodeling Requires A Plan Before Taking Any Actions

In a world of DIY home renovation projects, it can be easy to get started on an extensive bathroom remodeling project without taking the time to plan ahead. After all, the bathroom is a relatively small room compared with the rest of the house. With so little to work with, planning the project out might seem like a waste of time. However, getting organized ahead of time will save you money, stress and energy as you progress. And having a plan means you’re less likely to forget crucial steps in the renovation process. If you’re planning to remodel your bathroom, then read on to learn about the best ways to get started and stay focused.

Sizing Up the Place

Remodeling projects should always begin with a detailed summation of the size of the space. You can’t go forward without knowing how much room you’ve got to work with and how much room you can steal from other sources. For example, your bathroom might connect with empty wall space, or it might border a wall that contains crucial electrical wiring. Before you plan out what to do with your space, you need to make sure you have the room to do it.

You may not need a professional to help you remodel your bathroom, but you will need a professional contractor to evaluate the project if you plan to extend your space at all. Regardless of your prowess as a DIY home renovator, you probably don’t have the same expertise when it comes to understanding complex wiring and structural systems. Speaking with a professional now will help you avoid expensive mistakes later.

Steps in the Right Direction

Once you’ve established the space limitations, it’s time to start planning your remodeling project. The easiest way to begin is by listing the necessary steps. Doing so will help you stay focused as the project progresses.

Step 1: Establish a budget. Be firm, but allow yourself some leeway in case of emergencies.

Step 2: Create a scaled picture of the final project including dimensions, sizes, fixtures and necessary details.

Step 3: Choose your materials, fixtures, equipment and other necessary items both for completing the project and for furnishing the bathroom.

You can always add or eliminate steps, but start with the basics so that you know you’ve planned appropriately. You may not be able to expect everything that happens during a remodeling project; unforeseen complications and unexpected expenses may throw you off momentarily. But having an established plan and following it in order will help reduce your stress and allow you to see the bigger picture.

Professional Advice

Just as you spoke with a contractor regarding electrical wiring and structural issues, you’ll want to seek advice from someone with experience on where to begin. You don’t have to hire a costly home renovator, but you should ask for help from friends who have done similar projects. You can also browse hundreds of online videos for specific renovation aspects along with books containing useful information.

However, nothing trumps experience, and you may need advice, especially when you get stuck. While you might be able to renovate your bathroom using online tutorials, you could benefit from some expert advice before you begin. Many professionals don’t charge the same rate for advice as they would for actual construction. Consult some local contractors for their tips and tricks before beginning a remodel.

Extras and Special Features

After you’ve planned for the basics and consulted with a contractor, you can add in extra features to really upgrade your bathroom. Universal elements such as handlebars in the shower and comfort-height toilets add immediate convenience and future value. Whether you plan to resell the home or retire in it comfortably, adding in extra universal features will help you in the long run.

Alissa Young works as a writer and a part time blogger. Her subjects are mainly about home and home improvement and in this article, she is giving us tips on how to remodel your bathroom.

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Bring The Beach Inside With A Beach-Themed Bedroom

by Trish

You love everything about the beach from the crashing waves to the feel of sand underneath your bare feet. While you wish you could live on the beach, you will eventually have to go back home to your own boring bedroom for the night.

You don’t have to be separated from the beach you love. Bring it inside your own home by creating a beach-themed bedroom. Beach themes can be placed in all types of bedrooms whether they are big or small or have hardwood flooring. With just a bit of imagination, you can go to sleep and wake up on the beach every day.

Paint Scheme

Tackle those boring walls by incorporating the colors of the beach. Different shades of tans and blues work great.

You can either paint the entire wall a solid color, divide the wall by painting the top half blue to represent the ocean and the bottom half tan to represent sand, paint the walls tan and the ceiling blue, or color wash the walls in different shades of blues as it can look like waves. You can stencil in white seashells for more of a beach feel.

Furniture And Flooring

The furniture can be a difficult to place into a beach-theme if you aren’t looking to spend a lot of money replacing your old furniture. You can go with white furniture in the way of beach chairs and tables. If you aren’t keen to having that much white in your room, go with light wood color tones.

As for the floor, hardwood flooring with an area rug of rattan material or bamboo can give the perfect beach appearance to your room. It will also work fine if you have regular carpeting.

Beach Accessories

Beach accessories can come in all shapes and sizes for decorations in your room. Hang paintings of the ocean or other beach themes on the walls. Scatter seashells on dressers, tables and shelves. Purchase beach-themed lamps, bedding and knickknacks to complete the overall beach look.

Sleep In Paradise in Your Beach-Themed Bedroom

Devote time and creativity into your beach design to have a warm and comforting feeling in your bedroom. You’ll never be too far from the beach even in the winter time when you decorate your room with these beach ideas. It doesn’t have to take a lot of money or time to have the perfect bedroom of your dreams.

Amy Nelson is a mother, avid home decorator and author. Mrs. Nelson has written several informative publications on family life, interior decorating, and simple home improvement tips.

How To Turn A Small Room Into A Castle When Your Forced To Rent

by Trish

Living at home is never easy when you can’t afford a place of your own. Your parents are probably the loveliest people in the world, but the amount of things you can do are very limited when you don’t have somewhere to call your own. After a while it could get to you and you’ll have no choice but to find somewhere. You shouldn’t let it get that far and start looking for a place right now. You could easily afford somewhere if you rented out a nice room. It’s still living with someone else, but at least it’s not your parents.

If you do decide to rent a room it could be hard if you’re not prepared. You won’t feel as comfortable wandering around the house, especially in the beginning when you’re not friends with the person you’re renting from. When that’s the case you have to make sure your little room is as comfortable as possible. If it’s not you will soon get fed up, because you have to spend a lot of time in your room by yourself. You can’t just get up and lay on someone’s couch when they want to watch TV. Do you know how you can turn your room into a castle?

Get the best bed your money can buy

When you spend more time that normal in the room it means your bed is something you’ll get quite friendly with. That means you should get one that’s as comfortable as you can possibly afford. The mattress especially has to feel like heaven when you lie down. Not because it will allow you to sleep better, but because you’ll spend hours laying in it at night reading books or watching TV. Go for gold and get very comfortable sheets and pillows to go along with it and you won’t go far wrong.

Squeeze in a computer desk

At home you maybe had a big desk in your room, or perhaps you even lay on your bed with the laptop on your stomach. When your room becomes your castle you will probably be spending a lot of time on the computer, so you want a little desk that you can sit at. It doesn’t need to be big because it probably won’t fit in the room anyway, but something good enough to feel like you’re important will make you feel much better and more grown up.

Buy a leather chair

You also want to get yourself a leather chair, which isn’t that expensive when you think about it. You could use a normal chair but eventually you will realize you’re not comfortable and you’ll get claustrophobic. If you never spent money on beer and pizza for a month you could probably get yourself one your backside would thank you for. It will become the centerpiece of your room and something you cherish. Especially if it reclines and you never end up reaching your bed at night.

Make it look as sexy as possible

When you were living at home I bet you didn’t treat your bedroom as an actual room. Not a grownup room, anyway. Did you still have your posters up that were there when you were a child? Now you need to forget about everything you had in the past. If you want the walls to be a certain color you can paint them, with permission of course. Buy some cheap art work for a touch of class. Something you will stare at when you walk into the room. Buy a big lava lamp if you think it will look stylish. Just start treating it like you would a room in your own pad and make it look sexy.

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Patrick Green is an avid blogger who writes informative and innovative blogs on home improvement, he is also writes web contents for sites like nahfloors.com.

Top Feng Shui Tips For The Bedroom

by Trish

Our bedrooms were designed for two activities: rest and romance. However, our busy lifestyles, coupled with the need to constantly multi-task or exercise, has rendered the bedroom more of an extension of the office or the gym than a haven for rejuvenation. The ubiquitous television has furthered reduced the bedroom to a gathering place for strangers rather than a sanctuary for solitude.

By using the principles of Feng Shui, we can restore our bedrooms to the heavens they were intended to be as well as increase our vitality, our health and the quality of our romantic relationships.

The First Easy Steps

Remove electronics

Feng Shui for the bedroom begins with removing all electronic and electrical devices from the bedroom, especially the television. If there is a need for an alarm clock, then place it as far from the bed as possible. However, all other electronic and electrical devices need to be removed from the room, including the telephone.

Electronic devices emit electrical signals even when they are turned off. These signals interfere with your sleep cycles as well as the energy in the room. Removing these interferences will result in more restful sleep.

Clear the Air

Another easy step is to open the windows every day so that energy in the room does not stagnate. This can also be accomplished by the use of a ceiling fan, but don’t use the fan while you’re sleeping.

Assume the positions

The principles of Feng Shui state that certain positions and styles of furniture are better than others. For example, the bed should:

• Not be placed under the window because this weakens your energy.

• Be placed against a solid wall.

• Not be in line with the door, which is called the coffin position, although the door should be plainly visible.

• Not be placed underneath overhead beams as this symbolizes the possibility of death.

Headboards should be made of wood rather than metal; padded headboards are also acceptable. There should be ample free space under the bed in order to facilitate the free flow of energy.

Sharp corners should be avoided in Feng Shui because rounded shapes facilitate the free flow of energy whereas sharp corners block it.

Mirrors facing the bed are verboten in Feng Shui. The energy leaves the body at night and will be startled if it sees itself reflected in the mirror; this will cause restless sleep or nightmares. Large mirrors are also thought to promote infidelity.

The Finish Line

Keep your bedroom free of clutter.

Displayed items should be kept to a minimum and only displayed in pairs. In other words, use two candles, two nightstands, and so forth. This promotes the concept of a couple whereas a single item promotes the concept of singlehood. However, twin mattresses should be avoided because this promotes separation. Try to use symbolic items, such as the endless knot, that promote the relationship.

Avoid having an aquarium in the bedroom as the movement of the water will promote the perpetual movement of energy in the room and will result in restless sleep. Plants and flowers promote the very active yang energy so they should be avoided as well.

Your bedroom should be relatively quiet and only items that pertain to you and your partner should be in it. Pictures of friends and relatives should be displayed elsewhere. Use cool and soothing colors such as tones of beige, green, blue and lavender and avoid bright colors such as red, vivid purple and so forth, as these promote the movement of energy rather than tranquility.

By using the concepts of Feng Shui in your bedroom, you can revitalize your romance as well as your individual energy and restore your bedroom to the haven it was meant to be!

Jeff Gross is a freelance writer and marketing consultant for Arverne Long Island online presentation. He enjoy’s in finding new creative ways to improve online visibility of his clients.

photo by: conceptDawg

Turn Your House Into A Home By Making It As Comfortable As Possible To Live In

by Trish

Sometimes it feels like you’ve been living in your house for years and it’s never felt like a home. From the moment you unpacked the boxes and found your belongings somewhere new to stay, there was just something different about the way you felt. In your old home you would feel more relaxed than anywhere on earth. Times have changed and even though you can relax it’s just missing that spark. It’s not uncommon for that to happen to a huge percentage of people who move house. For some people, everything falls into place. For some it doesn’t.

It doesn’t always have to be like this. Your new house will never be the same as your old place and you shouldn’t try to force it. Instead you should look around and see what changes you can make that will turn the new place into somewhere you can love. There’s 3 main places you should start. The 3 places where you should feel more comfortable than anywhere else. The bedroom, living room and the bathroom. We can take a look at some things you can do to each of them to turn your house into a home.

You should look forward to bedtime

For some reason that’s unknown, people are prepared to spend their whole life sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress just so they can save themselves a little money. Think about how much time you spend in your bed. Unless you have insomnia it will be more than any other place in the world. 7-8 hours per night is a lot of time. That’s why you should buy the best mattress you can possibly afford. This won’t seem like a terrible idea after the first night you lie down. You won’t want to get up.

It’s the same with sheets and pillows. Have you even thought about buying new ones? Even if you were to spend a lot of money on expensive sheets it still wouldn’t come close to the amount you spend on crap. If you skip a few cinema nights you will have the money to buy silk sheets. The kind that makes you feel like heaven when they touch your skin. And you want pillows that instantly relax you as soon as your head hits them. You won’t regret it.

Living rooms should be luxurious

It’s the same idea with your living room furniture. You can pick up a nice couch for cheap, but if you spend a few extra hundred dollars you could have something that is a pleasure to sit on. The kind that makes you fall asleep when you’re watching TV. You’ll probably have the same one for a good few years. Wouldn’t it be great if you spent a bit more money on the best one you could afford?

Who cares about a nice little hardwood cabinet to keep your ornaments on? You don’t sit on that. Just buy a cheap one and spend the extra money on what you will really get the use out of. It’s nice to have a living room that looks beautiful, but you don’t want to sacrifice your comfort for a nice bookshelf. Spend that little bit extra on curtains that don’t let any light in. When you close them and settle down to watch TV it’s a lot easier to get cozy.

A bathroom is not for going to the toilet

Yeah, you go to the bathroom to use the toilet, but then you close the door and don’t bother going back in again. It’s easy to turn the bathroom into somewhere you’ll love. Firstly, it depends if you use a bath or shower to wash. If you use a shower you should have a lovely powerful one that could potentially rip your skin off when the water touches it. It feels so much better. I mean a powerful shower; not when you’re skin gets ripped off.

And if you use a bathtub it should be one that you can sink right into. A big deep one like the ones you see in 5-star hotels. They don’t cost 10x the price. Not if you look for a good deal, but it’s somewhere you can relax to your hearts content. If you love using the hot-tub when you go to a health club, you have to ask yourself why you don’t have a bathtub with a jet stream built in. Always aim for maximum comfort before anything else.

Christina Appleworth is an expert interior designer who suggests the liberal use of web blinds for home improvement purposes.

Bathroom Remodeling Requires A Plan Before Taking Any Actions

Bring The Beach Inside With A Beach-Themed Bedroom