Home and Garden Diva

You are here: Home / Archives for house

Proper Light Placement To Better Illumine The Exterior Of Your Home

by



While lighting the exterior of your house is not difficult at all, it is also easy to make mistakes when it comes to where the lighting fixtures should be affixed. Try strolling around your house after dark and you will notice that there are some areas that are cloaked in the shadows, paths that are hard to thread on in the darkness, or seating areas that are rendered useless at night. You may also find spots that are too bright that guests and passers-by have to cover their eyes from the glare of your lighting fixtures.


Fortunately, it is easy to correct these problems. With a little know-how on proper placement and what type of lights to use for certain spots, you can make the exterior of your home safer and more usable after the sun goes down and at the same time lend drama to the space. Below are some tips on how you should incorporate lights into your home’s exterior, where they should be placed, and what types of fixtures you should use.

Front door

Lighting is particularly important on the access and egress point of your house for good reasons. It shows people where to enter and where the doorbell and keyhole are positioned; prevents tripping on the steps; and allows the people inside to know who is at the front door.

The most ideal light fixtures to use on the front door are lanterns with two low-voltage compact fluorescent bulbs placed on both sides of the door (preferably mounted along the front door’s upper third portion). These fixtures provide the right amount of light without glare and at the same time enhance the appeal of the front door.

When picking wall or post lanterns, go for pieces with frosted or colored lenses instead of those with clear glass as they are easier on the eyes.

Garage and Driveway

Just like how you would light up your front door, you should also provide proper illumination on your garage and driveway entrance so that guests and vehicles will be able to find your home at night. For the driveway, it is not necessary to light up the entire strip. A few low-voltage spreadlights staggered along the edge of the pavement will suffice. Your garage, on the other hand, will benefit from the addition of some wall-mounted compact fluorescent floodlights near the door and on the sides. Also, do not forget to illuminate your house number. Guests arriving at night as well as emergency responders will definitely appreciate such addition since they will be able to know which house is yours.

Steps and walkways

To lead guests to the front door and guard them against slipping, layered lights coming from low-voltage fixtures are the most suitable choices for illuminating steps and walkways. Popular fixture selections for these locations include bollard lights, mushroom lights and path shaded tier lights. All these fixtures cast light downward so they are easy on the eyes. They also come in a wide variety of styles and different price points, allowing you to pick pieces that complement the look of your home and your budget.

For the most pleasing effect when positioning the lights and prevent the runway look, do not place all the lights on a straight line. Instead, stagger them on both sides of the steps and walkways.

Seating areas (patios, decks, porch)

To ensure you will be able to entertain guests even after dark, do not forget to light up your outdoor living areas. There is no hard or fast rules when it comes to lighting up outdoor living spaces, allowing you to take free helm on your light choices. However, do not forget to install task lighting in or near areas where they are needed and where safety might be a concern, such as benches, stair risers, deck railing and the wall near the grilling or dining area.

To avoid attracting pests to your patio, deck or porch, it will be preferable to go for compact fluorescent bulbs that are specially designed to ward off pests. You may also control the amount of light in the area if you use dimmers that will let you adjust light levels.

Landscape features

Add a touch of drama to your home’s exterior by highlighting the beautiful features in your landscape with a combination of low-voltage lighting and accent lighting. To do this, pick a focal point that you wish to emphasize, such as a specimen tree or a structure, along with secondary areas. To illuminate your primary focal point, use flood lights affixed to in-ground poles or spotlights attached on a nearby wall, fence or other elevated structure. For secondary areas like flower beds, ground covers and statuary, emphasize them with low-voltage fixtures that are recessed into the ground. Or, go for a backlit effect or hidden glow by pinning the light sources between the objects you want to highlight and the wall of your house.

Just a word of caution: be mindful where you direct the beams of your lights. At the most, they should not be pointed toward your neighbors windows.

The guest post above, which was written for www.steelbuildingsuk.co.uk, was contributed by Ericka. Ericka is a home improvement and gardening enthusiast. Her passion for these subjects inspires her to write useful posts about house repairing, decorating, cleaning and organizing.

5 Reasons Why A Small Home Might Be A Better Investment Than Its Big Brother

by

colourful burano house

 

People have goals in life and the main idea is always to improve on what you have right now. Everyone always wants bigger because they think it is better, but is that really true? You only need to look at houses to understand the way people’s minds work. A much bigger home makes them feel like they have accomplished something. Even though half the rooms would remain empty they want to become rich so they can buy themselves a huge mansion with an even bigger garden.

You’ve got to ask yourself if this is the route you want to go down when you’re looking to buy a new home. Will something that big fulfill your needs, or do you just want it because you can say to yourself your home is massive? You need to think about if very carefully before you make one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. Owning a small home can be just as good and if you’re looking for some reasons why we can go over a few of them now.

It will cost you less

Money

When you buy a small home it will be cheaper than one that is twice the size. It doesn’t just mean you will save money when signing on the dotted line, because there are much more ways to save more over the years. Think about how much it will cost you to keep it cool in summer and hot in winter. It will definitely be cheaper. The same also goes for repairs and a good example we can use is the guttering, because you will need less lengths when it is time to replace them.

You’ll have more time

Cleaning a large home is a tough job, but someone has to do it and it will probably be you. Imagine how much time you would save hovering if you had 50% less carpet space. When you work out how much time you’re cutting out per week it might not seem like much, but now times that by 500 and work out how much time is being saved over 10 years. That isn’t just cleaning the house because it also includes doing work in the garden.

Buying nice things

Pink ice-pendant

Big homes are expensive to buy and your mortgage payments will be a lot. It’s not nice watching all of that money leaving your account each month. If you add that onto the money you’re paying in bills you might not have much money left on the 31st. With all that money you will save on your home it means you will have a lot more to buy nice things. Would you rather have a big empty house, or a small one filled with wonderful treasures?

Living the easy life

People buy a huge home and they have so much space to fill. That means going out and getting things to fill the space. Before you know it your home is full of junk. With a small home you can’t be so rash. You can buy amazing things, but not millions of things. Just a few amazing things and it leaves you will less materialistic problems which lets you relax a bit. Having too many things can be very stressful if you believe the minimalist movement.

Selling it more easily

Everyone wants to buy a huge home, but how many people do you think will be able to afford one? Not many if you read the news. A small home is well within the price range of the biggest majority of people. As the future gets closer and closer you will also see a huge jump in the number of people looking for smaller, more energy efficient homes. Maybe the millionaires of the future will realize that smaller might be better than bigger, too.

Attached Images:

Josh Butler is real estate consultant at Abercromby’s. He has vast knowledge of the real estate sector and has suggested many useful tips in Abercromby’s real estate blog.

Conquering The Clutter In Kids’ Rooms

by

A room that is dedicated for your kids should be the most adaptable space in the house. It should work as a playroom that can accommodate a wide variety of toys. An art studio, where the kids can let loose of their inner Picasso or Van Gogh. In the next instant, a clubhouse where your young ones can meet and interact with their friends. And, of course, a space to rest, somewhere to dress and, probably, provide a modest nook for reading and studying.

When a single room has to fulfill all the aforesaid functions, efficient storage and organization are necessary. However, keeping a kid’s room organized doesn’t necessarily mean it should appear like an adult’s room or a boring bedroom. You can make it both fun and organized by taking these tips to heart.

Consider child-friendly storage

To keep the organization inside a children’s room, the storage solutions available should meet your children’s needs and style. Hence, avoid using adult organizing systems, such as sticky dresser drawers that can be cumbersome for small hands to manage or closet hanging rods that are too high up and out of reach.

To make stuff more accessible for young children, invest in open shelves whose surfaces are easy to clean. Or, opt to remove the doors of existing closets to prevent pinching fingers. Try to lower clothing rods and use child-sized hangers to hold children’s clothing. As for the toys, corral them in floor-level open containers or bins.

Organize from down up

To complement the short stature of kids, the best way to organize the things inside their room is to start the process from the bottom and work your way to the top. That is, keep frequently used toys and belongings on the lower shelves, drawers or on the floor. Less-frequently used objects, on the other hand, should be designated to higher levels of the storage systems.

Don’t forget to add labels

To make your life easier when it’s time to clean and sort your kids’ stuff, put labels everywhere: on boxes, bookcases, shelf edges, bins and inside and outside of drawers. You can make the labels more appealing by printing out images of shirts, toys, socks, blocks, etc. These pictures will also make it easier for young kids to determine where they should put things after use. For older children, you can help enhance their reading skills by using labels with large-type words.

Establish a clean-up routine

Depending on your children’s ages, they could help you with the process of organizing and decluttering. So if you have older kids, teach them a clean-up routine that they can easily follow through. For instance, a few minutes in the morning should be spared for tending to their beds, such as straightening the comforters or returning the pillows in place. And before they dress up for bed, there should be an evening routine where they pickup their toys and place those items in their corresponding storage solutions. If you have younger children, however, you will have to clean the space yourself. So squeeze this into your schedule to avoid their stuff from accumulating.

This home organization advice was contributed by Ericka in behalf of www.heritagecleaning.co.uk. Ericka has been writing articles about a wide variety of topics for some years now. However, she is particularly interested in writing insightful posts related to home improvement and gardening.

Extreme Home Decorating Ideas for This Holiday Season

by

Ah, the joys of driving through your neighborhood around the holidays “oooh”ing and “ahhh”ing over the lights and joyous decorations that you see as you pass by each house. It’s a beautiful sight to see – so joyous and warm and inviting – it really is the epitome of the holiday spirit.

But there’s always an inner battle between your household and your neighbors between who can have the best holiday decorations each year, and it’s a battle that you just might win if you take some of these extreme home decorating ideas for this holiday season.

A Walk-In Gingerbread House

At Halloween, there are haunted houses. During the holidays, why not set up a walk-through gingerbread house in your yard?

Your house will be the attraction of the neighborhood, especially among the kids, if you set up a house that’s decorated from top to bottom in twinkling lights and fresh green wreaths. Inside, set up a display similar to those you see in malls when Santa visits – put in a big throne and have someone manning the Santa station at all times so kids can come visit and sit on his lap to tell him what they want for Christmas.

Make sure you decorate with lots of over-sized decorations. Think about a regular gingerbread house with all of the candy canes and gumdrops and pretty decor and replicate those same decorations on a much larger scale for a wildly successful walk-in holiday gingerbread house!

Santa and Sleigh on the Roof

No holiday house is complete until it’s decorated with a life size Santa sitting in a huge sleigh atop the roof of the house. And don’t forget the reindeer, too! Nine giant reindeer, including Rudolph, of course, make for a complete Santa scene that looks as real as can be.

For added effect, rig up some heavy-duty wiring into a nearby tree next to your house. Install the first few reindeer in the pack so that they look like they are lifting off up and away into the sky by securing them to the anchored wire. The neighborhood kids will love the illusion, and you’ll revel in knowing that no one else in your neighborhood thought of the idea before you!

A Singing Choir of Angels

Fortunately for you, this scene is fairly easy to pull of thanks to modern technology. All you really have to do is buy a few huge lit choir angels and place them in your yard. You can even buy ones that are attached to motors so that they move, or you can always install your own motors to customize the movement of your angels.

Then, all of you have to do is play some music around the display that goes with the movement of your angels, and you have yourself a giant singing choir of angels. Choose songs that are more hymnal than the classic holiday jingles, but be sure to mix those in here and there, too.

A Huge Christmas Tree

Nothing says the holidays like a giant Christmas tree in your yard that’s decked out in lights, ribbons and garland galore.

Choose the largest tree in your yard, or even bring in one from another location (we’re talking huge Christmas trees, like along the lines of the Rockefeller Plaza tree) and bring in the fire department with their huge ladders to help you get the lights strung all the way to the top of the tree. Don’t forget a large lit-up star on top of the tree to complete your holiday yard, and be sure to add the little details, too, like the ribbons and garland!

Your yard will be sure to be a hit with these extreme holiday decoration ideas – but remember to be creative, be original and don’t be afraid to go over the top!

Attached Images:

Ann Michaels is a freelance writer who loves preparing for Christmas. Her favorite day of the year is when she gets to bring out her life size Santa displays and start setting up her yard for the holidays!

Transform Your Room Into The Greatest Place Even With An Extension

by

Everybody always has one special room in the house where they love to spend all their time. If you love watching sports then it’s probably the living room. Cooking fanatics never seem to be out of the kitchen. But everyone always wants more. They want bigger. It’s just who we are. Once you have had something for a certain amount of time it gets boring. Mom wants all those big fancy appliances in her kitchen. The ones you can’t fit in at the moment and probably won’t use anyway. Dad wants somewhere more than a tiny corner of the living room to work.

Why don’t you just admit it. You need more room in the house. And the last thing you probably want to do is move to a different neighborhood. You don’t need to. Not if you add an extension onto the side of your house. Apart from the hassle of getting planning permission it’s quite a smooth process. As long as you use a reputable company they can have it finished quite quick. It will cost you a bit money, but just imagine all the things you could do with it. Let’s have a look now at a few things you might be interested in.

Have your very own office space

The trouble with working from home is that it’s hard to get anything done if you don’t have your own office. It’s unfortunate if you don’t have any free rooms in the house. You have to work where there will always be people around. Maybe you are scared of leaving stuff on your tiny desk in case someone moves it and you have a heart attack. That all changes when you have somewhere to call your own. You get more done and the business improves drastically. That’s why an extension onto your living room would be great.

Entertaining guests

Everyone loves to entertain guests in their home. It’s a great way to socialize with friends when you become older, because it’s just not the same hitting the bars anymore. You need somewhere to feed people and have a good drink. If you only have a small dining room then it can be a problem. It can get a bit squashed when you try and fit everyone around a small table. If you add an extension onto the dining room that all changes. You finally have somewhere that’s perfect for entertaining and your social life definitely improves.

Keep the kids happy

It is really annoying when you want to relax in the living room and the whole place is a tip because the kids have left their toys lying around. A solution could be adding an extension to the living room to turn into a playroom. Somewhere dedicated to the kids where they can keep all their toys. You will have a lot of space and the living room will be much nicer. You can have a partition so the kids can play in their room and you can play in yours. And they are right next door so it’s always easy to keep an eye on them.

Give your kitchen a Michelin Star

If anyone in the household likes to cook then you would love an extension onto the kitchen. Just imagine all those wonderful appliances you can install. You’d have room for anything you wanted and would have the space to leave it lying out. Turn your kitchen into Starbucks by having an amazing coffee machine. The kind that makes coffee so good you think you’re in heaven. Add a stone baked oven and make better pizzas than Domino’s. The possibilities are endless.

Julia Watson often blogs and provides suggestions on various home improvement techniques. She is the proud owner of lean to conservatories – a firm excelling in providing instant price comparision quotes.

Meta

Tags

basement bed bedroom clean cleaning clutter dog exercise family fitness flowers friends Furniture garden Health help home house husband ideas Kitchen laptop Lighting money Music neighborhood neighbors party plants room Shopping sick skin spring summer tips tired Toronto Travel tv Vacation walking warm winter work

Pages