Home Renovation Tips: A New Look for an Old House

Many families always want to change how their old house looks depending on their lifestyle and their needs; therefore, they gather home renovation tips they can apply. They may require a more spacious house especially if their family is growing. They may want to conform to the latest house designs and go for the minimalist look. Their children may want to have separate rooms. They may also demand a place in the house where they can entertain their friends.

Before you apply home renovation tips to your house, it is better to have a blueprint or a design to look at for proper guidance. This way, you will not depend on a trial and error project and will not waste money and materials. There are also municipal building laws that the local housing authorities may require so before you undergo house remodeling, better familiarize yourself with these. Have an expert examine the structure of the whole house first, especially the exterior before going into the interior. The exterior structure must be sturdy so as to keep the interior safe.

One of the first things your house should have is a clear pathway from your garage to the kitchen so that you will not have difficulty in carrying your groceries to the kitchen. Some people use the front door to go to the kitchen and this can be a little uncomfortable and difficult especially when you have things to carry all the way. When there are guests in the living room, it would also be a little embarrassing if you pass through them with the stuff you have brought home. With a pathway or an entrance from the garage to the kitchen, you can easily hide what you have bought from visitors. That is one of the home renovation tips that give a systematic way of entering the house.

The bathroom should also undergo renovation so that it will appear new, fresh and clean. Instead of moving your current bathroom, it should be renovated so that there will be no need to change and add pipes. Placing the existing bathroom to another area of the floor will be costly since it involves adding pipes and other bathroom fixtures. For home renovation tips on the bathroom, just change the colors of the tiles and paint the walls and the cabinets. If you plan to put a bathroom on the second floor, make sure to place it above the bathroom in the first floor so that the existing pies will be used.

You can also add a new room next to the kitchen for entertainment purposes. You can place a home theater, couches and a bar inside. You can hold parties there and since the kitchen is near, food and drinks can be transferred easily. If you plan to listen to music in this room, make it sound-proof by placing tiles that absorb the sound. This room will also make you, the rest of the family and your guests bond with one another.

These home renovation tips are just a few suggestions that will help give you an idea for the new look of your house.

A New Life - Turning Someday Into a Plan

The pursuit of happiness always starts with a dream and a decision doesn't it? Making that decision is a process and likely one that doesn't come overnight. Once a seed is planted it needs to germinate before it gets to the point of blossoming into an actual decision for most of us. For me, it started with a feeling of something missing, boredom with the status quo, a sense of longing for something new and ultimately the news that my daughter and granddaughter would be moving to California in the near future; the seed.

Since receiving that news and for the past several months I found myself visualizing my life with less; less things and stuff, responsibility and burden. I began to wonder why I needed the sheer volume of things I have accumulated that sit unused taking up space and are not as appreciated as they once were. I came to realize that I had outgrown my lifestyle and the longing I felt was genuine even though the dramatic change I am contemplating is a little bit scary it is something I can do if I choose to.

I found myself reading about people who say they have simply sold all their accumulated belongings to travel or move to enjoy a completely new lifestyle and environment. It sounds so exciting and easy doesn't it? Well, I can attest to the exciting part but easy, not so much. You see part of my vision is a somewhat minimalist lifestyle and the true ability to be free to move or leave if the mood strikes me. My vision and intent is a return to the gypsy like lifestyle of my youth.

I have just returned from a whirlwind trip to California to take a look at what will likely become my new 'little' home! There have been and I know there will be moments when I will question my decision and sanity. In fact I had a few of those moments on my trip as I looked at apartments for the first time in many years. The reality of true downsizing! The good news was each of the properties I looked at had wonderful amenities; crystal clear swimming pools, exercise rooms, lush landscaping, some with meeting/party space if needed and all maintained by someone other than me! Each had beautiful new models I could see myself enjoying but here are a few of the questions that put my plan into perspective for me.

1. Is there a garage? The efficient friendly representative gently explained I would receive an assigned parking space and the remaining unmarked spaces would be for guests.
2. How about storage? Well some of the units have a closet on the patio. Christmas will be different and I guess I'll be going through the 5 large boxes of photos that house 40 some years of memories. No worries, I haven't looked at them for the last 20 or thirty years and it's time to condense them.
3. Laundry? Certain units have a stackable washer dryer and a couple of the properties actually offered the full size versions. Of course after viewing the closets, albeit walk in style, I will definitely be ditching a lot of my clothes.
4. There were more eye openers resulting from questions I thought to ask and probably many more I should have asked. Upon returning home and taking a look around I realize I have a lot to do; a home to sell and an incredible amount of STUFF to get rid of. This is definitely a moment in a drastic lifestyle change when it would be easy to crawl back into the status quo and simply continue to think about changing my life and wonder why it isn't happening. So how do I maintain my momentum to turn my someday dream into an effective plan for a new life? Below is an exercise with a series of the questions to help anyone get unstuck and focused toward any goal. Take out a piece of paper or journal if you are keeping one and write the answers to these questions:
5. What it is that you want? Take the time to write and get very clear in your mind what your 'ideal' looks like.

Answer these identifying questions:

• What have you done so far? What worked best and what didn't?
• What it is that you want? Take the time to write and get very clear in your mind what your 'ideal' looks like.
• What skills and resources do you have that could move you forward?
• What research could you do to help you find the next step?
• What do you need to do before you do anything else?
• Who else could you ask for help in achieving your goal?

Taking action: Looking at the list you have just made answer these questions:

• What would the smallest and easiest step be for you?
• How can you make the task or action more enjoyable or fun?
• What action could you take in the next 10 minutes?
• What 3 actions could you take that make sense this week?
• Who else could help you in completing your actions?

Commitment - DO SOMETHING!

• When specifically will you do your action? Day and time
• On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to complete each action?
• If it's below an 8, ask what is stopping you from completing the actions and then make it your first action.
• How do you normally sabotage yourself and what will you do differently this time?
• How will you know you've completed your action/s and who will you tell (to support you in completing them)?
• How will you feel once you have completed your actions?
• How will you reward yourself?

The reality is I have a choice as we all do when we are attempting to make a change. I can continue to stay 'safe' and shackled to 'things' and a life I have outgrown or risk, thrive and shape a life that is more of who I am now. It's our dreams and goals that keeps us young and alive so I will continue to think of change as a chance to rethink and revise my behaviors, routines, beliefs and goals and not allow fear to paralyze me. California here I come!

Finding the Right Design for Your Home

Any quick trip around your city and you will see the wide range of home designs that are available. Depending on the neighborhood or the economy or the background of those in the homes, the overall look on each block may be different. While traveling down some streets, you may find that all of them are two levels with yards full of grass and plants, while the next street over features one-level housing where the yards are aimed to be more desert-like in their appearance - such as a cactus in the front yard, with sand or rocks to fill the rest of the space. The truth is, there really is no stopping your imagination when it comes to finding a home that fits what you are looking for when you are looking at blue prints and plans for your very own custom home.

What are some of the options that are popular? Contemporary house plans continue to catch on with new owners. Why? They offer a very classic look, but are not overly fussy in their design. They are often minimal in terms of the interior design, while offering walls and windows that are unique in design that offset the minimalist attitude of the design. They can be built to any size and pretty much fit right in within any neighborhood. And they continue to be popular because they can be built with a realistic budget in mind if you choose the products and design correctly.

Cottage house plan are also popular. These are often smaller in size, as they attract owners who want something homey and with less extravagance in terms of size. This style also works well for someone who is looking for a comfortable, attractive place to stay when on vacation. Many people look at cottage floor plans when thinking of building a summer home or just a place for family and friends to get away for a while. So if you want something a little smaller, or are looking to possibly use this design as a cabin for getaways, then you will have found the right one for you.

So if you wish to just take a look around your neighborhood, you will see all of the different types of homes that are available. You can decide on something that is sprawling and unique in design, or something that is a smaller and cozy. So take your time in looking at the various ways you can go when working on creating your new home.