Regenesis Home and Garden » Home Improvement

Tips For Installing An Antique Fireplace Mantel

Genie Simmons — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:36:06 +0000

A beautiful antique fireplace mantel will certainly add a touch of charm and character to any home. Regardless of whether the mantel was part of the original structure, or it was salvaged from another building to be used in your home, it still offers a great sense of warmth. However, there are many different problems which can arise from the aging of these original mantels or in trying to fit a reclaimed or antique mantel into a modern structure.

Every structure will naturally experience some stress over time. As a building settles, joints in the home are pulled and pushed from the rising and falling that occurs when a building begins to settle. This type of stress is especially evident when it comes to architectural elements like a built in brick fireplace mantel. The mortar between the bricks might begin to split or separate over time. As the home begins to age, the mantel might start to shift slightly. This type of problem can usually be handled by a contractor or do-it-yourself homeowner and typically involves very little cost. New mortar can be applied to areas where separation has occurred if it is not too severe. This mortar can even me stained to match the color of the existing mortar, even when the color has begun to age with time.

Another potential issue that can arise with an original antique fireplace mantel would be discoloration or unsightly staining due to use and time. This problem often occurs with fireplace mantels as they experience the ongoing effects of heat and the resulting expansion and cooling. This problem can be handled using a number of options. One choice is to use an attractive custom fireplace mantel to cover the look of the existing mantel.

There are certainly many possibilities when it comes to enhancing a home’s décor, but with time, many of these design elements will begin to show the effects of time. A beautiful antique fireplace mantel can be a great addition to any home and it does not need to present a problem that simple care will not correct.

Picking The Right Oklahoma City Granite

Genie Simmons — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:39:07 +0000

More and more homeowners are realizing how useful and beautiful granite is, and its use in usher Tops across the country has risen over the years, not just in smaller cities like Oklahoma City, but in many parts of the world as well. Not only is a naturally very strong stone, granite is also quite beautiful and at a very colorful, warm look and feel to the kitchen. Granite is not very cheap upfront, but once you have installed, it makes for one of the best countertops you can get.

For the typical granite Oklahoma City has to offer, you can expect to pay anywhere from $50-$130 for each foot squared, but keep in mind that you also need to pay installation costs for most countertop companies. If you do some searching you may be able to find some Oklahoma City granite retailers that sell it at a discount, perhaps as low as $35. In situations like this, expect the costs of transportation and installation to be higher than that of the stone.

There are no regulations on the stone industry, and so the overall costs of your countertop, from the initial quarry to your kitchen, can be confusing and vary widely. You may want to look for a dealer that will combine all the costs into one price, so that you do not need to do any additional shop. This can add up to 50% on the total cost, however.

Finally, most of the granite suppliers to speak to are going to offer different tiers of granite. The highest tier is the nicest granite and cost the most. If you talk to cabinets Oklahoma City dealers about purchasing granite countertops they will tell you that it is imperative to match quality. Usually the tiers are determined by the color of the granite, the country that it is from, and the purity of the granite self. In the end, of course, you have to rely on your own budget and preferences to pick the right granite.

Learn About Giallo Veneziano Granite

4 Ways to increase the value of your home

Genie Simmons — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:23:11 +0000

It’s really not easy to move house right now – with mortgages hard to find and homes hard to sell. So I figure, if you can’t home, you might as well improve the house you currently live in. And why not try to add a little value at the same time? Here’s how:

Re-paint or re-render

If your house is looking old and tired from the outside the value of your home might be negatively affected. Curb appeal is an important factor in the saleability of your home you know. So why not re-paint, re-point or re-render the exterior of your home? You might be shocked at the difference it can make, and it can be a very effective way to improve your home.

Extend

This is the classic way to add value, and if you’re serious about adding significant value you can’t do much better. The essential thing is to keep your building costs below the increase in value that the work brings. Adding a bedroom is a great idea, or an ensuite can work well in some houses.

Windows and doors

You might not realise just how much difference windows and doors make to the outside of your home. But if your house is looking a little tired, new windows can really bring it back to life. Make sure you pick windows that suit your home; UPVC windows are fine for a newer house, but cottages and quirky older houses might better suit sash and case windows.

Re-decorate

Re-decorating the rooms inside mightn’t add a huge amount of value to your home unless your current decorating is very outdated – but it is a simple way to reinvigorate your home and if you are on the market, it can make your house much easier to sell.

A new kitchen

Same goes as for above really, although idea this can probably add a little more value. If you can find a good deal on a new kitchen, and especially if you can fit it yourself and rope in a family friend, you can certainly offset the cost of the new kitchen by the increase in value. Basically you may not get a lot of profit out of it, but you do end up with a nice kitchen effectively for free!

Adapting Your Home to an Elderly Parent

Genie Simmons — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:19:03 +0000

As we tend to live longer, more and more people are following the philosophy of aging in place. This means that instead of moving to an old age home, many parents are choosing to live at home for as long as possible. And once this becomes too difficult, they move in with their children and continue to be cared for by their families rather than in an institution. This arrangement also suits their children, who enjoy giving their own offspring the experience of growing up with loving grandparents. No matter how infirm these grandparents may be, their love for the little ones is an irreplaceable part of childhood.

However, as a person ages they become more physically limited and this may affect the interior design and layout of the home. For example, when the elderly parent can only get around with a wheelchair or a walking frame, the layout of the house has to change to take this into account.

Here are some changes, adaptations, and suggestions that may help you if you are about to take an elderly parent into your home:

- Pay attention to the flooring materials in your home. If an elderly person with brittle bones has a sudden fall, this can result in a fracture, hospitalization, and sometimes even death. Therefore, you should look into flooring ideas that are less dangerous and not slippery. Carpet flooring may be a good idea, provided that it is wall to wall, rather than area rugs, which can become dog-eared and ride up under wheelchairs. Carpet is soft and can therefore break a fall far more easily than hard stone flooring. Be careful with wood flooring also, and check it out thoroughly as some varieties may be slippery. Vinyl and linoleum are also options.

- Make sure that the door frames are wide enough to accommodate wheelchair use. Similarly, put door handles at a height that is easy for a wheelchair user to open, and change the actual handles from stiff doorknobs to handles that are easy to use.

- Think of other gadgets that might make life in general easier. For example, handles next to the toilet bowl will make bathroom use much easier. You can also find chairs that can be lowered in and out of the bath. These kinds of gadgets will help an older person remain independent longer as they can continue to take care of their personal needs themselves in the most dignified manner.

- If your parent is starting to suffer from the signs of dementia or senility, you are going to have to take certain safety measures. Sadly, you may start to find yourself in a quasi-parental role, reversing positions in the family as you put the safeguards used usually for young children in place. For example, all sharp objects, such as knives and lighters, should be hidden out of reach. All medication should be monitored very carefully. And always take note of where your parent is going, as Alzheimers sufferers are known for wandering off. In this stressful situation, it is advisable to have a social worker or geriatric therapist on hand to give you constant advice, guidance, and moral support.

Using Gutter Cleaning Tools

Genie Simmons — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:32:05 +0000

Our home is our greatest investment in life. That’s why we need to protect it in every possible way we can. From the roof above, down to the yard below, we must ascertain that every part is in good condition. A single damaged part oftentimes can lead to bigger problems in the future. One example of this is our gutters. Gutters are installed at the roof edges in order to collect rain water that flows down our roofs. This is extremely important because when the heavy flow of water is allowed to hit the ground, this water will eventually creep into the ground below and make its way into the very foundations of our home. As a result, this could lead to instability of our home, making it at risk for potential dangers. This, buy the way, doesn’t happen overnight. It will take years for the resulting damage to be apparent, but by then it will be too late. For this reason, gutter cleaning is very necessary to ensure the good condition of our gutters. To do so, we need to know the different tools needed to successfully clean our gutters.

1) Gutters do not only collect rainwater, but also dirt, leaves, twigs and other debris. In addition, some of these materials decay and become infested with slime and gunk, as well as mold and mildew. To remove all this stuff, you will need a gutter scoop or rake, and a gutter brush. A gutter scoop or a gutter rake will help remove the larger debris, while a gutter brush will help scrub off the dirt, grime and sticky goo in your gutters. These tools can easily be purchased in any equipment store. These can also be easily improvised at home.

2) To wash off your gutters and drain your gutter pipes, you will need a garden hose that is connected to a water supply. You may also obtain a gutter wand which can be attached at the tip of your garden hose. A gutter wand has a regulating nozzle that will direct high-pressure stream of water to your gutters. This will wash your gutters free of clogs and blocks.

3) Durable hand gloves, face masks and trash bags are additional tools you will need when cleaning gutters. To protect yourself from handling and contracting germs, a face mask and hand gloves are really important and should not be overlooked. The last thing you would want is to accidentally touch the gooey back stuff with your bare hands, or accidentally spray them all over your face. A trash bag will hold all the debris you have collected instead of dropping the debris to the ground.

4) Most important of all, cleaning gutters will not be possible without a ladder. You will need a strong ladder to help you reach the gutters. Ladder safety is very essential to prevent any falls and unwanted accidents. So before using a ladder, make sure it is strong and sturdy enough to support your weight. Always check that no part is damaged or broken. Another thing to bear in mind is to lean your ladder against a reliable support, like the wall. Never lean the ladder against your gutters.

With the right tools and accessories, gutter cleaning will be made a lot faster, easier and highly successful.

Why People Return Their Soundproof Curtains

Genie Simmons — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:25:09 +0000

Soundproof Curtain Reality

One of the biggest trouble areas in homes for sound leaks is around the windows and doors. When builders put in your windows they will shim or tweak the window to make sure it is properly level and centered in the opening. Unfortunately because they know that the edges are going to be covered in trim, they often don’t bother to seal the seams as good as they should.

One solution soundproofing companies have created to help this trouble area are soundproof curtains. Unfortunately, the mass that is required to actually stop sound is just too great to adequately embed into curtains. As a reference, it takes 8 inches of solid poured concrete to block sound 100%. There is just simply no fabric that can contain that much mass and still hang from your drywall.

Cheap Soundproofing That Works

A much more effective cheap soundproofing method is to fix your window problems at the source, rather than try to cover them up with curtains or drapes. In order to see any results from from soundproofing your room, you are going to need to make it airtight. Do this by removing the trim from your doors and windows, as well as the outlet covers on your wall. Take a can of spray foam insulation and fill all of the gaps in your doors and windows. Follow it up by taking a tube of silicone and completely sealing off the gaps. Also, insert the tube of the canned insulation into the cavity behind your receptacles. By filling these gaps you will significantly reduce the amount of airborne noise (dog barking, television, voices) that enter your home. If you fail to see results, try adding a weather stripping to the interior of your door jam to create a tighter seal on the door itself.

Reasons not to forget about window valances

Genie Simmons — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:50:06 +0000

If it’s time to re-vamp a room in your home, successful window treatments can really add a touch of style and help set the mood. While you may have settled on your curtains or blinds, have you considered valances for your windows? Often dismissed as overly fussy or a little old fashioned, window valances are making something a comeback and here are a few of their benefits.

Shade from sunlight
It’s wonderful to have light and airy rooms in your home but, while you certainly won’t want to shut out all of the available light and live in gloom, you might find that your room gets a little too much glare. If you’ve got large bay windows and sometimes find yourself getting dazzled by the sunlight, valances for bay windows do a great job at blocking the worst of the sun’s glare without keeping out too much light.

Valances also work really well in rooms where you don’t want bare windows, but don’t want to shut out the light completely – they’re great for bathrooms and kitchens.

Hiding curtain tracks
Curtain rails or tracks aren’t always a pretty sight, and can look a little messy. If your curtain fittings aren’t as attractive as you’d hope, valances for windows can serve a practical purpose – as they’re usually fitted over existing curtain fixings, they can disguise any ugly fittings beautifully.

Adding style
Adding finishing touches to your home can really help to cement the overall style of a room. When it comes to window treatments, yes curtains and blinds go a long way to creating a certain atmosphere, but the little extras, from designer curtain tie backs to the valances, go a long way to injecting extra personality into a room.

If your room is fairly formal then balloon valances, where fabric hangs down from above the window in balloon shaped puffs, can look fantastic. If your room is romantic and airy then swag valances, where fabric is draped loosely over a horizontal pole and the ends are left to hang down either side of the window, are a great option. Whatever look you want to create, valances can really help to set the mood.

Cost
As well as this, if you want to update the look of your window treatments, adding valances is a really cost efficient way of doing this in comparison to actually replacing the curtains or blinds. This means you can successfully revamp your window treatments without spending a fortune, so give valances for windows some thought – they really are a great option.

Things To Consider Before Buying Door Blinds

Genie Simmons — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 04:08:04 +0000

About Door Blinds

If you have an exterior door that does not have it’s glass frosted or textured to protect your privacy, you have probably thought about the idea of door blinds. However, there are several factors that must be considered before selecting a door blind for your home. Once you’ve determined the right blinds for your door, installation is quite different from installing curtains, drapes, or blinds on a window. Your fasteners must be secure enough to prevent them loosening over the years from repeated opening and closing. Because of the constant movement, there are three things you should consider before purchasing door blinds.

Things To Consider

1. Enclosed Or Not Enclosed – In order to keep your window treatment from swinging around constantly as the door opens and close, the most popular door blinds are either solid materials like if you build plantation shutters, or enclosed mini blinds that are framed in a sheet of plexi glass. This allows you to control the light and privacy in your home, while keeping little ones out of harms way as your blinds swing back and forth.

2. Door Material - The material your door is made of will determine the type of door blinds you use. For example, wood and fiberglass doors require blinds to be installed using the hardware for the existing glass, or with special fasteners. However, steel doors can use simple self tapping screws, or for an unnoticeable mounting choice, magnetic mini blinds offer a quick and easy solution.

3. Curtain Panel - If you are tired of the drab door blinds found in most homes, there are curtains specifically made for doors called curtain panels. They work by mounting two curtain rods instead of one, stretching a curtain panel tight between the two rods. This makes for a very appealing and secure window treatment for doors, that is not only easy to install but very affordable.

The Continuing Popularity of Sunburst Mirrors

Genie Simmons — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 05:01:05 +0000

There are a number of accessories considered timeless that a person can adorn their home with, but it has to be said there are few examples as versatile as the sunburst mirror. This particular style of mirror has a longer pedigree than almost any other contemporary feature in the home, dating as far back as the Renaissance period, possibly even earlier. The use of the sun in both art and decoration has been apparent since the earliest dawn of man, with countless civilizations worshiping the sun as a God in its own right for its marvelous and miraculous life-giving properties.

Of course, actual ‘worship’ of the sun is not necessarily practiced today with the same degree of popularity, at least in the same way as it once was, but that is not to say it is not celebrated and revered perhaps above all else by a big part of the world. As such, an almost infinite number of accessories and decorative pieces feature the sun or characteristics thereof in manners designed to add beauty and refinement to any home.

Although traditionally produced from painter wood, the modern sunburst mirror can be constructed from practically any material imaginable at the buyer’s behest. The central mirror which is round in shape surrounded by any amount of spokes to signify the sun’s rays are designed to add a touch of brightness to any room of the home.

Furthermore, water resistant construction has allowed this brightness and beauty to be displayed in bathrooms and wet-rooms rather than just living areas and bedrooms. Combine the beauty of a bold, bright sunburst mirror with complementary modern fabric shower curtains and truly any bathroom can be transformed into a wonderfully bright and contemporary living space.

So little has changed in the design of sunburst mirrors over the years that it certainly warrants recognition as one of the all-time great designs in the field of art and design.

Protection From Roman Window Shades

Genie Simmons — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:57:13 +0000

There are a lot of things you do not see or know that actually ruin a home. There are the usual rodents and termites that hide underneath your couches or beds. There are people who throw trash on your lawn and run away after. There are also people who talk ill of your family or how your home looks bad or uncared for. There are a lot of things that ruin a home and we need protection against them before it is too late.

There are things we do not notice but hurt us nonetheless. A perfect example would be the sun. The sun is the power source that gives everything life. But as much as it is life-giving, so is it dangerous. Excessive sun light caused by the reduction of the ozone layer is dangerous to a home and to a family. Excessive ultra violet rays cause cancers and makes a home deteriorate much quicker. Too much exposure to direct sunlight must be avoided at all costs. Sunlight and sun glares might not be too much obvious in harming us but they sure do inflict some damages.

We have to protect ourselves from exposure to too much sunlight or heat. There are a lot of ways which we can achieve this protection in our home. One is applying sun tan lotion and wearing extra clothes to avoid getting heat stroke or sun burn. Another way is to convert the heat to something much useful like electricity by using solar powered panels or the like. You can also try in making your home sunlight-free by actually placing different kinds of shades on your windows or open areas. Roman window shades are effective in protecting a home against harmful ultra violet rays and excessive sunlight. They actually provide up to 98% against this harsh element.

Protecting your home shouldn’t also come at a very high price. There are a lot of alternatives to expensive sun tan lotion and pricey roman shades. There are discount fabric roman shades in the market that works wonders for a home at a very low price.