Archives for November 2015

There are many parts of a property that people should feel proud about, and none more so than the garden. This is one of the most important areas of anyone’s home. The garden can improve the aesthetic look of the property, as well as making the home more appealing to buyers. A lot of people don’t take enough time to look after their back gardens, and this is a shame.

With the resources available these days, no one should have any excuse for not taking care of their gardens. When people go into someone’s garden what’s the first thing to catch their attention? Well, it may well depend on what they have in their garden, and how it’s laid out. But, most of the time it’s going to be the lawn. Specifically, it’s going to be the condition of the lawn. And, as such, homeowners should go out of their way to make sure their lawns look superb.

Irrigation is the key to this, and it’s something that is very doable these days. As well as being doable it’s also extremely important, and here are some reasons why.

Saves Money

The fact of the matter is that irrigating the lawn saves money. It provides the grass and the soil with the perfect levels of moisture. People need to know how often to water the lawn to make sure it’s properly taken care of throughout the year. Proper watering means that growing becomes more straightforward and the lawn stays green and lush for much longer. The benefit of this is that it means people don’t have to do excessive maintenance work. When lawns get patchy, they are very unattractive. By this point, they are too far gone for people to want to sort them out. So instead they often rip up all the turf and replace it with artificial grass. The bottom line is that this is a lot of time and effort, and it looks nowhere near as good.

Professional Attention

Another thing that people so often overlook is the importance of professional attention. When it comes to looking after parts of the home, it’s important for people to get expert help. When nourishing the lawn, using an irrigation service from Pro Irrigation will do the trick. It means that professionals will be taking charge of the irrigation. And this ensures the perfect level of care and attention for the law. They might pick up in things that homeowners would overlook or forget, and this can lead to improper lawn care. By irrigating it allows people to bring in the pros and get the exact attention the garden needs.

Makes the Rest of the Garden Look Much Better

When it comes to the garden, the buck stops with the lawn. This might sound unfair on the rest of the garden, but it’s true! I doesn’t matter how pretty people make the rest of their garden, if the lawn is a state it’s going to show. Watering and irrigating the grass properly allows the lawn to flourish and blossom. And this, in turn, makes the rest of the garden look much better. It causes ripples of improvement throughout the garden and makes it much nicer to look at.

It’s pretty obvious that proper lawn care and maintenance has got to be a priority for homeowners. Neglecting the grass can lead to huge costs to get the lawn back up to an acceptable level. So, with the proper irrigation system people can save money, and have a beautiful garden throughout the year!

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As the housing market slows down, more and more people are choosing renting their homes over buying property, meaning that there is also a record number of homeowners choosing to become landlords and rent out their homes since they have been unable to sell. Demand for rental property has never been so high, and if you are considering renting out your property to tenants, there has never been a better time to make an income as a landlord. But, what are your obligations as a landlord, and how do you prepare for tenants? We’ve put together some top tips for you.

Preparation

Before the property can be viewed by potential tenants, you should ensure that the home is fully prepared. This includes making sure that it is clean, and that any DIY is finished. You should also have the property fully inspected by a professional company to ensure that everything is in good working order and that the property doesn’t pose any kind of threat to future tenants. You should also think about the type of let that you are offering – is the house to be furnished or unfurnished? If you are letting the house on a furnished basis, then remember that the furniture should also be inspected and you will need wider insurance cover. Check out hertsinventories.co.uk for rental property inspections.

Health and Safety

When it comes to letting your home it is crucial that you fully comply with safety regulations for gas, electric and furniture. It is important that you make regular safety checks throughout the duration of the tenancy to ensure that these standards are upheld. Records should also be kept in order to keep your tenants protected and ensure that you have valid insurance.

Using a Letting Agent

If you don’t have the time to manage your rental property by yourself, a letting agent can be quite useful. However, it’s important that you take into consideration the fact that they will take around 8-15% of the income that you make from the rent. Although using a letting agent will help you to find tenants, it’s a good idea that you still get involved with tenant meetings and interviews as it’s important you are comfortable with the people moving into your home.

Know Your Rights

When renting out a property, it is important that you know what your obligations are as a landlord. For example, if you would like to enter the home it is required that you give the tenant at least 24 hours’ notice. Before renting out your home is it crucial to become familiar with not only your rights but also the rights of the tenant to ensure that the tenancy runs smoothly. Compiling a tenancy agreement is a great way of protecting your rights and the property, and include a list of terms and conditions regarding the upkeep of the property, the tenancy agreement, and eviction terms.

With the correct plans in place, renting out your home for the first time doesn’t have to be as daunting as it seems.

The question that sticks in everyone’s mind when they are remodeling is ‘how do I make it successful’? It is obvious that they want the remodel to go well because what would be the point otherwise? But, for them to get to the point to the point where they can beam a smile of joy, they need to figure out a couple of things.

If they don’t, the remodel is not going to be successful because problems often arise and get firmly in the way. For everyone looking to remodel their kitchen successfully, here’s what to bear in mind.

Make A Plan

Without a plan, there is no way to keep the renovations on track. Every good builder will say that they firstly have a plan in mind, and then write it down to refer to later on. There is nothing wrong with coming unstuck. In fact, it is bound to happen when taking on a job of this magnitude. But, there are lots wrong with not being prepared when the issues do occur.

Have Plenty Of Cash

The problem most people have when they attempt a remodel of any kind is the finance. Although they create a budget, they don’t take into account how much it takes to complete a home renovation. Even the simplest ones cost a fortune. What they find in the end is that they have to stop and accrue the money half way through a project. To a lot of people, that is already a failure because it costs too much and takes up too much time. There are ways to save money while renovating, but it is best to have the cash to hand for financial and time reasons.

Remember Substance As Well As Style

It is easy to get carried away with all of the latest trends and fashions, especially because there are so many. But, style only accounts for a small part of a successful kitchen remodel. Truly successful kitchen remodeling projects incorporate style and substance together because the room has to be functional to be successful. When a room is not practical, it doesn’t work well with the rest of the house. It might be the most stylish kitchen ever, yet it is still a huge waste.

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Personality

Everyone’s house needs a personality because personality breeds creativity and originality. A home that lacks personality and character is not a home but a house. It is colder and barer than a home, and it is less inviting, too. The house should reflect the owner or the people that live there at the time. If they have a hobby or passion that dominates their life, they should incorporate it as much as possible.

Latest Trends

To get a good mix, a remodel should look to mix everything together. So, as well as personal experiences, it is important to take inspiration from the latest trends at the time. Then, the kitchen will be the perfect mix between personality and today’s fashions.

When the project is over, homeowners should be able to look at the kitchen and think ‘that is exactly what I wanted.’

As you know, I’m always on the lookout for the latest trends and styles for home decor. I try to keep my color palette up to date so I can enjoy a fresh look in my home. This season is all about the distressed look. So I thought I would check out some furniture updates to see what might look good in my home.

Bedroom

Wooden bed frames are gorgeous. I love how divans are so practical with their storage solutions. It is ideal for a small bedroom. But to be on trend for this winter, what could look more gorgeous than a distressed pine bed? A woolen throw in grays or washed-out browns would complement the look so well. Even the bedroom floor can be brought up to date. Painting techniques on the wooden floorboards can create an aged or distressed appearance. Love it.

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Living Room

This is our cozy corner at home. I love the colors I’ve been bringing into our home lately. When it comes to finding the latest styles of furniture in here, I’m always looking at sofas online. I can even print pages out to put in a mood board or scrapbook. It helps me build up a style I can be comfortable with. This season I’m looking for beautiful button detailing in rich colors and fabrics. I would love something that goes with my gorgeous new rug too! I think some cushion covers rich in texture and bearing the colors would be ideal.

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Kitchen

Furniture for the kitchen has to be the right size to fit. Our kitchen isn’t the biggest space. Table cloths are great for making dramatic color changes on a whim. My dining set could be changed to something chunkier in a golden wood. I would love a wooden kitchen dresser too. It would display some beautiful plates in my chosen color palette, as well as providing some much-needed storage. I think a cute little rug underneath it would help highlight it really well.

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Spare Room

If you’re lucky enough to have a spare room, then this is definitely the season for clearing it out. With Christmas fast approaching, I’m already preparing for guests staying over. It’s nice to have extra people in the home at this time of year. My favorite colors are mints and blues, and I think these are both perfect for a guest room. If you often need the room for other purposes, why not invest in a sofa bed to make extra space? Have a little bucket chair in the corner, and a couple of shelves to display your ornaments. Perfect.

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Hallway

Hallways can be very bland. If you add a small and simple hall table with a drawer, you have somewhere to pop your keys. It creates an ideal focus point for the hall, and can be situated beneath the hallway mirror.

I love coming up with creative solutions for my home. Style is important to me, so I look for ways to keep on trend while staying functional. Happy styling.