Posts Tagged ‘Home Improvement’

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The Best Home Improvement Shows

February 1st, 2010



It used to be that the term “Home Improvement Shows” garnered images of Bob Villa, standing in an old house, describing every action as he hammered. While these types of shows were highly informative, they weren’t busting with entertainment appeal: if not for the pounding of the hammer, you might have fallen asleep.

Nowadays it’s different; home improvement shows aren’t only concerned with being educational, they are also concerned with being fun to watch: they want to touch on emotion as much as they want to touch on intellect. For these reasons, the home improvement shows of yore have all but gone away, and the home improvement shows of today are improving television ratings.

The following is our list of the best home improvement shows, shows that hit the entertainment nail on the head.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC: In its third year of Prime Time exposure, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is seeing extreme success. A show that takes the houses of struggling families – families struggling because of health problems, impoverishment, or natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina – and makes them into architectural and designer masterpieces, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition leaves us all wondering what we would do if we had endless money, and a crew of hundreds. On an unselfish front, this show also tugs on our heart strings, leaving us joyful that the burden of a struggling family has been somewhat lessened. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is the only home improvement show that can routinely make us cry.

Design on a Dime, HGTV: All of us want to remodel, redo, redecorate, but not all of us have the resources. For those of us without tens of thousands of dollars to spend on home improvement, Design on a Dime is singing our song. Design on a Dime features a team of designers who take a budget of a thousand dollars and do wonders to a house. This show shows us that a regular old boring room can be turned into one with flair and appeal without spending great amounts of money. Sure, you might not be able to design on literally a dime, but you might be surprised at how frugally you can fix up your house.

Trading Spaces, Discovery Home: Dueling banjos meets home improvement, Trading Spaces is a show that allows two sets of people to redecorate one room in the other’s house. With each set of people having only two days of decorating, and a budget of just a thousand dollars, Trading Spaces is a great show for people who need quick, cheap decorating ideas. Though the show grants each set of people a carpenter and a designer – two things you might not exactly have lying around – it is still a show that sparks creativity in the person who knows they want to improve their house, but isn’t sure how.

Toolbelt Diva, Discovery Home: I am woman hear me roar, or at least hear me pour cement. Toolbelt Diva is a show that teaches us all that home improvement isn’t just for the boys. A do-it-yourself program hosted by Norma Vally, this show is aimed at encouraging women to take the bull by the horns: it grants women power…tools. Enlightening, entertaining, and educational, Toolbelt Diva shows the world that you can engage in home improvement and have a uterus….all at the same time.

Home Improvement, Now in Syndication: Sure, the show Home Improvement – with Tim Allen wrecking havoc on just about anything he touches – is definitely more of a show on how to destroy your house than one on how to repair it, but it makes our list for one reason: it brings heart and comedy to the usually boring concept of fixing up a house. A show that aired on ABC from 1991 to 1999, Home Improvement, eight years later, still has a unique way of bringing out the handyman in all of us.

By: Jennifer Jordan

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How To Achieve High Home Improvement Value

January 22nd, 2010



People think of their homes in different ways. The old adage – a man’s home is his castle – can be true for many men and women. Your home is also likely to be your biggest investment and as such it is deserving of continued upgrade to increase the home improvement value of your investment.

Or perhaps you’ve bought your home with a view to making some quick improvements and on-selling it.

Whatever your reasons for buying your house you will expect to see a rise in your home improvement value.

Estimating your home improvement value is a simple process and increasing that value can also be easy if you plan well. Regardless of where your home is located, or its amenity or size, it will have the potential for home improvement value. A simple rule of thumb in home improvements is that every dollar you invest should return you two dollars.

D-I-Y Improvements

Planning is the secret to increasing your home improvement value. Spend time in the planning stages and you’ll be rewarded in the renovation stage.

Start with pen and paper and two columns. In the first column list all the features that your house currently has, for example: two bedrooms, one bathroom, combined lounge/dining area, etc. In the other column write down the features you’d like to have in your home; for example four bedrooms, two bathrooms, rumpus room.

You may not be able to achieve everything you’ve written down in the second column; however, writing down the features that you desire is the first step in achieving your home improvement value.

Gaining Another Bathroom

Many people desire an en suite bathroom and this can be a great way to add value to your home. If the main bathroom is located adjacent to the master bedroom – as it frequently is – it can be a relatively inexpensive job to know a doorway between the two rooms. This will give you and immediate home improvement value!

Often a well-located closet can be turned into a toilet area, providing another boost to your home’s value.

Adding A Bedroom

Before you go to the expense of calling in a contractor, take a look at the present bedrooms. Do you have a large bedroom than could easily be divided into two smaller bedrooms by installing a stud wall? These bedrooms may be small but can give children or teenagers some much needed private space. What about a sun room or a veranda that can be closed in to provide a bedroom?

Adding bathrooms and bedrooms to a property is a great starting point to improving your home’s overall value.

If adding additional rooms is outside of you price range, then something as simple as a fresh coat of paint can transform a house or apartment. Keep the wall colors light and the ceilings and trim white if your aim is to make the rooms look larger.

In the bathroom and kitchen the addition of new taps and cupboard handles can brighten and add a contemporary touch to the rooms.

Remember the basic rule that a small investment now will turn into a big investment in the future. Keep making those small improvements and you’ll be able to watch your home improvement value grow over time.

By: Alison Stevens

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Pimp Your Space With Teenagers Bedroom Home Improvement

January 12th, 2010



As your child grows up so do their tastes. They will change their clothing styles and well as their hair styles. The place they will like to spend a lot of time in, will need to take on a new look as well. A teenagers bedroom home improvement can be a lot of fun as well as a challenge. We may not like what they like, but then did our parents like what we liked when we were their age? Definitely, all the baby, toddler stuff will have to go. They are looking for their own unique look that says, this is who I am and I’m not a baby anymore. This article will give some tips for a teenagers bedroom home improvement that can bring you and your teenager closer together.

Probably one of the first things you will need to do is change the color of the room. A teenagers bedroom home improvement will probably take a brighter color than you already have. The fun of it is that, you can take your teenager with you to make decisions. Make it a fun time for you and your teenager. You may want to go to lunch together as you make decisions and choices. We don’t often find special time to spend with our children, and this is a prime opportunity to get to know your teen. While you are in the paint department, you might want to look at some decals or pictures to place on the walls. They have great sport stuff available now that you just stick up on the wall and it stays in place without glue or pins. Helping your teen choose these items will make a teenagers bedroom home improvement a real bonding experience for both of you. The one thing you need to remember is that, this is their space to pimp out, so let them be themselves if it’s within reason.

Another teenagers bedroom home improvement might be new carpeting. Maybe the carpeting is old or babyish and they need a new look. It could be just a new throw rug that could make the difference. You might allow them to choose a new bedding set to go with the room change. Remember that your teenagers bedroom home improvement might not be the look you would choose, but within reason, allow them to make the choices. You can add your two cents, but they ultimately have to live with the choice.

If you are needing to add a desk and computer to your teenagers bedroom home improvement, you don’t have to spend a fortune. You can often find these things at a second hand store or at a garage sale. Look in the newspaper under the headings you are looking for and you might be surprised at the deals you can get. You might even be able to add a whole new bedroom set including mattress and all for very little money. A teenagers bedroom home improvement could make a huge difference in the relationship between you and your teen. Let them know you care about their needs, and that you realize they are growing up. The closer you are to your teen, the less likely they will get into trouble in the days ahead, and I don’t think you can put a price on that. Use your teenagers bedroom home improvement time together, to make a difference in the way you view each other, and love each other unconditionally.

By: Tom Turner

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