Home Decoration Pro

Home Decoration Pro; Going Up?

The subject today is about adding a second story to your home, and even if you don’t own a home this article has some deep insight you may want to bookmark if friends or family are planning on a remodel. Besides, you may own a home later and much of this applies to any remodel you may embark on.

“While different people have different reasons for renovating their homes, …some need space because of the new addition in their family, and others investing to fetch greater returns when they sell. So, if you are looking to add more space in your house, adding a second floor is the best way to do it” says Sunrise Construction Management in New York.

Second Story Done Right

So what are the major decisions that need to be weighed? It’s going to vary from family to family and home to home, so it’s extremely important to do your research. Here are some of the major questions and things to do, and this is assuming you’re hiring a general contractor:

What is your budget? (now add 5 – 10%)
Where will you get the money if you go over budget? (A high percentage do)
How long will it take (now add 15 – 20%)
Will your local building code allow your second story?
Would you be blocking a neighbor’s view?
Have you had a foundation inspection in the last 5 years?
Select at least 3 firms with a good reputation & consult before making your final selection.
Use a general contractor, not a remodeler.
Check with the BBB (Better Business Bureau).
Are they properly licensed, bonded, and insurance up to date?
What was their last 2nd story project?
Ask for permission to talk to the owner of a recent 2nd story project.
A web site that explains who they are and testimonials?
Hire a contractor you feel totally comfortable with or keep looking.
Go over the plans in detail.
Will you be able to live in your home when the second story is being built?
How well did they clean up the mess & was there any damage in the last 3 projects?
What kind of written gurantee do they offer?
Get at least 3 estimates early from experienced contractors.
What kind of logistics problems? (parking, traffic flow, weather problems, living conditions).
Don’t cut corners on materials and craftsmanship.
Have a clear vision you can convey to the contractor.
Have a clear plan about how and where you’re going to live while construction proceeds.
Have you included a detailed decoration plan?
Have you included the cost of all the new furnishings needed?
If you need financing will you be able to qualify? Is your income source stable enough to proceed safely?
Is the contractor a home builders association member?
What is the length of the warranty?
Usually 30 -50 % down to start & no more.
Are the plans compatible with your neighborhood?
If you pay property taxes how much will this add to your annual tax bill?
How long will you live in this home after the project is done?
Will the 2nd story’s added value be realized when you sell? (talk to a local realtor).
What are the possible unforseen problems and how much could they cost you?
Have your decor furnishings planned ahead & in your budget.
If you have children consider staying elsewhere during this major construction.
Let your neighbors know you’re planning your addition.

Going Up!!

A good rule of thumb when figuring your budget is to be liberal with your final figures and add 5 – 10% to the figure. Can you cover the worst case scenario? Of course if you hire a contractor to do all the work they’re going to figure this into their quote from experience. Make sure you understand what can happen and who will be paying the bills for any unfortunate surprises. You can be sure any unforseen problems will not only add to the new addition cost, but will add to the time it’s going to take to finish the project properly. Keep in mind you may have to move power lines, telephone lines, plumbing vents, air conditioning, etc., and these can increase costs quickly.

Danny Garcia of Rhino Design Build, LLC of San Antonio, TX has an important last point: “DO NOT let them tell you that you can support the new room addition on top of the existing joists or rafters!” He goes on to say this step has to be engineered to be done properly.

Done right, this can make a big improvement to your lifestyle and pocketbook, and done wrong you could end up broke and living on the funny farm. Get organized, and make yourself a check list. If you break it down in the proper order and start checking off 4 or 5 items a week you’ll soon be on your way to success. Be brave, but be careful and make your decision on the facts you discover and NOT on your emotions. Emotion is what leads people to make the wrong decision time and again. Don’t let it happen to you my friends. If you’re serious about getting started, your first step is to watch the six minute video below and take notes. You’ll be glad you did as you will be prepared to proceed afterward. After all, who wants to live on the funny farm?

By the way, come see us when it’s time to do the last of the detail decorating for walls, flower arrangements, centerpieces and house plants.

4RRT3YN8M7BE

My Best…………..Billy Goldmark, Silky Flower Store

Home Decoration Pro; Virtual Bedroom Decor Ideas Review

How to plan painting that next room can be easy and exciting if you know how to see the results before you even start. Digital is here, so put it to use when planning for that bedroom makeover project, or submit the results to your decorator and know it’s going to be perfect when the job is finished. There’s a well known company offering a virtual design system you’re going to want to know about, and I reveal the details. If you can’t save yourself some time with this system and come up with some great ideas, you’re not even trying. I’ve evaluated the reviews of this particular paint company’s products, but the results are mixed. Their virtual interior paint system however is definitely more than useful, and it’s an up to date web system anyone can use successfully. Here’s how it works: Take digital pictures of each bedroom wall (or any room you’re interested in re-styling) including the ceiling, download to your computer (don’t forget the file name), go to the web site, submit, choose your colors, and you’re on your way to an exciting new bedroom decor.

Who’s the company and what’s the plan? Be patient and learn a little about what I’ve found, and lets not forget the furnishing details for your new décor theme. Nearly all décor themes you ever see will include floral arrangements and greenery to help set an inviting tone.

Comfy & Plush With Added Life

If you have time and money to buy and replace flower arrangements weekly, no one has allergies, and you have people to maintain your house plants while on vacation, go ahead. Otherwise, you will be money ahead using today’s computer designed, realistic silk plants, silk flower arrangements and dried natural arrangements from a reputable company that guarantees your satisfaction.

I invested over an hour registering, reading and watching the tips, taking pictures of our bedroom, “masking” and “painting” with this company’s virtual system. My rating of the system? To be fair, I give the company an over all rating of 7 out of 10, but my experience was about a 5 since I wasn’t able to get the masking system to work. I’m assuming it’s my error, but the ease of use rating is a 6 on my rating scale. The registration is not long, but a bit irritating when in a hurry. The short video tools for using the system are a must, but short and to the point. The video is a bit fast in some areas, but you can keep replaying each step until you retain the info.

The color scheme system works well when planning the colors you’re going to use, and once you pick your primary, three other matching accent colors are offered. This is a great help, and the color shade adjustments work well if you want to tweak them for your style. Overall a great system providing you can overcome the masking step problem. You can even create your own “workbook” and come back to it when needed.

The well known paint company that provides the virtual system is top rated on Consumers Reports. However after reading a dozen reviews by users don’t let Consumers make your decision. Be very careful in choosing your paint brand, and by all means:

Experiment with paint samples on your walls before you purchase your paint.

Do NOT buy 5 gallon containers in this market as paint is getting old.

Do NOT use commercial thinners without carefully experimenting.

Some paints will be ruined if you use a certain commercial thinner according to a review on Consumers Reports who learned the hard way. (See their top rated paint reviews).

To summarize, that new painting project can be a lot of fun planning with the virtual system, as well as effective. Follow the easy steps and you can see how your new room will look (or very close). Next, purchase samples of the paint colors you found in the sheen you want. If you’re doing the project yourself I recommend going to the store and previewing the appropriate color strips to decide which paint samples to try. Don’t be too conservative with this step, as too many paint samples are better than not enough. Save yourself an extra trip to the store. Now try your colors on the surfaces and and let them dry over night. How does it look in the various light sources? Happy with the colors AND the paint performance? If you don’t like the paint’s attributes choose a different brand. Use the color strips from the first source to help you find the right choice, but do some research before you choose.

Be sure to read our previous post about color trends if you don’t know where to start, and don’t miss the tip about skipping the masking step! These tips are in the same post: Exciting Grays Take Over Beige.

See a quick video of the system.

4RRT3YN8M7BE

My Best, Billy Goldmark Silky Flower Store

Home Decoration Pro; “Easy Off” Wall Coverings

There are quite a number of “Easy Off” wall coverings available from different sources, but I only know of one that allows you to submit a photo of what you want and within minutes place your order for up to a 20′ x 20′ wall covering. With a new season just ahead of us (Fall/2011) this may be a great time to make a change in your wall decor. There is a new start up company I’m referring to by the name of InkShuffle.com. After an extensive site review and comparison search, here are some details about the products and services they offer:

coverings are easily removed without wall damage or paint removal

smaller size of 3′ x 3′ starts at $54.90

7′ x 8′ example of Thanksgiving Bounty is $246.96

murals, posters & canvas wraps

installation very similar to wallpaper

over 2,000,000 stock designs advertised on site

30 different categories in murals

high quality digital photos accepted for printing

murals can be cropped, filtered and customized

pre-pasted

requires at least two people and 24″ water trays for installation

Flower background "Easy - Off" Design

I’ve included one of the better images that illustrates a stock pattern example that may be acceptable for some Victorian decor if you don’t mind the untextured semi gloss designs.
I found the site to be interesting and flexible for using one’s own art files, however I don’t visualize recommending their stock art for most professional offices or high end homes. The semi gloss scenes, patterns, and photos may work well for some, but they’re not my style . So much of what I reviewed was pop art, Asian scenic graphics, children’s room art, city scenes, pictures of cows…….you get the idea. If that’s what you’re looking for you can choose from one of the 30 categories, and actually kids and young adults may actually love them. The other option is to submit your own art, but the final product will be a flat, semi-gloss, untextured surface. Colors will be vivid, and installation will be similar to wallpaper, but cosmopolitan it’s not.

Halloween Theme for your wall.

I’m sure they have a great niche producing wall coverings from their customer’s own art, but for me a semi-gloss photo on the wall doesn’t cut it. One thing to remember is that with a photographic mural on your wall your stuck with it until you change it. There’s no logical way to alter the decor of the “Halloween Theme,” and how long do you want to celebrate Halloween? Using more traditional patterns you can decorate with your favorite framed art, wall sconces, or other wall art. There are quite a number of patterns available with a repetitive theme, but none I like. The idea of a wall photo scene is too limiting. I had a wall photo when I was a teenager and it was fun for awhile, but then I got tired of the same scene day after day and outgrew the concept. What’s your opinion of this wall covering format? Am I being too critical of them? It’s for you to decide.

My Best, Billy Goldmark Silky Flower Store

Name:
E-Mail Address:

Email Marketing by WP Autoresponder