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Top 9 Home Improvements That Will Pay Off

There’s no right time to start making upgrades or improvements to your home. Some people choose to do upgrades as ideas pop up, while others prefer to make all of their home improvements at once. Either way, making improvements to your home can pay off big. Not only does it make your home more functional and comfortable while you’re still living in it, but it can also improve your home’s value. When the time comes to sell, you’ll be happy you made those improvements.

If you’re looking for home improvements that pay off, you’ve come to the right place. Check out our list of the top home improvements that can help you list your home for a higher price and improve your enjoyment of the home.

Painting

When you first bought the house, the odds are that you were moving on a budget, and the only upgrade you could afford was a few coats of paint. This one is easy. It doesn’t take much time, energy, or money to paint your house, and it can have a dramatic effect. If you paint your house the right colors, you can make it feel like a completely new space.

If you’re planning on living in the house for years to come, you don’t have to worry about how other people will feel about the colors. Choose colors that promote what you want to feel in your home. For example, you may choose a calming purple for your bedroom but a vibrant yellow for your living room.

If you’re planning on selling your house, you’ll want to choose more neutral colors. These colors allow homebuyers to envision themselves in the home more easily since the space won’t look like it belongs to someone else.

Upgrade Your Bed

This home improvement likely won’t help you sell your house, but it can help you sleep easier during such a stressful time. You don’t have to purchase a new mattress to make upgrades to your bed. Instead, consider using pillows that can help you sleep better no matter what. For example, if you suffer from acid reflux, an acid reflux pillow can help you fall asleep and stay asleep with less discomfort.

A New Air Conditioner

A 5 ton AC system won’t only keep you cool more effectively and efficiently in the hot summer months, but it can also save you money. If your air conditioner hasn’t been replaced in a few years or decades, now is that time. New furnaces are more energy-efficient as well, which means that you’ll be paying less on your monthly electric bill.

Build a Deck

A deck adds additional living space that many homebuyers are willing to pay a premium for. With additional seating and a palace to add a barbecue, you’ll be happy you added a deck for spending your time out in the sun every summer.

If you’re planning on selling your house, build a deck with natural wood for a higher return on your investment.

Update Your Kitchen

This home improvement is one of the most time-consuming and costly on our list, but every home deserves a beautiful kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the home for many families because it’s where everyone sits down to dinner together after a day spent apart. After raising a family in your house, your kitchen likely needs a little TLC.

Updating a few of your appliances can make cooking family meals easier and more fun while adding shelving can make your kitchen look brand new.

If you’re planning on selling your house, a newly renovated kitchen is a premium that buyers are willing to pay for. People looking to buy homes do not want to renovate the home themselves, so you’ll be saving them time and money, which makes them more likely to purchase your home.

If an appliance or kitchen overhaul isn’t in the cards for you financially, you can make cosmetic improvements like painting your cabinets or changing your handles.

Landscaping

The front of your house is the first thing people see. If your home makes a bad first impression on buyers, they are less likely to purchase it even if the inside of the home is beautiful. Make sure that your landscaping is simple and not too over the top. If buyers want to add to the front or back yards, they can do so themselves, but you want to appeal to everyone, so it’s important to keep your grass healthy at the very least.

Fix Up Your Basement

Your basement can provide you with extra square footage if you spend time down there. Unfortunately, many people choose not to finish their basements because it takes time and money. Fixing up your basement can help you appeal to buyers because it provides them with an additional space that they can use for entertainment or turn into an additional living space.

Add Hooks

Not every improvement needs to cost you thousands of dollars. If you want to improve your home’s functionality, you can add hooks near the doors for people to hang their coats. This is especially beneficial if you don’t have a front hall closet for jackets, coats, and hats.

Add a Pool

Adding a pool can provide you with a huge return on investment, but it can also offer you and your family an additional place to hang out during hot summers. A pool can help potential buyers see themselves relaxing in the home and enjoying their time at home, which will make them more likely to purchase your house.

Final Thoughts

Home improvements don’t have to break the bank to help you sell your home or increase its functionality. When considering home improvement, make sure that you set a budget for yourself and stick to it. It’s all too easy to go over budget, especially when renovating your home can be fun.

When it comes to making improvements with the goal of selling your house, do everything you can to make the potential homebuyers picture themselves living in your home, from staging it correctly to adding a deck or pool.

Matt Casadona

Matt Casadona has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. He is currently a contributing editor for 365 Business Tips. Matt is passionate about marketing and business strategy and enjoys the San Diego life, traveling and music.

3 Things To Consider When Moving Into A Tiny House

The coronavirus pandemic showed many people the importance of spending time outside. It showed to people how essential it is to have your own place to spend your time in a cozy and comfortable home that welcomes you after a long day and that helps you relax and unwind. A tiny house offers you the opportunity of living with less and of adopting a minimalist lifestyle. It helps you connect with nature and admire its marvels because a tiny home can be built almost anywhere.

But how were some people convinced by choosing a tiny home for sale instead of a big and family-sized one? Well, most of the people and couples that want to move into a tiny house are millennials. They are the generation that is the first one that was an adept of the nomadic lifestyle. They are mostly working from home or remotely, so they have the flexibility to work from any place. At the same time, tiny houses on wheels are among the most looked after by this generation. This is because you can take it anywhere. You basically have the possibility of moving with your house, so taking the comfort and coziness you have built with you. Moreover, a tiny house comes with reduced maintenance costs, so living on a budget and work from everywhere are just a few of the benefits people are looking for nowadays.

Moving into a tiny house comes with many restraints. At the same time, there are many things you need to consider and be aware of before you actually move. There are a few things you need to think about before actually starting to build your house. These 3 things will help you make the entire process smoother, but also be prepared for everything moving into a tiny house means.

Financial Implications

Many people decide to move into a tiny house because of the reduced costs. If the space you live in is smaller, you need less energy and resources to heat it and keep it warm, to cool it, or repair any things that might have broken. While there are people who are already searching for buying or renting a tiny house, many others want to build it by themselves. The costs of moving into a tiny house depend on this.

For example, you may decide to build the house by yourself. With all the materials you need, it may cost you up to $30,000. If you want to hire a professional to do it for you, costs might go up to $70,000. So, the difference is huge. At the same time, there is the possibility of buying a house building kit from Amazon, especially built and designed for people who want to build their tiny house by themselves. The kit can be up to $20,000, so a lot more affordable than hiring a professional to build it.

No matter your decision, you will surely have to think about other costs as well. For example, the furniture, the bathroom, shower, windows, interior finishes, electrical, and appliances are other costs that will add up to the final sum. But because the house is tiny, you do not need so many of these, so the total costs will still be smaller compared with a large house.

But what if you do not have the money to build the house by yourself but you really want this? There are many ways you can finance your dream: through personal loans, mortgages, or RV loans. Depending on which of these options suits you the best, you will choose the ones that are the easiest to obtain and have the lowest interest rate.

Design

Another thing you need to consider before moving to a tiny house is its design of. If you build it by yourself, you need to think about how you arrange the furniture. The main thing about a tiny house is that it is tiny, so you have limited space. You need to select only the essentials, but also find a nice way to use the space available optimally. Thinking about the design will help you decide how big you need to build your tiny house. If you will be living alone, then you can decide how much space you need. But if you will be living with your family, you need to consider the space each member needs. This will allow you to decide on the right size for your tiny house, as well as the interior design.

At the same time, it is essential to think about the appliances and your future plans. Many people decide to build a tiny house on wheels, so this is something to think about. Will you live off or on the grid? It is important to consider your environmental impact too and choose to reuse building materials and use energy and water-efficient appliances.

Utilities

Utilities are crucial and one of the most important things to consider when moving into a tiny house. The solution for your utilities depends on your plans. If you want a mobile house, then you need to think about the utilities and you connect to each of them while you are on the move. But if you want to have a stationary tiny house, then you need to think about water, electricity, internet, gas, and so on. To have a low impact on the environment, you could consider renewable sources of energy.

Ending Note

Moving to a tiny house is something many people think about during these times. Living in a flat while a global pandemic is happening and you are not allowed to leave your house makes many people yearn for a house. Millennials are among the ones that are looking for building or buying a tiny house. But before moving in, you need to take into consideration a few things.

The costs of building a tiny house depend. If you want to hire a professional, the costs will be higher because you will pay labor too. You can also buy a tiny home building kit from Amazon. Next, think about the design and how many people will be living there. This is important because it will help you decide on the right size and design for your tiny house. Think about the utilities too and consider using renewable energy to lower your impact on the environment.

Author Bio: Charlie Svensson is a fast, engaging freelance writer working at a dissertation service. Skilled in content writing and blogging, he writes college essay papers at an essay writing service. The favorite topics of his posts are education, social media, psychology, design, and self-growth. Excellent adaptability of skills to reach diverse audiences.

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5 Summer Exterior Decorating Ideas

Summer is the season that offers you the most opportunities of spending time in nature with your friends. It is the season you spend in plain air. You may be gardening, preparing a barbeque, reading in the shadow of a tree, drinking a cocktail, and enjoying the sunny weather. If you have a house, you have probably thought about arranging your patio so that it is a welcoming and enjoyable place to spend your summer in. Have you already started looking for those exterior decorating ideas to make your patio or garden the best place to spend both your summer days and nights?

We have collected five of them, the ones that can help you transform your exterior however you want. Moreover, these ideas will help you create that vibe you want to feel when you spend your time there. It will be a place that will replenish your energy levels, help you relax and unwind. So, what are the best five summer exterior decorating ideas? You can find out below.

1. Area Rugs

If you are yearning for a place where you can walk with your bare feet and not hurt them, your exterior can be that place. Of course, it depends on how your house and the porch are built, but for sure you will find a place to decorate and make it look more pleasant. So, having a rug to cover all your exterior area will change its look completely. These places are usually very rustic made, with a lot of wood. To cover it a little bit and give your exterior a different, more welcoming feeling, you can put an area rug.

There are many rugs you can choose from. The shape and the model can also be diverse, depending on how you imagine the entire place to be. But if you want a summer feeling, you can choose rugs that have bright colors or beautiful hue combinations. You can go for something white and blue, but also bolder colors. If you have a rug, then if space allows, you can arrange an outdoor dining area as well. And you will enjoy your dinners in a new setting.

2. Add Plants

Plants are the thing that transforms any place. Moreover, having both indoor and outdoor plants is linked to improved wellbeing. Plants help you relieve your stress and replenish your energy levels. Besides this, they can alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and depression and can help you relax. There are many plants you can choose from and that can be kept outdoors, especially during summer. Of course, it depends on the local climate conditions and how your garden or patio is lighted by the sun. But you can choose from a beautiful mix of decorative and perennials. Moreover, you can arrange a small garden where you grow your own vegetables.

3. Summer Pillows and Blankets

No matter how much you love summer and sunny days, some summer nights are chillier than others. And to enjoy a good night or evening outdoors, you need things that help you get comfortable and keep warm. There are pillows you can buy and add outdoors, some that have summer models and can make you feel the warmth of the season.

Palms, cocktails, and flamingos are among the elements that are added to many summer outdoors accessories. On top of this, you can have some fluffy blankets to keep you warm during the night. Even though you will feel chilly, that blanket will help you enjoy the summer nights at peace and in comfort.

4. Coolers

Summer nights are chilly, but the days are hot. And you will surely want something cold to drink, to cool yourself off. So, why not add some coolers to your outdoor place? There are many ideas you can choose from or you can unleash your creativity and invent something yourself. These coolers, besides their obvious benefit, will help you create a festive appearance to the place too. You can take a bucket and some ice cubes to keep your beverages cold. A brighter solution would be to fill some balloons with water and freeze them. Colorful balloons will give your bucket a summer look, which will increase your comfort.

5. Garden Stools

No garden or outdoors relaxing place is complete without some garden stools. They can make the place look bright and nice, while also filling the empty space. On top of this, they also have a functional benefit. They can be used as places to keep your drinks on. Besides, they can be filled with towels in case you have a pool. Garden stools can be used in a wide variety of ways and they come in many forms and colors. You can easily match the colors and theme with the whole place and create a bright, colorful, and summery place to spend your summer at.

Ending Note

Your garden, patio, or outdoor space is the best place you can arrange to spend your summer. During hot summer days, you will need a shadowy place. But on chilly summer nights, you will need something to keep you warm. Summer is the season when you can do a lot of activities, but also spend time with your friends in the comforts of your patio. Make sure you arrange your outdoor space to be a comfortable, cozy, and welcoming place.

A cooler will help you keep your beverages cold and enjoy the hot day. A garden stool would be a great accessory that helps you store things you need, like towels or blankets. It is also a great thing to keep your glasses on. Apart from these, an area rug would make the place more welcoming and enjoyable, especially if you like to be there barefoot.

Summer pillows and blankets would make the place more comfortable and cozier, while also keeping you warm. And plants? Plants will help you relax and unwind. They will give you that jungle feeling that will relieve your stress levels, help you to escape from the tensions and enjoy your time in your garden.

Bio Lines: Leon Collier is a blogger and academic writer from Edinburgh who has vast experience working with college paper writing service and essay writers UK. He loves to take on every challenge thrown at him and has the ability to deliver outstanding work regularly. When he’s not busy writing, he loves reading books and playing tabletop games with his friends. Follow him on Twitter @LeonCollier12.

Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash

What’s the deal with bunkers for sale?

For some reasons there have been a huge interest in abandoned bunkers for sale. Always there is an ad of a bunker for sale it gets at least ten times more hits than homes for sale. Surely, many just click on it out of curiosity but many are seriously interested. What is it that makes bunkers so attractive for buyers?

Although it is considered as the ultimate hiding place, the average underground bunker usually has no windows, just air vents and most of the times no electricity, toilet or running water.

Most subterranean shelters would be accessible through a straight up concrete shaft with a steel ladder, accessed by some sort of concrete or steel hatch on the ground.

The perfect historical restoration project

For all buyers who are interested in a historical restoration venture they are just perfect. It is a truly unique project that is sure to seduce. Unfortunately, there are not as many out there as interested buyers. That’s why, despite the bad state they usually are in they are not cheap.

Some people have been very creative and building their own amazing backyard bunkers. In this case don’t forget to get the proper permits before.

We could also see a recent movement of newly built bunkers – many especially for the upper class – that offer all modern comfort you can think of and look like out of a sci fi movie.

The “bunker for sale scam”

Sadly, whatever triggers a lot of interest in many people also inspires others to come up with a scam. In the bunker story it is no different.

The scam we have seen so far is this:

There is an ad with nice and very cheap bunkers for sale. Once you contact the advertiser, he will explain that he is very sick that is why he priced his bunker for a quick sale. Due to his condition, he is also not able to show the property but someone else can be paid to show it. Therefore, he will ask you for some money to see the bunker before you buy it. Needless to say, that after paying the money you will not hear from him ever again or have any way to get through to him.

Here are some red flags to look out for:

Price is cheaper than normal
The seller asks money to show you the property

Another good way is to use the Google Reverse Image Search with the images the advertiser has in the ad. You may find that he copied them from another website.

Bio

Our Property under 20k team are the founders of www.propertyunder20k.com and www.listproperty4free.com with the goal to search the cheapest real estate in the world and make it easy for others to find. The team is made up of landlords, real estate investors, architects and builders from several different countries. We just love to have a good strong cup of coffee while we write our experiences in this blog.

Bild von Martin Bock auf Pixabay

5 Ways to Make a Small House ‘Bigger’

Having a small house comes with the benefit of ensuring that your bills are always lower. With a small house, you will also have minimal cleaning and maintenance needs.

The problems set in when you wish to arrange your items inside the house or host guests. The items would clutter easily, and just a small mess would feel more significant in your small house.

Besides, your guests would feel ‘squeezed’ inside the house. There are, however, a few tricks you may use to make your small house ‘bigger.’

In some instances, a little creativity goes a long way in making your house feel bigger. In some instances, though, you may need to make major adjustments to help you achieve the intended goal. Use these simple strategies to make your small house ‘bigger.’

I. Remove Accessories and Furniture on the Way

Elements like furniture and accessories which would cause blockage in the view into your room will make it look cramped. If your house looks small and you have accessories and furniture lined on the walkways, you may need to consider removing them to create space in those regions.

Removing such elements will help open up maximum space in the walkways. This will, in effect, make your house feel bigger than you actually thought.

If you do not have furniture or accessories in the walkways and the ones you have in the room are taller, it would help if you substitute the taller furniture with shorter ones. For example, you can go with shorter tables in the open and then remove your taller and large pieces of furniture to the wall.

The bottom line, in this case, is to be able to see the floor. Once you make your floor space more noticeable, your tiny house will feel dramatically bigger than it really is.

II. Check your Lighting

Did you also know that the lighting of your house would also impact how you feel inside the house? Well, if you go with poor lighting selections, there is a risk of your house feeling smaller even if it was large in size.

To use lighting in making your house bigger, you will basically need to allow as much lighting into your house as possible. To begin with, if you can access natural light, be sure to let it into your room.

It will certainly make it feel bigger. If you cannot access natural lighting for your house, it would help if you try artificial lighting.

Here are a few tips that may help make artificial lighting resize your room;

Do not use just one source of light in the room. Spread light using different light sources in your room to create space.
You may benefit from installing table lamps on sideboards and floor lamps in different corners of your room. This will ensure that light is distributed throughout the entire room.
You may also try long pendants. When installed correctly, they can help you to significantly make your room feel larger. This will most commonly be applicable if you have a high ceiling. Hanging a long pendant from your ceiling will help draw the eyes of the occupants in the room high up and down to emphasize its height instead of the smaller floor space.

III. Consider Switching Colors

Using color to expand your room’s size is more of an optical illusion. Well, it isn’t even a secret. Your light paint colors play a role in making your rooms feel bigger or smaller, and a good interior designer should help you with this when you’re selecting color options for your house.

If you wish to make your small room feel bigger, it would help if you ditch dark shades and go with light and bright walls. Dark shades aren’t recommended because they absorb a lot of light, implying that there is a risk of the dark shades making your house feel ‘squeezed.’

On the other hand, if you go with light and bright walls, the walls will be more reflective, which will be a massive boost for you if you’re trying to maximize the effect of natural lighting. To achieve the best effect of using colors to make your small hours feel bigger, you can use soft tones such as off-white, greens, and blues to pull up this trick.

Alternatively, you can also use lighter colors when painting your wall moldings and trims instead of using the same color schemes for the wall and moldings. This will help ensure that your walls appear further away and make your house feel much bigger.

Accent walls are also not outdated, and they can leave a massive impact on making your house feel much bigger. Therefore, you may also choose to go with accent walls. They will also add to the decorative space in your colors of choice.

IV. Make use of Glass and Lucite

Another powerful hack in making your tiny house feel bigger is actually investing in materials that you can see through. This is where the glass and Lucite also fits in so beautifully. These materials make any other items arrange behind them seem to be placed further back.

A simpler way to achieve this in your tiny room is to check if your shower enclosure glass is an opaque one. If that’s the case, you may want to use a clear and frameless alternative.

This way, you will be able to see all the way to your shower’s wall back to make your house feel larger than it really is. Another hack that you may try in this regard is going for glass or Lucite for your tabletops.

This will open up the view beyond to make your room feel bigger instead of squeezed. It may sound like just a tiny adjustment but one that is guaranteed to leave a remarkable difference.

V. Coordinate your Walls and Furniture Colors

Now, this piece wouldn’t have been wholly complete if we didn’t touch on the effect of using contrasting colors in your room. Ideally, if you go with contrasting colors in your house, they will not really work to your advantage if you aim to make the small room feel bigger.

The problem, in this case, is that the contrasting colors will break up spaces. This means that your house will remain looking smaller even than its natural size.

To ensure that the colors of your furniture and the walls don’t make your room feel smaller, consider going for pieces of furniture with color selections matching your wall color selections. This will ensure that the colors blend with the spaces to give the illusion that your room is actually bigger.

Final Word

Room redesigning can be a whole lot of work. It would help if you take it step by step to avoid being overwhelmed. If you feel that you can’t nail it still on your own, consider finding a professional interior designer.

Author Bio

Charlie Svensson is not only fast but also an engaging blogger and freelance writer for EssayAssistant. Other than his prowess in assignment writing help, Charlie is also a skilled blogger and content writer who also provides essay writing service.

His excellent adaptability skills for connecting with varied audiences also makes him a dependable dissertation help services provider. When blogging; Charlie likes to write about self-growth, SEO, social media, education and motivation blogging.

Image by Richard Hay on Pixabay

How to Control the Level of Humidity in Your House?

Humidity is important to your hair, skin, and overall health. But did you know that your home needs it too? When humidity levels go too low, your house and furniture will get destroyed and specific germs will start thriving. You cannot afford to live without humidity. Also, you can’t live with an excess of it. You need to ensure that the humidity levels in your house are at the ideal levels.

According to experts, the ideal humidity level in your house should be 45 percent. This will ensure that you get moisture that’s not only comforting but also not cramping. Humidity levels that 30 percent are extremely dry. On the other hand, if it’s above 50 percent, it will be too damp.

Apart from your comforts, other complications will arise when the humid levels are either too high or low. This includes damaging your paint, growth of mold, and odor. Controlling humidity levels will reduce dust mites and the risk of pest infestations. To maintain 45 percent, you need to use different strategies based on your humidity levels.

Reducing indoor humidity

If your home has high humidity levels, you’ve likely started feeling awful. Most homes have high humidity levels during summertime. When the humid levels are high, you’ll start feeling uncomfortable, sweaty, and miserable.

As we said earlier, high humidity levels lead to mold growth and damage your walls by creating condensation. Also, too much humidity will affect your respiratory system and disrupt your sleep patterns. The best way to know if your home has high humidity levels is by investing in a hygrometer. A hygrometer is a tool that’s used to measure the levels of moisture in the air. You can reduce humidity levels in your home by using the following strategies:

1. Invest in an air conditioner

Your air conditioner can help in reducing the levels of humidity in your house because it introduces cool air while consuming warm air. Control your humidity levels by turning up the air conditioner and changing the filter regularly. Anything that restricts the flow of air into your house is your enemy.

2. Use ventilation fans

When cooking using a hot stove or showering, you need to use your ventilation fans. If you usually turn them off after completing your activities, you should consider keeping them on for a longer period. This is an effective way to reduce humidity in your house.

3. Take cold showers

Hot showers increase the humidity levels in your house. Most people love hot showers. However, if your house has high humid levels, you need to switch to ice-cold showers. Lowering the temperature levels in your house will lead to less steam in the air. And this will help in adjusting your humidity levels.

4. Fix leaking pipes

As you try to reduce humidity levels in your house, the last thing you want to do is add moisture. Leaking pipes always add moisture. You need to fix leaking pipes and insulate them to prevent the formation of condensation. Some common signs of leaking pipes include wet spots, stained walls, and high water bills.

5. Clean your gutters

Gutters usually lead to water leaks indoors. And this is terrible for you and your home. You need to keep your gutters clean while ensuring that the downspout is extended six feet away from your house.

6. Dry your clothes outside

We all have clothes that can’t be put in a dryer. During the winter season, most people use indoor drying racks extensively. However, in the summer, damp clothes will increase humidity levels in your house. You must hang your clothes outside on a clothesline or drying rack. Before you do, you need to check the laws of your neighborhood since there might be some restrictions in place. If you want to hang damp clothes indoors, consider investing in a dehumidifier.

7. Relocate your house plants

Indoor plants are lively and beautiful. However, they usually release high levels of moisture. If you have lots of plants in your house, you should consider relocating them.

8. Open your windows

Sometimes, opening a window can help in reducing humidity levels. However, you should avoid doing this when your air conditioner is running because you’ll end up spending lots of money on cooling air that’s getting released outside.

Increasing humidity levels in your home

Low humidity levels can lead to a wide range of issues throat and eye irritation and flaky skin. As you’ve seen, high humidity isn’t good either. If your house has low humidity levels, there are several effective ways that you can use to increase them. As you are going to see, increasing the humidity levels in your house is easy.

1. Invest in a humidifier

One of the best ways to increase humidity levels in your house is by investing in a humidifier. Humidifiers are simple devices that are made up of a tank. All you have to do is fill it up with water. This will create a cool or warm mist depending on the model you invest in. The smaller your space, the smaller the humidifier you’ll need and vice versa.

2. Hang your clothes inside

If the humidity levels in your house are low, all you need to do is hang your newly washed clothes. Hanging your laundry will add moisture to your house. Another advantage of using this method is you’ll save a lot of money. Drying racks are quite expensive.

3. Add houseplants

Houseplants are among the most effective ways to increase humidity levels in your house while purifying your air. Plants are natural humidifiers because they help in absorbing moisture through the stems, leaves, and roots. You need to choose the plants that you’ll invest in carefully.

4. Don’t place lids

Cooking is one of the best sources of moisture. As you cook, you need to avoid covering your pots to allow the steam to enter into the air.

Conclusion

You have to ensure that the humidity levels in your house are within the ideal range to avoid destroying your house and harming yourself. With these tips, it will be easy for you to achieve your desired goal depending on the environmental conditions.

Author Bio:

Leon Collier is a blogger and academic writer from the UK who has vast experience working with best essay writing service UK and essay writers. He loves to take on every challenge thrown at him and has the ability to deliver outstanding work regularly. When he’s not busy writing, he loves reading books and playing tabletop games with his friends. Follow him on Twitter @LeonCollier12. Photo by Jose Antonio Gallego Vázquez on Unsplash

Moving on a Budget? 9 Tips to Save Money on Your Next Move

When it comes to moving your home, there are lots of expenses you have to consider. Luckily, there are also tons of opportunities to save money when it comes to moving as well. After saving for a home, you don’t want to break the bank when it comes time to move. Moving isn’t cheap, and it can be stressful when it comes to your finances and the actual move itself. With these tips, you can ease the financial burden of moving.

1. Consider Where You’re Moving To (Especially When Renting)

When you move somewhere new, your cost of living might change. For example, if you’re moving from the city to the suburbs, your cost of living will typically go down. If you’re renting an apartment, condo, or house, you should understand that your local market indicates rent. That means that if you live in a city like New York, your rent will be substantially higher than when you live in the surrounding suburbs.

2. Create an Ideal Budget for Moving

Budgeting is key when it comes to saving money on anything. When you’re moving, you’ll want to consider all of the expenses, from the gas money it takes to get to your new home to the packaging supplies and moving company. Luckily, finding out how much each aspect of your moving cost will be is easy and doesn’t require any financial planning experience.

For services and supplies, you can call companies in your area to get quotes. When it comes to finding the right moving company, make sure to get multiple quotes so that you can determine the best one for your needs and your budget. For packaging supplies, you can do a quick search online to determine just how much they’ll cost.

3. Find Cheap or Free Boxes

While you’ll likely need to purchase boxes for your move, you should start out by searching for free boxes before making a bulk purchase. Every cent matters, so try to get as many free boxes as possible. If you’ve saved the original boxes for your TVs or appliances, make sure to use those in the move. You can also find free boxes by asking your friends and family, and even your coworkers. If you work in a warehouse, your employer may be able to give you boxes for free.

4. Donate, Sell, or Throw Away Items You Don’t Want or Need

Look around your house for savings. Look at items like old furniture that’s been sitting in the basement for years or toys that your children no longer play with. We bet that you have tons of stuff piling up that you no longer need and don’t want to take with you to your new home. Typically, the more items you move, the more your move will cost.

By trimming down how many items you take with you, you can save a substantial amount of money. This is especially true if you’re moving across the country. You may find that it’s cheaper to purchase new furniture than hire a moving company to move your cheap, old furniture.

If you plan on purchasing new items when you move to your new home, you can hold an estate sale so that you can earn money during your moving process.

5. Empty Your Refrigerator

Once your moving date gets close, don’t go grocery shopping. Instead, take a look inside of your refrigerator and pantry to see how many meals you can pull together with what you have. While you may have to take a quick trip to the grocery store for essentials, you shouldn’t need to spend more money on food that may or may not get eaten.

6. Pack Yourself

You can hire a moving company to pack your house or apartment up for you, but that’s going to cost additional money. The more you pack up yourself and get ready to move, the less time it will take overall for movers to move your belongings, which saves you money.

While the upside to having the moving company pack for you is saving you time and packing things correctly, if you start early enough, you can pack up your entire home with ease. Start with a few items a day as soon as you know when you’ll be moving so that you can be ready without adding stress by procrastinating the packing process.

7. Get Help From Family and Friends

If you’re not moving too far away, you can enlist the help of your loved ones to help you move and keep your costs down. While you still may need a moving company for larger, heavier objects, you can load up everyone’s cars with other items to reduce your overall costs. Your friends and family can help you with everything from packing to cleaning, babysitting, and more.

8. Consider Moving Yourself

When looking at your budget, compare what it would cost for you to move yourself versus hiring a moving company. If it’s possible to move yourself and you have the time and ability, you can save yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars by taking on the responsibility yourself.

If you have a one-bedroom apartment with easy access to a rental truck and are not moving a lot of heavy items, you likely won’t need professional movers. However, if you’re moving an entire house, you may need help.

9. Change Your Address As Soon As Possible

Missing out on bills can cost you, so it’s important that you change your address as soon as you move to your new home. If you haven’t set up mail forwarding, you could be missing bills that you have forgotten to pay, which can end up costing you in the long run.

Final Thoughts

Saving money when moving to a new home is important so that you don’t use up all of your savings between the purchase and the move. Moving to a new home is all about preparing for the future. Now that you’ve moved, now is a great time to review your estate planning wills and trusts and make sure that everything is in order so that you can financially prepare for your future and the future of your children.

Matt Casadona

Do You Want To Know? Top 5 Wonderful Places To Buy Property In Marvellous Turkey

Have you ever been to beautiful Turkey? If yes, then you might know where to buy property. But, if you have not, then the good news is that most places have impressive portfolios of villas and apartments. Not only this, you can get citizenship in Turkey by buying property in some of the beautiful places of Turkey.

Some of the areas within Turkey have become famous destinations for tourists and foreign buyers because of the excellent infrastructure, western-style attitudes, and easy access to airports. Before buying a property or constructing a home in Turkey, you should know that there is price fluctuation from place to place.

However, by hiring a reliable home improvement contractor, you can make sure that your project goes well and turns out exactly the way you wanted.

By the end of this article, you will know that buying property in Turkey is a good investment idea. Let’s look at a few of those beautiful places in detail.

Istanbul “The Heart of the Turkey”

Istanbul is one of the great cities on Earth. For thousands of years, this point where east meets west has been a crossroads of civilization.

Turkey bridges Asia and Europe. Part of Istanbul is in Europe and part in Asia. That is why it is the heart of the Turkish real estate industry, attracting foreign buyers worldwide.

Most buyers are interested in entering into the mass construction on the city’s outskirts. The reason behind that has modern living with the latest infrastructure of the city. You have also got a tremendous domestic economy in Istanbul.

Fethiye “Tourist’s Paradise”

Fethiye is an amazing harbour town on the southwestern coast of Turkey. It is popular because of its stunning natural beauty, attracting tourists and foreign investors. Green mountains, the blue Mediterranean Sea, and marvellous landscapes show the beauty of Mother Nature which includes Ghost Village, the sandy beach of Oludeniz, butterfly Valley and the world’s most famous Blue Lagoon.

The local government of Fethiye did a lot to change and improve the city over the years, including the hospitals, schools, and local amenities services. Because of the central hub of the Turkish Riviera, its environment gives every retiree’s dream of living in the Sun.

Yalikavak “Mega Yacht Haven”

I have been to Yalikavank many times; it is one of my favourite holiday places in Turkey. Yalikavak is a town on the Aegean Coast of Turkey near Bodrum. One of the significant commercial developments in town is the Yalikavak Marina. It is called a secret sleepy fishing village.

About 15 years ago, turkey changed its real estate laws. So, those foreign investors can buy property as well. As the prices were meagre, investors rushed to the country.

One of the significant trades of this city is tourism. Many locals speak English fluently, which makes daily living easy. You can live there without knowing Turkish. After the construction of Palmarina, it is known as the mega yacht haven.

Antalya “The Best of Everything”

Antalya is the central heart of Antalya Province in Turkey. It is amazingly scenic, located on Anatolia’s southwest coast surrounded by the beautiful Taurus Mountains. It is the fifth most populous city in Turkey. Sandy beaches like Lara, Konyaalti, and Kaputas are world-famous beaches in Turkey. Not only is this, Antalya airport the tourist’s air travel hub in the country. It is located on the Turkish Riviera because that it provides sailing tourism as well.

The elegant fluted tower of the bible Minera mosque shows that the footprint of the elders is not gone. You will see it is very much alive when you take a walk through the vibrant and narrow streets of the old town kalonji district. When you come out through Adrian’s gate, you’ll be greeted by the country’s fastest-growing metropole with a population of 2.5 million.

To me, having a home in Antalya is a unique opportunity to own a piece of this ever-growing and ever-changing mythical city with endless wonders.

Kalkan

Located in Turkey southwest, Kalkan is a peaceful Mediterranean gem that boasts outstanding views, crystal clear waters, and well-preserved nature and history. Being a good one and a half hour away from the nearest airport makes it a destination only understood and appreciated. It has a laid-back atmosphere, quality of housing, and holiday facilities that allow for a fantastic lifestyle.

The famous kaputosh beach is just a few miles drive aways to the south towards another beautiful town, Kosh. A window is the greek island of maze offering a taste of a different culture.
If you buy a property in Kalkan, you won’t regret it. To me, home in Kalkan will benefit from significant levels of privacy and peaceful surroundings because it is the town of serenity.

Bio

Abroo Murtaza is the one enthusiastic and passionate writer who loves to write about traveling based on the interest of exploring new places, reading about them and then delivering the knowledge through her pen. Moreover, Abroo is also fond of writing about technology trends, gadgets like latest, mobiles, cameras etc. She thus strives to provide accurate information and knowledge in respective areas of interest and educate people on real terms.

Adobe Construction – cheap and naturally energy efficient

Adobe – or earth construction as some may call it – is one of the oldest building methods in the world. Since ever, humankind has used earth in various forms to build their homes. It has a huge number of benefits most of us modern people forgot about.

I only came to love this type of construction when working on a renovation project of an old town house in Portugal. Until then, when thinking of an earth house I had a very different picture in mind. It was something like a simple hut in an African village.

Adobe walls are naturally energy efficient and can be load bearing. Often, they are very thick, forming a natural insulation from the environmental heat or cold. Earth-based products are naturally sustainable because you are building with the materials that surround you.

Interestingly, approximately 30% of the world population lives in homes made of earth materials. That’s no wonder if you think of the many financial and environmental benefits. That’s why people like me, once we know about it, just love it. It is not only a far cheaper construction method but also has many other advantages compared with modern materials.

The composition of the adobe—or some may call it the recipe—vary according to country and local customs. Usually most of it is made of earth and or clay. Besides that, it can contain other materials like straw, maybe even small amounts of lime. Once I even read about that it can include horse hair. Not sure if this is true though.

There is even a thing they call Superadobe. It is also made from earth and organic materials heartened with lime, compressed into bags which are stacked on top of each other, each layer of bags separated by barbed wire. This method is perfect for seismically active areas.

What is adobe construction

Buildings made of Adobe are very similar to a rammed earth house. The only difference is that the earth was rammed into some sort of brick shape before it was used for the construction. Like this it is very easy to build walls with earth.

Special treatment for adobe construction

Please note that the right plaster is essential to be completely waterproof. You don’t want your wall to crumble apart after a few years. They are several products on the market that are perfect for adobe construction. We can use it for the first plaster on a new wall as well as fixing cracks in an old one. It is very important that the plaster lets the wall still breath.

Also, there can be a problem with raising damp in those buildings if they have no horizontal barrier to stop it. I saw a layer of bitumen sheet or a special plastic be put before the first layer of adobe bricks. Therefore, it is good to keep that in mind before you start building your house.

One historic local custom in my area was that the builders would leave an air gap under the house to avoid any raising damp. With some houses being well beyond 100 years now and showing no sign of any raising damp we can say that it is a truly successful method.

If you live in an earthquake zone it is also advisable to apply a net within the construction to give it better structural properties.

Adobe construction surprises

Probably the biggest surprise was when I found out that adobe was even used for the first modern architecture in Portugal. This is something I would always associate with concrete and steel.

It seems there is no limit to what you can build with it starting with simple garden walls, garages, sheds, houses and even apartment blocks.

Conclusion

Adobe Construction is naturally energy efficient and sustainable because you are building with the materials that surround you. With the right know-how it can give the same or even better comfort than a modern building method.

Bio

Image by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay

How to Bring Architectural Masterpiece Designs to Your Facade with Few Expenses

If you need to redesign your house or have a property that desperately needs an update or upgrade the faces, then you’re on the right page. Too often, the upgrades that our property needs are beyond getting flowers for a new front lawn or just painting your way through. Thankfully, there are many options to choose from for what you can do to give your house the facelift that it needs. You can get materials of different colors across different parts of the house, from roof to windows, etc.

You would already know that giving your home exterior an improved look comes with its price. However, what you might not know is that you can do this with a very low budget and still get a magnificent result. You can do this to improve the look of your home, give it a better appeal, and increase the value. You need to execute this project cleverly and carefully.

By now, you’re wondering what you have to do and what your options are. In this article, we look at how to redesign your house with very few expenses.

Paint it

Although painting your exterior might not just be enough when talking about redesigning your property. However, it remains one of the easiest steps to take and one of the cheapest as well, so it’s worth mentioning too. While it can’t be the only step, it should be one of the first steps.

In painting your exterior, you can either go safe with the minimalist way or take the risk and go for a bold color. Experimenting with different colors may add more character to your building, and going for a white facade is more practical and classic. You can as well choose to combine the two concepts by using the bold colors as an accent while you have a dominant white facade.

Use glass curtains

One exciting way to redesign your house is to add more glass surfaces to it. There are different types of glass surfaces that you can add to your home to replace some sections. This will give your house a better aesthetic and add the 21st-century touch to an old house. Apart from changing the look of your house and making it more beautiful and fancy, it also gives more room for natural light in the building, making your home more energy-efficient.

Replace your roof

You can easily upgrade your home’s exterior by putting away the old roof and replacing them with something better and more exciting. It doesn’t matter how good your house looks or how much renovation you do; if the roof isn’t attractive, it will stand out. If your roof isn’t ideal for your house settings, it’s a fact that it will stick out very easily.

When you renovate your roof as part of the plans to redesign your house, you need to be practical about the way you approach it. There are different options to choose from, both the cheap and expensive ones. You need to look at the options and go for the one that fits into your budget. The good thing is that you can get very beautiful and long-lasting roofing materials at very cheap costs. You must reach out to a contractor or designer to provide some help with this.

Add feature lighting

It’s effortless to add feature lighting to your house. They are perfect for illuminating and highlighting your frontage, and they are inexpensive as well. There are numerous examples that you can take inspiration from in mounting a feature light on your home wall or front fence.

These feature lightings are pretty simple, but they are capable of changing the character and outlook of your house. So, you should make a point of replacing the outdated fixtures in front of your home with stylish and new designs to give your house a very modern look. You could also take this a step further by adding more lighting. This will make your home even brighter at night.

One hack to improve the look of your feature lighting without changing it is to repaint the old fixtures in black. This will give it an updated feel and comes in handy for your redesign, even if you don’t have a budget for lighting.

Add a gate and build a fence

If you love your privacy and you see it as a priority, then you might want to consider building a fence around your house and install a gate as well. Apart from giving you the privacy you love, it adds more style to your house and gives it a massive upgrade on the exterior. You just have to make sure that the fence and gate go well with the main building’s design so that it doesn’t appear too tacky.

Even if you aren’t strong on privacy, adding a fence and gate to your house adds some more elegance and class to your property. It lets light in and also gives you more security.

Rework your garage and driveway

Many people tend to ignore their driveway when they redesign the house, but it often stands out in a bad way. You might not see how important it is when you do it; you only see it when you don’t. But you don’t have to find out by yourself. It wouldn’t take much for you to redesign your garage to fit your home’s style, which improves the appeal of your house. You can add materials such as stained concrete, bricks, etc., for the update. You can also do some work on the garage door to make it more personal.

Conclusion

If you are going to redesign your house, there are different areas that you need to work on. You must know what accessories to use and the style that best suits your building. While it may appear complicated at the start, you will enjoy the look of it, and you will be glad that you took the time to redesign your house.

Author Bio

Leon Collier is a blogger, online essay writer, and academic writer from the UK who has vast experience working with the best essay writing service. He loves to take on every challenge thrown at him and can deliver outstanding work regularly. When he’s not busy writing, he loves reading books and playing tabletop games with his friends. Follow him on Twitter @LeonCollier12.

Photo by Brian Babb on Unsplash