So the time has come to own your own home.  You have had enough of renting and the thought of being able to call a place your own fills you with excitement.  If you are about to embark on the path towards homeownership here are some things you are definitely going to need to know to make sure your first home is a good one.

1. Know your budget – let’s start with the basics.  How much can you afford to spend on your home?  We all dream of the big beach front property but for most of us this just isn’t a reality.  Be honest with yourself about how much you can afford to borrow based on your earnings and savings and stick to the budget.  Remember your budget needs to include the price of the house, any renovations if you are going for a project buy and of course all the legal fees. Do the math before you even start the search and it will avoid a lot of heartache when the perfect house is outside of your means.
2. Be needy – really consider what you need from a property. This isn’t just the size but also how your lifestyle will work within the properties you are looking at.  Do you need a spare room for when the family comes to stay? Do you spend more time in the kitchen or living room? Do you need a bath or will just a shower work.  Is a garden a must or can you live with a balcony? All of these and more are valid questions to ask yourself so that you can steer your realtor towards those homes that are going to best suit your needs.
3. Clean up your act – there are lots of poor credit home loans on the market so don’t let a poor credit history stand in your way of home-ownership.  However if you can clean up your credit score you have more options when it comes to the type of mortgage deal that suits you.  You can dramatically improve your score by paying your bills on time and dealing with bad debt history.  For more information and advice check out Equifax.
4. Bargain hunt – if you want a bigger house on a budget why not consider a project buy as a way of getting more for your money. Project buys are houses that need a little or a lot of work to them but because of that are sold off at much less than they are worth.  If you have time, patience and some good DIY skills you could save a fortune and add value to your home just by fixing it up.
5. Plan ahead – unless you have a really good income or family money a mortgage is normally taken over a very long period of time, which means you need to consider your future earnings as well as your cash flow today.  Plan ahead as best you can for a financially sound future.

Home ownership dreams – image from sheknows.com

Have an unused room in your home? Rather than stuffing it with junk and boxes, how about turning it into usable space? Creating a guest bedroom means that friends and family can stay over (without having to sleep on the sofa!) You can go as simple or fancy with it as you like, but either way there are a few essentials that will make it as comfortable as possible. Check out these five tips for creating a guest bedroom that people won’t want to leave.

A Comfortable bed

Forget about the wonky old camp bed or blow up mattress you have hanging out in your attic, just as you would choose a comfortable bed for yourself you should choose one for your guests too. A memory foam mattress will suit most people, they offer the most support and also alleviate allergies so are a good choice for guest rooms. A DIY headboard makes a good project that you can probably complete in just one afternoon. Finish off the bed with clean and cosy sheets, a good quality duvet and plush pillows.

Storage Space

Guests will need somewhere to unpack their things and hang up their clothes, and so sufficient storage space is a must. But why buy ready made furniture when you can build your own or hire a handy man for those pesky jobs? Custom built furniture will be a perfect fit for the space you have, which is particularly useful when guest bedrooms tend to be on the smaller side in the majority of homes. Plus you can put your carpentry skills to the test, most simple pieces of furniture don’t require too many tools so aside from the wood you probably already own everything you need. There are loads of ideas for projects online so have a scour through and decide what will work in your space.

A Tray of Essentials

[Photo courtesy of Taryn Elliott/pexels.com]

Leaving out a tray of essentials can make all the difference in making your guest’s stay as pleasant as possible, plus it shows you’ve really thought about them. A bottle of water, some snacks and some toiletries are a good start. You could even consider a universal phone charger and a couple of books as well. Don’t forget to leave them the code to the wifi! You could make the tray yourself or even upcycle an old one; lining it with decorative paper and adding a perspex sheet over the top is a quick way to tie it in with the rest of the decor in the room.

Blackout Blinds

Blackout blinds are an obvious choice, your guests aren’t going to get much sleep with car headlights and lampposts shining through the window at night. You can create blackout blinds yourself with some thermal blackout fabric, a sewing machine and a blind kit. Slatted vertical blackout blinds are another good option, as then your guests are able to adjust them to their own personal preference. Adding some curtains over the top will really finish off the window area.

A Neutral Colour Scheme

[Photo courtesy of Max Vakhtbovych/pexels.com]

Regardless of your personal tastes, keeping a guest room neutral will mean it appeals to everyone. Light, neutral shades will keep the room looking bright and airy, and make it appear larger. You could add a few colourful touches with homemade cushions and throws- but try not to go overboard and overwhelm the space with your own personal treasures.

Are you tired of looking at your room? It is time to change the aura of your room by adding new curtains on your windows. Curtains are made to turn a drab window to gorgeous in seconds. They are home adornment that should not be taken for granted apart from its multiple uses such as coverings from extreme heat or draft, and giving you security while alone in your house.

There are a lot of curtains specially designed for various purposes. Hotels, inns, dormitories and hospitals hang curtains to add aesthetic appeal to their rooms. The design of their curtains is similar to what your home curtains are. If you need new curtains for your kids, choose bargain curtains with cartoon character and fairy tale designs to fit in to their age. Your kids and little angels will feel happy and excited to sleep in their own room every time they see those bright colored curtains.

[Image courtesy of JamesDeMers/pixabay.com]

For the elderly, they too need curtains with sunny colors to divert their attention every time they feel alone and forsaken. Truly, curtains can help change your mood. Today, there are many types of curtain designs such as embroidered, linen, waverly and scarf panels available in the market. You can also opt to buy a blackout curtain, valance, drapes or casual curtains. There are unlimited curtain choices that are o: sale and if you are lucky enough, you can avail of promo codes and coupon codes.

Some homemakers are able to get high quality bargain sheer curtains by searching them online or flyers distributed outside food outlets and malls. If you are fond of reading magazines, you can find those coupon codes in between pages. Take note that these promos will expire so always take advantage of them while they are still available. Bargain hunting can save you a lot of money when you plan to change your curtains because you can buy as many as you can so your windows are not boring.

When you get a new puppy there are some changes that you will need to make to your home to protect your belongings and your puppy because small puppies are curious about everything and this can get them in trouble or sometimes be a danger. They can chew anything from wood, slippers and any chewable items that are reachable.

My family has a new puppy at home, it was tame and somehow smart so probably they will not need to look for dog shock collar reviews to trained him because on its first day he knew to behave and where to poop. Yeah right, the puppy they named “Kangchi” went to the bathroom to poop. I am thinking, probably if the puppy can reach the toilet he might poop there.  Ha-ha

As expected young puppies love to get up to all sorts of mischief so one day they find Kangchi sleeping with the stuffed animals, it seems he enjoys the comfort of them.

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Building  a house is great commitment that’s why before beginning a construction everything should be considered and planned accordingly. It should start from your budget, look and size of the home, the contractor and the time needed for your project.  On this regard,  when we started the construction of our new house we didn’t set a budget because we already planned that we are going to construct the house slowly, just when we have the funds to do it.

We started having a house plan before the construction begins and right now we are still finishing the first floor, we still don’t know when we could start building the second floor. We are informed that constructing the second floor will not be as expensive as the first floor as it does need a concrete roof anymore but a colored roof  installed and there are also left over pieces of lumber, woods, sack of cements, sheet metal, gravel and sand that we could use to start the second floor.

Sheet metal is being used for different purposes  like in roofing, kitchen sinks and even in car bodies, cutting the sheet metals need a proper tool and the good thing in our place most people are carpenters and laborers so most men has their own tools and even if there’s none, carpentry tools can be easily borrowed from someone who has one.

Well, if you are planning to renovate or build your dream home and you are looking for a professional constructor/builder visit  Sherbrooke today!

Even though your home is your sanctuary and the nucleus of your home life, your backyard and front yard and just as important and necessary. We decorate inside of our homes so that our guests feel comfortable and so that you feel stylish. If you have already decorated your home to your perfect standards, maybe it is time to focus on your yard and its look.

Let’s say you have a front yard that is pretty vast and a decent size. If you want to just have green grass and nothing else that is fine. But there are so many things you can do to spruce up the space, just like in your home. Walkways are extremely popular and can be easily done yourself or with help from your friends or family. There is a multitude of walkway options and the most common and easiest are stone paths. If you are looking for a unique walkway, try something like a pattern of different variations of stones. This will also give an effect of a garden passage or castle walkway.

When choosing the landscaping design, you are faced with many options. Maybe you want a style to be based off of a certain culture, like Asian or English Formal. English formal is mostly known for maze-like design with a lot of shrubbery. Asian designs are common for pathways with a lot of plum trees and Japanese maples, for example. There are also a lot of fountains in the Asian style of landscape, which can take up a lot of space but makes for a very tranquil space.

Maybe you want to give your yard a face lift but do not have a lot of money to put towards the project. Simple additions, like the above mentioned fountains, can make for a new look for your yard even adding some flowers or a small garden. If you do not want to plant, you can add flowers onto your window sills. Even though this is not technically part of your yard, it still changes the look of the outside of your home.

The simplest way to change your lawn without much work is to install lights. If you cannot do a pathway of stone, make one from lights. There are dozens of lighting options just at a store like Home Depot to choose from. You can choose from posts, to stands, to lights attached to your home that create light onto your lawn. Placing a light to create a spotlight on plants and flowers makes your small presentation looking that much broader.

Author Bio:

Eagle Luxury Properties is a custom home builder that also does a lot of home remodeling in Paradise Valley. We manage the process from start to finish, and we can complete an entire home remodel, including landscape, without having to bother you with the minor details. A remodel can come with lots of issues, but we do what it takes to make the process run efficiently.

To make your home more inviting and relaxing you should try to add a water feature or fountain. Indoor water fountains have become a popular alternative to traditional home decorating, they can provide soothing effect and enhance the attraction of your house, providing a unique touch.

With the many indoor water fountains available in the market it is important for many homeowners know which water fountain fits to their home and compliments their home decor. You can start browsing indoor water features at Soothing Walls their product is durable  as they are made from components like heat treated metals,  glass and aluminum, stainless steel, and lightweight slate.

Our house is almost ready for occupancy, one of the major things that is needed to do is transfer the electricity from our old house. My mother already asked someone to do an electrical survey on how much we are going to spend on electric wires, power outlets, lights and etc. I thought it would be so expensive (though it is really expensive), the proposed budget of the electrician is $350 and labor is not included on it.  Hiring someone to do the survey is convenient, at least we already have an idea how much money do we need for this job.

If electricity is already installed in our new house my family can move already even the windows and doors are not yet done, living in our province is not that dangerous because most people know each other, and mostly they are related to each other. My mother says they can just use bamboo as temporary window like what you see in the picture (left where the orchids are).

Electrical survey is important because it can help you to save more on buying extra wires that are not needed and you can make sure that your house electrical installation will be safe, the outlets will be in the proper place.

Lighting is critical for any workplace. The advent of the electric light changed how we work and electric lighting still underpins all the basic business functions of any urban complex. Without light, you can’t work. No exceptions. This makes lighting a concern that applies to every business. Whether you run an office, a restaurant, a major department store or a tiny boutique, you will need to light it one way or another, and that is going to represent a percentage of your budget every year.

[Image not Mine]

Compact fluorescent bulbs have become the new industry standard, for the most part. They are very energy efficient and last a very long time. The human eye responds differently to light in different spectrums. The right frequency of light can therefore be supplied wit much less power and be just as effective as a more energy-hungry bulb in terms of effective light provided to the human eye. CFLs produce light in such a spectrum as to properly serve the human eye efficiently. However, CFLs are more expensive. While they last much longer, the initial investment will usually be higher for anyone looking into CFLs.

It is possible to buy CFLs online and save. You can acquire compact fluorescent lamps from GenesisLamp.com and other dedicated lighting outlets online. You need to cover shipping in this case, but it allows you to buy them in bulk at a lower cost in general. This makes the initial cost of CFLs much more attractive for anyone looking to stock a workplace for the future.