Home Improvement

Archive for the ‘Home Decor’ Category

Are you dreaming of having perfect home but you have very limited budget? Because of this, you stop day dream and think that you will never have a beautiful home of your own. This is wrong! Unless you need the solid mahogany dinning table and velvet drapes currently featured in ‘Beautiful Homes’ you can create a beautiful home from discount, outlet and grocery superstores. Add in a few personal details with treasured heirlooms, artwork or flea market finds and you can get the designer look you want, for less.

Outlets: Do not bypass outlets for fantastic discounts on the ‘real-deal’. Prices are slashed by 50% or more – meaning you can get the name without the cost. Outlets are especially great for the little designer luxuries like pillows, vases and linens that set the mood. It’s amazing what a little pizzazz front-and-center can do to distract from no-name furnishings – even with your most critical guests.

Other outlets offer genuine, designer furnishings at huge discounts because they are from a discontinued line or were floor models. You might be surprised what you can afford at these outlets.

Discount Stores: Don’t knock it – the ready-to-assemble (RTA) furnishing commonly available in discount stores is vastly improved from what was available even 2 or 3 years ago. Consumer demand has created a market for high quality furnishings with lower costs. The only way to fill the need was to improve the materials and customize the look. You will now find RTA furnishings that rival traditional furnishings for quality and looks, at a much lower price. You can check out Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target to see the latest decor ready-to-go.

Grocery Stores/ Do-It-Yourself Stores: While checking out the cleaners in aisle 3 you may just pass the latest designer-look living room set in aisle 2. Yes, even big name grocery stores and Do-It-Yourself stores are providing the consumer with their own lines of furnishings – and demand is high.

Following the lead of discount merchandisers, RTA furniture is now being offered through other channels – including grocery chains. You just never know when the urge to redecorate will strike!

Now you know how to decorate your home at low cost. Your dream now can come true! Take some of these basic pieces, add some designer accessories, complete with some personal touches and artwork and you have a look that will stand up to the toughest critic.

Whether you’re buying or selling, reading real estate ads can be confusing. Here’s a primer on the styles mentioned in the ads.

Home Styles

What’s the difference between a Tudor and Colonial style? What about a Colonial and Dutch Colonial? Read on to find out.

“Colonial,” “Georgian,” or “Federal” style

Terms used when talking about a two (could be 3 or two and one half) story house that is very symmetrical. The front door is in the center of the house. There are an equal number of windows on each side. There is an upstairs window over each downstairs window and over the front door. There are usually exterior shutters at the windows. (Note: The houses which inspired this very traditional style were built in the early days of our country and are seen mostly in the East.)

“Tudor” style

A style of home that borrows from merry old England. It typically has exposed heavy dark beams. Some of the beams are perpendicular, some horizontal, and some at a forty five degree angle. The exterior walls are usually stucco between the beams. The lower story is usually of brick or stone. The upper story often has sections that are cantilevered out over the lower story. Box bay windows and diamond shaped panes are frequent features as are large chimneys.

“Dutch Colonial” style

Very much like colonial style except that the roof is a gambrel roof. That is, it’s shaped like most folks think of a barn roof. It slopes down from a center ridge line and then, usually a little more than half way to the edge, the angle of the slope becomes sharper creating a second ridge at the front and back where the angle changes.

“Spanish,” “Mexican,” “Hacienda” style

Seen mostly in the South and West of our country, this style incorporates stucco or adobe type bricks and red half round roof tiles. These homes are often built in a “U” shape with the walls of the house extended to enclose the “U.” This design device can give a pleasant feeling of privacy to outdoor areas. Door and window openings with curved tops and wrought iron grilles, door hinges, and handles are frequent features.

Summary

When looking at homes, you’ll find particular styles appeal to you. Once you identify the styles, you can narrow your search for the perfect home.