How to easily update your old house and keep it’s charm

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Old houses have an allure to them that many newer models may be missing, unless specifically built to model an older home. Whether it’s the nostalgia from your family home, you’re a history buff with a dream of living in a historic district or you’re simply one of many old house enthusiasts, old homes have a pull that seldom goes unnoticed.

And let’s say you get you find your dream home, make an offer, and actually get to live in the house you’ve always wanted. Are there any other steps to living on the property where the home sits? What about old house restoration? What about room expansion? What about smaller projects that could benefit both your life and your home site?

Here are three smaller projects that can be done around an old house and older property to enrich your lifestyle and maintain your old house’s allure.

Add foliage

A benefit of having an old home is its aesthetic. However, that aesthetic can be threatened by things such as decrepit trees, blank places where flora once stood or any or the hundreds of thousands of combinations associated with decreased curb appeal. But fret not. There’s a fairly simple solution: add more foliage.

Trees such as evergreens, oaks (depending on your location) and willows can bring an added level of allure to your home. These trees are also fairly easy to care for, and bring an enticing nostalgia to the property.

Swap out your windows & doors

Old houses, while boasting excellent and often Herculean structures, tend to have one correlating flaw across the board: energy efficiency leaks. These leaks are often due to warped doors or windows still hanging in their original framework.

For doors, try adding an energy-efficient style – like fiberglass or vinyl. When hanging new windows, opt for double panes, since they can save anywhere from 18% to 24% on your utilities.

Update old house features

Old houses often come with old features, like dumbwaiters, narrow staircases or now-decorative fireplaces. While some of these items may hold a host of charm, some can be updated, cleaned or put back into use after a thorough inspection.

Electrical systems and plumbing should be taken care of first, especially if there’s an issue as noted by a professional. However, updating insulation behind walls, adding a more energy-efficient wall surface or even repurposing old laundry chutes can not only capitalize on your home’s character, but help you save a little extra in the long run.

Whether you’re purchasing an older house to flip or live in for years to come, updating some of the older features can maintain the appeal of the home without causing you headaches down the road.

Pros and cons of installing a steel door

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The primary entrance to any house deserves an attractive aesthetic with reliable security. Property owners often select thick, hardwood materials because they provide curbside appeal and durable strength. Steel doors remain something of an afterthought because they are more closely associated with commercial buildings, which may not appear to have the same design prowess.

But the advanced technologies and design elements integrated into today’s steel doors place them on an equal footing with others in their class. Today’s steel doors provide a wide range of proven benefits as well as concerns. If you are considering replacing an existing exterior door, these are things to consider about steel options.

Energy efficient

Steel doors rank among the most energy-efficient compared to leading materials such as wood or fiberglass. Steel doors can effectively prevent air leaks, and quality products generally include secure foam insulation.

Structurally sound

Except for extreme heat, steel doors are generally not affected by weather conditions. Wood tends to fluctuate as seasonal temperatures rise and fall, and they can warp when wet. Steel, by contrast, remains an immovable object.

Sturdy

Steel ranks among the most secure materials when deterring break-ins. Many products are integrated into a metal frame and robust locking systems. Wood and fiberglass doors, while typically secure, may not be as secure as a stainless steel door.

Finishes

Contemporary steel doors can be ordered with a wide variety of finishes, mimicking natural wood and other textures. Consumers can also select from wide-reaching color options or pre-primed products, leaving the final color up to DIY homeowners to decide after installation.

Damage

Although steel doors resist showing ordinary wear and tear, hard impacts can leave dents and scratches. Unlike wood doors, property owners cannot easily fix these imperfections with putty and paint.

Rust

The flipside of wood doors warping or peeling is steel doors can show rust after scratched protective coatings come in contact with rain and moisture. This possibility tasks people with sometimes sanding and repainting scratched steel doors.

Installation

A handy DIYer typically possesses the tools and carpentry skills to install wood and fiberglass products, largely because they come with wood casings that only require leveling and screwing into 2×4 framing lumber. Steel doors generally employ metal casings that often require advanced skills to install.

By conducting a little research and considering the pros and cons of different materials, you can make an informed decision about the best door for your home.

Conserve water with these gardening ideas

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If you’re trying to find eco-friendly gardening ideas. to sprucing up your Texas Home for, the best place to start is with water conservation. Recycling and reducing your water use in the garden is simpler than you might think, too. Here are some ideas for DIY garden projects to help you save water:

Go with ground covers

Grass lawns are a major source of water waste and require a ton of maintenance. Instead of a grass lawn, consider using ground-cover plants for any exposed areas of your garden. Stonecrop is one of the best options for low-water usage ground cover, since it’s a succulent with a natural spreading growth pattern.

Build a dry stream

A dry stream built out of smooth river rocks makes a beautiful statement in any garden. For a fun DIY garden project, dig a shallow channel to naturally divert excess moisture to the plants that need it most. The rocks will form a natural filtration system and create a charming desert oasis aesthetic.

Opt for drought-tolerant plants

You can still have garden beds full of diverse and colorful plants while still saving water. The key is to choose drought-tolerant plants that can go longer periods of time without being watered.

Some beautiful ideas for raised garden beds are shrubs like butterfly bush, red bird of paradise and bougainvillea. Prefer succulents and cacti? Create a garden bed or vertical garden full of colorful succulents in a plethora of colors, shapes and growth patterns.

Try a rock garden

Rock gardens are another beautiful way to decorate an outdoor living space without adding extra need for water. Rock garden designs range from sparse to elaborate, and can be both artistic and natural in appearance. Create an area of the garden with different sizes and types of stone planted with drought-tolerant ground cover crops for an eco-friendly DIY garden project.

Collect with rain barrels

If you live somewhere with frequent rainfall, it might seem like saving water isn’t as important. However, using rain barrels to collect extra rainwater for later use is a more sustainable practice than turning on the hose every time, which costs you money. You can create budget friendly DIY rain barrels out of basic materials, or check out the offerings from your local garden center.

By using any of these garden projects to conserve water, you’ll experience the benefits of a lower water bill and the peace of mind knowing you’ve reduced the amount of wasted water – and time spent on labor – in your garden.

Environmental Art Explained

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Environmental art became popular in the late 20th century because of growing concern and awareness for the environment. Environmental art has several overlapping characteristics as land art or earthworks, but comments or establishes an opinion on environmental issues. As artists continue to think about the environment as a cohesive system rather than a living space, the appeal and spread of environmental art continues. Here are the basic elements of environmental art to help gain a better understanding of the term.

Exploring Humans’ Relationship With Nature

Environmental artists try to establish their relationship with the natural world in several ways. One way is through bringing their creative workspaces out of the studio and into the environment. This challenges the static concept of a specific place for creating art and instead allows a more integrated relationship with a variety of settings.

Maintaining Harmony With the Environment

Environmental art is all about working with nature instead of against it. Artists who create environmental art take special care in their processes and material usage in order to minimize damage to the surroundings. The health and wellbeing of the environment takes precedence over the artistic process, which also means environmental art is vulnerable to the same changes (such as erosion, flooding and decay).

Using Natural Materials

Besides natural settings, environmental artists use natural materials in creating art. Common examples include sticks and branches, stone, gravel, sand, flowers and leaves. The goal of environmental art is to encourage the viewer to look at the natural environment differently through art. Ultimately, the idea is to create a greater awareness of small but important details of the natural world and our effect on them.

Rethinking Exhibition Space

Taking its cue from land art, environmental art exists outside of the commercialized art world. While you may find environmental art in urban areas, you won’t find it in a museum or art gallery. This creates an enhanced accessibility for viewers and allows them to participate in art even if they have never considered or been able to visit an established institution before. A lot of environmental art means to send a message as activism and this denial of the more traditional art world factors into that by giving ownership of the art to nature rather than gallery owners and other organizations.

As science advances and environmental awareness grows, so does the power and popularity of environmental art. Artists who want to send a message about the importance of humanity’s relationship with the natural world can do so in a variety of ways through art. While environmental art exists in many facets and forms, these key elements are the most important in understanding the term.

Create a Rustic Walkway with Native Stones

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Image by Nancy Buron from Pixabay

If you’re like many homeowners who prefer a natural landscape plan, your outdoor living space undoubtedly features lush vegetation and bright, blooming flowers. However, you might also have the sense that something is missing but can’t quite put your finger on what it might be. If this describes you, the missing element is probably hardscaping. Hardscaping refers to elements of landscaping that aren’t plants, such as water features, statuary, gazebos and garden paths.

At its best, hardscaping brings functionality to the table as well as enhances aesthetics. Few things do this better than a rustic stone walkway meandering over the property. Here’s how to make it happen yourself over the course of an average weekend.

Select Your Stones

Stones used for walkways should be flat, wide and thick enough to withstand foot traffic. Choosing stone that is found naturally in your area cuts down on retail and delivery costs. Avoid using polished stones because these present potential slip-and-fall issues due to their slick surfaces. Stones that are between two and three inches thick offer better stability than their thinner counterparts and often come with a more attractive price tag as well.

Lay Out Your Walkway

The first step is to determine your walkway. Avoid straight lines — stone walkaways are meant to meander. Garden hoses are ideal for marking garden paths that curve. Use a sod cutter and a flat spade to cut and remove the grass, and dig out the soil where you want to place the stones to about a depth of five inches and make sure it’s firmly tamped down before placing landscape fabric and adding a two-inch layer of sand over it.

After smoothing down the sand so it provides a flat surface, it’s time to lay down the stones. This part is a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, so take your time to figure out the placement. Be sure to use a carpenter’s level to make certain that the stones are at the same height, and add or remove sand as needed. However, if you live in an area that receives significant amounts of precipitation, slightly sloping the larger stones toward the outside of your walkaway helps prevent standing water issues.

Landscape the Walkway

Some people prefer the clean, austere aesthetic of pebble or oyster shell mulch in the gaps between the stones, while others like the rustic, tousled look provided by low-growing herbaceous plants. Corsican mint is an excellent choice because it has a bright green color all year round and releases a divine, minty aroma. Other choices include creeping thyme, rock cress, artemisia and sedum. You can also mix it up with a variety of ground covers for a classic, cottage garden look.

3 Benefits of Hiring a Home Staging Professional

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While there are many parts of staging you can do yourself, there are some important benefits to hiring a professional. A professional home stager can help you prepare your home for the market and can use their expertise to sell your home quicker and for a higher price.

Here are the three biggest reasons to hire a staging professional to help you sell your home:

Networking Power

If you’re working with a real estate agent to sell your home it’s likely they recommended you hire a staging professional to help. They might even have a specific individual or firm to suggest. Just by making that initial connection, you’re already benefiting from the powerful networking abilities that home staging professionals have. Home stagers “know all the right people” in the industry in order to do their jobs well. What does this mean for you? With access to a network of other professionals, stagers can help you get the best price for any materials or services needed to update your home. Painters, contractors or even furniture rental services are all examples of important contacts who can save you money. You also get the peace of mind that your staging professional has existing relationships with these other individuals or companies and knows what to expect in terms of service and costs.

An Objective Viewpoint

A home staging professional will provide you with valuable perspective. Having never lived in it, a stager won’t have the same emotional connection to your home. Even besides emotional attachment, they will see things you might miss as a homeowner simply because you see them every day. A staging professional will have a fresh and purely objective viewpoint on your home which will allow them to do their job to the best of their ability. They will identify potential issues, make suggestions or changes to prepare your home for potential buyers. The more experience they have in staging homes, the better: staging professionals are up-to-date on home trends and will cater to the current market with their knowledge.

Bringing Out the Best in Your Home

Staging professionals will see your home objectively but also strategically. When staging a home, it’s impossible to make everything absolutely perfect for every potential buyer. That’s why it’s important to find the best features of your home to highlight. Stagers can see the potential value in every aspect of your property and will know where best to apply your money and hard work. They might identify if you have under-used space and if you could rearrange your furniture to make your rooms seem bigger. They can replace or add new window treatments in order to emphasize a home’s natural light. A staging professional will identify and highlight what’s best about your home so that potential buyers will recognize and desire those features as well.

There are lots of details that go into staging your home for sale but the key benefit of hiring a professional stager is that they bring a fresh perspective. For example, what you might consider the best feature in your home might not be what buyers are looking for. You might need improvements in places you don’t notice because you see them every day. If you want the best possible price for your home, definitely consider hiring a staging professional to help.

Tips for Sellers: Identify Your Target Buyer

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For those who want to enjoy a successful home selling experience, identifying your target buyer is key. Because if you understand why buyers may choose your residence over other available houses, you can promote your home to the right groups of buyers. And as a result, you may be better equipped than ever before to streamline the house selling journey.

Now, let’s take a look at three tips to help you identify your target buyer so you can promote your house effectively and speed up the home selling process.

1. Consider the Buyer’s Perspective

Think about why a buyer should choose your residence. Then, you can find ways to promote your house’s features to the right groups of buyers.

Ultimately, a home listing can make a world of difference, particularly for those who want to engage and inform prospective buyers about a residence. If you analyze the buyer’s perspective, you can craft your house listing accordingly.

For example, if your residence is located just minutes from top beaches, you may want to include this information in your home listing. On the other hand, if your home offers multiple bedrooms, you may want to include high-resolution photographs of these bedrooms in your listing to show off the size and beauty of your house.

2. Conduct an Inspection

A home inspection generally is completed after a seller accepts a buyer’s offer to purchase his or her house. But when it comes to identifying your target buyer, you may want to conduct an inspection prior to listing your residence.

During a home inspection, a property expert will examine your residence and offer insights into any underlying issues. You then can prioritize home upgrades, and as such, make your home more appealing to potential buyers.

With a home inspection, you may be able to gain insights into your residence that could be difficult to obtain elsewhere. Thus, if you perform an inspection, you can find ways to improve your residence so you can make your house an attractive option to dozens of prospective buyers.

3. Consult with a Real Estate Agent

If you are unsure about how to target buyers, you may want to collaborate with a real estate agent. In fact, if you have a real estate agent at your side, you can receive expert home selling advice any time you need it.

A real estate agent understands the challenges commonly associated with selling a house and can help you address such issues. First, he or she will develop a personalized home selling strategy and help you showcase your residence to the right groups of buyers. He or she next will host home showings and open house events. And if you receive an offer to purchase your home, a real estate agent can recommend whether to accept, reject or counter this proposal.

Devote time and resources to learn about your target buyer – you will be glad you did. If you use the aforementioned tips, you can identify your target buyer and map out a successful house selling journey.

What Is Modern Farmhouse Style?

The modern farmhouse trend continues to grow in popularity. For both interior and exterior home design, the name of this style is everywhere, from inspiration blogs to retailers. Real estate professionals have even begun featuring modern farmhouse properties in their respective markets because of the continued demand for the style. However, with architecture and design styles constantly evolving, it might be difficult to pinpoint what makes the style unique.

So what is modern farmhouse style exactly? Below are some key aspects of this design trend.

Modern Farmhouse at a Glance

Modern farmhouse is a contemporary and updated interpretation of the classic American farmhouse style. A modern farmhouse home expertly blends sleek modern efficiency with a comfortable rustic aesthetic. Overall, many consider it an approachable and flexible style that is easy to personalize while still creating a perfect compromise between the new and the old.

Key External Features

The modern farmhouse style is just as much an external architectural design style as an internal one. Once you know the key elements of a modern farmhouse, you’ll be able to spot them right away — incorporate these elements into your own home search or remodel. Most houses in this style feature steeply pitched roofs and large windows. Open floor plans are common and usually include vaulted main rooms. The modern farmhouse style also includes a wrap-around porch or a rear porch depending on the space available. Many opt for traditional rectangular windows on the facade, but it is also common to include sleek triangular windows to accent the steepled roof shapes.

Color Palette and Materials

The modern farmhouse trend uses neutral color palettes for the interior and exterior. White is the most common paint choice for the outside of the home, but with bold contrasting elements in black or other dark colors. The contrast not only adds modern appeal, but emphasizes the shapes used in the home’s construction. The exterior walls often include board and batten cladding reminiscent of traditional farm homes. Fixtures are often rustic or industrial, focusing on rustic finishes. On the inside, a modern farmhouse will feature exposed wooden beams and trim and rough-hewn plank flooring. Natural materials with lots of texture are prevalent in modern farmhouse interior design and the more mixing materials, the better. Paint, trim, fixtures and furniture will keep the same color trend as the exterior: light and neutral with dark accents. A combination of leather, metal, stone, jute, linen and other natural materials come together to make the modern farmhouse style cohesive yet comfortably eclectic.

People are spending more time at home in order to work, learn and be among family. Therefore, the demand for comfort and practicality is likely a driving force behind the popularity of this trend. With modern farmhouse style homes, you can have the cozy, inviting feel of a traditional farmhouse style but with a sleek and modern update. The style honors nostalgia and classic American design elements while still including all the efficiency and demands of the present.