Decorative Hardware

Bathrooms offer the third best return on investment.  The average return on investment for a mid-range bathroom remodel ($10,000) is about 90.1%.  The concept of bathroom has changed a lot in the last century.  Your grandparents may remember only having an outdoor bathroom, and your parents may have made due with only one family bathroom.  The trend today is to have at least one bathroom in every room.

 To upgrade those outdated bathrooms many are replacing those old fixtures.  The shower and Toilet also need to be looked at.  Also new home buyers like to see dual sinks in at least the master bath.  For a cheap face lift, try new paint and bathroom hardware: robe hooks, towel bars, paper towel holders and even a toilet paper holder add functionality.  The more expensive investment may be for an additional bathroom, especially useful if your home only has one, but to save money arrange it so that it is close or directly above the existing facility.  This will save you money on the cost of plumbing, But don’t go too stingy the modern home buyer likes to see spacious bathrooms with big tubs and walk in showers.  With this in mind go ahead and jump in to that project.

The return on new siding falls just short of minor kitchen remodels taking up the number 2 spot for the best return on your investment.  Installing new siding will return on average 92.8% of your investment at resale.  If your homes siding is getting worn or outdated, installing new siding could be the best investment that you could make.

The siding on your home acts like a shield keeping the weather out of your home.  Defective siding could lead to water and air leaks damaging your home and degrading your homes insulation value.  Not to mention that these leaks can also allow in bugs that could effect the structural integrity of your home.  New siding and exterior hardware can really brighten up the look of your home and add curb appeal for potential buyers.  Exterior hardware also can have a great effect on curb appeal.  along with that siding also upgrade the door bell button, entry door accessories, and address numbers.

 After a long day of tree hunting in the woods, I had finally found the perfect Christmas tree.  Why is it a tree looks smaller when it’s still standing, then after you cut it down, it turns out much larger than first anticipated?

Just the drag back to the truck was a job in itself, and after getting it back home I was even wondering if I could even fit it through my front entry door.  But after a little trimming and some tough maneuvering, I had it standing in it’s proper place just waiting to be decorated.  It turned out to be one of the best Christmas trees I ever had,……..but aren’t they all?

 I was really pleased with the switch plate covers that I had special ordered from a company that specializes in wrought iron hardware.  Being a building contractor myself for the last 20 years, I had a fairly good idea what suited my taste when it came to finishing the interior of my own home when the time arrived.

I always had a love for decorative iron and exotic hardwoods.  The switch plates that I installed were the final touch, and went well with the beautifully grained wood behind them.  It’s kind of unique how they both compliment each other so well, and how both came from raw materials not far from where I live.

According to a recent survey featured in Remodeling Magazine, minor kitchen remodels will fetch the best return on investment at resale. This is because the kitchen is often the room that gets the most wear and tear, also kitchens tend to follow style and color trends more than any other room in the home.  This makes kitchens become outdated faster than those other areas of your house.  Minor kitchen remodels ($10,000 or less) will return on average 92.9% of your investment.

Common areas that most people remodel are Cabinets and cabinet hardware, under cabinet lighting has seen a recent increase, updating appliances, pantry closet additions, and counter-tops are the most common. Also consider functionality most people nowadays are looking for dual basin sinks and independent cooking stations (islands).  If you have a little more to invest, breakfast nooks and counter-top bars are the new trend.  With your investments well planned out it may make more financial sence to turn your current home into your dream home rather than moving to it.

With the housing market still down, and houses not selling, many people have turned to upgrading and restoring to try to create interest.  By upgrading your house and improving the existing facilities you can attract more attention to your home.  Of-course lowering the price is the most common way to attract interest, but since everyone else is doing just that you are going to need to get creative to set your home apart. There are a few areas that are of special concern: kitchens, bathrooms, and landscapes. 

Curb appeal is very important to get those potential buyers into the house. Add some new shutters or some cheap plants.  This will definitely brighten up the exterior and improve the conversion from “just lookers” to potential buyers.  After they are inside “wow” them with modern up-to-date appliances in the kitchen, and fresh tile and flooring in both the kitchen and bathroom.  If you do have a little left-over capitol to invest, install new decorative hardware and apply a fresh coat of paint all around.  This will really surprise and delight those potential buyers.  With the investments well planned maybe you won’t need to lower that price after-all.

Don’t you just love the Christmas holiday season.  Of course it falls at the tail end of December when the weather is usually cold and snowy, but with all the kindness and generosity that folks offer to one another, it warms up fast.

I decided that this year I would hang a beautiful evergreen wreath on the outside of my front exterior door, as a way of displaying my homes cheerful greeting to anyone passing by.  I crafted it myself and thought that by hanging it up, I would be doing my part in contributing a little bit of the Christmas season to the neighborhood and maybe the world.

I always wanted to be on a dart league, so off I went to the local sporting goods store and purchased 0ne.  Of course, the first thing I did when I got home was to place the dart board up on one of the interior doors in my living room and right away began practicing.

I threw those tiny missiles for hours until my arms started getting tired, sat down for a short break and then repeated this process over and over till I was just plum wore out.  I decided it was about time to quit when I kept missing the target completely, thus dotting the surface of the interior door with a mess of small holes caused by the misplaced dart.  Oh yeah, I guess my wife kinda told me to quit also, or else!

Now there’s one ugly hunk of beef, as I sat watching this 2000 pound Angus bull from the other side of the barb wire fence.  He was also sporting a wrought iron nose ring that sort of resembled a crude looking towel ring that was used to control his bad temper.

I had just purchased him a week ago and was about ready to transport him to his new pasture when he suddenly decided he didn’t want to and threw a little fit.  Coaxing him with a little sweet corn did the trick, and it got him close enough to me, that I was able to tie a short piece of rope to his facial jewelry, thus giving me the commanding edge to do whatever I wanted with him.  I guess I was the ring boss now.

There are literally dozens of architectural styles of home. Ofcourse the most well known of them are Colonial, Victorian, and Classical, but this list barely touches the tip of the Ice berg.  It is important to know the style of your home before you choose hardware to use in it.  once you have discovered the style of home that you have, it becomes much easier to choose the right hardware.

Many homes make use of certain patterns that you can keep consistent with the right patterns in your Door knobs, cabinet hardware, and bath accessories.  For instance, if your home contains tall vertical columns in the front entry, then you should consider using a tall handle and thumb-latch type of door knob.  If the front of your house is short but wide like most ranch style single levels, then you should consider using a lever deadbolt combination that will flow well with your design.