Dramatic Spaces Home Staging and Design

I was watching Renovation Realities today, which is pretty unusual for me (to be watching television at all). I have never seen the show before and all I can say is WOW!

The guy on the show wanted a “man space” in his home so he decided he was going to take over the garage. I thought it was a great idea – until I heard he has never tackled a home improvement project before AND he doesn’t own any power tools. He called a friend to help and away they went (and the friend had no experience either – yikes!).

I was shaking my head in disbelief the whole time. The homeowner decided he wanted a window on one side of the garage. He purchased one, had two friends hold it up on the wall and he eyeballed where he wanted it. Then out came the power tool to cut open the wall.

They had no idea how to finish it once it was in so they called a friend. While explaining the next step the friend was talking about the stud and the homeowner had no idea what he was talking about and said – please speak english.

The other blunder I chuckled over was when they tried to staple the pink insulation to the wall. They were frustrated that it was too thick for the staple to go in. As far as I know insulation needs to placed gently between the wall studs in order for it to do the job it is meant to do.

Finally, they ran out of steam and did not complete the job. I think this is quite common when renovating.

So why am I commenting on this show? Well, with any home improvement project you do it is important to know your skill level. Know when you can do it yourself and when to call in the pros. I am all for saving money when making improvements to your home, but not at the expense of a lower quality job.

If you have no intentions of selling your home in the near future you end up regretting that you tackled the job on your own in the first place. You also don’t increase the value of your home. If you are selling, you either need to bring the workmanship up to a higher quality level or take an even bigger hit in a price reduction.

If you have had a similar do it yourself disaster or have seen the aftermath of one that someone else did, please leave a comment about your story.

Believe it or not the real estate season is slowing down.  Spring is the time that most sellers put there house on the market and there is a flurry of activity.  What if you missed this hot selling/buying period and your home is still on the market or you haven’t even listed it yet?

I went on MLS the other day, as I frequently do, and it is unbelievable the amount of little red dots that pop up.  Those little red dots show the location of all the houses for sale in a particular area (I know you know this).  I often wonder what these homeowners are feeling at this time. Are they totally stressed and freaking out or just feeling it’s okay, someone will eventually come along and want my house.

My guess is most homeowners are experiencing the stress and the freaking out feeling.  Whether to fret or not depends on your selling strategy. You do have a selling strategy, don’t you?

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At this time of year, spring, many homeowners are working on their gardens and lawns. What do you do if you don’t have a green thumb and you have a lawn that needs to be revitalized. I have come across this great recipe called fat grass recipe that will give your yard a thick, luscious look that will have the neighbours envious. If you are selling your home it will boost your homes value. Don’t be put off by the name. It does exactly as the names says.

I have used the fat grass recipe and it works wonders. When you are using the driveway as your hard surface I suggest you put a tarp down or a large piece of plastic to keep it contained. It is not necessary if you want to water down the driveway, however if you live in an area where there is a watering ban you can simply pick up the tarp and shake the excess dirt away on your lawn.

This is a cheaper solution than buying sod, so depending on your budget or time this can be a great solution for the do it yourself (DIY) homeowner.

Once your lawn is back in shape you can put a planter or two at your entrance way and place a hanging basket inside. How simple is that!

To take it a step further, you can use a hanging basket, but this time take it out of the basket and place it in the centre of your pot. I like to use a tall plant in the centre to give it height. If you want a lower profile, just make sure your centre plant is taller than your surrounding plants. Now take several cascading or lower plants and fill them around your centre plant, preferably enough of the same plant to fill the area. Don’t forget to take these out of the baskets.

Keep in mind that containers need to be watered frequently unless you use a product that retains moisture made specifically for container plantings (of course you can’t do this if you are simply placing the basket in the container). You also need to keep in mind how much sun your entrance will get. Buy shade plants if it is on the shady side and sun plants for a sunny area.

Now all you need to do is make sure the area is clean, no clutter and without a lot of expense or effort the front of your home can be stunning. The simple details are usually what makes the most impact. If you are selling you want visitors to want to get out of their cars to see more.

Home renovations or home improvements are a lot of work and finishing a basement can be a daunting task. When it comes to drywalling anything that can make the job a little bit easier is a welcome addition to your tool box. I have come across two products that can really make a difference.

First, here is a drywall scoring square by Johnson which helps you make a cut along your drywall piece that is straight and exactly where you want it to be.

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If you are thinking about selling your home in the near future I have a challenge for you. I want you to take a look at how other homeowners, with comparable homes in your area, are presenting their homes to sell. This will help you understand what is necessary in preparing your home so that it will sell quickly and for a higher price.

Have fun with my challenge!!

Robin

P.S. If you have taken my challenge I would love to hear about your experience. Just leave your comment below.

I came across this great online-only decorating magazine and just had to share it. Lonny launched yesterday, October 1st providing inspiration and connecting readers to products and resources that are used in their issue. It includes budget friendly inspiration, fashion, DIY project ideas and a renovation section. Their mission is to make design accessible to everyone. They encourage their readers to make choices in their home that lead to happiness instead of following what everyone else is doing.

I am a firm believer that good design can be affordable with a little creativty and inspiration. Cost effective decorating can be found in any space, whether it be a mansion or tiny apartment. Editor Michelle Adams and her co-founder Patrick Cline began with a vision that in todays tough economy it is important to provide easy access to budget friendly ideas that inspire readers to take action and make their space feel special and make it their own personal style.
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