Outdoor Lighting For a Great Home Improvement

Colorful outdoor lighting can add additional beauty to your home background. Installation of outdoor lighting in one’s home is only common during the Christmas season. While others may treat outdoor lighting as a decoration for their homes, they can also contribute to essential safety to your home and your family. Learn the basics on installing your outdoor home lighting and why are they are important in one’s safety.

In choosing your outdoor lighting, opt for those low voltage lights. These lights come with a built-in transformer with a timer that allows you to decide when to have the lights on or off for an added convenience. To install these low-voltage lights in your outdoors, you will need a GFCI receptacle. Ask an electrician or some experts to install one. But beforehand contact a local gas and electric company to ensure that there are no underground cables and pipes before starting to dig your background. Also, make sure that your transformer has the adequate wattage for your lights.

In planning how to design your home with an outdoor lighting, having a diagram will help you to keep track where to place the lights to be installed. Plan also of the different plants, flowers or trees you want to specify to shine. The different problem areas in your home should also be taken note of to avoid certain casualties in the future. After purchasing the appropriate number of lights, position them according to your planned diagram. It is advised that you water your plants the day before installing the lights to avoid scattered soft dirt into the lights. Allow enough cable at the transformer for each of the lights so you will not be having problems while moving them in the future. The cable of your lights must be buried under the ground around 5 inches deep. Dig the ground using a small shovel and cover it with dirt after placing the cable.

These outdoor lights are beneficial in one’s home in a way they help in the improvement of light availability around your background. Well-lighted background is advisable to avoid accidents like stumbling and also to safeguard your home in case of any intruders that will put you in danger.

For the final strike, set the timer from the transformer to your desired time to come on and go off and your all set to go. Enjoy the beauty of your outdoor lights the way you want it to be.

Home Improvement Tips – Bathroom Renovations

One of the most popular areas of a house to renovate is the bathroom. There are many different ways to renovate a bathroom, from small surface changes to completely gutting the room. With some forethought and elbow grease, there are renovating techniques the do-it-yourselfer can accomplish, while saving money at the same time.

The first rule in any renovation is to start with a budget, and stick to it. After a budget is set, one must decide on how serious of a project the renovation will be. Surface alterations can be done fairly quickly and cheaply, while rearranging the layout of the bathroom, such as moving the toilet to a new location, will be more labor intensive, and require a contractor to move plumbing lines. A complete tear out is the most difficult, as well as money and time consuming, but is sometimes necessary if several years of moisture has begun to rot the bathroom’s wooden framework.

Hopefully moisture hasn’t penetrated the bathroom’s joists and studs, but it’s quite possible that drywall will have to be replaced. Today there is moisture resistant drywall called greenboard. If a wall is being replaced inside of the shower, a cement backerboard must be used that moisture cannot penetrate.

Many bathroom renovations revolve around the shower or tub. For the do-it-yourselfer, installing a prefabricated shower enclosure or tub is possible. The other option is a tiled shower or tub, which involves building a frame from scratch, and is best left to a professional carpenter. Though prefab showers were once fairly basic, today there are a variety of styles, colors and textures from which to choose. The units can come in one solid piece, to minimize assembly, and also panels if the complete unit can’t fit through the bathroom door (which is the case with many older homes).

There are a wide variety of flooring options for bathrooms, but steer clear of wood floors which will warp from the humidity. Ceramic tiles are the most popular choice for bathroom flooring, as it’s completely waterproof when sealed properly. There are also almost limitless combinations of shapes, sizes and colors combinations of tiles and grout that will fit all tastes. All floors must be level before laying down tile, which can be easily achieved by mixing a self leveling compound that is then spread across the floor, evening out any inconsistencies.

A new sink or vanity can spruce up a bathroom as well. There are many popular styles, such as wall mounted sinks, pedestal sinks, and vessel sinks that are fairly easy to install. It’s often possible to use the current sink piping to reconnect to an updated sink which can drastically change a bathroom’s appearance.

Some of the most effective updating can also be the easiest to do. Changing all the hardware, such as drawer pulls, faucet handles, and shower heads, can make a great impact, especially when they are all pulled together with the same materials, such as stainless steel, bronze, or brushed nickel. The cheapest home improvement choice of them all- paint- can also give a bathroom a new feel. Ditching a bland, frameless mirror for a new, large one with a funky frame is also an easy fix.

Sometimes the cost of new bathroom features is the priciest part of a renovation, but looking beyond big box stores can save cash. The local Craigslist may have a treasure being thrown out by another remodeler with a different taste. eBay can work the same way. Buying discontinued tiles is another good money saving technique, but remember to pick up extras to replace damaged tiles in the future.

Most remodeling techniques can be learned, but a contractor may be necessary to deal with new electrical or plumbing lines- it will be worth the money for it to be done correctly, and they will follow building codes properly. Getting referrals from trustworthy friends is always advisable when looking for a good and efficient contractor.