Ten Ways To Make The Outside Of Your Home Look Great
Simple Ideas to Make your Home Look Great
If you’ve neglected the outside of your property for some time you might need to do a little work to get it looking back to its best. Some of the things which can be done won’t take long whilst others require significant work and in some cases expenditure, however with a little effort you can make your home look great again.
Garden – the basics
Even if you don’t know an annual plant from a perennial you can still make your garden look tidy. If needed hire a mini skip and get rid of anything which has been loitering in your garden for too long. If you have grass – cut it, even if this means hiring a strimmer. Prune shrubs and give any paved areas a good sweep or a spray with a jet washer. It might take you the whole weekend but the effort you put in will be worth it.
Garden – landscaping
If you’ve tidied the garden and still aren’t pleased with the results it might be time to do some hard landscaping to get it back to its best. If the grass is non-existent and the weeds have taken root you might need to start from scratch and do some hard landscaping.
This might involve laying a new path through the garden or removing what is there and starting afresh. There are companies out there that will do everything for you. Or you could attempt most of the work yourself and reseed the lawn or lay new turf.
House – the basics
Most people don’t even look at the outside of their home or notice it falling into disrepair. However if you keep on top of its maintenance you’ll increase the time between some of the larger jobs which need to be done.
Things you can do to the outside of your house include clearing drains and gutters from leaf debris, making sure window frames are wiped clean, windows are washed and sweeping any paths around the home.
House – renovations
If you want your house to look great you need to keep on top of the maintenance, but from time to time you’ll also need to do some of the bigger jobs. Things you can look at include replacing windows, giving the exterior a lick of paint, replacing gutters, soffits and fascias, replacing or simply painting your front door or replacing your tired old garage door.
All of these things will instantly lift your house and make a huge difference to how it looks.
It’s always better to keep on top of things rather than to let things fall into a state of disrepair. However after a certain amount of time major works will need to be done.
A new drive may have to be laid, new windows may need to be fitted by Woodend Carpentry, or you might need your old garage removed and a new one installed in its place. This is all part of owning a home and even though these things are costly they are an investment for the future.
Professional Decorating Secrets – How to Decorate Like an Expert
Home Decorating Secrets
For most of us, re-decorating a room at home involves a trip to buy some paint and a quick hunt for a half decent paintbrush and roller.
Re-painting the walls of a room should therefore be a quick and easy process, because after all, the walls will end up looking the same colour regardless of whether you do it yourself or pay a professional to paint it for you.
Paint is paint, a brush is a brush, so why is there such a difference in the finish you end up with compared to the finish obtained by professional decorators? What are their decorating secrets?
Preparation
The first significant difference between amateurs and professional decorators is the amount of preparation that is done. A professional tradesman will spend 70 – 80% of their time preparing the walls, woodwork etc prior to applying paint.
The initial preparation that you do will determine the quality of the finished room. Walls need to be sanded, filled, cleaned and prepared, as does all the woodwork.
The quality of this preparation will govern how good your finished room looks. It is often said that the first few days a decorator is at work it looks like they aren’t doing anything.
We expect to see walls changing colour because that is our end goal, but this time is important and is one of the main decorating secrets of professional tradesmen.
If you take the time to properly prepare the surfaces that you are going to paint then you will end up with a vastly superior finish.
Professional cleaning services also make the difference to the final result you end up with.
“Preparation is the only way to achieve a superior grade finish. You can use the best paints available, but if you are not applying them to well prepped walls and woodwork, the job will never look good.”
“The more time and effort you spend preparing the surfaces, the longer your redecoration will last & the more stunning it will look.”
Decorating Equipment
In addition to taking the time to prep your surfaces, the other decorating secret that separates the amateurs from professionals is the quality of materials used.
Cheap paint will give you cheap results, and often means that you will need to apply two or more coats, whereas high quality paints from manufacturers such as Dulux, Farrow & Ball and Fired Earth give a superior finish which will last longer, give your property more protection and look so much better.
The quality of the brushes and rollers that you use is also important. Many cheaper brushes will leave hairs behind, affecting your finish. A quality brush will give you the high quality finish you are looking for.
The combination of meticulous preparation and quality materials is the major difference between a professional finish and a do it yourself finish.
One major diffence to a finished room is the quality of “cutting in”…… or paining the edges well to you or me!
The first thing that draws the eye when you walk into a room is the edging finish. If your edges aren’t painted cleanly it will affect the look of the whole room.
This is another area that requires time and effort as it will ultimately make or break your room finish.
Decorating Secrets Summary
1. Take the time to prepare all the surfaces you will be painting.
2. Use quality paints and materials to get the best finish.
3. Focus on all the edges and borders as these will determine the quality of your finished room.
Other Additions To Enhance Your Home
A beautifully decorated home will look fantastic with the addition of stylish wooden window shutters. Available in a variety of styles to suit all types of windows and openings, shutters are very fashionable at the moment.
Shutters offer far more than just looks however. Louvred window shutters provide privacy, security and block out light too if required.
The options for design, colour, fit and style are virtually endless.