4 Essential Home Improvement Tools and Equipment

With the economy improving and disposable income up, home improvement reached new heights of popularity in 2018. Nearly six in 10 homeowners increased their home improvement budgets this year, with almost half of these planning to spend $5,000 or more, and twice as many homeowners planning to spend $35,000 and up, a LightStream annual survey found. Outdoor projects, bathroom remodels, home repairs, kitchen remodels and garage improvement lead the list of most popular projects.

To tackle any type of home improvement project, you first need the right set of tools. Here are four of the most basic tools you’ll want to have handy before you begin.

Ladders

One basic piece of equipment you will need for many home improvement projects is a good ladder. If you plan to do outdoor projects such as repairing your roof or painting, you will definitely need a ladder. They are also essential for indoor projects where you have to reach the ceiling or a place high on a wall, such as putting up drywall, driving a screw in or pounding a nail in. When choosing ladders, selections should be appropriately sized for their intended tasks, with appropriate weight load capacities. It’s extremely important to keep safety in mind, whether you’re on a step ladder or an extension ladder.

In order to safely use a step ladder, you should never stand higher than two steps from the top, meaning that if you have a vertical reach of 1 foot, you will be able to reach a point about 4 feet above the top of the ladder. Most step ladders only have rungs on one side, but twin step ladders have them on both sides. Platform ladders (podium ladders) have a standing surface on top with a rail extension for extra contact, stability and utility.

For reaching taller spots with an extension ladder, where the fourth rung from the top is the tallest safe point and sections must overlap 3 to 5 feet depending on the length of the ladder, get a ladder 7 to 10 feet higher than the point your ladder will rest against. If you want to use an extension ladder to step on your roof, you will need one at least 2 feet higher than your gutter. A step ladder can also be used for locations without a spot for resting an extension ladder, during tasks such as ceiling fan installation.

Tape Measures

Another essential tool in a home improvement toolbox is a tape measure, says This Old House. Tape measures are needed for most common projects, such as measuring wood width and length to finding the area for a paint job.

Tape measures vary by a number of factors. Lengths tend to range from 10 to 26 feet. Some tapes are thicker than others, ranging from three-quarters of an inch to an inch-and-a-quarter, which makes them easier to read, with tapes wider than an inch being easier to read. Tape hooks also vary in size, with larger tangs being easier to keep stable; some are magnetic. Tapes come in steel and fiberglass varieties, with fiberglass often used for longer tape measures.

Screwdrivers

Screwdrivers are another must-have for home improvement projects, and they come in two main varieties. Flat-head screwdrivers come with a single slot on top, while Philips screwdrivers have a cross-section in the middle. You typically will need multiple screwdrivers of each type in different sizes. A set of 10 is a good place to start, or you can use a multi-bit screwdriver to save space in your toolbox. Look for screwdrivers with a sturdy design and comfortable grip.

Hammer

Like screwdrivers, hammers are vital for home improvement projects. You need a hammer and nails when you need to fasten together two parts with more shear strength than a screw can handle. For example, decks that have to withstand strong winds need nails.

Fortunately, you can get most of your work done with a single all-purpose hammer, says Family Handyman. Look for a hammer with a medium weight, a smooth face, a rip claw and a handle made of something other than wood such as steel or fiberglass. A weight of 16 to 20 ounces is good for general purposes.

While they aren’t the only tools you’ll need, a ladder, a tape measure, a screwdriver set and a hammer will lay a foundation for a good working tool set. These items will come in handy on just about any home improvement project.

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Home Improvement Projects to Improve Your Home’s Value

Each cent spent to improve your real estate returns a dollar in profit. Now let us discuss the amount invested. You could begin with $100 – 200.

Plant a verdant paradise

An investment in landscape improvement matures over time and adds immense face value to your property. Plant shady trees to cut down cooling costs by 40%. If they yield fruit, then this is the icing on the cake for you. Planting trees and plants make an inviting oasis for the wildlife. This is especially true if you live in an urban area.

Landscaping

Combine nature and culture on your property. Decorating your outdoor space is a great way to boost your home’s value. Use living features such and flora and fauna in tandem with art and craft to enhance the visual appeal. The use of colour, plants, terrain, textures and structures such as a fountain or a statue to add a personality to your home. Landscaping also, blends the outdoors with the indoors, offer seasonal variety of plants and the visiting fauna. This ongoing project, not only adds charm to your place but also enhances its value.

Water filtration system

This is a money saving gadget that purifies your water and reduces your health and grocery bill. These not only remove the pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoans from the drinking water but better the taste of the water. The chlorine used to treat the water and other harmful chemicals like lead, mercury, fluorides etc too are removed. This inexpensive addition to your home with an annual maintenance contract (AMC) not only saves money but also cuts your contribution of plastic bottles to the landfills.

Water saving devices

With a few basic tools such as a wrench, plumbers tape, putty and rags you can do these DIY projects to add value to your home. Just screw on a high-efficiency low-frequency aerator for facets and showerheads. This faucet design has a sieve-like aerator that reduces the flow but not the force of the water. Thus, you clean better with lesser water. The water usage is reduced by 4% for the 15% of household water usage.

You can use timers and automatic shut-off nozzles for showers and garden hoses. You can reduce up to 30% household water by using dual flush toilets. The smaller 0.5-gallon tank is used to flush urine while the 1.5 gallon for the solid wastes. Use drip irrigation hoses to deliver water to the roots thereby reducing water loss by evaporation by up to 50%.

Greywater diverters recycle water from laundry, shower and dishwater into a storage tank. This water is used for flushing toilets and watering the plants. Only make sure you use natural products minus bleach, microbeads, stain lifters, detergents, etc. Just remember these chemicals will return into your system via the biogeochemical cycle and biomagnification.

Net zero water status

You can become independent of municipal utilities by working towards a net zero water status. This can be done by capturing rainwater, managing storm runoff besides reusing grey and blackwater. If you live in an area where you receive regular rainfall you could install a rainwater harvesting (RWH) system. This technique has been used since human civilization learned to manage land. Collect this rainwater in tanks, aquifers via storm drains. Nowadays with excellent waterproofing treatments, rooftop harvesting is also prevalent. The water is made to flow through filters layered with gravel, sand, charcoal and coir that remove solid impurities, gases and odours. This water can be used for bathing, washing and watering the plants. This not only reduces your utility bills but also helps prevent erosion by runoff.

Net zero energy

The use of alternative energy sources helps achieve the off-the-grid, net-zero energy status. You can not only generate your own electricity but also sell it to the utility company. The alternative resources are wind, hydroelectricity, biogas, geothermal and solar energy. The devices for electricity generation from wind, water and solar energy can be bought within $200. While others may require the help of experts and local authorities. Overall these efforts, help reduce energy bills and get tax incentives.

Improves the air quality

The concept of air quality is applicable indoors and outdoors. Check out the condition of the carpets and wallpaper at home. Make sure they are not musty or carrying allergens and contaminants. Invest in a vacuum cleaner – dust and clean your home every week. Do an annual spring-cleaning and remove anything that should be recycled.

Nowadays the air conditioners come with built-in sensors, humidity controllers and air purifiers. This onetime investment will ensure clean air, indoors. Choose environmentally friendly tiles, laminations, woods, etc. These should be easy to clean and not give off odours and fumes. Last but not the least the overall effect should be pleasing to the eye to appeal to the prospective buyer.

In conclusion, creating a comfortable green home not only lowers the utility bills, it also reduces your family’s carbon footprint. Besides you set an example for the community to emulate while the cumulative effect is an increased the value of the home.

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Is this the future of real estate firms?

It is a fact that technology has enhanced in the real estate market, where there an explosive growth of agents and owners competing for the buyer’s attention. Most of the real estate industries have used a traditional model of selling properties but it’s indisputable that digital technology has transformed the industry and the way people buy and sell houses.

Virtual Reality Tour

Virtual reality tour It’s the pivotal part of the home buying experience as it’s not a digital recreation but actual footage of the property. It is a great marketing advantage where anyone can hold and observe the virtual tour for minutes, allowing anyone to invest more time and take the next step in purchasing.

It allows agents to acquire more clients, grow their business, and deliver high-level services along with reaching more buyers. It can also increase listing’s sale rate and helps a realtor receive more listings. Virtual reality is expected to be a trend that top real estate agencies in Dubai will be using in a couple of years.

Blockchain technology

With the rise of cryptocurrency, Blockchain has the potential to change the way business is done and the real estate market. Blockchain has enabled people to securely and efficiently share data and money. Within the industry, blockchain technology is used for real estate transactions, including contracts and lease registrations in the future to be completed without attorneys or companies. The data will then be shared with utility providers and other property-related entities for efficiency.

Big Data Analysis

Big data analysis provides buyers with knowledge and facts about a development or neighborhood, the people, market trends, price index and other data. Realtors use data to make accurate and quick decisions that tailor to the needs of clients and potential buyers, making it a more personalized approach. Some of its benefits include Insurance analytics, Finances, targeted marketing, money laundering prevention and much more.

The internet has evolved. Today, people have access to information across the spectrum. Real estate agents are constantly searching for ways they can gain an edge.  In other words, digital technology is the new real estate broker in Dubai and virtual reality, blockchain and big data are game changers in the ever-changing real estate market. 

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Egg-shaped Micro Home Lets Residents Live Off-Grid

This captioned movie indicates an ovoid micro home by Slovakian company Nice Architects, which was developed to allow its owners to be self-sustainable and move wherever they want.

The micro home named Ecocapsule is available to buy for under £70,000.

Classic Disney Movie Inspired Colour Schemes for House Painting

Who doesn’t love the good old Disney movies?

We all do! As Disney is releasing the live action version of the 1991 animation classic Beauty and the Beast, let us all rejoice the child inside us by giving our homes a Disney inspired makeover! A little DIY project in this holiday season or a full-fledged house renovation done by the professional residential painters, painting your home with your favourite Disney themed colours will surely take you back to the carefree days of your childhood.

Beauty and the Beast

The soft yellow hues complemented by patches of dark browns with a hint of blue here and there can perfectly resemble the headstrong yet spiritual village girl Belle and the arrogant cursed prince Adam.

Cinderella

She was having a miserable life with her stepmom and two cruel stepsisters when she received an invitation to attend the royal ball as did all the other eligible girls in the kingdom, and then we all know what happened next! All the shades of blue and white represent Cinderella’s regal look for the night when she first met the Prince.

Rapunzel

Our next Disney princess had worn one dress throughout the movie and the colour complemented her funny, funky, goofy characteristic pretty well! Paint your walls with shades of purple, incorporating golden (HER BEAUTIFUL LONG GOLDEN LOCKS) with it to create the cheerful, carefree, adventures vibes of Rapunzel.

Sleeping Beauty

Fairytale, pure, innocent love possesses such tangible strength it can defeat anything, even seemingly unbeatable curses or fearsome dragons. Disney perfectly captured the tone of this message with their choice of colours.

Aladdin

Picking up the colours from the Arabian Nights, the blue from Jasmine’s dress or the lush richness of the fictional city Agrabah, you can actually make your home a little South Asian feel by painting it with the Aladin inspired colour palette.

Here are our top 5 favourite Disney movies with their beautiful colour schemes! Try that suits your taste better.

Home Goals & How To Have Them

Things To Think About Before Building A New Home

The prospect of completely designing and building your own home is extremely exciting. You’ve dreamed many times about the kind of home you want to build, and added features that you’d love to add to your design. However, it’s not just as simple as drawing your dream home and hiring the builders because there’s a lot more to think about. Do yourself a favour before planning any building work and consider these following things to ensure that you don’t accidentally miss out anything important and then regret it months into the build.

Budget

You’ve probably already got an idea in your head on how much you’d ideally like to spend on your new home build, but have you factored absolutely everything into your budget? Unless you’re literally going to be doing all of the work by yourself you will need to think of labour costs as well as materials. Don’t forget that some manual jobs will be charged at a much higher rate because of the use of different specialist equipment, or even getting a qualified professional to sign off on the property to ensure that it’s liveable. Call around some companies that offer the work you’re after and get some quotes from them that include all of the price and not just the cost of materials. Save yourself from a shocking bill when all is said and done.

Planning permission

Even if you own the land that you’re building your home on, you will need to obtain planning permission from your local council to ensure that you don’t find yourself being penalized for it halfway through the build. Think about hiring some planning consultants to help you with the research and ensure that you’re getting the right information before any building work starts. Don’t forget that if you’re planning to build a property that’s going to stick out like a sore thumb in your town then it’s likely that your build will be denied. Take a look at the area that you’re building in and try and get it so that it blends in with the town so that you’re not scalded by the council or even locals.

Surrounding wildlife

This will probably come hand in hand with planning permission, but you should definitely be thinking about the surrounding wildlife in your land. Make sure that your build won’t be disturbing any species of animals, especially rare or endangered ones, as you could be charged for doing so. Wherever possible, make it so that the building won’t be of any danger to surrounding animals, and even when the building work is finished that it won’t disturb them in their natural habitat.

 

Take these three ideas into consideration when planning to build your new home so that you don’t find yourself in a sticky situation halfway through. Most of all, good luck with your new build and enjoy your new home!

Renovated Single-Family Building in Shanghai by RIGI design

RIGI designed a white 3-story house in a common Shanghai old-style lane. There are loads of similar buildings in the city that aren’t new and situated in naturally-formed cubes — taking the memories of the city. It faces south and has entrances from both sides. Due to the complex compartments and profound depth, the overall indoor light was bad. Since it had been built a long time ago, part of the building structure required to be repaired and reinforced, RIGI unified the height of the whole building as well.
The stairs on the northern side were torn, the skylight and stairs are intended to be central objects, reshaping the whole logic and form of this 3-story building. Using its punched holes, the steel stairs may bring to the light.

‘There isn’t so much pleasure in existence, and our own life is filled with little happiness. That which we love is to not possess good things or luxurious furniture, but a self-made lifetime on our own. Having seen so many homes, the only notion we consider is that an individual cannot be stuck using a settled life, whether in the home value or fashion. A home is not equivalent to a residence, the home belongs to our family and us. A house is like a container to carry our expansion, experience and expect. And design brings more tolerance into existence. Town, where we live and work, is not ideal, and there are some disorder traffic and a lot of garbage, but it isn’t an obstacle for us to design a warm home. This is a home of the 1970s, witnessing the lives of generations. At this moment it seems to be reborn’.

The architects designed a semi-opened place on the first floor which blurs the boundary between indoor and outside. After renovation, the first isolated courtyard includes a new relation to the 3-story space. The semi-outdoor area adds enough heat to the living space. Sunshine, plants, interior, exterior, and blurry border allow spaces along with the entire life scene to change freely. A hole is booked in the courtyard, which can be where trees are intended to be planted in spring, that could accompany the kids when growing upward, signifying the value of the element of time would be to the layout. This space belongs to each scene of life, instead of being defined by functions. A modular furniture wall referred to as ‘life board’ is designed, which can be decorated or assembled with accessories in diverse ways. From this point of view, the future form of the style might be gradually shaped by daily life.
On the next floor, the door and the storage space are concealed beneath the wall, which creates a clean and total area. During bright days, it will be a warm family space. The child’s bed, desk, and storage space are attached via the design, which is quite lively as they can climb stairs and perform in the courtyard. This element brings a larger world to the children, letting them know about the changing world from a different dimension.
Following natural daylight, moving up across the steel stairs, we could see altered skylights, vertical lighting windows plus a pristine outside space. The entire building starts from light and vertical distance. To the primary bedroom, the slope structure of the original building is kept, the cloakroom and the toilet are unified to a box, booking the initial architectural type to the biggest extent and generating a new connection from the original space which is not large.

Advice on Buying a New Build Property

If you are thinking about buying a new build property, there are many factors that need to be considered. A lot of people would agree that the process is slightly more difficult. After all, you cannot walk around the property and judge it for yourself. You are buying it based off plans, and you, therefore, need to have faith that the developer is going to build something that is up to standard. Of course, this does not mean that you should simply cross your fingers and hope for the best. There is research that you can conduct to give yourself the greatest chance of ensuring the process goes smoothly and that you end up with the house of your dreams. Keeping that in mind, read on to discover the important aspects that need to be considered when buying a new build.

Find out whether you are eligible for any assistance – This will depend on where you are based and where in the world you are purchasing a property. Nevertheless, there are many housing schemes available for people to take advantage of, and so this is certainly something that is worth looking into further. You may be eligible for some sort of loan or grant, or mortgage assistance. Or, could you be entitled to public housing? In Singapore, residents are able to make the most of HDB BTO launches. HDB is the public housing in the country, and this is where the vast majority of residents in Singapore live. The eligibility criteria does differ depending on circumstances, as there are a number of schemes. Of course, this is just one example of the different types of housing structures and schemes that are available, but it shows why you really do need to explore this further. You don’t want to end up paying more or missing out on any assistance that is available.

The price of the new build – A lot of people make the mistake of failing to negotiate on price. If you are buying a property off plan, it is quite difficult to tell how much it is worth. This is why you need to do your homework, i.e. compare the property with prices of similar developments in the area. Moreover, you will usually get a better deal the earlier you arrive at a given development. Armed with this information, you can then negotiate to get the best price for you.

The developer’s track record – There is no such thing as too much research when it comes to buying a property, especially a new build. Essentially, you are buying into the developer. You need to make sure that they have a good track record and that they are going to be able to deliver the house of your dreams. The last thing you want is to end up with a property that does not reflect the plans or that has been built to a poor standard. This is why you need to take the time and effort to look for the very best. This involves conducting searches online and reading reviews that have been left by previous buyers. These people were once in your shoes, and so their comments can be very useful. You should also see what type of experience the developer has: how many years they have been in the industry. Moreover, if possible, why not take a look around some of the properties they have already built to get a good understanding of what they are capable of?

How long is the house going to take to be built? – When it comes to buying a new home off plan, you do need to be prepared for delays. Things very rarely end up being completed on time. So, when putting your timeline together and planning your moving out date, you do need to allow some flexibility, as it will be a surprise if you are able to move into your property on the date specified. Nonetheless, you can get a good idea regarding how long the delay is likely to be by reading the reviews left by previous customers of the developer in question. Most people will note in their comments if the build was delayed and, if so, how long by. Of course, there are no guarantees that your delay is going to be of a similar time frame, but it does help to give you an understanding.

Getting an inspection – Last but not least, the importance of getting an independent inspection should not be ignored. A lot of people assume that this is not necessary when it comes to a new build. After all, surely there aren’t going to be any issues with a property that has just been built? Well, you would be surprised. Despite there being a relatively high satisfaction rating amongst new-build owners, surveys do show that there have also been many defects and snags with new-builds too. These are issues that are not always diagnosable via the naked eye – they need a professional opinion. If you were to get an independent inspection carried out, these problems could be dealt with from the very beginning. This means that you do not need to worry about them later down the line, nor do you have to be responsible for the cost of fixing the issue. Instead, get a professional to inspect the new build before you legally complete, rather than afterwards.

Hopefully, you now feel a bit more prepared about the process that is entailed when buying a new build. There is a lot that needs to be taken into account. Nevertheless, if you conduct the required research to make sure that the developer has a good track record, and you are fully aware of all of your options, you have a great chance of ensuring everything runs smoothly and that you end up with your dream property at the end of it all.