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Taking The Long View On How To Enhance Your Home’s Setting

- Roshan

Striking views and stunning landscapes are, in many ways, the golden ticket of housing. Forget looking out at parking lots and city streets; we’re talking ocean vistas, riverside settings, and even countryside as far as the eye can see.

It’s a reality that can make any home for sale more appealing, as is evidenced by the fact that fantastic views, particularly of water, can enhance value by 15-80%. And yet, as is often the case when we take things for granted, those of us who have access to such views often neglect them. It’s all too easy to shut the doors on the outside and entirely forget about location. Before you know, you may have gone months without even glancing up at those rolling hills or lapping waves.

As well as being a crying shame, this is a significant waste of money. Remember, you’re likely paying for that view, and you should get the most for your buck by taking the time to enjoy it in the following ways.

The more windows, the better

A view has the undeniable ability to take your house to the next level, but you first need to make sure that you can see it. Otherwise, there’s nothing giving your property an edge over any other on your street. Unsurprisingly, then, we’re starting this list with mention of windows. Look at getting custom windows for your home.

Large bay windows that look directly out onto whatever view you have access to are guaranteed to make a massive difference to your property. As simple as that, you make it impossible to ignore the fact that you live in such a fantastic vista. Instead, those windows will act much like a feature wall in truly drawing the eye, and adding a touch of interest that you’d struggle to achieve any other way.

Even better, these windows in themselves will add a modernist and futuristic aspect to your home that’s guaranteed to go down well with any looking to improve interior and exterior style in one hit.

Reflections can enhance a space

As much as you want to open that view up, you also want to make sure that you’re bringing it into your home as much as possible. And, mirrors offer a fantastic opportunity to do that. According to Phillip Thomas of Phillip Thomas Inc, “Not only do they [mirrors] help to push natural light into a space, but they also help to amplify the landscape/view outside the house by allowing you to see straight ahead and from the sides.”

You don’t have to go mad with this, but incorporating mirrors on the opposite wall to your windows, for instance, is guaranteed to enhance the natural beauty outside. Even better, this addition means that you needn’t look directly at those new feature windows to get the most from this benefit.

Let your view inform your home style

Even if you’re keen to bring a view firmly to the forefront at home, you might not consider it in relation to decor. Yet, this can often be the best place to truly tie things together in a way that works. And, when you remember that a well-framed waterfront view, for instance, can add up to 80% value, that’s a quest well worth undertaking.

Something as simple as tying color schemes together with your outside vista could work wonders here. Or, you may want to go all out with a full-on sea theme for your waterside location. You could even use wallpaper or painting styles that mimic the landscape your view centers around. Or, you could simply highlight a countryside setting with natural wood furniture and accessories. The world is your oyster, so have fun playing around. Then, sit back and enjoy a room that’s guaranteed to enhance even the best view.

A shifting furniture focus

Often, we arrange furniture towards key features such as a fireplace or television. But, if you want to make your house great, then you could benefit from shifting that focus with your view in mind. After all, a lakeside setting is guaranteed to beat even the most elaborate fireplace or TV you could think of.

As such, you should focus your pieces towards those new, view-worthy windows instead. By merely turning seats to face this way, you can finally draw the eye here as soon as you enter the room. That’s going to make a huge difference, not only for adding a sense of space to the area but also for ensuring that your view gets the attention it deserves at last.

Steps To Planning A Self-Build

- Roshan

Building your own home is something that is growing and growing in popularity, as homeowners want to have their perfect home, designed with just them in mind. It can be a great way to get what you want, as well as save money on getting your ideal home. Creating a home that is tailored to your needs is often a better option than buying a home that is old and in need of a lot of work. You can choose the exact style and size of a custom home, and think about all of the other aspects of your property.

This is never a simple and straightforward process, though, as there is a lot to consider, as anyone like real estate developer Roger O’Steen would tell you. So in order to give you a guiding hand, here are some of the things that you can do to plan for a self-build, and to help you get into it, without the stress.

The Design

The design of the home that you want to build is going to be one aspect of the first steps in the process. It is worth having a professional help you out with the design, unless you have experience in this area, as there can be some ins and outs that won’t work (as well as ones that will). You have to think about the space that you’re working with, as well as the budget that you have to work with. There may be some planning permissions to apply for too, which is good to look at in this step of the process. Look at triple pane windows for a better look.

The Resources

A self-build is going to require a lot of materials in order to make the dreams and designs a reality. All of which will come with a price. It is a good idea to speak with professionals for quotes, or at least to get some guidance in the area of homebuilding. Using tools and quotes to help you, it will give you a clear indication of if your budget will work with what you have in mind.

The People

It is usually not very likely that you will be able to do the build yourself, unless you or family members have building experience. Which is why you will need to make sure that you choose the right people for the job, so that it can all run smoothly, and have the best job done possible. Reviews and personal recommendations are essential for this kind of thing, as you are putting a lot of responsibility in their hands. You want to get the results that you want, with a building team that can make it happen.

The Time

For many people, they will need to move out of where they are currently living, in order to afford to get the land and the build on its way. This isn’t likely to leave you with much space, but it can be important to get the build underway. Having a clear timeline from your construction team is important, so you can plan where you’ll need to be, and for how long.

Things You’ll Wish You’d Known Before Buying Your First Home

- Roshan

Buying your first home is an extremely exciting time. It’s usually a turning point in the life of those who do it. It can mean you’re growing up and ready to settle down – sometimes even ready to start a family. Below are a few things you’ll wish you’d known before buying your first home. Take a look:

1. Your Finances Inside Out

The first thing you’re going to want to know is your finances, inside and out. You need a good handle on your finances if you’re going to handle being a homeowner. Being a homeowner can be expensive, what with the mortgage repayments, repairs and maintenance, and anything else you need to pay for. For this reason, knowing your finances and what you can handle is imperative to enjoying life in your new home. If you don’t have a good handle on your finances, you may end up purchasing a home that isn’t right for you and resenting it later on down the line.

2. The Local Market

You should have a good idea of the local market you want to buy in, and this will help you to understand houses like the one you’re thinking of buying better. How long do they stay on the market? What is the average asking price? You can also find an agent who understands the local market to help you, but they must have your best interests at heart.

3. Your Priorities

What are your priorities when it comes to buying your new home? Nice deck, stylish windows, a walk out basement? This should be something you think about carefully. You might want to speak to somebody like Dan Bowersock, expert seashore realtor if you’ve always wanted a home on the seashore, for instance. However, you should know what else you want. How many bedrooms? Kitchens? Bathrooms? What style? Have a good idea of what your deal breakers are too. If you don’t outline exactly what you want beforehand, it’s too easy to become dazzled by all of the different houses that you see.

4. You May Not Live In This Home Forever

You spend a lot of time and money getting into your first home, so the last thing you want to think about doing is moving out. However, you may not live in this home forever. You might be tempted to purchase a house with 4 bedrooms, but unless you know they’ll be filled in the next few years, you’ll probably waste a lot of money. Be open to the idea that you may move in the future. Buying a house that is right for you for the foreseeable is important, but you need to be able to afford it and live in it comfortably.

Buying your first home is not something you should rush or take lightly. It’s something you need to carefully consider for some time before going ahead. Are you planning on buying your first home, or have you bought one? Is there anything you wish you had known? Leave a comment!

The Pros And Cons Of Building Your Own Home

- Roshan

Building your own home is a major project to take on. If you’re going to commit to this, you need to have patience, a pretty large budget, and you also need to be able to have the ability to visualize the house of your dreams. If you do pull it off, however, you’ll have a home that you’ve put your heart and soul into, and you’ll be glad that you didn’t take the conventional route of purchasing an existing house.

Here are some pros and cons of a self-built home, for those considering this option.

Pro: you can put your own stamp on it

One of the best things about building your own home is that you can add your own stamp onto it, without having to try to work with existing spaces, that are simply difficult to deal with. Every part of the build will include something that you love, and you’ll have made every single choice, down to the last details such as plug sockets, and lighting. Your home will be your piece of art!

Con: it’s pretty expensive

Let’s be honest, building your own home is not cheap. You need to pay for the architect, a structural engineer, and the builders. You also need to splash out for all of the supplies, and most importantly, you need to put your own time into it, which can be the most difficult thing. Whilst you can get help from somewhere like the Construction Loan Center, evaluate all of your options.

Pro: it will be well-equipped for modern challenges

When it comes to older homes, adding on more energy efficient technology can prove challenging. Some older houses simply aren’t suitable for things like solar panels, and if you build this tech in from the beginning, then you’ll be glad that you did so further down the line. Sure, it may cost you quite a lot now, but in the future, your outgoings will be minimal as a result.

Con: you have to be super patient

Your new build home is probably going to take a year – at the minimum – to build. There are going to be difficult times, and you’re sometimes going to believe that the whole thing isn’t worth it at all. You won’t be able to pick out some things that you like, and then move straight in, and that’s the most important thing to remember. It will be worth it, but you need to be patient!

Pro: you’re the first inhabitants of your home

When you build your own home, you know that you’re the first family to live inside its walls, and there’s something great about that. You know that nobody has stitched you up by telling you that there are no problems with it, when there are actually major ones beneath the surface. And you don’t have to go through that experience, where you feel as though you’re living in somebody else’s house.

Con: there’s a lot of paperwork

If you’re building your own home, there is a lot of paperwork to take on. You need to deal with insurance, taxes, and you need to get permission for your plot. You also need to sort out contracts with builders and architects, and you need to deal with the insurances that they require, too. You’re going to have a desk full of paperwork, and you need to be able to deal with it all sufficiently.

Pro: you can benefit financially

Whilst it may seem as though you are throwing a lot of money at your new build home, the likelihood is that you will get it all back – and more – in the future. This is because you will have a unique building (hopefully) which has all of the modern features that people are looking for. If you’ve built it on a big plot of land, then you’ll also have this upside, which will help you to sell it for a higher price.

Con: you can’t avoid the short-term costs

With an older home, you have some room for negotiation on the price. You can keep putting forward your offers to the seller, and as a result, they may let you have the property for a much lower price. However, whilst you can put offers in on land – and building supplies – for a new build home, you still need to remember that your opportunity to save is a lot lower than it may have been, particularly in the short-term.

So…

If you’re thinking about building your own home, then keep these pros and cons in mind before you take the plunge!

10 Ways To A Healthier, Happier House

- Roshan

Many people know exactly how to ensure that their house keeps them as healthy as possible, but as it’s not a natural topic of conversation, it’s always hard to bring it up to others. When you walk into the homes of other people and they haven’t got the same priorities as you when it comes to their homes, it doesn’t mean that they’re doing it wrong in their home, it just means that they haven’t got the same knowledge as you to have the healthiest house possible. You’re a busy person with a family and a job to worry over. The last thing that you should have to think about is whether your home is keeping you feeling healthy.

When it comes to improvements in our health, we often focus more on nutrition and exercise than we do thinking about the ways that our environments affect our bodies. The home is where you spend a lot of our time, and it’s therefore very important that we figure out the ways that we need to make our homes healthier. It can be anything from cleaning up more often or choosing to flip life to being more natural with less toxins. That one’s pretty easy, as a browse at CleanHappens.com can see to that straight away. Your home environment is supposed to be a safe haven, where you retreat to after a long day and relax. The state of the environment that you are retreating to can have a direct impact on your health and the way that you feel about the place you are settling in.

An unclean and unsafe environment can have a huge bearing on your overall health, and it will have a negative impact upon it if you don’t act on it quickly. This can lead to long term health consequences, and all because you just didn’t take care of your home. Everyone has a different living space to worry about and while there are some aspects that you can’t control you can always do more to improve the health of the house that you are living in. Cleaning up your home to make your living space healthier and safer is the best thing that you can do, and if you’re interested, consider these ten ways you can make your home the healthy space that you’ve always wanted it to be.

Invest In Air Purifiers.

The first step to a good and healthy life is to breathe in the cleanest possible air. Air pollution has a huge effect on our health and fine particulate matter has linked to heart issues as well as lung issues. Investing in the right state of the art air purifier is going to help to mitigate the risk, despite the fact that sometimes the particles can be too small to filter. By taking the step to getting an air purifier or two in the home, you’re at least trying to make the air around you more positive and healthier to breathe in – and that’s all you can do to start with.

Switch Your Candles.

How many gorgeously scented candles do you like to burn in the house? The house smelling gorgeous is one thing, but scented candles come at a real risk. Paraffin wax candles are often petrol based and have the potential to emit potentially hazardous chemicals. These chemicals can lead to health risks like cancers, asthma and common allergies. Don’t worry though; you can still enjoy a well-scented home with soy candles. They still smell just as good, and they don’t emit any of the harmful chemicals as the others.

Avoid Chemical Cleaners.

This is a big one, so we’re mentioning it twice. Avoiding the use of chemical pesticides of chemical-based cleaners can make a difference in the home. Essential oils, soap and water is all you need, because the chemicals in your regular cleaners can aggravate existing breathing conditions and can contain carcinogens. Other natural cleaning solutions can be found online, with recipes including vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda.

Control The Light

Did you know that light pollution can interfere with your sleep? Most people don’t feel good about trying to sleep when city lights keep them awake half the night. You need to sleep in an environment conducive to sleep, so get an eye mask, new shades for the windows and do what you can to block out as much light as possible so that you can sleep well. Bad sleep is linked to a wealth of health issues, including cancers, mental illnesses, memory loss and even obesity. It’s worth ensuring that you block out the light to make your sleep more meaningful.

Clear The Pantry

One big tip for maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to look into your own nutrition. Rid the pantries of the foods that don’t contribute to that lifestyle for you, and fill it with nutrient-dense foods that are going to have a positive effect on your health. Don’t think about food in terms of ‘good’ and ‘bad’, because all you will end up doing is cutting out foods, which leads to binging later on. Keeping a mix of 80% nutrient dense foods with 20% nutrient free foods is important, because there is nothing more important for your health than balance.

Plant A New Garden

You can start with plants and trees, but eventually, you need to aim for a vegetable garden. Gardeners are happier people as they are out in the natural world, in the green spaces and with flowers and trees. People who live in greener spaces commit far less crime than in the cities and a part of that comes from how these greener spaces make them feel. The happier you are the less you are likely to feel depressed about your surroundings. Starting a small garden can start to create a space that makes you feel good about yourself – and once you start planting your own vegetables, you can start feeling great on the inside, too.

Get Rid Of Dust

It’s not going to be 100% possible to get rid of dust, but it is going to be possible for you to start looking after your home to minimize the amount of dust that you do get. Chronic exposure to dust can cause allergies and asthma, and you can prevent both of these things from happening with reducing the humidity of your home and changing your bedding frequently. Vacuuming often can also help, along with washing down everything in soap and water and natural products. Your war against dust in the home won’t be foolproof, but if you keep a regular routine, you can prevent it from building up into a problem.

Water Filtering

The tap water in your home is often drunk through a filter jug or some other system to make it taste nicer. However, you need to ensure that the tap at your sink has a filter attached to ensure that it isn’t contaminated. Local water suppliers may filter your tap water, but it’ll still contain contaminants like lead, chlorine, E-coli and pesticides. The best thing that you can do is to filter these out and enjoy a fresher taste with your water. Fresher water makes for a fresh you, and doing everything that you can to do this will be better for your health overall.

Look At Your Cookware.

When you are putting away leftovers, swap over yout plastic tupperware for glass containers. The plastic contains chemicals that can really have an impact on your hormones, as the plastic leaches toxins into your food and has an impact on the internal environment of your body. Glass is the better alternative, because it’s lighter, recyclable and doesn’t come with the nasty toxins leaking into your food. While you’re looking at your kitchen cookware consider the ways that you are exposing your family to fumes and polymers that are on the materials. Synthetic polymers are used to make non-stick goods, so cook with cast iron or stainless steel instead and you can avoid harsh toxins in your body.

Get A Pet

If you ever need a reason to adopt a pet, your health is one of those reasons. You may not be allergic to dander or pet hair, which is possible the best news when you are looking to have a healthier home. Pet owners are often said to be healthier than those who don’t have the pleasure of a pet in the home, with improved mood and happier emotional state two of the reasons that people get pets in the first place. The improved mood and lower blood pressure, plus the reduced risk of heart issues are all good reasons to get a pet in the home.

Change your diet

Sometimes, we become persons of bad ways, and we tend to purchase foodstuffs from the same grocery, cook them using the unchanged recipes, and stay within our methods for a long time. But if you are serious about eating a healthy meal and losing weight, you need to change the entire diet. It can be hard to let go of your old eating habits, but you have to try. Eating junk foods and foods that are too spicy can cause heartburn and you may require a heartburn reliever. Keep in mind that Sanofi is recalling four of its leading Zantac medicines, and there is an ongoing investigation of an impurity, N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in the drugs. Therefore, to be on the safer side, avoid foods that can trigger heartburn and other gastrointestinal problems.

Your house can be a healthier place to be with just a little tweak here and there. You need your home to be the place you feel safe and healthy, so what are you waiting for? Make these changes today and you’ll find a happier home.