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Painting your home
Tradesmen or DIY Investment Property?
Renovating your bathroom
Painting your home
One of the best value add renovation techniques is painting your home.
Colour Selection
A great colour scheme is more important than the quality of the tradesman when it comes to the end result. Ask your tradesmen whether they can use a colour consultant. A colour consultant will normally cost between $ 200 - $ 300.
You need to be able to visualise your room with furniture as part of the finished product. An experienced colour expert will be able to guide you in your choice of colours bearing in mind the furnished look of the room and not just its empty state.
Preparation
The preparation of the area to be painted is very important. Good tradesmen will use special lights that can spot problems like moisture or uneven surfaces.
Use Premium Paints
Not only use premium brands but use premium lines of those brands.
Rendering
If you are painting a recently rendered wall - ensure the rendering is done properly.
No matter how good the paintwork and the tradesman, if the rendering is going to flake, crack or fall off it will degrade the look substantially.
Tradesmen or DIY Investment Property?
It is often the DIY home renovator who is more profitable than the qualified tradesmen.
The reason for this is a DIY home renovator will often hunt around for the cheapest quote - thier aim is to get the job done quickly and cheaply. Tradesmen on the other hand are trained to measure things up properly and prepare properly and to use long lasting products.
If you are about to buy a property that is recently renovated you may want to find out whether the work was done by a qualified tradesperson or the DIY handyman. Use this information as a bargaining chip.
Renovating your bathroom
Bathrooms have now over taken kitchens as being the most renovated room in the house.
You need to be sure the money you spend on doing up your bathroom equates to
a better return on your investment.
Some Bathroom renovation tips
1. Ensure all cupboards are made of moisture resistent materials. This will avoid particle board swelling over time.
2. Have your bathroom flood proof - burst pipes, kids who leave the bath on are all disasters waiting to happen.
3. Using full width mirrors will make a small bathroom feel larger.
4. When installing a bath/shower use hand held showerhead as this gives you greater flexibility.
5. Allow for air flow so the exhaust fan can work effectively.
6. Use Skylights to brighten the room and reduce energy costs.
7. Ask an expert about simple techniques of applying silicon before you practise. Some trademen suggest applying a light spray of detergent on silicon to allow easy clean up.
8. Consider the comfort of the users - one option to improve the feel in winter is Heated Towel Rails
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