Monday, June 29, 2009

Kitchens Beware! Watch out you’re about to feel like Cinderella.

A kitchen is the center of most households.
An uncomfortable kitchen can make a family miserable.
Cooking, eating, playing and homework or business work takes place in that kitchen.
Adults many times reminisce about the times in the kitchen.
Smelling the baking.
Playing games at the table.
Babies playing in the cookware.
Doing dishes together.
Want some information on making your kitchen just as wonderful as your Mom’s.
Check out the info at: http://www.knkhomeimprovements.com

Friday, June 26, 2009

What Needs to Happen in Your Head to Keep Momentum on Your Projects?

By Dr Debi Warner

Recognizing your scattered efforts will help you to make more of your opportunities for building within a busy schedule. Most folks do not realize that the Mental Game is just as important as swinging a hammer to get a project done. Let's look at what you will need in your mind to succeed.

It can be hard to live in a house while you renovate, but often that is the story for careful spending. So, some things will need to be faced - the clean up at the end of work time so that life can go on. Routine maintenance tasks will creep in. Materials need to be handy but not hamper daily life. And your time will be split in two. This affects the whole Home Team and so should be subject of some pow-wow time to determine together what the important priorities are.

Talking with your Home Team on a quiet evening can help you all face your expectations about routines, cosmetic accommodations, and even gain a little more help in handling these tasks. Surely something may need to give, if you are to get your project done within the building season. Perhaps your teen children or grandchildren might mow. Maybe a neighbor could help. Or you might let the grass go, knowing that recovery will be an extra effort when you do address it again. You will need your Team's input on how your decide to handle these, as their pride may be offended if suddenly they feel your house is a neighborhood eyesore. They may be determined to pitch in more to prevent that.

The Mental Game is also important in your own planning. Building is not just swinging hammers and cutting boards. There is much planning that happens before the first cut. Your mind builds the house many times through before you grab the tools and get into a sweat. That mental time is serious building time that is worth counting toward your project. It is also good to do your thinking on evenings when you might need to sit and relax after exertion of the workday.

The Mental Game is not day dreaming, but careful walk-throughs on your project in your mind that let you lay plans, list materials, and sequence your steps for successful work days ahead. The Mental Game also has rules; it really is not day dreaming in this sense, because you carefully follow a set of reviews in order for your plans to make sense.

1. Visualize the completed structure in your mind. Walk around in it and see how it fits with the rest of the house, the yard, the view. Imagine living in it and how the flow of family traffic will go. Consider storage and future uses, when the kids leave home.

2. Now, as if watching a movie in your head, visualize the construction, starting with the digging, leveling and pouring, and all the steps along the way, even up to the roofing. You can make notes; many folks blaze this in their minds. Many To-Do lists fall out of this step and are very valuable in the overall project.

3. Sit with your Home Team and review your vision and the steps that will build the project. Their input is so important to the success of the project, that skipping it has been the demise of many promising additions. Count their input as positive points in your Mental Game.

4. Go back to your To-Do lists. You will see that some can be done out of sequence, but just need to be done during a certain phase of building. If you have an organizer on your team, roll them in now, as they will be a super help. Mark your lists for their sequence position. Now go back and see which of them can be done in any weather, and which need special conditions or long preparation time. From this, you will have a set of tasks for rainy days, and preparations you can make ahead in any weather, for special steps in your project.

5. During the week, plan certain evenings for the Mental Game and perhaps a few times for some active hands-on. Both parts of the project are important and will advance you ahead. Be sure to give yourself credit for the Mental Game activities because if you don't, you will discount it as not getting anything done, whereby demoralizing your motivation, and then shun it, when it is exactly how to move forward successfully.

6. To stay on track, ask the organizer on your team to get involved in the up coming plans for the next week. Ask for reminders, lists, weather reports, and even signage to help everyone focus on the chosen tasks that fit into your sequence.

Finally, be sure to plan rewards that will acknowledge everyone's contributions of effort, patience, organization and labor in to the project; their contributions are indeed true home improvement.
Happy Home Team from Dr. Debi

Dr Debi Warner is a Clinical Psychologist with a lifetime of home renovating in her toolbelt. Dr Warner invented Renovation Psychology® to help people gain skills and improve domestic harmony while involved in building projects. With three decades of family practice, Dr Debi saw many situations gone awry, so she focused her expertise on developing the skills and teamwork that will help people fully enjoy their home projects, for true home improvement. See how to gain harmony on your home team while doing home projects at http://www.RenovationPsychology.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Debi_Warner


For more information and/or help with your do-it-yourself home improvements contact us at: http://knkhomeimprovements.com
Thank you.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Do-It-Yourself Home Repairs - Four Important Reasons to Do it Yourself!

By Benjamin Afolabi


As a home owner, there will come a time when you will feel that your house needs some tender loving care. Maybe it's the garage door hanging off its hinges, or it's the living room window that was broken by your nine year old tarzan or it's the shower that has stopped working for some mysterious reason. At this point in time, you have an important choice to make. The two choices open to you is either to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself or call in a contractor to fix the problem for you.

Although there is nothing wrong with asking for another person's help to carry out your home repairs, especially if you feel you don't have the necessary DIY skills, there are some really good reasons why you should consider doing the job yourself if this is possible.

The first reason is an opportunity to actually fix your home the way you really want it. All of us have an idea how we want our house to look and feel. Even if the job is given to a contractor, most people will still find themselves following the hired worker around the house in order to make sure they are not messing their home up. Opting to do the home repairs yourself will remove this problem by giving you the opportunity or power to make the final repair work look exactly the way you want.

The second reason has to do with the huge savings you will make carrying out the repairs yourself. The cost of labour takes up most of the home remodeling expenses and by doing your home improvement yourself, you won't have the need of paying any huge labour cost. In this economic climate, that alone is a huge incentive to consider handling your house repair yourself.

The third reason is that you can actually be more creative with your material selection than any third party would probably be. Some unscrupulous contractors can actually cause more damage on the long run to your home by buying sub-standard materials to use in the repairs. If you were to select the building materials you will use, you would probably put more thought into this selection and choose what is best, in the long term, for you and your home.

The fourth and final reason why you should do the work yourself comes from the sense of pride and satisfaction that comes from the realization that you have done a really good repair work on your home single-handed! When the job is finally completed and you stand back and look with pride at your handy work, there is usually a glow of pride welling up within you when you see how well everything has turned out in the end. The proud feeling of a job well done is something no amount of money can buy and it still remain one of the stongest reasons for tackling your home repair work yourself.

For more DIY home remodeling and repairs advice, and more comprehensive home improvement guides, visit http://www.homediyrepair.com and download my free report: Creative Home Lighting.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Benjamin_Afolabi

Contact us at: http://www.knkhomeimprovements.com We'll help you with your do-it-yourself jobs.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Hammers and Tape Measures Alert

You always need these basic tools.
A Stanley 25 foot tape measure.
A Plumb hammer.
A place to put them--a Grizzly workbench.
Drill Doctor drill bits.
Stanley levels.
Contact us for more.
http://www.knkhomeimprovements.com/toolville.html
We offer what you need to do-it-yourself.
Thank you.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

A Breakthrough Idea for Do-It-Yourselfers’

The hardest part of renovation seems to be getting started for many people.
When you have never tackled a project, the planning is difficult.
Then staying on track and finishing.
You need a helper, a guide, a coach, an expect in the field.
Someone who has been there.
Someone who has already made the mistakes so you won’t have to.
That is what our purpose is.
Check us out if you are unsure of your project,
if you’re new to home improvement,
if you are stuck and need help,
or if you’d like another opinion on you’re job.
To get more information on this new service:
click here: http://www.knkhomeimprovements.com/services.html
And now let's get that job done. We look forward to working with you.
Thanks for checking us out.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Creating a Green Home - 7 Tips For Making Your Home Greener

By Debbie Davis

Creating a home that is environmentally friendly not only helps you, but helps the environment both now and in the future. "Green" has become the buzz word for making decisions in your home that make it a healthier place to be. Here are 5 ways to get the most for the money you will spend when creating a green home.

1. Using double or triple pane windows, and thermal doors with tight seals mean you keep out the heat and the cold more efficiently which means you use less energy to keep the temperature in your home comfortable.

2. Look for appliances that are energy star rated. The Energy Star is awarded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and holds manufacturers and their products to a high standard in terms of its consumption of energy. And although these products sometimes cost more up front, they make up for the initial expense with lower power usage.

3. There are many innovative and creative products on the market now which give home owners the option to use earth friendly materials such as floors and furniture that are made from recycled products. Using old flooring, furniture, and architectural pieces that have been salvaged from older homes is also an excellent way to reuse and recycle. These seemingly small touches, when used by enough conservation- minded people, make a big difference to the environment and make an elegant addition to any home.

4. The use of organic fabrics, carpets, and other products mean fewer chemicals to off gas into your air. This means you and your family breathe less chemicals, and healthier air quality which means a healthier lifestyle.

5. Look for alternate sources of energy such as solar panels. Harnessing the sun's energy for heating and cooling is a clean source of fuel and uses less of the earth's resources. Low energy light bulbs, and dimmer switches are additional ways that you can choose to use only the power you need when you need it.

6. Consider using a programmable thermostat for heating and cooling that allows you to use less energy when you are away during the day. These timers will also allow you to set timers to keep the temperature slightly cooler at night during the winter months, and slightly warmer during the day if you work outside your home. This may seem like a lot of trouble, but the saving in costs and the environment add up to a considerable amount over time.

7. Regardless of how green your home is, there are certain indoor air pollutants such as household dust, dust mites, mold and mildew spores, and pet dander that are impossible to keep out. And once they are inside, a green home, because it is so well insulated, unless you do something, getting the pollutants out is all but impossible. Using a high efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air purifier that has earned the Energy Star Seal will take your indoor air to the next level of healthy.

An excellent HEPA air purifier that has earned the Energy Star Seal is offered by PurerAir.com-- the ECO10 Air Purifier See it now at http://purerair.com/blueair_eco10.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debbie_Davis

For information on do-it-yourself projects and to keep your home a "green" castle:
http://knkhomeimprovements.com

Monday, June 8, 2009

HOME::Home-Improvement/Remodeling

By Mel Inglima


Some homes are just not worth the trouble. They're old, cut up, and often structurally unsound. Any attempt to modernize would just be a waste of money. On the other hand, a well-built home in a good neighborhood that suffers from poor interior design could be ripe for a major interior make-over.
How do you know? You need some professional help. Structure Soundness and the Built-in Limitations Builders will tell you that pretty much anything can be done, if you want to pay for it! Builders talk about bearing walls and other structural components. Sometimes engineers will have to get involved and certainly experienced builders will have to solve those structural issues when want a major change.
Older homes have more limitations than newer ones. In the past 20 years or so it has become more common to put the structural features on exterior walls leaving interior walls for partitions rather than bearing walls. Yet, even with many current designs, this cannot be accomplished.
Two story homes, stairwells, and other features require support from the roof to the foundation and interior bearing walls often provide the cheapest solutions.
Single Story Homes and Trussed Rafters Provide Flexibility The best candidates for knocking down interior walls and creating bigger rooms and better flow are one story homes. In recent years, roof rafters were likely made as trusses. These are structurally engineered to span from one outer wall to the other (or a limited number of interior walls) to allow interior walls to be non-load bearing. Even the interior walls that are load-bearing, can sometimes be removed without too much expense if the load can be easily transferred to nearby structural components. In these cases, a lot can be done to change the interior of the home for relatively low cost.
Permits, Professionals, and Procedures Never guess. Always get professional help when removing or moving walls. These kinds of remodels usually require permits as well. But whether or not you get permits, you simply must know what you're dealing with. Licensed builders, structural engineers, architects and interior designers are your best bets. The first step is often to hire an interior designer. Many are experienced with structural issues and can point out potential problem areas. They will help you devise a plan and steer you to the other professionals you need. They could even act as your remodeling coach. A great way to get started.
You can learn so much more about home building and remodeling online. One great option is to take advantage of a very informative yet simple to follow *free* e-course that you can find by clicking here http://www.DreamHomeCreation.com. You will also find other tips and tools, surveys, videos, and additional articles by Mel Inglima.

Check out http://www.knkhomeimprovements.com for more information on do-it-yourself projects and help to get it done.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

NOW ! Do It Yourself, But With Our Help.

Guides, Projects, Tools-- What else do you need??
A kind listening shoulder. Some sound knowledgeable advice.
Maybe some hands-on help. Let us be that for you. It's here.
For more information, click here: http://knkhomeimprovements.com
And thanks for thinking of us.
Home improvement made easier.

Friday, June 5, 2009

The truth is YOU can do it yourself

What do we mean by YOU. We mean all of you that think you don’t have the knowledge, the tools, the guiding help, the instructions, the courage to tackle that home improvement needed to make your home into your castle. Can we lend a hand to get it done? Do we have the right guide for you? We have information to get you started. We have information to finish the job. Tell us what you want. We offer honest answers and the encouragement to do it yourself. For more information: http://.knkhomeimprovements.com Thanks for viewing us.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Home Improvement & Remodels - Discover the Ten Top Home Remodeling Ideas Today

By Mel Inglima

You know you want to do something to your home, but what? What makes sense in today's economy? What would have the biggest benefit and perhaps create the most extra value?

In good economies or poor, the types of home improvements people make change very little. What does change is whether or not they move ahead and how many of the projects they decide to do.

What is a Home Improvement?

I focus on remodels or home improvements in this article rather than a home addition. While all home additions are home improvements, not all home improvements are home additions. That's an important distinction.

With a home improvement or remodel, we're typically not talking about adding square footage, foundation, or roofline to the home. You would be working within the confines of the existing exterior walls and under the same roof. I discuss home additions in other articles.

The Most Popular Home Remodeling Projects

To help you decide, here is a list of the ten most widely popular home improvements today. Ultimately, you will decide based upon your specific needs. Use this list for ideas and inspiration. Please note that they are in no specific order. You should base your decisions on your own personal desires and needs.

1) To modernize your home for your enjoyment or resale: Homes become out of date in a few years. Carpeting, wallpaper, countertops, fixtures, appliances, cabinets, lighting, and other finishing materials can become old and outdated.

2) To improve the looks and functionality of the kitchen: This very popular remodel is a very practical one. Kitchens are central to the home and it's more about creating conveniences than adding luxury.

3) To revitalize a tired old bathroom: Often bathrooms are too small for the latest styles of tubs and showers. Bathrooms (as well as kitchens) tend to provide the biggest bang for your buck when trying to build equity in your home.

4) To improve the feel and flow of the home: Many older and smaller homes are too cut up and crowded. Eliminating rooms and hallways and conjoining popular living areas can really add to the livability of a home.

5) Convert a home for handicap accessibility: More people are doing this as the population ages. Making homes accessible to the handicap will make the home more marketable and potentially worth more.

6) Energy efficiency, insulation, and greening up the home: Lowering your recurring energy bill expenses add to your comfort, peace of mind, and your homes value.

7) Adding curb appeal with an exterior make-over: This can be a more expensive project but by changing the siding, window framings, roofline, and landscaping, you can make a dramatic and profitable upgrade to the look of your home.

8) Restoring historical homes to their original look: There are times when government grants can help with this project. This project can be very rewarding and offer a uniqueness that you may not otherwise be able to achieve.

9) Remodeling and finishing off the basement: Often this is a pretty cost effective way to add square footage to your home. It doesn't require more foundation or roofline. It's a very popular remodel in certain areas and markets.

10) To improve the quality and luxury of the home: This is similar to the first item concerning modernizing the home. The difference here is that with this reason for remodeling, you're looking more for specific design and taste to move into something spectacular rather than away from something unsatisfactory.

Get Professional Help & Don't Overdo It

Remember, it's all your goals. Why do *you* want to remodel? What's in if for you? Any of these ideas could be reason enough move forward in today's economy. Home building and remodeling coaches and other professionals can help you with the costs of your project. Know why you want to complete the project and stick with your plan. Don't be frivolous in a tougher economy.

The most beneficial advice I can give is to keep informed, improve your knowledge, seek out good professionals and ask a ton of questions.

You can learn so much more about home building and remodeling online. One great option is to take advantage of a very informative yet simple to follow *free* eCourse that you can find by clicking here http://www.DreamHomeCreation.com You will also find other tips and tools, surveys, videos, and additional articles by Mel Inglima.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mel_Inglima

Contact http://knkhomeimprovements.com

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Kitchen Makeover - Do I Need a Modern Kitchen Design?

By Felicity Lightbody

Redesigning one of the places in your house can be very taxing and although the kitchen is one of the most frequently done, it can still be puzzling to know where to begin at the start. With many out there and traditional styles to select with plenty of good choices, often a modern kitchen is selected as it is both functionally and aesthetically pleasing, 2 items which are hard to ignore.

A modern design is mostly thought of as a simple, uncluttered and clean look with the use of simple lines in the design and some geometric themes. Many designers find balance in contemporary design along with a minimalist style, because of the clean and uncluttered look that modern design gives. These two styles often live alongside each other as they complement each other very well.

The equipment used in contemporary design are not just restricted to man made items such as chrome and glass (as is traditional), resources such as granite and stone can also be used to complementthe clean angles with some shapes and curves.

In terms of design specifications, frameless cabinets with frosted class cabinetry panels, metallic chrome elements or even stainless steel are specifically the 'in' things. Although geometric themes are mandatory in modern kitchen design, work tops or cabinets can still give that ideal curve here or there to give a balance to your specific requirements, after all, you will be living in it.

The next key thing a contemporary kitchen should have is outstanding lighting, track lights is very well liked but so is spot lighting in light clusters or all over the kitchen, as it helps to give light and a shimmer to the clean, counter tops and the shiny stainless steel or chrome features. Whilst wood is sometimes used, it is mainly only light coloured wood from ash and birch being used.

Make your existing kitchen more contemporary without remodeling


With the philosophy of modern design being the functionality, clean and uncluttered feel, you can for yourself put in storage cabinets with sliders, pullout shelves or any space saving gizmos that really helps to give function and to keep a tidy space! Lighting under cabinet bottoms, can help when working in the kitchen as well as giving a beautiful romantic, homely feeling.

I want a Green kitchen

Lots of people often enquire as to, if they may be able to have a kitchen that is at the same time earth sustainable as well as modern. The reply is always yes, even if this comes at extra charge. LED spot lights for example is very cost effective and great as it uses little energy, flooring can be purchased from places where they sustain the forests that the wood has been taken from and a design can always incorporate your readiness to reprocess materials such as paper.

A up to date or contemporary kitchen can reliably provide a home proud person with a smart, fresh, crisp look that will remain the quo and desirable for several years, whilst at the same time being able to be scalable for when you may have children for example.

Felicity is a intermittent columnist, writing infrequent columns on designer kitchens birmingham, who specialise in tailor made kitchens. You can even get a free design experience.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Felicity_Lightbody

For help with your do-it-yourself home improvement check us out at knkhomeimprovements.com

Monday, June 1, 2009

Love Your Tools

Power tools for home repair are great. They make the task quicker. It takes less physical labor on your part. Even so much that you can do a job by yourself.

And isn’t nice to be able to finish it without waiting for Tom or Joe to help you. It keeps the “honey-do” list to a minimum. And that keeps your wife happy.

So why aren’t you buying them? Cost too high. Don’t know what I need. Too confused. Whatever the reason, we’ve got a list of good basic tools to start with.

Come on over and browse awhile.Click here: http://www.knkhomeimprovements.com/toolville

Thanks so much for checking us out.