Tips On Home Improvement Or Renovation

Most of the time, it is nice to come home to a relaxing and nice home. Are your always struggling to fix problems with fixtures, door handles and cracked walls and ceilings? Maybe it’s time to do some home redecorating and improvement, buy new restoration supplies in Sydney and think about new creative ideas for your home. Budget and time can be a concern for some folks so to make things simpler, you may want to consider these basic tips that can help you with your future renovation plans.

Reduce the Clutter

The things that make your home feel so disarrayed and out of order are the clutter. Some people can’t let go of some stuff that are not exactly very useful and decorative. Furniture or materials that you hardly ever use can be thrown out or donated to charity. You can even try to sell them and use the money for your home restoration project.

Contractors vs. DIY

Hiring a designer, contractor or renovator will make your home improvement plans easier and faster. These people can give you expert inputs on the design, style and functionality of your home. Let them know what you want for your home and they will do the rest for you. But the professional service and labor that they will be providing also come with an expensive cost. If you don’t have the much budget, you can search for various remodeling ideas and tutorials online. Painting your own walls will save you the extra … Read More

How to Manage a House Construction Project

After you have your architectural design approved by the local authority, the next step is to commence construction work.

Careful selection of your building contractor is crucial. Invite several reputable building contractors to quote on the blank Bills of Quantities and give a specific return date for the quotes.

With the help of your architect, analyze the quotes in terms of previous similar works performance, time period to finish the contract and the pricing.

Construction contracts are available at the architectural association of Kenya offices, professional centre, Nairobi.There is a provision for a performance bond to bond the contractor to carry out the works as specified and within a given time frame, failure to which he forfeits a specified amount of money, usually 5% of the contract sum.

Once the building contractor finishes the contract, the architect inspects the works and if satisfied, he issues a practical completion certificate to certify that the works are practically complete and the owner can move in to the house. This document enables the building contractor to get back his performance bond from the bank.

The construction contract also specifies the amount to be retained from each payment, usually 10% of the contract sum. Once the contractor is through with the contract, half of the retained amount is paid to him and the other half is paid after 6 months-this period is known as the defects liability period. This retention will be used to rectify any damage that might occur after 6 months from … Read More

Finishing Your List of Summer Home Improvement Jobs

Summer is the seasons when home improvement fans really get to go wild and let their imaginations fly, undertaking projects that at no other point in the year would they even consider tackling. Indeed most people end up scribbling down a fairly extensive list of renovation projects that need to, supposedly, be over and done with by the time the leaves start to fall. Yet, as with so many things in life, all of this is easier said than done, and oftentimes projects either get left for the cold season or pushed back for an entire year! To help home owners out in this regard, here we have highlighted a few renovation projects that are likely to be on most people’s summertime list and offered a few ideas for how to finish these projects on schedule and without too much hassle.

An excellent summer home improvement project could very easily be Replacing any old and deteriorated windows in the home. This sort of project is on the one hand cosmetic (windows have a really big impact on the way a home looks from the street, the backyard, etc.) and on the other hand it’s a functional project, as good windows will improve insulation throughout the home and will thereby reduce the electricity and/or the gas bill. Don’t just look into any old window set and don’t let your aesthetic priorities dominate your choice entirely, but rather research which window brands have got the best energy-efficiency ratings according to Energy Star. … Read More