Home Solutions San Diego Blog

Spending money to remodel kitchens and bathrooms is an excellent way to recoup an investment on home improvements. This can be as expensive – or as inexpensive as you desire. Following these guidelines, however, will assist you to save money where it counts the most; in your utility bills. The more of these valuable measures you implement, the more you will save!

• Upgrade the commode. Water-saving toilets were introduced about 1994. Homes built before this time were constructed with commodes that used as much as seven gallons of water. In comparison, the most recently designed models use less than a gallon of water with each flush. By saving between two and four gallons of water with each flush, you soon will be regaining the purchase price of your commode – by saving on your water bill!

• Composting toilets are becoming more popular. These commodes do not use water for flushing, and also require less power. Furthermore, they are more environmentally friendly than standard commodes, which make them especially desirable to those interested in making “green” choices while remodeling or renovating their homes.

• Install new plumbing. It’s very likely that the bathroom pipes and faucets were installed when the house was built, or with the last renovation. If your commode is older than 1994, chances are your plumbing will be older as well. Changing old, worn pipes can help you to save as much as ten percent of your water bill each month. Furthermore, if your house is more than 50 years old, lead pipes may have been used in the original plumbing. The dangers of lead poisoning have been well documented, especially in children.

• Purchase low-flow showerheads. These were introduced in 1992, and are mandated in all new homes or bathroom remodeling projects. These reduce water usage to 2.5 gallons per minute, and save an estimated 15,000 Liters of water each year. This translates into about a $30 decrease in the average household water bill. Recently, even more eco-friendly showerheads have been designed. These “green” options offer cost-conscious homeowners even more savings than their predecessors.

• Opt for tankless water heaters. These require very little space – less than 2 feet by 2 feet. In addition, they use up to 70 percent less energy than standard electric water heaters. Although they cost more upfront – approximately $1,000 more, the significant savings over time is more than worth the investment. Imagine saving 20 percent of the energy costs for your home with this environmentally friendly decision!

• If you cannot afford the extra outlay to purchase a new water heater, consider dialing down the heat on your older model. Older water heaters are set to heat at 180 degrees, which is much higher than any person’s tolerance for hot water. Newer models can still be dialed as high as 150 degrees, and this is still excessively hot for most people. Turning the water heater down to 120 degrees will save energy expenses – and also decreases the risk of a burn injury to someone in your household!

This article provided by the unique wall clocks designed and manufactured by PebbleArt Inc.

Photo Credit: Phil Romans

One of the main reasons for moving is to gain more room. If this is your situation, you may want to make your home appear larger, both for your own use and so it will be easier to get it sold. Here are a few things you can do to make your home seem larger. This can be an advantage when you are selling a small house.

1. Using Light to Your Advantage — Bright lighting makes any space seem larger. To make a room look larger than it actually is, there should be plenty of light to suggest a feeling of being open and unenclosed. Shine lights on walls so they will appear to be brighter. You might want to have lighting controls to adjust the intensity in each room as you wish.

2. Colors — Use only light shades of colors that have a warm feeling such as orange and browns. These colors can make a room look bigger, and more inviting. To give a room a sense of added depth, you might want to try the technique of using light shades on three walls of the room and a coordinated darker color on the remaining wall.

3. Minimize the Furniture — Rooms that have too much furniture look smaller. The more objects there are crowded into the space, the less space is available for people to visualize themselves being comfortable there. It’s all about idealizing the usage of space to accommodate living. Be sure not to crowd your furniture together when you want to make the room look larger. Avoid placing big armchairs and overstuffed sofas in cramped spaces. To maximize the utilization of space, try to use furniture that can serve more than one purpose. An example would be an end table with a built in magazine stand takes up less room than two pieces.

4. Your Choices in Decorator Items Too — The accessories you use in your decorating can have an impact on the appearance of overall size. Use curtains in a light color to allow plenty of light during the daytime. Select light colored furniture, or as an expedient you can use light colored covers and accent pieces for the furniture, because light colors will give a feeling of extra space.

5. Mirrors — Use large mirrors in strategic places to add depth to a room. There is hardly any improvement you can make that will be more cost-effective in making a room seem larger. Mirrors can be attractive art elements in and of themselves, and they serve a secondary purpose of making small rooms appear larger.

6. Reduce Unattractive Clutter — Efficient storage is an important consideration, especially in limited spaces. The more clutter there is in your home, the smaller it will seem. Use storage systems that fit your family’s needs. By reducing clutter, your home will seem more appealing to guests and prospective buyers — and you will be more comfortable there too.

You can use these secrets to improve your home with very little expense. In fact, these suggestions are among the best ways to improve your home, not to mention making it look great.

Information presented by the ultimate Colorado real estate experts, Automated Homefinder.

Browsing through other San Diego real estate-related blogs today, I thought I’d share some interesting links and news:

The multi-talented Jeanette Fisher not only designs interiors, but she’s author of several books, has been featured in numerous TV programs about real estate and interior design, and she’s currently in the process of opening up a real estate office in Las Vegas, NV. 

I first “met” Jeanette online as she was a member of the Home Solutions San Diego Yahoo! Group.  I then finally met her in person several years ago when she invited me to join her at a real estate investing conference in Las Vegas.  I helped pass out information at the booth she had there and participated in one of her seminars.  She’s such an entertaining speaker! 

It’s amazing how Jeanette can manage to keep up with so many real estate-related sites and blogs, plus be active in so many online social networking communities while creating her own communities such as Bamboo Women.  Visit Jeanette’s website to learn more about all the wonderful things she does:  www.jeanettefisher.com

P.S.  Jeanette has a few properties in Lake Elsinore, CA (where she is based) that are available to investors or home buyers looking to relocate.  Contact her at jeanette [at] joytothehome [dot] com