No doubt about it.  There is nothing like sitting in front of a roaring fireplace in the dead of winter.  If you long for the cheeriness of an open fire yet strive for the “green” efficiency of a wood burning stove, then a pre-fabricated fireplace may just be your ticket.  For the most part when these pre-assembled units are built into your wall they closely resemble conventional fireplaces.  Yet they can be installed in the vast majority of cases with but a fraction of the overall costs of “real fireplaces”.

Prefabs designed to be built into a wall are known in the heating trades as “zero-clearance” fireplaces.  For the most part you can count on them to be heavily insulated and can be safely placed against a combustible surface without fire danger. Any such fireplace that you consider should have a fire and safety tested approve sticker.  The insulation on board, plus an airtight firebox, makes a zero clearance fireplace very efficient indeed.  Well designed you can count on them that when used with their doors shut that they will match a wood stove in heating efficiency ratings.

Pre-Fab Fireplaces Are Available Commercially With Many Options & Features:

In addition, many pre-fab fireplaces come with a full and varied range of options to increase their full heating potentials across the board- or as one might say to throw heat across the room.  Some models draw in cold air from the room, circulate it around the firebox itself, and then release that heated air – that now has kinetic energy and energies that might have been wasted or gone up the chimney flue- back into the room to give yourself, your guests and family comfort.  Yet other pre-fab fireplaces that you may come across at your local heating trades supply stores , or big box home renovation stores  may sport air-intake ducts that fully bring in air from the outside the home to improve the chemical combustion process in the firebox fully.  The hot air ducts on some models direct fireplace heat into the room and living areas and as well can be given duct extensions to channel heat into other rooms and areas of your abode.

If You Always Wanted a Fireplace A Pre-Fab May Be Your Best Option:

It may be that your home has no fireplace, yet you or your family always dreamed of one.  Whether you are doing major renovations , adding an extension to your house or vacation cabin , adding in a new furnace and the heating trades are on site or lastly just for the fun of it really always wanted the luxury and comfort of a fireplace – consider pre-fab fireplaces as an option and choice.

Eddie St. Vital

Mr. St. Vital has many years under his belt as a respected heating trades mechanic servicing the Winnipeg area and adjacent regions in Southern Manitoba.  You can count of Eddie for cost efficient , full and proper installs of energy efficient furnaces in the winter as well as summer air conditioners to keep your home or condominium cool. Ask Edward about the Man. Hydro Power Smart Program which provides a subsidy for those wishing to replace & upgrade their furnaces in Manitoba

Consider Pre-Fab Fireplaces For Home Renovations is a post from: Cape Cod House Remodeling

What types of bathroom taps, enclosures and shower baths do you have in your bathing room? Does your bathroom need some oomph? Is it looking a bit on the weary side? Maybe just some basic upgrades would give your bathroom the boost it needs, therefore boosting you and the value of your home as well. You can upgrade this room, as there are many options nowadays. You can develop a crisp, new appearance without spending a whole lot of time and money on the renovations. Liberty Bathrooms has an excellent selection of bed and bath products, all obtainable in a variety of shapes and sizes. No matter whether the room is small or large, it is possible to add updated, yet stylish bathroom taps, shower enclosures and/or shower baths. If you pay close attention to every detail and plan cautiously, you can turn this room into anything you wish, without spending a bunch of money.

With Liberty Bathrooms, if you wish to replace everything in your bathroom, you do not need to worry about financial aspects because you can accomplish that goal by spending less than you think. The company has an excellent assortment of total bathroom suites, which are an ideal for homeowners since they can save money, whereas, if they buy everything separately, they would spend much more. Liberty has L-shaped shower baths, which add value to every dollar spent, and they come complete so homeowners can create matching looks for their bathrooms. The pottery consists of straight, orderly lines, which produce a crisp, modern look for the bath area. L-shaped suites work wonderfully for renovations, upgrades or entirely new constructions, and you can choose from a vast array of unit if you wish to have extra storage areas within your bathroom as well. Keeping the bathing room neat and tidy is just as important as having a room that displays a warm and subtle ambiance.

You can replace walk-in shower enclosures with up-to-date styles as well, which is developing into an extremely popular bathroom product.

These enclosures change the entire appearance of any bathing area and they add comfort and convenience to the showering area too. A walk-in shower enclosure features a roomy showering area and they come in many styles, from traditional to modern to just about anything one can imagine. A walk-in shower is easy to install. You can put it in a recess area or you can use it in combination with a side panel. If you wish to add a touch of chic fashion, you might want to look at walk-in showers that come in curved-glass designs.

If your shower curtain is appearing a bit worn and weary, or outdated, you might want to replace that too. You could select a bath screen.

Bath screens are excellent for inventing an effectual waterproof closure and they offer a much finer resolution than general shower curtains. Bath screens are obtainable in a vast array of fashions, which include hinged styles or folding ones, and there are vast arrays of shapes as well, which include square and sail. Some of the styles even consist of nifty towel rails so you will always have a towel close by. A towel rail also adds style to the bathroom and helps keep it tidy.

New showers can even make a huge difference as well, and they offer you with additionally stimulating showering experiences. You will find a variety of showers and enclosures, shower baths and more. For shower selections, you can choose fixed showerheads, mixer shower-pack styles, electric and shower valves, shower panels and riser-rail kits.

With all the varieties obtainable today through Liberty Bathrooms, you are sure to create any ambiance and dcor in your bath area you desire.

Everybody enjoys a nice, hot shower, but the showering experience should be a relaxing one, not an annoying one. With Liberty bathroom products, you can save money and do a complete makeover to your bath and showering area.

The little details can make a big diversity in upgrading or renovating the appearance of your bathroom, even a fresh coat of primer and paint or a few new shower-floor tiles and hand or bath towels can spice up the most used room in your house. Brand new, shiny bathroom accessories are excellent options as well. You will find a variety of items for the bathroom and showering area, such as soap dispensers, towel rails, shower rails, roll holders and mirrors. Additionally, if you wish to replace an outdated radiator and add a new, fashionable heated towel rail, you will find that item at Liberty Bathrooms as well. The company has an outstanding collection for you to choose from, which include both traditional, antique-style and modern fashions; so, not only will you have the pleasure of grabbing a warm towel after a shower on a chilly morning, but you will also enjoy a cozy, inviting bathroom as well. Whether you are doing a simple renovation or just replacing older styles with more modern kinds of products for the bathing room, you have many to choose from, such as new bathroom taps, a variety of shower enclosures, shower baths and so much more, and the best part is that you can do everything at once and still save money.

Emma Writes for Liberty Bathrooms, An Online Retailer of high quality cheap bathroom suites, european bathroom taps and bathroom suites.

Upgrade and Revitalize Your Bathroom On a Budget! is a post from: Cape Cod House Remodeling

Unless your home was custom-designed with a lighting expert on hand, you probably have some room for improvement in the lighting design department.

If you want to go the DIY route, there’s just one all-important rule to remember: Think in “layers of light.”

Even if you have multiple lights in a room, it’s important to incorporate multiple lighting types.  You’ll enhance your home and make every room more functional.  Learn the three lighting types and start designing like a pro:

General Lighting

• Role: Provides a room with overall illumination.  Meant to create a comfortable ambiance so that you can see and walk around safely.
• Applications: Recessed lights, Ceiling-mount fixtures, Cove lighting, Over cabinet lights, Indirect lighting

Task Lighting

• Role: Provides focused light needed for specific tasks (i.e., reading in the living room, preparing food in the kitchen, applying makeup in the bathroom, etc.).
• Applications: Under cabinet lights, Pendant lights, Wall sconces

Accent Lighting

• Role: Creates visual interest; adds drama; enhances paintings, wall hangings, or architectural details.
• Applications: Display lights, Picture lights, Track lights, Adjustable recessed lights, Step lights, Rope lights, Cabinet lights

Remember, it’s best to incorporate all three layers in a room in some way.  Happy remodeling!

Redesign Your Lighting Like a Pro is a post from: Cape Cod House Remodeling

Ah bathrooms, these are the rooms always overlooked or viewed negatively, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Although it is notorious for being a disgusting area, it has so much potential. There are so many different facets to creating a wonderfully comfortable bathroom that it will end up being one of your favorite spaces.

We will begin from bottom, up. Flooring is important in bathrooms because it can be different from the rest of the house. Typical bathroom floors incorporate tile or linoleum. This could turn out to be quite dirty in the end. Linoleum somewhat disintegrates after a while and small tile gathers dirt and grime in its cracks. Tile grouting is also a pretty tedious process, especially if you are a do-it-yourself kind of person.

Moving onto the essential, toilets. Although there several toilet designs to choose from, it would be exciting to change up the color scheme by adding a black toilet. With that it could match the walls by painting it accordingly or by putting up wall paper that accents the black toilet.

The walls and toilet could then be highlighted by using both hard and soft lighting. A recessed light on the ceiling could provide the practical hard light and then smaller light fixtures on the wall would help soften up the look.

If there is a window in the bathroom, consider yourself lucky. The natural air allows for less molding if you properly ventilate the room. Window treatments like curtains or blinds are a good idea, but an alternative to that is frosting your windows. It gives it a cleaner look and it still lets natural light come in. It is also perfectly safe to use and no one outside could discern who you are or what you’re doing.

The shower and/or bathtub. It would be wonderful to have both, but the more practical one would be the shower. The shower could have matching frosted panels like the window or be completely clear. This is left to the discretion of the person decorating and using the bathroom. An attached shower head on the ceiling or detachable shower head are both useful.

The walls of the shower should be different from the wall outside. It could be tile or a prefabricated one that is made of water-resistant material that will not rot over or break over time.

If you are able to get a bathtub, there are many different types to choose from. The old-style standalone tubs are popular among extravagant designers and spenders, but the hot-tub style bathtubs are useful and fun.

Moving on to the sink, there are many things possible with this area of the bathroom. The sink could look modern or Victorian, as long as the design aesthetic is consistent throughout the entire room. Also there are several fixtures that can be used as well. The knobs on the sink, the faucet, and the counter top can all serve as potential areas to use your design skills.

Now for the mirrors and cabinets. The type of mirror and placement are important in having a truly useful bathroom. The size and shape should not be overwhelming nor make anyone feel that it reflects something other than what is suppose to be shown. This mostly depends on the surface area allotted for the mirror above the sink. If you have a lot of space then it would be alright to fit the mirror correspondingly, don’t go too big or too small.

Another part of the mirror is the cabinet/storage area. This is where the medicine or bathroom products can be held, but it does not have to look out of place. A nice subtle mirror cabinet can house many things and still look chic.

The last elements to a successful bathroom that should add some much needed details are the towel racks, toilet paper holders, toothbrush holders, soap dispensers, and the like that are all accessories that round out the bathroom. You now have a bit of knowledge on what to consider in decorating or re-decorating your wash room.

Author Byline:

Please visit Bathroomlightingoutlet.com for a great selection of bathroom lighting, bath accessories, and vanity mirrors. You will also find additional information on bathroom remodeling on our bathroom lighting blog

Bathroom Redesign- A Basic Guide To Lighting And Other Essentials is a post from: Cape Cod House Remodeling

All across the country, foreclosed homes are popping up on the market like flowers after a spring rain.  With so many of these homes on the market at such a cheap price, you might think that they would make a good investment.  If you find the right foreclosure, it can be a good investment; but if you gamble incorrectly, you could end up pumping more money into the home than it is worth, causing you to come out upside down.

The key to coming out on top when purchasing a foreclosed home is to understand what needs to be done to the home in order to get it ready to live in, rent out, or sell back.  Once you have pinpointed the repairs and upgrades that need to be made, you then have to discern which ones are worth the investment of time and money to fix up.  Sounds easy enough right?  Well let’s see which home improvements have the best cost to benefit ratio, before you decide to fix up that foreclosed home.

Exterior Landscaping (Curb Appeal)

Odds are that if the previous owners of a foreclosed property could not meet the requirements of their mortgage, then they probably didn’t spend a lot of time maintaining the yard.  By the time you come to take a look at things, the landscaping is more than likely overgrown and in need of some attention.  Believe it or not, exterior improvements are some of the most valuable in terms of reselling a home due to the simple fact that nothing beats a first impression.  If a potential buyer or renter likes what they see on the outside, they will be more likely to show interest in the home.  When upgrading a foreclosed home’s landscaping, remember that simple is better – especially if you are looking to resell the home.  Keeping the landscaping simple means that the potential buyer sees more potential and less obligation in terms of expansion and maintenance.  Also, a simple landscaping theme is easier for you to maintain when trying to show the home.

Bathrooms Make a Huge Difference

People care more about bathroom size than bedroom size.  Let that sink in for a bit.  When you think about it, it actually makes sense.  Not too much goes on in a bedroom.  If you can fit a bed and some dressers in the room, that’s about all you need.  Bathrooms, on the other hand, are major centers of activity.  Ladies do their hair and makeup there; while men shave and groom.  These are activities that are better served in an area where one doesn’t feel cramped.  A small bathroom in a home is a death wish for resellers.  If you come across a foreclosure with a small bathroom, be prepared to remodel and expand it or have a lot of potential buyers walk the other way.

Kitchens Make the Most Difference

Everything starts in the kitchen.  I’m not sure if this is an actual saying, but if it’s not – it should be.  Other than the bedroom for sleeping, kitchens are where we are most likely to spend the majority of our time – yes, even more than the living room or den.  Think about it.  A couple hours each night preparing and cleaning up after dinner, some time in the morning making breakfast and lunches for the kids, holiday baking, staring blankly at the open fridge.  These are all activities done in the kitchen and much like the bathrooms, a good looking (and sized) kitchen is at the top of the list for potential home buyers. Kitchens are also the place where frustration over the little things is more likely to come to a head.  Stoves that take forever to heat up, dishwashers that do a poor job, and kitchen cabinets that don’t hold enough are all enough to make your head explode.  Kitchen upgrades provide the most bang for your buck.  While somewhat costly and time consuming, kitchen remodeling projects add more value to the home than any other improvements.

If you are considering purchasing a foreclosed home to either re-sell, rent, or live in; make sure that the improvements needed to get it acceptable are within your budget and worth making in the first place.

Author Byline:

Aaron Garcia is a home owner who has partaken in many home improvement projects including landscaping, kitchen remodeling, and interior decorating.

Buying a Foreclosure – Good Investment or Money Pit? is a post from: Cape Cod House Remodeling

As a new home owner who is tempted to pour money into home renovation, you should ask yourself an important financial question. Will your renovation really add value? Or, even in an up real estate market, am I just pouring money down a rat hole? The answer might surprise you.

In most cases, renovating your home will increase its value. But it may not increase it enough to warrant the renovation. In other words, it may not get you a dollar-for-dollar return. Rather, you might get 20 cents of added value for each dollar you invest. Strictly speaking in terms of making money, you might be better off investing in the stock market.

How Do I Evaluate What to Renovate?

The first step is to make the sometimes difficult separation between what renovation would make you personally feel good, and what renovation (if any) your home really needs. In other words, it’s important to divide it into two separate perspectives: personal and financial.

Most people have good instincts in choosing what to renovate. They just tend to go overboard and spend far too much.

When deciding to upgrade, most of us are swayed by what is currently popular in home decorating. Granite countertops, marble flooring, solid wood cabinets, wood-metal double-pane windows— the list is endless. You can upgrade your home easily spending $50,000 to $150,000 or more in just a few rooms!

These quality-renovated homes become showcases where you can entertain friends and enjoy the good life. However, my suggestion is that before pursuing any renovation, large or small, do a cost versus value analysis. How much will the work actually add to the value of the property? Does what you are going to do make financial sense?

Don’t renovate to the point of creating your personal white elephant. A “white elephant” in the real estate trade is a home that has been overbuilt for its neighborhood. The owners have put far more in than they can realistically hope to get out.

Do Renovations Really Add Value to Your House? is a post from: Cape Cod House Remodeling