Category Archives: home improvements

Nov 15 2012

Paving Stones with Pizazz

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I was going through a magazine as I sat in the doctor’s office this morning.  I saw the most beautiful patios with gorgeous paving stone.  The colors and designs were amazing.  I think my favorite photo of the bunch was one showing a terracotta colored stone in an intricate star pattern.  Each stone interlocked perfectly to form a seven pointed star or almost a flower design.  It was rimmed with a contrasting deep chocolate color that gave the whole design a richness and made it look very expensive.

I’d love to have a patio like that at my house.  I wonder how hard it would be to install patio pavers by myself.  I bet I could save a bunch of money if I cut out the cost of labor and just paid for the materials.  However, I’m not an expert at this kind of design, so I would probably be better off hiring a professional company to come out and do it for me. Then I would get to enjoy it all and not hurt myself in the process from lugging the stones around.

I wouldn’t stop with just paving my patio though. I would also have my drive way paved in a beautiful matching stone.  I might as well go all out and have the whole front redone if I’m going to do it.  I bet I could get that large star flower done on the patio and then maybe smaller versions of it as you drive up the drive way.  Or, maybe doing just the opposite design would look better.  I’d have to see a mock up or digital rendering of what the entire project would look like before I committed either way. I’m sure some companies provide a service like to help their customers visualize their dreams.

Apr 21 2012

Solar Energy Possibilities for My Family

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Teaching my daughter about the important of taking care of the Earth has made me think about other ways I can contribute to saving the planet and such. I decided to check out more information on solar energy.  I found some great stuff by a company called solar is made easy.

The website for this company has information about solar energy, solar panels, and solar heating.  It states that solar energy is an environmentally friendly way to heat your home.  That sounds like exactly what I’m trying to teach my daughter about. I’m looking for ways we can change our life to positively impact the Earth.  The website made a lot of sense in how it explains that sun rays are available to everyone for free.  This totally made me think that I could even save money by not having to pay for a big utility bill.  It also made me think I could consume less natural resources by using the practically unlimited supply of sun rays and not using things like gas.

I’m really excited to find out about possibly getting some solar panels installed on our home.  It seems like there are endless possibilities for which we can use solar energy.  It almost seems mind boggling to not want to have a reliable source of renewable energy that is also cost effective.  I don’t know why I haven’t looked into solar energy sooner.

Apr 8 2012

Exciting Kitchen Remodeling

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My brother sent me some information from an Atlanta Kitchen Remodeling company.  He told me he’s really excited to have his kitchen completely renovated. His wife talked him into ripping everything out and remodeling.  Not only are they getting all brand new stainless steel appliances, but a different layout and more cupboards too.

They are having all marble counter tops installed. This is something I’ve always wanted myself. They will be perfect for food prep and all of the baking that my sister-in-law loves to do.  She insisted on getting marble since the old counter tops were starting to peel up and she didn’t feel comfortable using them as a work surface for food anymore.

I told him that whatever he does make sure they put in a bigger pantry.  The teeny tiny space they have right now to store their food is way to small. I also mentioned that a trash compactor might be something nice to add to the house.  They have four kids and they seem to  help produce a lot of trash.  The trash compactor would really help them not have to empty the trash as often, and have it take up less space of course. I’m sure the kitchen will turn out great no matter what he does with my sister-in-law in charge of most of the design anyway.  I can’t wait to see the final results.

Apr 6 2012

Inspiration From Our Surroundings

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Appreciating my surroundings is something I’ve always been taught to do. Sometimes I like to take a drive around the country just to look and see what has popped up around me. Occasionally, I’ll see clusters of new homes being built or even new shopping centers. The Boca Raton Architects have really produced some lovely buildings.

Driving through new neighborhoods and looking at the new homes gives me ideas of ways to add special touches to my home.  Sometimes I might see some neat landscaping out front.  Other times, my eye might be caught by large arch windows.  Most recently, I was excited by a quaint little breeze way at the entrance to a home.  It was a about a ten foot arch with lattice work.  Hanging from the lattice was ivy and some beautiful pink and purple flowers.

I wish I had a grand entrance at the front of my home for something like this.  The lattice work was breath taking.  I suppose I could always add something similar to the backyard and patio, but I really thought it was stunning in the front yard.

Apr 4 2012

Home Address Pick Me Up

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Looking through some of the home and garden type magazines has inspired me to want to add a few new touches to the outside of my home. I’m thinking maybe a new address plaque out front might be nice. Right now we just have your standard boring, old, black, metal numbers. They aren’t even painted to make them look pretty or anything.

I adore the hanging address plaques that I saw in the magazines. They make me feel like my home is really something special because the sign really stands out. They do look more like they might fit better in front of a business instead of a residential spot though.  That’s probably why I like them so much, because they really pop.

Maybe one of the more traditional address signs might be better for our house. Or even something in the middle of traditional and more modern. I think an oval sign in a bright color would be a nice compromise or mix right in between.  Maybe a red with some scroll work or leaves and just the numbers from the street address to finish it off.  I’m definitely not going with the boring old black anymore after seeing all of the beautiful signs.  I can’t wait to get a new one.