Part of the nBuy Life Event Network

Our home planning centers: 

caption

Prev | | Next

Repainting Your Rooms

from our BLOG

Without a doubt, your first impression of any room in a home when entering it is often determined by the color of the walls, even more so than the choice of carpeting, furniture, and fixtures. Warm colors evoke one set of moods while cool colors bring out an entirely different kind of feeling.

Selecting specific colors to create a mood is recognized by experts who understand the power of color psychology. By choosing the colors that are right for you, you can change your home without doing a major renovation.

Warm Colors, Cool Colors, Or Something Neutral

The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute has identified two groups of colors for setting the mood. I'll add in a third group, neutral colors, and then explain what I mean:

Warm Colors -- Red, yellow, and orange are the brightest colors you can possibly choose, each evoking varying degrees of warmth and energy. Passion, intimacy, and sexuality are some of the feelings ascribed to a room with a red wall, but less so with orange. Yellow can be wonderful choice in dark rooms or hallways, but take care: if the shade is too bright it could create anxiety!

Cool Colors -- Green, blue, and violet are some of the coolest colors, offering a sense of peace and calmness. Green and blue, of course, are natural landscape colors -- the two colors which evoke relaxation. The perfect color group choice for a baby's bedroom, play areas, and many other rooms.

Neutral Colors -- If it is white, then it is right. White walls look great in any room as they signify cleanliness and purity. Popular in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms, white and close variations of the same are popular choices, the easiest to match with whatever you're doing with a room.

Of course, some colors are virtually impossible to use and those include black, brown, and gray -- shades which if mixed with white can look fine, but by themselves would create a mood too negative for any home.

Ultimately, your room color choices should depend on your tastes as you'll be spending the most time in your house. If you decide that you don't like a particular color or shade, you can always repaint the wall to suit your desires. Not a big home improvement project and a cost effective one at that.

Your a/c unit, though a technological marvel, needs regular care and maintenance. Also, your home needs to do its part to keep the cool in and the hot out. Let's take a look at some tips at how you can make your unit work efficiently and save you money on your electric bill:

Use A Programmable Thermostat -- A timer can kick in at just the right time, bringing in cool air moments before you arrive home for the day and automatically adjust upward soon after you leave for work. By programming your a/c, you'll cool your home only when it needs to be cooled, saving you money.

Change Filter -- Help your a/c run efficiently by periodically changing the filter. A clean filter works in harmony with your unit; a dirty filter will cause it to work harder, using more electricity in the process.

Keep It Maintained -- An annual maintenance of your unit will cost you around $125 but it will pay off in a unit that runs more efficiently, pollutes less, and lasts longer.

Improve Insulation -- Is your home properly insulated? If it is, then your a/c unit won't work as hard to bring you a cool house, but if it isn't look for gaps around windows and doors, close up blinds and shades during the day, and keep doors open to all of the rooms.

Keep Them Free -- Inside, you want your air ducts to be free of obstruction in order to deliver cool air to your home, but you'll also want the condenser to be free of leaves, yard waste, shrubbery or any other obstructions which can get in the way.

Replace Your Unit -- Older units are much less efficient than the ones available today. Contemporary units all come with a SEER rating -- Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio -- which determines how efficient your equipment works.  Some newer units can pay for themselves over time as they deliver energy savings for you.

Many people cannot imagine living without air-conditioning especially folks suffering from medical conditions, the very young, and the elderly. When summer heats weighs in you'll want your a/c to respond accordingly -- keep it in top shape and it'll provide you with many years of indoor climate control.

Read more...

2008/07/30 Home Tips

Home Building Tip

for the week of: Aug 29

Their Own Room
Does your child wish they had their own bedroom? Now is the time to design a space where a bedroom can be divided into a seperate lofts for their personal space. View ideas from our bedroom gallery. 


Weekly Tip:
check out these child bedroom ideas

Air Conditioning Maintenance

from our BLOG

How has your summer been so far? Maybe a better question to ask is this one: how hot has your summer been? If you have central air-conditioning or even trusty window units, then your home probably is keeping you cool and comfortable even when outdoor temperatures swelter.

Your a/c unit, though a technological marvel, needs regular care and maintenance. Also, your home needs to do its part to keep the cool in and the hot out. Let's take a look at some tips at how you can make your unit work efficiently and save you money on your electric bill:

Use A Programmable Thermostat -- A timer can kick in at just the right time, bringing in cool air moments before you arrive home for the day and automatically adjust upward soon after you leave for work. By programming your a/c, you'll cool your home only when it needs to be cooled, saving you money.

Change Filter -- Help your a/c run efficiently by periodically changing the filter. A clean filter works in harmony with your unit; a dirty filter will cause it to work harder, using more electricity in the process.

Keep It Maintained -- An annual maintenance of your unit will cost you around $125 but it will pay off in a unit that runs more efficiently, pollutes less, and lasts longer.

Improve Insulation -- Is your home properly insulated? If it is, then your a/c unit won't work as hard to bring you a cool house, but if it isn't look for gaps around windows and doors, close up blinds and shades during the day, and keep doors open to all of the rooms.

Keep Them Free -- Inside, you want your air ducts to be free of obstruction in order to deliver cool air to your home, but you'll also want the condenser to be free of leaves, yard waste, shrubbery or any other obstructions which can get in the way.

Replace Your Unit -- Older units are much less efficient than the ones available today. Contemporary units all come with a SEER rating -- Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio -- which determines how efficient your equipment works.  Some newer units can pay for themselves over time as they deliver energy savings for you.

Many people cannot imagine living without air-conditioning especially folks suffering from medical conditions, the very young, and the elderly. When summer heats weighs in you'll want your a/c to respond accordingly -- keep it in top shape and it'll provide you with many years of indoor climate control.

Read more...

2008/07/02 Home Tips

Magnet For Burglars?

from our BLOG

Our neighborhood crime watch association got together earlier this week to discuss the rise in criminal activity taking place in an adjoining subdivision. Though we haven't been hit with a crime wave yet, group members decided to go over some of the tactics being used by burglars to gain access to homes.

One of the problems faced by that subdivision is that it is easily accessible to several highways. Police believe that crooks are hitting targeted homes and jumping on entrance ramps leading to busy roadways for a quick getaway.

Though nothing can be done about the easy highway access, our neighborhood crime group -- with the cooperation of our town's police department -- developed a list of precautions homeowners can take to help protect their homes. A few points surprised me and are certainly worth following:

5 Ways To Take A Bite Out Of Crime

Stopping Mail and Newspaper Delivery -- Surprise, surprise! If you halt your mail or newspaper delivery, who else besides your regular carrier or mail deliverer knows that you are away? Instead, have a neighbor or friend pick up your mail and newspaper on a regular basis and hold these items for you.

Posting Alarm Signs -- This one surprised me the most: if you announce that your home is protected by XYZ alarm company, you've given crooks some valuable information. Burglars can pick up the schematics of your particular system and quickly deactivate it. Instead, post a generic sign announcing that your home is protected by an alarm system.

Trim Your Landscaping -- Bushes in front of your home look nice, but they can also obscure what is going on at your house from the street. Keep bushes trimmed, preferably below window level.

Big Pooch Won't Help -- Unless your German Shepherd or Rottweiler is a trained guard dog, he won't necessarily deter thieves. Larger dogs aren't generally barkers, while smaller dogs will bark frequently and announce their presence before crooks can gain entrance to your home.

Leaving Lights On Doesn't Help -- Another surprise for me: leaving lights on actually helps burglars find their way around your house. Instead of leaving one light on, it is recommended that you have several lights hooked up to timers, scheduled to go on and off at intervals.

These days we don't always know our neighbors which makes combating crime much more difficult. Your neighborhood watch association can keep crime in check if everyone is vigilant, not just a few dedicated members.

Read more...

2008/06/09 Home Tips

Read more articles in the archive

save $$$ on home construction costs

Learn how to save thousands when building your home:

  • Contains dozens of money saving and convenience tips.

    house-n-home-building.com

  • This book is specifically written for home construction. It is a helpful guide to protect you from unnecessary costs and hassles. Protect your investment.

  • Also contains important healthy building tips that will help you build a healthier house.  This is especially important information for those with allergies or other chronic illnesses.
what is the value of your neighborhood

Check the market value of your home site and neighborhood. It is a report you should do annually to monitor your investment and tax position.

helpful articles

Featured Sites

Sample LinkHome Security
with an ADT monitored security system

Sample Link Just Blinds
topic: window decor
Complete line of high quality window coverings and decor.

For Your Rolodex

quick access to five key areas in home construction:


  1. step-by-step guide
  2. tools
  3. financing
  4. shopping
  5. getting help
get rolodex pad
 
end side navigation

About SayBuild.com
Home Building • Home Construction • House Construction • House Building • Building Home • Building House
Building a Home • Home Building Idea • Home Builders • Home Building Plans

Home Building Ideas and Home Construction Plans

Building your home? You have landed at the right place. Use our home building checklist to find home building plans, building lot location, house plans, home construction specs, contractors, construction project guides, tips, and just about everything to complete a home building decision.

We have segmented the home building process into 3 key areas where everything you need to build a home is within 1-2 clicks away:

  1. Phase 1: Start Your Home Construction by Getting Ideas
    Home buiding ideas come from house plans, architectural designs, view home building sites online, and review some key steps in designing a home. This phase includes a complete 7-step review of the home building process.

  2. Phase 2: Start Your Home Construction
    In this phase you will design the spec plan, review money saving tips, find and select a builder and negotiate the building contract so that you can arrange financing.

  3. Phase 3: Manage the Home Construction Project
    Now the fun begins (as well as the frustrations). Avoid costly errors and resolutions by learning project management techniques, working with the builder, making construction inspections, and finalize closing and payments.


Need Help with Home Building Materials:
Our home building guide includes a home building catalog for every room in your home construction. Ideas for the kitchen, bathroom, entry way, and everything in between like doors and windows, flooring, insulation, HVAC systems, and more. Simply link to your respective room and find home building tips, home product ideas, and the latest in home improvement products and services.

This home building center has other great tools that include —

And when you are ready to fund your project, SayBuild.com uses a referral network of lenders and brokers nationwide segmented by City/State to help find the best rate and terms for home construction financing. Click to view our national network.

Discount Shopping for the Home