Category: DIY

Tricky and Easily Overlooked Areas of the Home That You Should Clean Today

September 25, 2023

Managing to keep an entire home clean is no easy task. Between doing the laundry, vacuuming the rugs, cleaning the dishes, and taking out the trash, there are plenty of hours in the day already dedicated to housekeeping. Naturally, things fall through the cracks, and certain items in the home are naturally overlooked. The problem is that certain items that might have been easily cleaned in the past can prove a much more difficult task if neglected for too long. If you are interested in being proactive about keeping your home clean, consider taking another look at these often-ignored home items. Spend Some Extra Time in the KitchenDo people spend a lot of time cleaning their kitchen? Of course they do. Do people still overlook a few areas in their kitchen due to inconvenience or lack of awareness? Absolutely! Kitchens can become one of the grimiest, dirtiest areas in a house if homeowners aren’t consistent about their cleaning habits due to the many kinds of messes and spills that are bound to happen while cooking. It’s when only the surface areas are taken care of that problems begin to pile up. Starting with the dishwasher, some may think that this

The Keys to Assembling a Great House Flipping Team

September 4, 2023

Some of the best must-see reality television today comes from house-flipping shows: seasoned real estate experts find appealing residential properties or fixer-uppers, then transform them into dream homes for a tidy profit. It’s no mystery why these shows are so popular either, as real estate window-shoppers, amateur handymen, and people with an entrepreneurial spirit are all drawn to the home renovation genre. With that said, the average Joe who might be interested in jumping into the house-flipping world should take pause due to the considerable learning curve involved. Anyone who hosts a show on HGTV is going to have vast experience and a top-notch team behind them that can make house flipping look far easier than it really is. To break into the house-flipping world successfully, a person would either need broad experience in real estate and home improvement or (much more realistically) a great team to lean on. If you’re looking into house flipping for supplemental income or a career shift, here’s some of the essential traits you’ll need on your team. What is House Flipping?Before jumping into the deep end, let’s review a few important definitions. Namely, what is house flipping anyway? “House flipping” is a term best

How Pets Are Changing The Way We Design Homes

August 28, 2023

Pets demand so much attention, but homeowners have a tendency to bend over backwards in order to accommodate. Frequently, cats and dogs can seem to rule their homes, and since the pandemic saw over 23 million American homes adopt pets (per the Washington Post), the ways in which homeowners are learning to spoil them seem to be spiking. Barkitecture is a term used in reference to the recent trend of remodeling homes with pets specifically in mind, with more permanent and invasive remodeling efforts invested to make family dogs and cats feel more at home. If you’re in the market for a new home, or you’re considering a remodel to make your dog feel more at home, here are a few stylish and subtle home designs you might want to try out. Starting with the Classics With these more traditional pet accommodations in mind, let’s move onto some of the more unique home Barkitecture trends that are changing home design. Home Barkitecture Trends Dog houses, on the other hand, have been around for quite some time. In the past, these structures have been fairly simple, usually consisting of a few walls and a pitched roof. Nowadays, as TikToker @chipgirlhere has

Painting Perspectives: How to Pick the Right Shade of White For Your Home

August 21, 2023

Moving into a new home or giving a home new life through a renovation is very exciting! Understandably, new homeowners waste little time in finding ways to make their spaces feel like theirs – a visual nod confirming they’ve embarked on a new chapter in life. Over time, homes tend to naturally take on the personality of the people who live in them, but the best way to kick off this identity on the right foot is with a fresh coat of paint. Of all the creative, bold, and eye-catching options out there, some might wonder why people so often end up just going with white. For starters, white has remarkable staying power and versatility! White is closely tied to modern aesthetics, but it also fits well with classic architectural styles. Homeowners who would rather not overly experiment with their paint choices don’t have to worry about their white walls going out of style in a couple years. Plus, (depending on the shade) white can be used to emphasize virtually any furniture layout or interior design concept. Painting your home white is a fantastic choice, but with over 350 different shades of white available on Home Depot’s website today, navigating

Renter-Friendly Interior Design Hacks: How to Make Your Rental Feel Like Home

August 14, 2023

We’ve seen people make their homes in all sorts of unique and strange places. From trendy tiny homes to flat-out bizarre spite houses, homeowners seem to have tons of freedom to personalize their spaces into something that is totally unique to them. Owning a home comes with plenty of work, but this ability to remodel, redesign, and remake is one of the things that makes homeownership such a sought-after goal. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why renting can be frustrating. Too many apartments lack character, and many tenants find themselves living in drab, cookie-cutter flats of uninspired architecture. Finding ways to tailor these spaces into something that feels a little more “homey” without making any permanent changes can be tough. The good news is, creative renters have found ways to have fun with decor, even while keeping to their lease agreements. To make your rental yours, here are some transformative, renter-friendly interior design tips. Hang Some Temporary WallpaperThe first step to truly transform the overall look and feel of a room is to figure out what to do with the walls. Landlords tend to prefer keeping their walls in shades that are inoffensive to avoid turning away

Spiders, Silverfish, and Termites: DIY Solutions for Ridding Your Home of Infestation

August 7, 2023

Many are quick to point out the bad wrap that insects tend to get. Bugs are a part of the diverse and fascinating ecology that lies just outside of our homes, after all, and their roles in pollination and sanitation cannot be overstated. Yes, some have found that the prevailing stigma associated with our many-legged friends to be a tad judgmental and unfair, given their thankless efforts. However, others will contend that while these truths are all well and good, bugs can stay outside of my house and far away from me, thank you very much. Homes can become infested by a wide range of the creepy and crawly-variety. For homeowners who would like to deal with their bug problems now rather than later and would rather not pay a hefty pest control bill, here are a few DIY solutions for dealing with bugs. How to Annihilate AntsAnts are one of the most common home invaders throughout the United States, and they come in many different varieties, from the common pavement ant to the dreaded carpenter ant. Ants aren’t commonly known to bite people like some other bugs (though they can). However, they are known to contaminate food and carry

Home Design Content Creators You Should Start Following

July 10, 2023

One of the biggest benefits of the many social media and content creation platforms that are widely accessible today is that there are more engaging content creators than ever before. For people that are compulsive DIYers themselves or for those who are interested in learning more about intriguing interior design styles, finding a popular vlogger is a great way to build motivation and fuel inspiration. Pick your poison! Between Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, there’s no shortage of home and lifestyle content creators ready to hook you in. If you’re interested in checking out a few new creators, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few home and lifestyle content creators that you should definitely check out! DIY Content CreatorsThere is no better genre of content creation when it comes to personal motivation than DIY content creators. Homeowners often feel limited in how they can transform their houses due to budget constraints, and home improvement jobs tend to feel intimidating for people that lack experience using tools, making measurements, and designing home features. The best DIY content creators are able to balance specific home improvement tutorials with fun and well-edited videos that show how accessible many projects are—even for beginners. Amanda

The Ultimate Guide to Lawn Care Part 1: Tips for a Healthy and Beautiful Yard

June 6, 2023

By Kym Preslar, Content Manager of SodLawn There’s just something about a well-manicured lawn that gives a property that special touch. A beautiful lawn not only adds curb appeal, but it can also increase the value of your property. Achieving a healthy and beautiful lawn, however, is not as simple as mowing the grass every other week. It takes effort and the right know-how to get that perfectly lush and green yard you’ve always wanted. In this ultimate guide to lawn care, we’ll give you tips and tricks that will help you achieve a lawn that will make your neighbors green with envy! Whether you’re a new or seasoned homeowner, this guide covers everything you need to know to achieve a healthy and beautiful lawn. Understanding Your LawnYour lawn is the centerpiece of your home’s outdoor space, and it deserves the utmost attention and care to look its best. Understanding your lawn is the first step to achieving a lush, green oasis right in your backyard. Different Types of GrassesDid you know that there are more than 10,000 varieties of grasses? Choosing the right grass for your lawn is an essential step in maintaining a healthy lawn. The most common

Why Is Vinyl Flooring So Popular? Should Homeowners Be Concerned?

May 1, 2023

Anyone familiar with the home real estate market has surely experienced the impressive prevalence of vinyl flooring. From the basement to the dining room to the family room and everywhere in between, it can seem impossible to avoid this synthetic flooring option. In fact, it has officially become the most popular flooring option on the market (just behind carpeting). However, for designers and homebuyers who prefer natural materials, the massive footprint of vinyl in the flooring market is a frustrating turn. After all, vinyl flooring is ultimately just an imitation of the authentic stuff (hardwood, stone, or tile). Other than affordability, is there any benefit to opting for vinyl flooring? To help drill down the real reasons for why vinyl flooring is so popular, let’s look at its potential benefits before discussing its lesser known problems. What is Vinyl Flooring?Far from a recent invention, vinyl can trace its history back to a legacy of “resilient flooring,” or flooring materials that were bendable and flexible, which made them much easier to install. In the late 1800s, vinyl was developed and first introduced to the public when incorporated into golf balls, shower curtains, and shoe heels. Vinyl actually wasn’t proposed as an

Tiny Homes: A Forgotten Fad Or A Major Movement?

April 17, 2023

Where most look to trade up, tiny home-owners downsize and purge in order to follow this minimalist trend. For those wondering what the draw is and whether the movement has already passed by, here is a bit more information about the absolutely endearing tiny home.