How do you set up your house? Any tips? Where and how to find the perfect place for your couches, beds, etc?

Q. Any ideas that will help set up a house? How should couches or T.V be put into your living room to get you the most out of them? Is there any website that will make a plan for me really cheap? A website where i can post a map of my house and they will do everything for me? That would be a great help!

Thanks!

A. First, consider the function of the room. Do you want to eat in there? Sleep? Study? Read? Play piano? Play games? Sew? Think of what you will need for that activity, and don't forget good lighting. If a room has several purposes, you might want to create several areas in the room.

Someone to do it all for you is called an interior decorator. They are expensive, but if you can afford one, get referrals.

If you are like most of us, you need to do it for yourself. Besides, who knows your taste better than you? The easiest and most foolproof way I have found to decorate is to find a picture I love, then copy it. You can't make an exact copy ever, and you probably already have some furniture or things you love, so the room will still end up being uniquely yours. But you won't paint, hate it, repaint, hate it, and so on. You can see your color scheme and ideas before you start.

I built a lot of inspiration threads here:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/decor/nph-ind.cgi?type=gal
There is a search engine window at the bottom of the page. Set the window for that board only. Type in "bedrooms" or "bathrooms" or "hallways" or "kitchens" or "ceilings" or "stairs" or whatever you want to decorate. There are also paint color threads there you may find helpful.

Save your favorite pictures to your computer. When you see a pic you like, try to imagine yourself in that room and see how it makes you feel -- too hot in summer? Too cold in winter? Too nervous? Too relaxed? Cheered up when you were sad?

Have fun decorating your house. It really is a lot of fun. If you want things that are not expensive, keep your eye on your local Craigslist... you'll find some great bargains, save things from the landfill, and help out people in your own area at the same time. Enjoy!

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

What are some really good ways to go green?

Q. I already turned off everything in my bedroom, planted ten trees, I don't take any longer than 15 minute showers, I raised salmon...Any other Ideas? Oh and I recycle as much as possible. Thanks!

A. Going green is easy, there are so many great resources about the subject. My personal favorite is "The Green Book" which has parts of its book online as well at www.readthegreenbook.com.

As I have been striving to "Go Green" I realize it is like stepping back in time without getting rid of my modern conveniences. I'm doing many things I learned as a child, like line drying my clothes, sweeping instead of vacuuming, opening the windows in the morning to catch the cool breeze, only buying what I need instead of everything that looks cool, growing some of my own food, and canning what I can't eat now.

To me "going Green" is a frame of mind. Do what fits your lifestyle and do the easy things first, it is a process and like dieting if you go to radical to soon, you are more likely to go back to bad habits. I also believe there are good, better, best choices in most things. If you aren't ready to start a home garden, then try finding a farmers market, until you locate one look for produce grown as close to home as possible and go organic when available.

Many people think "going green" is expensive, I disagree. Some changes may take an initial investment, but they usually have a short payoff time. Things like weatherstiping and insulation cost, but the energy savings will add up quickly. You may need to purchase reusable bags, but most stores give you a 5 or 10 cent credit, so you are paid back within a few months.

My top tips are make your home more energy efficient, that also means using natural light, cooling and heating.

Reduce your packaging, if you eat more fresh food you will generally reduce packaging, it's the same thing they tell dieters, shop the perimiter, that is where all the meat, dairy and produce are located. Only buy what you will use, many Americans throw away a lot of unused food. Buy in bulk, that doesn't just mean large packages, but that area with the bins that you buy only what you plan on using.

Replace disposable items with durable items, if you eat outside often and use disposable paper or plastic plates, it is a wise investment to purchase a set of reusable plastic plates. Replace disposable razors, diapers and cleaning products like swiffer. Avoid bottled water, get a home filter like Pur or Brita.

Recycle, www.earth911.org will help you locate the nearest recycle center. I try to only purchase plastics that are #1 or #2, they are more easily recycled. I also buy recycled products when available, that includes paper towels, napkings, toilet paper, tissue, school/office supplies and clothing.

Detox your cleaning, vinegar and baking soda clean almost anything, they can even losen a hair clog. Seventh Generation and Method are a couple mainstream brands that are very earth friendly.

Just start small and build from there, don't get overwhelmed.

Original Question

What are some things that you wish you did when building your new house?

Q. building a new home. want to make a list of things to do to make sure we are not forgetting anything or just some ideas that we may not have ever thought of :0)! hoping to get some info from others that may have suggestions for a checklist as far as things to do: decorating, logistics of house plan, where to place outlets, etc.....help!

A. When building our house I tried to take into consideration that I intend to die in this house, and make sure that as we grew older and were less able to get around, we would still be able to enjoy our home. We put the master bedroom on the first floor and made the floor plan as barrier free as possible. We also made the doors slightly wider so if one of us ends up in a wheel chair, it would not be an issue to get in and out of rooms. We also set up an intercom system so we wouldn't have to scream to hear one another when on opposite ends of the house, and so in a slightly sneaky way, we can hear our children and their friends when in the basement.

Original Question

What is the cheapest way to red-do your bathroom ?

Q. Our home was built in 1959 and it has the orginal tub, walls and sink and medicine cupboard !
The toilet was changed back a few years ago ( 2 ) .......
We want to move the wall over approx. two feet over because the bathroom is so small

Any suggestions on what to do first ?
We have a full-size standard tub

A. You should get a set of plans drawn up, is the wall load bearing? if it is you may need an RSJ (rigid steel joist) if that's the case you'll need to inform building control.
Make sure you know what you're doing or get a builder in, you could end up with your roof in the bedroom, you don't want that happening!
If all goes well and you can just rip the wall out the cheapest way would be to put up a stud wall (wooden framed wall) and plaster board then skim it.
The plumbing would be best left to a plumber, you don't want the joints popping apart under the bath and bringing your ceilings down.
If you've got an old cast iron bath the scrap value of that will help pay the final bill, the rest is easy.
Make sure the wall isn't load bearing first tho, that's likely to be the hardest and most expensive part of the job.

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers