Interior Design Center

Equip yourself with the latest and greatest information on making improvements to your home. If you want to make your home a nicer place to live, then the following article is for you.

If you are looking for a project that can protect your foundation, take a look at the ground around your house and make sure that it's sloped to drain water away from the walls of your house. Ways to do this include putting a hill between your house and the stress, and making your downspout longer so the water exits further away.

When doing any projects that are near or involve a gas line, it is imperative that you shut the line down before beginning. You want to be extremely cautious during this process. Your vigilance can prevent a fire from starting or someone from getting injured while the home improvement work is being done.


Lights activated with a motion detector sensor might be beneficial outdoors. These lights can alert you when nightly visitors or prowlers are walking on your property. Motion-sensitive lights will bring electric bills down and extend bulb life, too.

Plain lampshades can often be spartan and boring. With stencils, you can brighten them up. Use paint or an ink pad to add designs that be taken from a template, then add them to your boring lampshades. You can give life to your home, as it can take away the boring environment you previously had.

To nicely display your jewelry, set up a straight coat rack that can be mounted to a wall. Perhaps you should not hang your most valuable jewelery. Hanging your jewelry on a wall can make a pretty decorative statement, as well as keeping the jewelry tangle-free. Display the items that you wear frequently, so they'll be at your fingertips when you're getting dressed.

Consider the benefits of placing a security alarm on your house when having showings. Of course, it may be necessary if the home is in a bad neighborhood and no one is living there consistently to watch over it.

To lower the electric costs associated to illuminating your yard, you can change your regular light to one that contains a motion sensor. You will still be able to turn the light on manually when you need to, and the motion detector can be adjusted for sensitivity.

Make sure your plumbing system if properly insulated before winter comes. This should make your system more efficient and keep your hot water hot. Weatherizing tape, which you apply to your pipes, can be found at most home improvement stores. The tape will prevent your pipes from freezing which could lead to a pipe burst.

If you decide to use a contractor, remember that their reputation is more important than how much they cost or any extras that they offer you. Any contractor who vastly underbids a job and has a bad reputation is not the best choice. It is likely that your inexpensive contractor will finish the work and then you will shortly need to repair or renovate the same area. You can also have a dangerous situation on top of bad job. Make certain to hire a contractor you know you can trust.

One way to make your home feel cleaner is to clean your carpets regularly. High traffic areas such as doorways and pathways should get special attention when shampooing and deep cleaning your carpets. You will feel as though you are living in a cleaner home.

Now that you have the information you need, it's time to put it to use in one of the home-improvement projects you have on your list. Use these tips to avoid potential disasters in your home improvement projects.