Home

Must-Haves for Landscapers

There are a lot of landscaping tools in hardware stores, gardening shops, and other shops all around the world. The tricky part is to know which landscaping tools are important and useful. So if you want to have a great garden, make sure your garage has some more space for these tools:

Pruners

Since pruning is essential for some plants, then you would need pruners in your garden tools collection. Pruners help keep your lawn at its best. The type of pruners you need can be determined by the plants that you have. The most popular pruners are the hand held ones, but if you have small branches and large shrubs, you may need those pruners that have longer blades compared to the hand held pruners.

Shovel

To build a garden, you would need plants. And to have some plants, the shovel comes in handy for you to be able to dig holes. That is why the shovel is deemed to be the most important landscaping tool. Shovels can help you dig holes for large plants or small seeds. The size of the shovel is determined by the size of your garden. It would be great to have a full-size shovel but if you only have a small area then you may only need a hand shovel.

Wheelbarrow

The wheelbarrow is a time saver when it comes to transporting things such as leaves, dirt, rocks and other yard wastes you wish to remove. So if you have a large area, a wheelbarrow will save you from backaches. If you think that it isn’t essential for your garden, then think again. You’ll never know when you’re going to need some transporting of materials.

Rake

Instead of leaf blowers which aren’t eco-friendly at all and are rather noisy, use rakes instead. Aside from gathering grass clippings, pine needles, dead leaves and other lawn debris, rakes can also be used to mulch on large beds and to spread straw.

Watering Can

Unless your garden hoses are long enough to reach every area of the garden, then you won’t have to have a watering can. But that isn’t enough reason not to actually have one in your garage. There may come a time that your garden hoses get damaged. Watering cans are also best for newly planted seeds and container plants, as they gently water plants and not wash away the seeds.

When you already have the five important tools stated, and after much experience in the garden, you would know what to add in your garden tools collection. Just make sure you have enough space in your garage.

If you’re preparing to redo your bath and working with a tight budget, there are a few affordable solutions that can change an older, dreary bathroom into a modernistic, updated one.

1) begin with the bathtub area. The bathing area is the focal point of your bath. It’s what can make your bathroom look great or terrible. If the bath area is stained and old it stands out. There is an assortment of new bathtub shapes and styles to select from if you’re debating replacement. There are recessed tubs, drop in tubs, corner tubs, whirlpool tubs, and freestanding tub styles to choose from.

If you’ve got an older iron bathtub and do not want to get rid of it, you could have it refinish it and make it look brand new. In addition to, the bath area, if there’s out-of-date tiling installed over the bathtub, or fiberglass paneling, get rid of it and install new and modern-day ceramic tile. There a ton of ceramic or stone tile patterns and styles to choose from. Many tiles are cheap and can be put in by a yourself, it’s a fairly easy job even if you’ve never done it before.

2) look at the room’s sink area. If your vanity is stained, old, or damaged you will be able to find on at a home depot or other improvement store for pretty cheap. If your sink area is in good condition, you could merely make it look better by replacing the mirror and maybe the sink. Bathroom vanity sinks and tops easy to install on your own.

3) You may want to replace your toilet if it is getting older, if you’re on a tight budget however, you can always just replace the seat and put a seat cover and tank cover on to hide it. If you decide to replace it I would recommend against the low-flow toilets, it will save on water a little,but they have a weak flush.

4) If your home has radiant heat, you might want to replace the heating element. These can rust over time and can be an eyesore. You could replace it on your own, but you do need to have some plumbing skills. You could hire a plumber for pretty cheap as it shouldn’t take more than an hour for them to install your new radiator.

5) Install new lighting fixtures. I would recommend installing two different sets of lights; bright lights, and low lights for night time. Consider installing an over head light on the ceiling as well as vanity lights over the sink.

6) Install new flooring, older flooring can be pretty unsightly, consider installing vinyl or ceramic tile to cut down on costs, if you have carpeting get rid of it. Carpeting soaks up the moisture from the air and can be a breeding ground for bacteria and molds. Tiling is a pretty easy and straightforward task. If you are thinking of removing the toilet and/or vanity while bathroom remodeling, make sure you put your flooring in before replacing them it will save you the trouble of having to cut the tile or vinyl to fit around them and it will look more seamless.

7) Replace any tiling on your walls with either new tile or wallpaper.

8) Replace any trimmings or baseboards, these also get a lot of moisture and can become discolored and breed bacteria and molds. Most of these jobs can be done by yourself and don’t require too much skill. It will save you a lot more money than if you hired someone else to do the work. Get your home remodeling ideas together and make a game plan to transform your bathroom into a modern and clean space.

I had a great idea. Actually, great is an understatement. This was an epiphany!
It was the one defining moment every housewife should have – how to turn your husband into a handyman!

Not only did my husband agree to be my handyman, he did it with a smile on his face. No groaning, complaining, or eye-rolling. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the thought of becoming my personal handyman.

I don’t know about you ladies, but getting odd jobs done around my house has been an ongoing battle for nearly fifteen years. All of a sudden, because of one brilliant idea, my husband is Mr. Fixit. I like my husband’s new new handyman mentality. He likes his new payment plan.

Wait a minute, you’re thinking. ‘Did you say payment plan?’ Yes, I did. I figured if I treated this as a business transaction, my husband would, too. So, I wrote a contract. We both signed it. Now, my husband is my official handyman, and I am under contract to pay for his services.

Not only will I tell you how I came up with the terms of our contract, I’ll help you write a contract of your own. This will include descriptions of odd jobs, payment for each job, and a time frame for the job to be completed. It also includes a disclaimer. But I’ll get into all that in a little bit. Right now, I’d like you to indulge me by letting me tell you how this brilliant idea came to be….

I was cleaning the icebox. Not just tossing out leftovers, but really cleaning it. All the contents had been removed. So had all the shelves, except for one. (I told you I was really cleaning it!) So, I grabbed hold of the last shelf and pulled it out. A metal bar slid out from underneath it and slid across the kitchen floor. A plastic do-hickey fell on my foot.

Holding that last shelf, I looked around my kitchen. ‘I don’t have time to fix this,’ I thought. The sink was full of dishes, the compost bucket was overflowing, and the kitchen table was full of condiments of every shape and size. Hmmm….. I don’t remember buying all those……

Anyway, I am not a handyman- uh- woman, by any means. I’m doing good to know the difference between a hammer and a nail. (The nail is the pointy one, right?) So I did what any stressed out, stay-at-home, repair challenged wife with PMS would do…. I texted my husband.

The conversation went something like this:
Wife (that’s me): I need help. I broke the icebox shelf. Can you fix it when you get home, please?

Husband: How can you break an icebox? Yes, I’ll fix it when I get home.

Wife (me, again): I was cleaning it. I guess the dirt was holding it together. By the way, I think there are pieces missing. Thanks. I love you, my sexy handyman.

I thought that would be the end of the conversation. But, then, I received another text. ‘Ah, here comes the excuse,’ I thought to myself. Opening and reading it, I realized how wrong I was!

Husband: The icebox isn’t the only thing I’ll fix when I get home, my horny little housewife. Your sexy handyman loves you, too.

Wife (still me): It’s a date!

Now, I won’t write the rest of the conversation for all of the world to see. Obviously, it just got better. We texted the rest of the day. That got me thinking ( which is kind of dangerous, sometimes) about how I could use this to get other things done. This could be mutually beneficial. I could get odd jobs done and he could get extra favors.

Remodeling Our Bathroom for $3,000

When we moved into our current home, the home of which I grew up in, the bathroom was old, dated and smelled bad. I had lived in the house until I was 18 with my grandparents who built the house in 1965. We bought the house in 2010 after my grandma passed away. We thought it would be an easy remodel, just a tub, toilet and sink. Other than the dated look we had no idea the bathroom was in such bad shape.

Since we were unable to renovate before we moved in we lived with it for almost a year. The only thing I did do was pull up the nasty carpet. Living with three males, my husband and two sons, the carpet absolutely had to go. About 2 weeks before the renovation started I put some markers in the bathroom and we had fun writing messages and drawing pictures on the wall.

When the renovation actually began we gutted the entire room. The old blue bathtub, toilet, and sinks were among the first to go along with the wall that separated the shower from the toilet. The more we dismantled, the more we discovered. Mold behind the shower walls and a rotten floor around the toilet. When the demolition was finally done the only thing that was left were the wall studs and floor joists.

We decided to move the bathroom around which required us to also move the plumbing and some electrical. This was mapped out before the new subfloor was put in. After the flooring the rough plumbing and electrical were completed. Next was the drywall. The drywall was tricky since we were working with full sized pieces in an 8×8 room. The cost of the drywall and subfloor was $150. Luckily new plumbing and electrical was only about $50 since we didn’t have to do much and was able to reuse a lot.

Once that was done the rest fell together piece by piece. The flooring is a pattern done with 12×12 and 6×6 ceramic tile. A bargain at $325 for the tile, thin set and grout. Our vanity is a beautiful rich color with a black granite top and under mount sink. Not too expensive at $700 but definitely a splurge since we were working within a budget. The faucets we chose were Moen in a brushed nickel finish $300 for both the tub and sink. We were lucky and found the tub and surround on clearance for $500. Lighting was $250 for a vanity light and a fan/ceiling light combo.

The one thing we should have done but did not was a heated floor. It never crossed our minds since the room is small. However, now we wish we would have done it. Our entire project was do-it-yourself. From the beginning to end we worked as a team and were able to save thousands of dollars doing it ourselves.

BATHROOMS – Bathroom surfaces typically don’t face the same abuse as those in the kitchen (think hot frying pans, sharp carving knives and spilled Bordeaux), the decisions most buyers wrestle with are usually more about style and cost than Herculean strength. Check out RG Stone Countertops for the best marble and countertops in Chicago Land Area.

How to Make a Cleaning Service More Affordable?

All of us are busier than ever these days, and some weeks it is hard to find time to get all the cleaning chores done that we would like. Have you had thoughts of hiring a cleaning service, but have thought you wouldn’t be able to fit it into your budget? Think again, you might be able to afford it after all. The best way to save on the cost of having a cleaning service is to be specific about the things you want them to do. Most cleaning services are flexible about what jobs they do at specific locations.

Take some time and think about your cleaning needs. Start by making a list of the jobs that you really hate to do around the house. These will be the jobs that you would really feel are worth paying to have done. And this is the start of the list for what the cleaning service will be asked to do. Add that bathroom that you put off doing all the time on the top of the list for the service to do. But, if you really don’t cook very often and don’t mind keeping the kitchen cleaned up regularly, then keep that for yourself to do.

Fine tune your needs and be specific with your service about what you want done and what you don’t want done. There is no need paying them to cleaning the utility room if that is not important to you. Why have them clean the spare bedroom when it isn’t going to be used anytime soon? If you seldom cook, that may be a good room to pick and choose what you’d like the service do. You might be pleased just to have the sink cleaned and the floor washed! Or maybe clean the microwave inside and out, the coffee maker, and the floor.

This idea may not seem so easy for everyone. Those of you that feel like you hate every part of cleaning will have the worst time with it. But if you can’t afford to have it all done for you, then compromise. You are still going to have to do some of it yourself, but just keep reminding yourself how much you appreciate having some of those really hated jobs done for you. Maybe someday your budget will allow for having the whole house cleaned, but for now, some help is better than none at all. Happy cleaning.