Author Archive: wsinteriors

Budget Real Estate Home Improvements

One thing all real estate investors can agree on is that to turn a good profit, you may need to make improvements on the property. If you want to make the most profit possible, you should set a budget for your improvements. Real estate improvements can be very expensive but there are a few things you can do to stay within your budget.

Painting is one of the cheapest ways to clean up a property but you have to do it properly. If the house is really bad, the outside may require some pressure washing and scraping. If you want a really quality paint job, then you should also consider a little sanding in some areas. If you are planning to resell the property right away you can use a lower cost primer to help stay within your budget. Interior painting is also a good idea for saving money on improvements. Be sure to use quality paint inside the home because that is one thing people will look for when you sell it. You may be tempted to replace a lot of the trim around the house. If you can clean it up by painting it you can save hundreds of dollars on your improvement costs. Old worn wood floors such as those in laundry areas can also be painted.

Flooring is another area where you can save a lot of money. It is one of the biggest expenses when it comes to making improvements to a home. If you have existing carpeting, you can call a carpet company to see if the carpet can be stretched or patched. Carpet repair guys can do some amazing work and leave your carpet looking nice. If the carpet is too damaged, you can replace it with rental grade carpeting. Every carpet looks great when it is new. New carpet will also give your property that fresh, new home smell which is a big plus when you go to sell a home. If you have rooms that don’t get wet, you can lay down peel and stick flooring. Not only is it cost-effective but now you can find great looking patterns. There are some beautiful peel and stick flooring designs that look exactly like expensive tile or wood floors.

Many investors like to install all new kitchens. You can make a kitchen look as good as new without replacing everything. If you have stainless steel sinks or good porcelain sinks, keep them and just replace the countertops. If they are badly damaged, try to find the same size sink and utilize the existing plumbing. Plumbing is expensive. Avoid purchasing new fixtures whenever possible.

Cosmetic improvements can make a big difference in a property but this is an area where you can really go overboard if you are not careful. There are ways to add curb appeal to a home without blowing your budget. Vinyl shutters cost just a few dollars and they can make a big difference to a plain-looking piece of real estate.

Using budget real estate improvements like these can help you increase your profit margins when investing in real estate.

Advantages of adding a Glasshouse to your Home

If you are looking for the perfect place to relax and unwind whilst surrounded by a variety of your own beautiful plants then a glasshouse will be the perfect addition to your garden. There are many advantages of adding a glasshouse to your garden and with so many styles to choose from you are sure to find a structure that fits your garden perfectly. However, you need first to clear the area to ensure the safety of your glasshouse. 

One of the main advantages of adding a glasshouse to your garden is that you have the freedom of using it as an extra place to relax. Glasshouses make the perfect summerhouse and are also ideal for those looking for an extra space where they can work from home.

Adding a glasshouse to your garden allows you to enjoy all the benefits of growing a wide variety of plants. Those who have a passion for gardening will have the chance to relax and unwind whilst enjoying spectacular views of their own plants within their greenhouse and garden.

Glasshouses are also a great choice for those wishing to improve the look of their garden. These structures look spectacular when packed with a variety of beautiful exotic plants and are particularly impressive during the summer. Opting for a large design will provide you with plenty of space to grow a wide selection of plants as well as enough space to add furniture and transform your glasshouse into the perfect place to enjoy summer evenings with friends or family.

If you have a small garden, then there are a variety of smaller glasshouse designs to choose from. There are even glasshouses that are designed to fit onto an existing building, providing you with more space. If you are looking for the perfect design for your garden, then a bespoke glasshouse may be the best choice.

If you need a design that adds plenty of beauty to your garden, then you may wish to opt for the Western Red Cedar glasshouse. This design not only looks great, but it also ages well, giving you a spectacular structure that provides you with the perfect place to relax and enjoy your garden.

Guide To Managing Your Home Renovations

Renovating a home can be a stressful time. It can add value to the property and help to keep energy bills to a minimum, but more often than not practical considerations mean it ends up a logistical nightmare that requires careful planning to see through to a successful conclusion. The good news is that while there is so much to consider in terms of budgets, materials and coordinating the tradesmen, the modern world makes it easier than ever to project manage elements of the process remotely.

Project Management

Ensuring that there is someone on-site to deal with the day-to-day renovation issues is one way in which it can be carried out remotely. This is also the ideal solution for those who are busy with work. The benefits of this type of help are well known to the self-employed who opt for the services of an umbrella company to deal with everyday issues such as invoicing and taxation.

When a project manager is appointed it is a good idea to sit down and plan every aspect of the renovation in advance. This involves deciding on the materials to be used, the type of work that is to be carried out and the budget available for completing the work. Prioritizing work is also a good idea. Urgent tasks requiring the most financial outlay should be tackled first in case unexpected costs arise further down the track – then less urgent non-essential tasks can be factored in at a later date. 

Budgets

Control of the budget is essential. Aside from the cost of materials and manpower, it is important to consider a contingency fund. This will cover any emergency work, additional materials or any problems that may occur. Obtaining written quotes for the work in advance will help to plan what is needed so that funds can be set aside.

If possible, have a separate account for the renovation. This makes it much easier to see what is being spent and when meaning the monies can be managed much more effectively. Do not forget extras such as the cost of fixtures and fittings and the decorating costs afterward.

Finding Tradesmen

Getting reliable tradesmen is always a challenge but when a good one is found then it can bring additional peace of mind to the project. Always opt for qualified and experienced professionals that have a membership of the relevant trade guilds. Word of mouth recommendations are also important: Ask friends, colleagues, and family to see if they have any experience of people with the appropriate skills. Do not simply hire the first one that you meet. Ask them for references and if possible talk to previous clients. Most good tradesmen are happy to show previous examples of their work.

Check to see if they have any professional accreditations or are affiliated to any trade associations. This is often a sign of quality as they are checked for standards of service before they are permitted to join. If the project does need to be managed remotely then a professional tradesman will not need to be overseen every moment of the day and the homeowner can carry on with work and daily life with few interruptions.

Everything to Know About Choosing the Best Interior Designer

interior design

Owning a home is one of the best experiences in life. It is also a fulfilling achievement that you will without a doubt thank yourself for pursuing. It is also one of the biggest financial commitments you can make but it can also be stressful and daunting. Thus, you should make sure that any step you make to accomplish this dream is meaningful.

Not many people are into buying homes these days and many have decided to enroll the help of home builders and construct their own homes. With the help of a home builder, you get the voice to share more on the kind of house you want and the home design you are looking for. A good home builder will at all times promote the interests of the homeowner and ensure he or she is satisfied.

Building a home is a large investment to make and you should find the right fit for your project. It all starts by choosing the best home builder at disposal. A custom home is a great way to go as you will get a home design that is made of the exact specification that you want and will satisfy all your needs.


Picking the Best Home Builder-What to Know

Picking the best home builder is the first decision you should make even if you want to be a first time home owner or you already own several homes. It may seem an easy task but it can be quite daunting and herculean. Fortunately, there are a number of things to do and pick the best home builder near you. They include;

 Experience

A good reputation goes hand in hand with incomparable expertise in a certain field. When choosing the best builder for your home construction project, you have to make sure it is someone who has been in the field for many years. The builder should be an expert who has been able to satisfy clients’ needs over the years. Their history in the construction field should speak volumes about their expertise and what they can successfully accomplish.

 Focus on quality

Your custom home is not just any kind of residence. This is a comfortable place where you and your loved ones will live in and treasure for many years to come. It is also a place where you will welcome and entertain your relatives, friends and colleagues. You should make sure it is in the best shape, tip-top condition and appealing to the eyes. Therefore, go for custom home builder known to undertake quality construction work and will guarantee a quality-built home from the ground up. Look at the previous construction projects undertaken by the builder of choice. Significantly, feel free to look at the reviews and feedback from homeowners who have sought the services of the builder before.

 Do your research and consult widely

Narrowing down your hunt for the best builder can be an overwhelming task. However, through meticulous research and consultation, you can choose the best from a large list of the available builders near you. Most of the construction companies and experts operate online and you can visit their portfolios or profiles and ascertain more about what they do and their capabilities.

Feel free to seek referrals or recommendations from friends or relatives who have sought the services of custom home builders before. Word-of-mouth will present you with a better way to choose the best builder in the competitive market.

 Communication is the key

If you are having problems dealing with the team around you during the home construction project, you will also find it challenging to deal with your custom home builder. Ask as many questions as you can. If you are dealing with a genuine builder, he will be able to answer all your questions without any reservations. If the builder does not communicate back concerning the project, just find someone who is transparent and reliable.

Final Thoughts

There are many custom home builders that you can rely on for best home construction services. However, you should make a list of the possible builders and pick one that satisfies your needs. Meet with the builders that you narrow your list to and make a final decision that you will never
regret in near future.

Best Interior Design for Offices in 2019

office

The concept of offices without walls, made under the architectural concept of eliminating the divisions between modules, generating open work spaces, conducive to the motivation of their workers, was imposed in recent years as the vanguard in design of work centers. After the examples of leading technology companies, such as Google, Facebook or Yahoo, in which creativity and innovation were expressed through open spaces in which people work without divisions, companies from various sectors began to adopt this trend, knocking down, literally, the walls that separated the CEOs from the rest of the employees.

More than transparent, the main objective was always to seek the increase of productivity. Taking one of the 14 fundamental principles of The Toyota Way, the management philosophy of Toyota Motor Corp. referred to the importance of using visual control so that problems are not hidden, interior designers took advantage of the wave of construction of new buildings of offices to define workspaces in which no employee is hidden behind a division. In the style of Mark Zuckerberg, founding president of Facebook, spaces were designed in which it was even difficult to identify hierarchies from the offices, because they were all similar, regardless of the ranges.

However, after almost a decade developing this concept within organizations, a Harvard Business School professor points out that the walls, far from what one might believe, contributed to the increase in creativity.

 

MORE WALLS, LESS TRANSPARENCY

According to research by Harvard Business School professor Ethan S. Bernstein, there is a certain virtue in organizations that allow employees to do a little work without being observed. In a series of studies, Professor Bernstein showed that decreased observation in employees can raise productivity. The most curious result of this report is the phenomenon he discovered, which he called the “paradox of transparency”, which indicated that observing less the work of employees raised the perception of transparency within the organization, under the premise of that a company with excessive control over workers generates rejection and distrust among employees.

Bernstein discovered the paradox while studying a technology products factory in China, where tens of thousands of workers gathered around a system of identical modules without divisions, whose objective was to replicate innovations among employees, increasing productivity and reducing production costs. . But Bernstein found that workers reduced their performance level every time they felt they were observed, due to a collective fear of attention. The initial objective of the contagion of good practices was overshadowed by a generalized feeling of working in a small concentration camp in which everyone lived in fear of being caught. Innovation did not occur, less cost reduction.

“We assume that when we see something we understand it better,” says Bernstein. “In this particular environment, and perhaps in many others, what the managers were seeing was not real, it was a spectacle that is exercised over an audience.” When the audience was gone, the real show began, and this was the increase of productivity “, concludes the researcher. For the Harvard professor, the answer lies in the leader’s attitude towards the team of collaborators, regardless of whether there are divisions or not. Finally, just as there are imaginary borders between countries, it is possible to build invisible walls within organizations based on an inordinate control of what each employee does with their time in the office.

The answer, for this researcher, is to define clear goals beyond how the offices are distributed, and to fulfill as leader with those tasks and responsibilities that are theirs as heads of the company. Because as it is possible to easily observe each of the workers, it is possible that workers observe more carefully if their boss fully complies not only with their function, but if they respect in all respects the culture of the company.