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July 23, 2015 in Uncategorized

Old Home? These Quick, Easy Updates Will Blow Your Mind!

Sometimes a vintage touch brings interest to a home. However, if every room in a home is a remnant of the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s, it might be time for a remodel. If there’s time or no money for a full-blown renovation, check out these fixes to revamp a space provided by Kim Anderson!

Painting 

A new paint job can revitalize any room. Paint can be costly, but here’s a tip: check out the “Oops!” painting section. These paint cans were returned by customers, not because they didn’t work, but because they didn’t work for them. Pick up a few of these cans for less than $5 and watch the room transform.

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Counter Tops

A new paint color on the walls not enough? For kitchens and baths, consider painting the countertops! There are products  made for painting countertops & Anderson says her countertop has lasted 3 years with barely any chipping.

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Lighting

This last update will be the most expensive, but possibly the most rewarding. For between $40 & $150, new lighting in any room can change the brightness and sight lines of a room. Try a dome light in eating areas, new vanity lighting in bathrooms and updated ceiling fans in bedrooms.

Bathroom-Lighting

 

So don’t stress about renovation budgets or hiring a construction crew, try these simple fixes to restyle a home!

 

Ready for a large scale renovation? Call Chicago Handyman today! 

 

June 12, 2015 in Home Improvements, Idea Corner

Transform Typical Cookware Into Unique Lighting

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Let’s face it: there’s a lot of cookware in the house that is purely just taking up space. And unless a cookware collection is in a gourmet restaurant, chances are multiples are not necessary. One way to clear the clutter without adding to the garbage is by turning a simple kitchen colander into a beautiful pendant lamp. And thanks to Handimania, there’s now a step by step tutorial to achieve this unique colander lamp lighting.

Gather these supplies:

  • Drill
  • Cable with cap and top
  • Plastic clump
  • Screwdriver
  • Screw hook
  • Sharp knife
  • Light bulb

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Start by drilling a hole in the bottom middle of the colander, preferably widening an existing hole. Next close the cup of the cable tightly and fit it through the widened colander hole created.

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The trickiest part of this project is figuring out the wiring. Make sure to securely screw the hook into the ceiling and attach the wires from the lamp to the ceiling.

For an even more funky and adventurous look, hang multiple of these lights in the center of a room in many colors. Once in place, this lamp is ready to light up not just the room, but the style of an entire home.

 

March 5, 2015 in Home Automation, Tech Toybox

Ditch The Switches: Get The Alba Smart LED Lighting

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“Can you get the light?”

These are the words all homeowners say to visitors or partners at one point in their life. Wouldn’t it be nice if instead of getting up to adjust the lighting, the home could just know? This is now possible, with Stack’s Alba LED Lighting System.

This lighting system is not only energy efficient, but has the following features:

  • Perfect lighting level decided by integrated sensors to fit a room’s natural light
  • Color temperature that adjusts from white to yellow light dependent on the situation
  • Motion sensors know where a homeowner is, when they’re gone, the lights go off and when they’re there the lights go on
  • Sets its lighting to the homeowner’s schedule, including light synced to an alarm to wake them up with gentle light and dim lighting for dinner parties

These features not only save time and hassle, but most importantly, money. Depending on the size of a home, users of the Alba system can save anywhere between $600 and $5,000 annually.

For $150.00 per bulb, the price may sound steep, but considering the benefits, these light bulbs are definitely worth trying out in any home.