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The thing with remodeling your home in order to increase its value is that sometimes you lose sight of the biggest reason why to upgrade: to enjoy it yourself, NOW.

With that in mind, the typical remodeling jobs — and the ones most recommended, because they bring the most return on your investment — are also some of the most boring ones.  Here are a few guilty pleasures that you can enjoy now — whether or not they bring a return on your investment!

1. A hot tub.  Seriously, who cares if you lose money on this upgrade?  At least you will have fun doing it!  Besides, there are some good cheap hot tubs on the market now.  And, heck, portable spas are a great investment not for the house but for your well being — not the least of which because you can always opt to take yours with you when you move.
2. A garden.  Landscaping can help you to sell a home, yes, but gardens can detract in some ways.  They are wasteful of water and require a lot of maintenance, which turns some buyers off.  But if you enjoy a beautiful garden, go for it!
3. Hardwood floors.  Hardwood floors are expensive to install or refinish and more difficult to maintain than carpet, but they are also beautiful to behold.  You might not get your money’s worth when you sell the house, but in the meantime you will enjoy every bare inch of wood!

What upgrades have you made to your home because you wanted to enjoy them, even if you never saw a return on your investment?

Technorati Tags: cheap hot tubs, hardwood floors, hot tub, portable spas

It feels like so long ago that my husband and I hunted for a home, even though it’s only been three years.  Lately we’ve been talking about possibly upgrading to a bigger home with horse property, and as we’ve been looking I’ve been reminded of a few things the first time around.

Here are a few tips to help you while you’re shopping for a new home in Carlsbad CA:

• First make a list of what you want.  Before you go look at any homes, online or during a tour, you should first make a list of what you absolutely will not compromise on — both what you want and what you don’t want.  Also make a list of would-likes and would-not-likes so that you have a chance to flesh out your idea of the perfect home.  THEN start shopping.
• Consider your career.  You don’t want to live too far from work, so keep this in mind as you look at different neighborhoods.  Also if you are a sole proprietor, consider whether you want to get office space in San Diego, or whether you would prefer to set up a home office and save yourself the added expense and the commute.
• Is your family expected to grow anymore?  If so, be sure to keep that in mind, and look for a home that will provide you with more space than you need now, to be filled by children and/or pets later on down the road.
• Don’t forget about money.  Of course, all of this comes at a price — and it’s your job to make sure it’s a price you can afford.  Don’t make the mistake many homeowners made not too long ago, of  buying more house than they could afford.  It’s just not a good idea.

Shopping for a new home can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a tremendously stressful period of your life.  By keeping things organized, both in your head and on paper, you can make sure that house hunting goes as smoothly as it possibly can.

Technorati Tags: house hunting, new home in Carlsbad CA, office space in San Diego

The fiberglass wall fountain that I put out in my garden looked like an old stone fountain.  It had all of the elements of classic styling that you see in old garden wall fountains.  It had the regal lion on it with the water coming out of its mouth.  I have seen fountains like this in Washington DC as well as in Seattle.  Both of the garden wall fountains I had seen in these two different places were at art museums.  One was an outdoor art museum and the other was an inside art museum.  I think fountains add so much to an outdoor space.

Having a water feature within an outdoor space really adds beauty to a garden.  Utilizing as part of the decorations of the outdoors space is nice.  Because it is usually surrounded by lush green and beautiful popping colors the beauty is only intensified of both the fountain and of the garden.  Fountains and water features truly enhance the beauty that Mother Nature has provided for us.  They can look at home in a desert garden or an evergreen garden. It just depends on what you have in your area.

Technorati Tags: Fiberglass wall fountain, garden wall fountain, Washington DC

I can’t say I’ve never forgotten the code to my home security system although it was never cause I was drunk stumbling in after a night out on the town!  I have a tip for you on how to remember the number next time you forget.  You should write it on the smallest piece of paper you can find and tape it to your house key.  That way it is always on you so long as you have your key and, if you don’t have your key, you can’t get in to set of the alarm anyway! And by the way, just as a word of warning, there is a limit on how many times you can accidentally set off your house alarm.  I think the ADT Phoenix company will come only three times a year or else they will start charging you for false alarms.  I might be wrong on this so you should check the policy with your specific Home Security Phoenix system.  I just remember one year I was out of town and I had a super sensitive security system that would go off if movement was detected in the room.  Well I was gone for three weeks on a business trip and I guess some heavy construction next door cause my floor to vibrate and make a mug fall off the mug tree.  This happened five times with different ornaments falling over while I was gone so I ended up having to pay a whole bunch of money for the false alarms.  So, just a warning, hope my key tip helps you out!

Technorati Tags: ADT Phoenix, Home Security Phoenix, Home security system, key

There are many different things that you can do to a yard or patio to make it more charming. You can add a garden with a charming little walkway through it. You can use the right outdoor lighting to set a sweet mood. But in my opinion the best thing that you can do if you want to create a really charming outdoor space is to build an outdoor kitchen for both cooking and dining outside.

It doesn’t matter whether you go big or small with this plan. You can get an entire set of cal flame outdoor kitchens appliances and take up half the yard with your new charming outdoor kitchen. Or you could just choose the smallest of all island grills and set it up on a side porch. Big or small, you’re going to automatically add charm to your yard with any outdoor kitchen.

I think the reason that the outdoor kitchen is so charming is that it’s got so much nostalgia attached to it. Think about the times that you’ve eaten outdoors and you’ll probably recall reunions and barbecues and big summer neighborhood block parties. An outdoor kitchen evokes those memories and makes it so much more fun to enjoy any meal. Don’t you think so?

Technorati Tags: cal flame outdoor kitchens appliances, island grills