Most people renovate their homes for more space or more comfort. Some also remodel their homes in order to sell their property more quickly while getting the desired price for it.

But you shouldn’t start renovating carelessly. Follow these guidelines.

  • It would be irresponsible to carry out overwhelming work in order to sell your home quickly. Disaster will probably strike. Some upgrades, worth a few hundreds or thousands of dollars, should do the trick.
  • Check every nook and cranny in your home to find any defects. Neglecting this step might give the future buyer the wrong impression. Imagine if he or she arrives with a building inspector? Omitting to inspect your home is not the best way to go, even if you end up selling your property for the desired price. If the future homeowner ends up dragging you into court for latent defects, not only will you see your profit melt away, but your quality of life will diminish.
  • Start by facing your home and put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. Is the frontage appealing? Is the front door impeccable? A neglected exterior usually implies a careless homeowner in the minds of future buyers.
  • Go outside and walk around your property and think of the things that would bother a buyer and try to address the problem. For example, you live in a noisy neighbourhood because of the traffic. Find out how much building a green wall or a solid wall would cost to reduce the noise.

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You’re on a tight budget and changing your home decor is not a possibility right now. Did you think about molding? It’s cheap, easy to install and it can transform the entire appearance of a room. Here are a few tips.

  • There is a variety of decorative moldings out there, not to mention various types of wood. Take the time to research: ask vendors, search the Internet or look through books at your local library.
  • To install baseboard molding, take the time to find all the studs behind the wall and mark them as you please. That’s where you’ll nail the baseboard and the moldings will fit snugly together.
  • Do you have to remove old molding? With a flat tool, pry the molding away from the wall by sliding the tool between the stud and the molding.
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  • Identify the areas where the floor is uneven before you install the moldings to avoid unpleasant surprises along the way.

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One of your windows is in poor condition. For whatever reason, you couldn’t replace it before the winter season’s arrival. Here are a few guidelines to help you prevent damage or a hike in heating costs.

  • Weatherstripping is the key element in heat loss prevention. Make sure it is in mint condition.
  • Clean every part of the window with a brush or a vacuum cleaner. It can actually make a small difference.
  • If the caulk breaks when touched with a screwdriver or any other tool for that matter, it needs to be replaced.
  • Window films can reduce heat loss up to 50%. It is applied to the inside of the window on the surface of the glass and can be installed by anyone.
  • Adhesive foam tape isn’t the most durable, but it will last through a winter season.
  • You can buy draft stoppers that attach to the outside of the window on milder days.

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Is it time to change the roof of your house? If so, there is a golden opportunity available to you, especially if you are looking for a more eco-friendly solution. Les Publications du Québec announced the release of the first guide devoted to wood shingle roofs in Quebec entitled Toit. Bois. Bardeau. Guide technique.

Written by restoration experts Patrick Quirion and Mireille Brulotte of the Bois du Centre de conservation du Québec workshop, the guide contains over 250 technical drawings, detailed illustrations and photographs. Each step in the construction of this type of roof is outlined.

This guide is designed for owners and architects, entrepreneurs and restorers of old houses.[……]

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Wine is suitable for all seasons, but during the rigours of fall and winter, it provides a warmth that is unique to it. During these times, it has the gift of reconciling us with life. Not surprising that lovers of good wine reserve a specific place for it.

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Some people store it in their closet. Sacrilegious? Not at all. Good bottles of wine can be stored anywhere, as long as it is cool, devoid of light, has an ambient temperature between 10 and 15 degrees and 55% to 80% humidity. Warning! All these conditions must be respected to the letter, all year long. Wine is delicate and sensitive to changes in temperature. It needs stability. The slightest change can alter it.

To ensure this stability, some wine enthusiasts resort to a mini-air conditioner, a humidifier, a wine cooler, and other devices after having consulted a wine specialist.

There are two other mandatory conditions: the wine must be free from any vibration and the air it breathes must be pure. Therefore, you should avoid storing it in the garage.[……]

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Here’s a checklist to make the job easier if you decide to redo your children’s bedroom.

Using a seagrass floor covering is an excellent decision. However, it’s recommended that you have it installed by a professional. Since it is a natural material, it can be difficult to make the joints. The product tends to fray.

Don’t forget that certain natural fibres used for floor covering, such as cork and rubber, must be placed in the room 24 to 48 hours before installation to acclimatize them to the ambient air.

Cork is not the only effective soundproofing product, sand between the joists also does the trick. It has the advantage of being inexpensive. Talk to a renovation expert.

Any handyman can install cork, as long as the surface is level.

Vinyl costs less and is more flexible than linoleum, but it’s also less resistant. And a material’s resistance is extremely important in a child’s bedroom.

If you are impatient and not very meticulous, you may not want to take on wallpaper. You will regret it. You have to wash the walls and woodwork with a stripper before applying the wallpaper.[……]

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Like most renovation jobs, a patient and meticulous do-it-yourselfer will have no problem laying ceramic. In case of doubt, leave it to a professional. Redoing a ceramic floor or even a part of a wall is quite unpleasant. Here are a few guidelines to help you determine if you should do the work yourself.

  • Laying ceramic is not as easy as pouring a concrete floor or laying a carpet. Especially if the choice of tiles requires various cuts.
  • The range of required tools and instruments is impressive. You will need to rent or borrow them.
  • Remember, generally speaking, the ceramic used to cover a wall is different from floor ceramic, as it is much more fragile. However, there is model of ceramic that applies easily to the floor, the wall and even the work surface in the kitchen. Lastly, there is a model reserved exclusively for floors, which is the sturdiest of all ceramics. [……]

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