A Shadow Trap is when you look into your mirror and you cannot see yourself very well because of improper lighting fixtures or their placement. This is caused because some lighting fixtures do not direct the light in the proper direction, thus causing shadowing.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. You can still use recessed floodlights in your bathroom, but you will still need to use some other type of lighting over your vanity.

2. Use a soft focus or diffused light fixture.

3. For the best lighting when standing in front of a mirror, the ideal location for lights is on either side of the mirror. This is not always able to be done, so mounting a diffused light fixture over the mirror will counteract the shadowing effect of the floodlights.

4. If you only have room to install recessed lighting make sure they are ceiling mounted diffused fixtures that are either flush, semi-flush, or cove.

5. If you are going to use recessed lighting, the best way to make it work for you is to install them as close to the mirror as possible, preferably above the sink.

An unlicensed contractor may very well be fully capable of completing the job, but you may run the risk that a home improvement project will not be completed per proper coding. Why would you want to trust in unlicensed contractor who has not put forth the effort and money required to obtain a license?

Hiring a licensed contractor will at least give you peace of mind if something was to go wrong because you will be able to take legal action towards them. If you hire an unlicensed contractor you may not be able to do this, which means you may be out of the lot of money. Licensing, bonding, and insurance requirements exist to protect you, the consumer. It will also allow you to know that the contractor cares enough about his business and is knowledgeable enough to pass the state licensing exam.

By hiring an unlicensed contractor you are not necessarily breaking any laws, but you do want to check with your state contracting laws are if you’re going to do this. On the other hand, the contractor is definitely breaking the law by not being licensed.

If you choose to go against this advice, make sure you read all you can about consumer protection and ensure that the contractor has insurance. Again, in the event something goes wrong during the project and is the contractor’s fault, at least you will have peace of mind that the insurance will pay for any problems.

In the end, by hiring a licensed contractor who is bonded and insured you will know that your project will be completed exactly how you want it. In the long run, thinking that you are saving money with an unlicensed contractor may actually not be true. Save yourself a lot of heart aches by ensuring your contractors properly licensed.

It does not matter what the state of the economy is because all of these improvements will still increase the value of your home and the likelihood that you’ll be able to more quickly sell it. Improving the overall curb appeal of your home is one of the top buying motivators in today’s real estate market.

With most home buyers searching for houses on the Internet, the way your home is depicted in photographs may be the motivating factor that will bring potential buyers to your house. The curb appeal of your home is critical and how it will be depicted in online digital photographs. If your house has not been updated and looks like it is in poor condition on the outside, you very likely will not get much foot traffic from buyers.

With this in mind here are the top 10 home improvements for the greatest return on investment:

1. Replacing exterior siding (Fiber cement) (ROI 88.1%)
2. Adding an outside deck or (Wood) (ROI 85.4%)
3. Replacing exterior siding (Vinyl) (ROI 83.2%)
4. Kitchen remodeling (Minor) Replacing exterior siding (Fiber cement) (ROI 83%)
5. Replacing exterior siding (Foam backed vinyl) (ROI 79.7%)
6. Replacing window (Vinyl) – (ROI 79.3%)
7. Replacing windows (Wood) – (ROI 79.3%)
8. Remodeling bathroom (ROI 78.3%)
9. Kitchen and remodeling (Major) (ROI 78.1%)
10. Adding an outside deck (Composite) (ROI 77.4%)

Remember, if these projects are ones that you cannot do yourself higher a competent and experienced licensed contractor.

1. Don’t get stressed during the construction – As long as you are properly planned the project and hired a professionally licensed contractor who knows how to build an outdoor kitchen, all you need to do is sit back and relax and let the professionals do their job.

2. Location – In the planning process make sure that you figure out exactly where to locate your outdoor kitchen so it incorporates easy access to your house and Interior kitchen door. As luck will have it, you will still have to run back and forth into the house to retrieve items you’ve forgotten, so save yourself some time by properly planning or be prepared to do a lot of walking while you cook.

3. Top it off – Make sure you incorporate some type of overhead covering interior design features. This does not need to be some large an overbearing tent covering, but your designer or contractor will be able to work with you to add specific features you want. Overhead covering is important because in the summertime not many people like to eat outside on a hot blazing sun. Umbrellas are another option to consider.

4. Become one with the outdoors – Make sure your outdoor kitchen blends nicely into the overall features of your yard. Being able to properly place a grill, patio refrigerator, table and chairs, bar, fireplace and whatever else you want in your outdoor kitchen will need to be strategically located to provide the proper flow.

5. Hit it, Maestro – Many outdoor kitchens today incorporate a sound system.

6. Take a seat – In the planning process figure out how many chairs and tables you want to fit in the seating area and whether they will face the grill or fireplace. Decide what will be the focal point of your outdoor kitchen area such as the grill or fireplace or other feature.

7. How does that feel? – Remember to think about the comfort of your guests because this is as important as all of the other features you’re trying to incorporate into your design.

8. What’s on the menu? – If you are the one who will be doing the cooking, the sky’s the limit as far as the features you may desire your kitchen to have. One of the largest expenditures will be on the type of grill that you want to have. If you’re not a gourmet chef there is no reason that you will need a $5000 top of the line grill other than to flex your cooking muscles.

9. Bank on it – You will need to figure out in the initial planning stages exactly what your budget is so you’ll know which features you will be able to incorporate into your outdoor kitchen. You want to be able to cut his much money as you can into your outdoor grill since this is what will be the focal point of the area and what will be used for most. Make sure you plan on this because it is one of the more costly components of your project.

10. Are you up for it? – Depending on whether you have the skills or not, you may decide to do some or all of the construction yourself. If you are going to incorporate electrical outlets and running water you’re probably better off to hire a licensed contractor experienced in building outdoor kitchens to help you.

11. Maintenance – Keep this in mind when deciding on what features and furniture you are going to use. Things are going to get wet and dirty and eventually require cleaning so take the time to think about what fabrics you will have on your outdoor furniture. Even stainless steel on your grill will have to be cleaned over time. This is one area that can quickly get out of hand if you don’t stay on top of it and plan ahead.

The top 11 things to consider before you build an outdoor kitchen are not only areas to think about in your design process but also to use as a check list to make sure that you properly incorporate them into your project. Doing this you will make your outdoor kitchen into your own oasis rather than being a slave to it.

When thinking about having a custom home built, working with a custom home builder will be one of the wisest decisions you make. Not only will they know what they’re doing, but they will also be able to help you with the design features that you want but still fall within your budget. Balancing your desire of large closets over a garden tub or a butler’s pantry over a screening room are areas your custom home builder will be able to help you with.

A custom home builder will work with you to incorporate all of the custom features you want in your dream home. For example, if you want a ceiling fans installed, they possibly will require additional support mountings on the ceiling.

A custom built home also enables you to make sure that all electrical outlets, cable drops, and phone jacks are where you actually where you want them. By code there will have to be a certain amount of them distanced properly, but you will also be able to add additional outlets if desired.

All of these pros also come with some cons, or disadvantages, of buying a custom built home. Number one is the cost. Whenever you have anything custom made it will always be more expensive than buying the production model. It will also take longer to build the home which pushes off when you can move in. This sometimes takes planning. Speaking of planning, you may also have to do cover two loans, one for interim financing which covers the home while it is being built, and the second being your standard mortgage. This also takes prior plan.

Keep in mind how long you intend to live in your custom home for. What is your dream home with all of the custom moldings and top-of-the-line features may not be what a future buyer is looking for. That custom paint job you have done throughout the house may need to be painted over prior to selling to be a more neutral color. The built-ins, oversized rooms and color schemes are some of the areas that can impact how quickly your custom home may sell.

There are pros and cons to custom built homes, but the same goes for production home. If you are looking to purchase your dream home, the custom built home is what you will want then. Knowing the pros and cons of building a custom home versus buying a production home will help you decide exactly what your dream castle will look like.

The problem is that buyers are looking for houses that are in top-notch condition with fresh paint, updated appliances and fixtures, and little that they will need to do to make the house move in ready. So, it goes without saying that by remodeling or freshening up your bathroom will place your house on the top of the sales roster.

Since there is heavy competition in the housing market, and with banks being extremely careful with financing higher priced homes, appraisers are being more unyielding in their comparisons. Sellers who have old vinyl bathroom floors and out of date wallpaper cannot compete with other houses in the neighborhood that half of modern appliances and fixtures along with up-to-date paint colors. The key here is to present a clean, modern, turnkey bathroom as a crown jewel in your home.

The big question in most homeowner’s minds is how much can you realistically recoup when selling your house? This is dictated by your choice of materials, colors, how much you spent and the buyer’s perceptions. You cannot get emotional over losing 15 to 25% of your remodeling spend because routinely you can expect a return on investment of 75 to 85%. In order to recoup the higher percentage you want to make sure that you incorporate classic and natural materials with unique finishing touches into your remodeling project. You can easily check with your realtor who could get you into other houses in your neighborhood so you can compare your current bathrooms state to other houses being sold. This will let you know where to put most of your dollars. Do not take this to mean that unique tap the most luxurious expenses bathroom in the neighborhood.

As every good realtor will tell you, every dollar you spend on remodeling your bathroom will make it that much more attractive in the eyes of buyers. With this in mind, knowing how to remodel your bathroom and make money at the same time by achieving a higher return on investment should be number one on your list of things to do.

1. Large open showers: Showers are usually big. Many homeowners with small bathrooms are ripping out bathtubs and replacing them with glass showers. This not only provides them with more shower space but also gives the appearance of being larger because of the glass walls. Most of the top models you should look at will and hinged doors rather than sliding glass doors and incorporate a heavier glass. As mentioned above people want to incorporate more luxury items into their bathrooms so they have the feeling that they are in a five-star hotel or resort.

2. Soaking tubs: Contractors and designers are seeing people come back to tubs and away from the Jacuzzi which was popular several years ago. People now are looking for a relaxed and quiet experience when lying in a hot soaking tub. Soaking tubs are usually deeper and insulated, much different than the typical bathtub. Homeowners are also steering away from the decking around tubs that was typical in the 1980s and 1990s.

3. More light please: With more houses having master bathrooms, homeowners look at them as their private oasis or sanctuary. People are looking for brighter and more sun-filled master bathrooms. Sometimes this means adding windows or skylights to the bathroom walls and ceiling.

4. Steam bath: One of the top items homeowners are having installed is the steam bath. Because the stress level in the employment world has skyrocketed over the past several years, people want to come home and de-stress at the end of the day. Keep in mind that usually bathrooms have to be reconfigured in order to add a steam bath.

5. Let the steam out: Every good bathroom needed an equally good ventilation system to pull out steam from showers and to the mirrors clean. Contractors and designers recommend incorporating a remote fan with a motor being elsewhere such as the attic, because these units are often 10 times more powerful than the older versions and only cost about $50 more. The best thing is that they are much quieter than their predecessors. The high-end models also have humidity sensors that will switch on and off automatically.

1. The first place you want to start with is planning and your budget. Not only will this dictate what you’ll able to remodel as far as what materials and fixtures you can buy, but also will define the boundaries of your design.
2. Clearly define room for everything you want to install.  Proper planning will include deciding where to position fixtures such as a bathtub, shower, sinks, toilets paper holder, towel racks and other items. You want to be able to clear the floor space for any additional stand up mirrors or storage you also want to incorporate.
3. You want to figure out if you are going to need additional power outlets and if so you should plan on hiring a licensed electrician to do this for you. This will obviously increase your costs, but in the long run you will save yourself time and a lot of headaches. Depending if you are going to relocate sinks, bathtubs, toilets and showers you may need to figure out where your walls are going to be moved to. This may also add the necessity to additionally move doors and windows and reposition lighting fixtures.
4. Keep in mind that if you are moving the toilet, bath tub, sinks and showers, this will also require water pipes to be moved which will dramatically increase your costs.
5. Properly plan to have adequate space to put up your chosen fittings as well as enough room to move them into position.

As with most projects, proper planning will return you with peace of mind and an end project that is exactly what you want.

Usually people contemplate remodeling a bathroom for a while before actually moving ahead with the project. If this is you, you may have bought bathroom decorating magazines, books, and watched the HGTV shows about how to do self-remodeling projects. The hard part is that you cannot place the end result of the pictures you see into your own bathroom in order to determine whether that style will work or not.

This is where finding a great bathroom designer will help you out. Designers will look, at not only the rest of your house to determine the styles and colors you like, but also talk to you to figure out your personality so they can work all of this into the remodeling project.

You want to obtain references from all of the designers who you interview and make sure that you actually called. You want to be able to figure out if the designer was able to develop a proper sense of personality and style in the project the way that the other clients had initially envisioned. You want to also know if the designer was professional, worked within the allotted budget, and if they were able to maintain the time schedule agreed upon.

Talk to your friends and find out if any of them have had their bathrooms remodeled and find out if you can obtain a referral from them as to who the designer was. That is, if they were happy with them. You can also check with any of the major home improvement centers who usually have a list of designers and contractors who will assist you. Many of the stores have in-house designers who will help you design the bathroom of your dreams without actually having to pay the additional costs of hiring a top designer.

Many people buy a plot of land on which they desire to build their dream custom home. However, if they are also thinking about playing the role of contractor in hiring different companies to perform all of the home building projects when, really, the area to consider is whether you have the project management skills or not.

Why would someone want to try and manage this large project when they do not have the knowledge or skills? In order to try and save as much money as possible, of course. They think in the beginning this is a simple task, but soon learned that they may be in over their head and should hire an on-site project manager.

One area that causes a lot of problems without proper project management is cost and time overruns. This not only blows your budget but subsequently delays the completion of your home. Sometimes this will require you to then move into your house when it has not been fully completed because you do not have any more money to finish the project at that time.

You can easily prevent this from happening to you by considering a few easy steps in the beginning:

1. Before deciding to play project manager, consult a professional on-site construction project management firm.
2. Decide on what your budget and timescale is in stick to it.
3. Hiring an on-site project management team will save you a lot of stress, money and delays.