Fantastic- Your house has a basement! Basements are fabulous spaces that add value to your home and space for family, friends, or stuff to spread out.
However, a lot of basements are more akin to caves than family rooms, and only washing machines and old stuffed animals are making use of them. If that sounds like your lower level, maybe it’s time you reclaimed it…right? You don’t have to bring in a crew to make your basement functional; just check out these 5 simple improvements that will let you take the fun—not just the laundry—downstairs.
1. Protect Against Water Damage
Basements have an unpleasant tendency to attract water—and who wants to spend time in a damp, drippy basement? Assess problem areas and bring in professionals if necessary to patch or fix them. Invest in an excellent sump pump, back-up system, and warning system to thwart flooding. Do you have flood insurance for your home? Considering a basement’s tendency to flood, it’s a safe-guard worth going for.
2. Take Advantage of Pluses – Natural Lighting
Most basements these days are equipped with an egress window—a place for easy exit if necessary. That means there’s some natural light to use. Walkout basements have plenty of light, but the small egress requires a bit of creativity to take full advantage of it. Arrange spaces so all can have some light if possible. You may even consider enlarging your window or having one installed—talk to a pro for the how-to and pricing.
3. Fix the Negatives – Cold, Hard Flooring
Unfinished basements have the trademark concrete flooring; uncomfortable, cold, and hard isn’t exactly welcoming, especially if anyone has foot problems. Once you’ve waterproofed your basement, put in some inviting flooring. Carpeting is great, but go for something you won’t mourn the loss of should some unexpected water show up. Tile, laminate, or hardwood can be softened with cushy rugs.
4. Purge and Rearrange
No one will want to take their party to the basement if the poothat l table is covered with boxes of old scrapbooking supplies. Basements are great for storage, but there should be some method to the madness. Devote an area or room to storage and invest in tidy containers. As for other stuff… have a garage sale, hock it on eBay, or make use of the local dump.
5. Talk to a Pro
If you want a truly functional and finished basement, you may want to bring in a pro. A professional can help you plan your lower level, install walls and drywall, take care of plumbing and electricity, and advise on tricky spots. Some of this is DIY if you have the right tools and a little know-how, but some stuff requires a professional job. It’s probably best not to guess with those wires…
With these steps, having a basement you can actually enjoy isn’t just a future dream after all! Now, you really can have that music studio you’ve always wanted… just double check on flood insurance for your home…
When you first get into a home (or even if you’re there for a long time) you want to make sure that your kitchen (and other rooms) are as cozy as possible. Sometimes this means changing around the flooring, the counters, the cabinets, or what have you. Here’s some simple improvements or things you can change to keep your rooms attractive and comfortable.
Start With Your Kitchen
If you’re thinking of doing some home improvements on your own, the kitchen is a good place to start.
Whether you’re looking to sell your home or increase it’s value, your kitchen should always look its best. It’s fairly easy to make a few improvements, and the best part is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to improve your home’s value.
Although you may need to hire a plumber to do some of the work, the key to saving money with home improvement is to do the work on your own. Keep in mind that if you need to purchase fixtures and fittings, it’s important to find good quality ones. Don’t try to cut corners, because poor quality items will defeat your purpose.
Redo the Surfaces
The cupboards may be in good condition, but may still suffer from the popular seventies dark brown laminate. You can always cover them with a new laminate paint of your choice to give them a newer appearance. You might also want to replace the door handles. Your out-of-pocket cost will be for the primer, paint, and door handles.
As long as you are willing to do the work yourself, the only cost is the time you spend doing the work. You shouldn’t pay any more than $40 for a small can of laminate paint, and about $20 for a can of primer. The cost for door handles varies, but if you want to go cheap, you can always buy wooden ones and paint over them. If you want to get really fancy, you can always add some beading around the doors.
Polish the Flooring
Many kitchen floors have either linoleum or vinyl flooring that covers really nice hardwood floors. If this is the case in your kitchen, you can simply remove the linoleum or vinyl and polish the hardwood flooring underneath. You can rent the equipment you need to polish the floor from a local equipment rental store in your area. It may be a time consuming process, but the result of your work can be very satisfying.
Solid hardwood floors will provide beauty and sustainability to your kitchen for the years to come. Beautifully polished floors will add a lot of value to your kitchen, and will undoubtedly increase the value of your home.
And there you have it! Try utilizing a few of the tips above and it can save you tons of money and time when looking to spruce up your home. Surfaces and floors make a big impact
Many options in home flooring are available, but it is important to pick flooring that matches your lifestyle.
Carpet
Carpet (like Empire Carpet) warms up a room and helps keep the noise down in a room. It is great for bedrooms and formal spaces where there isn’t a lot of food and drink, especially with small children and pets.
Spills on carpet need to be cleaned up immediately to avoid permanent staining. Pets can leave odors and hair in carpets. Choosing a carpet without loops is a must with pets.
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is easy to clean and maintain. It is also moisture resistant, and it is a quiet flooring option. Vinyl works well with little children. It is susceptible to rips, tears, and gouges, and pets’ claws can nick and damage the surface. Continue reading →
A dated or worn floor can instantly bring down any room. However, just as a bad floor can spell disaster for a room’s look, a fresh, updated floor can instantly add interest and pizzazz.
Take a walk through your local home improvement center and you will begin to see that flooring options for today’s homes are virtually endless. If new flooring is in your home’s future, the best way to begin the process of selecting flooring is to decide which type of flooring works best in your particular room.
Carpeting
Pros: Carpeting still remains the most popular floor covering in America. Warm, soft and comfortable underfoot, carpeting is usually a wonderful way to update your home. Carpeting can be quickly installed (by professionals, of course) and features a wide array of price points to suit virtually any budget. Many different carpet options, such as plush, frieze and Berber, allow homeowners to find the ideal color, texture and appearance for their needs.
Cons: Carpeting is not meant for every room in the home. Damp or wet areas, such as the front entry or the bathroom, are not ideal places for carpeting, neither is the kitchen, as food and carpeting don’t mix well together. Carpeting can also become stained, damaged, pulled or torn and may be costly to repair or replace. High-traffic areas often see the most carpet wear, thus purchasing higher grade carpeting for these areas is a must. Continue reading →
Empire Today, or also known quite well as Empire Carpet, is one of the most recognized home improvement brands in the United States. Empire Today was founded in 1959 in the Chicago area as a next day flooring and carpeting company which specializes in in-home sales and demonstrations, then sends out their installation crew the next day to install : swift, efficient and with competitive pricing.
Empire Today is also incredibly well known for their commericals and jingle. The tune “588-2300 … Empire!” has been on the lips of myself, kids, friends and even the family pets for years. If anything, the Empire Jingle, along with their impeccable service record, has grown the company into what it has become today; the #1 Specialty Flooring Retailer in the U.S. and one of the Nation’s Top 200 Brand Names.
Empire Today Brand
In fact, according to AdAge, the Empire Today brand is more popular than Office Depot, Dunkin’ Donuts, H&R Block, Intel, and PlayStation.
As an example, a simple search on YouTube for the Empire Today company name serves not only Empire Today commercials but also many happy customers and YouTube users uploading videos of the Empire Today song and even kids dancing to the jingle.
Empire Carpet Man
Besides the jingle, Empire Carpet is also know for the Empire Man, who’s story is available via the Wikipedia Empire Today entry :
The Empire Man was introduced in 1977 as a live action character and later adapted into a popular animated persona that has grown to become a cultural icon. The Empire Man has been seen internationally in commercials and other media, has spawned a line of collectible bobblehead dolls, is featured each year in the annual McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade , and inspired the Chicago Cubs to declare an official “Empire Day” at Wrigley Field in 2007.
The Empire Man was originally portrayed on television by Lynn Hauldren, who continues to provide the voice of the animated character
Empire Today Commercials
Here are some commercials featuring the famous Empire Man of Empire Carpet and Empire Today:
And here’s a version of an Empire Today Window Treatments commercial in Spanish :
So, Empire Today is famous for not only its specialty flooring prices, but also next day installation, quality products, in-home demonstrations, in-home sales and friendly service, but also branding, commercials and creating a strong character.
Whether a national business or a contractor serving the local community, there is much to be learned from the Empire Today story.
