How to Choose Bathroom Fixtures

Several decades ago, bathroom fixture designers didn’t have much to do as they used to come in a couple of styles, colors and materials. This means that buyers usually didn’t have to think hard when equipping their bathroom with fixtures. Today, they come in a multitude of styles, and you can find a wide variety of fixtures that will match your bathroom décor perfectly. However, too many choices can cause a real headache, especially when doing the complete bathroom overhaul. They are the “crown jewels” of every bathroom so select your fixtures wisely. They range from luxurious to budget-friendly so let’s see some tips on how to choose bathroom fixtures that will suit both your style and budget.  

 

Image:www.roomsketcher.com/blog/latest-bathroom-trends/

Replacing the old bathtub and sink or not?

Before choosing the suitable faucets, have a look at the condition of your sink and bathtub - you need to decide whether you’ll replace them along with the other fixtures.  If yes, you’ll need to decide which features they’ll have and consider the size and the style of the bathroom first. The choice of fixtures heavily depends on the sink, bathtub and shower. If you want to do a complete bathroom renovation, make sure that you choose major items such as bath carefully – smaller fixtures are much easier to replace. You should have a look at numerous pre-matched ideas to find out what fixtures would look best on your sinks and bathtub.

Set the maximum budget

Before setting out to do some serious shopping, know your budget. I already mentioned that fixtures go from extremely pricey to low-budget. Don’t think that less expensive fixtures necessarily mean bad quality – you can find elegant plumbing fixtures of decent quality that will match the rest of your bathroom at relatively low prices. Look at the prices and try to decide on the whole fixture set before actually making a purchase – this will help you to stay within your budget limits. If on a tight budget, look for wholesale deals or find “damaged” fixtures sold at discount prices. These are fixtures with minor, often invisible imperfections.

Make a decision on the style

Most people will put aesthetics before functionality and this is crucial in most purchases. This is not such an easy task as it may seem: color, shape, type of handles, single/dual lever, hands-free options… there are lots of things to consider. With all possible colors and designs, making a choice is truly a challenge. Before you even start looking for suitable fixtures, think about your bathroom decoration style. Is it vintage, minimalist, ultra-modern, traditional or rustic? Heavily decorated bathrooms need equally ornate fixtures. Minimalist style is usually associated with chrome and nickel, and if you want a delicate look – bronze finish is a good choice. Your lifestyle is an important factor as well – if you have children or many occupants, stay away from sensitive finishes (such as previously mentioned bronze).

Choosing a faucet

There are many types of fixtures, but faucets are the highlight of every bathroom. If you already have a sink, make sure that faucet matches the hole openings. The most common type of sink is the one with three holes. Depending on the type of the sink, you can choose a single-hole faucet, widespread mount, or center-set that matches a three-hole sink. Single-handle faucets are the best choice in most cases as they have a plate that hides the extra holes. Make sure that the style and finish match the other fixtures such as towel bars and robe hooks – these small details won’t go unnoticed. We recommend a combination of single level/ceramic valve faucets (because of their durability) and a metal pop up instead of knobs.

How to choose a perfect finish

A finish is the surface of the exterior parts of the fixture that gives it its color. There are numerous finishes to choose from that not only give fixtures different colors, but they are of the different durability as well. The basic and most common finish types are nickel, chrome and brass, but a bit more luxurious options can be found on the market, such as oil rubbed bronze or satin gold. PVD finish is one of the most quality and durable ones as it’s almost fully scratch resistant. Various finishes can have PVD characteristics (so you can choose any color you like: steel, nickel, brass and so on). Make sure that you choose plated surfaces: chrome is often applied over faucets to protect them from corrosion. 

Why Buy Your Own Property as Early as Your 30’s

Entering your early 30’s marks the start of a turning point in your life. At this point, you begin to worry about what’s in store for your future, and how you’re going to assure that your life is marked by the balance of stability and growth. In this stage, people usually think of ways to ensure that that particular balance is achieved, and the idea of investing on a worthwhile product becomes real and tangible.

 

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Basically, people invest in order to accumulate wealth. It sometimes has its own risks, but the rewards when you study and strategize your investments can be enormous. Right now, one of the most promising investments that people lean on apart from stocks are properties. By investing on the right property, you’ll have a great deal of money for future necessities like education, retirement, medical needs, recreation, and saving up for the future of your family. Here are a couple of reasons why you should buy your own property as early as your 30’s.

1.   The long term returns beat the short term issues.

Due to the massive problems brought about by the housing bubble, people have become more wary of buying properties because the housing market can become unstable. In order to deal with that issue, people rented houses, apartments, and condominium units to save money. According to them, shelling out a couple of hundred dollars per month is more efficient than buying a whole property. If you buy properties, you become tied to that investment forever, and if the issues in the housing market materialize again, it could be a very huge problem for you.

However, even though that was a legitimate claim at that time, the current state of the housing market in the US has become stable, predictable, and manageable. Now is the right time to invest. Achieve it by buying a property that might cost a lot of money in the short run, but can sustain you and your family in the long run, once you have fully paid for it.

2.   You can profit from your properties by flipping and renting them out.

Apart from holding the job that you currently have, buying a property and flipping or renting them out gives you an additional source of a positive cash flow. Again, it may be expensive at the beginning, but through the years, the investment will slowly come back to you through the form of monthly rents or up to 50% capital gains once you flip and sell those properties successfully. You only need patience, creativity, and a little bit of capital in order to begin. 

Buying properties are worthy investments

Whether you are buying a property for profit or for stability, it is an assurance that the returns will more often than not be worth the risks of the short term sacrifices. It has been proven that if you are going to compare renting and buying houses, buying your own property will be more cost-efficient in the long run. Once you own the property, you can either keep it, flip it, or rent it out. Either way, through positive cash flow or through not needing to pay the rising rent prices every month, you are going to get your money’s worth.

In order to succeed in this business, you only need to look for the right property to invest on. You can do this by communicating with an experienced commercial real estate agent who will be able to explain the pros and cons of every property, and how to maximize your utility for your new investment.

Written by the experts at Columbia Real Estate, the most knowledgeable agents for residential real estate in Columbia, MO.

How to Make Your Home Look Good with Landscape

As a homeowner, you would want every aspect of your home to look good. This is why it is important to have your architect know about the different things that you wish to include in your home design. The landscape of your patio should also be given equal importance as it is one part of your home that people get to see first. Because of this, you have to know the different plants you will be installing into your garden so you can complete the appearance of your property.

Traditionally, landscaping your patio starts out with a detailed layout of how each shrub and flower bed will be placed throughout the property. But in some cases, this is not necessarily a followed format. Every time a plant from a nursery is brought home, a homeowner has carefully thought of where he would be placing his new purchase. In a way, this is an indirect way of plotting out the landscape of the property. The problem with this process is that it often leads to a selection of randomly chosen plants haphazardly placed together. Without the right knowledge on how to properly landscape your property, you may actually be ruining the look of your home's exterior. This is why it is best to work with a landscaping company to help you with the layout of your plants.

 

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Here are a few reasons why hiring a landscaping company can be beneficial to you and your lawn:

Carefully planned out

The danger about haphazardly installing plants in different areas of your lawn is that eventually, you will run out of space. Especially if you are thinking of putting a porch later on, you will have to be careful about where you place your plants. And this does not just mean the physical appearance of the plants. You also have to consider how vast and tall it will grow and occupy space. Otherwise, you'll end up tearing out some of your plants to make room for any future building projects you have planned for your home.

Harmonious appeal

When you hire a landscaping company to take care of your property, they will carefully consider different ways to make your home stand out. However, they will make sure to do it correctly and in a way that it doesn't look hideous to other people passing by. Considering they have both the experience and knowledge on how to accentuate the focal point of the lawn, you can trust that they will do their job and make your landscape look beautiful and not appear a mess.

Cost-efficient landscaping

Formal landscapes are best left for the rich and famous. When you hire a landscaping contractor to help you with your lawn, they will assess how much you are willing to spend to maintain the look of your property. Based on this, they will come up with a cost-efficient landscape design for your home. Since a symmetrical landscape is often challenging to upkeep, the contractor will go for alternatives that can still make your home look nice without burning a hole in your pocket.

Strategic planting

Another reason why it is best to have a landscaping company work on your property is that you are assured that the plants they have put in place have been carefully studied. What this means is that each plant has been carefully thought of before they were placed on the lawn. Since plants can grow large quickly, it is best to know how big they will grow. This way, you know how to make use of your space effectively. This will allow you to have more space in your property, especially if you have other ideas in mind for the future. At the same time, the landscaping company will see to it that you can easily maintain your lawn. With all the knowledge and experience they have had in the past, they will be sure to know how to do these things properly so that you can get your money's worth and still have a beautiful home in no time.

Proper space usage

If you have pre-existing plants in your property, the landscaping company can assess whether or not the plant is okay to keep or not. Since they will come up with a layout proposal for you to go through, you can go through the different ideas they have before you accept a design that you think will look good on your property. If they believe that the existing plant will not go well with the other plants you wish to include on your lawn, they can take care of removing it other than planting new things around it.

Working with a landscaping company can be beneficial to your property. There are things that only your landscaper knows and will gladly share with you so you can make the most out of your area. By hiring a landscaper, you can be sure that you are getting your money's worth to have your home looking great.

Written by Clark Jones, owner of Tree Frog Complete Grounds Maintenance. Tree Frog is the best company for landscaping in Columbia, MO.