Category: Guest Blog Posts

The Eternal Debate: Should You Repair or Replace Your Roof?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Have you ever taken a good hard look at the state of your roof recently? Chances are, most people would check up on it only when leaks and considerable damage have already taken their toll.

In ideal conditions, roofs should be able to reach the end of their expected life spans without much damage. But as real-life goes, our roofs are constantly subjected to water damage, intense winds, and the risk of falling tree limbs. This kind of beating and 24/7 exposure to the harsh elements is enough reason why we need to inspect your roof every now and then.

What To Look Out For

Here are some of the things to look out for when inspecting your roof:

1. Damaged or missing shingles
2. Sagging roof deck
3. Signs of rot and mold, algae growth
4. Water leaks and trails
5. Visible holes

The decision on whether to repair or replace your roof is dependent on a number of factors. The first thing to consider is your budget. Can you afford to have your roof replaced? If your roof is less than two decades old, it is highly recommended to do repairs first, especially if the damage is not that significant. Minor repairs are often much cheaper and easier to manage.

You should also ask yourself, “How long do I plan on keeping this home?” The age of your current roof should be able to guide you on this. According to Elite Homes, roof shingles made out of asphalt can last anywhere from 15 to 30 years, while those made out of wood can last up to 30 – 50 years. Roofs made out of more durable materials metal, steel, tin, and aluminum can last at least fifty years.

Another important consideration is your future intent on selling your house. While replacing damaged or missing shingles with new ones is a relatively easy process, finding new shingles or tiles that perfectly match the old ones can be quite a challenge (unless you have some leftover shingles left from the previous roofing job). Mismatched shingles or tiles will look odd and can affect its appeal to future buyers.

Getting a New Roof

In some cases, replacing an old roof with a new one will be a more practical option, instead of settling for regular minor repairs. As an article on Bob Vila.com has pointed out, this decision is also dependent on the state of your current roof, the climate in your area, and the susceptibility of your house to hurricanes, typhoons, and other damaging events.

If ever you’ve decided on getting a new roof, you need to figure out if you need to tear off the old roof and install the new one in its place, or if you can just simply layer the new roof over the existing one. Laying a new roof over the old one is easier and cheaper, but some communities have rules in place regarding the number of roof layers that a house can have. For example, the International Residential Code limits only two roof applications for a house. It’s best to know these kinds of limitations first and requirements before starting on a re-roofing project.

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Little Kitchen Design Tricks That Increase Your Home Value

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

If there is one room you should improve it’s the kitchen, now being called the heart of the home. But you don’t want to spend a fortune designing your entire kitchen just to sell it on again, and understandably. Why not give it a low-cost make-over, creating a new feel and look without having the builders move in on you for months.

Let There Be Light

And I don’t just mean electric ones. If your windows are old-fashioned and the glass sits stained within a shabby frame, replace them with brand new ones that give the room all the light it can take, without having to knock down the walls. New lights can also transform your kitchen, if they’re old-fashioned or class terribly with the room, but this isn’t always necessary.

Go Green

It’s hard to get away from the green trend, with everything eco-friendly and organic these days. But somehow the kitchen accommodates the great outdoors perfectly, whatever your home’s style, and a larger standing plant or simply a smaller vase or two of greenery will give your kitchen that fresh modern feel.

Image by home space

Paint the Town

…Or just your kitchen. Slap on a light colour like a light cream to make it feel more roomy and light. Don’t be afraid of bright colours though, they’re one of the big kitchen design trends at the moment, but if you do stick to one smaller wall, or your smaller appliances like a stylish red kettle and keep it simple. If the colour you set your heart on unfortunately doesn’t match the cupboards, don’t shy away from painting those too and giving them a good thorough clean. They’ll look like new.

Get Coordinated

Making your kitchen match consistently throughout the space can come down to making sure all the appliances coordinate. If your oven and fridge are sleek stainless steel and your microwave and dishwasher are a tacky white plastic, swap them. They’re not always hugely pricy to replace and can be installed for you to save you the hassle, but it’ll bring the room together nicely.

Stay Seated

With the kitchen becoming a social hub and the room everyone gravitates to at gatherings, lots of seating is crucial. Whether that be a nicely co-ordinated sofa to make the room more social, or bar stools if your kitchen is smaller, seating adds a relaxing element to the room, giving buyers the ability to picture themselves using it in a variety of ways.

Free the Floor

The rustic, retro look has made a triumphant yet comforting come-back in the designer home, and with that come the floorboards. You may associate floor boards with dust, bugs and the endless splinters as time goes on, but a coat of varnish or some new planks will change that perception and give the house a stylishly vintage feel.

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A Well-Kept Lawn Increases Property Value

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

According to a study done by the University of Central Florida, good landscaping can increase the value of your home up to 11%. This is too significant a number to ignore. Quality landscaping is an excellent investment for many reasons.

Many people when attempting to increase the value of their home focus on interior projects. It makes sense, however, that the lawn would be an extremely important factor to a potential buyer, after all, it is the first thing they will see. It will also make the buyer feel as though the house is less of a “fixer-upper” if the lawn is well maintained. With all that goes into buying a home and moving, knowing that the lawn is already in good shape could be a very attractive perk.

The ideal length for lawns is about 2 ½ to 3 inches high. Cutting grass too short will actually make it grow back faster. Older lawn mowers may not have the option to leave grass this high, as the thinking used to be the shorter the better, so you may want to check what the highest setting on your mower is.

Another incentive to keep your lawn well maintained is that it can help to boost the property value of your neighborhood overall. If your next-door neighbor’s lawn is overgrown and full of brown patches, and you make the effort to make your lawn look exquisite, it may prompt the neighbor to clean up his yard. Ideally, this would catch on throughout the neighborhood. Property value is partly determined by what homes around you sold for, so it is in your best interest for your neighbors to sell their homes at the best possible prices.

The good news is that the peak of real estate season tends to be in the spring, which is also the best time for gardening. Here are some of the key factors to think about when creating a beautiful looking lawn:

  • Paths and Walkways – It is nice for a guest visiting the home to have a clearly defined walkway to use when walking up to the door. Make sure it is clear of obstacles or overgrown plants because if someone trips on your walkway you could be held liable.
  • Trimmed Hedges – Hedges can be utilized in a variety of ways, whether to separate your yard from the neighbors’, to line walkways, or to provide some privacy on the front porch. Regardless of where your hedges are, keep them evenly trimmed as unruly hedges make a yard look sloppy.
  • Flower Beds – Flowers will add a beautiful pop of color to your yard and make it stand out. Flower beds can go right under windows, or on the ground in front of the house. Be sure to do a little bit of research into what the best flowers for your climate and soil type are. The associates in most garden centers should be able to help you pick out the best flowers for you, whether you want specific colors and are willing to meticulously maintain them, or just want to buy resilient flowers that can handle most conditions.
  • Grass – Of course, the main component of the lawn is the grass! Healthy grass is the foundation to a beautiful lawn. If you do not have the time to regularly mow and fertilize your entire lawn (as many people don’t), consider hiring an Orlando lawn care company. This will ensure that you always have healthy grass to use as a canvas on which to create a gorgeous lawn.

A house is much more likely to sell if it has good curb appeal, meaning even from the curb it looks like a place someone would want to live. A well-maintained lawn is the first step in creating curb appeal, and it can mean a much higher offer on your home.

Looking for an Orlando home with a big backyard? We can help visit https://orlandorealtyconsultants.com/

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A Guide to Loft Insulation

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Getting your loft insulated is one of the best measures you can take to safeguard your home against energy inefficiency. But, it can be confusing deciding what type of insulation to go for and understanding the benefits to your home. For a guide to what loft insulation entails, read on.

Why get loft insulation?

Loft insulation will cost you money, but it’s worth the investment, and after a number of years you end up recouping the money spent with the savings you made. How does it work?  Basically, loft insulation stops heat from escaping out of your roof. During wintertime, when you need the heat most, a loft that hasn’t been insulated can lose up to a quarter of its heat from the roof. By getting your loft insulated, it will have a positive impact on your energy bills, and the environment. You could save over 700g of carbon dioxide annually from getting your loft insulated.

In the summer, when you don’t want the heat entering your home, the insulation acts like a barrier trapping the sun’s energy from coming through the roof, thus keeping your home nice and cool – just when you want it most.

Once you’ve got your loft insulated, it should last you around 40 years, so the inconvenience of installation is nothing compared to how long you’ll benefit for.

Types of insulation

There are different types of insulation, so you’ll need to choose the type that works best for your home and is within your budget. You can either get bulk insulation, which contain fibres that trap small pockets of air, such as glasswool or rockwool. You could also choose reflective insulation, which reduces infrared radiant heat transfer from a hot surface to a cooler one, and includes foil products. Or, you could choose composite materials, which are a combination of bulk and reflective.

The type of roof you have, and who is going to install it, are often deciding factors when it comes to choosing insulation.

The process of insulating your loft

A straightforward, easy-to-access loft, with regular joists and free from condensation issues is easy to insulate, and can even be done as your own DIY project, which will save further costs. Rolls of mineral wool can easily be laid between the joists, then at right angles covering the joists so it meets the required depth.

Some people who use their loft as living space decide to insulate the loft roof instead of the floor by fixing insulation boards between the roof rafters.

Lofts that are hard to access are more likely to need the expertise of a professional. In this instance, specialist equipment is used to blow the insulation material into the loft.

If you have a flat roof, then insulation is normally added to the top of the roof’s weatherproof layer. Again, this is normally a job for a professional.

Any pipes or water tanks will also need insulating so that they don’t freeze up. Don’t forget about the hatch as well.

Value

Not only will adding or improving your loft insulation decrease your energy bills and contribute to helping the environment, it will also increase the value of your home. Any measures that are taken to increase the green factor of a home are appealing additions that buyers will appreciate. These could be the selling points that make your home stand out over another.

 

 

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Stylish Window Dressing Ideas for Summer

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

It’s happening: the cold’s receding (however tentatively) and the sun’s making regular appearances. Finally, we can start spending less time with the curtains drawn to keep the heat in, and instead fling our windows wide open!

Whether you’re looking to let some long-awaited light in or want to give your home a new look, now is the perfect time to dress your windows since they’ll be so much on show.

Multicoloured Curtains

If you’ve got accents of different colours in a space, getting curtains that combine all those colours is a great way to really tie the room together. If you can’t find a single type of fabric that’s just right, try layering – colourful undercurtains have the same subtle yet perceptible effect as the collar of a shirt worn beneath a business suit. Just don’t overdo it, two layers is fine.

 

Blinds

Curtains aren’t the only way to spice up your windows. Have you got a conservatory? Would you just like to offset a room of dark furniture? Stylish blinds and some light linen curtains are the way to go – they let in more light than dark curtains and can be more securely closed off than roman shades.

Window Seating

The color, style and length of your window dressing should complement any adjoining seats. When drawn, curtains shouldn’t drape over the seat, and when they’re apart, they should be securely out of the way. Perfect for a lazy summer afternoon!

What are your favorite window dressing styles? I’d love to hear your plans!

Estelle Page is an interior designer based in Sussex, UK. She’s the home and living editor of GKBC and regularly shares her interior design and home improvement tips online.

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