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Top Ten Remodeling Tips
Author: Mary Rosendale

My husband and I just completed our first remodel. It was a period renovation of a Victorian Gingerbread Craftsman. (I'm so thrilled I can talk about it in the past tense). We haunted architectural salvage houses for just the right windows, bid on eBay for period-correct light fixtures, spent an entire afternoon driving all over L.A. for a screw that they stopped making in the thirties and generally worked to the point of insanity. Tiptoed up to the line but never crossed it.So here, ripped from the headlines so to speak, are my Top Ten Tips for Remodeling. Read 'em and weep.

1. There is a solution to every situation. But it's not necessarily yours. You go where the solution is - it doesn't come to you.

2. There is no medicine for whatever ails you quite like hard, exhausting, purposeful work.

3. Chew your own food. Don't make your problems other peoples. They've got their own.

4. I'm not psychic. Maybe you are. Guesstimates of time and money are just that. Reality has a way of intruding. When in doubt - go with Reality. (I don't know when I'm going to die either).

5. Pain fades with time. Remodeling is like giving birth. When you're in the middle of delivery you swear you'll never do it again. But then the kid turns out to be a looker, a few years go by.....Yadda yadda yadda - you're in escrow.

6. There are no problems - only opportunities for creativity, action and collaboration.

7. You're born alone, you die alone - you don't have to win alone. Everyone can win. Some win more than others but there's enough in the pot to spread around. If you squeeze a vendor to bid a job so low that they can't make money, harbor resentment and cut corners - you both lose.

8. Nobody owes you anything. If they help you it's because they're generous people. Acknowledge them.

9. Everything comes to an end. And then it starts up again.

10. Remodeling really is like Improv. You show up without a script. You have no idea what's going to happen next (except you can be sure that whatever you think it'll be - you're wrong). You're dependent on others for their performances. So help them shine. You make it work by paying attention to everything and dealing with whatever Reality presents to you. Do the best you can with the resources you have and don't forget to enjoy the ride.

11. Okay, I lied. There are more than Ten Tips to Remodeling. There are actually thousands. This last one, though, is the most important. Don't forget to put yourself on your own Punch List. No pressure of work or money is reason enough not to eat right,sleep enough, monitor your health and appreciate your family.

Mary Rosendale is a Certified Life Coach, Author, Speaker and serial remodeler. Visit her on the web at http://www.TheConstructedLife.com and sign up for her one-of-a-kind newsletter.

I love building things around the house. And a deck not only adds beauty and value to your home, it is also a fairly easy task to do. Increase your living space by building a deck or patio! Everything you want to know about composite decking material comparisons.

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Courtyard Gardens – Planning Tips
Author: Malcolm Kay
With an increasing tendency for empty nesters, young couples and singles towards higher density inner city living, and the desire to spend minimal time on maintaining gardens or other outdoor spaces, most new apartments, townhouses and condominiums tend to have only pocket sized backyards, courtyards or balconies. So it becomes particularly important to make the most of such limited areas by landscaping and utilizing the space in the best possible way.

But you don’t have to be a professional landscape architect to create an inviting courtyard space - you just have to follow a few basic design principles. Whilst you can’t physically increase the size of a small garden, you can certainly employ a few visual tricks to create the illusion of space.

One important way of doing this is to create a thematic link between the indoor and outdoor areas. Linking the backyard or courtyard to the family room or kitchen, breaks down the division between inside and outside, making the total area appear larger. To establish this link, try to use paving materials that are similar to those used in the house. If you have a tiled area inside, consider extending the same or similar tiles outside. If you have a solid wood or wood laminate floor, one simple solution is to lay interlocking wood deck tiles on the external patio or courtyard (see for example www.ezydeck.net). Although such tiles are best laid over a concrete pad, they can also be laid over a level and well compacted gravel surface. And they can be moved and re-laid at will should you decide to change the design of your outdoor space at any time.

Light colours in the paving and on the courtyard walls will also create an impression of space, so lighter colored tiles would generally be preferable in small spaces.

In confined spaces, more space should be devoted to sitting & walking areas than to plants which should be placed in wide, raided beds. Deck tiles could be used as “stepping stones” along a pathway interspersed with gravel or stones and bordered by plantings. Don’t overdo the garden art. One sculpture or water feature is more than enough.

Clan simple lines are generally better in small situations rather than a “busy” appearance and a formal look is usually more suitable than an informal look. Several large pots or planter boxes will look less cluttered than numerous small ones.

Avoid using flowers with strong red, yellow or orange colours as they tend to “advance” towards you. Blues, purples and grays are preferable because they are not dominating. And make sure plants are selected for all round appeal and not just for a brief burst of colour for a few weeks, but dull for the rest of the year.

With a bit of planning, even the smallest of areas can be made to look larger than you may think.

About the Author

Malcolm Kay is the CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an exporter of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. For further information see www.ezydeck.net

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