#you cutting off the mold is like filtering some mud water to be clean;
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soldier | amaranthine (1/6) | b.b.
summary: a boy and a girl went off to war. they fell in love and the devil laughed.
WARNINGS: swearing, MAJOR angst, more fluff than usual wow, heckie doo dah they kiss, blood and vomit mentions, a lot of pain, guns, needles, trains
pairing: bucky barnes x fem!reader
word count: 7.5k
a/n: written for @the-omni-princess and their writing challenge! i really couldn’t help it, i loved bucky and this reader so much i turned it into a series. my prompt was soldier by fleurie. gif not mine. this series will have a happy ending ON GOD
amaranthine masterlist
Head in the dust, feet in the fire
Labour on that midnight wire
Listening for that angel choir
You got nowhere to run
Sunlight filters through dust and Bucky Barnes thinks it’s too fucking sunny for a day in the trenches. His feet blister as he shifts against the wet mud wall. His stomach is hollow and he closes his eyes. Chains wrap around his bones, tying him to his mud post. Mud caked beneath his nails and a strange crackling feeling festering between his legs and his gut, Bucky Barnes tries to sleep for the first time in three days. All he can feel is the mud through his soaked uniform. Yesterday, it rained like Hell’s flames had reached earth, and beneath molding wood, Bucky had tried to keep his soldiers as warm as he could.
He can’t remember the last time he was dry.
“Sarge, it’s your turn,” a soldier calls and his eyes open as he raises his head from the mud wall. Dried mud crumbles from his head and he grabs his helmet, wedges it beneath his arm and lets his muscles scream. His stomach wails and his head spins when he stands but he blinks the dust away and instead sends a nod to the soldier who begins to lead him through the maze. Hand dragging along the crumbling trench wall, he heads through the pits he knows too well to where the rest of the 107th are waiting. They mumble him greetings as he walks between their legs and bodies, some of them groaning when he steps on mud that leaks out dirt water. They’ve yet to see them yet, then.
Every soldier that’s gone in has come out remarkably brighter, and these men look more ashen than death.
He doesn’t know what to expect. Suddenly this medical corp was doing a standard health check while not in combat, and safe to say, it raised Bucky’s suspicions. He continues walking and walking, his blisters bleeding and he’s sure he has some trench foot or some other shit. His feet have been swimming in water and mud for days.
His eyes scan the back of the soldier’s head. Clean helmet, new uniform and boots. Lucky him.
“They’ll take good care of you, Sarge,” the soldier announces all sudden-like and Bucky’s head rings. “Get you into right fighting shape.”
From then, it’s a blur. Hands take him and pass him on to other hands. They take off his clothes, pour warm water over his head and clean him inch by inch. The water turns dark with red and brown when they’re done and he’s sure he can feel the lice in his hair jumping ship before they show him to another tent and then another, each one doing something different.
The last tent is when his mind finally plays catch up.
“Sergeant Barnes?” a voice calls as his blue eyes drift warily around him. Beside him are other soldiers, countless rows of them. Some of them are bleeding through their bandages, there are three crowded around one bed playing cards, and he’s alone in his bed. He glances down at his hands, tough with calluses and scrubbed clean of dirt before raising his head.
“That’s me.”
“Perfect.”
The voice. His eyes find the voice and then he sees her. Her mouth moves and he hears her say her name, but all he can think of is one thing: angel. She isn’t wearing white, and she doesn’t have wings or a halo. Instead, she has dark half-moons imprinted on her face and messy hair and a fixed smile, and she’s anything but an angel, but it’s the only word Bucky can use to describe her.
She has the inexplicable draw, and when he blinks, a little too stunned for words, her fixed smile softens.
He sits up a little straighter, and his heart beats a little louder, and for the first time in days, weeks, months, Bucky Barnes doesn’t feel the cold or the wet or the pain.
“Ma’am.” He clears his throat and she laughs as she sets down a tray of food in his lap. His hands instinctively reach to grab and when her fingers brush his, a jolt sends shivers up his spine. She’s the warmest thing he’s touched in days. The woman wears a uniform similar to his with tough stains along her front and in the creases of her jacket and when she bends over to pull the blanket away from his feet, he can spot the dirty rags stuffed into her pockets. A trained nurse, doctor maybe. “Ma’am, you don’t need to worry—”
“You were written down as potentially suffering from trench foot, Sergeant. I’m just going to take a look, treat it, and then I’ll be on my way,” she says, her voice lilting and soft, different than the sound of screams that seem to echo from tents away, the sound of soldiers cheering whenever they win a game of cards.
Bucky looks down at the tray of food. A bowl of hot soup, dry bread with cheese and a steaming cup of coffee has never looked so delicious. As he picks up the spoon to dip into the soup, he glances at the nurse who takes hold of his ankle. Quickly grabbing a hold of his tray, he steadies it and she sends him an apologetic look down the way. “Sorry.”
“No problem.” He smiles and his face stretches strangely.
It occurs to Bucky he hasn’t smiled in ages, and the woman’s tiny smile in return is enough for him to keep his own grin going.
“Where are you from?” he asks even though it’s painfully obvious. He only speaks because it’s almost humiliating to eat and watch her inspect his feet, especially when he can occasionally catch the glances she sends his way; it’s almost as if she hates the silence as much as he does.
“South London,” she says, slowly setting one foot down. “They soaked your feet, correct?”
“They did. Never been so dry.” She chuckles and the sound is music to Bucky’s ears as she sets down the other foot. “I’m alright to leave, ma’am?”
“You need to be treated first,” she cuts him off, shooting him a narrowed glare. “Talcum powder is extremely helpful. It’ll keep your feet dry for longer and reduce the chafing between your socks and your feet.”
“A miracle.”
“Hardly.” She sends him a quick glance to see if he’s eating before beginning to pat the powder down over his skin. “You need to keep your feet as dry as possible, and expose them to the air, or you’ll be losing more than skin.”
“Hard to do in the mud, ma’am,” he says with a shrug, chugging down his coffee and she catches her bottom lip between her teeth as she pats white dust over his other foot. He wiggles his toe against her palm and she shakes her head with half a smile, gently nudging his foot with a stern rub. “The rain gets everywhere.”
“I know. It’s advice I still have to give, though.” She claps her hands, white dust springing into the air in a cloud. Waving it away, she bends over to grab pillows and shoves them beneath his legs, exposing his blistering feet to the other soldiers who care to look his way. Wiping her palms along her pants, white streaks down the dark green before she pulls out clean socks and sets them by his bedside. “Put these on when you’re discharged. I hope I don’t have to see you again, Sergeant Barnes.” A sort of yawning ache splits Bucky down the middle as she brushes hair out of her face and turns to pick up a second tray of medical supplies.
“Any siblings?” he asks suddenly just to keep her around. She blinks, turns to check if anyone needs her, and then perches on the edge of his cot like a pretty little bird. Her tray balances in her lap, tools glimmering against the stark-white of a roll of bandages. He brings a spoonful of soup to his lips and it warms him all the way down to the belly. A bit of it dribbles down his chin and she reaches over with a thumb to wipe it off.
“Three brothers,” she says, withdrawing her hand. Bucky’s lips part and he sucks in a soft breath as she smiles again, this time wide enough to dig into her cheeks. It changes her—makes her younger and softer. Against the grey of everything, she is enchanting. “Twin older brothers and one baby brother.”
“That must’ve been the worst.” He smirks, eyebrows raising and she hides a laugh unsuccessfully. Bucky’s been told he has an infectious smile and he’s glad war hasn’t taken that away from him. She scoots closer to the head of the bed as he eats and as she nears, he can almost count the stars in her eyes.
“My brothers never stopped getting into trouble and I always got caught in the middle of it. They taught me how to fight and we fought all the time…” Her voice fades away and Bucky frowns, eyebrows furrowing together. “Until the war happened.” Her smile slips away and her eyes no longer bare the bravery to meet his. A muscle in her jaw ticks and Bucky almost reaches for her hand. Almost. He cocks his head, letting his drying hair fall into his eyes and she looks at him again, this time not as warmly, this time with emptiness.
“My brothers fled to America a few months after they declared war,” she says. Some nameless, faceless men in Bucky’s head appear and he tilts his head, lips pressing together in a firm line. He could try to imagine a selfish man with her features, or maybe a man hiding under a hood as he boarded a ship with the same eyes, but he can’t. Not when his sister sits right before him. “Because in England, they can’t conscript the last son of a family.”
His thoughts crumble to ash.
“But you’re here,” he whispers and she looks down at his tray, unseeing.
“I am,” she agrees, wistful, regretful. When their eyes meet again, Bucky wonders if she feels the heat, too. “And you? Any siblings?”
“Three.”
“And you’ve left them behind, too.”
“You’ve been at war much longer than I have,” Bucky points out and she tilts her chin up. The grey sun that streams through the tent flaps hits her face and she’s almost blindingly radiant in a way that breaks a man’s heart. Shifting in his seat, he blinks and tries to keep that image of her, an angel in grey light before it’s gone. She ducks her head to tuck away hair from her face and he twists to set down his tray of food beside him. “You know, I used to braid my sister’s hair before school,” he says and she looks at him, eyebrows shadowing her eyes. “Can’t be rusty when I get back.”
She laughs, almost incredulous, and very, very tired, and Bucky can see the minute the weight seems to lift off her shoulders. She sets down her tray and leans back on her hands, lip caught between teeth as she tries to bite her smile down. It only makes Bucky smile wider.
“Sergeant Barnes, would you please braid a girl’s hair?” she asks, dewy sweet, and Bucky nearly melts in his bed. Mouth dry, he clears his throat and pulls at his blanket.
“What would I get in return?” He plays for keeps, and the angel grins, leaning towards him. His eyes fall to her lips as she brushes hair out of his face. Bucky can barely breath at the featherlight sweep of her fingers.
“Would my everlasting affection suffice?” She cocks her head and waits for his answer, fingers stilling on his cheek as his eyes flicker from her lips to her eyes. He wonders what it would taste like, to kiss her. Maybe it’d taste like coffee and cough syrup, or gunpowder and ash. Whatever it is, Bucky wants to know. So he nods
“I s’pose it would.”
.
The cell reeks of dead rat and rank shit. With the wet drip-drip-drip of water leaking from a crack in the ceiling, Bucky digs his shiv into the cement. Scratching the tally mark, he lets the ugly grating of metal against the wall ring in his ears. A mind-numbing pain rests in his veins and just the mere effort of dragging his arm up the wall to run the point through the mark again is nearly too much. His mind swirls in a twisted knot, one that only tightens with every waking moment.
Whatever they did to him—lacing fire and ice into his blood, carving him from the inside out and sharpening his every sense until he can hear the roaches crawling on the walls—has changed him. Somewhere inside him knows he’s different, disfigured on a level he cannot understand.
He lets his hand fall to the cot as the sound of rusted metal echoes down the hall.
“Let go of me! Bastards!”
Blinding candlelight streams into his cage and Bucky raises his head wearily, twisting onto his side to watch as German soldiers haul a furiously struggling figure between them. Muffled grunts and the sound of fabric rustling catches his ear as he blinks away the stars in his eyes and drops his shiv, hiding it beneath his ratty blanket.
“Herr Schmidt promised you your life for your compliance.”
“Let him choke on my compliance!” The voice rings in his ears as he pushes himself to a sitting position and his metal cell opens before the sound of a body colliding with the floor fills the silence. Bucky blinks hard, trying to get used to the golden light before it shuts him in the darkness once again, but the guards are already closing his gate. The person splayed on his floor gets up, rushing to the metal bars and slamming their first against the shaking thing as the soldiers laugh.
“What the hell?” he mutters, rubbing his eye and one of the soldiers look to him.
“You have company, Sergeant Barnes. Enjoy.” The sneer that seeps into the parting word causes an unwanted shiver to crawl up Bucky’s spine as the body crawls into the middle of his cell and collapses, letting out a sob. Propping himself on his hands, Bucky tries to remember where he’s heard this voice before.
His brain feels burned, and the harder he thinks, the more it seems to whine.
“Barnes?”
His name, whispered harshly and echoing in his four walls of prison, is the answer to his prayers, the answer he least desires.
“Angel,” he utters, breathless as he slides to the floor. The rough cement crates against his weak, bony knees and hands take hold of him as a wet face presses against his cheek.
“Sergeant Barnes.” She all but melts into his embrace, and she burns with the heat of ten million stars, all too hot for his own feverish fingers yet still he digs his nails into her back hard enough that his bones ache. “What did they do to me?” she whispers, shaking, and Bucky pulls her back by the shoulder, one hand cupping her head gently.
“How long have you been here?” he asks carefully and she searches his gaze. “Where were you?” Her breaths shudder against his palm as he wipes away the tears from her face and in the grim, fading light, he can see blood leaking from her ear, dripping warmly onto his knuckles.
“After Azzano, they attacked the hospital.” Her breath, hot as summer rain, chills him to the bone. “They managed to evacuate all but the last few tents and they caught me.” A disgusted twist in her lip, her eyes unfocus. Bucky cups her face, feels something thrum in her pulse and she looks up, looks through him. “They said I was to be put under tests, and I’d be lucky to survive.”
Bucky’s hand on her shoulder trails to the collar of her shirt, gently hooking a finger and tugging. Colourful smudges of purple, blue, yellow, and green smear her skin. The effects of needles, huge and plunging and painful. If he looks close enough in the dark, he can spot the entry points, stabs that haven’t healed.
A flicker of fire burns brighter in his belly than the one that already soaks him in its heat.
“I don’t feel very lucky, Sergeant Barnes,” she whimpers. Bucky’s eyes flash back to hers, and when she blinks, fresh tears run over his skin. “It hurts everywhere.”
“You’ll be okay.” He brings her into his embrace, a hand on her head and the other wrapped around her back as he closes his eyes. Her arms slither around his waist and he presses his cheek against her temple. “You’re going to be okay, angel.”
She is silent. Two weeks and they’ve already beaten hope out of this place. Perhaps she isn’t quite used to the freezing agony set in her bones yet or the ache of ligaments tearing and building again as every fiber of her turns to steel. Bucky wants to tell her it’ll get better, but he doesn’t know himself.
“You’ll have the bed,” Bucky promises and she pulls back immediately to protest but he shakes his head. “My ma would smack me if I didn’t insist.” He half-smiles and his muscles stretch pleasantly in his cheeks as her arms draw away slightly. Her hands rest on his hips and he nods to her.
“You’re my patient,” she protests and he chuckles quietly. It’s a raspy kind of sound and it sounds hollow the more it echoes, but he means it. “I’m supposed to take care of you.”
“Angel, you took care of soldiers for years before I came around,” he starts, and something in her eyes flickers. He cups her cheek, the dim light barely lighting her features. The swollen bags beneath her eyes have only grown worse since he’s last seen her, and she’s lost what little healthy glow she had that coloured her face. “I think it’s time someone took care of you.”
“Sergeant Barnes, I—”
“Bucky,” he says, brushing limp hair away from her face. He can hear her thunderous heart, or perhaps it is his beating between his ears, louder than the ocean. “My name’s Bucky.”
.
“Where are the rest of the 107th?” she asks that night as they feed on cold soup. Bucky’s fingers tremble but the pain has receded into a tiny knot at the base of his skull. His arm feels like it’s about to drop off his body and with every move of his neck, heat and bruising pain spreads into his chest. She drops her spoon too loudly and they both flinch.
“They separated me from them after they began the tests,” he mutters, letting the cold broth slither down his gut. “No one came back from the isolation ward so I thought for sure I’d be dead.”
“Well, neither of us are.” She’s leaning against the metal frame of the bed, her knees tucked to her chest. Her scrappy uniform is scuffed with dirt and wet from the mold growing beneath their feet but Bucky merely smiles softly. His back against the wall, his feet are outstretched before him. He’s quite sure if she stretches her legs too, their boots would touch. “How many doses have they given you?”
“Two.” He sets down his bowl in his lap. She looks into her own, stirring, the metal cup perched on her knees. “You?”
“One.” Something in Bucky’s arm begins to tingle, as if the injection sites open wide at the sound of her voice. He lets his head tilt back until he knocks into the stone. “They kept me in another part of the factory to treat workers before they decided to use me like some lab rat.” Fabric rustles and a presence looms near him as he closes his eyes. Something warm is set in his lap and he lifts his head wearily as she settles in beside him. “You should eat.”
“What?” He picks up the one fresh ingredient to their meal, a slice of warm bread, and shakes his head. Picking it up, he tries to hand it back to her. “No, you need to eat—”
“You’ve been here longer, Sergeant.”
“Angel—”
“I get the bed, and you get the warm bread.” She seems to sag into her shoulders and he frowns slightly. “It seems only fair.” Her hair is slick with dirt, sweat and oil as she rests her head on his shoulder and he tilts his head until his cheek presses against her scalp. Her boot knocks into his as he rips the bread apart.
“Fine. Can’t deny you a thing,” he whispers and she shakes with a silent chuckle, weak and tired. “How’re you feeling?”
“I don’t want to move away from you,” she murmurs blearily, her eyes closed as she turns her head to him. Her nose brushes his jaw as he swallows. “Tell me a story.”
“About what, sweetheart?” he asks, and the warmth of her is so comforting he could cry. Human touch that isn’t sharp and painful and terrible has caused his body to soften. Her body has twisted towards him, her knees bent and her legs hooked over one of his. “I can tell you ‘bout Brooklyn, I guess.”
“Would you?” she asks, exhausted, small, fading. She loops her arm through his, curls herself around it as he bites into the cooling crust. He swallows quickly, feeling it lump together on its way down to his stomach.
“Yeah, and I can tell you ‘bout Steve. He’s my best friend and I made him ride the Cyclone once on Coney Island. I gotta bring you there, the lights at night on a warm summer day… it’s the prettiest sight…”
He can tell the instant she slips away from him, the subtle change in her breathing and her heart rate, the peace that overtakes her face, the tender warmth that seeps into his own bones. He gently brings the slice of bread to his mouth, devouring it in two or three bites before picking up his bowl of soup again. Sipping quietly, he is careful not to disturb her as she squirms against him, seeking something warmer than what he can provide. He carefully sets down the bowl and wraps his free arm around her, squeezing gently in hopes that it’ll give life to her frigid skin.
His own heart thuds in his throat when she lets out a soft sigh and melts into his body. He tilts his head, nose in her hair as her breath puffs against his neck, soft as snow. He closes his own eyes and his mind wanders as her arms, wrapped around his arm, hold him even tighter to her own chest.
A small bomb explodes in his chest and he smiles even though no one’s looking.
Bucky Barnes has never really loved a girl before, but in this moment, as her body fits into his like it is meant to be and he sits, rots, in an Austrian prison with poison running through his veins, he is sure he will gladly die for one.
.
It’s by the third dose for her do they understand best how to take care of one another. Bucky can usually tell when they’ll take one of them away by the meal they present. It’ll be warm, almost hot, and rich with nutrients their bodies crave, and in the mornings, fresh towels and ice will be shoved into their cell like they swelter from the heat.
They toss her into the cell with a rattling slam with a promise to return for him soon but Bucky doesn’t say a word in return. An agonizing mess, his angel lets out a soft moan as he scoops her into his arms. The smell of clean soap and sweat clings to her skin, her hair slightly damp from the shower they always force upon them before the doses. Dark, reddening marks imprinted into her temples, her eyes stare sightlessly ahead as he lays her down on the cot. He dips a towel into the bowl of freezing water.
The soft clack of ice against the metal bowl echoes in his head as he numbly wipes away the sweat, gently cleaning her tears and soothing an ache he knows festers between her temples.
“Doctor…. Prisoner… 56899…” The words slip between her lips, soft and jumbled as she turns her head away and the pit inside of Bucky widens as he tries to catch her eye.
“Angel,” he whispers, running his hand over her cheek. “Come back to me.” Turning her face towards him, he lets out a sharp breath as her eyes stare through him. “Hey, hey, hey.”
“Bucky?” It’s like magic the way a soul seems to fill her body in a moment’s notice. Life pours into her eyes, and a hand grips at his sleeve.
“Hey, angel.” He dips the towel in ice once again and she raises a hand gently to touch his face. Her fingers tremble, clammy with sweat, as he blinks. A strange smile stretches her face and he thinks she’s laughing at him as he wipes away the blood from her ear once again. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re crying, Sergeant Barnes,” she whispers fondly and Bucky blinks again, just realizing the heat that floods his face is not from the factory that works around them. Her cold fingers swipe away the wetness from his cheeks, spread it over his face and he resists the urge to press a kiss to her palm. Instead, he uses his free hand to hold her palm to his cheek. A shiver runs down his spine. “Who’s gone and broken your heart?”
“I think you know the answer to that,” he says. She laughs again, painful and quiet, and this time her eyes flutter shut as she slips away from him. Despite how much stronger she appears with muscles that flex and wane beneath his arms, he sees the cracks they split into her soul. He hopes the love he harbours for his angel is enough to seal every single one.
He knows it is not.
.
Bucky Barnes doesn’t tell her he loves her.
He doesn’t think he can bear the thought of telling her and disappearing the very next day, but perhaps it’s the little things that count.
“There’s enough room on the bed, Sergeant Barnes,” she had said, and they started to sleep together on the small little cot barely fit for one, Bucky slightly hunched over her as they fell asleep in each other’s arms. Their legs entangled and more often than not, it ended with one of them squished against the wall and the other flush against them, but it was always worth the morning blush.
“Have my blanket,” he had insisted as autumn swept over their prison cell and warm food was more and more of a necessity. Even though they didn’t need to eat and hunger no longer clawed at their stomachs, Bucky always remembered to share the slice of warm bread with her as their fingers turned numb and chattering teeth filled the silence at night.
“Hold my hand…” as fingers entwined with fingers.
“I’ll take care of you…” accompanied the sound of blood dripping onto the stone floor.
“When we get outta here…” followed by a million promises and the scratch of the shiv against the stone wall.
It’s the little things that count.
.
“You’re upset.”
Her voice is soft, gentle as snow as Bucky runs a towel raggedly through his almost-dry hair. He twists on his bed to see her standing there, in a new uniform and hair damp as it falls around her face. He thinks she’s never been more effortlessly gorgeous. Life has returned to her cheeks and her eyes spark.
“Angel,” he says with a smile and he scoots over to allow her room next to him. After a wash, he can almost imagine feeling like a new man. He tosses the towel onto the pillow behind him as she sits down. “Did they feed you yet?”
“Just had a quick wash. I was planning on eating with you,” she chirps, sliding an arm around his waist. Tugging him towards her with extraordinary strength, she smiles as Bucky ducks his head underneath her chin. Wrapping his own arms around her middle, he closes his eyes.
“I’m not upset,” he mumbles as her hand trails up his back and runs through his drying hair. “I’m just relieved we got out.”
“I know it’s more than that,” she whispers, gently tugging his head to meet eyes. When he finds her gaze, he feels boneless. A warmth floods his blood and a smile overcomes his face, small, tired. “You always let your guard down when you think no one’s looking.” But I’m always looking are the words that hang between them.
Bucky swallows and cold flashes over his body.
“Let’s give it up for Captain America!”
“You think Steve’s gonna last till next week?” he asks quietly, hands falling away from her. He flinches back when her hands reach for him and he doesn’t see the hurt that settles on her face. “We saw soldiers die, friends bleed out, and you think Steve is gonna be different?”
“He is different.”
“Yeah, so they’ll have him fight the good fight.” His words are bitterly strung out and he wants to put a hole through the wall. “They’ll have him on the front lines and I’ll be right beside him because I can’t abandon my best friend. A best friend who I can barely recognize, and—”
“Bucky, he’s still your Steve.”
“I’m supposed to protect him!” Frosted silence pools into his heart as his breath comes in rattled gasps. His heart hammers against his ribs and he can hear hers, a gentle beat. “And I failed. So that’s the rest of my life; that’s what I’m going to do. Make up for every time I wasn’t there for him and every time I couldn’t stop him from getting hurt—”
“Steve’s changed. Even you can’t protect him from war,” she says and Bucky, with a humourless smile and darkness in his cold blue eyes, shakes his head.
“I can damn well try. If not me, who?” A hollow where his heart should be swallows him whole and he only sees the darkness of the Austrian factory, the vomit and blood after every session. The soft sobs as he whispers he can’t remember his ma’s face. Rebecca is nothing more than a fading memory. “I’m not letting this war take more from me than it already has.”
“Neither am I.” Her hands are folded in her lap and despite how desperately he wants her touch, he feels like he’s just seconds from falling apart. Sucking in a deep breath, he brings his shattered pieces together and silently tells her not to disrupt the broken glass. “If you spend your whole life protecting him, who protects you?”
“I don’t need protection.”
“Bucky.” Her sigh sweeps into his ears as she reaches for his arm and he jerks back, standing sharply. His knees shake and he feels the soreness in his feet as he meets her eyes. Her eyes glisten as she blinks against the fading dusk and he turns away to the tent exit. He barely takes a step before she pipes up again. “Does he know?”
Turning around, he barely utters, “What?”
“What we went through. Does he know?”
“That’s not important.”
“Like hell it isn’t!” She storms up to him, face an effigy of wrath as she grabs his arm. Turning it over in her fingers, she pulls up his wrist so he is forced to stare at his own veins. They run, bulging and blue-grey, and he can hear his own blood flowing. “We got fucked over, Sergeant Barnes. You don’t even remember what your mother looks like and you say it isn’t important?”
“It’s war! I’ve been gone too long.” Bucky rips his arm from her grasp as something in him slants.
“I never forgot my brothers’ faces until I went in there.” She throws an arm out, points to some distant corner of their tent but her glazed eyes do not stray from his. “Sometimes, I can’t even remember their names and you’re no different, and right now, it isn’t about Steve. This is about you and what happened to us back there!”
Heat bubbles underneath his skin and when she does not speak, it’s almost as an avalanche rushes through his body. “I’m trying to forget what happened to me in there! I have a job to do and I can’t… I can’t be distracted because that will get Steve killed. People die every day and I’ve gotten used to it, but I won’t let my best friend be someone I have to leave behind in No Man’s Land. I thought you of all people would understand.” Sticky, humid air clouds his face and his vision blurs as he collapses to his knees. Hands immediately land on his shoulders, slide down his back as he’s pulled into a spine-crushing embrace.
“Oh, Bucky, I do,” she whispers. She pulls him back, cups his face and the suppleness of her skin causes his shuddering breaths to hitch. He sucks in a huge gasp as he continues to crumble. He slips between her fingers as he desperately tries to pull himself together but with her every swipe of his tears, he only shatters. “I promise I do. Just let me take care of you when you can’t do it anymore.” Her thumbs brush underneath his eyes as his hands on her hips squeeze and she lets out a gentle sigh. “You can fall apart on me. I promise I’ll protect you.”
“It’s not worth it. I’m… I’m… not worth it.”
“It’ll always be worth it if it’s you,” she promises and his eyes close. Another rush of tears spill over her fingers as gentle lips press between his eyebrows. “Besides—” Her voice whispers over his skin as she tucks her chin in to look at him. His forehead presses into her sternum as he melts into her body. His hiccuping breaths shake his shoulders jerking as she runs a soothing hand through his hair, down his back—“if you’re not worth saving, then neither am I.”
At this, Bucky raises his tear stained face to his angel and shakes his head, stubborn as they come. His heart slows in his head and cool wind kisses his wet cheeks. Their lips almost brush and his breath shudders in his throat.
“I will always save you no matter what.”
She smiles, a soft exhale that could almost be a laugh puffing against his cheek as he shifts against her, sitting up straighter. She pulls back, wiping her hand along his jacket and he sniffs, a small, watery grin cracking over his face.
“You’re quite the romantic, Sergeant Barnes.”
“How many times do I gotta tell you? My name’s Bucky.” He can hear her heart quiver as he touches her face, spreads his fingers along her cheek and gently guides her closer until he can taste the smoke and lime that clings to her skin. He can hear her breathe his name, a gentle sigh before their lips meet, and he thaws underneath her touch.
Her fingers brush his jaw as he closes his eyes and the feel of her mouth, chapped and warm against his, is ecstasy.
Their first kiss is everything and nothing Bucky has ever dreamed it would be. A desperate clash of tears and lips and teeth, yet softer than anything he’s ever known, he knows one thing is certain in his life now.
He has found the love of his life, and only Death will do them part.
.
The wind is knocked out of him the minute he sees her. His angel has managed to steal his heart all over again and Bucky wonders how he’s going to survive the night when his eyes are glued to her. Clean, soft, and radiant, she stands there almost bashfully, waiting for him to notice her. Her smile splits her face as he remembers to close his mouth.
“Sergeant Barnes,” she greets politely as she looks up at him. In her heels, she looks as if she could rule the world. Bucky barely manages to greet her before clearing his throat. His cheeks pool with heat and he looks down at his shoes, running a hand through his hair. “Where are you off to?”
“Captain Rogers invited me to the Whip and Fiddle for an important meeting.”
“How strange. I was invited as well.” She grins as he extends an arm and she leans over to kiss the corner of his mouth. Bucky’s cheeks flare up and he turns to look at her. She loops her hand through, holding him close as they walk down the street and Bucky places a hand on top of hers along his arm.
“Who’s the lucky man?” he asks as if he isn’t walking the most gorgeous dame in all of London to some bar a few minutes away for their first date.
“A very brave soldier,” she replies. Her heat seeps through his jacket and he turns to look at her, trying to come up with a compliment adequate enough to express how much he adores her. “You look very handsome, Sergeant Barnes.”
“Can’t compare to you, angel.” Her smile becomes tender under his gaze and she pauses just outside the pub. Inside, the frosted glass glows with the heat and with every swing of the door, merry singing and the beginnings of Dum Dum telling a story sweep into the cool air. Words pound at the back of his teeth as he stares down at her, looking so pretty in the warm lamplight of London. “How’s your family? Did you have a chance to see them?”
“Mum’s doing okay. Dad was out with my brother so I was a nice surprise to come home to.”
"It sounds like a warm welcome, doll.”
“You know, they would love to meet you, too.” He blinks, hand stalling from where he’d been brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “I told them about you, if that’s alright…”
“They know about what happened to us?” His voice is tight, just the mere mention of it burning down his arms.
“No.” She looks guilty and Bucky wonders if the weight on her shoulders has always been there. “Mum’s got enough on her plate with my brother leaving and all. He’s, he’s actually travelling to Oxford soon so it was necessary for me to say goodbye and Dad… I don’t think he can take it. He’s lost two sons already.”
Bucky runs his thumb down her cheek, planting a tender kiss against her forehead.
“When this war is over, we’ll find them,” he promises and she smiles, pressing her lips eagerly against his. He can’t help the huge grin that spreads across his face and he chuckles into her mouth as she plants her hands on his cheeks and holds him there, kissing him again and again. “Give me a chance to show you Brooklyn ‘n’ Shelbyville, where I was born, Coney Island… We can take the Railroad and everything.”
“Too many places for a time like this,” she teases, pulling back. “First the Whip and Fiddle, then I show you around London and then we go to America.”
“Deal.” She smiles up at him, like they’re not in the middle of war, like they haven’t just escaped prison with blue serum running through their veins, like they’re still the boy and girl they were before.
“Let’s go in. Steve’s probably waiting,” she whispers, turning to look at the warm, fogging glass. Bucky turns, glaring at the door. Suddenly, meeting Steve doesn’t seem so inviting. Her hands trail down his face and rest on his chest as she sighs longingly. “I don’t want you to go back in there.”
Turning around again, he takes her hand from his chest and kisses her fingers tenderly. “I’m staying right here for a while longer,” he murmurs, knowing that this is not what she meant at all.
A cool chill sweeps between their bodies and Bucky tucks her into his body, wrapping her in the tightest embrace he can manage. She’s all supple muscle, carbon bone, and she’s taller than before yet all Bucky can think of is protecting her.
I love you. I love you. I love you, he thinks, eyes closing as he rests his chin in her hair. He can feel her heart beating like a soft drum through her back as she drags her hands up his shoulders.
“You’re the only one who understands,” she whispers into the wind, yet his ears still catch it all. She buries her face into his chest, her fingers digging into the ridges of his back as he brings a hand to cradle the back of her head. “Please don’t leave me.”
His eyebrows furrow together and he doesn’t even feel the wind bite at his skin until his fingers turn purple. His chest aches and everything inside him cracks like glass under pressure. Winding, and winding, long and elegant in a catastrophic kind of way.
Never, never, never. I love you more than anything. How can I ever leave you? He wants to scream it into the night, tell her until she understands.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
.
“A zip line?” she says dubiously, the snow dotting her hair as she sits by the fire. Heat and frost play at her face, bathing it half in white light, and half in blazing orange. “It doesn’t sound very enticing.”
Bucky forces a smile and kisses her for what he doesn’t know is the last time. She tastes like beef jerky and mountain water, and he can hear Morita making some wise crack about how gooey the Sarge is being. “You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“I always notice,” she retorts.
It sounds an awful like a confession Bucky can’t bear to hear right now.
.
They leave at dawn.
The last thing he does is slip an envelope into her rucksack and he prays that he’ll be back before she can open it.
.
When his fingers slip, there’s a moment in time that freezes. He teeters on the edge of life and death, and he can see Steve’s outstretched hand just before his.
And then he falls and a million and one thoughts fly from his head.
All he can think of is broken promises and the Coney Island lights. The wind that rips away at him is like the way the Cyclone had tossed him through the air, safely bound by the metal bars, but this time, there is nothing holding him back.
He throttles through the air, collides with something sharp and jagged before rolling down, through snow and ice, and his vision swims in inky black as he struggles to breathe. His lungs are paralyzed and his skull splits open as he tumbles over and he thinks the blood is coming from his head? Or maybe it’s his nose or his throat or how can he still think with all of winter’s wrath surrounding him? His head is buried in snow as he tries to remember what it was like to breathe again.
Snow falls softly around him, landing on his face like tiny kisses and it is almost as if his heart leaps to his throat. Blood bubbles at his lips, his whole body wracking with agony. He sinks into the snow, ice the pillow beneath his head. It dribbles warmly down his cheeks, leaking from the corner of his lips and the snow melts in the heat of his essence.
Wind caresses his face gently and he swallows a thick glob of blood that catches halfway as a sob pushes its way up his throat.
He wonders how long he will stay here, broken and dying, until Death comes to collect him, but then something grabs his boot and his eyes jerk open.
Wolves. Wolves will eat me alive, he muses, too tired, too dizzy from pain to fight. The blurry grey-blue canvas above him stretches above him, brighter than anything he remembers seeing, as he raises his head blearily. Men take him by the legs and pull, something he can barely feel as his bones click into place.
“Sergeant Barnes?”
“Angel?” he mumbles beneath his breath, eyes rolling back into his head as it slams back into the snow and he thinks he can hear her laugh echo in the ravine above him. “I’m sorry…”
For every promise I’ve broken, for every day I won’t be here, for every time I never told you I loved you. For loving you and leaving you. For leaving you. For loving you.
I’m sorry.
#fic: amaranthine#bucky barnes#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky barnes x reader angst#bucky barnes x reader fluff#bucky barnes x yn#bucky barnes fanfiction#bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes series#40s!bucky#bucky barnes fanfic#the winter soldier#the winter soldier x you#the winter soldier x reader#the winter soldier fanfiction#the winter soldier imagine#the-omni-princess1kwritingchallenge#my writing
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Wicked Little Thing
A/U: CloudxReno
Also on: A03 and Fanfiction.net
Reno wasn’t like the other boys.
He solidified that when he showed up at Cloud’s window in the early morning hours on the first day of his 18th summer. He had something to show him. Of the utmost importance. Cloud, with half opened blue eyes stared at the boy smirking in the window. The heat of the sun already suffocating despite just breaking through the dark clouds of night. Cloud’s skin felt like rubber. Sticky wet. Like something was crawling through the little blonde hairs on his arms.
But still, he dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and snuck out of the sleeping house to join the other boy. Reno didn’t say much, but it’s rare for him to use any words. Follow me. Died in the humid air right as it grazed Cloud’s ears. And Reno already walking towards the forest. Cloud thought about arguing. Or bitchin’, as Reno called it. But arguing with Reno was as useful as fist fighting a brick wall. The brick wall always wins. Cloud laments this fact, silently of course, as he steps through mud and sticks towards an undisclosed location.
The trees like statues as they provide minimal relief from the ball of flame in the sky.
The air smelled stale and wet.
Like the mold that grows in the boys home, where Reno lives.
The stench that sticks to their clothes; a tell-tale sign of the abandoned.
But Cloud noted, the one time Reno allowed him close enough he could take in his smell, the other boy reminded him of flames.
They come upon a clearing. And Cloud gagged when death crept into the air.
Rotting eggs and sulfur. Cloud pulled his shirt over his nose to filter the smell, though even his mother’s soap proved to be a pathetic barrier. Nothing really prepared Cloud for the stench of a floating dead body baking in the hot sun. At the edge of the swamp, half of the blue flesh bobbed in the water. It’s clothes tattered and torn; button down and no pants. Bloated beyond recognition. Veins like a road map twisting along milky skin.
Cloud darts blue eyes towards Reno. The other boy stared at the body; his face like stone never acknowledging the pungent stench.
“Gotta get used to dead bodies if ya gonna be in SOLDIER,” he said in a thick accent that Cloud could never place, but was one more thing that separated him from the other boys. Reno’s lips tugged into a smirk.
Cloud tried breathing through his mouth; but it tasted like spoiled meat. And he knew if he threw up, Reno would never let him live it down. He swallowed the bile that burned in his throat. And didn’t say another word.
The sounds of summer embraced the scene. The animals that lurk in the swamp send ripples of waves crashing to the surface as they feed. Birds squawk overhead. Breaking twigs in the distance. Mosquitoes and flies buzzed too close. The hum pierced Cloud’s ear drum as he tried to swat them away.
The heat had them both sweating through white shirts. Reno pulled his over his head, revealing the lean muscles and faded bruises. Like dying fireworks in a peach skyline. And Cloud couldn’t help but gaze along his body. Taking inventory every line and freckle until tattooed to his brain. Reno cast his two pearls of lake colored eyes upon the other boy, curious like a fox.
“Comeon,” he drawled, “we’re pullin’ it out.”
“Uuh,” Cloud stuttered, dropping his shirt from his mouth, “What?”
Reno walked closer to the body- Cloud impressed that the other boy could handle the smell- and grabbed a swollen ankle. “I wanna burn it.”
“W-what?” Cloud repeated.
“Fuckin’ what,” Reno snaps, “I ain’t speakin’ a different language.”
Reno hated speaking at all. This was the most string of words he’s spoken in a while. Cloud liked the sound of his voice. Rough like coal. Bitter like whiskey he pretended he didn’t drink when the sun went down. Not like the other boys with their clean grammar and smooth inflections uttered through pearly white teeth. Not like Clouds, who flumbles through words like he’s running through boulders. Getting caught up. Tongue too big for his mouth. Swollen.
Cloud huffed. And followed the order. The smell only grew impossible to handle. The smaller of the two boys coughing and hacking as he tried fruitlessly to shield his nose with his shirt again. Reno watched him the whole time with hooded eyes that darkened under the mess of red hair. Cloud tried to focus on the task. And not how Reno scanned his body. Resting on the bit of skin exposed from pulling up his shirt.
Cloud hesitated. The flesh that held together the foot to ankle looked diseased. Black. Putrid. He didn’t want to touch it, not at all. The amount of bacteria eating away at the stinking flesh was enough to make Cloud sick. But he could still feel Reno’s burning gaze. And he doesn’t want to look like a coward in front of him. He wrapped his fingers around the skin- and it feels like wet, slimy, clay. He pulled and the flesh peeled away from worn bone. Slipped from his hands like thick water.
He yelled and jumped back, tripping over a rock.
Reno’s laugh sounded like razor blades. He’s pacing around the clearing, holding his stomach. And if Cloud had an ounce of courage, he might swing at him.
“Fuck you!” He shouted instead.
“Poor lil bird.” Reno regained his composure. His toothy smile revealed two sharp canines.
Cloud scrambled back to his feet. “You’re sick, man.”
The red-head shrugs, wiping his hands on dirty blue jeans. He pulls out his crumbled pack of smokes and places a cigarette between his thin lips.
“Can I bum one?” Cloud asked.
Reno ignited the match, the flame orange and yellow casts haunting shadows across his face. “No.”
“Why?”
He took a drag, “Waste.”
Cloud knew what he meant. “I heard everyone smokes in SOLDIER. I got to learn right?”
“Who told ya that? Zack?” Reno scrunched his face like the name tasted like poison on his tongue. Cloud nodded and Reno just shook his head. “Zack has half a brain and it ain’t in his head.”
Cloud doesn’t respond. Eyes wilted to the dirt ground; a large centipede crawled over his shoe and he kicked it into the lake where it can be a gators snack.
“You can’t burn the body, by the way,” he said. “It’s too wet. It won’t catch.”
Reno grimaced in response. Cloud admired the scowl on the other boy’s face. How it compliments the rest of his rough edges. He watched him take slow drags of his cigarette. How the black smoke slowly escaped his lips, obstructing his features except for those two eyes that glow against smoke. Like the stars in the midnight sky.
Reno was a house fire.
And maybe Cloud felt that way because the first time he saw him Mrs. Fost house was engulfed. Glowing orange embers fell from the sky like rain. Hissed and singed when they landed on the cobble stoned street. Everyone watched. Some helped. The good ol’ boys, like Zack, rallied each other and grabbed water from the well to put out the fire.
Cloud stood hypnotized by the dancing reds that ate at the flimsy wood, which scorched the air. And he thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen up to that point. He wanted to feel as powerful as a fire. Eat away at the things weaker than him. But Cloud wasn’t a house fire. Cloud was the wood structure collapsing like a dying star.
He heard the striking of a match. Turned towards the sound.
Saw a boy, with hair the color of blood, bringing fire to the cigarette between his lips.
He looked like danger. Cut from metal. Sharp like the switchblade in his pocket.
And then, like now under the muted morning light, in a swamp that reeks of death, Cloud can’t stop staring at the boy. Who appeared a year ago like a phantom under the flames of destruction. Cloud gravitated to him like he was the sun. And found only darkness. A red dwarf. Two minutes from midnight and ready for armageddon. And that’s all he knew.
Reno’s past a mystery but everyone tried predicting his future.
Boys like that end up in the gutter.
The mothers whispered.
Filthy monsters. Wicked little things. All end up dead before eighteen.
Zack and the rest of the boys warned him much the same.
You hang out with trash you start to smell.
But Reno smelled like burning wood, nicotine, and pomegranates.
Reno was fire and Cloud wanted to burn.
Thunder cracked. Cloud looked into the darkening sky. “It’s going to rain.”
“So?” Reno grabbed a long stick and stomped back towards the body. “Afraid of gettin’ wet?” He winks, “Little birds can’t fly in rain?”
He plunged the stick into the bloated stomach of cadaver. Black ooze pushed out. Cloud swore he heard a wheeze before another boom of thunder. He flinched as Reno dug the wood deeper until it stood on its own.
“Wh-why did you do that?”
Reno snapped his eyes at Cloud. And shrugged, again. Cloud pursed his lips looking for words. But found vacant expressions. Reno didn’t need to explain himself; he’s red hot anger. And everything he does is a result of that.
“You gotta learn to stab shit if you wanna be a SOLDIER.” Reno said and revealed a switchblade from his back pocket. “Comeon.”
Cloud hesitated. “W..Why?”
“I just said why, fuck.”
The sky opened and cold rain cooled the hot earth. The drops slammed against the bloated body; singing through the dense forest and murky swamp. Tap tap tap. Rapid like bullets.
“I won’t be stabbing something that’s already dead, right?” Cloud shifted.
Reno removed the dead cigarette from his mouth, flicking it into the swamp and approached Cloud. His feet sunk into the mud with every step; but as if blessed, he doesn’t stumble. And the blonde can’t seem to move, even though Reno’s giving him this look; like an alligator lurking below the surface of the swamp, ready to bite his head off. He stopped too close. Cloud could see the gentle rise and fall of his chest. The bones of his rib cage that peek through the skin. The small cuts. The large black and blues. From one too many fights with those good boys.
To Cloud’s surprise, they’re the same height. Blue green meets slate blue eyes. Reno always gave off the impression of being impossibly larger than life. Cloud crushed under his gaze. But in the pouring rain, in the morning light, with the smell of rotting flesh and still water, they were equals.
Reno grabbed Cloud’s wrist, with a sudden movement that it stole the blonde’s heartbeat, and placed the hilt of the blade in his wet palm.
“Stab me.”
“What!?” Cloud didn’t stutter this time. He blurted the words from his mouth with a frantic tone. He tried to move back but Reno held him firm. Rooted to the ground. “No w-way!”
“Gotta learn.” Reno grinned something vile. He closed Cloud’s fingers around the worn wood, and pressed the sharpened knife against his own side. Guiding the other boy. His skin tickling the blade like a dar. “Right here.”
“Y-y-you’re fucki-in nuts, Re.”
“You think this my first time bein’ stabbed?”
“No, bu-t-” Cloud could only shake his head, “I ain’t stabbing you. No w-way.”
Reno frowned, bringing Cloud and his wrist and the blade to his neck. “How ‘bout here?”
“That’s w-worse!” Cloud panted. “You’ll die.”
“You can’t kill me, lil bird.” And Reno laughed. A devastated laugh that sounded more like the lightning that flashed overhead. Blinding Cloud for a moment. But only a moment. And he saw electricity in the redhead eyes. And felt his skin rise towards the cement sky. And he didn’t know if the shock was from the angry god above or the boy before him, yanking him closer. Stumbling over feet. His collision with Reno- skin to skin- proceeded the thunder.
“Hm,” Reno purrs, and Cloud felt his breath against his lips. “Ya never gonna make SOLDIER.”
Cloud growled, “F-Fuck you, Reno.”
Reno squeezed Cloud’s wrist. Tight. Until he was forced to drop the knife. “Ya finally gettin mad, huh?”
But Cloud stared into Reno’s eyes- too busy to get mad. Trying to focus on anything else besides Reno. Not his lips and how they were slightly opened and just slightly inviting. And that he smells of smoldering flame that eats at an entire forest. And his hand feels rough around his wrist. And Cloud’s aware of the lack of blood traveling to his fingers that they are going numb.
Reno relaxed his grip. Moving his hand up Cloud’s, over the scars that littered his calloused fingers. Burns. “I like it when ya mad,” he whispered, “ya more interestin’.”
And he’s giving Cloud the same look he flashed him at Mrs. Fost’s house fire. When the smoke around his face cleared. And Cloud saw the dramatic curves of his face. His slanted auburn eyebrows that clashed against the red hues of his hair. Mesmerized by the way his eyes glowed- literally glowed- brighter than the fire that consumed the wood house over the old women’s feverish cries. And Cloud was, himself, engulfed by Reno’s gaze that he didn’t acknowledge how the strange boy traveled from Cloud’s face, down his chest, to his bandaged right hand that blistered underneath the cloth.
Not until the red-head curled his lips into a wicked little smirk.
Under the rain, the hot rain that stuck to his body like grime, Reno had the same look, Curiosity mixed with bloodlust.
Or…
Just regular lust.
And Cloud couldn’t stand another minute not knowing if Reno tasted like he smelled-
Pressed his lips against the red-heads, snaking his fingers into his wet hair to pull him closer. Impossibly close.
He expected a fist in his face, rocking him from this earth. Instead, Reno returns the kiss twice as forceful and with more practice. Wrapping his lean arms around Cloud’s small frame. Gliding his nails through the white fabric.
Cloud opened his mouth so their tongues can meet,
And he tasted like tar. And electricity. And sulfur.
They managed to get off the shirt that clung to Cloud’s body like suction cups. And they were back to skin and mess of limbs and lips.
And teeth that bit on Cloud’s lip; and he moaned from his throat a sound that rushed through Reno’s body like a shockwave. Then fall to the floor. Cushioned by the mud.
They tarnished their bodies in dirt and filth. Rough hands digging into flesh. And Cloud couldn’t keep track of how many times Reno’s name left his bruised lips through harsh breathes.
And he didn’t stutter.
He memorized that name. Branded it in his brain.
The only word he knew.
The red-head sat up, straddling Cloud’s hips under him. Pressing his hand firm on his chest to keep him on the ground. And blue-green eyes stare at Reno. Flushed with pleading desire. But he’s preoccupied with the scars on Cloud’s chest.
And if Reno was faded fireworks during the sun set.
Cloud was the scorched woods during sun rise.
Old burns splashed over his pale skin. Some still pink and angry. Other’s that blended into his flesh.
And Reno smiled.
His first real smile.
And Cloud thought he looked like the devil.
He dropped down, their torsos meeting. Lips just barely touching. “I knew it,” he whispers.
And he figured it out the night they first met. That Cloud was a match that needed a spark.
Their lips met again. Clothes torn off.
The rain and mud made their bodies slick. And Cloud dug his nails into Reno’s back while he hissed into the blonde's neck. Nipping and biting skin, adding crimson to muted colors.
It was the tangled limbs- how Cloud didn’t know where he ended and Reno began- that had raw breathless gasps clawing at his throat.
And they were gripped in euphoria that they forgot about the body decaying next to them.
--------------------------
The rain stopped. The heat rose from the soil and the earth felt like an oven. Reno stood over the body; his jeans stained with mud and shirt over his shoulder. Cloud walked next to him, still trying to adjust his shorts, with his own shirt balled in his pocket- his mom will have a word with him when he gets home, for sure. But that would have to wait. Right now, he relished the tingles that touched every part of his body, while he watched the red-head. New scars painted his canvas. Long streaks of red that matched the ones on Cloud’s body. And the blonde felt the throb of the bite on his shoulder; and it burned like the fire that decorated his flesh.
He didn’t even care that Reno had marked him-
Like the house fire, Reno was the most beautiful thing he had even seen in eighteen years on this dying planet. And Cloud wanted every bite, and burn, the red head could offer him.
Reno grabbed his pack. Placed a cigarette in his mouth and lit it with his last match.
He turned to Cloud, removed the stick and gently placed it between Cloud’s partial opened lips. The other boy blinked several times in confusion, as Reno replaced it with another one, and leaned into Cloud’s ember to light it.
The sound of searing fire touched his ears.
His whole body twitched.
Cloud smiled, couldn’t help it, and took a sharp inhale. Blowing the smoke right at Reno, who smirked.
“Thought you said it would be a waste?” Cloud sing-songed.
“Heh, ya ain’t gettin’ into SOLDIER anymore. Don’t matter.”
“W-why do you say that?” Cloud cocked his head, and in mid-morning light, he looked like an innocent boy filled with naivety.
But Reno knew better. “They don’t care for wicked little things like us.”
They shared a look under the heat of the sun that burned their skin. A look they shared against the warming flames. Where Cloud saw him for the first time and knew he needed to understand as much as he could about the mysterious boy who appeared from thin air. Who was filthy. Abandoned. A discarded trash.
But stunning. Like a god.
He was right.
Reno wasn’t like the other boys.
And neither was Cloud.
#cleno#fanfiction#cloud strife#reno the turk#writing#cloud x reno#also on ao3#also on fanfiction.net
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10, 2, and 1 lol
Okay so, I decided to do 10 & 1 and excluded 2 because otherwise this was going to be MASSIVE. THANKS NONNY FOR THE PROMPT >:DDD
I drew a Veilfire Rune Codex…tarot thing [wow what a mouthful]
10: a description of your OC by someone who hates them
Codex: [The Seeker’s thoughts on the Second Survivor]
Cassandra liked to think that she did not have room in her heart for things like hatred, envy, or greed. The world was already steeped in so much of it. She strived to stay within the Maker’s light, channelling it through herself as a beacon of justice, lending her sword and shield where the cause was righteous, as best as she could judge it.
Still. She was only human.
The elf, Maordrid, tried her on various levels. When the mage joined the Inquisition, Lavellan had pulled her straight into the middle. And Cassandra did not like how easily and quietly the Arcane Warrior had slipped into their ranks. Or how swiftly the Herald had taken a liking to the female apostate. If not for Yin’s charming and trusting demeanour, Cassandra might have ordered Maordrid kept in a cell for interrogation. For a time, Cassandra had been rather unnerved by Solas and his quiet. His uncanny knowledge of the Fade and easy use of magic. But Maordrid kept to herself and watched with those hawkish eyes of hers, always filtering to the back of the group as though she did not trust any of them at hers.
She could not see what Lavellan saw in the other mage. Yin was bright and cheerful, charismatic, and before Maordrid came along, Solas had been the quietest and even he had quickly warmed to Lavellan’s shine.
Maordrid was like a rift into the Abyss, resisting all light cast into it. She only seemed to know how to scowl, though her rare smiles were too sharp, like warnings carved into stone. Even something about her voice grated at Cassandra. It was like a dark, twisted version of Solas’ whose voice she found herself enjoying when he regaled the company with intricate tales. Maordrid’s voice was somehow a song without life. It was as though the woman was putting the bare minimum into being alive.
Save for one thing.
When Maordrid joined the fray of battle, she came to life. Like a bellows pumping air into a forge, the fire roared and Maordrid danced and her magic sang. It was as though whatever spirit lay tucked deep within served the express purpose of killing – and protecting. And when the fight was over, the fires abated and the storm retreated.
For a brief amount of time, Cassandra almost felt admiration for the short witch-warrior. How the woman had thrown herself in front of each of them without batting an eyelid and never leaving their backs unguarded until the battle was turned to their party’s favour.
That was until the dreams began. What little trust she had for Maordrid dwindled to dregs and her suspicion rose to dangerous heights.
She knew that Lavellan had night terrors and that Solas was doing something – hopefully–to remedy the situation, and even she had a few nightmares herself, but nothing close to what she’d heard overheard in regards to the mysterious elven witch.
And that was the problem–no one would speak of it. Solas was tight lipped and sombre–Lavellan was…worried, but put his focus on their mission, reassuring her that Solas had it under control.
Cassandra was not convinced.She started to reexamine Maordrid with a critical eye.
The protective behaviour she exhibited on the battlefield became Casssandra’s focus point, for that was where she was strongest herself. At first, she did not think she would find much fault in the way the witch fought, but then the moment came, just outside of Redcliffe. Maordrid saved Solas’ life, throwing herself before him in path of a terror aiming for his throat.
She’d believed it brave at the time, even told Maordrid such herself. But when the elf turned down healing or assistance from those who offered, Cassandra realised something else–the elf was no guardian, she was a reckless, walking hazard. A liability and a weak spot in the armour of their core group. An unpredictable apostate wielding unpredictable magic with a penchant for disobeying orders.
But it was Cassandra’s voice against the majority. And so the Seeker watched and waited, keeping her blade sharp and loose in its sheath. She kept her eyes and ears sharper. She would not be taken unawares again.
Maker help us all.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1: an overheard conversation about your OC
Codex: [The Bridge Between Worlds]
“What is that Elvhen doing with the mortal outsider on our hallowed grounds? Why has our Dhruraje'lin not expelled them both? Or at least the quickling.”
“The Dhruraje'lin knows her from the time Before. Or knew of her.”
“She wears no vallaslin.”
“I know. That is why I am wary. Perhaps that is also why the Dhruraje'lan has not banished them–she could be nobility, or one of the Wolf’s rebels.”
“Hark, they approach.”
The two elves crouched down on a tree-sheltered precipice high above a cove. Below, bridges spanned singing pools like fine lace, their paths gleaming white in the golden sunlight and their underbellies swimming with the glittering reflections of the waters. Two more elves walked upon the widest of the paths, one clad in flawless armour that bent and molded to muscles like water–the other was garbed in leathers and cloth worn and coloured like the earth.
An imperious voice issued up from the pools from one of the elves, disturbing the tranquil scene, “I do not trust her.”
There was a trilling laugh from the other elf. It was full of fondness and true mirth, not mockery. The elf in armour came to a stop in the middle of the bridge, arms crossed. The other stood several paces away, hands extended over the edge of the bridge. Suddenly, water flowed up from the pools, swirling about the smaller elf’s hands in mesmerising patterns. The armoured elf scoffed and turned away.
“That’s not an uncommon reaction with her,” the second elf said. The first one gaped slightly but then quickly recovered when the second looked over, assuming a mask of scowling condescension.
“You dismiss the warnings as though brushing dust from your cloak.” It was a statement, not a question. The second elf snorted again and lifted the cloak at their shoulders. Upon first glance, it looked as though it were dyed an ombre of green and sunset-orange. But a closer look would reveal that it was in fact stained with clay.
“What, like this?” The water whipped through the air and streaked across the mud, wiping it clean of the cloak.
“Such insolence. You will be the cause of your own demise.”
“You’ve something to say about her, then say it. I can’t make much from vague claims.”
“And yet an entire people have based their lives off–” The voices went too low to hear, made no clearer when a particularly obnoxious avian creature began blaring its mating call in the trees above the cove.
“So?” the second elf’s bright voice became audible once the bird moved on.
“She’s manipulative; a murderer,” the deep, lilting one answered with vitriol. “And an emotion-blinded fool. She is lucky that she was permitted to continue living.”
“You say that as if it was once a privilege to draw breath.”
“For what she did, it was more than what she deserved,” the first one dodged, “She has some nerve stepping into this place, despite her claims of atonement. If not for–” the voice cut low once more, “I would have turned her away. Perhaps I still should.”
“I don’t believe that’s the entire reason you don’t kick us out.” A tense silence filled the air between the elves. They seemed to be having a staring contest.
“There are not many of my kind left. Even though she has done many terrible things, those who live here were better than that. In memory of what once was, I offer a piece of it. It is what is demanded of me.”
“And I thank you for your hospitality. I’d gladly extend same service and more to you in my home,” the second one said with a bow, whose bright and cheerful voice softened into something akin to the tranquil pools around them. “Still, I think there’s something else you’re not sharing. You know her - more than just the reputation that has apparently preceded her for millennia.”
The one in armour shifted, but only settled back into a stiff, cross-armed stance.
“As I said, she was shown undeserved favour. I have seen others executed for simply staring at a Divine One at the wrong moment.”
“And…why was that?”
“You told me of this…Red Jenny. She was not unlike the one you know, striking in uncoordinated, chaotic patterns. An antagonist to the wrong people. Because of her hunger for vengeance, she caused an irreparable amount of damage.”
“Was this before the Rebellion?” the other elf asked. There was a pause. “Oh. How many others were like her and…” Whatever was said, it was spoken too quiet to hear from upon the precipice.
“Countless. And only one was successful,” the first answered. “She was known amongst us for a time as a bellasalin. Such as we called those who were spoils of war. Elvhen who passed hands too many times, these bellasalin were believed cursed. Believed that there was something, some flaw that rendered them worthless and for that reason had not found themselves a permanent House. Fewer knew that in the right hands, they made for formidable weapons. To those with spy networks, they were the bellainan.”
“I…can only parse one translation from that. Both of them, really.”
“Predictable.”
“Asshole.” There was a seething silence this time.
“Are all of you like this? Crude of tongue and of appearance?”
“I know where this is going. I’m supposed to answer ‘why?’ so you can say 'so I can avoid wasting my time with any others’.” The first one scoffed again, turning away entirely in favour of striding toward the sloping archway on the other side of the bridge.
“I do not like you. I think it is time to return you to your bellasalin.”
The smaller of the two swore in a strange language and chased after the armoured one, calling the other elf by name, though it was steadfastedly ignored.
#dragon age codex#cassandra pentaghast#solas#lavellan#maori#evanuris#DisapprovesWriting#dragon age inquisition
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Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.
There are probably 1,001 uses for wooden shipping pallets besides sticking them in a burn barrel. We can regularly source them for free or for very low cost by talking to distribution centers and contractor supply stores about their breakage piles, eyeballing the dumpster areas of shopping centers and warehouses, or checking sites like Craigslist and Freecycle.
Spin around online and you can find all sorts of projects and builds for people of all skill levels. They can make our lives easier and seriously cut our costs in many cases. A free item with that much potential makes them an automatic must-have in my book. I’m mostly going to talk about simple builds this time around, but pallets also get turned into pretty impressive structures, gardens, and furniture.
Pallets come in several standard sizes and a handful of configurations. While the type can matter for some of our projects due to the number, cut, and spacing of boards, for the most part applications are pretty universal. For details about shipping pallet types and sizes, check out this site http://www.airseacontainers.com/blog/most-common-shipping-pallet-measurements/.
Disassembled = Board Lumber
Remember, once disassembled, our pallets are just lumber. That opens up the whole world of projects. Rifle racks for the range or safes, food storage shelves, bird houses and playhouses; anything we’d repair or build can be done with pallets.
Those boards also have use in hiding some of the “ugly” around our homes. We can use them to sheath everything from our water storage totes and barrels, to whatever containers we’re planting in.
We can also double up our pallet boards for a little more durability and strength if we want. I mention this because some stuff is heavy and would do better with a 2×4 than 1×4. (I tend to live in the “abundance of caution” and JIC world for the most part, although I’ll dispel that and make heads spin in the next section.)
Safe or Unsafe
How “safe” the various treatments used on pallets is for us depends on our intended use, even if we’re worried about chemicals. Most articles and videos will tell you that only HT-Heat treated pallets are safe, although others include debarked (DB) and the “safe” EPAL European designator. I’m not going to hand my kids lead pacifiers or mix up powdered milk or pony drenches in bleach bottles, but I also don’t get too wrapped around the axle on some fronts. This is one of them.
If you consume Big Ag meats (supermarket to Outback or Whataburger), farmed or bottom-feeder fish, “normal” supermarket eggs and dairy, soda or anything in the center aisles made with corn or soy, or if you drive 3 hours/week, burn trash, touch cash and then your face/food, smoke (anything), handle lead (ammo), sit by campfires, live in a city, microwave food in plastic, use rain catchment without serious decontamination filters, have dark irrigation hoses or foam mattresses, or buy commercial animal feed … don’t sweat those markers too much.
One, you’re more likely to die from a vehicular accident, and be hospitalized from supermarket leafy greens or infection contracted in the hospital than from one more of the ubiquitous chemicals around us. Two, those chemicals mostly only become available as our pallets (or anything) decays. That means tiny increments released over time (vice chugging a can of stain). Chemicals mostly head downward with moisture, with only some outward contact spreading outward – only fractions of them are available for possible uptake. Only fractions of that then ends up in the seeds and fruits we eat.
All that said, the warnings about chem-treated pallets originate from garden methods using them, then became universal “rules”. (Pallet garden potentials are so numerous, I’m not even going to talk about them here – they rate an entire article.)
Point is, don’t blanketly accept conventional wisdoms without thinking them through. They may not even apply (or are total bunk). Some stuff, for some/many people, is worth stressing. Some stuff isn’t.
Water Storage
Speaking of safe and unsafe, the conventional wisdom is that we don’t want to store plastic containers, particularly of water, on concrete due to the chemical interaction that allows contaminants to enter our foods. There’s some hot-not and storage-duration wiggle room, and while I tend to err on the side of caution in this case (and when it comes to previous milk containers), there’s some myth-truth proposals here http://www.preparednesspro.com/myths-and-facts-of-water-storage to spur analytical thinking.
For the most part, I don’t really see how laying cardboard, 2×4’s, or 1×4’s under plastic barrels and buckets destabilizes them unless somebody gets really cute (or stingy). Personally, I’m a big believer in keeping stuff up off the floor, period. Even beyond chemical interaction concerns, being able to stack stuff also comes in handy, both to maximize storage space and in some cases to make it easier to use.
One point to note about water in particular is that it’s heavy. Not only does that apply to any rack we use, it also applies to container sizes. The older I get and more injuries I accumulate and heal, the more I’m willing to downsize. That includes containers for dry goods and water.
It’s just easier to build structures for, pull down, move, clean, and refill a 3-6 gallon bucket than a 35-55 gallon barrel. About the only remaining exceptions in my various storage are wheeled trash cans.
*Those are not food safe, either, if it’s a concern – told you I’d make heads spin. (Most of my trash cans hold mylar-bagged foods and animal evac feed and supplies; some are wash/laundry water catchment).
As-Is Uses
There’s lots pallets can do for us even if we’re not yet DIY-ers, and lots that requires minimal building skills. For one, just getting stuff off the ground, as mentioned above. That can be hay, mulch, bagged amendments, toolboxes in our sheds or outdoors, food storage buckets and barrels, or creating elevated resting platforms and feeding stations in pens or pastures that tend to get muddy.
They can help keep our boots cleaner – and to some degree limit the risk of slipping in wet and icy weather – by creating walkways, and prevent ATVs, Gators, carts, and bikes from bogging down or tearing ruts on trails and in gardens. They can also decrease or eliminate risks and wetness from ditches and seasonal streams, making getting around faster and easier.
Steps & Rails
If we’re on a tight budget, we might find we can use a boost as well as a stepping stone. We might also decide that a step or hill is a little too much for us as we age, get pregnant, or face injury. Pallets can help us there, too, and it tends to be a ridiculously easy build.
Go easy on how high we go with these things – I’ve seen some crazy. They are wood and even treated, they are eventually going to rot and crack, and need replaced. Also, make sure you anchor these things together and to the ground.
If you want or need steps or a sidewalk past mud, a hand rail is usually a fantastic idea, even if it’s just posts somebody can snag. We can turn other pallets into those rails to increase safety and ease.
Simple Builds
There are plenty of other simple builds out there that at most require splitting, hanging, or trimming an as-is pallet to size, adding some screws or in some cases a hinge, a few hooks, and some cord or chain. The ease makes pallets a valuable learning tool (and confidence boost) for preppers who are just dipping their toe into DIY. The in-expense also means if there’s a screw-up, no big. Scrap lumber is handy to have around.
Some of the simplest ways to use pallets is just to slap three or four of them together to make a work bench, desk, countertop, or table. Flip that on its side, link a few in series, and you’ve got a leaf mold or compost heap. With a sturdy wall or a couple of convenient trees and $3-10 in hardware, and you can make one or two pallets into a permanent or Murphy-bed style station that functions as a desk, a table, or a workbench, indoors or out.
With some additional screws and hooks or disassembled boards, we can use a wall or those handy trees to hang our tools in a shed or outside the garage. We can also hang them from the sides of our tables or benches.
For a really simple build, just fix a handful of shipping pallets together with deck screws (flip-flop which side is up as you stack to increase shelf depth). Add caster wheels and it’s a rolling storage shelf or workbench.
With some cinder blocks or some 4x4s, we can create shelving with very little building experience, using whole pallets, pallets that are cut in half to make shallower widths, or disassembled boards. (Remember: even a pint canning jar is heavy on its own and holds another pound worth of liquids or foods – use healthy boards and consider doubling them up.)
Another super-simple build using just deck screws is stacking a few pallets and adding one perpendicular to form an L shape. Set that on some cinder blocks and top with a mattress, seat cushions, or pads and you’ve got a bench seat or day bed. Some additional lumber or blocks creates storage spaces for totes, baskets, or drawers salvaged from a wrecked dresser or filing cabinet.
If you’re after some inexpensive yard, starter-home, or bug-out location furniture, the sky is the limit and the internet is just full of ideas. Personally, I’m not much for the rustic pallet look, but with a coat of paint or whitewash, our pallets can get prettier if and where it matters.
Fencing & Pens
Another fantastic use for pallets that requires little DIY experience is fencing for our dooryards, gardens, and animals, to protect trees, or just to increase our privacy a little. We can use them pretty much as-is and connect them to each other, standard fenceposts, or poles we make our or a neighbor’s overgrown saplings and trimmings. We can also pull a board or two from each to cut at an angle and drive into the ground for stability or to use as an overlapping connector between pallets.
If heights of 18-24” work instead of 3-4’, we can very quickly halve our pallets and double the area we enclose. We can also totally or partly disassemble them and churn out top-rail or a 2-3 rail plank fencing, or do some extra cutting for an HOA-acceptable picket fence.
If we have problems with raccoons reaching through our poultry and rabbit fencing, we can brace whole or half-height pallets against our existing runs to add depth. Likewise, they can create a buffer to allow some grazing but keep chickens and goats from eating something to the trunk or roots.
We can also take pallets apart and reassemble them in a solid wall if our birds/hares like to do dumb stuff like huddle in a corner where something can get its claws through – there’s little worse than a disassembled critter the predator couldn’t even get out to eat.
I said I wasn’t going to talk about pallet gardens, but when it comes to fencing, that’s actually one of the benefits they offer. Pallet fences allow us to grow vertically either on the protected inside or on the outside of critter pens where our critters can’t reach, or both.
Pallets for Preppers
Pallets can be an excellent step into the world of DIY for beginners, as well as help everybody save money. Gardens, livestock feeders, and sheds are big enough categories to really rate their own articles, but there’s so much more. If you’ve got a need, see if somebody has a how-to using pallets, but don’t forget that pallets are also just board lumber waiting to be sanded.
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Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag
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It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
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It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
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It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
cheapestbondclean
0 notes
Text
It Is Important To Make Sure That A Contractor Has Good References Before Allowing Them To Work On Your Home Every homeowner knows that a home is both expensive and takes hard work. Annual home improvements can typically cost up to 3% of the home's value. Costs can be reduced of course, and that is one of the things this article will try to help with. Make the most of these ideas and get the most from your projects. An addition can increase the value of your home. Think about adding a library or a custom wine cellar. This will show that you are unique and have an elegant place to live. The kitchen is a great place to start a new home improvement project. Thorough cleaning is the right way to start. Use a solution of two parts TSP to one part water to scrub the walls and remove grease stains. This accomplishes two things at once. The grease and dirt come off along with a lot of the paint. Apply tan hues to the kitchen, and the transformation will amaze you. Store your building material in between your ceiling rafters or floor joists. It's easy to keep things like two by fours and pieces of molding out of harm's way with this method. Just nail some furring strips across exposed joists and slide the material in. Before you hire anyone to do home improvement work on your house, carefully check their references. In essence you are hiring an employee to do a job for you. You have to know who they are before you select them for the job. When hiring a contractor, be sure to keep good records and always sign a clearly stated contract. You cannot leave this responsibility up to the contractor. Save all the contracts and invoices that have anything to do with your project. Saving them will allow everyone to concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Basements rarely have any natural light available. If you want your basement to be very comfortable, you should start with a good lighting plan. In the best of scenarios, your basement will have a portion of the walls that exceed ground level. In this case, you can have windows as well. You don't need store-bought artwork to spice up your walls; you can use something as conventional as a three dimensional tile. If you use tiles in a few different colors and arrange them in a creative way on the wall, it will add some unusual artwork! Take special care when choosing a clog remover. Some drain cleaners are extremely harsh. Avoid using crystallized drain cleaners as they can stick to your pipes and cause continuous damage. Be sure to use drain cleaning products intended for use with the septic tank you have. Today, you need to watch for sub-par drywall when considering home improvement projects. Don't buy drywall that comes from China. A lot of this product used in the building industry since 2005 has come from China. Unfortunately, this is very poor quality wall board. Some of it even exudes harmful gases capable of corroding wires that reside in walls. Finishing a project involving a basement is a good investment to start. Updating a basement can give a home much needed living space. Shop around for the best values to keep costs down. The resale value of a house with a finished basement increases by over 30%. Think of the paint before you do anything else in the room. You will have a much easier time painting your ceiling and walls before the flooring is installed. Even with tarps and drop cloths, you are sure to find a way to get some paint on your beautiful new flooring. The high costs of replacing carpeting in your entryway and hallways is rarely justifiable. After just one season with lots of rain and mud, a carpeted area with high traffic will show more wear and dirt than other areas. You will surely need to put in new carpet within a short period of time. Use other more wear resistant materials like tile or linoleum instead. When you start your home improvement product, do not rush headlong into the demolition. It's tempting to destroy older work quick so that you may install the new items. It is not recommended that you rip the wires out, there might be more to it than you see. If you'd like to get more power from your dryer while cutting down energy costs, try shortening the hose of your dryer. Take the hose off and vacuum it first. Trim off excess hose. It should be just long enough to pull the dryer out to clean behind it, since a short hose will run more efficiently. If you are working on a home improvement project, do not forget to have fun with it. Make it a group experience and enlist the help of your children, your friends, or your family. Finishing home improvment projects will make you feel like you have accomplished something, this is something you can be proud of. Improve the functionality of your heating system by changing your heat and air system's air filters monthly. If they're clogged and dirty, your air conditioner needs to work harder to keep your home cool. You will use extra energy to keep your house cool if your air conditioner is working harder. Your energy bill will be much higher. Never exceed your budget. By having a set budget, you are making sure the remodeling work does not exceed the reasonable range of your house and neighborhood, in addition to not breaking the bank. Create a detailed budget and follow it as you work on your project. You should follow any direction that your contractor wishes to take. As long as you have researched your contractor and are comfortable with your decision, you should believe in his abilities. If your contractor says you should pass on a change because it won't look good, you should take his advice. Along the same lines, believe your contractor's statements about budget constraints. Make sure you pay attention to your contractor. Now you should know at least a little more about home improvement. You can keep your wallet happy yet still enjoy the new look of your home.
Valuable Information For Making The Most Of Home Improvements.
It can be extremely discouraging to return to a home that is broken down and has the evidence of unsuccessful home improvement projects scattered all about. Don't become discouraged, as the improvements can be done in a cost-efficient and timely manner. Make your house a loving home with these helpful tips.
Avoid allowing contractors to work on your house without signing a contract. It is also wise to have the contract inspected by your attorney. You should put in when the work will be finished, any guarantees on work, and what is going to be done.
Make yourself a shopping list before going to the store. When you know exactly what you need, you'll never forget anything.
You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Only display costume jewelry - nothing expensive. Making a display for your jewelry looks nice and helps keeps it tangle free. Keep your most commonly worn jewelry easy to get to.
If you are bored with your home or find yourself running out of space, consider a renovation before simply deciding to move. With renovation projects, you can make your home into the environment you want, without having to resort to buying someone else's home and designs. Renovations are also much more affordable than purchasing a new property altogether.
Move your furniture away from your walls to make a room look bigger. The room will seem bigger and feel more modern.
Your kitchen floor may look level, but use a level tool if you're installing cabinets just to make sure. Ensure that counter tops will be all of one height by creating a bench mark that begins at the highest point of the kitchen floor.
Determine a color scheme based on the furniture in the room. Use the colors of your drapes, sofa, or even a rug for inspiration. If the item you pick is multi-colored, select just one to be the main color. The other two shades should be secondary and used as accent colors.
Don't overwhelm your room with furniture. Rooms tend to look smaller when they are jammed with furniture. Even if lots of pieces fit your lifestyle, potential buyers like to see a lot of open living space. The room looks bigger when you have fewer pieces of furniture in it.
Don't purchase blinds until you've thoroughly measured the space in which they will be installed. If you do not measure the windows you may not be able to properly install the blinds. Not only do blinds come in a wide variety of different widths, but they are installed in different ways. In some cases you may need to know the interior width of the window frame, while other designs may mount outside of it.
Inside projects can be overwhelming. Thus, you might want to consider restricting your work to times when you are alone in the house. This will reduce the stress level that you have to face.
What you have to think about first when doing a project is how you will get rid of your trash. When you demolish aspects of your home, you will have heaps of refuse that must be safely stored and then disposed of properly. Before you start, find a place where you can store this material.
A common homeowners mistake is to settle for the current colors and paint scheme in their homes. They often make the wrong choices when choosing a color scheme. Choosing the right paint will do wonders for the look of your home.
Do not rush into a home improvement job. Start by protecting furniture and decor, especially if you are painting the walls. Paint splatters on furniture can cause lasting damage. Cover your furniture with sheets or cloths to avoid any splatters or drips from the paint.
If you're considering replacing the siding of your house, you first need to consider proper insulation. Insulation will improve the value of your house and lower your utility bill. This also helps keep more cash in your bank account.
If your siding needs to be replaced, you may be thinking about stucco; however, it's important to remember that this is rather an expensive material. Therefore, it is important to consider the costs before deciding on your siding options. There are less expensive options available if you are willing to compromise.
Inspect your deck to see if it needs repairing. You may find uneven boards, cracks in wood or handrails or even dry rot. Take a closer look to find nails and screws that need replacing.
Arrange your tools in separate toolboxes that have been set up based on project types. For instance, reserve one toolbox for plumbing jobs only. Fill this box with pipe wrenches, pipe glue and fittings. Make another toolbox with electrical tools and have wires, switches, and other items related to your electrical projects. Using this organizational tip, you will be able to find what you are looking for with ease.
A new paint coat is one of the best exterior improvements around. Paint is the first barrier to protecting your home and is the one that affects the curb appeal of your property the most. A good color choice will make the home into a fantastic one.
Keeping your carpet clean can make the whole house seem cleaner. Consider shampooing your carpets in the high traffic areas often. This will make your house feel cleaner and keep it looking new.
Talking with a real estate agent is one of the best ways to find out which home improvements will add the most value to your particular house. They have a thorough familiarity with the interests of real estate buyers and how additions and improvements change a house's value.
A great home will change your life for the better. Follow this advice, and you'll make solid home improvements. Continue to work at making improvements, even if all you can do is one one small project each time. By being committed to it, you'll be able to create the home you've always dreamed of!
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