Carlito's Way

Big Ideas For Living With a Smaller Space They tell us to dream big, but what happens when the big dream home turns out to be less than big? A first home for a young couple may not be as large as they had hoped for, especially if the addition of a new family member is in the near future. Perhaps the children have flown the coop and it is time to down size into a love nest for two. A five-bedroom home suddenly becomes a five-room home. Your smaller home may be a second home in a wonderful sunny location or are you are starting over on your own and the space is much less or at least more compact than your previous home. Regardless of the situation, small spaces can live big with a few big ideas for good decorating. Just because the space is ‘compact’ does not mean we should scale down the size of our furniture, limit our colour palette to light boring hues or keep the room void of patterns and prints. In fact, by doing so we will only confirm to the eye, how small our space is. [View full article] 500 renovation articles are waiting for you at www.eRenovate.com

Get it in writing. How many times have you heard that? Well, this sound advice should also be applied to your new home contracts and hiring contractors. Paperwork, paperwork and still more paperwork. Purchasing a new home requires thorough planning, attention to detail and solid filing skills. [View full article] Want more advice on hiring contractors get it all at www.eRenovate.com.

Your builder just asked if you want under or over mount sinks, so…which is it? I had a lot of questions regarding today’s sinks and whether one should choose a under or over mount model for our new homes, the answer is both. In the kitchen, I prefer an under mounted sink for various reason. An under-mount or bottom-mount sink is one that is installed under the counter top using clamps that attach to the underside of the counter surface. A bead of silicon based sealant is usually used to provide a water tight seal between the top rim of the sink and the under surface of the countertop. This is my favorite kitchen mount- the look is contemporary and clean and I like to be able wipe the counter surface and deposit all the baking crumbs directly into the sink with a single swipe of my cloth. But and under mount is generally more expensive, it will cost you more for the sink itself as these models are commonly more expensive and the countertop due to the required extra finishing around the rim of sink will also have an additional charge-my option worth every dollar. [View rest of article] Get home improvement ideas at www.eRenovate.com