How Safe are Gas Fireplaces?

Having a fireplace is a luxury, but also a responsibility. But contrary to what you might think, gas fireplaces are a lot safer than ordinary fireplaces using wood. Our colleagues in Gas Fireplace Repair Long Island gave us a little run through of how gas fireplaces work, and we learned that they need no matches, no sparks, no soot and produce no smoke or backdrafts. With that in mind, gas fireplaces are still a responsibility you need to take seriously. Here are a couple of precautions you should take with your modern fireplace:

  • Respect the Clearance Zones. In other words, don’t put anything flammable near your fireplace. Keep paper, wood, drapes, books and such things away from it.
  • Keep Your Fireplace in Good Condition. This doesn’t mean you need to clean it every week or month like you would with an ordinary fireplace. Yearly maintenance at the beginning winter/end of autumn is generally sufficient.
  • Make Sure the Safety Screen Barrier is Secure. The saftey screen barrier is a mesh screen covering the glass on the front of the fireplace, acting as a barrier between the dangerously hot glass and any people in your home.
  • Get a Heat Barrier with Double Glass. Normally, gas fireplaces come with a single panel of glass at the front, but you can get an upgrade with an extra pane which makes it a lot safer

With these precautions, you’re all set to fully enjoy your gas fireplace!

Bathroom Styles to Choose From

In 2022 lots has changed, coming out of a pandemic which changed the way we lookat what’s “normal.” With that in mind, we all want a nice quiet place we can relax in a nice tub or jacuzzi with a glass of wine. This is one of the reasons why spa-style bathrooms have been killing the market recently. More and more people want to have a place in their own home where they can escape the world and unwind. Smooth, serene surfaces and simple, organic materials to compliment the spa-like bathrooms is something you’ll see a lot this year; oak-wood surfaces, matte black light fixtures and monochromatic stone slabs.

The spa bathroom isn’t the only hot bathroom style this year. Greenery and biophilia is another one popping to the top of this year’s list. Shrubbery and plants in the bathroom is a very popular choice recently, also with the goal of creating a relaxing space. A lot of people find plants calming, hence the emphasis on green and organic bathrooms.

Open-concept bathrooms with large tiled bathing areas that are not fully enclosed are another style that’s been on the up and up. This is an extremely minimalistic look, and hits home with the artsy types; sporting shower screens, bath mats and most importantly glass doors.

Last but not least, earthy, warm and neutral tones still haven’t gone out of style. People are still going crazy for this vibe, fitting right into the calming and cozy feeling people are looking for in their bathrooms more and more. Especially in California, this style is going strong.

A big thanks to Bathroom Remodeling San Bernardino for the stats and info.

How to Deal with all the Options When Getting a Custom Home Built

 “How would you like a new custom built home?” is a question that pretty much everyone would answer with a resounding “absolutely!” Such a thing is the just the stuff of dreams for lots of people. What a lot of people don’t take into account is the amount of decisions and planning that goes into it where the homeowner needs to be involved so that the house can actually be “custom” made. Plenty of people feel stuck or unsure of their decisions so that’s why we’re going to look at a little story here.

Meet Louie. Louie got himself a custom house made with a fantastic custom house building company. But before he found that company, he’d already been consulting other designers about plans for his custom home. Louie liked shows about design and had a knack for design, but when it came to his custom home he couldn’t tell which way was up or down, much less where to start or how the finished product was going to look.

Once he started working his new custom house company, however, he was relieved to discover that professional interior designers and structural engineers were there with him to guide his decisions every step of the way. This made it possible for him to have full sway over the direction the house building was going in without having to worry about variables or what it was going to look like at the end. With their professional help, he was able to more clearly choose the options that led him to getting his very own custom made home.

So the good news is that if you’re working with a real professional, licensed and insured company for custom home building, they’ll have the staff and resources to make the whole thing go as smoothly as possible with the least amount of stress possible.

Sponsored by Home builder Manchester NH

Open Concepts

You may have heard of an open-kitchen concept, but are not quite sure what it means. So what is an open-kitchen concept? It’s a spacious kitchen without barriers that block you from moving freely around your kitchen. It’s also openly conjoined to the rest of the house and not sectioned off. Traditional kitchens have their own separate room that’s divided from the rest of the house, while open-concept kitchens are included into the rest of the house, giving a more open, spacious feeling. Open-concept kitchens have been around since the early 90’s and get more and more popular with home owners as time goes on.

open concept kitchen

So why do people like these types of kitchens so much? The number one reason why they’re so popular is due to the space it gives, as well as the amount of space it simulates. The amount of openness leaves you with a feeling of less constriction and freedom to move around and just breathe a little. It also allows for more people to comfortably cook and prepare food in the kitchen together without having to bump into each other and get in each other’s way. More space also means more natural light, allowing you to better see what you’re doing while you cook.

So we’ve covered a lot of great benefits of having an open-concept kitchen, but are there any cons? Unfortunately, there are. Having no barriers means more noise escaping the kitchen and resonating all over the house. Also, you’ll have to keep you kitchen spick and span at all times since it’s on display for everyone to see. If you don’t clean up after yourself all the time, you’ll end up showing off your mess to any visitors or people who happen to pass by your kitchen. Sometimes storage space has to be sacrificed as well so that you can open the place up, getting rid of some cupboards or cabinets.

But through all these pros and cons, if what you want is an open-concept kitchen, you’ll find a way to make it work. Take all the factors into consideration and see what makes the most sense for you and what you’ll be happiest with.

For full kitchen remodel it is always best to go with an established general contractor company. For quick fixes, replacing kitchen cabinets or smaller jobs, often you can find quality local service providers for a smaller overall investment.

Pretty Tile

Bathroom Tile:

Tiles used to be installed mainly due to their functional benefits; how easy they are to clean, their water resistance, how durable they are, and how easy they are to maintain. These days, people have taken tiles to the next level with all the possibilities of tile layout and design.

The variety of bathroom style tiles is so big that it may feel a little overwhelming when trying to pick a look for your bathroom if you’re not familiar with any of the options. That’s why we’re going to run through a few of the most popular styles in this article.

One of the first types of tile we’re going to look at today is the graphic pattern tile. This style can be used for both walls and floors and will add flavor and life to your bathroom. These types of tiles are now one of the trendiest out there. If you’re doing the design on your own, these graphic tiles will allow you to tap into your artistic side and come up with some interesting personalized designs in your bathroom.

Next, we’ve got glossy and matte finished tiles. Both are a classic, clean, reliable look that will definitely bring a prestigious appearance to your bathroom. Pairing these types of tiles with wood surfaces id a pretty cool look. Whether you’re going with marble white, soft blue, or glossy black, you’ll be getting something sharp and definite. Lighting is pretty important, especially with matte tiles, and you’ll want to make sure you’ve got enough natural light as well as artificial.

Another type of tile that gets a bad rep but can be amazing if installed right is the subway tile. If done in domes, sculptural, arched, or beveled, these tiles can add a cool, retro look to your bathroom space.

There’s a whole lot more where that came from, these are just a few of the options to get you started!

Sponsored by Tile Installation San Diego CA

Bathroom Upgrades

So you’ve been thinking of upgrading your bathroom recently but you’re not sure where to start. There’s so much you could do and it’s hard to figure out what’s a priority and what’s can wait.

When wondering where to start, try taking a look at the parts of your bathroom that gets wet the most; your shower, bathtub and sink. These are commonly referred to as the wet areas of the bathroom. The wet areas of the bathroom take the most punishment, as they’re always exposed to water, dirt and oils. Fixing up the wet areas of your bathroom can mean something minute, and it can also be something bigger or more extensive depending on what you’re trying to fix or improve.

To properly improve the wet areas of your house, it’s wise to hire a professional crew of bathroom remodelers that know what they’re doing and can carry out any of the desired changes smoothly and quickly with minimal complications. Your bathroom will look better and be more functional when you leave it to professionals that have done these kinds of things countless times before.

There are multiple options to choose from when it comes to upgrading the wet areas of your bathroom. You can opt to get a walk-in shower installed. This might take some remodeling of the entire room to make the shower fit well and be convenient. You can get it done with waterproof flooring, an entry with no barrier, an anti-slip floor material, wheelchair accessibility, and more. Consult the details with your bathroom remodeling Framingham MA company, but this is a, excellent option in many ways.

Some people like being able to take a bath, but others only need a shower stall for taking showers. If you’re one of the latter, you might want to consider swapping your bathtub out for a shower stall. This will save space and fit your needs better.

Or maybe your bathtub is simply old and you need to get a new one. There are a lot of excellent bathtub option you can find for a wide range of prices, and it might be the right time for you to get a new one.

Color Choices

There is a lot that goes into choosing the right colors and palette for your home, whether it is for interior or exterior paint, or for finishes and final touches.

what color to choose

Are you looking to give your house a new fresh coat of paint? It’s good to give your home an overhaul in the form of a new paint job every couple of years. Some rooms might need to be painted a little more regularly. For example, if you have a play room for kids or an in-house gym, these might need to get painted a little more often as the walls can tend to get stains and marks from contact, getting leaned on etc.

You might be having a dilemma as to what color you should paint your house. Well for starters, it’s not necessary for you to paint the whole thing the same color. Many people like to go for a variety of colors for different rooms, and sometimes even multiple colors in one room. Heck, some people even go for murals in some parts of their house, which can also be a very nice addition and give your home the specific atmosphere you’re looking for.

Gray has been a very trendy color in recent years, including other subtle variations of gray, creeping into white, beige or taupe. It’s important that the color you paint your rooms suits the furniture that’s in it. You wouldn’t want to have clashing colors in your living space as that would end up being very frustrating and for some people can even cause headaches and stress.

The majority of people will opt for a more neutral color, like cream, beige, or other pastel colors along those lines. However, there are a few people who are fonder of brighter colors. Maybe it makes them feel more cheerful. Who knows? But bright colors are especially popular for kids’ rooms, playrooms and the like.

Regardless of whatever color you choose, you should always go through the options so you know what you’re getting into, get multiple opinions from different sources, and keep in mind your furniture and other elements in the house that may have dominant colors and try to color coordinate with those things. You might think you don’t have an eye for it, but trust me, once you get started analyzing colors you’ll start getting the knack for it.