Did you know that you can actually set the mood of a room by using the right colors? Of course you did, that’s what you do when you’re rehabbing walls. However, do you know what colors would suit a specific room? In this short guide, you will know how to use colors in giving the interior of a house a warm or cool feel.

First off, you will need a color wheel. You can borrow this from your children or buy one at a school supplies store. The six colors on one half of the wheel, starting from red to yellow green, fall under the “warm group.” The rest, composed of six other colors starting from green to red violet, forms the “cool group.”

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Carpet is often the top choice for rehabbing floors nowadays. It is cheap and easy to install. However, there are instances when a house simply has an amazing hardwood floor. If you believe you will impress more prospective buyers by refinishing the wooden floor, do so! Here are a few matters you should keep in mind when preparing the wooden floor for refinishing and rehabbing.

The first thing is this preparation is deciding whether you indeed have to prepare the floor for a refinishing at all. Thorough cleaning and polishing will actually do in some cases. You can do a simple experiment to test whether the floor needs a total refinish. Sprinkle some water on the floor. If a drop forms a bead and then soaks into the wood, then that floor does not need sanding. You will also want to sand the floor if there are damages you need to repair. Patch these holes or damages before sanding.

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Replacing faucets and other plumbing fixtures, experts say, is a great way to impress prospective buyers of a house you are rehabbing. New faucets are simple and cheap fixtures that can attract buyers with their shine. However, you might risk damaging existing pipes or even the sink when removing old faucets. Worse, you can even injure yourself. Here are a few things you must consider if you are removing old faucets when rehabbing houses.

In the process of replacing faucets, removing existing ones from the sink or lavatory is considered the most difficult step. It is in this stage when things could get slippery and wet – literally. So before you grab those pliers, make sure the water valve of the faucet you will remove is properly closed. You can either close the main water valve or twist the valves located near (usually under) the fixture in question. Open the faucet and let it drain. Once dry, you can start your operation without fearing that the kitchen will turn into a swimming pool.

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When rehabbing kitchens, existing backsplashes are more often than not stripped. The gutting process involves the removal of the material, whose elements often conflict with the planned rehab. For example, if the kitchen is designed in the 1970s, it might have a colorful backsplash laid on a bright and flowery wallpaper. If you need to make the kitchen appear minimalist and a bit modern, the backsplash will surely have to go. In short, installing a new backsplash is an integral part of the kitchen remodeling. That is why it is important to have a background on backsplashes.

Before they were used to complement kitchen design, backsplashes were merely a solution homeowners found to solve their problems on cleaning. They used various surfaces as an “upright countertop,” especially in walls behind the cooking and preparation area. Oil, food stain, and whatnots often stick to the walls and it was not very convenient to clean wallpaper or painted concrete. Thus backsplashes were born. When rehabbing kitchens, contractors usually use designs, colors, and materials that fit the planned remodel. They usually use them to achieve a certain effect in the room’s appearance. For example, if the room is small, you might want to wrap the material around the kitchen. This will make the room appear larger. If you want to accent certain parts of the room, you can apply the backsplash on certain areas only.

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The first portion of this two-part rehabbing exteriors article on planting a tree ended with measuring the diameter of the hole on the ground. After measuring the diameter, the hole must be now excavated. Make sure the depth of the hole in the middle fits the height of the root ball. To do this, simply taut a string across the hole, with the string tied to two stakes driven into the ground. Use the string as reference when measuring the depth.

The hole must be scraped flat. Use a shovel to take out more soil if needed. Next, sprinkle superphosphate on the hole. This chemical will help the tree achieve a healthy root system. Don’t forget to read the packaging to see the right amount needed for the size of the tree you are planting. Once the hole is ready, the next step to planting a tree is positioning it on the pit. Be careful when moving the tree into the hole to avoid damaging the root ball. Next, find which “face” is best to position toward the street. Carefully rotate the root ball to move the best face of the tree toward the street, or where you want it to be seen.

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Rehabbing exteriors by planting a tree is sometimes an action rehabbers just have to take. Sometimes a house has a good lawn and nice paint but lacks that “green” appeal. Potted plants and some shrubs here and there are often enough to give the property that curb appeal. But if the yard still appears to be incomplete and terribly dull despite all these at this stage, picture it out with a small tree and chances are it might be what’s missing.

A lot of people fear planting a tree to improve a house’s appearance because of one simple possibility: the tree could die. Unlike a potted plant that can be easily moved away in case it withers, a dead tree will need some effort to pull out. The hole it leaves needs to be covered and you’ll probably need to patch it up with grass or probably lay some stones or other possible decorations. But – and but, we stress – if the tree survives and is spotted by your prospective buyers, it’s going to be a huge magnet. Trees, especially new and young ones, are signs of life. They help make a house a “home” and when rehabbing houses, we are selling homes, not houses.

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This rehabbing exteriors article about building a fire pit continues where Part 1 left off. In the first part, the ground was prepared for digging. It has already been marked an inch outside the circle with a spade. Now, remove the blocks you used as guide and be ready for some light excavation.

Dig a foot-deep trench with the width of the block. That will form a circular trench where the foundation blocks will later be laid on. Next, dig six inches inside the trench. The circular “plateau” in the center should then be six inches high. Try laying out the blocks anew. Make sure they perfectly fit in the trench, which you can widen accordingly. Once you find the perfect fit, remove the blocks and pour gravel on the trench. Use 3/4-inch drainage gravel to fill the trench. Make sure the gravel and the “plateau” are level. Compact the gravel with a hand tamper.

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A new kitchen sink is considered as a “bang for your buck” improvement when rehabbing kitchens. It can significantly increase a property’s value but is not costly, nor is it hard to install. For this reason, installing a new kitchen sink should be in your repairs and improvements list. Here is a short rehabbers’ guide to buying kitchen sinks that even veterans in the business will surely find useful.

First off, we must list down the things you should consider when buying kitchen sinks: price, size, and appeal.

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Building a fire pit is a good way to rehab exteriors of houses with large lawns. A fire pit helps increase the value of a property, especially if the lawn is large. This feature will break the monotony of a purely green area, plus it will add an extra touch of luxury. When the project is done, you can surround it with some chairs and you now have an outdoor family place. Part 1 of this article will discuss the first few steps in building an “exterior fire place.”

The first thing you should do is to check local codes for building a fire pit. This is SOP in rehabbing exteriors and interiors in general. Codes for open flames may vary from state to state and areas where there are risks of bush fires may be more meticulous than other locations. If you’re area allows these camp fire pits even without permits, then you’re good to go. Once you’re clear with the codes, you can now choose a location for the ring. Make sure you place it far from the house, the patio, or any other flammable structure. Keep it far from trees as well.

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An exhaust fan is considered a necessity in today’s bathrooms. Not only does it absorb the heat and humidity when showering, it also protects your tiles and wood from becoming a breeding ground for mold. In a way, this simple appliance helps protect your bathroom from rotting. Here are some simple tips when rehabbing bathrooms with a new exhaust fan.

Replacing existing vent fans in newer homes is easier because most houses already have holes cut in the ceiling for these devices. This task should be easy because it doesn’t require much skill. However, some older homes may not have exhaust fans in their bathrooms. In this case, you will have to bore a new hole onto the ceiling. If you have the rehabbing skills, you can do all this by yourself. Then again, you can always hire a contractor to do the hard jobs for you.

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