Top 3 Criteria when building your own home...

Hello blog world!  Please welcome a guest post today all the way from Down Under!  Sarah Q. Grey handles all the digital marketing for Today's Homes in Canberra, Australia, a  custom home builder, that also takes into account sustainable options for creating the home of your dreams.  Their beautiful website is worth a visit and when it comes to building your own home, there is no substitute for speaking with the experts.  Here are three (3) excellent tips to consider when you decide to build:

3 Things To Consider When Engaging With A Home Building Company.

If you’re looking for a home building company to build the home of your dreams, then there are a few things you should consider. Finding the right builder is not as easy as you might assume. There are countless options out on the market and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. To help you choose the best home building company for you and your family, here are 3 suggestions to help ensure you find the best company for the job.

1. Previous Examples

When looking for a high-quality builder it’s essential to begin by asking about previous projects. Most experienced home building companies are able to provide a portfolio of completed projects to demonstrate their competence and quality in building homes. And it’s important that you check these past projects out as a way of gauging whether a particular home building company is right for you. As we all know, building a home is a huge decision, and can be taxing both emotionally and financially. That’s why one needs to put in substantial time with their research in order to find the right builder. Canberra home building experts Today’s Homes always provide clients with past work examples, and it’s important that whoever you choose to build your home does the same. When looking at previous examples, it’s vital that you inspect these properties in-person (if possible) as this is the only way of making sure the portfolio being presented is not falsified to woo the client in.

2. Communication

Meeting and talking with a prospective home building company is doubly important. When it comes to such a substantial investment, it’s important that both parties can communicate effectively. This is to ensure that both client and contractor are on the same page in regards to the planning and implementation of the home building project. Make sure you speak with prospective builders face-to-face, and not just over the phone. Sure, you can’t expect to meet with them all the time (after all, builders are generally pretty busy people!), but you need to have had at least one face-to-face meeting to ensure that both parties are a good fit for each other.

3. Pricing terms

Building a home is a huge investment, and sometimes we can go over budget in the pursuit of our very own dream home. That’s why it’s important that you talk with any prospective building company and ensure that you agree on a final, fixed price for the project. Sure, things change during the construction phase, and you’ll have to foot the bill for any changes you make to the original plan. But it’s essential that both parties are clear on just what is included in the final price. Unfortunately there have been many cases in the past where a client was left in legal trouble when a builder decided to up the rates during construction. Get everything in writing, and make sure all important documents are signed. That’s the best way to ensure that the job is done properly and within budget.

Finding the best home building company to build your home can take some time. But stick with it. In the end, having a home you can be proud of is worth it. Consider the above tips and suggestions when hunting for a builder, and no doubt you’ll soon be on your own way to owning a home you can be proud of.

((images courtesy of todayshomes.com.au)

Are you ready to move forward with your dream home?

If you live in the Canberra area, contact Today's Homes

for expert tips, experience, design and build.

Thank you to Sarah Q. Grey and Today's Homes for this 

informative information!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Please contact me for an online design collaboration

at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com.

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8 Tips for a thoroughly organized bathroom...

Please welcome my guest blogger today, Eva Stephen! Eva has a lovely blog Home Decor by Eva, and she has some GREAT tips to help you not only organize your bathroom, but also give you some great product ideas to improve the decor!  Eva loves to write and does a lot of DIY, so do stop by her blog and follow her to see what project or advice she has next!!  

Here are Eva's tips on how to organize your bathroom:

The bathroom or washroom is a well-used part of the home, but not one
 that we particularly consider from a décor point of view, that is, 
until we have important guests coming over to dinner!

These eight tips will help you to get your washroom beautifully organised and attractive and, perhaps even more importantly, how to keep it that way.

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1 Firstly, you must be organised when planning housework and décor. 
Set a specific time to sort out each room, allocating your bathroom a 
mere fifteen to thirty minutes each week. You may think that this is too
 little time, but once you have a planned layout for your bathroom, and 
have incorporated some or all of the following tips, you will be 
pleasantly surprised at how quickly each room can be restored to tidy 
glory. This is your time for sorting through the parts of the bathroom 
that are not obvious, the towel cupboard, the supply of toiletries and 
anything else that might not be noticed when you are quickly blitzing 
through.

Towel cupboards can be found here:  Target.

2 Throw away old and unused products and make sure that the family 
finishes up bottles of shampoo, conditioner, hand soap and shower gel 
that otherwise might sit on the shelf for months with a spoonful or two 
dirtying the bottom of the bottle. Insist that all the little ends are 
used up (you may find it easier to use them up yourself!) or tip all the
 little dregs into one container to take on holiday or camping. Make-up 
should be used up within six months usually so check the expiry date and
 throw away any products that have passed that date. Just throwing away 
old products and making sure that tail-ends are used will be a help in 
de-cluttering a bathroom, leaving only what is needed by the family on a
 day to day basis.

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3 Everything in its place and a place for everything, goes the old 
adage. Make sure that there is space allocated to everything that is 
needed in the bathroom, and stay on top of the changing needs and whims 
of your children. Hair products, shaving paraphernalia and other beauty 
products will accumulate dangerously if left unchecked! Make sure, at 
least once a week, that there is nothing not bathroom-related in the 
bathroom, brutally pruning out anything that does not belong!

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4 The simplest way to make sure that everyone has an equal amount of 
space in the bathroom storage is to allocate each member a certain 
amount of space for their stuff, be it a small container, wicker basket 
or even just a delineated space on a shelf. When everyone is given 
responsibility for their own toiletries it becomes a lot easier to 
maintain the room as a whole, and it is no problem at all to spot the 
one or two people who are responsible for unnecessary clutter

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. 

5 A regular routine will be your friend in the bathroom. Sort out 
surfaces prone to clutter often – daily if needs be. You may find it 
helpful to set a rota so you are not the only one constantly doing the 
same thing! The basin is often crowded with small pieces of make-up and 
various lotions and potions because people like to look in the mirror 
while applying them. Similarly, the top of the toilet can become 
crowded, especially with items that are used by the whole family. Make 
sure that someone pops into the bathroom daily to put all these products
 back into their proper place. Visual clutter can also be managed by mirror cabinets, with multipurpose function, these pose to be mirrors with a hidden cabinet space.

You can get a medicine cabinet  like this one or like the one below:

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6 Try and avoid wasting space, even in the name of beauty. If your 
bathroom is very small keep decorative items to a minimum, flat on the 
wall, with no protuberant and exuberant flower displays or any 3D wall 
art. While pot plants can be part of a larger bathroom colourful and 
attractive stickers and vinyl pictures can brighten up a small bathroom 
without using up any space.

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7. If you make it easy to maintain and clean the bathroom, even quite 
small children will find it easier to leave the bathroom in a reasonable
 state. Try to ensure that they do not have to stretch too high or climb
 on the edge of the toilet or bath to put things away; not only is this 
difficult for them it is very dangerous too. Installing a lower towel 
rail and mirror so children can operate safely in the bathroom is an 
excellent idea.

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8. Make it look attractive. As strange as it sounds, people like to 
keep attractive rooms looking nice, while dingy or grubby rooms will be 
left a little bit worse! Your efforts in making the bathroom look 
appealing will hopefully pay off with the dividend of being maintained 
that way!

Incorporating these easy steps into a regular washroom maintenance 
schedule are sure to help you have the attractive and still functional 
bathroom of your dreams, one that is easy to use and even easier to keep
 looking good!

HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEKEND!! THANKS FOR STOPPING BY -


If you need decorating or styling assistance, please contact me at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com

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7 Top Ideas for Being Crafty & Playful for the Bedroom!

7 Top Ideas for Being Crafty and Playful for the Bedroom

Make your bedroom fun and cheerful by getting creative and crafty!

Please welcome guest blogger Jessica Christian from 4 Interior Design blog in the UK!! 

She has some great ideas for adding some fun and unique decorating tips for the bedroom. Please let us know what you think and which idea might be a good addition for a client's home or your own home. 

Unique lighting

Invest in some unique lighting for your bedroom. Create your own unusual lamp shades, designed to cast pools of light and shade on your walls, or even featuring cut out circles, triangles and other shapes. Light does not have to be standard white light anymore, there are colour LED lights on sale at most hardware and home furnishing stores. These allow you to 'paint' with coloured light, creating a wonderfully playful effect in your bedroom. 

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Wall Art

Wall art no longer refers to just paintings, and photographs. You can find or make 3D pieces of art for your room. Once finished and installed on the wall these textured pieces can give a room a wonderful depth, making them excellent for brightening up plain or dull walls. Many shops sell 3D artworks, but they are relatively easy to make, with paper mache, paint and patience! For wall art and wall stickers I always prefer Wall Stickers website or Urban Walls.

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Bean Bags are In!

Bean bags are all the rage this season for stylish yet quirky bedrooms. Invest in a ready-made bean bag in colours that match your bedroom, or make your own using remnant fabric and polystyrene pellets. You can even find a storage bean bag that you fill yourself, with clothes that you do not need at present – for example summer clothes in the winter!

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DIY Furniture

Purchase some modular furniture and have fun rearranging every day! This furniture looks like giant-sized building blocks and you can endlessly make and remake your furniture configuration, changing the look as many times as you like! Modular furniture adds a delightfully fun and childlike air to any room, making it great for all ages, from toddler to pensioner!

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Faces It All

It may sound ridiculous but put faces on your furniture! Large stickers, self-adhesive googly eyes or even carefully drawn or painted faces instantly brighten up any room, adding a touch of whimsy to the atmosphere. Even the back of your bedroom door is a great place for a crafty face as you will be the one who sees it the most – almost as your bedroom is looking out for you and watching over you as you rest and sleep! For comfortable bedding options my utmost personal favorite is Yorkshire Linen Company's website.

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Food Inspirations

Delicious cupcakes, velvety chocolate and even colourful pizza can all be part of your bedroom! Not only can you get your bedding covered in pictures of your favourite foodstuff, you can even find cupcake storage units, chocolate table and chairs and even pizza and lollipop cushions! While perhaps not the best idea if you are trying to diet, food-based décor is very popular at the moment, especially with teenage girls and young women.  The photo below is one example:

(image) + davidelfin

Neon Geometric Designs

Bright neon colours and unusual geometric shapes are perfect to add difference to any room. Make or buy funky lampshades, angular furniture and distinctive bedroom accessories. If this sounds a little too dramatic for your tastes, you can still add that unique mystique to your bedroom by choosing vibrant and unusually patterned bedding! With the great range of styles and fabrics available you are sure to find the perfect playful look that will make your bedroom pop!

 

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Be sure and visit Jessica and her blog here for more inspiring design ideas!! Thank you Jessica for contributing today to start the week out with a BANG!!


Enjoy your week and thank you for stopping by!



Please contact me for design services at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com.

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Guest posting on Homestilo...

Hi everyone! I blinked and forgot I did a guest post over on Homestilo about Jonathan Adler's new collection for Kohler, so be sure and check it out. Everything old is new again as he has introduced bright colors for sinks back in the kitchen and bath.

Thank you Santa for having me guest post!!

See you over at HOMESTILO!

(image kohler.com)

If you need help styling or decorating your spaces, please contact me at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com.

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My home in CocoMale's blog...

Happy Monday! I wanted to thank Katie and Emily from the CocoMale blog for including my home in their fab series 'At Home With...' - the other day.  To see the post, please go here  and scroll down- have a great day!

(image by Sarah for Monaco Interiors)

If you need help decorating a space, I am offering e-design services. Please email me for a consultation at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com.

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Guest posting today...

Over on http://www.elcestockholm.blogspot.com/ - Home Tour of my favorite spots in my house - please come on over to Sweden and say hi!

Please go here - Thank you Tiina for letting me share my home!!

(images elcestockholm.blogspot.com)

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