Better Deals on Bathrooms

Refurbishing a bathroom can be an expensive business. Although it may well add value to your home, this doesn't mean that you can't look to make savings when buying new products and accessories.

The way in which we approach changes to this room of the house can vary. For some of us, a simple lick of paint is as much of a transformation as we'd like to make.

For others, there's an urge to replace the bath or maybe the entire bathroom. Online specialist stores have appeared in order to deal with all of these requirements.

Whether you're looking for a new shower, or maybe for an entire new bathroom suite, there are plenty of options available to you. One point of interest is that online bathroom stores often seem to be able to offer much lower prices than traditional retailers.

Why should this be the case? For the answer to this question, we need to look at the fundamental differences in the way that internet stores work when compared to bricks and mortar alternatives.

The most obvious difference is that traditional stores will have a physical shop in place that you can go and visit. For internet retailer, their website is their shop front.

So what difference does this make to all of us as customers? The thought of visiting an actual shop can be more appealing, meaning that we can take a good look at products before we buy. We may also be able to get some advice from the sales assistants.

On the other hand, it's often much more comfortable to shop from our own homes. We also need to be aware that a physical store comes at a price.

Renting shop space and paying staff salaries obviously costs money, meaning that traditional stores are likely to have higher overheads. If those higher costs are passed on to customers then it means that we'll be faced with higher bills.

That's why many of the best deals on bathroom suites and accessories are to be found online.

Read more about True Shopping discounts online, as discussed by Keith Barrett. This article may be used by any website publisher, though this resource box must always be included in full.

Great Luxury Bathrooms On A Budget

If bathing is one of the great pleasures in your life, then you deserve a sumptuous space in which to relax and let the day's troubles slip away. Luxury bathrooms no longer have to come with a hefty price tag. If you know which elements can create a soothing environment, then you can design a room that's worthy of an expensive spa right in your own home. In this article, we'll tell you how to remodel a bathroom that's humdrum into a space that you'll love.

In order to remodel your bathroom and make it a place you can really relax, you first need to choose a color that makes you feel calm. Chromatherapy is the use of color to improve your health. Chromatherapy designs are more common in modern bathrooms, so it is possible to combine different elements for maximum effect. The soak bath with chromatherapy allows an individual to be immersed in a warm bath and, with the touch of a button, develop the bathing environment into a liquid rainbow with a full spectrum of striking color. Each color displays for around 8 seconds, and washes over the bather with a faded effect, then turns solid, and then returns to a faded effect before moving to the next color. This will make a relaxing atmosphere that is sure to be a great experience.

People have bathed in steam for centuries because of its healing and relaxing properties. Luxurious steam showers are great for relieving muscle tension and joint fatigue. It's also great for sweating impurities out of your skin. Many steam showers are the same size as traditional shower enclosures and also feature rotating showers heads that massage your body and timers for the steam function so that you can enjoy a combination bath and sauna effect. For fans of high tech gadgets, some steam showers come fully loaded with a radio, telephone, remote control and connections for your CD player.

Any luxurious bathroom must have a towel warmer, since wrapping your relaxed and revitalized body in a warm towel is essential for a complete spa experience. Lower-end towel warmers often come with a very light chroming or low quality material that will wear off in time. The amount of heat the unit gives off cannot be controlled, making the low price of $100 initially attractive but in the long run not a great choice. However, it is possible to buy elegantly designed towel warmers ranging in price from $1,500 to $5,000. It may sound costly, but your heavenly oasis is priceless. Most luxury towel warmers are constructed of solid brass and have 5-year warranties.

Before you start designing your space, define what luxury means to you. Do you have to have the jacuzzi tub or would some new paint and fancy towels satisfy the need to upgrade your master bath and pamper yourself? Luxury bathrooms don't have to cost a fortune. Many pricey items for decorating bathrooms have cheaper alternatives, so shop around and treat yourself to things that you'll enjoy for years.

Rocky Spurrell is a property manager and successful real estate investor and knows the value of a luxury bathroom both for himself or for resale. When searching for property in the Durango CO home market, he recommends Kristen Westlund as a knowledgeable Durango real estate agent for commercial real estate, land, or even homes in the Durango mountain resort.

What is a Three Way Home Electrical Light Switch?

A three way home electrical light switch is a special light switch that can be used in your hallways, large rooms and stairways. These light switches are specially made to operate one light or a group of lights from two different locations.

They are most commonly found in hallways and provide a homeowner with the option of turning the light on at one end of the hallway and turning it off, when they are finished walking through the hallway and are about to enter into another room.

Before three way home electrical light switches were made, people would turn the hallway light on and leave it on or they wouldn't turn the hall light on at all, because they knew that after they walked down the dark hallway, they wouldn't be able to turn the light off at the other end.

Three-way light switches are also used in stairways. It makes a lot of sense, to be able to turn your stairway light on, at the bottom of the stairs and then after you have walked up the stairway safely, you can simply turn the stair lights system off.

As homes become larger, it's not going to be uncommon to find three way light switches being used at either end of large rooms. If your living room or family room was located within the center of your home and had an entrance at each end, it wouldn't be a bad idea to install a light switch at each end, for travelers who are simply walking through these room.

Remember that three-way light switches, are used to operate lights from two different locations.

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Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

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Choose a New Shape

Many people think that a bathtub has to be oblong simply because they have never looked at the very many different shapes that are now available in today's marketplace due to this fact it is possible to choose a bathtub that is made of various bathtub shapes and really change the look of your bathroom as well as transforming your bathing experience.

One of the main types of bathtub that has come onto the market over the past few years is what is known as a corner bathtub, and as the name implies it simply fits into the corner of the bathroom. The good thing about it is that it can save a lot of space and so if you have a small bathroom this can be a really good thing. They can also be quite deep which means you can have a good soak into the bargain.

Of course not everybody has a small bathroom, and if you're one of the lucky ones who happens to have a large bathroom then one of the best things you can do is to look at the bathtub that really can add an element to a design. For many people who like the traditional look a claw foot bathtub is one of the best things to choose, particularly when it is put on a pedestal. This really does add a center of attraction to the whole bathroom, and the shape, which is usually nicely curved, really does have a relaxing air.

You should also remember that as well as many different shapes now being available there are now many different ways of taking a bath apart from sitting in hot water. A Jacuzzi bathtub is not as expensive as it used to be and although you do still have to spend a bit of extra money it can be an excellent way to relax at the end of the day. All in all, the next time you're looking for a bathtub think of all the different shapes that are available and the various things you can do to make your bathing experience much better. There really is no need to look at the oblong bathtub any longer.

carl formby owns and operates smallbathtubdesigns.com Small Corner Bathtubs and Handicap Whirlpool Bathtubs

Attic Handrail Safety - Do it Yourself Home Repair

Some stairways that lead up to your attic will have a safety or guardrail to prevent people from falling down the stairs or off of them. Attic handrail safety can provide homeowners with a little peace of mind if they just follow the few simple steps. Make sure that the handrail is at least 42 inches in height. 42 inches is the minimum height for guard rails and can be found in the uniform building code.

The uniform building code is the Bible to the building industry and sets the standard for new construction and remodeling.

The 42 inches will be measured from the floor to the top of the handrail. Some older homes will have handrails that are 36 inches and some of them will be even 30 inches in height. A 30 inch handrail provides limited protection for anyone who is over five foot tall. 30 inches becomes the center point for any one over 60 inches and these people could easily fall over the short handrail.

Now for the homes that don't have any attic handrail safety systems. Some homes that were built before the 1960s won't have a handrail system at all in the stairway. Keep something in mind here, when these people were building these houses, some of them were trying to save money, some of them figured that it wasn't going to be a big deal and other builders simply forgot to install them.

It's not hard to install a working attic handrail for safety but keep in mind, that if the handrail isn't the right height, it will provide you with limited protection. Attic handrails that are lower than 30 inches can provide young children or others who are shorter than five feet with very little protection but can be a safety hazard to anyone over 5 feet tall.

If your attic doesn't have a safety handrail, use caution and be careful in these areas of your home. It wouldn't be a bad idea to install a locking doorknob if your attic access has a door that can be secured to prevent small children or other people from entering these unsafe areas.

Home Attic Repairs

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

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Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge - A Great Ecolodge For the Entire Family

One of the many things that impresses me about ecolodges is how they approach construction of the lodge. As it would be rather eco-contrary if a lodge were to cut down trees and prepare a building site instead of working with nature's offerings. At Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, meticulous care was taken to ensure no trees were cut. All wood came from either naturally fallen trees or tree farms. In all, 18 different species of wood were used. The roof tiles were made locally out of recycled plastic bags and bottles. The lodge and rooms are designed with a certain amount of openness creating a seamless transition between inside and outside. Nicuesa seeks a balance of providing their guests with a high-quality experience while minimizing their impact on the environment.

One of the many tours they offer is their 'sustainability tour.' It's a fascinating one hour tour given by co-owner, Donna Butler. Starting in the lodge, Donna describes how and why they came up with the locations for the various buildings, their design philosophy and where the various wood types came from. It's a great introduction to the property.

My favorite tour at Nicuesa is the 'Esquinas River Tour.' The tour begins after breakfast. With kayaks in tow, keep your eyes peeled for dolphins as it's a beautiful, 10 mile boat ride up the coast to the mouth of the Esquinas River. The boat slows and enters meandering channels of mangroves. A variety of birds take off in front of and behind the boat. Coffee and snacks are served as guides tell stories about local families and the importance of mangrove forests. After breakfast, it's time for the kayaks and an awe-inspiring paddle through this magical place. On the way back to the lodge, the boats stops once more at a local reef for snorkeling where numerous fish species can be seen.

The hiking at Nicuesa is also spectacular. The property itself is a 165 acre, private reserve and borders the beautiful and largely undiscovered Piedras Blancas National Park. Beautiful waterfalls, huge trees, hundreds of species of birds and animals along with thousands of species of plants call this area home. I could not get enough of these trails.

Communal dinners are served by candle light in the spacious and open lodge. Guests and employees sit at the same table where friends are made and memories are shared. An after dinner cocktail is the perfect night cap before bed and another day of adventure.

Nicuesa is involved in numerous conservation efforts and matches individual donations. They've donated thousands of dollars to the region they love and want to see protected for others to experience.

Michael and Donna Butler's goal of creating a place with little environmental impact and huge environmental appeal is evident in what they've created at Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge.

Mitch Popa is an independent video producer working on promoting Costa Rica's Ecotourism Industry. Please visit our website at http://www.ecotourismtravelguides.com or contact me personally at redwoodmitch@yahoo.com.

How to Find a Excellent New Home Builder

Looking for a good home builder or contractor, isn't an exact science, but hopefully, by the time you're done reading this article, you will at least have a better idea, what you will be looking for. Let's get started.

As a general contractor, the most important thing that I would be looking for any new home builder, would be experience. You can't sacrifice price for experience. If you're looking for the cheapest contractor, there's a good chance that this person will be lacking experience in home building knowledge.

How long has this person been in business? Just because you're new home builder has only been in business for five years, doesn't mean that he isn't capable of building your home. The same holds true for someone who has been in business for 30 years. Just make sure that these people have actually built homes in the past.

What is their attitude like? This is the second most important thing and I tend to focus on this more than experience, sometimes. If you don't get along with the person, you're not going to have a pleasant home building experience. If you think that there lying to you, scammers or generally don't feel comfortable with them, but they seem to have the most experience and build more homes in your area than anyone else. I wouldn't think twice about getting rid of them and finding someone else.

Last but not least, you should contact some of the people that they have worked for in the past. Talking to past clients, is going to play an important role in making your final decision. You need to find out, if these home builders, treated their clients fairly and were they generally happy with the overall outcome and performance, not only of the homebuilder, but each one of his subcontractors.

I would recommend writing out a list of questions and offering your new home builders past clients a free meal. Offer to take them out to dinner, lunch or breakfast, this way you will have their undivided attention and get the low down on your potential future home builder, it could be the best money that you ever spent.

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Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home inspection checklist to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

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