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Gardening is a year-round hobby, which requires specific tasks at certain times of the year - often planning for several months ahead. In order to be ready to plant in your garden during next spring, you need to start preparing the soil sometime in the fall.

To prepare your garden for planting next spring, one of the most important things is to spread and till compost or peat moss over your garden, especially if it is a new garden. Adding fertilizers and nutrients several months ahead of the actual planting will help to ensure healthier plants.

Apart from preparing the soil, the winter months can also be used for removing of leaves and other debris and disposing of any dead plants. Some gardening experts recommend creating a calendar of planting dates so when spring is here you will know when to plant each variety.

Once spring arrives, your planting timetable will depend on where you live, your soil type and your local climate. Even though spring officially begins around March 20 th , you may have several more weeks of winter weather. Plants and vegetables that thrive in warm weather should not be planted until after the date that you can realistically expect no further frost. After that date, you can also safely remove any protective winter covers from plants.

Many varieties of annual flower seeds and vegetable seeds should be planted in March or April for best results. Try to sow seeds on a warm dry day as the soil may still be damp during this time of the year, thus causing the seeds to rot.

One tip for spring planting is to plant different varieties of crops and flowers in different parts of the garden than they were previously planted. Crop rotation helps to improve the health of the soil as well as preventing soil disease from spreading.

And before you even start planting, early spring is also a good time of year to perform basic outdoor maintenance tasks such as repairing fences or trellises, sharpening and cleaning tools. Spring is also the time to cut back unruly growth on most shrubs, before leaves begin to grow again.

About the Author:

Written by Joe Castro for GardenJunkie.com For more articles, auctions, blogs, forums & more visit http://www.gardenjunkie.com

[tags]garden, crafts, auctions, plants, recipes, blogs, forums, home and garden[/tags]

Nothing can help freshen up an older home, or help in the sale of a property or inspire your kitchen workspace like a new or remodeled kitchen. Kitchen design is becoming increasingly more important as space is rapidly growing smaller. Designing or remodeling your kitchen can be an incredibly exciting adventure but with it can come a lot of stress, and complication! Although there will always be some element of stress felt through a kitchen renovation it is possible to eliminate much of it with a solid plan. If a kitchen make-over is in your near future you should consider the following and make the best of this otherwise stressful period.

Build a Foundation

During the design process the most important question you can ask yourself is “Why do I want a new kitchen?” Is it because you are looking for more storage space? Is your space not being maximized? Does your cabinetry need to be replaced? Are your appliances in need of change as well? Is your kitchen too dark? Is your space too small or too big? Too Boring? Or simply, too much??!

By asking yourself these important questions you will have a much better idea of what you need to get out of your kitchen space. This information will become the foundation for your kitchen design plan.

Make a wish list

Once you have your “foundation” in place it is important to ask yourself a few more questions. Now that I know what I need, what is it I want? What you would like to have in your kitchen? Give this a lot of thought because design today can incorporate special storage and space savers into the cabinetry design today! Write a list of everything you could not live without. This list will also become a very important guideline for you, your contractor, or designer to follow. Here are a few questions to paint an example for you:

Do you want stainless steel appliances? Granite counter tops? Tiled flooring? Is it heated? Gas or electric? What will your color palette be? What kind of cabinetry will you use? What can I not live without?

Budget

How much can you afford to spend on your kitchen space? This is a big question that can affect the entire project. Kitchen design projects are rarely inexpensive so you must get out and do some pricing on items that are necessary for you to fulfill your foundation and wish list. Beware that if you plan on replacing your cabinetry it will account for more than half of your budget!!
When building your kitchen design budget you also want to include the cost of all labor (electricians, carpenters, gas technicians, plumbers, contractors etc.) and then consider the possibility of hiring a designer.

You must stay within your budget when planning a new kitchen. Account for as much as possible and add on another 20% or more just incase. Unexpected costs arise all the time in kitchen renovations and the best way to overcome it is to create a great budget. Dreaming big is one thing, but placing importance on price and affordability will ensure that you get what you are expecting and save some money for unexpected emergencies.

Time Frame

It is also very important to know when your project needs to be completed. Kitchen projects are notorious for being drawn out. Set realistic goals. The remodeling and new construction industry is booming and this can have a direct affect on your project. Many crew are working on several projects at a time so be sure to communicate your completion date with your contractor and demand a realistic response. Labor is not cheap so the shorter the time frame the higher the cost. It is also helpful to plan for you and your family to prepare meals at an alternate location or account for dining out into your budget. Remember that being inconvenienced at home can also cost you more money at the end of the day.

Designers

Hiring a designer can really help you get onto the right path sooner. These professional consultants can take care of every aspect of the design process like choosing the appropriate layout for you and your home. Coordinating color & lighting that is appropriate. Making sure all your trades and contractors are working in unison and of course ensuring that your dream kitchen becomes a reality. Designers will sit with you and go through a detailed interview process to get the best idea of what you are looking for. Their objective is to design a plan and develop a kitchen that works best for you. Your designer will combine your foundation and wish lists and weigh the pros and cons to balance them against your needs, space limitations and budget. Your designer will put together all the planning, logistical needs and contractors for your project. They can be expensive but many kitchen and bath showrooms will have in house designers working for them. You can set up an appointment or walk in and speak with someone almost immediately. This service helps the supplier get your business and they will do everything for you, from measuring your space to arranging packages for you that suit any budget.

Designers are usually well worth it, but do your research and find a design consultant with a portfolio that really connects with your own personal style.

You can also use your contractor to help you in planning out your workspace or even use a kitchen design software to personally plan out your kitchen space if you think you have what it takes!

Contractors

If you plan to do the design work yourself, make sure you use a professional contractor. There are lots of contractors out there who will undercut prices and offer you promises that are not realistic. Ask to see some portfolio work or for references. Make sure that your contractor is using accredited plumbers and electricians. Be wary of anyone willing to start immediately or who asks for cash upfront? Do not proceed with any payments unless you have an agreement with your contractor and make sure they detail all work on labor and materials. You do not want a poorly installed kitchen and any subsequent repairs will far outweigh the cost of using a professional.

A kitchen renovation can be a very stressful time, but it does not have to be. Stress is no good for anyone, besides getting a new kitchen should be an exciting journey not a nightmare! Enjoy your new kitchen and let the cooking begin!!

Michael Kyle has been an event coordinator and hospitality expert for 18 years. His passion for event planning and guest services helped lead to the successful launch of http://www.thesexykitchen.com; a web-site dedicated to kitchen design, renovation, party planning, hospitality, and more. Perhaps you have a passion or hobby you’d like to write about. Discover how to turn your passion into a successful website, visit http://www.succeed-from-your-passion.com to learn how.

[tags]kitchen,design,remodel,renovation,budget,cabinetry,space,projects,contractors,designers,[/tags]

Now that you have a rose garden you are proud of, it’s time to take the next step and let others see the beauty of your roses. Rose shows and exhibits are exciting events where you get a chance to see how your roses stack up against other rosarians’. It doesn’t matter if you win — the experience alone will be fun, and you’ll learn a lot.

Visit a Rose Show

Before entering your own roses, visit a few rose shows to see how everything works. If at all possible, get permission to enter the preparation room to see what experienced displayers do before the judging begins.

Get The Rule Book

Get a copy of the rule book from the American Rose Society. Visit their web site at www.ARS.org for more information.

When you decide you are ready, look for a show that’s close to home to limit your travel time and expenses. Many exhibits offer special judging classes for beginners, so try to find one of those for your first time.

Follow this timetable and you’ll be ready to face the judges on the day of your show:

30 Days Before The Show

It’s easiest to start with 1 single bloom on a stem, so select the 1 rose you will be showing. Be sure to pick a rose with a sturdy and straight stem.

Begin preparing the rose for exhibit by cutting off all of the buds that are forming on the side of the stem between the top and the leaf. This focuses all the nutrients to the single bloom at the end of the stem.

Support the cane of your selected rose by staking it with a bamboo stake and some rose or twist ties. This protects the cane and helps to support the rose as it grows.

Spray fungicide when needed, and promptly remove any aphids or spider mites. Aphids can be removed by spritzing with soapy water. Spider mites can be lightly sprayed with plain water.

Water your roses as you normally would, and apply organics and fertilizer as needed.

Put together your tool kit for the day of the show. Most experienced rosarians carry the following in their kits:

* American Rose Society Rule Book
* Shears
* Several soft cloths
* Cotton swabs (such as Q-Tips)
* Plastic wrap
* Small, soft artist’s paintbrush

7 Days Before The Show

Cover your selected bloom at night with a baggy that’s secured below the bloom with a tie. Remove the baggie before the sun rises in the morning. Do this every night until you leave for the show.

2 Days Before The Show

Cut the rose, with the stem a bit longer than usual, because you will be re-cutting it on the day of the show.

Place the rose in a florist’s bucket, cover the bloom with a baggie and tie it off below the bloom. Place the bucket and rose in the refrigerator.

Morning of The Show

Remove the rose from the refrigerator, place the container and rose safely in your car, grab your kit, and head for the show!

Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit grow-roses-now to learn more about this fascinating hobby.

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.

[tags]grow roses, rose gardening, roses[/tags]

When we think about home improvement projects we often think of changing or adding to a room but one of the most important improvements you can make in the kitchen is to make sure you have the proper lighting. You need to make sure that the room is not only illuminated, but that you have enough light to work, no matter which area of the kitchen you are in. Here are some tips on how to plan for perfect kitchen lighting.

Overhead Lighting

Many kitchens, and especially older ones, only have one type of lighting or even worse, perhaps only one light! You may be thinking that a big light centered in the middle of the ceiling will serve your need effectively, but it is rarely enough. If you do go with one overhead light, make sure that you plan to incorporate enough reflection to let the light bounce into every part of the room so that it is lit properly..

One thing to consider if you only have room or resources for lighting on the ceiling is track lighting. This type of lighting will allow you to direct the light to specific areas of the kitchen. You can install a light or point a light to each work area as well as your stove and kitchen table. Or, try using track kitchen lighting for the work area and then install additional lighting over the table or island areas.

Counters And Work Areas

Typically, one big light in the middle of the room will be inadequate for proper task lighting. It is problematic since when you are standing at the counter with your back to the light you will be casting a shadow right on the area you want to illuminate. Task lighting is important for proper food prep and will make your kitchen chores much easier.

For great task lighting consider kitchen lights that are installed on the bottoms of the cabinets that overhang your kitchen countertops. You’ll be able to easily see while you are chopping vegetables and preparing meals. This lighting is soft enough to provide the right amount of light and can be easily turned off as needed or leave just one light on at night as a “night light” of sorts.

Island And Table Lighting

You’ll also want to consider how you light the island and table areas. Here is where you will want to insure that lighting is adequate, and looks great with the style of your kitchen.

For eat in islands, the most popular type of lighting is lights that hang down from the ceiling. The length of your islands dictates how many lights you will need. The table lighting should be chic and is most practical if you can get lighting on a dimmer. Typically, you would want some sort of chandelier for right above the table but be sure to match the style to your kitchen decor.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.dailynewz.info where you can find out more about home improvement and renovation.

[tags]kitchen, remodeling, lighting, lights, decorating, decor, renovation, interior design[/tags]

We in the 21st Century living in a developed Country are totally, totally spoiled. Just ask anyone who lives in a developing Country.

Better still; try living in one yourself for some time rather than just passing through as a tourist living in 5 star luxuries.

It was 20 years ago that I lived in Malaysia for 3 years. I loved living in Georgetown on Penang Island. The people were beautiful, the scenery breathtaking and the food from the Mukan stall’s delicious and cheap.

Some of the backstreets though where the poorer people lived and survived were not always so delectable or pleasant. The open “Mony drains” were either so deep you would think they were dug out by a miner, or so shallow they were virtually useless. Mony drains were short for monsoon drains due to the tropical downpours that came through every 3 months as the monsoon passed over on its way south then on its way north again.

Now this is where I really appreciated plumbing. We, of course, being among the blessed elite, had ‘normal’ plumbing in our house with running water.

The difference was that this water was released into our outside “mony drain” that ran around our house and into a larger drain which ran into a larger drain etc until it ran out to where ever was the great meeting place for all mony drains.

Every week our wonderful, cheerful gardener came with his tin of ‘goodies’, hard scrubbing brush and scrubbed our drains for us.

There was one outside tap for use in the garden and it was located at the front of our house. On this tap we had a long hose that reached around the back of our house. Yes, you’re right, Nothing unusual about that.

We lived in a cul-de-sac with 3 houses. The last house had a really beautiful garden with a very attractive spirit house out the back. If I had been an ancestor, I would have been honoured to have lived there but I was a neighbour instead.

But as neighbours, we had a problem that went beyond different languages.

Their gardener raked the leaves off their perfect lawn and burned them in front of our house. Often long after our Amah Devi had put the washing on the line to dry.

Because it ‘got smoked,’ she used to bring it in and re-do it, which really wasn’t remotely fair.

We asked nicely, we asked again, and again and again. We spoke with the owner of the house, his wife, the mother-in-law grandmother, the gardener many, many times. We even had a solicitor write a letter to them in Bahasa requesting that they stop causing us this problem.

But they continued to light the fire to burn the leaves directly out the front of our house.

This particular day I came back from walking the kids to the school bus and they were out the front about to light the fire again. I approached them and asked them not to and pointed to the washing hanging on our line. It was the grandmother and the gardener and she was telling the gardener to ignore me and light the fire. He continued to hesitate because he was a kind hearted man and knew he was causing extra work for Devi.

I pointed to the tap in front of our house and went and got the hose. I turned the tap on full-bore, kinked the hose to hold the water back and hauled it through the front gate to where the fire was now burning.

I unkinked the hose expecting to see the usual gush of water sprout forth and it went dripdripdrip

I couldn’t help myself. I burst out laughing and laughing and the grandmother joined in. The gardener didn’t quite know what to do but his grin said it all.

The grandmother came over and gave me a kindly pat on the arm, told the gardener to put the fire out and whatever else she said but we never had a fire lit there again.

Now that was probably the only time in my life I have been grateful for bad plumbing.

© 2006 J Smith
jan@constructingprofits.com
http://www.constructingprofits.com
Showing contractors how to make more money
~ working fewer hours

[tags]plumbing,plumbing supply,plumbing design,plumbing Malaysia,Malaysia,diy plumbing,plumbing repair,[/tags]

By fitting furniture slipcovers over your worn or outdated upholstery you can give your old sofas and chairs a stylish new look in minutes. Stretch slipcovers for furniture are designed to be really easy to fit and can be held in place with elastic or ties for a snug fitting finish. If you’re keen to add some vibrancy and style to your home, without too much expense or effort, the answer could be simply adding some ready made slipcovers. With chair and sofa covers you can give well used furniture a fresh lease of life, and transform the appearance of your whole room.

Furniture slipcovers come in a huge range of sizes and designs for all types of seats. For your family room or den there are wing chair, recliner, loveseat and sectional couch slipcovers. Additionally, loads of attractive kitchen and dining chair slipcovers are available to protect your chairs from accidental food or drink spills, as well as adding a touch of elegance to mealtimes. Furniture covers are made from a variety of durable fabrics, many of which are fully machine washable for your convenience. Choices include cotton, brushed twill, chenille or faux leather. There’s sure to be a material that would look great with your decor and color scheme.

Sofa and chair slipcovers come in a wide selection of patterns and colors, from pastel floral prints to colorful country checks. You can change the mood and atmosphere of your room with your choice of slipcover. You can also alter the style of old fashioned furniture, by disguising ugly legs with a skirt for instance. If you’d like a fully coordinated look, you could spend a bit more to get some custom slipcovers made to the exact measurements of your seats. Slipcovers can be an affordable alternative to re-upholstery or buying brand new furniture. And there’s the added advantage of being able to remove and replace them whenever you fancy a change.

If your home is in need of a makeover, slipcovers could work wonders at improving the appearance of an entire room, without blowing your budget.

Caroline Smith is a successful home furnishings writer and regular contributor to A1-slipcovers.com - An online resource to help you find the very best deals on all sofa, furniture and custom slipcovers. Shop online and save!

[tags]furniture slipcovers,slipcovers,stretch slipcovers,sofa slipcovers,dining chair slipcovers[/tags]

Open shelving, gleaming granite counter tops and glass doors on refrigerators are the rage in kitchen design today. But these looks don’t fool many who have interacted with them. Homebuyers in 2006 look for practical design options to make their time in the kitchen more leisure and lower day-to-day maintenance.

Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home (2005) shares tips for efficient kitchen design that for home chefs. Homebuyers have told Nash what works and what doesn’t in the lives of todays fast-paced, time-starved home gourmets, holiday bakers and occasional cooks. Those looking to build, update or remodel a kitchen could save time and money based on feedback from field-tested homebuyers.

-Fingers and pets easily soil and scratch stainless steel finishes. For an alternative use matching cabinet panels on appliances for a custom look or black appliances with black colored counter tops. Research traditional upright refrigerator options such as built-in separate refrigerated and freezer drawers.

-Trendy custom colors and ceramic tiles look great today but will look dated sooner than you think.

-Organized your dishes and glassware if you select open shelves. Consider cabinets with frosted glass doors for a similar look with less work.

-Polished granite counter tops show smudges, watermarks and wiping streaks. Research alternatives like matte finishes. Stone and concrete are hard surfaces and record every noise by glasses, dishes and pots placed on them.

-Include double-ovens to speed baking, two dishwashers for heavy entertaining and second sinks for multiple cooks.

-Don’t overlook basic functional design elements for distances between workstations, appliances and sinks.

-Allocate space for people to congregate or sit when your kitchen is the focal point for entertaining in your home.

-Kitchens adjacent to great rooms with hardwood floors might require hardwood floors, but remember to have extra coats of wood sealers applied as spills and water don’t mix with wood.

-Look for quality cabinets that offer features such as slide-out shelves, dovetailed drawers and solid construction.

-Specify cabinets to ceiling for extra storage. Use 32-inch tall cabinets with 10-inch glass door cabinets above to lighten look and provide dust-free display of serving pieces.

-Plan for places to store cookbooks and favorite wines within easy reach with shelves and racks built into the ends of islands.

-Pantries, under cabinet task lighting and cook top ventilation fans vented to the outside offer high returns on functionality.

-Factor in resale perceptions and values of high-end European cabinets, fixtures and appeal of commercial stoves.

Mark Nash’s fourth real estate book, “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home” (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN-TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investor’s Weekly, Dow Jones Market Watch, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.

[tags]real estate,trends,kitchen,design,1001,tips,buying,selling,home,advice,author,mark nash,realty,house[/tags]

One may not think of this topic much because it may seem trivial on the surface, but the mattress industry is highly dynamic, with changes happening all the time as well as new innovations coming onto the scene.

Case in point, in recent years a type of material has become very fashionable in terms of it’s function- latex mattresses. It seems like if you were to interview the leaders of the mattress industry, they would tend to nod their heads and agree that this is where the future is headed.

With latex material mattresses, there aren’t any movable parts and therefore it wont’ break as easily. Latex mattresses also tend to last as far as it’s contours and shape is concerned relative to other types of mattresses.

Usually latex mattresses have warranties that cover it from breaking down in any significant way. For example if latex mattress goes down by about an three quarters of an inch, many stores will actually replace your latex mattress. For other mattresses such as coil based ones, the warranty will cover mattresses that go down by an inch to an inch and a half in some cases.

That is a basic introduction to latex based mattresses, feel free to discover the difference for yourselves.

Discount foam mattress pads related products and value-added services are available at our website.

http://www.mattressbliss.com

[tags]mattress cleaner,adjustable air mattresses,best latex mattress,discount foam mattress pads[/tags]

Dear friends, we as humans are a composite of mind, body and
spirit. All these three in proper coordination, create the
world around us. The things, which we want in life, are first
created in our mind, then our mind sends signals to our brain
and the brain sends signals to various parts of our body to
take action and thus “reality” gets created.

This means that whatever we imagine in our minds gets converted
in reality. The program of our mind decides what we imagine.
I mean if I want to decorate my bedroom, everything from the
type of furniture I choose to the budget decision will depend
upon my “broader attitude” towards life.

If I am a “budget conscious” person, then this will affect right
from the initial stages of the design. I will look at the design
from a conservative point of view. Thus everything, which gets
created in reality will have an influence of my personality.

Here I am not trying to say that only high budget designs are
good. I have seen works of many interior designers, who have
spent their entire lives on studying low cost design projects
and also have won awards for their magnificent work.

That’s why any interior design project can not be fulfilled without
active participation of the client or the user. Creativity
doesn’t have any boundaries of budget. Any piece of art which
fulfils the functional need and also the aesthetical need can
be easily accepted as an architectural element. Budget is
not a constraint at all. On the other hand the budget constraint
sometimes is useful to generate some good ideas for a particular
problem.

An interior designer is not an artist, because an artist basically
performs his acts to satisfy his own desire. This could be
any performing art or other forms of arts. His piece of work
may not have any functional use from user’s point of view.

An interior designer is not even a technician or engineer.
Because when an engineer builds a design he need not worry of
making it “beautiful”. His primary aim is to make it functional.
He puts his entire energy in making the design functional.

That’s why an interior designer is one who satisfies both the
functional as well as aesthetical part of the design. Sometimes
it is easy to accomplish the functional part of an interior design,
but since the definition of beauty is different for everyone,
it is extremely difficult to satisfy each and every user’s
aesthetic hunger.

This is particularly true about interiors in public spaces.
For example a bank building has a definite use and function for
all the users. We can safely create a list of functions a person
would perform when he visits a bank. But this does not
mean the bank reflects his personality, like the first paragraph
of this article mentions.

That’s why interiors in public spaces always are designed by taking
into consideration something called as “mass personality”.
This is a general attitude of the kind of mindset everyone would have
or is likely to have when he/she visits that space. If you
visit large corporate software office premise, you will see this picture.

Office interiors always have a certain kind of order in them.
The use of colors, design styles have a kind of commitment in
them, which is expected from you when you work there.

On the other hand a bar or a restaurant has some sort of mood
generating atmosphere, which sets you loose. Because this is
what is expected in a public space like a restaurant.

Thus any interior space is always associated with people. A space
which serves its functions best and makes the users comfortable is
bound to succeed as a favorite place.

I hope this article was informative to everyone.

Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya

Shrinivas Vaidya is the webmaster of Bedroom-Design-And-Decorating-Ideas.com Here you will find some great concept level design tips for master bedrooms, teen bedrooms and guest bedrooms.

[tags]interior design, bedroom design, home improvement[/tags]

It’s finally time to tackle that big home improvement project you’ve always wanted to do. Or, you may have waited so long, now you NEED to do the project. Which leads to your first question - “Where do I start?”

Well, the truth is some jobs are simply too big, too complicated, or require too much time to handle on your own. Whether it’s remodeling a kitchen, installing gutters, or electrical rewiring for your business - you’ll likely need an expert.

A contractor, or subcontractor, can be your ‘knight in shining armor’ when it comes to completing your project. But, wait you’ve heard so many horror stories connected with “shady contractors” that you’re starting to re-think this re-model. But statistics show that the huge majority of contractors out there are honest and hard-working professionals. Most people are happy with any improvement project they undertake.

“Fine,” you say. “How can I protect myself and make sure I find a great contractor?” I’m glad you asked. Here are some standard tips you can follow to make sure your repair, remodel, or installation goes well:

o Got License? Most states require that a contractor have a license to operate in that state. Once you find a contractor (referrals from friends, the Yellow Pages, or you can click here at http://www.constructiondeal.com to find an expert), you should check to see if he or she has a local contracting license to do the job.

o Check References - get at least three references from satisfied clients. And if you want to get really fanatical, go to the contractor’s current job site. See if the site is messy. Are the workers taking care of the property?

o Get Bids - if you have the luxury, get multiple bids from several contractors. Don’t always assume that the lowest bid is the best, because that contractor may be desperate for work or might cut corners on the job. But if you get contractor’s from several sources, you could get a really great deal.

o Get it in Writing - the days of the “handshake deal” are far behind us. Get a detailed contract together and throw everything in (even if the project doesn’t involve the kitchen sink!) The more you clarify, the fewer headaches you’ll have if things go wrong.

o Do You Take a Check? Don’t ever pay in cash. Can you say, “Proof of payment”? I thought you could Keep logs of all payments (for example - 10% down, 20% by one date, another 20% by another date, final payment when work is complete, etc.) and pay with a check or credit card only.

“Wait a minute!” you protest, “That sounds like a lot of work!”

Sure it does. Because it is a lot of work. If you think a renovation or remodeling job is expensive, imagine having to pay for it twice! Do your homework and you’ll avoid being one of the horror stories.

“Are there any warning signs of a bad contractor?” you ask. Boy, you sure do ask a lot of questions. And that’s good. Always ask a lot of questions. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be to handle the unexpected.

Okay, these are signs a contractor might be one step away from going to jail:

o If required by the state, your contractor doesn’t want to show you his or her license. Or won’t give you references. Or you two don’t get along. Keep in mind: this person may be in your home, working side-by-side with you, for several months - you’d better get along!

o Your contractor wants you to pay for the entire project up front. Run for the hills.

o Your contractor has a “friend” in the financing business that can get you a “good deal” on a loan for your project. What will really happen is that you’ll end up with a huge “2nd mortgage” at a ridiculously “high rate” and your “contractor” just got a juicy “commission” on the deal.

o Your contractor doesn’t have a business address, a business card, and it looks like the contractor sleeps in his or her pickup truck. Run really fast for those hills…

Okay. Now that you know about the warning signs, you need to take a look at some signs you may have found a really good contractor:

o The contractor has at least 4 to 5 years experience. It shows they can manage their business and complete their projects.

o The contractor has insurance. Liability and worker’s compensation are the most important types of coverage to make sure everyone is covered.

o The contractor has more than references - he or she may even carry a book of photos showing past work projects that have been completed.

o The contractor provides cost breakdowns for the job. These breakdowns show specific details of what the project will cost to complete.

o The contractor is flexible. Communicate all your requirements and specifications for the project. Whether you two decide that you want to supervise the work or you want to let the contractor make all the decisions, your contractor will be flexible enough to work with you.

“Okay, am I ready?” Yes, now you’re ready to hire a professional to help get your home or business improvement project off the ground. One of the best ways to protect yourself is the act of due diligence. Webster’s defines due diligence as: “The care that a prudent person might be expected to exercise in the examination and evaluation of risks affecting a business transaction.” In simplified terms - Do your homework. And you’ll do just fine.

Have fun and make the most out of your experience.

Timothy K. Clark is the Director of Marketing for ConstructionDeal.com, a valuable website that matches Contractors with Property Owners for residential and commercial improvement, remodeling and repair projects. For more information, visit http://www.constructiondeal.com or call 866-663-47111

[tags]home remodeling,home builders,contractors,home improvement,construction,remodeling,house builder[/tags]