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Hello readers and welcome back for another post in my Home Ownership 101 Series. Spring is here and that means it’s time to tackle some of those outdoor home and garden or curb appeal projects on your list. If you have a garage it is important that you pay attention to it as well, so that it stays clean, organized and well-maintained. Sometimes it’s also necessary to make repairs to your garage door, especially if you are looking to improve your home’s curb appeal or want to put your home on the market.

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Torsion Springs have a Life Cycle

One possible potential issue you may encouter is a broken garage door torsion spring. Your garage door torsion springs come with a life cycle rating. This means that the manufacturers have calculated the number of times that the torsion springs would function effectively before they break.  Garage doors may come with a single torsion spring. However, many garage doors are fitted with a pair of torsion springs. These torsion springs may or may not come with the same dimensions, although many standard garage doors are fitted with torsion springs of similar dimensions. This is done so that both springs wear-out at more or less the same pace. So if you ever experience one torsion spring failure, the failure of the second torsion spring may not be too far behind. 

Change the Two Torsion Springs and Not One

If you want to save yourself stress, time and money, you should replace the pair of torsion springs even when only one torsion spring has failed. As mentioned before, the life cycle of your installed torsion springs are practically the same, so when one breaks, the other is likely to break soon.

In the event of a torsion spring break, you should save money in garage door torsion spring replacement costs by changing both torsion springs once and for all. It is possible that the two torsion springs in your garage door have different dimensions and hence different life cycles. Nevertheless, to avoid having to call on a garage door specialist (for a second time in quick succession) and spending considerable amounts of money, you should just replace the broken and unbroken torsion springs at once.

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Install Torsion Springs with Similar Dimensions

The life span of every torsion spring is based on a preconceived number of usage cycles. In other words, after operating your garage door a certain number of times, it is expected that the torsion springs would give way. This is an important note when you eventually have to change your torsion springs. You should go for torsion springs with similar length, wire size and inside diameter. 

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Peace of Mind

Your torsion springs will eventually breakdown with usage, but by installing torsion springs with similar dimensions, you can at least be rest assured that they would break down at about the same time. By replacing your worn-out torsion springs with identical torsion springs, you are in effect splitting the load and work of the springs by a couple of equal halves.

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I hope you have found this post to be helpful if you have been having trouble with your garage door or if you need to make some repairs. Best of luck with your spring outdoor repairs and curb appeal projects!

Thanks for visiting today!

Are you looking to add extra living space or storage in your home? Unfinished basements are cold, dark places so it can sometimes be hard for homeowners to imagine using them as functional living spaces. With a little work, any basement can be turned into a guest room, den, game room, or just about any additional living space, though. Basements often go unused but they don’t have to. A basement contractor can waterproof the walls and turn the otherwise dark and musty space into a beautiful room that will add value to any home.  Read on to find 10 basement remodeling ideas that will offer inspiration for converting your basement to useable space.

Know When to Hire a Professional

If the basement still has bare concrete walls and an exposed sump pump, homeowners won’t be able to do much of anything with it. Hire a basement finishing company in Atlanta to waterproof the space, add walls, and get the transformation process started.

Add Recessed Lighting

Basements often don’t have the same ceiling clearance as above-grade rooms. Adding some recessed lighting can solve this problem by giving the illusion of more space. That extra light will really brighten up the room, too, which is important since basements don’t typically get much natural light.

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Choose a Theme

Want to turn the basement into a home cinema? Incorporate cinema-themed elements like red carpeting, movie posters, light-up signs, or even a small snack bar. We chose to refinish our basement into a Teen Bonus Room (music room) hangout space. Check out my post below to see the before and after transformation.

Teen Bonus Room Makeover Reveal

Install a Comfy Guest Bedroom

Finished basements are a perfect spot for adding a bedroom to an otherwise cramped home. Just make sure to take the room’s dimensions and shape into account. Add mirrors and use light colors in small basements or install a faux fireplace in a larger basement to create a warm, inviting atmosphere.

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Create a Game Room

Basements are also a great spot for game rooms. Install a pool table, a ping-pong table, or a poker table as the centerpiece and match the decor to the room’s theme. Those who prefer video games can go in a different direction and install projectors and add extra couches or comfortable chairs to create a gaming haven.

Remodeling Tips

Recently the Blog

Transform Small Spaces

Make use of all available space by transforming awkward corners or the areas under stairs into stylish storage areas. All it takes is some shelving, a new floor, a coat of paint, and some storage containers.

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Install a Craft Room

Basements are great spaces for kids since children and young adults won’t mind the lower ceilings. Take advantage of that by turning it into a craft room and get bold with the interior decorating. Parents can showcase their children’s art or experiment with interesting patterns that might not be a good fit for the upper levels of the home.

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Add a Half-Bath

If there’s enough space beneath the stairs, consider adding a half-bath with a toilet and a sink. Whether the basement is used as a craft room or a home theater, residents and guests will appreciate the convenience of having a bathroom on the same floor.

1920’s Powder Room Revival Hex Tile Flooring

Hide the Laundry

Many homeowners have washing machines and dryers in their basements. Build in a wall to create a small laundry room without devoting the entire basement to washing and folding clothes.

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Break Up Space

Homeowners with large basements can install walls or even hanging barn doors to break up space. This lets them dedicate part of the basement to storage while using the rest of it as extra living space.

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Know When to Hire a Professional

Are you ready to convert your basement to a beautiful new room or storage area? Before getting started it’s important to have your basement inspected by a contractor. You should also have it tested for mold. If the basement still has bare concrete walls and an exposed sump pump, you might not be able to do much of anything with it without professional remediation. Hire a basement finishing company in Atlanta to waterproof the space, add walls, and get the transformation process started.

24 Cottonwood Lane

I hope this post has inspired you to tackle that dark, dingy basement and to begin transforming it into a useable space! If you are looking for more ideas you might want to check out the post above.

Have you ever converted your basement into a family room, craft space or neat and tidy laundry area? I love hearing from you, dear readers!

Thanks for visiting today!

Amber

Read more

There are many factors to consider when planning a bathroom remodel. Maybe the fixtures in an old bathroom are beginning to wear, or perhaps the room’s decor just doesn’t line up with the rest of the family’s home. Regardless of why homeowners want to remodel their bathrooms, they should check out the following reasons to install a glass shower door before getting started. Read more

Hey everyone! If you have been following the blog for a while then you know that my husband and I have been planning to redo our kitchen but we haven’t rushed into anything because we don’t know exactly what we want. Well, we are finally making some progress in that we have made a firm decision to start doing some serious planning! We have been getting nowhere just tossing out ideas, so I thought it might be good to document the ideas in blog posts and use the posts to sort of help us along in the process. I have always loved the timeless look of beadboard in a kitchen. I actually wouldn’t mind having it on our ceilings, cabinets or backsplash, or all three areas! Here are some photos I am using to help me sort through all the beadboard kitchen options.

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Considering Beadboard 

Beadboard Ceilings

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When we first moved in five years ago we gave our wooden cabinets a DIY chalk paint makeover in a creamy antique ivory color. Our cabinets are similar to the ones in this photo and we are also hoping to give them a face lift by adding trim and corbels. I love how beadboad looks with this style and color of cabinetry. Another option is replacing the doors since our door style is alittle dated and  the cabinets are in good condition. 

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I also love the idea of some type of undermount cabinet lighting like  high bay led lights.

Town and Country Living

It’s important to have plenty of light on the countertops so you can cook safely. Under cabinet lighting is a great way to make sure that you can actually see what you are doing. You can also lighting for ambiance.  Inexpensive strip lights are easy to install yourself, but they will make a huge difference.

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Right now we still have the cheapy fake tile backsplash that was here when we bought the house. I painted it the same color as the cabinets so it doesn’t really stand out. I really love the look of tile but I am not sure about the maintenance. Of course there are easy ways clean up the grout work these days like handy dandy grout paint pens. 

The breakfast nook area has an updated faux brick wall and it is the only part of the kitchen I really ever show on the blog or IG. I just realized the only full kitchen photos I have are from holidays. Here is a picture from this past Christmas showing the fake tile that is currently in our kitchen. The counter top is also near 30 years old so we will be replacing it. It is in decent enough shape to repurpose in the basement so that is a plus.

 Beadboard Ceilings

When we update the kitchen cabinets the ceiling will have to be changed as well since some of it will have to be removed during the renovation.

When we first moved in five years ago my husband covered the popcorn ceiling using wood panels and trim similar to the photo above. Popcorn ceiling removal is not too hard to do but with all of the attractive options for covering them these days we decided to go that route. It looked great for a while, but after he “beefed up” our living room ceiling with cofferred beams the kitchen ceiling seemed to look like an after-thought.

The ceiling in the living room is stained wood, and the kitchen ceiling is painted white. You can see straight into the kitchen from the living room, so we would rather have contrasting ceiling styles because right now it just looks like the kitchen ceiling trim hasn’t been finished out since it is so much less ornate than the living room. The kitchen ceiling doesn’t look bad on it’s own and it was a great option for covering the popcorn ceiling when we moved in, but my husband and I both agree that a different ceiling style would look better when we update the kitchen and we are leaning toward beadboard.

Right now our kitchen has too much clutter the goal is to make it seem more airy, open and light. I want to achieve a mix of farmhouse and French country styles in our new kitchen, so I think beadboard would be a great choice. It is a possiblity that we could keep the coffered trim and add beadboard panels inside each section. I think it would dress it up a lot. Since some of the trim is going to have to be torn out when the cabinets are reconfigured, I am not sure if this will be an easy upgrade, but it is an option.

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I honestly love the look a simple beadboard ceilings and I think it is my first choice. I know my husband is not opposed to the idea because it is pretty easy to install and not nearly as time consuming as the other options. If I lean more toward French decor, farmhouse style, cottage style or even more of a historic-vintage look in the kitchen, the beadboard will be appropriate for any of those styles.

Decor Pad

There are different sizes and widths of beadboard too, so we will probably get some samples to see which would look best in our kitchen.

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One of my biggest home dreams is to create an opening from our kitchen to the patio. I would love some pretty french doors or even a sliding door. I have often seen patio style doors for next to nothing at the Habitat Restore. If I happened to find a sliding door needs that needs a little TLC it could be easily fixed by a sliding door repair company.

Ella Claire Inspired

We are shooting to begin some type of remodeling in our kitchen beginning this fall. Over the next few months we will be busy gathering samples, taking measurements and taking some steps to making this kitchen makeover a reality. Deciding exactly what materials to use and what look we are going for is the hardest part. We also want to keep the makeover budget friendly so shopping around for the best prices and labor is also part of the process. Choosing a new countertop is also on the agenda. My husband will be doing  a lot of the work but we are going to hire someone to install the countertops so all of that has to been taken into consideration with the budget planning.

We are shooting to begin some type of remodeling in our kitchen beginning this fall. Over the next few months we will be busy gathering samples, taking measurements and taking some steps to making this kitchen makeover a reality. Deciding exactly what materials to use and what look we are going for is the hardest part. We also want to keep the makeover budget friendly so shopping around for the best prices and labor is also part of the process. My husband will be doing  a lot of the work but we are going to hire someone to install the countertops so all of that has to been taken into consideration with the budget planning.

What are your thoughts on using beadboard in the kitchen? I love hearing from you, dear readers!

Thanks for visiting today!

Amber