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Wednesday 14 December 2016

How to Fix Scratches on Glass

How to Fix Scratches on Glass

It is a common problem for every homeowners when it comes to scratches on mirror or glass where presence of children or after certain period of usage surfaces do develop marks. Glass scratches can be an eyesore and devalue the item especially on decorative items, mirror, furniture, aquarium and so on.

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It may be a problem in the older days to fix glass scratches but not anymore with chemical and tools available in the market today. Read on for useful ways to remove the scratches:

  1. Thin layer of transparent of colourless nail paint applied on the surface will helps to make the scratches invisible.

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  1. One of the traditional method to fix glass scratches is by applying mixed white vinegar with dry mustard into paste and apply on the surface.

  1. Glass scratches on wardrobe glass and table tops can be repaired by using non gel type toothpaste which helps to make scratches invisible. Paste the toothpaste over the glass and leave for full dry. Wipe off the hard paste with cloth after drying.

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  1. Metal polish can also be used to remove glass scratches if you found some extra metal polish lying around your home. Pour some of the polish on a clean cloth and rub on the scratch until the marks invisible.

  1. If scratches are found on your eyeglasses, the following can be applied with caution. Apply glass-etching cream over the glass with cotton wool and leave for a few seconds. Wipe off the excess and repeat the process until scratch marks become invisible.

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  1. If the scratch marks are still obvious after trying above methods, it suggest that the marks are probably too deep. It is advisable to contact your local professional to remove the marks.

Monday 7 November 2016

8 Cleaning Supplies Why You Must Store in Your Home

8 Cleaning Supplies Why You Must Store in Your Home

Before you start your home cleaning routine, making sure you have the following to ease the job and save time.

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1. Gloves

Hand gloves are useful if you regularly perform chemical cleaning or scrubbing toilets. These could save your hand from harsh chemicals.

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2. White Vinegar

Another must have cleaning product for your home. Mix it with baking soda and it will fight against anything. One of the best example is removing water mark on tiles. Sprinkle the tiles with baking soda first and slowly pour vinegar little at a time allowing it to form paste. After the paste form, scrub it with sponge and rinse with water, leaving tiles free of marks. May require repeat process for old stains.

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3. Stainless Steel Polish

Stainless steel polish and cleaner is frequently used to get rid of water marks and finger prints on home appliances giving it an always refreshing look.

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4. Multi Purpose Cleaner

A multipurpose cleaner is a good generic cleaning supplies your home must not miss. Be sure to choose the one that fights off germs as well. Great way to use on any surfaces.

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5. Broom

Use of quality broom with densely packed bristle will give an advantage over a normal broom. This will avoid dirt residue left on your floor overtime.

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6. Dish Soap

Apart from using your dish soap to clean off frying pans and dishes, alternatively you can add a few drops to hot water as a cleaning solution to tiles and windows.

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7. Baking Soda

A must have and one of the most versatile cleaning supplies and helpful when it comes to removing stains whether from tiles, any surfaces or fabric. Also it is sustainable and family friendly.

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8. Micro Fiber Rag

Micro fiber rag and broom work hand in hand, there are some dirt unable to be cleaned by broom, use of micro fiber rag will capture these dirt, especially on laminate wood floor.

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Monday 17 October 2016

15 Questions You Should Know When Selecting a Home Contractor

15 Questions You Should Know When Selecting a Home Contractor

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Photo Courtesy of GDA Concepts Sdn Bhd

Selecting the right home contractor is an important key in your journey to realize your dream home. Asking contractor the right 15 questions below will help you choose the right contractor to renovate your new home.

Apart from that, it will also help you better understand important steps in the building process and the decision you need to make.

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Photo Courtesy of SIN Design Studio

  • Is your company registered and licensed? Make sure the company provides insurance to his workers as well in case of any accidents happened. - This will give you confidence that the company will not run away after accepting your deposit.
  • What type of warranty do you offer for your services? - Believe it or not, after sales service is up most important for you and the contractor's reputation, you do not want your newly built cabinet to break down after one week of usage.

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Photo Courtesy of Think Studio PLT

  • How many years have you been in the business and what type of jobs you are confident of doing? - Key note is, getting the right person for the right job. You do not want your home wiring done by untrained personnel.
  • Ask for reference and recently completed job. If possible conduct site visit of mentioned jobs. - Site visit of under progress job will give you an overall idea of the workmanship quality.
  • Who is going to supervise the renovation of the job? - Supervised job leads to better quality control and on time schedule.

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Photo Courtesy of Spazio Art

  • Who is going to supply the materials? - If possible, you select and buy the materials needed which in return will save you cost. Discuss with your contractor and make sure materials are purchased on time to avoid job delay.
  • How long does it takes for overall project time line? - Ask for break down of schedule such as cabinetry and general works schedule.

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Photo Courtesy of Chimporchamp Design

  • Can upgrades or changes be made during renovation? How would the budget and time impacted. - You might have second thought during renovation and may consider any upgrades or changes. Letting your contractor informed earlier to lessen the impact.
  • How are the quotation being structured? - It is always best to ask for itemized quotations, this would reveal any overcharged items.

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Photo Courtesy of Vault Design Lab

  • How are payment being made? - Most renovation jobs offer progress payment, getting to know the schedule payment will get you prepared financially ahead.
  • What's the process for inspection before handover? - Before you make your final payment, make sure you have a walk through inspection with your contractor for any matters to be corrected.

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Photo Courtesy of Signature Kitchen

  • How can I go about submitting my plan for authority approval before commencement of work? - Depends on nature of the job, some jobs require authority approval.
  • Who is the contact person for my job? - Always ask for single person window contact, too many person leading a job will create confusion to both you and contractor. 

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Photo Courtersy of Neo Concept Interior Studio

  • How many renovation jobs currently your company has? - Too many jobs at a time could lead to delay in schedule.
  • Ask for contractor concerns regarding your renovation plan. - This will lead to feasibility of what your plan is and contractor may have some feedback about your plan or design. 

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Determine Your Budget for Home Renovation

Determine Your Budget for Home Renovation

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To determine how much you want to spend on home renovation, simply follow these four steps; Gauge the Cost, Set Your Budget, Request Quotes from Contractor and finally Set Your Priorities.

In home renovation, dreaming of what you desire is the fairy tale but execution is the hard part and sometimes the results or after effect could backfire with poor planning. Get started ahead by following these four steps:

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1.  Gauge the Costs

Based on your home renovation dream, gauge how much will it cost. Minor renovation of a 1000 sqft home such as plaster ceiling, cabinets, grills installation, painting and appliances installation run between RM 20,000 to RM 50,000. Cost will differ from materials type chosen to engaging an interior designer.

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2.  Set Your Budget

Once you have determined your home renovation project, the next question you should have the answer to is how are you going to pay for it. If you have the cash, that's easy to answer. But if you are financing it, you need to asses how much a bank will loan you and what will be the monthly loan repayment. There are few basic types of loan options available from the bank:

  • Cash out refinance

  • Credit card personal loan

  • Home renovation home loan

For vast majority of homeowners, the best way to finance your project is by home renovation home loan. Most banks offer this option when you are applying for your home loan purchase. If your home loan already at place, fret not as you could apply to refinance your home loan by topping up the loan with accordance to your current home market value. The least favour option is personal loan by credit card as the interest most of the time is higher than home loan. Whichever your choice is, just be careful not to be drown by the monthly repayment.

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3.  Request Quotes from Contractors.

Before requesting for quotes, determine your final requirement and what you want, right down to the final details. by specifying these requirements up front, the contractors will be able to quote properly.

Get quotes from at least 3 contractors and to find the right contractor:

  • View their recent and reference work

  • Search online for feedback of the mentioned contractor

  • Check references

Once you have selected the right contractor, set aside of 10% to 15% for contingency for unforeseen circumstances and changes you might have along the project.

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4.  Set Your Priorities.

If your dream house and your budget is not in sync perhaps it is good idea to carefully review your project and scale down your dream. Discuss with your contractor on ways of cutting down costs. Possibilities of cutting cost include:

  • Buy it yourself.

You will save up a big chunk of your cost if you buy materials yourself. Be sure to coordinate with your contractor on the items delivery schedule.

  • Keep existing items which are still in good condition.

You may upgrade your appliances or other items later stage.

  • Trim down the project.

  • Other alternatives.

For example, use of laminate countertop instead of granite table top for cost reduction.

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Monday 26 September 2016

5 Keys to Finance a Home Renovation

5 Keys to Finance a Home Renovation

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A well executed home renovation can resulted in increasing your home market value. The following tips allow you to achieve renovating and at the same time increase home market value.

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1. Consider Your Budget

It is exciting to plan your home renovation and at times you may go overboard, stand back and think of how you will pay for the renovation.

- If you are financing a loan for your home renovation, you have the option of tying the renovation loan into your home loan. However this

- If you are paying cash and have limited budget for your home renovation, it is wise to focus on necessity such as the kitchen, bathroom renovation and cabinets installation. Work your way up and you may add on fittings and good to have items on a later date.

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2. Allocate Your Budget Wisely

Well planned layout and high quality kitchen, bathroom and cabinets renovations almost always add extra value to your property. The same can't be said for plaster ceiling or porch area. Key point is, focus on necessity rather than luxury. Luxury renovations do not warrant a fiscal return.

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3. Introduce Environmental Friendly Elements

It is always encouraged to add environmental friendly elements into your home renovation such as energy efficient appliances, rainwater tank and heat resistance feature such as double layered window. These not only add value to your home, it will also save you on utility bills on the long run.

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4. Avoid Over Capitalizing

Avoid over capitalization by not spending more on the home renovation than the value it adds to your home. Take consideration of the market value in your surrounding before deciding to spend. For instance, if your surrounding areas are family oriented, it can add value to your home if you ever decided to add an additional room, not much so if the area is single person oriented type.

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5. Be Realistic

Finally, remember to be realistic about your budget. During home renovation you will get caught up in the excitement and may go overboard, this would resulted you running into debts or worse. Decide on your budget for your home renovation and stick to it.

Friday 2 September 2016

8 Top Tips to Save on Your Remodel

8 Top Tips to Save on Your Remodel

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It is everyone's nightmare if the budget is burst during home renovation. This could happen due to a lot of reasons and it is hard not to end up shelling out more than you want to.

Best way to work around getting your dream home renovation at the price you can afford and not at the cost of work quality; strategic plan about design, materials, and schedule you can cut cost without cutting corners. We will show you on the following:

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1. Introduce Natural Light

Consider introducing more natural light into your home by adding windows if you have windowless hallway or room. Not only you will save electricity bills but you can bring in more ventilation.

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2. Sell Your Unwanted Items

Before you begin your home renovation project, set aside all your unwanted items and bring them to your local used item store and sell them for some fees. Most of the time you would want new items to replace the old ones during home renovation and these includes cabinets, sink, home appliances, fittings and so on.

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3. Limit Recessed Light Fittings

The more recessed lights are installed the more it is going to cost in the long run. Moreover to install the recessed lights you need labour to cut all the holes on the plaster ceiling. A ceiling mounted or wall light can deliver more light intensity, therefore you get away with fewer lights fittings.

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4. Increase Efficiency but Not Size

Bigger size does not means better in home renovation. If you are short of space in your kitchen, you need not demolish a wall to expand the area. Start by replacing space occupied shelves with cabinets, pullout drawers and dividers. Get creative with your cabinet design to fully utilize with wall space.

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5. Make Early Decisions

Visit your local hardware and home appliances store. Get a good feeling for what you want in fittings and appliances and the cost. For huge appliances or furniture, get the dimensions to have an idea how much space it takes at your home. Prepare a list of your wanted items and discuss with your contractor how to move forward.

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6. Plan with Standard Sizes

Consider standard size items like doors, windows, sink and flooring. This will save yourself from premium cost of custom fabrication.

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7. Don't Move the Toilet or Kitchen Sink

It is best to maintain the location of kitchen and toilet sink. Moving its location means moving the internal plumbing and this will set you back with a lot of adjacent costs; demolish and rebuilding of wall to make way for new plumbing. If your contractor did not do a good job on the plumbing, the worst fear is the risk of leakage in the future.

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8. Do Your Own Transport

If you are procuring materials for your home renovation, consider to deliver the items to your home by yourself. This would be much cost effective than hiring transport a truck.

Friday 26 August 2016

5 Tips to Consider when Renovating

5 Tips to Consider when Renovating

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Whether you are renovating for the first time or with limited budget, we shared the following 5 fundamental tips to consider during home renovation.

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1. Utilization - Who and How?

It's up most important to decide how is the area going to be used and by whom on a daily basis. Keep this in mind to allow you to determine the layout, functionality of the area, home appliances & fittings required and furnishing. Example: You may fix storage cabinets in the dedicated storage room with less attention paid to the furnishing, but do not skimp on the cabinet quality.

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2. Make the Most out of Everything

If you are working with limited and restricted area, a well thought plan is required to ensure all the space are utilized properly without compromising functionality. Example: You do not need an island in a smallish kitchen! Not only it takes up most spaces, it gets in your way thus compromise the functionality.

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3. Work Within Your Budget but With Big Inspiration

Everyone has their own preferences and inspiration, collect everything and anything that inspires you to create your own style. Example: If modern and minimalist sound right to you, go with furniture of simple design and of similar colour.

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4. Define Your Must Have

Install fittings and furniture of high functional and practical in high traffic area such as kitchen and living room without compromising appearance. Work from must have items and start to build from there. Example: If you spend most of your time in the living room, ensure the chosen couch meets your comfort expectation, television installed without glaring effect and a suitably matched coffee table. After you are happy with the result you may add other fittings for a touch of luxury or cozy.

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5. Texture & Colour

Colour and texture are the key elements that help to create the style, feel and mood of the area. You would want to choose the right combination of colours and textures in the bedroom to create a relax and cozy environment. The same combination may not be suitable in other areas, therefore apply the suitable colour and texture element for different areas.