Interior Design Styles

Although a house has been up "For Sale" on the real estate market for some time, there are still many reasons why homeowners should choose to improve the interior design features of the home. Some homeowners believe that a few improvements to various places in the home will help to get it sold.

There are some real estate agents that would agree with these views absolutely, because they have brought numerous clients to the property but they were turned off by the outdated appearance of some of the spaces in the home. Prospective home buyers have the opportunity to review lots of houses before they buy and they can spot the homes that are deficient in many areas.

The best reasons to improve the interior design of homes that are listed on the real estate market are to present a better value for the asking price that is placed on the property and to give new home buyers the perception that the home is ready to be lived in without further repairs or home improvements necessary. Many home buyers need a hassle free home buying experience and immediate home improvements are a deciding factor in many homes being sold.

Other reasons to improve the interior design features on the home that is listed on the real estate market are to give the home more storage space. With the addition of a custom set of cabinets in the kitchen, and some inexpensive window treatments, it is possible to create the impression that the home is worth the asking price that is placed on the property. Home buyers love to have enough storage space and the new cabinets could be a good selling point.

The reasons to improve the interior design features for any home might include the outdated appliances in the kitchen. When some homeowners are considering relocating they will generally replace the old appliances with some that are shiny and new. The updated design features might make some homeowners happier with the home that they are living in and they may decide not to place their home for sale on the real estate market.

Energy efficiency ratings are other reasons to improve the interior design features of a home. The windows in many homes that are more than 30 years old will not have the energy efficient panes and thermal ratings as some homes on the real estate market. Many home buyers believe that older homes are built better than the newer homes being offered on the market. The interior design plan for home improvements should always include appliances and windows that have a high energy efficiency rating because every homeowner wants to save money on the energy bills in their home.

The following article Interior Design Styles was originally seen on wimbledonpainters.co.uk

Read Full Article: http://wimbledoninteriorpainters.blogspot.com/2015/12/interior-design-styles.html

Painting Company Names

In the commercial and industrial painting world, the basic working unit is the painting crew. Knowing how to put together a tightly knit, highly efficient work crew is the defining activity for a painting company. If the company can field great painting crews, then financial success is a lot more likely.

A professional painting company considers the painting crews as the front line of their business. Sure, the clients' project managers and facilities directors talk with the home office, but the crews at the job site see clients face to face every working day. Add in the contact time between the crew and the employees of industrial and commercial clients, and there is a lot of potential for a painting company's people to make a great impression when and where it really counts.

Leadership Qualities for a Professional Painting Company Crew

To put together an outstanding painting crew, start by looking for a leader, someone who can understand the larger picture of a project and is able to communicate that knowledge as needed to the other workers on the crew. Other leadership qualities that are highly desirable include the ability to interpret directions from a project manager, solid professional painting experience, diplomatic skills and sound judgment.

Front Line Workers for a Professional Painting Company Crew

Some employees are natural craftsmen, and prefer to work on the fine details of a project. Other employees are workhorses, able to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. A professional painting company encourages crew leaders to match the natural strengths of the workers to the tasks presented by a project.

Morale for a Professional Painting Company Crew

Morale is a very important part of a successful work crew. Fighting, rivalries and personal complaints will interfere with the work at hand. In order to produce quality results every time, a work crew must be able to do more than just get along. The personalities have to click, and if they don't click, the crew leader needs to be perceptive enough to notice the problem and skilled enough to deal with the issue before it affects a project.

Ultimately, putting together the ideal painting crew is about recognizing the value of people, and putting that recognition to work for the company. A well-tuned painting crew does more than accomplish work. The right people can actually drive business for a painting company.

The blog post Painting Company Names is republished from Wimbledon Painters Exterior Decorating Service

Read Full Article: http://wimbledoninteriorpainters.blogspot.com/2015/12/painting-company-names.html

Do you need a website?

I recently noticed Devyn giving advice to members at a popular paint forum I visit and was impressed with his responses. He has created a website generator that can create a professional looking website for a minimal monthly cost and optimize it, a challenge for many paint contractors. I was curious, and I asked him a few more questions after he generated a site for me here. If you want to create a site like this for your business, you can generate your painting website here.

Devyn recently posted an article on his site, “Why does your business need a professional website” and I asked him a few questions about his services.

Q.Who are you and what do you do?

A.DE Web Designs is a web design and search engine optimization company that is focused on creating new customers through first page search engine results. We get our clients’ website on the first page of search results. When a potential customer searches online for a service you offer, they’ll find your website and contact you instead of your competitors.

Q.Will I have content that is unique to my area/company?

A.While the content is already created as you can see from the generator, we are more than happy to make changes or additions to it. The content will be specific to the area you primarily focus on

Q.Can I use my own photos?

A. Absolutely! Send us the highest qualities photos and we will switch them out, add them to the site and even format a gallery if you have enough. The higher the quality, the better they will look.

Q. Can I use my logo and logo colors throughout the website?

A. Of course. The logo on the generated website is there for illustration purposes. Although, if you do like it, we can modify the colors or leave it as is if you don’t have a logo.

Q. Will my site be mobile-friendly?

A.Yes. All of the professional websites we create are mobile-friendly. It’s a standard to us, and it’s an important ranking factor in Google’s eyes.

Q.What if I don’t have any social media accounts? (G+, FB, Twitter)

A. That doesn’t matter. If you have them, we can link your social media on the website so new visitors can follow you. If not, and you choose a package with social media management, we will create them for you and you will never have to worry about it.

Q. What happens when the contract ends?

A. After the contract term is up, you can cancel the contract or let it renew for the same term length. If renewed, you will continue to receive the monthly services for the same price. Once the contract is cancelled, all monthly work stops and all changes or additions will be based on an hourly fee.

Q.What if don’t have a domain name?

A. No worries. We will find the right domain for you. It costs an additional $10 to register for a year and $15 each year to renew. We do not have control of these prices.

Q. Do you do the hosting?

A. Hosting is included while the contract is active. After the contract is cancelled, hosting is $10/month and is due annually.

Q. What happens if the site goes down?

A. In the very unlikely event that your website goes down, we will do everything we can to get it right back up. The hosting company we use guarantees 99.9% uptime.

Q. Do I have to do backups or updates?

A. No you do not. We manage everything for you so you can focus on your business.

Q. Once the contract is up, do we get to keep content?

A. After the contract is paid for, the website, domain, content, images, etc. are yours.

Q. What’s the process if I want a change made on my website?

A. It’s much quicker for both parties to just send us an email with what you want changed and we’ll take care of it within 24 hours normally. Most changes are included in the monthly fee while under contract.

Q. Do you provide the support?

A.We provide everything you need help with. From setting up your emails onto your cell phone, email applications on your computers or laptops, to website changes or additions, we are here to help.

This sounds like a very good approach for those not ready to invest in a custom site (expensive), or realize that their time is better spent in their business, not in their website or keeping up with the ever-changing world of SEO (time-consuming).

 

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Chris Haught

Editor at Blogging Painters at Partners in Sites

Chris Haught is the editor of Blogging Painters, the leading resource for paint contractors. Chris also works with contractors to improve their website and social media presence. When not blogging about the painting industry, she works in the educational sector as a media and technology mentor.

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What Exactly Is Houzz?

 And Why Should You Be Using It?

Let’s imagine for a second that you’re planning a home remodeling project; maybe a bathroom, kitchen, or combining a couple of small spaces into that large family room you’ve always wanted.

Now imagine you could pour yourself a hot cup of coffee (or tea) and step into a room full of building, remodeling, painting, and design professionals. Every single one is there to answer questions, show their work, discuss materials and methods, and offer inspiration.

Other homeowners are there too, sharing their success stories, engaging with you about your own project goals, and offering tips that they either picked up or learned the hard way. It’s a relaxed, enthusiastic, and organized event, and everyone is simply there to help.

Finally, let’s imagine that you could do this without leaving your home. In a nutshell, this is Houzz.com.

The Short History of Houzz

In case you aren’t entirely familiar with the site, here is a very quick look at its origins.

Houzz was born out of the frustration of a couple trying to describe the vision they had for their home to an architect. They were asked to assemble photos and information about what they were looking for, but it was a tedious, messy, inefficient process.

They set out to create a website that simplified this process. Since its conception in 2009, Houzz.com has grown into a home improvement powerhouse, boasting over 35 million users around the world.

Is Houzz Worth Your Time As a Busy Professional?

The benefits for homeowners are clear. But, we can hear you asking yourself this all-important question:

“Why should I spend any time on this? Is it really worth it?”

Trust us. We understand. As a busy remodeling and restoration company, we know what it’s like to prioritize time, carefully considering what is worth the investment of those precious hours. In short, yes. Building and growing your Houzz business profile offers the following benefits:

• Allows you to claim real estate in one of the busiest home improvement market places in the world
• Provides a chance for you to showcase your very best work
• Directs visitors back to your website and, ideally, converts these visits to leads
• Houzz casts a wide net, but users can search for businesses that are local to them. This means that you will likely connect with potential clients right in your service area.
• Clients can leave reviews and feedback for others to see
• With consistent positive reviews and engagement, you can enjoy recognition by earning annual “Best of Houzz” award badges. These respected badges can then be shared on your website, Houzz profile, email signature, blogs, etc.
• Further establishes you as a helpful, experienced leader in your field of expertise

Don’t Just Make a Houzz Profile; Make it a Destination for Your Audience

Houzz offers clear steps for how to begin your business profile, but there are specific tips and techniques that you should put to work in order to make yours thrive once it’s launched. There is definitely a big difference between a minimal, stale company profile and a busy hub of activity. If yours doesn’t engage your visitor they can (and will) always move on to another!

Let’s take a look at a few of the most important techniques.

7 Steps to Creating an Engaging Houzz Profile

• Describe your company – Include a brief, upbeat description of your company and/or services. Don’t be too sales-driven or wordy, but quickly and concisely tell visitors who you are, what you do, and how you can help. Imagine what you would tell someone in person if they shook your hand and said, “So, what do you do?” As an extra tip, consider sharing why you love your work!
• Choose a profile picture – Avoid a generic photo (no sunrises or kittens). Include either a photo of yourself, a couple of key players in your business, or an official logo for quick brand identification.
• Include social links – Do you have accounts on other social profiles? If visitors like your page, they might also want to follow your other social media outlets.
• Add photos – This is such an important topic that we’ll focus on it more heavily in just a moment.
• Seek out reviews – A positive review lends tremendous credibility to your profile. You can invite clients to leave a review through an email platform built right into Houzz. For extra convenience and clarity, the email automatically includes a link that provides simple instructions.
• Engage in the community – There are a huge variety of home forums on Houzz where people ask questions, share photos, look for advice, and seek out professional opinions. Take time each week to look for questions you can answer and ways you can engage in the conversations. It may be as simple as pointing out what you like about someone’s recently-completed project!
• Point to your Houzz profile – We touched on the value of showcasing your “Best of Houzz” badges, but be sure to include links to your Houzz account on your website, in your email, and on your other social accounts too. Take a look at our page here to see what a Houzz widget looks like (it’s on the right-hand size).

Why Are Photos Important for Your Houzz Profile?

On one hand, pictures are an opportunity to showcase your work. It’s also no secret that social media is a visually-driven outlet, meaning that a photo is more likely to grab attention than a line of text. Here are a few tips for making the most of your images:

• Go for quality AND quantity – No fuzzy, low-resolution photos. Try hiring a professional photographer to capture the highlights of your finished project, or at the very least invest in a quality camera.
• Upload your photos to Projects – You can create a Project album to either share images related to one specific project you completed, or use them to categorize certain types of photos (kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, etc.).
• Tag your photos – When you upload an image, be sure to add as many refining descriptions as possible. And, don’t forget to label each one with descriptive keywords to help Houzzers find your photo.

Ideally, people will not only find your photos but add them to their own Ideabooks. If we circle back to the very beginning of this post, Ideabooks are essentially why Houzz was created and what makes it unique.

Homeowners can create an Ideabook that includes photos that exemplify the styles, materials, and designs they love. It’s a wish-list, if you will. This can then be shown to their professional (maybe to you!), offering you a clear perspective on their vision.

Once Your Houzz Profile Is Up and Running, Use It!

Remember, don’t set it and forget it. Houzz is an opportunity for quality engagement, and you should dedicate time each week to answer people’s questions, add new project photos, comment on other folks’ work, and answer personal messages that you might receive.

Most of all, have fun with it! Houzz is an amazing tool if you use it to its potential.
Keith Gerety is the president of Gerety Building and Restoration, a full-service remodeling contractor specializing in renovations, additions, and restorations. For more than 35 years, He and his team of craftsmen have helped to transform, enlarge, enhance and restore homes throughout the Westchester, NY, and Greenwich, CT, area.

 

 

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Painters Prices

When you have a task, having the appropriate work wear for that task is an essential part of getting the task at hand done to the best possible conclusion. For instance, a painter may find it beneficial to have painters apparel on hand that can withstand the vigorous workout encountered when completely your task. Painting is a dirty job, and the painters apparel you choose has to be capable of providing protection and safety to your in your often harsh and always messy environment.

Painter's apparel comes in all sizes, shapes, and types. The major goal of painter's apparel is to provide you with work wear that can look good, feel comfortable, and offer enough pockets and spaces you can paint what needs to be painted without worrying about your working attire.

So, are you a painter? Regardless of whether you are a full time, career painter or a hobbyist where painting is simply something you do because the occasion arises and you enjoy the task at hand.

The majority of painting pants offer extra carrying space for those brushes and extra tools you may find necessary to accomplish your task the fastest and safest.

Painter's pants come in a variety of sizes and a white or natural coloration allowing you the benefits of a clean slate – so to speak. Of course, you will find that along with those versatile pants come a line of shorts. Yes, you can protect your legs from paint while staying warm or cool depending on your environment and preferences.

One of the all time favorites is the bib overall popular within the painting profession. You get a lot of functionality with all that pocket space, and the build of bib overalls means you will not have to worry about a belt or your pants or trousers falling down as you reach to pain those tall spaces that need to be touched up or covered. The pockets start at the chest and work their way down. Ultimate functionality!

Of course, work wear for the paint professional is an absolute enjoyable task, but the task would not be complete without adding a few jackets, coats, or other outerwear specifically designed with the task of painting at hand. That outwear comes in a variety of colors and sizes. Of course, you may need an all season jacket or a heavy duty lined coat for ultimate warmth. No matter what you need when it comes to outwear, there is something specifically designed for you!

What do you need to complete your work wear ensemble?

There are a range of accessories and other niceties you may find beneficial to your task at hand and future tasks. From paintbrushes to paint utility belts, there are work wear designers making your working day a little bit easier. And at this price, whoever could ask for anything more.

As a professional or hobbyist painter you realize the necessity for having the appropriate apparel. Painting is messy and chaotic at times, and the right attire means you are able to concentrate on the task at hand not on whether your paints are going to stay up as you reach to those hard to reach places.

The following blog post Painters Prices was originally seen on Wimbledon Painters Exterior Decorating Service

Read Full Article: http://wimbledoninteriorpainters.blogspot.com/2015/12/painters-prices.html

The Painter

The brush of a painter is an important tool through which the artist wields his power and expresses his emotions. The canvass, the oil, and all the other painting media are important too, but these leave the artist when the work is done.

Only the paint brushes stay, faithful and willing to participate in the making of the next masterpiece.

Painters need two kinds of brushes. One is stiff and the other is soft. A painter usually has a range of sizes for both types of brushes.

The stiff brushes are used for the majority of painting tasks and it comes in three shapes: the round, the flat and the filbert. For all ye art beginners, filbert is a shape that's rounded at the base and tapers to a point at the tip. Stiff brushes are made with hog bristles but there are also synthetic bristles available that can make acceptable results. Naturally, many painters prefer the genuine article.

The soft brushes are used for putting in fine details. Painters concur that the best soft brushes are the ones made with sable. Since sable brushes are expensive, there are substitutes available. But the brush strokes made using these replacements are not as good as the ones made by the sable-made soft brush.

There is also a kind of brush made with either sable or hog hair. It is called a fan-head brush and it is needed to seamlessly blend paint on the canvas.

We have heard of painters not taking a bath during a painting marathon, and there are painters known for having chaotic studios. But many painters like to be organized and the most cared for of their tools are the brushes. Besides, many painters believe, though no scientific data supports this, that used but well cared-for brushes perform better than new ones.

The first rule in caring for paint brushes is to never use them to mix paint. There are painting knives to do this task. Another important thing to remember is to never stand the brushes, especially the soft ones, with the point down in the jar. Those expensive hair or bristles are sensitive and may be bent permanently.

When a painter mentors you to place just the right amount of paint on the brush, he was not thinking about saving the paint. He was trying to save the brush. Too much paint on it will clog the ferrules, the part that holds the hair or bristles together. If clogged, you've to clean it and can't avoid parting the hairs. If done too often, the brush ultimately become useless.

Lastly, brushes should be cleaned as soon as you are done using them. You may use turpentine with soap and water. For soft brushes, these can be dipped in milk and allowed to dry for a couple of days. Remember to keep the tips up.

The following blog post The Painter is republished from Wimbledon Painters and Decorator Services

Read Full Article: http://wimbledoninteriorpainters.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-painter.html

Home Decorating

The quote, "a picture is worth a thousand words" is true for many, many situations. This famous quote even applies to home decorating. Several people draw their inspiration for their decorating projects from home decorating pictures. It's difficult to visualize a room decorated using the various design themes. You many think the French Country style is perfect for your kitchen but when you actually see this style used in home decorating pictures, you may change your mind. Contemporary style is hot nowadays with its trendy accessories, fabric and furniture but is it for your home? Browsing home decorating pictures of contemporary design will help you decides whether it's for your home or not. Tuscan design sounds beautiful when you read about it in magazines and books but until you see those home decorating pictures using tuscan design, you cannot be sure if it would work in your home.

Home decorating pictures are very beneficial when making plans to decorate both the interior and exterior of your home. Pictures either confirm your visions or provide a totally different reality. Home decorating pictures offer you an opportunity to browse and pick a design that best suits you and your home. There are so many designs to choose from, any you've probably never heard of. Current home decorating pictures offer you a chance to view all of the latest trends in home decorating for each and every room in your home.

Home decorating pictures portray homes and spaces that often seem out of the realm of possibility for you and your home. Because these spaces are so elegantly decorated and look so perfect and professional, you may assume it cannot be achieved in your space. This is not true. Home decorating pictures give you the finished product, the end result of much planning and work. Home decorating is a process and you too can work through this process to create rooms similar to those in the home decorating pictures. With the thousands of resources available to homeowners today, there is no reason you cannot have an elegant dining room just like the one you saw in home decorating pictures.

There are so many magazines, catalogues, books and websites related to interior home decorating. These resources provide many useful tools and offer great advice for decorating your home. When you begin your planning, you cannot imagine your space will resemble those in the home decorating pictures. The great news is – it certainly can. Using home decorating pictures as guides for your planning, you can choose colors, furnishings and accessories to improve your space and make it picture perfect. In home decorating, almost anything is achievable if you are willing to be open-minded and accept advice. Several home decorating pictures display rooms in bold colors that you just cannot imagine using in your home. This is when you have to relax and go out on a limb. In order to get that picture perfect room, you may need to compromise your normal methods of decorating. However if you definitely need the bathroom in the home decorating pictures, you'll need to put away those normal habits and adopt brand new ones.

The following article Home Decorating was originally published on http://wimbledonpainters.co.uk

Read Full Article: http://wimbledoninteriorpainters.blogspot.com/2015/12/home-decorating.html