Author Archives: Deb French

4 Fox Valley Home Selling Tips

Getting ready to sell your home? Spring is prime time to get your home on the market because it probably looks great. Your landscaping looks fresh and bright. Summer drought hasn’t turned your lawn brown yet. Who wouldn’t want to make a full-price bid, right? A professional realtor or home stager will have plenty of spruce-up ideas once you’re ready to list. But you can get a jump on them by trying these four quick tactics before they show up! Focus on the basics first. • Repair anything that’s obviously broken. • Touch up the paint on nicked-up walls. • Clean your carpets. • Move anything you don’t need to storage. Better yet, if you haven’t used it in a year, sell or donate it. Bathrooms and kitchens sell homes. • Refinish worn, chipped countertops and sinks in your kitchen. It’s less expensive than replacing them and it’ll make your … Continued

Spring Cleaning Tips

It’s March and spring is in the air – time for spring cleaning! March is a great time to get going on your annual spring cleaning chores. Most people think of spring cleaning as an opportunity to air out the house, clean rugs and upholstery and wash windows. We’ve added a few tips to help you get through the chores quickly so you can get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. General Spring Cleaning Tips Don’t forget your washing machine. Grease and grime build up in the drum over time. Just wipe it down with a vinegar and water solution and rinse. Now’s a good time to check your refrigerator coils (usually underneath the fridge) for caked on dust and dirt. You can usually remove it with a vacuum cleaner. Is your stainless-steel sink dull and rusty? Remove the deposits easily by following the tips in this video. If … Continued

Beating the Acrylic Bathtub Blues

Acrylic bathtub got you down? Is your acrylic bathtub dull and dingy? Squeaky tub turning your peaceful soak into an annoying nightmare? Try these tips for the best-looking bathtub in town! Acrylic is a great material to use for bathroom fixtures. It makes lightweight, affordable and beautiful acrylic bathtubs and showers. The downside? Even if they’re properly maintained, they wear over time and cause issues. Try these tips for beating the bathtub blues. Dull Finishes Your dull acrylic tub may simply be a victim of soap scum or hard water deposits. You may be able to restore the shine with one of these solutions. Mix 2 cups of white vinegar and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Spray the tub and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Scrub with a microfiber cloth or VERY soft brush. Rinse well. Mix 1 cup of borax or baking soda with 2 … Continued

Brighten Your Home

Beat winter blahs with these home improvement projects. The holidays are over and, unless you get MLK day off, you don’t have another holiday until Spring. The days are getting longer, but there are still more hours of darkness than light every day. Try a quick home improvement project to brighten your home and make the weeks ahead a little lighter! Brighten your bath It’s probably the first thing you see every morning. A bright, shiny bathroom can go a long way to helping you start your day on an up note. If you have a dated or worn bathtub or shower, refinishing them will make a HUGE difference. A bright, white bathtub or shower makes the whole bathroom feel lighter and more uplifting. (Who wouldn’t love a nice warm bath this time of year?) Give us a call for an estimate – you’ll be surprised how affordable bathtub refinishing … Continued

Weekend Home Improvement Projects

Got a few days off? You’re probably going to be stuck inside most of this winter. Why not make your home a little more comfortable for your family with these home improvement refreshes? Kitchen fixes Which room is the most used in your home? Probably the kitchen. That means it’s the prime candidate for quick updates. Replace that splattered window treatment above your sink. You can find some easy instructions for making your own roman shade at dummies.com. Have us refinish your sink or countertop for a completely new look in just a few days. You can learn more about out sink refinishing services and countertop refinishing services on our website. Replace plastic switchplates and outlet covers with metal or wooden ones. The upgraded look is well worth the minimal home improvement expense. Organize kitchen cabinets by adding wire racks hold sheet pans, cutting boards, cooling racks, etc. upright. Clear … Continued

Is Your Home Ready for the Holiday Season?

The holiday season will be here before we know it! We’re already seeing Christmas decorations in the stores and gift flyers in the newspaper. Family gatherings and parties are a big part of the celebration, but they can cause a lot of stress – especially if your house feels dingy and outdated. The good news: You still have time to get your home ready before the madness begins.  Here are a few ideas to help you get over that stress and enjoy the holidays more this year. Easy holiday bathroom updates OK, so an olive-green bathtub might seem more festive for the next month or so, but the rest of the year it’s just an eyesore. It’s hard to justify the cost of replacing a tub or shower with all your other holiday bills. Plus, you don’t need the hassle of contractors in your house while you’re busy with holiday … Continued

5 Bathroom Updates That Won’t Break the Bank

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Who wouldn’t love a new, updated bathroom? Shiny, clean fixtures, bright porcelain – all of these are part of your dream bathroom, right? But, with the average cost of bathroom updates in the Chicagoland area topping $8,000, most of us can’t afford that dream. Don’t despair! Here are some affordable strategies you can use to improve the look of your bathroom without breaking the bank. Paint the bathroom walls Painting is one of the fastest, least expensive ways to give your bathroom a completely new look. You can probably paint your whole bathroom with a gallon of paint or less. Throw in a couple of brushes, roller covers and a tarp, and you’ll get a beautiful bathroom for under $100! Looking for some inspiration? Check out this gallery on the Sherwin-Williams website for some great ideas for turning your bathroom into the retreat of your dreams. Refinish the tub and … Continued

Do You Love the Vintage Bathroom Fixtures in Your Home But Hate the Way They Look?

Our area is full of amazing homes with beautifully designed original vintage bathroom fixtures and materials. Unfortunately, many are also showing their age. No matter which harsh chemicals you use or how hard you scrub, you can’t get the tub, sink and tiles as shiny as you’d like. Is there any way to restore vintage bathrooms to their original beauty? One option is to completely replace the vintage fixtures with new replicas. But is that the best option for for your home? First, it’ll be expensive. According to Houzz.com, basic bathroom remodeling projects cost upwards of $12,000. A single cast iron claw foot tub can cost $3,000 or more. Even if you don’t mind the cost, you have to be prepared to live without that bathroom for a week or more while the remodelers tear out those completely functional vintage fixtures and rebuild the whole thing with new fixtures. Alternatives … Continued

Getting Rid of Bathtub Stains the Green Way

It’s spring cleaning time again! Are you tired of scrubbing the same lime and rust stains in your tub or shower, only to have them reappear? It’s probably because the glaze has deteriorated to the point that he fiberglass or porcelain are no longer protected. If the surfaces in your bathroom are worn or damaged, you’ll never be able to keep them bright and shiny.