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Choosing the Best Paint Color

painting

Painting is one of the quickest, easiest, and most cost-effective ways to add some life to a room. The biggest obstacle that can come with this project is choosing the color. How do you choose without your walls becoming a crazy quilt of paint swatches or staying up until all hours of the night virtually painting your rooms online? Make a big impact with a new color by using the guidelines below.

  • If the room is already decorated, select a paint color to support all of the other items in the space. If you’ve got patterned upholstery, a colorful rug or large piece of artwork, pull colors you like from the pattern.
  • Take into consideration how the colors will flow from room to room, especially if you have an open floor plan. A great way to add depth and interest is to go a few shades lighter or darker in adjacent rooms or even on a focus wall.
  • Showcase your personal style. Don’t hold back on using a big, expressive color for the walls if that is what appeals to you. Any color can look good as long as it truly suits your personal style. Of course, you can always paint an accent wall to introduce a pop of color without going all out. Choose a wall that is seen the moment you enter the space for the most impact.
  • Once you have narrowed down your selection, the best way to evaluate and embrace a color is to paint a 4×4 foot swatch on the wall and live with it for at least 24 to 48 hours. This will give you the opportunity to see it in natural and artificial light during all hours of the day.
  • If you are moving out or staging a home, choosing more neutral colors will allow the next homeowner to add their own personal touch with color.

Is it time to freshen up your home with new paint? If you are tackling a major paint job, pack away items you need to move out of the way into a secure Zippy Shell!

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Design Tips for Renovating Your Kitchen

kitchen

The kitchen always has and always will be the “heart” of the home. This is the place where family and friends gather, and it is usually the first room to get remodeled when looking to increase the value of your home before selling or just wanting to modernize the home. As an added bonus, kitchen updates boast the highest return on investment of the entire house. If you are planning a kitchen renovation, our best piece of advice is to be smart about the features you upgrade. You will get the biggest bang for your buck by making replacements that play up the best features of your kitchen. Here are a few design tips to take into consideration:

  • Paying for a bit of expert advice at the start of a project can take the stress out of the process and save you money in the long run. Even if you already have a good idea of what you want, a professional kitchen designer can help fine-tune your plan and help you avoid costly mistakes.
  • When considering the layout, moving around easily in your kitchen is a top priority. Create a classic work triangle with short paths between your refrigerator, stovetop, and sink. Position traffic paths to go around this work triangle, not through it. Provide adequate aisle space between counters and be aware of conflicting door swings from appliances, cabinets, or the pantry.
  • If you are changing the layout, let’s not forget to talk about all the benefits of a large kitchen island. An island can not only provide additional counter space for prep work, it can also serve as a buffet. If you include seating at your island, it will make a great place to chat with your family or visitors while you are preparing a meal.
  • Add in features that will simplify your daily routine – a self-cleaning oven, at least 36 inches of uninterrupted counter space for prep work, a microwave the kids can easily reach, an easy-to-clean cooktop, sturdy cabinetry with ample space for household staples, and cubbies fitted with bins to corral the clutter.
  • Of course, there is no such thing as too much storage in the kitchen. Any little nook and cranny that you can add or make better use of your kitchen storage space is going to put a smile on your face.
  • One of the most important features to consider in any renovation is the lighting. Bright and airy is the look you are trying to achieve in the kitchen and a well-planned lighting scheme is all it takes. You want to have adequate lighting to be able to complete all your kitchen tasks and show off those new countertops!

If you need space to store items during your kitchen renovation, give Zippy Shell a call! Our storage containers are a popular option during remodeling because they provide you with the ability to completely clear items out of your home while also maintaining the flexibility of having those items on hand when you need them. You can feel confident knowing that your furniture, appliances, and personal belongings are safe and within easy reach during the chaos of remodeling. Learn more about our storage solutions at www.zippyshell.com!

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Tips to Increase Your Home’s Value

Beautiful home exterior shot

If you are in the process of trying to sell your home, and you want to increase its value before its sale, use these tips!

Clean it up

A house can never be too clean, and when it comes to home buying, appearances can often mean everything. If a buyer is choosing between a tidy home or one that has been professionally cleaned, , they likelihood of them leaning towards the thoroughly clean home is higher. Frequently cleaning your home gives it a better appeal, as well as helps you locate small problems that need fixing before they become a home buying deal breaker.

Prioritize improvements

Take a little time to figure out what improvements you quickly make to your house. Start from the first one on that list and slowly make your way down what needs to get done. It doesn’t need to be all done in a single day and even quick touchups or additions can add a lot to a home’s curb appeal and value.

Balance

It is okay to come up with a list of dream goals for your home to increase its value but be realistic at the same time. Decide what absolutely needs to get done versus what you really want to do while also including a couple of fun additions as well.

One room at a time

Focus your efforts on one room at a time to be more efficient. You can quickly become overwhelmed if you begin multiple projects in different rooms. The last thing you want is to have a room half painted when you are planning to show it to buyers the next day! Better to have one or two rooms touched up than several half completed.

Start small

If you cannot take on many big upgrades to your home, start with a few small ones. Simple fixes like replacing lights or old faucet pipes can go a long way.

Curb appeal

Add some color to the front of your house to give it a more attractive look. You can add a coat of shiny new paint to your shutters or plant a few bright flowers in your front yard. Be sure to rake up any stray branches or leaves and trim your bushes, to give your yard a nice clean look.

Once you are ready to make your move to your new home, contact Zippy Shell to move your belongings to your new location! We can service moves of many sizes, and even offer storage options if you need it. Contact us today for a free quote and see how we can make moving and storage simple for you! 

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Quick Weekend Renovation Projects for Your Home

Install a medicine cabinet

Find a medicine cabinet that matches the shape of your mirror to hang it right behind your mirror with a few screws.  If you cannot find one that has a similar shape, hang any medicine cabinet above your toilet or next to your bathroom mirror.  This storage hack can easily be done in less than an hour.

Paint or paper a wall

Paint a whole room a new color or spruce up a room by adding wallpaper to one wall in a room.  This works great for a bathroom to accent around your sink and mirror.

Replace your showerhead

Buy a low flow showerhead or a showerhead that allows you to adjust the water pressure.  This will allow you to save money on your water bill and help the environment.

Weather seal your doors and windows

Insert foam weather stripping on the bottoms of your doors or on the panels of your windows.  This will keep your house sealed from cold fall air coming through.  This will also prevent you from wasting money on having to crank your heat up to keep your house warm.

Spice up your trim

Repaint your wall or door trim to give it a refreshed look.  Add a pop of color by painting a new color over it that balances well with the room.  This can also be applied well to your fireplace trim to give it a more modern look.

Patch up holes in your wall

You may have had a few holes in your walls that have been meaning to get fixed for a while now.  Take a minimal amount of time out of your weekend to put some spackle over old holes to clean up the room.

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Zippy Shell Containers are Perfect for Renovating your Home

Home renovations can be extremely inconvenient and time consuming. During the whole renovation a portion of your home will be completely shut off to you. Not to mention, your renovation might mean that your furniture from the rooms under construction need to be placed in other rooms in your home. This can turn your home into a clutter disaster! Luckily, Zippy Shell onsite storage solutions help ease the inconvenience!
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The Most Profitable Home Improvements of 2016

Not everything you update in your home will actually increase the value of it. For example, converting your garage into a second family room can detract from your home’s value because it doesn’t appeal to all buyers. Something that you really want in your home might end up being the opposite of what someone else really wants in their home. So, if you are planning to do some renovating in 2016, what should you invest in?
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