A Few Bathroom Remodeling Don'ts

In this economy, many homeowners are turning to home remodeling and improvement as a safe investment and to increase their home's resale value. Bathroom remodeling is usually the area where most homeowners fix their initial attention.

While do-it-yourself bathroom renovation can be extremely invigorating and empowering when it’s successful, it can be totally devastating and overwhelming when it fails. If you think you want to take on a major bathroom project, here are a few things you should try to avoid.

• Don’t pick a design that’s too trendy. Most new or updated bathrooms should last ten years or more, so don’t choose design elements or plumbing fixtures that are overly modern. These “in” looks can become dated quickly and you’ll be left with a dysfunctional room that you’ll have to live with for years. Instead, go with classic designs that mesh well with the rest of your home’s style.



• Don’t forget about storage. It’s nice when a bathroom looks great, but if it doesn’t work as a functional space then you’ve wasted your time and money. Mix open display shelving with closed cabinets for a balance of style and privacy, organization and aesthetic.



• Don’t do carpets. Sure, carpeting will feel great on your bare feet when you step out of the shower or tub, but it will also trap moisture, odors, bacteria and stains. Not pretty. Choose bathroom flooring that’s easy to clean and can withstand the dampness and humidity.



• Don’t go crazy with color. Just because toilets, tubs and sinks come in different colors doesn’t mean you have to buy them. Opt for simple, tasteful colors—think white—and an understated presentation. Use flooring, decorative tiles and accessories to give pops of color.



• Don’t go it alone. Bathroom remodeling might seem simple, but it can often require complicated pipe work and plumbing repair that only comes to light after you start. If you don’t know what you’re doing, engage the services of a reputable contractor or plumber before you begin the project. Otherwise you may find yourself knee deep in disaster.



• Don’t expect it to go smoothly. There’s no such thing as just doing a bathroom renovation. Make careful plans, choose good quality materials, and make sure you can afford 10-15% more than your projected budget before you begin—unforeseen costs can add up quickly. It also makes total sense to hope for the best but plan for the worst.



• Don’t fall in love with impracticality. Yes, those decorative Spanish tiles are fantastic, but will you be cursing yourself in a month when you’re on your hands and knees trying to scrub them clean? Does that state of the art sink require total overhaul of your pipe work? Are your materials going to be durable enough to withstand every day wear and tear?



• Don’t cut corners. Bathrooms and kitchens return the most on investment when it comes time to sell your home, so this is not the time to be cheap. A good general rule: Anything that’s going inside your walls should be top quality—pipes, insulation, heating units, electrical elements, etc. You can shop the bargain bin for things like paint, some fixtures and accessories. Compare prices and keep notes to help you weigh cost versus value.

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SpotLightBlog - Shoba's Anubavathi ~ Eggless Zebra Cake

Beginning the month of February, I am starting a new series called SpotLightBlog. My bookmark folder is overflowing and I wanted to do some justice to the bookmarked recipes. My first idea was to try one recipe each week and post it subsequently. But choosing one recipe was not easy as I thought to be. Instead, I thought of selecting a blog and trying four recipes and post one every week. I felt that to be a better option and in a way I can show my appreciation to my fellow blogger too. So from this month onwards, one blog will be chosen as SpotLightBlog and I shall showcase once recipe per week and will be posting it every Monday. I had this project in mind for sometime now and wanted to start from January. But the month of January had something else in store fro me in the form of relatives, festivals etc. So it starts from February.

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The first blog I have chosen is my dear friend Shoba's Anubavathi, which has lot of traditional recipes and eggless bakes. Recipe for this week is a Zebra cake following Shoba's recipe. I know this is a signature cake of Shoba among her friends and she is quite an expert in baking this cake in various flavors. I didnot make any changes to the recipe. It came out very well. The cake was very spongy and moist and was a winner for an eggless cake. To make Zebra cake, any recipe can be followed. Is the pattern that matters. It comes in practise. First time when I made, the lines were very thin and hardly the pattern could be made out. The second time I made, the patterns were visible, though I felt I could improve better in terms of pattern, since taste wise, the cake was very good.

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour / Maida - 2cups
Baking Soda. - 1 tspn

Baking Powder -1 tspn

Oil - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 1/4 cup
Whole Milk - 1 3/4


Vanilla essence - 1 tspn

Cocoa Powder - 4 tblspn

In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients - Maida, Baking soda and baking power. Mix well.

In another bowl, mix oil and sugar. Wisk well to dissolve the sugar. Add milk and whisk everything together. Slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet mix little by little. Mix well after each addition with out forming any lumps.

Remove half of the batter to another bowl. To one half add vanilla essence and to the other, add cocoa powder and mix well.

Take a greased and flour dusted pan. Take a ladle which can contain around 4 tblspn of the batter. Add a ladle of chocolate batter on to the centre of the pan. Next add a ladle of the vanilla batter onto the centre of the chocolate batter. Don't try to spread or shake the pan. The batter gets spread on its own. You keep adding both the batter alternatively until you finish all the batter.

The amount of batter added to form a ring is important to get nice and clear pattern. If too little batter is added the lines formed will be very thin and the patter doesn't show well.

Bake the cake in preaheated oven at 170 C for 35 minutes or it passes a toothpick test.
 
 

 
My eldest co-sister had sent me mini cake moulds and I wanted to use that too. So I made 3 mini cakes and used the rest of the batter for the bigger one.
 
 

The patterns have come out better in the mini cake mould. The amount of batter added for each ring was little more here.

 

Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficient Products

Homeowners who purchase energy efficient products save money by reducing their utility bills. The U.S. government provides additional incentives for green improvements by offering income tax credit on energy saving products. Eligibility for tax credits requires that improvements are made to the homeowner's principal residence. Unfortunately, rental properties and new construction do not quality. Offers expire between December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2016, depending on the product.

Home owners should apply for a tax credit - up to $1500 or equal to 30% of cost - on energy saving products for their existing, primary residence on the following qualifying items:

• Biomass stoves, which burn biomass fuel (wood, grass, and other plant fiber) to heat water and provide home heating
• Energy efficient heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) products, such as:
• Advanced main air circulating fans
• Air source heat pumps
• Central air conditioning
• Hot water boilers used for residential heating
• Gas, propane, and oil heaters
• Geothermal heat pumps
• Insulation
• Water heaters
• Windows, Doors, and Skylights, including storm windows and storm doors
• Small residential wind turbines
• Solar Energy Systems, such as: solar panels & solar water heaters
• Fuel Cells

For more information about government tax credits for green home improvements, including qualifying product specifics, please visit Energy Star's Tax Credit Index.