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“Make Thousands of Dollars Working From Home!”

You’ve been seeing these ads around right?  Although many of these turn out to be scams there are quite a few genuine “work from home” jobs.  There is actually an increase in remote jobs within many common industries like sales and marketing, real estate and information technology where the concept of working from home falls quite conveniently.

Working from home provides much convenience but in order to be efficient in performing duties, persons are encouraged to have an appropriate work area which will allow them to separate office work from house chores.  Today we share 5 simple tips to assist you in working effectively at home.

1. If you have an extra room, a garage or an area that is seldom used, dedicate that area for working or convert it into an office. You may consider adding another room if there’s sufficient yard space.  This will actually increase the value of your home.

2. Once the space is set out, choose the most appropriate furniture and fitting (be mindful of the size of your designated office space). Your health may be the top contributing factor to the furniture you choose.  If you are one of the people who complain of back pain and eye strains, consult your doctor before choosing your furniture and equipment (computer etc.).  If you are not, you should still choose wisely to reduce your risk of suffering from those ailments in the future.

3. Get all distractions away from your office space. Televisions, games and even house hold chores are common distractions.  Take the television and similar devises away.  Ensure your office chair is not facing areas like your kitchen where you may spot some dirty dishes staring at you.

4. An organized office encourages efficiency. An office desk with draws would be useful for some storage and should be considered when choosing office furniture.  Depending on the amount of documents you need to store, consider investing in a filing cabinet or shelves.

5. Personalize your office space. Don’t over accessorize so that it creates a distraction, remember we are eliminating distractions, but a little personal touch, say something that inspires you, can go a long way.

You need to make sure that your work space or office at home has the right location, furniture and setup to allow you to be physically and mentally prepared to perform your duties most efficiently.

A recent article revealed that the size of a typical home from the 1970’s has grown from an average of 1,600 square feet to now 2,500 square feet while family sizes have in most cases lowered in numbers over time – with two working parents in the home – a statistic to which most of us can relate.  The logic for many is that size represents greater success or so we tell ourselves. We have essentially considered less of our own individual needs and more of the desire to “keep up with the Jones’”. What we fail to realize is that bigger spaces don’t often satisfy our personal requirements or objectives instead much effort is spent on outfitting extra spaces that may never be fully used.

Evaluation of ‘space needs’ becomes very important for any family considering to build or renovate.  This was most evident in a recent renovation for a client where a space evaluation yielded the need for an additional bathroom; more specifically a half bathroom/powder room. The project though started with a far greater want of space, as the matrix of needs vs. wants developed it was soon realized that wants far exceeded the needs column and an appropriate balance had to be achieved.  With two bathrooms   already within the main house and a growing family plus the focus on outdoor living and entertainment the need for more bathrooms translated into a real functional                requirement.  Once the clients were convinced the project scope became a reality. The overall dimensions of 6’ x 8’ meant materials were in small quantities so the ability to showcase finish styles that could not normally be afforded for larger spaces were now a reality.

The client had the desire for some time to modernize their home but could not afford, now was the opportunity to take this approach and run with it for this new bathroom addition.  Finishes included Group 2 nicely finished porcelain wall and floor tiles, a        rectangular vessel sink mounted on a wooden vanity overlain with a corian countertop, an elongated comfort toilet, and a special streamlined sink faucet for more regulated flow. Choice of lighting was an important decision as a balance between energy          consumption and lumination needed to be made.  A selection was made to use recessed LED lights. This turned out to be a great choice to highlight the level of finishes chosen and blend with the colour scheme.

Oftentimes, smaller projects are better funded in contrast to the budget constraints    witnessed for larger projects.  So the next time you’re considering a home improvement project, a half bathroom remodel/construction may be the solution.

The front entry steps of your home are the first things visitors see, and this will undoubtedly be used by visitors and neighbours to form an impression of the inside of your home.  There are a few simple ways you can change the look of your steps and make your home more appealing and welcoming to visitors.

Clean & simple – The quickest, cheapest and simplest way is to keep your front steps clean.  Sweeping, at least 3 times a week, and hosing down at least once a week will prevent build up of dirt that can cause your step to look ugly.  The use of a power-wash is quite effective in getting your step to be spotless.

Be decorative – Add some decorative touches to your front steps.  A decorative doormat with a fun pattern for the top step will instantly give the entryway character and personality.

Add some color – Whether your steps are wooden or concrete, a fresh coat of paint can instantly update a tired, worn entryway.

Hide the concrete – Capping concrete steps with elegant stone works will give new life to a concrete step. Using tile is also a great option. Tiles provide great design versatility.

Add a railing – If your front steps don’t have a railing – or the railing is showing its age – adding one can instantly change their look.

If you decide to give your steps a makeover, be sure to share your before and after photos with us!

The building was complete and the floor was painted. The owner of the building walks in later in the day and sees a well painted floor with bumps. Bumps – the concrete was not evenly spread out. The owner anticipating a well prepared, aesthetically pleasing floor needed the bumps gone. The work men brought in a grinding machine to refine the surface.

Now if you’ve used a grinder you will know that they produce dust. So the work men proceeded to grind down the bumps on the floor. While trying to solve that problem the other perfect areas were collecting dust. At the end of the exercise, the entire area had to be hosed down and repainted. What does this mean? Extra material and labour were used which could have been avoided.

Painting can bring new life to the floor surface. With the right preparations it can be done using allotted money and time.

A good way to prepare for painting a floor is to do appropriate repairs in advance. This includes ensuring the area is flat and smooth enough to give the desired look e.g. fill up holes, grind down bumps and repair cracks or other imperfections. You can also attend to areas on the wall that need some work, maybe there are holes to fill.

Carefully clean the surface before you begin to paint. Paint has a tendency to collect particles in its path such as dust and dirt. These particles can be very apparent under the painted surface. What could also happen is, the paint will stick to the debris instead of the floor and will soon after peel off. If you are repainting the floor, you can remove the existing paint by chisel scraping, scarifying, scabbling etc. For new concrete floors, remove any curing agent residues or laitance (the weak layer of cement and aggregate fines on the concrete surface).

In addition to dust and dirt particles the floor should be free from other substances like water and oil. A degreasing agent can be used to remove oil and other substances.

Generally, the right preparation brings the best results, and that applies to painting a floor.

As we celebrate our independence season we heartily embrace the opportunity to use this time to celebrate our unique creole culture with colourful wear, the Wob Dwiyet or colourful outfits, dishes like Fig and Codfish and events like Market Day with A Difference.

It is also not unusual to dress up our homes or business places in the colourful fabric that is readily available during the independence season.

We not only showcase our culture with the bright and flamboyant colours that we wear during this time but we also bring to light the cheerful characteristics of our local people.

What we also do to celebrate our independence and culture is make changes to the clothing that we wear and our environment.  There is an array of natural items and fabric that are readily available for designing outfits and lighting up our buildings.  I won’t talk about outfits because this is something I believe is well taken care of by our people.  There is however quite a few small changes that we can make to our surroundings that will reflect our culture and make use of local items whether we choose to make them ourselves or purchase them from local vendors.

A simple change that can be made is to place a bowl filled with seasonal fruits like tangerine and oranges on the table in lieu of the vase of flowers.  This not only has to be a decoration but we can take the opportunity to share with a friend or customer.

An easy and cheap way of getting into the independence is to change up the curtains.  Put a bright colour curtain, one made in madras or even a simple white curtain with spots of madras or different colour cloth.  This can be done in just the main area of the building.

A bright coloured or madras coloured throw pillow can also be a cool way to spice up the living room, waiting room or other appropriate areas for the season.  Putting just one or two elements can change the whole feel of a room.

Decorate using items with natural themes.  The independence season is one of the times we tend to be more involved in local activities, enjoy local dishes and utilizing local items.

Let us show off our culture in our attire as well as our buildings.