House renovation tips using Feng Shui to know before you start your home renovations. So that you can create a house, home or apartment that supports your goals without mystical rituals or hanging crystals.
If you just had a Feng Shui consultation, or are thinking about getting one, you may also be considering home renovations to help bring your home or apartment into better alignment with your life purpose.
1. Avoid structural changes. – Rarely does a home have such bad Feng Shui that it requires moving or removing walls or adding foundation to fix it. But if you’d like more living space, consider “borrowing” it from an adjacent room that gets less use and needs less space. You can even create amazing closets, bookshelves and other storage space from those 16 inches of hollow between studs. If you’d like to create a more open environment for the chi to flow and would love to cut a wall down, consider a half-wall or even a window, instead, leaving the structural beams in place.
2. Stick with stock colors. – When you’re choosing appliances for the kitchen or bathroom, choose stock colors like white or almond rather than custom shades or even less common colors that may have a marked up price. Neutral colors are usually less expensive and are also good Feng Shui, since a white kitchen depicts purity and cleanliness and can bring good fortune to your home. A bright white bathroom with walls in serene pastel colors can perk you up in the morning but also help you wind down at night.
3. Re-use what you can. – Sometimes, small changes are all that’s needed to give a room new life. When you renovate and re-decorate, play close attention to what you can save and re-use, or maybe even re-purpose.
4. Think green. – You might pay more for EnergyStar appliances, but the savings adds up. Think about ways to let natural light into rooms to lower electric and heating bills.
5. Pay for quality, but not for custom design. – Don’t be afraid to pay more for appliances, carpeting or wall coverings that will last — unless you are the type who gets bored and likes to renovate your space every five to 10 years. (That’s okay, too!) If you’re on a budget, though, don’t waste money on custom features when the standard versions will serve the same purpose.
6. Always get three estimates. – When you’re having work done, the conventional rule is to get three estimates, and go with the middle one. But remember to trust your intuition, too, when choosing a contractor and select the one that will best meet your needs and that you’re most comfortable with — regardless of price.
7. Keep your end result in mind. – It’s easy to get carried away when you’re doing home remodeling. Keep your primary goal in mind. Do you want a space where the chi flows more freely? Room for a larger family? A home to entertain more? Are you looking to beautify? To update? If a change or renovation is not going to help in the pursuit of your goals, it’s not necessary and you can save money by skipping it and focusing on the renovations and changes that really matter.
This article first appeared in http://www.kenlauher.com/
