Home Improvement

Too often, designing and decorating the master bedroom falls to the back burner.  It is generally a room out of the way, not in plain view of guests, so the kitchen, living room, and main bathroom tend to get more attention.  But remember that your bedroom is your sanctuary.  Kids and teens decorate their bedrooms with posters and accessories of what they admire, enjoy and adore.  So should you.  What are your favorite colors?  What do you like to do?  How do you relax?  Incorporating your pastimes and pleasures into the look of the master bedroom will give you peace of mind when you start your day, end your day, or retreat midday.

Are you a reader?  Then invest in a lounge/reading area with thought-provoking artwork and ample lighting. Eye experts generally agree that two reading lamps of at least 175-200 watts are best to avoid strain.  If this seems too bright for a bedroom, consider installing a series of wall sconces behind a comfortable chair and ottoman, which will give you a lot of light and style.  Get lots of pillows.  Maybe your reading area is a cozy nook—think about installing built-in bookshelves.  Does landscape art move you, or something modern and geometric?  It’s best for the eyes not to read lying down, but if you prefer reading in bed, think about installing a padded headboard.

Color is important because it will define the vibe of your master bedroom.  Passion colors include deep red, peach, pink, purple, and gold.  A good masculine accent would be royal blue.  Consider smart colors like ivory, amber, steel blue, or gray-green if you are going with a reading theme.  General sanctuary colors, and ones suited to either gender, should be soothing and earthy, like forest green, mocha, cobalt blue, or rich eggplant.  Play with schemes and consider a subtle stencil high on the walls, which will draw attention up and give your room some lift.

One way to make your bedroom stand out—while saving money—is by painting a headboard onto the wall above your bed.  It’s a great illusion and you can get very creative.  Measure the width of the head of your bed, marking it with painter’s tape from floor to ceiling.  Choose a color that will compliment the existing one on the wall.  Add details like wall decals, if you wish.  Paint stars and birds, or a chandelier.  This is a good master bedroom project for the artistically inclined.  You might even consider a mural.  It’s your room, after all.

A potted tree will be a great focal point in your master bedroom, or a leafy plant.  Do you like golf? Sewing? Classical music? Astronomy?  Decorate according to your hobbies and enjoyments and you will find the room to be much more than a place to dress and sleep.  It will be your safe, lovely retreat.

Article originally published here: http://www.homeremodelingct.org/connecticut-contractors/12-designer-decorators/79-design-in-the-master-bedroom.htm

Tags: bedroom, decorating, design, master bedroom by iwellbc
Comments Off

A HVAC zone refers to a precise area of a building that is heated, cooled, or ventilated by a HVAC system.  Zones may be specific rooms or whole floors of a home.  Commercially, a zone may be one office, a section of offices, or a story of a building.  Today’s residential homes are generally built with three to five HVAC zones.  Each zone has its own thermostat to monitor different areas for desired temperature and comfort level.  Most homes are fitted with standard dial thermostats that may compromise energy consumption.  However, there are specialized “smart” alternatives for the modern homeowner.

Digital Thermostats
Simply put, digital thermometers have buttons instead of a dial for controlling HVAC zones.  Many have the option of presetting temperature, with “home” and “away” buttons, and timers.  These are called “digital programmable thermostats.”

Digital Contact Closure Thermostats
Using “smart” activation, these are digital thermostats that can be activated and controlled through certain security system commands, or a phone transponder.  Using any remote phone, the homeowner may control the HVAC zones in his home.

Digital Communicating Thermostats
These are highly specialized control gauges.  Each thermostat in every zone of your home are connected at a centralized “controller.”  Often the “controller” is a hardware or software system that is programmable to your computer.  It is ultra-convenient and eco-friendly.  Digital communicating thermostats give the homeowner control of all the zones, any day of the week, any time of the day, throughout the seasons, as long as the homeowner has access to the central controller.

A “damper” is what technically controls the air channeled into a zone.  Using a HVAC damper is more energy-efficient than the old-school method of simply closing a vent.  The damper is set up at the mouth of a pipe that distributes the air, expanding or constricting, depending on your desire.  Manual dampers work at the simple twist of a screw.  Motorized dampers may be an attachment to the screw, or they may be sophisticated and computerized.  The homeowner may choose a specific percent that the damper should be constricted, from 0 to 100.  A 100% damper would be completely open for maximum airflow.

Dampers work at the source to monitor hot or cool air release into different zones of the home.  When a vent is simply closed, the treated air still has to travel to the zone.  This is not a HVAC energy-efficient method.

Different thermostats and dampers are compatible with different HVAC systems, so it’s important to research.  Know whether your home uses gas, oil, or Heat Pump systems.  Most of the “smart” thermostats will be connected virtually the same way as your old thermostat.  However, additional wiring will be needed for connection with remote communicators and alternative control options.

Article originally published here: http://www.homeremodelingct.org/connecticut-contractors/21-heating/123-monitoring-hvac-zones-thermostats-and-dampers.htm

Tags: HVAC, Home Improvement, heat, thermostats by iwellbc
Comments Off