7 Easy Home Gym Decorating Ideas



Many people enjoy exercising and keeping fit, but are reluctant to go to the gym because of the expense and the unpleasantness of exercising in a crowded room full of other sweaty people. For this reason home gyms are becoming increasingly popular, especially as people realise you don’t need a huge amount of space or money to exercise at home.

However, you’re not going to be very motivated to use your home gym if it’s cramped, dark, dingy or otherwise unwelcoming. It stands to reason that the nicer the environment, the more likely you’ll be to want to spend time in it. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to make your home gym into a place you actually want to go to if you follow these easy home gym decorating ideas.

1. Arrange your exercise equipment well

Firstly, no matter how small or large your home gym room, it’s important to arrange your equipment well in order to make the most of the space that you have. Exercising in a cluttered environment is no fun, so make sure that any tall or bulky machines are placed by the wall, and keep the centre of the room for smaller items and space in which to move freely.

If you’re just planning your home gym, it can be useful to make a floor plan in advance if you know which equipment you’ll be buying, and then you can plan the rest of your decorating around this.

2. Choose the right colour scheme

Secondly, it’s worth spending some time thinking about the best types of colours to use on the walls. You’ll probably want to feel energised when exercising, so you may find that warm colours such as oranges and yellows are good for home gym decoration as they have a more stimulating effect – and conversely, you may want to avoid cool blues and greens as these will tend to be relaxing.

On the other hand, if you do a lot of yoga-type exercises, you might prefer a more muted colour scheme that’s designed to induce relaxation. There’s no right or wrong here; just be aware of your individual reactions to various colours, and realise that the colour of your walls will have a strong influence on how you experience your gym.

3. Wall decorations

Once you’ve got your walls painted the right colours for you, don’t just leave them blank. It can be a good idea to make use of your wall space and decorate them with images that make the room more appealing. You might also consider some motivational posters or fitness-related images, especially if you find it challenging to maintain your exercise routine.

4. Make use of a mirror

While having an entire wall covered with floor to ceiling mirrors like commercial gyms do might not be a practical option, it’s worth adding at least one full length mirror when decorating your home gym. If you’re just starting to get into shape, it’ll be motivating to see your body firm up. And even if you’re already very fit, being able to watch yourself in the mirror as you exercise is useful for ensuring that you’re maintaining the correct form, especially if you’re using weights.

5. Add some entertainment

A stereo or MP3 dock, and a TV or screen with a DVD player can also be invaluable additions to any home gym. Most people find that music helps them to enjoy their workout more, and while it’s easy to use headphones, filling a room of music can be more pleasant and will give your ears a rest too.

The DVD player is also an essential if you like to do workout videos, and even if you don’t you should consider them as they can be a great way to add variety to your exercise routine.

6. Get the right lighting

Another thing to think about when it comes to home gym decor is the lighting. If you’re room is dim and dingy, you probably won’t want to spend much time there, so make sure it’s brightly lit. You might even want to get some full spectrum daylight bulbs, as they can be more energising than the regular yellow kind.

7. Keep it smelling nice

A well decorated room will please all the senses, so don’t forget about your nose. Like any gym, your room might end up smelling less than fresh after you’ve been using it for a while, so you’ll need to take some measures to keep it smelling nice. As well as just opening the window, you could try burning some aromatherapy oils or incense sticks – these can be especially nice if you’re doing a lot of yoga or stretching exercises, as they really helped to create an appropriate atmosphere.

You might also want to keep some plants in your home gym – as well is looking nice, they can help to purify the air.

Hopefully this article has given you some ideas for decorating your home gym and making it into a space that you actually want to spend more time in. No matter how much or little money you have to spend, it’s possible to create an environment that is appealing enough that you’ll no longer have any excuses not to exercise!

How to Find Home Improvement TV Shows



Finding home improvement TV shows is a relatively simple task. Since the premiere in 1979 of Bob Vila’s “This Old House” the industry has expanded rapidly as more and more homeowners seek to make their own repairs and upgrades.

Cable’s DIY Network is devoted to home repairs and remodels that homeowners can do themselves. Many of their home improvement TV shows are available online as well. Here you can find such basic information as how to choose the right wrench or basic plumbing for beginners.

DIY Network offers many home improvement TV shows such as BATHtastic! hosted by Matt Muenster, which has offered projects such as installing wainscoting, painting stripes on a wall by using a laser level, and installing a tile shower surround. Sweat Equity, hosted by Amy Matthews, offers the premise that two weekends of work can increase the value of your home by $10,000. Programs have covered staining hardwood floors, refinishing kitchen cabinets, installing crown molding in a kitchen, and installing a doggie door.

Other shows on DIY Network include Man Caves, Desperate Landscapes, and Yard Crashers. For a complete list of all of their home improvement TV shows, check your local cable listings or visit them online.

HGTV also has a great lineup of home improvement TV shows. Some of their offerings include Holmes on Homes, Carter Can, Don’t Sweat It, Over Your Head, and Income Property. Holmes on Homes takes examples of renovations or repairs that have been improperly done and shows how they should have been performed. Carter Can focuses on homeowners who think their projects are too expensive or time consuming or require more skill than they possess. The host shows them ways around their objections. Don’t Sweat It offers homeowners the quick way to accomplish projects they have been delaying.

Some home improvement TV shows are devoted to specific audiences. For example, Income Property shows homeowners how to convert part of their house into an apartment to generate rental income. DIY Network’s Kitchen Impossible focuses on renovating kitchens.

Planet Green, one of the Discovery channels, offers Greenovate, a show dedicated to save on energy bills and increase the value of their home. World’s Greenest Homes takes viewers on tours of eco-friendly homes and is a great place for “green” ideas.

With so many home improvement TV shows on cable, it is easy to find entire channels devoted to the art of making home repairs or improvements yourself. For those who do not have cable, the father of all home improvement TV shows, Bob Vila is still on PBS with This Old House, offering advice just as he has since 1979. Hometime, also on PBS, offers advice on renovations, landscaping, and more.

You can find many more home improvement TV shows by checking your local listings or going online. If you miss your favorite episode, you can watch many of them at the channel’s website. Whether you are seeking a reality show, such as Extreme Makeover, or the step by step demonstrations offered by such home improvement TV shows as Over Your Head, there is one to fit whatever project you have in mind.

Home Improvement – Should You Be Your Own General Contractor?



For those planning a home improvement project for which keeping the budget modest is a major factor, the question often arises, “Should I be my own general contractor?” Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.

First let’s look at what a general contractor is and does.

In a nutshell, a general contractor, or GC, is the person responsible for the overall, successful completion of the project. On a small home improvement project that could mean doing the actual construction work as well as managing the details such as permits and staying on budget.

For a larger project such as a room addition, a major structural remodel or building an entire house, it falls to the GC to hire, manage and pay the sub-contractors (the workers who will be building the moulds, pouring the concrete, doing the framing, etc.) as well as making sure the job gets done on budget, on time and accurately.

If you are thinking of being the general contractor for a large project, having at least an intermediate level of knowledge of the construction process, including pulling permits, local construction codes, contracts and proper insurance is very important.

Also, you need adequate time to supervise the goings on at your site. I don’t know many people with the free time away from a job to successfully manage this type of large undertaking. If you are short on knowledge and/or time, but are still thinking of acting as GC on your major home improvement project, I wish you good luck. This is not to say you can’t do it, but the headaches might not be worth the trade off.

Let’s not forget that the main reason to act as your own GC is potential cost savings. Since professional GCs generally mark up every piece of material and every sub-contractor salary, sometimes by as much as 30% or more, if you can save some of that money by acting as your own GC, by all means do it.

But if you are not familiar with the details of completing your project, those potential cost savings can turn into cost overruns in a hurry. With a smaller home improvement project, however, the stakes are not as high and so the potential benefit is there without the same degree of risk.

But even with a smaller home improvement project, there are qualities a GC should have that are important.

Unless you’ll be doing all of the demolition, sawing, nailing and finishing yourself, as GC, you’ll be hiring, managing and paying the sub-contractors. People skills, knowledge of finances and a healthy dose of common, good sense are necessary.

If you’ve never done a home improvement project similar to the one you will be taking on, a willingness to ask questions – even ones you think are just plain dumb – is vital. Also, having a “can do” problem-solving attitude is recommended. After all, you’ll be the one everyone looks to when a fix, change or solution is needed.

The main argument against being GC on your own job is a big one. If you don’t like the finished job, you have no one to point the finger at (or fix what you are unsatisfied with) but yourself.

The value of a good GC is his or her experience and ability to solve problems. While there will certainly be extra cost involved in your job by hiring a general contractor, in the end the peace of mind might be worth the expense.