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Ask people who have completed do-it-yourself projects and they’ll tell you that the projects took at least twice and much time and three times the money they thought they would. The basic reason is that DIYers usually make a lot of mistakes that end up making home improvement projects more expensive and time-consuming.

Here are 10 surefire ways to avoid the top DIY home improvement mistakes in the future and ensure success.

1. Take out the required permits — it’s amazing how many DIYers skip this step. Sure, it takes time, and it means you have to deal with the government, but it’s actually in your best interest to make sure get the required home improvement permits. The folks in the permitting office will make sure the project is done correctly and that you stay safe in the process. Also, for some projects, you’ll need proof that you have a permit or your insurance company won’t cover the improvement. You’ll probably need a permit for any project larger than wallpapering and painting. If you’re unsure, call your local building department and ask.

2. Have all the tools and materials you need available before you start your project — starting a job without the necessary tools and supplies will slow down the job and delay your progress. And make sure you buy quality tools. They’re a wise investment.

3. Prepare the job site for material deliveries — when your suppliers deliver materials, you’ll want to make sure the job site is ready to accept them. You don’t want your materials exposed to the weather while you are working and you want to have a storage area to prevent theft.

4. Don’t skimp on materials — for example, don’t use 1/4-inch drywall for building walls. Use at at least 5/8-inch; and 3/4-inch works well for a good sound barrier. Use 3/4-inch plywood for sub-floors. It creates a much stronger floor.
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Past honorees have been pioneers in print, radio and television. Their names have graced campus buildings and public gardens. For a dairy farmer’s grandson from Maine, the news that he was to receive the Ameri-can Horticultural Society’s 2006 Horticultural Communication Award was the most humbling of his career.

“To be included among the past recipients of AHS awards is the highest honor of my professional life, and nothing I could ever have dreamed of receiving,” said Paul Tukey, who founded People, Places & Plants magazine in 1995, along with a television show of the same name in 2002. “It is something I share with an incredibly dedicated staff at People, Places & Plants and my friends and family, who have supported me through all the trials and tribulations of an running an independently-owned publishing company in this day and age. Honestly, to win this was stunning.”
Founded in 1922, the American Horticultural Society is one of the oldest gardening organizations in the nation. Its awards program, started in 1952, is considered to be the most prestigious in the field of horticulture.

“The American Horticultural Society recognizes American horticultural heroes in a wide variety of professions through the annual Great American Gardeners Awards,” said AHS President Katy Moss Warner. “These awards celebrate the best and brightest in our nation, from scientists who develop tough plants for our gardens, to public garden professionals who promote earth-friendly gardening practices, to journalists who popularize gardening throughout America. This year, Paul Tukey is receiving the AHS Horticultural Communication Award in recognition of the extraordinary work he has done to encourage gardening through his dynamic talks, his presence on HGTV, and his People, Places & Plants magazine.”

Tukey, who hosts a popular gardening show based on the magazine on HGTV at 7 a.m. each Sunday, is one of 12 members of the horticultural community who will be honored by the American Horticultural Society during its Great American Gardeners Awards ceremony and banquet on June 2. He is just the third Maine recipient of a lifetime achievement award since AHS began presenting the awards. University of Maine horticulturist Lewis Lipp (1972) and Currier McEwen (1995) were the others.

“At times like this there are many people I really hope are smiling down on us, and Currier is one of them,” said Tukey, who wrote numerous articles about the renowned iris hybridizer from South Harpswell, Maine, who passed away two years ago at age 101. “Another would be my grandfather, Henry VanDyne, who — I’m proud to remember — once won the award for dairyman of the year for New England at the Springfield Exposition. Spending my summers with him on his farm was what made me love the scents and physical activity of gardening.”

After graduating from the University of Maine and embarking on an award-winning, nine-year career as a sportswriter and newspaper editor, Tukey followed his love of the outdoors into landscaping and founded his own company, Home ’n’ Land, in the late 1980s. In honoring Tukey for his garden writing and his television work that began at NBC affiliate WCSH6 in Portland, Maine in 1996, the AHS cited his repeated commitment to supporting independent garden centers as well as promoting environmentally friendly gardening — including an upcoming book on organic lawns.
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As is the case with any large city, you can become overwhelmed with the options for sending flowers. If you need to send a gift, New York flower delivery services are plenty. If you are not familiar with any particular business, it may be wise to ask friends or family (or even the florist) for referrals or recommendations.

If your quest for referrals in finding the perfect florist for you needs is null, you can always do an Internet search. You can also utilize the services of national floral deliveries (FTD) or 1800Flowers.com. These and other national companies will deliver to New York; different companies may or may not charge additional processing or delivery fees.

Blossom Flower Shop is a time-tested florist. With over 80 years of experience in the floral industry, they guarantee you will be satisfied with your purchase. This is a family owned company with 4 generations of floral experts at your service. Blossom Flower Shop delivers to all of New York City. They have professional floral designers who give personal attention to every order.
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There are so many options available to today’s homeowner when it comes to choosing alternatives to traditional flat paint. There’s absolutely no reason to hang onto that boring tried-and-true white (or taupe, taupe, taupe) painted in every room throughout your home.

Explore the alternatives. Look in magazines for rooms that appeal to you. Architectural Digest, Southern Accents, Veranda and others all regularly feature homes that have faux finishes on everything from walls to furniture. Designers love to change the feel of a space with color and textures, painted faux finishes are an easy first step in that direction. You can do the same thing, too.

Faux finishes can be applied to almost any surface. From walls, ceilings, cabinetry in the kitchen and bath, floors, to all types of solid furniture as well. Styles of finishes can be extremely simple and subtle, to way, way over-the-top fantasy finishes, depending on your personal taste and pocketbook.

For your walls, here’s something to think about — a faux wall finish can provide a striking and seamless alternative to wallpaper. Seamless. No peeling or splitting. Just a beautiful hand-painted unique finish individually crafted for you alone.

A skilled faux finish artist can create a look just for you that the wallpaper manufacturers would love to copy and mass-market. Some of the more popular looks for walls include:

• Color washes – ragged, bushed, sponged single glazes over solid paint, the work-horse of faux finishes
• Multiple glazes – layered over solid paint, provides great depth
• Faux leather looks – terrific in a study
• Faux suede – stipple glaze over solid paint
• Stencil over-all patterns – antique damask or simple borders
• Venetian plasters – lustrous beautiful plasters
• Tuscan old-world plasters – troweled on plaster, chipped, cracked and aged to perfection
• Faux stone effects – limestone, fieldstone, slate, cut and fitted patterns
• Faux brick looks
• Faux wood – faux bois, antiqued, distressed, burled, bamboo Read the rest of this entry »