Five features your kitchen needs

Updating your kitchen may be one of the smartest investments you can make, especially if you’re planning on selling your home in the future. Up-to-date features that emphasize both function and design not only make your kitchen a room you love to spend time in but can also be a significant selling point when you’re ready to list your home. Read on for five features your kitchen needs.

1. Lighting
Your kitchen needs light, as most rooms in your home do, but kitchen lighting needs a little finesse because it’s a major hub in the house. You’d be amazed at how much a simple change in lighting fixtures can update the look of your kitchen.

If you’ve got an island in your kitchen, add a statement light fixture -- or two -- above, providing plenty of light for your workspace in addition to decoration. Be sure to consider other lighting sources in the kitchen before choosing your statement piece, not only for continuity but also for overall functionality. Consider adding task lighting or under-cabinet lighting to ensure that your most-used workspaces are well-lighted.

2. Appliance garage
Such a strange name for an ingenious concept many homeowners are adding to their custom kitchens: appliance garage. Kitchen appliance garages not only help you keep your kitchen counters free from clutter, but they also add a unique feature that’s sure to catch the modern homebuyer’s attention.

A kitchen appliance garage can be as simple as a recessed portion of space with a cabinet door that fits nicely over it, or a complex built-in unit, allowing you to keep your microwave and other small appliances out of sight when not in use. Appliance garages are a kitchen feature that helps keep your counters clear and frees up valuable workspace.

3. Deep sink
While a deep sink may not appeal to shorter people -- for obvious reasons -- there are more pros than cons by going deeper. Families can benefit from the additional space deeper bowls provide by allowing more space for dirty dishes, but avid cooks will also appreciate having a sink that works well when washing bulky and unwieldy pots and baking sheets. Whether you choose one bowl or two is up to you, but deep sinks will keep dishwater splashes contained regardless.

4. Storage options
Dividers, deep drawers, inset shelving, and custom cabinetry make kitchen organization a breeze (and maybe even a little fun). Again, you’ll benefit from having plenty of storage space in your kitchen, and that storage will pay off plenty when it comes time to sell your home -- kitchen storage options fetch major brownie points (baking pun intended).

5. Pantry
While you may not have the space to add a walk-in pantry to your kitchen, you may be able to add a pantry (if you don’t already have one). If you’ve never had a kitchen with a pantry, you definitely won’t want to go back once you have one. Helping keep counters and cabinets clutter-free, dedicated pantries make it easy to organize all of your non-perishable food items and often provide enough space to store both cookware and serveware.

If you want to make your kitchen a comfortable and functional hub in your home, consider updating your kitchen with lighting and storage. An update can breathe new life -- and convenience -- into your kitchen by modernizing the look, feel, and features, not to mention increasing your home’s value and appeal when you go to sell. Happy planning!

The Most Common Pests During Spring Time

Winter is over, and springtime is already here. Flowers are blooming once again, and there is much pollen in the atmosphere. As the cold season wraps up, the heat from the sun starts to thaw ice, and many animals are also coming out of their nests after their hibernation ended. Springtime also means that the new pests will hatch, begin their activities and will be eating a lot. This means that pests will be more aggressive in destroying crops, properties, and food products. As a homeowner, you should be wary about the things that these pests can do, and try working with a professional on how to get rid of them. Mountain West Pest Control is a reliable business that can exterminate these pests. Try working with them and see what services they offer to make your home pest free. Here are some of the most common pests that we see during springtime.

1. Carpenter ants are animals which developed a sensitivity with a cold environment. Once the winter ends, carpenter ants would go out of their nests and forage foods available on the ground. They can be seen anywhere – even inside your home – to take food and water. Carpenter ants that are found inside a property would mean that they were able to enter the building through a hole, or they have already established a colony inside the house. They are creating a vast network of tunnels in homes made of wood, so homes like wooden logs are prone to damage and collapse, especially if these ants managed to destroy most of the foundation. Call a reliable pest control company to exterminate these ants that pose a danger to your home.
2. Pavement ants are another type of animal that can be found in the soil, and they will also enter homes to search for food. These ants build large colonies, and they will never stop eating until they are satisfied. These ants should be treated immediately because they will cause a lot of trouble for the homeowner. They will eat the food inside the house, as well as any other food scraps. What you can do is to search for their nest that might be located in the pavement outside the house and see if you can eliminate the nest. If you failed from trying to exterminate these ants, call a professional for help, and they can take a different approach on dealing with them.
3. Bees, wasps, and hornets are also awakened during the spring, and they might have built a nest inside your home during the winter. These animals are dangerous because of their sting, and people who have been stung by these animals might develop a deadly allergic reaction. To make sure that there are no bees, wasps, or hornets that managed to transform your home into their nests, try to investigate and see if you will find traces or pieces of evidence of their presence. If they are inside your home, do not try to destroy their nest. Instead, call a professional for help. It would be dangerous to destroy their nest without any professional assistance because the insects might feel aggravated and attack.
4. Houseflies are also multiplying the population when spring comes. They are some of the dirtiest insects on the planet. Houseflies are spreading diseases like wildfires, and when you see them land above your food, make sure to throw it away because the bacteria and viruses on their feet would immediately multiply and be transferred to the food, which is dangerous for the health. Make sure that the houseflies don't not make it inside your house, and call a reliable pest control that will be able to shoo them away. You can also use flytraps to minimize the number of flies inside your property.
5. Rats and mice also multiple during the spring, and they will be a headache because of how they are attacking homes and eating away food that is left behind. They are also dangerous because they bite, and some rats and mice have rabies. Other are carriers of fatal diseases. Make sure to call a professional pest exterminator to get rid of these rodents inside your home and minimize the chances of diseases being spread.