September 30th, 2009 — General
The luminous days of summer are coming to a close. Soon, the blustery days of winter will be here. For many homeowners, this means – literally – firing up the fireplace. And if yours isn’t properly maintained, you can literally be sending your dollars right up in smoke.
Following are some tips for getting your fireplace ready for Old Man Winter – and saving money at the same time.
Clean It Out: This is simple to do and should be done for maintenance reasons, as well as aesthetics.
September 29th, 2009 — Flooring
You can’t turn on any home improvement channel without being confronted with the topic of going green. It’s not a fad; it’s here to stay. If you’re looking for a way to really increase not only the value of your home, but its beauty as well, consider cork tile flooring.
As flooring takes up an enormous amount of space in every home, it’s an easy way to add a lot of “green.”
4 Advantages of Installing Cork Tile Flooring
September 28th, 2009 — General
More and more homeowners are looking for ways to become environmentally friendly. As heating and cooling a home present one of the biggest expenses for homeowners, choosing energy efficient options in this area is not only a treat to the environment, it’s one for your pocketbook as well.
If you live in desert-like climates like Arizona, for example, one environmentally friendly home cooling option is the evaporative cooler.
What Is an Evaporative Cooler?
An evaporative cooler differs from traditional cooling systems in that it doesn’t require refrigeration to cool the air. Evaporative coolers cool the air via the evaporation of water.
FYI: You will also hear evaporative coolers referred to as swamp coolers, wet air coolers and desert coolers.
September 25th, 2009 — Roofing
Hurricane season is in full force in many parts of the country. This has many turning their attention to the stability of their roofs. If you need repairs to your existing roof, you may be tempted to save a few dollars by roofing over existing shingles.
Following are some pros and cons of doing so.
Pro: When you roof over existing shingles, it adds extra weight to the existing roof. If your current roof is very well supported (and this cant’ be stressed enough), then it may be okay to take this route.
But, keep the following in mind . . .
September 24th, 2009 — Basements
Having a bathroom in the basement is like adding another level to your home. For, it ensures that the space offers all the creature comforts of the rest of the house. If you’re remodeling your basement and are considering adding a bathroom, following are some things to keep in mind.
The Plumbing: If your basement is currently not studded for a bathroom, it will have to be done. This requires removing part of the concrete floor.
This is definitely not a job for do it yourselfers because when you remove part of your basement floor, you are dealing with the very foundation of your home. You can cause cracks to other parts of the floor, which can cause a whole host of problems. So, call in professional contractor(s) with experience in plumbing and concrete to handle this part.
September 22nd, 2009 — General
As the waning days of summer slip by, many homeowners are focused on enjoying them to the fullest. However, Old Man Winter is just around the corner. Now is the time to get your home heating system checked for efficiency.
If you have cast iron radiators, following is what you need to know to ensure you’re getting the best from them.
Home Heating Checklist: Tips to Ensure Your Cast Iron Radiators Work Resourcefully
September 21st, 2009 — Bathrooms
There are many ways to go green in your home. And the kitchen and bathroom, as the most used rooms in a home, are natural places to start. With this in mind, here we will focus on the bathroom – specifically the toilet.
The Inefficiency of the Average Toilet
According to the book, Greeniology: How to Live Well, Be Breen and Make a Difference, “Nearly one-third of the water we use at home is flushed down the toilet.”
This makes sense when you consider that the average toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water – per flush! If your family is just average size, you can see how this really adds up to a lot of water usage.
Now, let’s consider an environmentally friendly option like a composting toilet.
September 18th, 2009 — Flooring
Following are three types of repairs common to concrete flooring. Some of them you can make yourself; others you should consult a professional about.
The Easiest Kind of Repairs
Surface cracks are the easiest type of concrete floor repairs to make. This is because they are usually little more than coarse patches that need to be smoothed out. If the crack is less than a quarter-inch deep, all you need to do is apply some latex paint.
Before applying, clean the area well. Apply one or two layers of paint – and voila – your concrete floor is like new again!
September 16th, 2009 — Flooring
When you say “concrete flooring,” an image that might come immediately to mind is cold, boring and styleless. But, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to today’s concrete flooring. The options in style, color, patterns, stains and finishes are endless. Add to that its known durability, and what you have is a flooring option that many homeowners are starting to gravitate towards.
Here we’ll discuss a popular option in concrete flooring – concrete stamping.
What is Concrete Stamping?
Concrete stamping is simply the process of imprinting textured, decorative patterns into wet concrete. Using this method, you can create any type of “designer flooring” you want. For example, a favorite among many homeowners is stamping concrete to look like brick or some other popular, high-end stone.
September 14th, 2009 — Kitchens
Homeowners are going green. This is not only good for the environment; it’s smart because it can increase the value of your home if/when you decide to sell.
One of the easiest ways to go green in the kitchen is to create a kitchen recycling center. It reminds you and your family of the importance of recycling, and makes it easy to do so. Following is a quick and easy way to create a kitchen recycling center.
The Quick and Easy Way to Create a Recycling Center
All you need to create a kitchen recycling center is a space to put recycling bins. This is usually accomplished by modifying lower kitchen cabinets. You can hire a local contractor to do this in as little as one day.
