Category: Home Maintenance

Healthy Home Tips: 5 Solutions for a Stinky House

July 15, 2024

The human being is known to have five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. While many might consider sight to be the most important sense for people in their everyday lives, scientists actually recognize smell as the “strongest sense.” This is because, as writers like Colleen Walsh at the Harvard Gazette acknowledge, smell is the sense that is most linked with emotion and memory. Have you ever smelled a favorite dish and were instantly transported to a memory of your childhood home or a trip to grandma’s house? The phenomena you’re experiencing is your olfactory senses doing what it does best by reaching through your limbic system (with a quick pit-stop by your amygdala and/or hippocampus) and tossing out one of those cozy core memories. Just as we enjoy these trips down memory lane, smells can also remind us of moments we might rather forget, whether from visiting the home of a frequent smoker, or a friend with a few too many cats. Houses can develop odor for many different reasons, so if you’ve found yours smelling a bit off lately, let’s discuss a few of the more common (and often misdiagnosed) causes. #1: Take Out the TrashThe first

The 5 Biggest Problems with Crawl Spaces (And How to Address Them)

July 1, 2024

If you’ve ever lived in an area that experiences above-average flooding (or just anywhere in the South), odds are you’re very familiar with crawl spaces. A foundation style different from concrete slabs or full basements, crawl spaces are a fairly common feature in homes that allow for easy access to things like plumbing, electrical wiring, and HVAC systems under the home. Their shorter excavation time also makes them a more cost-effective option for new builds. There are many advantages to buying a home with a crawl space, but with each advantage, there’s also a concern homeowners should be aware of. Let’s discuss a few of the most common — and costly — issues you may encounter in that little space under your floorboards. 1. Moisture, Musty Smells, and MoldThe first issue that homes with crawl spaces face is the unaddressed buildup of moisture beneath the home. So-called crawl spaces earn their names due to a very low clearance height, with a majority of these spaces measuring three feet or lower. It’s understandable that homeowners don’t make it a habit of exploring these areas regularly, but a lack of attention anywhere around the home tends to lead to problems down the

3 Ways to Get Your Kids Playing Outdoors this Summer

May 20, 2024

There will always be new technologies and attractions that vie for our attention, but in recent years, “screen time” and other indoor distractions have become more dominant than ever in capturing our kids’ interest. All parents should want their kids to spend time outdoors for many reasons, but here are just a few benefits: With the school year coming to a close, the time is now to prepare for outdoor activities. If you don’t want your kids glued to their screens all summer, here are a few ideas that just might encourage them to spend more time out of the house. Make Your Yard a DestinationOne reason why some kids have limited enthusiasm for spending time outside is they simply haven’t found “their game” quite yet. If you’re willing to make a small investment and do a little DIY, there are a number of ways to transform your front or backyard from boring, unused space into the talk of the neighborhood. 1. Get a Basketball HoopBasketball is a great source of exercise for all ages, and a hoop can be enjoyed by many people at once or a single person at a time.Whether playing “Horse,” jumping into a one-on-one game,

6 Steps for Refinishing Your Furniture: A Beginner’s DIY Guide

May 6, 2024

Becoming a new homeowner can feel intimidating to some. Between maintaining your yard, keeping major systems in good repair, and identifying costly projects like installing new flooring or countertops, there’s certainly a learning curve that comes along with the homeownership experience. With that said, veteran homeowners will undoubtedly say the experience is worth it! Over time, new homeowners naturally have to pick up many skills to keep their property in tip-top shape. Starting with simple fixes, their knowledge of home systems tends to expand until they’re ready and confident enough to DIY a new deck, handle a moderate plumbing repair, or dive into any ambitious “handyman” job. Understandably, these types of projects can still feel far-off for most newer homeowners, but there are options for those looking to get their feet wet with a more approachable DIY job. Refinishing wooden furniture is a fabulous way to give a piece new life, and although this task requires time commitment and determination, the basic knowledge required is not very demanding. So, if you’d like to take your first steps in becoming a DIY Pro around the house, here’s a basic outline on how to refinish your furniture. Step 1: Clean Once you’ve

Your Home’s Best Defenses Against Air Pollution

April 22, 2024

In this day and age, new homeowners are more informed and mindful about their family’s health than ever. Between dangers like lead paint, asbestos, and carbon monoxide leaks, builders have come a very long way in eliminating harmful toxins within the home. Still, threatening elements continue to loom around the home, and although air pollution today is not as high as in the past, reducing indoor air contamination should be on every homeowner’s to-do list! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stresses that, although many visible forms of air pollution have died down since the 1970s, air pollution can be harmful even when it’s invisible. So, how can homeowners feel confident that their air is clean in a world full of smog and wildfires on top of some of the pollutants that are tougher to recognize? To find out, let’s discuss some common contaminants, and what people can do to keep their homes fresh. What are the dangers posed by outdoor air?Modern home design has led to houses being extremely closed off from outside elements, which is both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, houses do a great job of keeping out many harmful pollutants that can

Homeowners Are Re-thinking the American Lawn: Is It Time for A Change?

April 8, 2024

The classic American home is most often imagined as a nice colonial or Cape Cod house with a white picket fence and a pristine, freshly-cut lawn, all lined up in a cul-de-sac filled with homes taken care of with the exact same attention to detail. There are many aspects of the modern home that are tough to divorce from that classic picture, but despite this fact, one modern movement is attempting to hit the reset button on what a lawn should be. The so-called, “Anti-Lawn Movement” advocates for the removal of a traditional all-grass, low diversity lawn in favor of a more natural option instead. Rather than the uniform, finely-trimmed grass and hedgerow, this means wildflowers, clovers, and a landscape that matches the local region. For many, the results of the Anti-Lawn Movement may feel like an untidy excuse to cut down on regular maintenance, but there may be plenty of other benefits that come with this type of seismic change! To get a better idea of why someone would want to move away from their grass lawns, let’s discuss where today’s lawn came from in the first place and why a change may be in store. Where Did the

Why Spring is the Best Time to Buy for New Homeowners

March 4, 2024

Optimism in the housing market among Gen Zers and millennials is on the rise thanks to mortgage rate drops from the Federal Reserve (per reports at Business Insider). While this is great news for those who have been waiting to jump into the housing market, people who are waiting for lower housing prices are likely to be disappointed as mortgage rates are just one piece of the puzzle. A lack of inventory and high demand mean that housing prices aren’t likely to see a substantial change anytime soon, so when is the right time for a new homebuyer to start looking? For many reasons, it might be this spring! The Housing Market is SeasonalIt’s no secret that the housing market is largely seasonal, especially in regions that see a large amount of snow. The hassle of moving during inclement weather obviously isn’t ideal, plus homebuyers can have an inaccurate view of what the home and its neighborhood even looks like if it’s covered in snow. Because of these factors, warm weather tends to bring the busiest time of the year for real estate agents – but this doesn’t necessarily mean summer is the best time for everyone to buy a

Problems That Home Inspectors Find in Newly Constructed Homes

February 26, 2024

In the world of property inspections, one of the most common industry adages is “no home is perfect.” From excessive mold to roofs nearing the end of their lifespan, it’s a rare occasion when a home inspector walks through a home and doesn’t discover a substantial issue worth addressing before closing a sale. Homeowners across the country are undoubtedly thankful for the problems (both big and small) they became aware of thanks to their buyer’s inspection, but there’s one common misconception that leaves many new homeowners with avoidable headaches. The Misconception: New Homes Don’t Need Inspections Many home buyers mistakenly believe that if they’re buying a newly constructed home, they don’t need to order a home inspection. The truth is, brand new homes are not immune to major problems, issues that can accumulate into costly repairs down the road or lead to inconvenient downtime without key home systems functioning. To understand why new homes also benefit from a buyer’s inspection, let’s delve deeper into how a home is built and explore some of the common issues inspectors find in newly constructed houses. Inspections Throughout Construction Throughout a new home’s construction, building code inspectors employed by the city or municipality periodically

7 Places Where Mold Can Hide Inside Your Home

February 19, 2024

Everyone has run into mold from time to time in their bathrooms, in their kitchens, or around leaking appliances. While mold can actually come in many different colors and varieties, the dark fuzzy spots that crop up inside homes are usually easy to take care of without much issue, especially when addressed quickly. However, when left unaddressed, mold can damage and permanently discolor materials that they’ve attached to, as well as negatively impact the health of anyone in the home. In fact, according to healthcare professionals over on Healthline, overexposure to mold can lead to infection, lung inflammation, and other symptoms. Mold thrives in dark, moist, and warm environments, which means that issues in certain lesser trafficked areas of the home can easily get out of hand. If you experience any of the following, schedule a mold inspection to find the root of the problem: Homeowners can keep mold at bay by reducing humidity in their homes, maintaining good ventilation, and cleaning spills quickly. In addition, check and clean out these areas to cover some of mold’s best hiding spots inside the home: Contact your local NPI home inspector to schedule a mold inspection!

Unconventional Ways Your Home Is Signaling That You Have Plumbing Problems

January 29, 2024

When discovering that any of your home’s key systems aren’t functioning as they are supposed to, some signs of damage or failure are more obvious than others. With that said, homes constantly signal to their homeowners that issues are cropping up just beneath the surface. Most people, unfortunately, are unaware of these common signs and what they mean. Homes are designed to satisfy a large number of needs in order to function as they should, but one force that architects constantly battle while designing homes is water. Water intrusion can spread rapidly to other home systems, damaging high-ticket appliances and electronics while also potentially leading to health problems for families. Plumbing leaks are certainly a major issue for homeowners, but you may not want to wait for a pipe to burst in order to take action. Instead, keep an eye out for these unconventional signs that your home is having plumbing problems! 1. Your Lawn is Too Green, Too Thick, and Too WetIt may be surprising for some, but one way to discover plumbing issues within a home is actually through looking at its exterior landscaping. Healthy lawns should grow evenly, but homes can spring leaks in their drainage systems,