Posts

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

Unconventional Places to Hide Eggs and Easter Baskets (Without Putting Your Kids in Danger, Mostly)

March 25, 2024

Easter is an underrated holiday. When most people are asked to pick their favorite holiday, Christmas gets a ton of love, and dressing up on Halloween is tons of fun no matter your age. No one ever thinks of Easter first, despite everything that it has going for it! The Easter bunny is a great mascot, and the light blue, pink, and yellow color scheme is unique and iconic. Okay, Christmas might still be the best holiday, but Easter is still pretty cool, too. One of the best Easter traditions that deserves a bit more recognition is, of course, the egg hunt. Whether set up as a free-for-all at the park, or with specially selected baskets for different family members in the backyard, there are many different versions of the classic Easter egg hunt and plenty of room for creativity. Some are under the misconception that the annual egg hunt is only for the kids, but this doesn’t have to be the case! If your egg hunts are a bit too bland or easy for your kids, or if you’d like to ratchet up the competition a bit this year, here are some outside-the-box strategies and hiding spots that should

4 Lucky Traditions and Superstitions When Moving Into A New Home

March 11, 2024

Between wearing green, spotting four leaf clovers, and being surrounded by little men with red beards, St. Patrick’s Day is full of lighthearted and strange traditions for families and friends to enjoy. Everybody can always use a little extra luck in their lives, and throughout the years, families have come up with plenty of unique traditions to usher in some good fortune as they move into their new homes. In the spirit of the season, let’s take a look at some of these superstitions to make your next move jinx-free! Lay a Positive Foundation Depending on how early in the process people begin to interact with their new home, many believe in writing positive messages on the frames of their houses and behind the drywall, and even scattering coins in the foundation in hopes that good, fortunate days are ahead. These traditions may be traced all the way back to “foundation deposits,” where groups in ancient Egypt and Sudan buried sacrificed animals, valuable tools, and pottery underneath cornerstones of important buildings in blessing rituals (according to historians at the Egyptian Museum in Manchester). Today, items that new homeowners place within their foundation and in their framing are a bit more

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!

Interior Design Trends of 2024: Putting the “I” Back in Interior Design

February 12, 2024

Whether you’re moving into your brand-new home or you’d like to reinvent a space sorely in need of an update, keeping up with the latest interior design trends is crucial for anyone wanting to avoid a dated feel. Just as people change every year, tastes are bound to transform with new experiences and innovations. If you want your home to catch up with you in 2024, consider incorporating some of these styles into your layouts. The Continuation of Naturalism vs. the Rise of MetalHeading into 2023, we noted how one interior design trend was quickly rising in prominence, and naturalism certainly is having its time in the sunlight through 2024 as well! With this overarching style, warm, earthy tones incorporated into paint and furniture are meant to evoke the natural world surrounding the home for a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. This idea is great because of its inherent variety based on where the homeowner lives, whether they own a home tucked away in the mountains, in a dry, arid region, or they’re surrounded by sun and the beach. For many homeowners, constantly reinventing their homes to follow the latest shifts in style is not necessarily a habit they want to fall

How to Build a Treehouse Without Hurting Your Tree

February 5, 2024

As a kid, there’s nothing like spending the summer hanging out in your own custom-made treehouse, looking out over the neighborhood like you’re on top of the world. Many homeowners have a nostalgic attachment to their own childhood treehouses or miss the treehouse experience they never had. For the ambitious homeowner looking to get their kids to spend some extra time outside or to give themselves a more unique hideaway, a DIY treehouse project can be an exciting endeavor. However, treehouses can have the unintended effect of harming your tree if you don’t take the right precautions. To create a memorable hideaway that doesn’t sacrifice the health of your tree, keep these points in mind. Note: Check with your local building authority, HOA, and your neighbors before getting started. Certain areas may require special permits, and it’s always a good idea to talk with your neighbors before building something that might block the view! Pick the Perfect TreeNo matter your building practices or your comfort with larger scale projects, the success of a treehouse DIY project lives and dies by whether you’ve identified the right candidate for the foundation. A stable and safe treehouse needs a tree that’s matured, with

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,