Tag: insulation

Renovating Your Attic Into the Perfect Spare Room

November 16, 2020

Trying to find enough space in your house for storage or entertaining is a problem most homeowners deal with. There’s only so much you can do depending on your house’s size, and more importantly, your budget. So what else can you do to add space, and not break the bank? The answer might be right above your head. Your Attic Could be the Choice If you already have a finished basement that you’re using, you can do the same thing with your attic. What you do with your attic does of course depend on its size, but even smaller ones can be put to good use. If you do decide to go ahead with a renovation, here’s some advice to make sure you do the job right. Endless Opportunities Attic renovations are becoming more and more popular among homeowners, especially with families staying in together. Attics offer a quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the main floors of a home, and sheltering-in-place homeowners are looking to utilize any and all extra space. Plus, renovations are relatively low-cost. Some of the most popular options are: Your perfect option will of course depend on the size and shape of

The Best Maintenance Tips for Older Homes

November 2, 2020

Older homes can be like time capsules of an era gone by. From their captivating exterior designs to their beautiful craftsmanship inside, it’s easy to see why people snatch these properties up. Yet with all the bells and whistles that can come with an old house, they also come with various problems. Although newer homes can succumb to these same issues, they can pose more of a threat to an older home. Renovations Can Take Longer Doing renovations on an older house isn’t as simple as working on a newer construction. Repairs and replacements must be done with an extreme amount of care to avoid damage. Having to be extra careful can extend the timeline of different renovations, causing them to take longer than average. The longer a project goes on, the more money you may be on the hook for. Renovations May Need Approval In addition to being cautious of your home when making repairs, you might have to follow stricter guidelines. Houses that are deemed historical markers or are part of a historical society are limited in terms of what can be changed. If you fail to follow these rules, you could land yourself in hot water. You

What Does a Home Inspector Do?

January 7, 2020

The process of buying or selling your home is a complex process. From the moment you put your house on the market to the closing paperwork, there are a lot of moving pieces all working in sequence to make sure things go smoothly. One of the most important steps that’s often overlooked is your home inspection. You may be familiar with the concept, but what does a home inspector actually do? What a Home Inspector DoesA home inspector is trained to make a complete assessment of a home and its many components. This assessment, which is comprehensively documented in a report given to the home buyer or seller, is designed to provide useful information about the current condition of the home. This most often includes information about the age and condition of a home’s most costly structures like the roof, HVAC and electrical systems. Home inspections give peace of mind to home buyers that they’re making the best decision possible with their investment, and home sellers can benefit from knowing what repairs should be completed before starting negotiations with buyers. A Visual, Non-Invasive InspectionWhen you hire a home inspector, you’ll see that they describe their services as a “visual and

Live in Hail Alley? How to Identify Roof Hail Damage and More

July 3, 2019

Chances are, you already know if you live in Hail Alley. This stretch of the U.S. extends from Texas to the Dakotas, covering wide swaths of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Missouri and Nebraska. Hail storms in these areas can be strong and sudden, with the height of hail season occurring every year around June. During a hailstorm, hailstones will drop from 30,000 feet and reach speeds of up to 120 miles per hour before they hit the ground, your car, your house or anything else. While most hail is pea- to marble-sized (1⁄4 inch to 1⁄2 inch in diameter) large storms can produce large hail—in fact, the largest hailstone ever recorded in the U.S. fell in Vivian, SD with a diameter of 8 inches! When these storms come through your area, sometimes the damage left behind is very apparent. A lot of the time it’s not, though, and you need a weather eye (sorry, couldn’t help it) to spot potentially serious damage. Here’s a rundown of places around your house to check for hail damage. Signs of Hail Damage on the RoofYour roof will take the brunt of the damage during a hailstorm, and there are some easy ways to

10 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home

January 11, 2019

Want to make 2019 the best year yet? It all starts with a happy home. Putting even one or two of these 10 household New Year’s resolutions into practice can help you create a healthy space for making all your dreams realities. 1. Improve your indoor air quality.Make clean air a priority in 2019. Poor indoor air quality is a leading cause of respiratory issues, like asthma and allergies. It can also cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and general malaise. That’s because indoor air can harbor mold spores, dust, pollen and other nasty stuff you don’t want to be cooped up with all day. Changing your furnace filter at least once a year can go a long way toward improving indoor air quality. Make sure your ventilation system is up to par, particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms. You should also use low-VOC paint and burn real firewood instead of pressed wood logs. This will help keep risky chemicals out of the air for extended periods of time. As an extra measure, portable air cleaners are available to help purify air in single rooms. 2. Declutter, room by room.The beginning of the year is a great time to reevaluate your belongings.

Your Holiday Home Maintenance Checklist

December 7, 2018

Once you find yourself in the rush of the holiday season, home maintenance becomes the last thing on your mind. It turns out, though, that making sure the halls are in great shape for winter is just as important as decking them. This holiday home maintenance checklist is designed to make your life easier once your first guests start arriving. It might be one more to-do list among dozens, but we promise you’ll thank yourself later. Call a Chimney SpecialistChimney specialists are incredibly busy this time of year, so the sooner you can check this task off your list, the better! If you neglected your chimney at the close of last winter, you need to have it professionally cleaned by a chimney sweep. Creosote can build up in chimneys that haven’t been maintained properly and lead to house fires. It goes without saying, but the safety of you and your guests depends on making that call. Change Your Furnace Filter and Have Your System ServicedWe can’t think of a worse time for the heat to go out than when guests arrive! Changing out your furnace filter is a must, especially if you haven’t gotten around to it since last year.

Home Maintenance Myths You Shouldn’t Bet On

September 26, 2018

Sometimes, those home maintenance “shortcuts” you learned from your parents are anything but. Some myths about home maintenance were born out of good intentions, and some of them may have even been true at one time or another, but following them today can waste money or even cause damage to your home. Here’s a rundown of the worst offenders that can end up costing you in the long run. 1. Turn off your AC when you leave the house to save energy. This one seems to make sense—why pay to cool an empty house, right? Well, turning off your AC isn’t the way to save money. The problem here is that when you come back home and turn your system back on, your AC unit will have to work overtime to cool your house back down, negating any energy savings you’ve accrued. To really save energy, just adjust your thermostat 5 or 10 degrees when you leave the house. 2. More insulation is always better. Lots of attic insulation is the key to regulating your home’s temperature in summer and winter, isn’t it? Not quite. While you want enough insulation to prevent heat escaping into the attic, going overboard can

How to Flush Your Hot Water Heater the Easy Way

August 30, 2018

We’ll bet on the fact that you haven’t thought about flushing your hot water heater in awhile—if ever. But, while it’s one of those tasks that’s easy to forget, it’s necessary for maintaining an efficient system that lasts for the duration of its life expectancy (about eight to 12 years). Why is Flushing Your Hot Water Heater Important? Over time, hot water heaters collect sediment, or mineral deposits, at the bottom. These mineral deposits are typically the result of hard water. If your hot water heater doesn’t get flushed over the course of years, it can lead to a premature breakdown or even a burst tank. How often you’ll need to flush your hot water heater depends on how hard your water is. Coastal and southeastern states typically don’t experience hard water to the degree that Midwestern and western states do. For those living in states with softer water, once every three years is a good rule of thumb, and for those with harder water, flushing once a year is a good idea. How to Flush Your Hot Water Heater Hot water heaters generally fall into two types: gas and electric. How each type is flushed is similar except for