Posted on November 23, 2009Is Your Home LEED Certified?
As consumers become more aware of how LEED features can increase their quality of living, they are more likely to ask their real estate agent for homes that have this accreditation.
Home Improvements Articles
Posted on November 21, 2009Getting Ready to Sell Your Home: Roof Maintenance & Cleaning
Buyers are looking for good quality for their dollar; the better maintained that a home is, the better value it is for a buyer. Also, if your home doesn’t sell as quickly as you would like, the plants will not return while you’re waiting for those...
Posted on November 20, 2009Interior Design Wonders: Making Your Condo Look Larger Than It Is
Living in a smaller home, such as a condo, can be a comfortable environment for many people, especially those who have the knack for decorating to suit the space. It does not take a lot of money to create an inviting room that allows you to relax and...
Posted on November 18, 2009Sprucing up Your New Home with Moldings
While many homes on the market right now are newly finished homes, there are always many more that are older, in need of renovations, or are just a little run down and in need of some TLC. While many home owners paint their houses before they put...
Posted on November 18, 2009Chimney Sweeps - More than Mary Poppin's friends
Many homeowners do not realize that repeated burning of fires will create a buildup of residue (creosote) on the chimney walls. Creosote and ash in your chimney is a recipe for disaster. This combination is highly flammable and is the main cause of...
Posted on November 18, 2009New Home Owners: Prepare your Home for Winter
Due to the government’s incentive tax credit to encourage more and more first time buyers into the housing market, a great number of owners are looking at spending their first winter in a house where they’re responsible for all the maintenance often...
Posted on November 14, 2009New Era of In-Law Suites
Another term commonly used for separate in-law accommodation is a Granny Flat. These are usually small, separate residences built on existing family property, and are set up as a complete living space including a small kitchen. Far enough away from...
Posted on November 11, 2009Stocking the Kitchen in Your Brand New Home
A sharpening steel is a good idea to keep your knives sharp but if you aren’t that adept at sharpening knives by hand consider buying “stay sharp” knives. To accompany your new knives, invest in a good sized wooden cutting board; wooden cutting...
Posted on November 11, 2009The Continuing Saga of Chinese Drywall
One of the biggest issues in home real estate currently that isn’t directly related to home financing is the problem of defective Chinese drywall. This noxious product gives off sulphur gas—both carbon disulfide and carbonyl sulphide—which gives off...
Posted on November 6, 2009Snow Melting Systems - Safety for Your Home
No matter what type of product is used for your walkway or driveway – concrete, asphalt, brick or tile – these snow-sensing systems will keep your property safe for family members and guests. They also make it a snap to get your vehicle out to the...
Posted on November 6, 2009Let the Sun Shine In! Creating the ultimate sunroom
In days gone by, sitting on the stoop (or porch) on a sunny day was a relaxing way to spend an afternoon or evening. As the weather changed, or when the mosquitoes and other bugs were too annoying, people needed another way to enjoy the beauty of the...
Posted on November 6, 2009Easy Fixes for Common Problems
If you have access to the underside of the floor, check for spaces between the subfloor and floor joists. It helps if someone is walking on the squeaky part of the floor while you watch from below. Once you identify the spot, apply glue to both sides...
Posted on November 4, 2009Your New Home: Making it Safe
If your new home has any sort of water feature outside in the yard make sure that there’s no way that it can be a hazard to your small children—or other children in the neighborhood. A pool generally requires a fence, but a pond can be trickier to...
Posted on November 5, 2009Keeping the Winter Ice Away
Heat tapes and deicing cables are well used in states where snow accumulations are common. The manual version of this system must be plugged in, while the automatic system starts working when temperatures dip between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Posted on November 1, 2009Tidying Your Yard for Fall Home Showings
Clean up the stray branches and twigs lying around the yard as well. A lot of the yard waste that you clean up can go into your compost bin, but make sure that you don’t add anything that is diseased or has seed pods that you don’t want sprouting in...
Posted on October 31, 2009Creating More Privacy for Your New Home
It’s also good to keep in mind the difference between how your yard is going to look in the summer to how it will look in the fall and winter when many trees will lose their leaves. Creating a balance of evergreen and deciduous trees can give you a...
Posted on October 31, 2009Composting at Your New Home
If you are looking for nice rich soil fairly quickly, it’s best to use a method called active composting where you pay attention to the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in your compost and turn it regularly; this system is more labor intensive an requires...
Posted on October 29, 2009Dealing Neighborhood Pests Around Your New Home
As the weather becomes cooler, the abundance of food for wildlife to munch on becomes less prevalent. As the seasons change you can expect more wildlife to end up in your new backyard looking for snacks or shelter; if you want to keep the damage to a...
Posted on October 29, 2009Remodelling Your New Home Without the Headaches
With all the great deals to be found right now in real estate, people are buying homes at fabulous prices; many of these fabulously priced homes need a little bit of work either because they’re older homes or because of damage done to them while...
Posted on October 24, 2009Selling Your Home This Fall: Take Time to Prep Your Yard
With the weather turning cooler and gardens showing their less vibrant side, it is a good idea to prep your yard for prospective buyers so that they look well maintained and easy to take care of.
Posted on October 23, 2009Extreme Security: Creating the Ultimate Safe House
In the beginning, the homeowner did extensive research to determine what type of structure would be the safest in the face of natural and man-made disasters. Dome homes are known to hold up extremely well during earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods,...
Posted on October 22, 2009Improving the Energy Efficiency of Your New Home With Storm Windows
As the days and nights become cooler with the changing seasons, you might be noticing that your new home has some drafts or that the charming older character home that you’ve purchased with the beautiful original windows is getting a little expensive...
Posted on October 22, 2009Pumping Through the Rainy Seasons
There is nothing worse than going down to your basement on a rainy day and finding your furniture floating. Unexpected flooding creates heartache and frustration, not to mention loss of personal property.
Posted on October 21, 2009How To Save On Heating
It's easy to be wasteful and to not notice ways to save on winter heating that may be simpler than you think. Instead of dreading receiving the utility bills each month, you can reduce them and feel proud about your efforts. What are some ways to do...
Posted on October 21, 2009Landscaping Your New Yard: Underground Menaces
There are many problems that can literally be dug up in your yard when you’re looking at renovating in your new backyard. Some of the backyard hazards are from utilities and city services while some will be from previous home owners.
Posted on October 20, 2009Finding a Great Kitchen Contractor
Reliability comes with a good referral. If you know someone who has recently given their kitchen a facelift, and had great results, ask which company they hired. When you do find a good contractor, be prepared to wait. The best companies are usually...
Posted on October 20, 2009Winterize Your Home – Stay warm, save money
The seasons are changing and it is time to start those jobs on your autumn “to do” list. Beyond raking leaves and putting the lawn furniture away, ensuring your home is ready for the cold weather to come will save you time and money in the months to...
Posted on October 13, 2009Updating Your House to Avoid a Home Invasion
Creating a secure environment for your home is becoming easier with products and information available to the community. Police often hold seminars on protecting your loved ones and belongings. These offer a good insight into the ways to deal with...
Posted on October 3, 2009Paint Trends to Make Your Room Pop
Soft, sophisticated colors are prevalent across this year's color spectrum, according to color experts. Like the healing greens, the paint palette of the coming year is dominated by “easy-to-live-with,” understated organic tones, including skin-like...
Posted on October 12, 2009DIY Projects to Leave to the Professionals
Even a task as innocuous as painting can be costly if a homeowner doesn't know what he or she is doing. By improperly preparing the painting surface, the whole job may be botched, and require a professional to come and smooth out the wrinkles.
Posted on September 27, 2009Keeping Your Home & Family Safe with Detectors
The most common type of detector used in homes is the smoke alarm/detector; upwards of ninty percent of homes in North America have smoke alarms in their home though not all of them may be in working condition due to dead or missing batteries.
Posted on September 29, 2009Using Under-floor Heating to Fulfill Your Home Heating Needs
The modern radiant heated floor was invented by Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect after experiencing the traditional Korean version which uses hot air from a kitchen fire. Wright's version uses pipes with hot water running through them...
Posted on September 25, 2009Safeguarding Vacant Properties
With our current economic crisis, there are more and more houses falling to foreclosures. Unfortunately as more homes are owned by the bank, the less care goes into the maintenance of them and neighborhoods begin a spiralling decent into disrepair...
Posted on September 25, 2009Perimeter Drains: Is Your Home Protected?
The purpose of a perimeter drain around your foundation is to draw water that would otherwise sit around the foundation and wick into it, possibly creating one very wet basement or crawl space. A properly built outer perimeter drain should be at a...
Posted on October 11, 2009Unraveling the mystery of LEED Certification
The LEED for Homes (LEED-H) rating system, officially launched in February 2008, promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. These homes use less energy, water and natural resources, create less waste, and are more durable...
Posted on October 11, 2009Buying a Home With a Well: What You Need to Know
You will also want to know what kind of shape your well system is in. The well should be well away from any pollutants (such as your septic field), the age of your well, the condition of the casing and cap, as well as what sort of backflow protection...
Posted on October 11, 2009Fall Garden Fun
Take an inventory of your plants and their blooming times. If you have bleak, colorless yard over the winter months, perhaps you need to plant some berrying plants for added pizzazz. Yaupon, Possum Haw and American Beauty Berry all work well....
Posted on September 21, 2009Get Organized & Stay Organized
Sometimes I think getting ready for a big move is a blessing in disguise. For anyone who has moved in the last three years - you know the routine: Clean out your drawers and cupboards, rid your home of clutter and clear off all your counter tops.
Posted on September 21, 2009Guarding Against Buying Into a Dry Rot Problem
There are some fillers that you can use to fill spots that have had the dry rot cleaned out of them which work to strengthen the wood and kill the fungus. There are also some good chemical liquids that can be applied to wood that prevent it from...
Posted on September 21, 2009Buying or Living in a Home with Black Mold
If your home smells of mold or you can see the infestation, you have a problem and have been exposed to the spores. You may not exhibit symptoms of your exposure, however; though toxic black mold can cause some people very serious health problems,...
Posted on September 20, 2009Asbestos in the Home: To Remove or Not to Remove
Even back in the days of ancient Rome asbestos was known for its fire-proof properties, as well as some incidence of lung issues in slaves who worked with the material. Most of the serious issues that have come to be related to asbestos mining and...
Posted on September 19, 2009Maintaining Hard Surface Floors
Linoleum and Marmoleum floors are quite a different type of flooring in that they require a polish or wax specifically designed for them to help keep up their finish. These types of floors can last upwards of 50 years though, so they're well worth...
Posted on September 18, 2009Home Solar Power for Savings and Profit
There are many do it yourself instructions on the internet if you want to try making your own solar panels or, if you prefer, you can buy ready made panels and place them where you want them. Solar panels require some outlay of time, effort and money...
Posted on September 13, 2009Storm Shelters: Do You Need to Have One?
Storm rooms are usually made from either steel or Kevlar; steel storm rooms are heavier and somewhat cheaper but can be extremely heavy, while Kevlar—the material used in bulletproof vests—is lighter and flexible, allowing projectiles to bounce off...
Posted on September 12, 2009Water Heater Replacement: Traditional or Tankless
One household appliance that can really change how your living dynamic works in a home is your water heater. An inadequate supply of hot water in your home can change a comfortable existence to a frustrating challenge of scheduling, especially if you...
Posted on September 12, 2009Cutting Down on Energy Usage in Your Home
Another great way to save energy and money in your home is with your lights; we all know that it's important to turn off lights that you aren't using but many of us don't really think to actually do it. Each time you have a light bulb burn out...
Posted on September 12, 2009Inexpensive Updates to Sell Your Kitchen
It's no secret that kitchens sell homes, so if you're looking to put your home on the market take a look at your kitchen and see what kind of updates you can do to make it more appealing to prospective buyers.
Posted on September 6, 2009Super Handy Do-It-Yourself Garden Tools
How many times do you find yourself marching out to the garden like a pack horse, with your arms laden with hand tools? More often than not, you still have to return to the shed for more supplies. With a little ingenuity and a few items you probably...
Posted on September 5, 2009Are your home’s flaws blocking its sale?
Some people may think that home staging is a waste of time, but when it comes to real estate - especially these days - nothing can be taken for granted. The time when a home could be shown in messy glory and still sell for big bucks is long...
Posted on September 2, 200910 "Must Haves" for Your Home
They have a huge selection of movie and art posters drastically reduced in price, and available framed or unframed. They have a handy feature on their site that allows you to view a print not only with various types of framing styles, but hung on a...
