Many value-enhancing home improvements can be accomplished in a weekend with minimal cost and effort. So if your weekend is free and you have the energy to put towards a series of small jobs, why not work on projects that will add value to your home?
We’ve compiled a couple of weekend projects that will add value to your home without breaking the bank.
Ah the smell of spring is in the air and summer is soon to come! This is the time of year when your yard and garden retake their rightful places at the center of your attention (or at least a “close second” to grandchildren if you’re anything like us!)
In light of this, we’re gonna show you a few steps that you can take to make your outdoor spaces and your home live compatibly a.k.a A Symbiotic Home, Yard, and Garden.
Be sure that the ground slopes away from your house all the way around the perimeter. This ensures that any moisture from rain and sprinklers will be directed away from the foundation.
Obviously this is much easier to ensure when your home is being constructed. Even so, shoveling dirt and planting grass to create slightly higher ground close to your house is easy to do.
In addition, ensure that the base of your shrubs and other plants are kept at least 2 feet away from the foundation to avoid potential problems with roots and drainage. Keep your window wells free of debris and lined with gravel to help water drain out into the ground.
Finally, don’t leave your sprinklers on for too long. Too much water won’t do your plants or lawn any good (take it from someone who’s accidentally drowned a plant or two in her day). Plus, it may cause problems if there are drainage issues in certain areas.
With springtime here and warm summer weather looming on the horizon, parts of Connecticut, especially along the Long Island Sound, begin to get pretty humid. So we thought we’d talk about why controlling moisture in your crawl spaces is so important.
Now we realize that if you’re like most homeowners, you rarely pay any attention to your crawl spaces. However, moisture in crawl spaces can have serious negative effects on your home’s structure as well as your family’s health.
Moisture in crawl spaces is a common problem that can contribute to rotted sills and rim joists, mold problems, and insect infestation if not controlled. It has also been associated with health issues that can accompany mold, mildew, and other problem organisms.
So here are a few steps that you can take to reduce moisture levels in your home’s crawl spaces. Consider the following:
Spring is in the air once again and along with it, is pollen. While many people suffer from outdoor allergies, there is also a growing number of allergy sufferers in the home. If you’re constantly sneezing coupled with sinus irritation and watery eyes, you may be thinking: “Jeez! Am I allergic to my house!?”
Household allergens can cause a variety of symptoms including sneezing, watery eyes, coughing, and shortness of breath. Allergens may also be a contributing cause of asthma, especially in your children. However, you can minimize the effects of such allergens by taking steps to control their presence and dispersal in your house. You don’t have to be allergic to your house!
The most common household allergens include dust mites, mold, mildew, pollen, and pet dander (dried flakes of skin shed by pets, particularly cats and dogs). To effectively control them, try the following combination of suggestions that, when used properly, will reduce the levels of allergens.
What does every room in the home have, yet rarely gets noticed? Look up – it’s the ceiling. While it may not get the attention of the walls and floors, the ceiling can be an indicator of certain elements of the home’s condition, so it’s important to identify and address any problems that arise.
Speaking of “looking up more often, this is one of my old favorites. Check out this video:
After an early snow fall in late October (as mentioned in the video above), furnaces in homes throughout the north east and here in Connecticut are cranking up for a long winter season. It is especially important to have your furnace inspected and maintained to ensure that it runs efficiently and safely as we head into the colder months. Here are some simple ways to improve your furnace’s efficiency:
We just saw this report of two elderly people in Connecticut who died Tuesday morning due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator that they were running after their power had been knocked out by the recent winter storm. This report was on Eye Witness News 3. They also reported that 10 other people from Meriden, CT were taken to the hospital for CO poisoning.
Our sympathies go out to the families of the victims of this storm. We recently wrote about this very issue right after Tropical storm Irene. Our goal is to educate you and your family members so that tradgedies like these can be avoided.
Homebuyers and sellers often hear about “plumbing upgrades”, but what does this mean? Generally speaking, upgrading plumbing in the context of buying or selling a home refers to both fixtures and/or the plumbing system itself. Here are some basics to consider when referring to plumbing upgrades.
It’s fall and that means it’s time to get your home in Connecticut ready for the upcoming cold weather. Check out the tips below for ideas on how to keep your home more comfortable and efficient this winter.
Here in Connecticut, we haven’t had a hurricane or a tropical storm in quite some time. So when Hurricane Irene, (later downgraded to a tropical storm) rolled through CT, it was big news. In fact, I was reading this story about the death toll caused by Tropical Storm Irene, and I noticed that a few people from Maine and Maryland apparently died due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from the exhaust of their home generators.
If you’re not familiar with Carbon monoxide (CO), it’s an odorless, colorless gas produced by the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, oil, and propane in devices such as home generators, furnaces, water heaters, and stoves. With the exception of home generators, these items are normally designed to vent the CO to the outside, but harmful interior levels of CO can result from incomplete combustion of fuel, improper installation, or blockages, leaks or cracks in the venting systems.
You can take action against potential carbon monoxide poisoning by taking the following steps:
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