Home Improvement

Most all homeowners know that hidden dangers can lurk throughout a house. From hidden mold to water pipe contaminants, there are many unseen domestic elements that can cause illness. But perhaps the greatest danger is the gas that cannot be seen or smelled: carbon monoxide. Produced any time a fossil fuel burns, this “silent killer” takes the lives of more than 4,000 people each year. In addition to installing a carbon monoxide detector, here are four tips to prevent a carbon monoxide accident.

Maintain Your Fireplace and Chimney

Improper fume exhaustion is a common problem in poorly maintained fireplaces, wood stoves, or chimneys. In many cases, carbon monoxide poisoning has been a deadly result. If you haven’t looked into maryland chimney relining, you should do so immediately.

Check All Vented Appliances

Vented appliances are those that send combustion pollutants outside the home. They include gas clothes dryers, furnaces, and hot water heaters. If these appliances are not properly installed or poorly maintained, a carbon monoxide leak in the home can occur.

Use Caution With Space Heaters

Utilize space heaters only when someone is awake to keep an eye on them. Make sure there is sufficient airflow through the room in which the space heater is in use.

Never Run Your Car in the Garage

If you have an attached garage, don’t leave a vehicle running there. Even when the garage door is open, exhaust fumes can seep inside the house. You should also be careful outside the home. For example, if your vehicle has a tailgate, be sure to open windows anytime you drive with the tailgate down. If you don’t, carbon monoxide can be sucked into the vehicle.

If you think that you may have overlooked carbon monoxide dangers in your home, don’t wait in taking the necessary steps to prevent a tragedy.…

Homes built on hillsides can be beautiful and unique, but they can also present some challenges. These three tips can help you avoid some of the common pitfalls of hillside construction.

Consider How You’ll Get Up and Down the Hill

Most of the construction challenges you’ll face when building hillside property will go away once the construction is complete, however, the need to get up and down the hill will persist for as long as you own the property. The most common method of navigating a hillside is to add stairs. However, this solution may not be ideal for people who have difficulty climbing stairs due to physical limitations. If stairs are a problem for you or someone in your household, you may want to consider alternatives such as ramps or a residential tram. Residential tram cost can vary greatly depending on the layout of your property. You may be able to save some money by ordering a do-it-yourself kit.

Work With the Landscape

Most hillside builds will require some amount of alteration to the landscape, but you can probably save yourself money and headaches by making your design fits the landscape, instead of the other way around. Factors to consider include the slope of the hill and rocky terrain that may be costly to excavate.

Hire a Builder With Hillside Construction Experience

An experienced builder should be able to help you choose a design that best works with the unique features of your property. Consider asking any potential builders for examples of work they have done on similar terrain to your site. You may want to give preference to builders with experience customizing designs because cookie-cutter designs rarely work well with hillside builds.

Incorporating these tips into your construction plan can help you avoid the common mistakes people make with hillside projects. With some careful planning and the right builder, you can turn the challenges of a hillside construction project into opportunities for a uniquely beautiful design.…

Heat energy can be lost from your house through radiation, conduction and convection. Also, un-insulated external walls in your home are responsible for close to 30 percent of heat losses in your home. Air leakage is also common in un-insulated roofs that cause about 25% of heat losses. When you insulate your home with insulation materials, the materials function by reducing the flow of convective and conductive heat. Therefore, it’s recommendable to protect your home if you want to reduce the energy escaping from your house.

Insulation Types

An essential step towards insulating your home is to understand the available types of insulation. If you are not familiar with insulation types, you can talk to an insulation expert. The professionals, such as insulation contractors maryland can advise you on the right insulation that will suit your home needs. Wall insulation is a common type of insulation that you can consider. There are two types of wall insulation, which are the solid wall and cavity wall. You can also insulate your roof by insulting immediately under the roof or above the ceiling. The other types of insulation include the floor and window and door insulation.

Insulation Benefits

You can insulate your home for various reasons. One of the benefits that home insulation offers is keeping your space comfortable. You may require an insulation contractor if your home feels uncomfortably hot in the summer or cold in the winter. The culprit could be your furnace or air conditioner. The contractor will inspect your home and the appliances for proper insulation. The other benefit of home insulation is reducing noise in your home and energy bills.

Insulation is the answer if your home feels uncomfortable or you have high utility bills. Talk to an insulation contractor to understand more about home insulation. The contractor will also advise you on the best insulation material to use for your home.…

Underground water leaks are among the many concerns that most homeowners have. Leaks can cause anything from a sinkhole to property damage if left unattended for too long. However, the good news is that there are a few proven ways that can help you find out if an underground pipe is leaking. Of course, the easiest way to notice these signs is to schedule routine maintenance with plumbing services Geneva IL.

Loss of Water Pressure

Your home is likely to experience a sudden loss of water pressure if the main water supply is leaking. Loss of water pressure could also indicate a leak or clog in the pipe that supplies water to a kitchen or bathroom fixture. Overall, low water pressure could mean the main water supply in your home is leaking or has clogged.

Inexplicably High Water Bills

A sudden spike in a water bill could indicate an underground water leak. Of course, anyone who has lived in a house for a while can expect a consistent water bill. Unless the spike is attributed to a change of lifestyle or expansion of the house, an underground water leak can be a safe bet.

Excess Wetness in the Soil

Water is likely to saturate the soil around a leaking underground pipe. The grass around that area may turn extra healthy and green. Any hole dug around that area will fill with water as well. These are all signs that you may have an underground leak.

Moisture in the Basement

The presence of moisture in the basement could indicate that an underground pipe is leaking. The moisture that appears during and after rainstorms could be a sign that a nearby sewer or drain is leaking, but that can be avoided by inspecting underground pipes as often as possible.

Leaking underground pipes can cause considerable damage to your property and home if they are not detected early enough. Underground pipe leaks may not only weaken pipes and cause them to crumble but also flood your yard. However, identifying them quickly can help prevent a catastrophe.…

After a long day of work and meeting deadlines, we come back home in the hopes of relaxing our mind and body. Now, if your home is a dirty mess, smelly, or just plain unwelcoming, where would you go?

As per Christa O’Leary, the CEO and founder of Home and Harmony Lifestyle and interior designer, “Your home either nurtures and supports you or it depletes your energy and leaves you exhausted.” And, this is something which we absolutely agree with. Your home plays a very important role when it comes to enhancing your mood which you may not even realize. O’Leary further added that in the frenetic world of today, creating a calm and peaceful space that can give you the room to recharge has become even more important.

In this article, we will discuss different ways in which you can create a relaxing and welcoming ambiance in your home. 

Remove Any Clutter from Your House

It is only natural that the first point that we begin this article with has to be of removing any extra clutter from your home. Just think about it, have you ever felt relaxed or welcomed in an environment that is overflowing with unnecessary things? This is exactly the point.

A disorganized home will not only take extra time to locate anything that you might suddenly need, but it will also negatively affect your mental health. Keeping this in mind, it will be better for you to take out time from your busy schedule to organize your home and remove old or broken things.

Also, there is good clutter and bad clutter in our home. Good clutter includes things such as books, magazines, showpieces and so on that need re-organization. Bad clutter, on the other hand, involves spam mail, old newspapers, opened pizza boxes et cetera that need to throw out pronto.

Buying a Dehumidifier for Your Home

When it comes to creating a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere, nothing will really work as efficiently as a dehumidifier.

Dehumidifiers can help to reduce humidity levels in your home which, in turn, helps to reduce the appearance of allergens such as mold, mildew, and dust mites. While working quietly in the background, they can help you breathe easier and reduce the level of dust in your home. Did we mention that these appliances can help to reduce energy costs by facilitating the smooth running of our air-conditioner? Well, it can.

Take into Account the Textures in Your Home

Playing around with textures is one of the simplest and oldest tricks in the book for creating that perfect welcoming atmosphere in your home. The idea here is to surround yourself with things that you personally would like to touch. Fluffy carpets, smooth laminate flooring, wavy wallpapers, and so on are a few of these things that make your home look beautiful and make you feel better as well. This actually works so definitely try to include this element in your home. 

Incorporate a lot of Greenery …

Older or distressed apartments and other aging multifamily dwellings require redevelopment from time to time. As developers, such as Steven Taylor, an experienced landlord who has redeveloped multi-unit distressed properties in the Los Angeles area, have learned, there are a few innovative solutions to some of the oldest development issues.

Modern Amenities

Say good-bye to that green linoleum flooring and introduce an eco-friendly bamboo floor. Today’s renters have different expectations when it comes to the little luxuries that make an apartment home. For example, rather than offering multiple telephone jacks, you might put in some charging stations. During redevelopment, take the opportunity to update amenities, so they reflect what modern renters prefer.

Out-of-the-City Locations

Of course, top locations will always be the best place to find lucrative real estate investments. However, it can be difficult to come up with your down payments. Look a bit outside of the big cities for multifamily dwellings in the suburbs for a variety of realty options. Many of today’s residents would rather rent than own, especially during retirement. Apartment dwellings for retired grandparents do well when situated within convenient distance to grandchildren and active retirement lifestyle options.

Onsite Parking and Alternative Transportation

Whether the distressed property is in the middle of the city or at the very edges of the suburbs, renters want access to reliable, safe parking or easy access to affordable transportation. As you work through redevelopment plans, consider including a place for ride service providers to pull through without taking up a parking spot.

Landlords and Customer Service

Whether they are buying new technology or looking for a place to live, millennials aren’t quiet when they don’t like the service. If apartment repairs are overlooked, modern renters are likely to post complaints on social media and generate negative responses quickly. On the other hand, if the Landlord offers prompt, personal, and clear customer service, they are likely to share that news as well.

What are some of the top issues you’ve faced as a redeveloper? Do you have tips to share with other real estate investors and entrepreneurs?…

When someone first comes to your home, they can assume many things about you based on your interior design. You just know when someone is lazy when everything is unorganized and when something looks modern, you know that that person follows new trends. That is why it’s important to have a home that looks great from the inside. It is a great way to impress someone that you want to get close to.

Small things like new rugs or carpets can change a room atmosphere so investing a little bit of effort and money can transform your house a lot. You will need to do some research online to get new ideas and get to know what professionals are doing like George G Couri. It will depend on the individual because maybe you don’t like a vintage look or to have too much color so it will depend on your taste.

Color and Accessories

Before you buy new things for your rooms you should choose a color for the walls. A great tip a professional will give to you is to use lighter and softer colors for smaller rooms. This will make it look larger and with the right placement of mirrors so the light can reflect a lot will give it an even bigger look.

To add to this lighter look, you should use a white carpet but it shouldn’t cover the whole area. Other accessories that you will have in these rooms can be in other colors. This may be a shelf or small decorative items you can get in a gift shop. Another tip is to have a minimalistic look so you won’t even need to invest a lot to have a great design. Just use lighter colors. Read more on this website.

Where to Find Ideas?

A great thing today is that you won’t need to hire an interior designer in order to organize your house there is plenty of information and ideas online. This will save you a lot of money and you might find good advice on where to buy things for your home. The first place you can look for is online magazines that probably are always updated when it comes to new trends.

If you just want to find something that looks great, it doesn’t have to be in trending so you can also look for ideas on Pinterest. Just search for interior design ideas and you will probably find something that suits your needs. Another good app is Instagram that has a lot of pages related to house decor. Gather as many pictures as you can that you like because sometimes you won’t be able to find items that are on the picture but they should put links that will guide you to a certain store.

Read more about it here: https://www.wikihow.com/Decorate-Your-Home 

Add Texture

Besides color, the texture is equally important particularly if you want to use a single color like all-white. You may use for the room, that …

If you replaced your roof in 1989 with a 30-year shingle, you probably found your roofing contractor in the Yellow Pages or by talking with a friend or neighbor. But in 1990, how you got your information started to change. That’s when the first search engine hit the Internet. In 1995 came Angie’s List, then Home Adviser and Google in 1998. Meanwhile, in Beverly Hills, the rise of social media started with Myspace. A year later, there was Facebook. In 2020, Instagram turns 10.

Search Online

You’re probably searching for a roofing contractor right now and ads will start to follow you. You’ll read customer reviews. Should you trust them? Not always. Headlines warned consumers about fake reviews on Yelp, Google, Local and elsewhere. Earlier this year, a California company settled federal charges for giving customers incentives to post positive reviews. Look for reviews of roofing Roxborough CO that are unique and specific. Do they mention an employee by name? Do the reviews talk about something interesting the business did that really stood out? How many reviews are there? Be realistic. Don’t expect the company to have a perfect track record. What’s the ratio of positive to negative feedback? Does the business respond to its reviews? Did the business address negative comments?

Recommendations

In 10 years, the way to find a trustworthy business has undergone a revolution. It’s the same, but different conversations happen on Facebook or the next door app instead of over the phone. Get recommendations from your online community, then do some digging to qualify your contractor.

Include offline bureaus in your search and research. Some of them have been helping people find businesses they can trust for more than 100 years. They provide information on industry licensing, accreditation status, complaint resolution, customer reviews and more to help you make an informed decision.

If you haven’t replaced your roof in 25 years, it’s time to get started.…

Going away to college can be exciting and scary all at the same time. New surroundings and experiences can at times be overwhelming. It is a big change for your child, and while it can be an adventure, it can still create feelings of homesickness. Here are some tips to help your child settle in comfortably.

Familiar Things

While few new pots and pans may be a welcome gift for a college student, but they can’t replace a favorite old quilt from their bedroom or other familiar item from home. Even though your student may insist that they are looking forward to a fresh, new start, there will likely be times when a bit of home can ease them through a bout of homesickness.

Familiar Smells

Your child’s dorm room is such a different atmosphere from what they are used to. It is a fact that certain scents can evoke memories of specific times, places or events. Send a candle scented like sugar cookies or blueberry muffins – anything that can bring back a comforting memory of home. If there are undesirable smells in the apartment, treat your student to the best steam cleaning college station can offer and get their carpets cleaned for them. That really would be a fresh start.

Familiar Sights

Most photos are stored in the cloud these days; accessible by anyone at any time. But there is something comforting about an actual photo album with pictures of family members, a special pet, close friends, home and other favorite places that can be touched and lingered over when homesickness strikes.

With all that in mind, make sure you encourage your child’s new-found independence and allow them the freedom to mature from the experience. They may not need you as they have before, but in many ways your relationship can grow stronger.…

Building a patio as an extension of your house or as a stand-alone area is an excellent way to raise the value of your property. A cleanly built structure can also boost the curb appeal of your area. Here are a few tips on what to include when putting together a project.

Think Aesthetically

One of the first steps is selecting what kind of material to use. Cedar, pressure-treated lumber or manufactured composite stock are all good choices for a sharp look. You can add a touch of elegance by substituting metal deck spindles for the standard wooden ones. Not only will they add to the visual allure, but metal will stand the test of time and be a sturdy brace against weather and wear. Consider installing light ballasts on top of corner posts for a warm glow in the evening hours.

Keep It Cooking

The centerpiece of any deck or patio is the grill. It’s a convenient device to have during all seasons and can improve the functionality of the space. You may want to integrate a barbecue into the actual construction by building counter space that fits snuggly around the mechanism. A convenient add-on could also be a raised bar to hang implements on or covered shelving to store seasonings. There are options to help configure an outdoor kitchen as well, but that depends on the amount of time and money you are willing to invest.

Let It Grow

Another simple idea for your new outdoor hangout is to decorate with plants and small shrubs. Assemble a permanent planter using block or lumber. This ensures minimal clean up after the growing season. Fresh veggies can be on display and within reach during the summer. Metal hooks are available to fasten to posts for hanging flower baskets, or there is the option to plant hearty vines that will return year after year.…