The weather is finally starting to cool off and before you know it, it'll be too cool. In the winter time, weather stripping is an essential part of keeping your house warm and your energy bills lows.
Gaps in doors, windows, and the wrong kind of weather stripping can make a chilly night even chillier. To help warm up those cold nights, here's some tips from our friends at This Old House
"Know Your Weatherstripping
Sealing gaps around doors and windows can make your home feel warmer—and save you 10 to 15 percent on your energy bills. But with so many different types of weatherstripping lining shelves at the hardware store, choosing the right one for a particular job can feel like a guessing game. To help, we've broken down the most common options by material and profile so that you'll know just what to install to chase away the chill."
Last month we shared benefits of concrete flooring. If you're not a fan of concrete flooring, maybe laminate flooring is for you. Check out this article on the benefits of laminate flooring from Home Depot.
"In that fleeting moment of being carried over the threshold just two days after our wedding, I couldn’t have predicted that our once-cream carpeting would become a trampled shade of brown. In the last fourteen years, we’ve celebrated and welcomed our three children and a dog into this house, and all of the spills, sicknesses, and stains that come with them!
No matter how many times we’ve steam cleaned, shampooed, or spot treated our carpeting, the dust and dirt always made me feel like our home lacked a freshness I want, especially in our bedroom areas. We explored our options: another round carpeting was off the table for me. We considered hardwood like our first floor, however, hardwood is not only costly but messy and laborious to install. We looked at engineered and laminate flooring, and I was so happy to find a lot of variety in the color, texture, and cost of options available. My mental image of laminate flooring was something akin to a plastic-looking, lightweight self-stick of my parent’s generation"
"Southern California received some rain this past El Nino season, but only some. The region is still mired in drought. As the nation follows the water crisis affecting Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties, it’s a reminder to all of us to curb our water consumption. There are several ways to save water without scrapping showers from your daily routine or risking constant dehydration.
1. Harvest shower water
Before you turn the shower on in the morning, place a bucket under the faucet. Catch cool water in the bucket while your shower water is heating up. Use water collected in the bucket to mop floors, clean your bike, or water plants in your apartment."
"Remodel time! That new kitchen, bath, or deck is just around the corner. All you do is call up a contractor and in two weeks it’s done, right? Well…not quite. A successful home remodel requires you doing homework on the front end. Follow these 10 steps before diving in and your project will go smoother with a better outcome. Consider them like your apple a day.
1. Envision Your Outcome
Do you want to remodel for your dream master bath, or for major return on investment? Would you like a kitchen built for entertaining, or designed for efficient mornings? Nail down what you want from your remodel, and generally how you want it to look before contacting the pros.
2. Consider Your Budget
Be realistic about budget. It’s best not to say you have $13,550 to spend when that’s the exactamount you have put aside. Allow room to allow for changes mid-stream…it will come in very handy. The 2016 Cost vs Value Report gives approximate cost of standard renovations by region nationally. Start there!"
If you're looking to add some value to your house or maybe you just want a different look and feel, a bathroom remodel is a good place to start. There's plenty of contractors who can do the job but how can you be sure the contractor will do the job right? This blog from Thumbtack will help steer you in the right direction for right contractor for the job.
It’s time for a makeover! Whether you’re buying, selling, or just want to update that late ‘80s powder room—a bathroom remodel provides great return on investment. Remodeling’s 2016 Cost vs. Value Report shows a nation-wide 65.7 percent ROI for bathroom remodels, while areas like the Pacific region, bring back 76.2 percent. The numbers are on your side, it’s time to stop the bathroom suffering.
Last wek, we asked if you DIY. Some of you do, some of you don't well if you're in the former category, this list from Fox News will help you avoid some of the worst reasons to DIY
"There's a ton of terrific, true, and essential home improvement advice out there. "Measure twice, cut once" comes to mind. Ditto "Pick remodeling projects with the best ROI." But "Screw contractors, do it all yourself"? Not so much.
Bottom line: There's a lot of very, very bad advice out there, fighting for attention along with the good. And much of this misdirection may actually be trotted out by friends and family who mean well. Unfortunately, good intentions won't keep your home from becoming seriously messed up.
So before you pick up a hammer, make sure to check this list of the worst home renovation advice you might be tempted to try. Then slowly back away from the toolkit and think twice! Maybe even three times."
When it comes to our homes, a lot of us love to get out hands dirty when it comes to fixing up or new additions. And sometimes we get deep into a project that becomes a lot more work than we expected.
Lifehack offers these great tips to help you look out for those jobs before you get stuck in the middle.
"General advice says that you can save some money by taking on some of your home improvement projects yourself. HGTV tells you that there is nothing you cannot do to improve your home. That may be true of projects like painting, pressure washing, and gutter cleaning. However, there are home improvement projects that are better left to the professionals.
Check out five home improvements that are not just not DIY friendly, but can actually be more expensive when you do them yourself."
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