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Three Tips for Improved Energy Efficiency

Posted on January 19, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

The price of energy is through the roof. Plus, it?s not particularly environmentally friendly to burn more energy than you need. That?s why every homeowner should make enhanced energy efficiency a priority. If you?re looking for a home improvement project into which you can sink your teeth, consider working on your homes efficiency. Here are few tips to get you started.

First, bring in a pro. That?s right, start by getting an assessment from an expert. Many localities will provide a review of your home for free. A technician can assess the soundness of your home?s approach to energy efficiency and can use special tools to find leaks and trouble spots.

Second, balance your focus. People often think of energy efficiency solely in terms of buying more efficient appliances. On the other extreme, there are those who consider only the home itself. The best perspective balances both. You can use more efficient technology while simultaneously insulating and leak-proofing your home for the best possible results.

Third, remember that this isn?t an ?all or nothing? thing. You don?t have to completely change everything to make a difference. A half hour of your time and roll of weather stripping may not make your home a model of green efficiency but sealing that one leak will put you on the right path.

Water and Home Improvement

Posted on January 12, 2010
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If you are thinking about home improvement exclusively in terms of what you can do between the walls of your home, you need to expand your thinking. Your home?s exterior and surroundings can be a perfect site for some exciting and rewarding improvement projects.

Your lawn area is a perfect example. You?ll enjoy your property much more if you have a well-maintained and attractive outdoor area. Making an effort in this area is also a simple way to significantly improve the value of your property.

That brings us to water. Ponds, fountains, ornamental waterfalls and other features are a great way to bring something special to your lawn. A flat field of green may be nice, but it?s usually even better when that lawn plays host to a few aesthetically pleasing focal points.

Many water-related projects are great for do it yourselfers, too. You can create an attractive pond with a filtration system, for instance, for only a few hundred dollars.

Consider the water features that might make sense on your property. After a little investigation, you?ll undoubtedly be making water part of your home improvement plan.

A garage addition

Posted on January 5, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

Does our older child need a little more liberty? Your work from home or
maybe you just feel that you need another room for a special project
that you want to start? Then the solution is to construct a
new addition to your garage.

By making an addition to your garage you can add to the living space in
your house, no matter what type of garage you own: detached or
attached to the house. The space above the garage can be converted into
a private living space for your older child, guests or a live-in parent.
You can convert your garage into your home office. You could very well
find here the peace and quiet needed for your work. Also, the new addition
can be converted into a music studio if you put some simple sound
proofing measures into place.

In order to start planning for your garage addition, first prepare
a budget and then hire a professional because this is a complex
project. Also, you may need to hire an architect to help you with
the construction plans.

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The G-floor

Posted on December 29, 2009
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

During the last years, the garage has become an important
extension of the house. More and more people remodel their
garage giving it a new purpose, for example transforming it into a
home office, a workshop, a music studio and even adding a new
room on top of it. If you are the type that needs to have a workshop
in his garage and you also want to park your car inside it you
definitely have to install a G-floor.

This type of flooring keeps your garage looking new whatever
activities you choose to do inside and also does a great job in
hiding cracks and stains while protecting the floor from oil, battery
acid, grease, brake fluids, salt, antifreeze, mud or other dirt that
finds its way into the garage. If you are living in a colder climate
, you definitely know what a mess winter snow and salt
make in your garage, this floor is easy to clean , you just have to
hose it off.

If you are thinking of remodeling your garage, you must consider the
option of installing a G-floor for several reasons: the coin-pattern
flooring is easy to install, rather cheap, durable and gives a great
look to your workshop-garage.

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Make the Call

Posted on December 22, 2009
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

If you?re hiring a contractor for home improvement work, you need to do your homework. That includes, but isn?t limited to, checking references. Ask for references from the contractor. Any legitimate service provider should be as happy as a clam to share some contact information with happy customers.

But don?t just assume that the presence of a list is evidence of a job well done. Having those references in your hands is a good start, but it?s not the end of the line. You need to pick up the phone. You need to call those references and find out what they have to say about the contractor.

Ask the important questions. Find out whether the job was done on time. Ask about the quality of the work. Inquire as to the communication style of the contractor. Oh, and determine how close the final cost of the project came to the original estimate.

Don?t call just one, either. Talk to a handful of references as part of the decision making process. Your home is extremely valuable and important. You need to know that you?re using the best possible contractor to improve it.

Act Fast for Best A/C Results

Posted on December 15, 2009
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

Most people don?t bother moving to a new air conditioner unit until they?re sweating profusely and getting an ugly assessment from the repair person.

That?s the wrong way to do it. You really should make a move earlier than that. If you wait until your air conditioner breaks down completely, you?ve waited far too long. Why? While it was getting the job done, it was undoubtedly working way too hard to do so. What used to take X units of power to accomplish back when the system was strong may have been taking 5X units of power at the end.

The best way to handle A/C units is to make the switch as the system starts to decay and decline. If you have an air conditioner that?s more than ten years old, you need to have someone look at it right away, even if its still pumping cold air like crazy. Have them assess the base efficiency of the unit and its likely level of degradation. If you don?t get a good report, make a change.

Even if you do get a solid assessment, prepare yourself for a new air conditioner. In most cases, units that are more than ten years old are living on borrowed time. And their sucking power as they degrade.

Crunch Your Home Improvement Numbers Before You Start

Posted on December 8, 2009
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

If there?s one thing worse than never starting a home improvement project, it?s starting something and leaving it half done. There are few things more annoying than a room that?s perpetually ?under construction? or a yard that ?isn?t quite there yet? for two summers.

In many cases, those half-completed projects stalled because the homeowner encountered a budgetary crunch. They just didn?t have the dough necessary to see the project through to fruition. That?s why it?s extremely important to crunch your financial numbers before you start any home improvement project.

Budgeting for a project really isn?t that tough if you do your homework. If it?s a do it yourself proposition, you really just need to worry about the price of supplies and materials. If you?re hiring a contractor, you should assume some level of cost overrun in excess of the estimate in order to protect yourself.

It?s exciting to ?jump right in? when you have a home improvement idea, but the best course of action requires attention to detail and advanced planning. Part of that planning should involve the project budget. Make sure you can afford to get the job done.

Garage doors

Posted on December 1, 2009
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

There are four basic types of garage doors and three types of materials commonly used to construct these doors.

If a traditional look is desired for the garage, then the side hung garage door is the usual solution. Side-hung doors canbe fitted directly on a wood frame or on bricks.

Another type of garage door is the sectional garage door. These doors are perfect where the space in front of the garage is limited because they open vertically. They are perfect for a new garage that is intended to have an aesthetic appeal.

Similar to sectional garage doors are the roller doors. The door rolls up inside a drum above the opening of the garage door. Also there is no need to allow any room inside or out to operate the door so it would be well suited for limited space in front of the garage.

The last type of door is the most common one, up and over garage door. This is the most popular type. They can be manufactured from timber, steel and GPR materials. They can also be manual or automatic and they are relatively easy to install.

Insulating you garage

Posted on November 24, 2009
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

You recently bought a house that has a bedroom addition above the
garage but it is not insulated. Adding insulation should make those
rooms more comfortable and save on energy bills. There are several
options for insulating above the garage. Depending on the local
building codes, the size of the area, whether you decide to hire a
professional or do it yourself and maybe the most important
factor is your budget.

If you have a sheet rocked garage, the fastest way would be to have
blown-in insulation installed behind the sheetrock. A fair warning
here, the blown-in insulation may be expensive if your garage
is small. If your garage is not sheet rocked you have to install
lame-spread rated batt insulation and cover it with sheetrock. First check
your local building codes for the requirements of the thickness of the
sheetrock for garages including fire safety rules. The lack of smoke detectors in
a garage and the possible storage of flammable and combustible
liquids can cause a garage to be considered a hazardous space. This is
the reason why you should contact a local contractor to help you
in insulating this space.

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Garage doors

Posted on November 17, 2009
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

There are four basic types of garage doors and three types of materials commonly used to construct these doors.

If a traditional look is desired for the garage, then the side hung garage door is the usual solution. Side-hung doors canbe fitted directly on a wood frame or on bricks.

Another type of garage door is the sectional garage door. These doors are perfect where the space in front of the garage is limited because they open vertically. They are perfect for a new garage that is intended to have an aesthetic appeal.

Similar to sectional garage doors are the roller doors. The door rolls up inside a drum above the opening of the garage door. Also there is no need to allow any room inside or out to operate the door so it would be well suited for limited space in front of the garage.

The last type of door is the most common one, up and over garage door. This is the most popular type. They can be manufactured from timber, steel and GPR materials. They can also be manual or automatic and they are relatively easy to install.

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