Monday, October 12, 2015
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Friendlier Look to Your Family Room
As the weather gets colder we find ourselves spending more and more time in various rooms of the house, especially the family room. Thanks to the folks at House Beautiful we can look to these 30+ design inspirations for possible redesigns of the family room. View all ideas here or begin below.
Blue and White Family Room
This family room is a natural extension of the kitchen, incorporating contrasting and complementary colors. Designed by James Radin.
American Cottage Family Room
Mona Hajj used pale blue and cream throughout the house and designed this ottoman to provide more seating options.
"Designer Family Rooms"
By: House BeautifulBlue and White Family Room
This family room is a natural extension of the kitchen, incorporating contrasting and complementary colors. Designed by James Radin.
American Cottage Family Room
Mona Hajj used pale blue and cream throughout the house and designed this ottoman to provide more seating options.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Home Improvement in the Winter
"10 great winter home projects"
By: Leah L. Culler
When it's cold and wet outside, it can be tempting to curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book and a cup of cocoa. But winter is a great time to complete some indoor home projects. Some of these tasks require only a few hours — even minutes — of your time; others will need a much larger investment of time and, in some cases, money.
For most of these projects, we'll give you a rough idea of what special skills, if any, you'll need to complete them, as well as an estimate of the cost and time involved. This is not a how-to, however. You'll want to do your research before you drag out the power tools and try to make "improvements."
Easy and cheap
Let's start with a few quick, simple projects that anyone can do. Yes, even you.
Professional Services
1. Change your furnace filter.
Ideally, you should have completed this task, along with a few other winter prep essentials, before the chilly weather arrived. Filters last about three months when you're using your furnace regularly, so you may need to do this more than once if it's an especially long and brutal winter.
Skills: Any homeowner can do this. You'll just need to note the size and type of filter you're replacing before you go out and buy a new one, and make sure the new one is facing in the same direction as the old.
Cost: You can find furnace filters for as little as $10. High-quality filters will catch dust mites and other allergens and are often worth the extra cost if you're prone to allergies, says David Lupberger, home-improvement expert for ServiceMagic and past president of the Master Builder Group Inc., a design/build remodeling company. (ServiceMagic is an MSN Real Estate partner.)
Time: This task should take just a few minutes once you have purchased a replacement filter.
2. Wash your windows.
Even if you're stuck indoors, that doesn't mean you can't improve your view of the winter wonderland outside. Winter's a great time to wash the inside of your home's windows. You can tackle the other side of the glass when it's bearable to step outdoors.
Skills: All you need is some basic hand/eye coordination, and possibly a decent sense of balance if you'll be cleaning tall windows using a step stool.
Cost: Most homeowners have window-cleaning supplies on hand. Use crumpled newspapers to polish your windows until they shine.
Time: Lupberger estimates you'll spend 15 to 30 minutes for an average window. Break it up into several shorter sessions if you're short on time and/or have lots of windows.
For most of these projects, we'll give you a rough idea of what special skills, if any, you'll need to complete them, as well as an estimate of the cost and time involved. This is not a how-to, however. You'll want to do your research before you drag out the power tools and try to make "improvements."
Easy and cheap
Let's start with a few quick, simple projects that anyone can do. Yes, even you.
Professional Services
1. Change your furnace filter.
Ideally, you should have completed this task, along with a few other winter prep essentials, before the chilly weather arrived. Filters last about three months when you're using your furnace regularly, so you may need to do this more than once if it's an especially long and brutal winter.
Skills: Any homeowner can do this. You'll just need to note the size and type of filter you're replacing before you go out and buy a new one, and make sure the new one is facing in the same direction as the old.
Cost: You can find furnace filters for as little as $10. High-quality filters will catch dust mites and other allergens and are often worth the extra cost if you're prone to allergies, says David Lupberger, home-improvement expert for ServiceMagic and past president of the Master Builder Group Inc., a design/build remodeling company. (ServiceMagic is an MSN Real Estate partner.)
Time: This task should take just a few minutes once you have purchased a replacement filter.
2. Wash your windows.
Even if you're stuck indoors, that doesn't mean you can't improve your view of the winter wonderland outside. Winter's a great time to wash the inside of your home's windows. You can tackle the other side of the glass when it's bearable to step outdoors.
Skills: All you need is some basic hand/eye coordination, and possibly a decent sense of balance if you'll be cleaning tall windows using a step stool.
Cost: Most homeowners have window-cleaning supplies on hand. Use crumpled newspapers to polish your windows until they shine.
Time: Lupberger estimates you'll spend 15 to 30 minutes for an average window. Break it up into several shorter sessions if you're short on time and/or have lots of windows.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Stay Warm For Less
As winter approaches we must prepare our house to deal with the temperature drop. Thanks to our friends at This Old House there are ways to save money on the heating bill. Read full article here or begin below.
1. Install a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat allows you to preset temperatures for different times of the day because you don't need to keep your home at 68 degrees around the clock. Although one shouldn't be used with heat pumps, a programmable thermostat is a real money-saver with air-conditioning as well as with heat. Choose a setting on the low end when you're sleeping or are away and go with a higher setting at other times (see table bellow) for savings of between 10 and 20 percent of your bill. Some units can store up to four temperature settings each day — e.g., morning, day, evening, night. All have a manual override switch.
Models from Hunter Fan are typical. The Set & Save 5+2 lets you program one five-day stretch and a two-day period. With the Set & Save 5+1+1, you program one five-day stretch and two other separate days. The Set & Save 7-Day and 7-Day Energy Star models provide the most flexibility, with individual programs for all seven days. The units use AA batteries to maintain the display if the power goes off and to hold settings.
"Keeping Warm for Less"
BY: JOHN D. WAGNER1. Install a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat allows you to preset temperatures for different times of the day because you don't need to keep your home at 68 degrees around the clock. Although one shouldn't be used with heat pumps, a programmable thermostat is a real money-saver with air-conditioning as well as with heat. Choose a setting on the low end when you're sleeping or are away and go with a higher setting at other times (see table bellow) for savings of between 10 and 20 percent of your bill. Some units can store up to four temperature settings each day — e.g., morning, day, evening, night. All have a manual override switch.
Models from Hunter Fan are typical. The Set & Save 5+2 lets you program one five-day stretch and a two-day period. With the Set & Save 5+1+1, you program one five-day stretch and two other separate days. The Set & Save 7-Day and 7-Day Energy Star models provide the most flexibility, with individual programs for all seven days. The units use AA batteries to maintain the display if the power goes off and to hold settings.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Faster and Easier Fall Leaves Removal
Let's be honest, Fall is a pretty season but provides a lot of work in the yard. If you are looking to spend more time kicking your feet up and watching football and less time raking those leaves we have a few tips to help! Thanks to the folks at Consumer Reports you will be able to spend more time doing what you enjoy and less cleaning up. Read full article here or begin below.
"Tip of the day: Make faster work of leaf removal"
BY: CONSUMER REPORTS
"Tip of the day: Make faster work of leaf removal"
BY: CONSUMER REPORTS
Keep the job manageable.
Don’t tackle an entire season’s worth of leaf cleanup in one day—unless you’re a glutton for a blister-and-ache-inducing marathon. Leaves will drop throughout autumn, so schedule clearing duty a few days during the season. Avoid working in windy weather (see Murphy’s Law above), and dress in layers to help control body temperature and avoid breaking out in a sweat. If the sun is out, apply sunscreen. If you live in an area with lots of ticks and a prolonged frost has not yet occurred, apply an appropriate insect repellent.
Choose the right rake.
In our testing we found that extrawide rakes (36 inches) require more downward pressure to drag leaves across the lawn. That’s why we recommend a standard-width (24 inches) rake, ideally a model equipped with a soft grip. Before you purchase a rake with an ergonomically curved handle, see how comfortable it is to use by simulating raking in the store. Ergonomic rakes are designed to reduce bending and stooping, but they’re not a good fit for everyone.
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