Here’s our guide to improving, maintaining, and enjoying your house. With information on everything from home technology and reducing energy costs to outdoor living and working from home, these articles will help you care for your house and get the most out of living there.
If showering in your home is less than spa-like and more akin to torture, it’s time to take a look under the shower head. Here are a few tips. Inspect the system. It’s entirely possible the screen under the shower head may be clogged. If so, unscrew and clean with a vinegar and water solution…. Read more »
January is a time for new beginnings, which means it’s prime time for homeowners to pack up the holiday decor, organize indoor spaces, and take care of winter maintenance. Here are key tips for a healthy home and a healthy you! Holiday Storage When packing the holiday decor, resist the urge to quickly toss everything… Read more »
December brings winter chill, hot cocoa and holiday cheer. It also brings its own set of home maintenance chores to help keep the season bright. Inspect attic insulation. Most home heating loss is through the attic, so check the depth of insulation with a tape measure and compare to the Energy Star recommendations for your… Read more »
Hardwood floors add warmth and depth to your home, and they certainly repel dirt and stains much easier than carpet, but they don’t last forever. Here’s a primer on hardwood floor resurfacing. Leave it to the pros. Resurfacing hardwoods is typically a job beyond the level of expertise of most DIYers. The last thing you… Read more »
The next time the monthly utility bills arrive, resist the urge to blindly write a check or schedule a payment. Take the time for a more in-depth examination. You just might find a way to trim the bill. Understanding your electric bill. Using a fixed rate, the power company charges a set rate of x… Read more »
Setting up a home gym isn’t as expensive or labor intensive as you might think — and just might provide the incentive you need to exercise. Take a look. Location. No need to build an addition or finish off a basement. A spare bedroom, an office space, or garage can all work. In the right… Read more »
It’s November, which means increasingly cold temperatures, peak football season and the prospect of the holidays right around the corner. Why not stay warm and take care of several indoor chores that should be completed annually? Lubricate door locks. Use a tube of graphite dust and squirt directly into the locks. Using the key, turn… Read more »
Anyone who has removed old wallpaper from a house is likely to think long and hard about adding it to a nice clean expanse of unblemished wall. But today’s wallcoverings deserve another look. When it works. Open floor plans with a large living space are good candidates for wallpaper, which can give a room character… Read more »
As one of the busiest and most productive rooms in a house, the kitchen needs lighting that is not only stylish but bright enough to illuminate the cooking, cleaning, snacking, studying and cleanup that makes this space a focal point of family life. As an addition to canned lights and as a replacement for more… Read more »
We’ve all seen them: nail or screw heads popping out of sheetrock after a house settles. They are a blemish on an otherwise smooth surface, so your eye is drawn to them. Can you fix them yourself? You sure can. Here’s how. Supplies. You’ll need a box cutter, a nail set and hammer, a screwdriver,… Read more »
Tree trimming can be a great DIY project, but it’s also important to know when to call in the pros. Here are a few safety tips and tricks, along with a few hints on when it’s time to let the professionals take over. Reasons to prune. Trees are pruned for three main reasons: appearance, interference… Read more »
Your children’s precious years are preserved on tape and in photo albums. Or are they? Old video tape degrades over time. Photos turn yellow. Here’s how to rescue those memories for the digital age. Preserving photographs. Purchasing a scanner is a great first step to preserving photos. Choose one that is NOT a combination printer… Read more »
Long summer nights and backyard cookouts are hallmarks of a glorious season — minus those pesky bugs and mosquitoes, of course. Follow these simple steps to keep pests at bay without resorting to chemical treatments. Eliminate standing water. Flowerpots, recycling bins, an inflatable pool and a poorly drained yard are all potential breeding spots for… Read more »
Thanks to the latest in “smart device” technology, and three technology giants, it’s possible to turn your house into a home of the future. Amazon, Apple and Google offer competing technology — known in the marketplace as “voice-activated assistants” — that will control your home thermostat, send smoke or carbon monoxide alerts, check the weather… Read more »
Although dogs and cats are carnivores, they sometimes munch on potentially hazardous plants. Here’s a list of some common indoor and outdoor plants that are dangerous to pets and a second list of pet-friendly plants. Plants that can be hazardous to pets Azalea can cause vomiting, diarrhea, drooling and possible death. Baby’s breath, a filler… Read more »
Hanging small pictures doesn’t require a lot of skill or heavy duty hangers. But anything weighing in at more than 10 pounds, and especially more than 25 pounds, requires hefty fasteners and much more caution. When hanging something heavy, it’s always preferable to locate a wall stud behind the sheetrock and drive a nail or… Read more »
October is synonymous with cooler weather, changing leaves, apple harvests and trick-or-treat. It’s also a great time for homeowners to prep their houses for a long winter snooze. Check this handy list of home maintenance tasks to complete before sweater weather is over and overcoats are required. Winterize lawn equipment. After using your power lawn… Read more »
With summer winding down and fall temperatures on the horizon, September is a pivotal month for homeowners who want to keep their most valuable investment in tip-top shape. Here’s what needs to be done as summer heat transitions to autumn cool. Furnace Maintenance Make that call to a reputable heating and cooling specialist to schedule… Read more »
Thanks to social media, it’s easier than ever to loan your neighbor a tool, buy cookies from the Girl Scout nextdoor or help a family down the street with an aging parent. Here are three avenues, among the many that exist, to bring you closer to your neighbors. Facebook. The giant social media site provides… Read more »
Buying and installing full-grown plants from a nursery is the quickest — and most expensive — way to landscape a backyard. But if you’re a gardener on a budget or have a green thumb, try gardening the old-fashioned way. From seeds. Purchase envelopes of plant seeds from a local garden center. Or order them from… Read more »
