The value of your home rests in the financial realm, but it also carries high emotional value as well. After all, you will spend the majority of your time in your home, so be sure to follow these septic tank regulations.
If you heat with a wood stove, smoke will cause your walls to become dingy and you will need to repaint more often than if you heat with a furnace. When you do repaint, it is worthwhile to wipe the walls and ceiling down with a damp sponge to remove as much soot as possible before putting on a new coat of paint.
Get really good references for contractors you use on your home improvements. It is far too easy for a con artist to take your money and run, leaving you with a wreck of a home and no more money to fix it. Don’t trust just anyone. Make sure you have plenty of excellent references, from people you really trust.
Make sure you take before and after photos of any work or improvements you do to your home. You may like to look back on all the hard work and changes when it feels like the project as a whole will never be done. Keep pictures on your computer or have them printed for a scrapbook.
Make holes in the paint can rim. During use, the rim of the can can fill with paint and create spills and drips when replacing the lid. If you pound some holes in the top of the can it will prevent this problem from rearing its ugly head.
Rearranging your furniture can be fun, but oftentimes you need visual aides to determine where to put everything. A great way to arrange furniture with visual aiding is by taking a piece of graph paper and cutting out square shapes in a scaled format to represent your different pieces of furniture. You can easily toss your graph paper pieces around and decide how everything can fit together. It definitely saves you the trouble of pushing your furniture around first.
Improve the outside of your home by landscaping with plants native to your geographical region. Native plants are proven to do well in your climate, so the long-term results are predictable. You can plan your landscape with confidence that the look you want to achieve will be the look you get. If you choose non-native plants instead, there is a risk that the plants may not thrive in your climate.
Is it cheaper to do it yourself or pay someone else? If you decide to completely re-do your bathroom, but know nothing about plumbing, it might be beneficial to pay a plumber to come in. Also, you can check out the self help books at your local building supply. Don’t be afraid to ask. A simple project shouldn’t cost more because of inexperience.
Sealant strips and draft excluders are but two of your choices in preventing air flow escaping around your door frames. Draft excluders are made to fit on the bottom side of a door to prevent warm air from escaping and stop cold air from entering. Put some sealant strips on your door frames too. Sealant strips can be purchased at most hardware stores.
Only clean your furniture with furniture cleaner. Meanwhile it is tempting to just use a rag cloth and run over your furniture with water, it in fact ends up damaging your surfaces. Use specialty cleaners such as Pledge and spray liberally over your surfaces. It not only protects your finishes, but also repels dust.
Make sure before you get started in remodeling your basement that you have kept in mind heating, cooling, proper ventilation and dehumidification of the area. If you have enough headroom, your heating, cooling and much of your electrical equipment can be hidden behind a false ceiling. Prepare to hire a heating contractor to help you with your basement project.
If you are looking to install skylights or already have them in your home, it can be a costly item during summertime. In the summer months, the sun is shining overhead emitting lots of heat. The heat will require you to run your air conditioner at a higher level. However, in recent years, there has been high quality glazes developed that aid your windows in blocking out excessive heat and keeping it in during winter months. Talk to your local window dealer about the benefits of purchasing glazed windows.
Be sure you properly install ventilation or windows in the bathroom. Humidity from showering with hot water creates the perfect place for mold to cultivate. Even applying paint to the walls will not completely remove the mold. Prevent mold from growing in the first place. Try putting in ventilation or a window in order to dehumidify the area.
Use a cleat on the wall as you are installing the upper cabinets in your kitchen. A simple board that is screwed into the wall and is level will save you a great deal of time when hanging them. It will keep the cabinet from slipping as you are screwing it in and it will make it so you do not have to check your level with each unit.
If you have an unfinished basement on your property, finish it. A finished basement can almost double your property value if you finish it the right way. Carefully consider the floor-plan before you begin work. If you cannot do it all at once, just build one room at a time according to the plan.
For slow-draining toilets caused by tree roots, use a foaming tree root remover in your toilet every six months. While regular granules of copper sulfate do work, only the tree roots that come into contact with the granules are killed. A foaming product fills the entire pipe with solution, ensuring that all of the roots die and break off, leaving your pipes free and clear.
Although it can be tempting to continually put off home repairs, or hire a professional to do simple repair work and, in doing so, rack up a costly bill, most people are amazed to discover how easily and readily they are able to do basic home repair work and maintenance themselves.
