Are you trying to decide on the best types of insulation that you might want to add to your house to save energy and money? The market is full of all types from simple to uniquely engineered, and it pays to know the difference between all of them. According to the U.S. Dept of Energy (DOE), most types of home insulation fall into 1 of 9 forms. That makes for some difficult decision-making, unless you are up to speed. Those 9 forms are: Blanket: batts and rolls Concrete block … [Read more...]
Would you like a few great window cleaning tips to help you out for this labor-intensive chore? Let me see a show of hands of those of you that like to clean windows in your house. That's what I thought...just a couple of you amongst many. Why is that? I have a good idea that it has something to do with time, ladders and unsatisfactory results for all of your hard work. Am I right? I'm with you...believe me. I have a home with a lot of the old-fashioned, multiple-pane windows. I counted … [Read more...]
Selecting new windows for your home can be a dicey affair unless you know what how to decipher the labels that you see on window products. What do all of those numbers and phrases on the window labels mean? It's important that you understand them and can compare them to different manufacturers' windows when you are shopping for your project. The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) is the organization that provides a form of standardization for all new windows sold in the U.S. and … [Read more...]
Everyone wants to know different ways in which to save money. Homeowners have a particular advantage over renters as far as what you can do to improve home energy savings because you have a vested interest in your property. That doesn't mean that renters can't do some of these things, but they will have to live with the fact that whatever improvements are made (assuming the landlord approves your improvements prior to implementation) will stay with the condo, house or apartment. There are … [Read more...]
This is "the house that bush ate" (in a booming, echoing voice). I firmly believe that tree pruning tools are in order for this job rather than your basic pruning shears. It is way past minor trimming and pruning. If you hadn't guessed already, this house is for sale (Kennesaw, GA). So, if you want a fixer-upper, this one qualifies. It's an old ranch-style home with a few outbuildings in a pretty nice location actually. What I don't understand is why the bank/real estate company hasn't … [Read more...]
One of my biggest reasons for attending home shows is to see interesting, cool homebuilding products and services, with the occasional celebrity to meet to keep things interesting. The 2011 Fall Atlanta Home Show didn't disappoint, although, I had hoped that there would be more products to wow me. A product garners a "wow" and/or a "cool" rating by meeting one, or more, of the following criteria: A better-built "mouse trap" for an old problem A new invention/patent that truly … [Read more...]
One of the coolest products that was being shown at the 2011 Fall Atlanta Home Show was a safe room. Safe rooms seem to be getting more press these days because of advances in their design and also because the weather here in the U.S. has been quite severe in recent years. The safe room we saw at the show is manufactured by Safe Space Storm Shelters and was one of two products in that category of products at the Atlanta Home Show, which was surprising. This is a market segment that is … [Read more...]
I attended the 2011 Fall Atlanta Home Show this past weekend and saw hundreds of different products & services, as well as a few great ideas. I'll write more about those great products and ideas in a post in the next few days. Keynote John Gidding was also there from HGTV's Designed to Sell and Curb Appeal:The Block. Be sure to check out my video of John talking about taking a project from conception to fruition. The video is towards the bottom of this post. My wife and I stood amongst … [Read more...]
What kinds of things do you need to keep in mind if you want an indoor hot tub in your house? You could practically drown in the tidal wave of information available on hot tubs, if you allowed it. I aim to scale things down a bit and just focus on the basics and the most important information with a fun twist. I have to ask...why would you want to put your hot tub inside of your house? Just a few steps outside of the house is the best location for the hot tub. Why? You're outdoors under … [Read more...]
We recently bought a Samsung top-load washing machine to replace our Kenmore Elite HE3t front-loader. The Samsung has loads of the latest technology built right in such as: VRT™ (Vibration Reduction Technology) - It really works! Direct Drive Motor - no belts here Internal Water Heater for NSF-certified sanitized loads CEE Tier 3 status Diamond Drum™ for a thorough, yet gentle, wash (easier on your clothes) PureCycle™ is a setting that cleans the washer itself As a … [Read more...]
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