, ,

Tips On How To Cool Off Your Home Using Solar Energy

Tips On How To Cool Off Your Home Using Solar Energy

Tips On How To Cool Off Your Home Using Solar Energy

With the diminishing natural resources and the vast amounts of green house gases being pumped into our atmosphere, many people are now looking for alternative energy sources to power their homes. Renewable energy solutions such as solar power have now become a popular alternative to traditional planet polluting resources. The energy that solar power generates is free and unlimited.

Below is a general guide on building your own solar panels:

1. Make sure your home receives an unobstructed view of the sun. The amount of sun the solar panel captures will depend on a clear path. Maximum sunlight will mean maximum electricity being generated.

2. Acquire the material that you will use to mount the solar panel. Although you could use OSB materials, plywood is much stronger and durable for bad weather conditions. You will also need a soldering gun, pair of gloves, and goggles, as you will have to attach solar cells together, if you are installing more than one solar panel.

3. Purchase a solar panel that is between 12 volts and 16 volts. The price for one solar panel is around $100.00. Then, purchase a rechargeable battery. A 12 volt lead or acid battery is recommended. A deep cell battery is the type you should acquire because it is long lasting.

4. You will now need a DC meter that is equivalent to the voltage of your battery. You will also need a DC input. These items convert the energy from the solar panel which then powers the home.

5. Now it is time to install the solar panel and devices. Use a drill to install the DC input and meter to the top part of the battery box. You will then connect the meter to the battery using insulated wire. Connect the first wire to the negative input first and then use the same method to attach the DC input and the solar panel to the battery.

6. Attach the solar panel onto the plywood and attach it to the home. Wait 8 – 12 hours, and then it is ready to start converting the sun’s energy to sustainable energy.

Solar panel kits are a very good choice for installing your own solar panels. These kits come with everything you need to build your solar panel and are easy to install. There are many companies that now sell these kits. When you build your own solar panels, you are not only contributing to the planet, but you are also saving a lot of money on your power and heating bills.

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that, on average, 45% of a household utility bill can be attributed to heating or cooling the home. In addition to the cost to homeowners, traditional approaches to cooling a house create byproducts that contribute to global warming and other environmental hazards. Particularly in areas of the country that have warmer climates, utilizing some green building techniques can help reduce energy costs and the harmful effects on the environment. So, as temperatures rise as we head toward the summer months, consider these ideas for your next construction project, or think about how some of these strategies could be incorporated into your existing home.

Today, residential construction is dominated by the stick-frame method, which uses wood beams to form the side and roof frames of a house. While various strategies can be employed to improve the energy efficiency of this conventional wood frame approach, several alternatives have emerged in recent years. One popular alternative is insulated concrete forms, which uses foam forms that are filled with concrete to create the frame of a house. By today’s construction standards, you likely can’t find a more structurally sound frame, but homes built in this way also have the potential for huge energy savings as well. Rather than having a layer of siding, plywood, wood beams and drywall between you and the outdoors, as with traditional construction methods, insulated concrete form construction creates a thick barrier of concrete and insulated foam. Outdoor heat is much less likely to penetrate a home constructed in this way, thus making interior temperature regulation much easier and less costly.

Most window manufacturers offer various product models, some of which contain more insulating potential and are therefore more energy efficient. Selecting the more energy efficient options, even though they may be more expensive, can contribute to a long-term savings in your energy bills. In addition, during the design phase of your home, avoiding placing numerous windows in areas of the home that have maximum sun exposure can help avoid solar heat absorption into the house. Installing functional shutters can also enable homeowners to add another layer of protection against the hot summer sun.

Contractors must finish off a home’s thermal envelope with thorough caulking around the house to seal off areas where cool interior air could escape or hot outside air could enter. In addition, selecting lighter exterior colors can result in a more energy efficient home, as lighter colors tend to reflect solar heat while darker hues tend to absorb it.

Whole house fans, typically installed in a home’s attic space, function like an exhaust system by forcing hot air from the building. Though whole house fans work best when the outdoor temperature is mild, rather than hot, they can rapidly ventilate and regulate a home’s temperature. In addition, generous installation of ceiling fans throughout the home can allow homeowners to take temperature regulation in their own hands. Indeed, running fans uses much less energy than operating an air conditioner.

Because solar heat can penetrate the roof covering of a home, radiant barriers can reflect that heat away from the house so it does not infiltrate the living space. Radiant barriers are typically placed directly underneath the roof sheathing, thereby blocking further transfer of warm air into the house. Some studies suggest that radiant barriers can save 10% to 15% in energy costs.

Strategically using landscaping to make your home more energy efficient is perhaps the greenest of all green building concepts. Positioning lush trees and shrubs so they shade areas of the house prone to intense sunlight can help maintain a comfortable interior temperature.

If these alternative methods to cool your house are insufficient to help you maintain a comfortable temperature within, using the air conditioner is not necessarily completely off limits. Unfortunately, most Americans rely solely on the air conditioner and use it when other, less expensive methods that pose less risk to the environment are readily available. When used wisely, the air conditioner can be part of a responsible approach to cooling a home. For example, regularly change filters, and turn down (or off) units in areas of the house that aren’t being used can reduce costs and unnecessary harm to the environment. In addition, installing programmable thermostats, which are designed to automatically adjust temperatures according to specified settings, can help avoid overuse and waste.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Beautify Your Home with Indoor Water Fountain and Reclaimed Wood

Beautify Your Home with Indoor Water Fountain and Reclaimed Wood

Beautify Your Home with Indoor Water Fountain and Reclaimed Wood

Throughout history people have recognized that the sound of water is relaxing. That’s why dozens of tension to help adopt the sound recordings of the sea and storms and rain. An additional option is to use waterfalls inside wall. Before entering one, you need to research information so that you can discern exactly what you want.

Indoor fountains make their homes and workspaces in a relaxed and alive with the sounds of moving water mellifluously. World renowned for their ability to rest and heal, they are a little calm to your environment. These waterfalls are available in a wide mix of designs, textures and materials. They are guaranteed to please your mind. These cascades simulated very important and has an exciting water show. It covers the general sense true of some of the most beautiful creations of nature, ranging from a pebble beach in a creek and a wooded mountain polar bubbles.

Wall fountains are beautiful, contemporary, stylish, easy on the ear and can be based, abstract and almost any other style. Once in a wall fountain is the most spectacular to organize your home. Trails with gurgling streams of water falling on rock surfaces, or a stylish wall mounted filtered stream water fountain, the walls of the opulent interior with waterfalls bubble impressive stone may just find the perfect decorating solution for you . Placing a spotlight on your indoor fountain can add much to his presence and the environment as the light plays on the surface of the water and creates a soft light that penetrates the clear zone.

There are countless waterfalls land of luxury and sources available to you. The garden waterfalls walk is very popular. However, this drop of water is very much at home as long as they have an adequate basis to prevent splashing around. As with many waterfalls and other water sources have described this type of cataract is present in almost any design possible, even the styles of the bubble wall instead of falling water. Doing very well in the courts and in the front garden and landscaping. cooling off waterfalls are attractive and rewarding for the mind. fountains cascade of glass and mirror wall add environment mode and an abstract or a desk. Glass and mirrors are available a variety of colors to match your existing color scheme. Water sources are the glass wall of deep attraction and focal attention to any room interior feels like a haven of rest. In a company or a firm to its clients establish and achieve more pleasant to talk or buy.

Prices fluctuate domestic water sources according to their options and features. Like pieces of sculpture that can be expensive and regarded as status symbols. Less expensive versions also often copper or stainless steel and smaller sizes.

Love the look of hardwood floors? Consider incorporating reclaimed wood into your next renovation project. Antique and unfinished planks provide a chic customized look, while adding value to your home. In addition, using reclaimed wood is environmentally friendly, by reusing materials you reduce consumption of valuable natural resources.

Accents for All Areas of the Home
Alternating red mahogany and reclaimed teak wood in the master suite or your room addition provides magnificent flooring worthy of enamoring. Adorn the ceiling with reclaimed cedar or redwood for sleek accents. Give your kitchen a style update with a butcher block countertop made of reclaimed wood. Keep other design elements simple to allow intricate wooded patterns to take center stage. For the home exterior, you can add a touch of quirky charm to your backyard deck or patio with custom furniture. Pair a garden dining set made of reclaimed white cedar and an African wooden thatch canopy for your very own backyard getaway.

Be on the Lookout for Reclaimed Wood
Confused about where to find these diamonds in the rough? Possible sources to explore include planks taken from condemned homes, old barns, and recycled pieces from lumber yards. There are many other sources of reclaimed wood just waiting to be discovered. Be on the lookout for pine trees coming from the Alpine areas for truly magnificent for dining chairs. Black ash woods, if you can find them, are perfect to accentuate the base of your lampshades, doors, door handles, kitchen hanging pot holders and so on.

Finding Beauty in Imperfection
Look for visible nail holes and other light scratches, which add more character than any woodworker could hope to achieve. However, avoid planks with flaking or tunneling; this is a sign of termite infestation that you do not want to take home with you! When preparing reclaimed planks, smooth the surface just a little with a very light sanding. Use a spray sealant evenly over the entire surface prior to staining. Finish the look by brushing on a wood sealer in order to keep the stain fresh looking.

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Great Ways to Save Money Using Efficient Landscaping and LED Lightning

Great Ways to Save Money Using Efficient Landscaping and LED Lightning

Great Ways to Save Money Using Efficient Landscaping and LED Lightning

Every spring, homeowners far and wide break out the shovels and rakes to do some landscaping. But far too many homeowners don’t think about how they can strategically implement their landscaping to not just beautify their homes, but save money on electricity bills in the process. Here are some things to keep in mind when you are putting in those bushes and trees.

When people think about using their landscaping to keep cooler, obviously the first place they generally go is using plants – usually trees – for shade. But one other way plants can help keep their surroundings cooler is through evapotranspiration, which is the process by which a plant moves and gives off water vapor. This process can lower surrounding air temperatures by up to 9 degrees. And because the resulting cooler air directly around the plant settles near the ground, temperatures directly under trees can be as much as 25 degrees cooler. If you’re planning to plant trees for improved shading of your home, you need to consider the following:

Regional climate. Homes in areas with hotter summers can obviously use the extra shade during the summer months. But if you are subject to cold winters, the extra tree shade can actually backfire on you, since you’ll end up needing to run your furnace more to stay warm.

Shading needs. If you need continuous shade, go with evergreen trees and shrubs since they’ll provide a good year-round canopy. If you only want to block solar heat during the summer months, go with a deciduous tree that will let the winter sun through when you need it. Also bear in mind the height of the tree’s crowns (leaves and branches) – this will obviously make a substantial difference in the level of shade the tree will provide.

Location of trees. This is arguably the most important decision to make for planting trees for extra shade.
For summertime roof shading, plant trees with high, wide crowns to the south of your home. However, if you need some solar heat during those cold winters, only plant deciduous trees so you’ll get some sunlight when you need it.

If you’re trying to block the lower angles of the sun in the afternoon, plant trees with lower crowns to the west of your home.
While you’re trying to protect your home, try to shade your air conditioning unit while you’re at it. All too often the A/C equipment is abandoned to get nice and toasty in the sun. Properly shade that air conditioning unit and you can increase its efficiency by an additional 10 percent.

As mentioned above, the natural behavior of plants helps cool the air and ground in their direct vicinity. As a result, there are several ways to utilize smaller plants to also keep your home cooler in the summer. Plant shrubs close to your home to shade the windows and walls. They’ll establish themselves and start providing shade faster than trees. Use shrubs and ground cover to shade the ground and pavement around your home. Build a trellis and plant climbing vines. They tend to be fairly low-maintenance and they grow fast, meaning that with the right size you could shade an entire wall of your home within a year or so.

Obviously, there are other things you can do to lower your electricity bill, such as finding a cheaper electricity company. But to lower your energy consumption, proper landscaping can make a difference. If you are having new kitchen lighting installed as a part of your kitchen remodel, you will probably hear quite a lot about LED lighting. Do the benefits really outweigh the higher initial cost over other lighting options like the compact fluorescents that are found in many kitchens? These days the answer is yes.

Adopting LED lighting now is a smart move. Not only will you be doing your bit to help the environment but you will save quite a bit of money over time as well. Here are just a few of the benefits of choosing LED lighting. Most of the LED bulbs on the market today will last for at least 50,000 hours. Broken down that means that if you had one lit for eight straight hours everyday you wont need to change the LED bulb for about seventeen years.

A 3W LED bulb can do the job of a 35W halogen bulb. That adds up to major energy savings. Reduced energy consumption is not only good for your bank balance but for the size of your “carbon footprint” as well. LED bulbs emit no ultra violet (UV) radiation and very little in the way of infra red (IR) radiation either. This makes them a fantastic choice for display lighting as they won’t age or fade your collectibles prematurely.

LEDs come in a veritable rainbow of different colors (which is why so many people are using them in Christmas lights) and by using RGB LED lights and a special controller you can in fact create almost any color combination, which takes the whole idea of mood lighting to another level! Unlike compact fluorescents, that can take up to a minute to light properly LEDs come on instantly, with no flickering. And as they contain no filament they won’t be damaged by the occasional bash or crash like an incandescent bulb can be.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Great Lightning and Home Remodeling Painting Ideas For Your Home

Great Lightning and Home Remodeling Painting Ideas For Your Home

Great Lightning and Home Remodeling Painting Ideas For Your Home

Did it ever occur to you that just by tweaking the lighting in your home you could give it a completely new look? With a little imagination and the expert assistance of a good electrician you can see your home in a whole new light! Here are a few ideas and tips to spark your imagination.

Soften a bright living room by swapping that large central light fixture for an new and elegant mixture of track and accent lighting. Track lighting does not have to make your living room look like a furniture showroom – there are many new and attractive options available for homeowners to choose from.

Accent lighting can be used to highlight all of your favorite treasures and fanciest pieces of furniture as well as add an extra dimension to the newly layered lighting scheme in your living room.

A faux skylight is a wonderful way to add “natural light” to a windowless bathroom or basement. While it works in a similar manner to fluorescent panel recessed lighting, a faux skylight creates the impression of real sunlight by using daylight-spectrum florescent tubes hidden behind a translucent diffuser. It is a beautiful way to add architectural interest as well as light and is far more affordable than you might imagine.

Not all lighting fixtures are created primarily for illumination purposes. Decorative sconces come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and they are a great way to add visual interest as well as soft light to the living room, dining room, bedroom or even the bathroom. Just make sure you have your wall sconces professionally installed by a licensed electrical as wiring and walls can be a tricky combination.

When homeowners think about giving a room a new coat of paint to liven it up or give it a whole new look they tend to concentrate solely on the walls, forgetting that the space above their heads – the ceiling – should be given equal attention if the space is really going to end up looking its best. In fact changing the color and/or texture of a ceiling can by itself change the entire look and feel of the room as a whole.

Ceilings do not have to be white. In fact white is quite a poor ceiling color choice as it will attract dirt and dust easily. How many of us really bother to climb up to wash our ceilings when giving the walls a once over as part of a spring clean?

Darker ceilings can add a sense of warmth to large room, especially if it is furnished sparsely and smaller rooms can be opened up with a few coats of a light, pastel colored ceiling paint.

The type of paint you choose for a ceiling can be as important as the color you opt to use. If you are planning to have your ceiling painted a darker color opt for a gloss or eggshell finish to impart a reflective light. On the other hand if you have a ceiling that is textured in some way – especially for acoustic or popcorn ceilings – a matte finish paint allows the texture to shine through as it should.

Even if they are happy to tackle painting a few walls themselves many homeowners are sensible enough to leave painting the ceiling to a professional, since it really is a messy, tricky and potentially rather dangerous job. If you are hoping to add texture to your ceiling as well hiring a professional painter is the best way to ensure that you get the look you want.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Lower Your Budget Requirements With These Energy Saving Tips

Are you in need of some effective energy-saving tips? To stay comfortable through a Southern Alberta winter, with its harsh winds and frigid temperatures, homeowners have to use their heating systems a lot. And while higher energy bills are a reality for homeowners in our region, you can control heating costs, at least to some degree, by incorporating the energy-saving measures below throughout your home.

§ Set your home temperature lower. According to the government of Alberta, each degree you setback your thermostat will translate into a 2 percent savings on your utility bills. Over the long winter, saving 2 percent (or more) on your energy bills will add up to significant savings.

§ Ensure that your heating system operates efficiently. This action involves two steps. First, you should change your system’s air filters regularly. A clean filter improves airflow, and adequate airflow is the key to efficient operations. Second, scheduling fall maintenance (or scheduling maintenance now if you missed it) keeps your system clean, and experts agree that regular service is the primary factor that will guarantee efficiency.

§ Avoid unnecessary energy consumption by dialing back your water heater’s temperature. Most manufacturers preset water heaters higher than necessary. Forty-nine degrees is an energy-saving setting, and you won’t notice a difference in the temperature when you use hot water to shower. However, some home appliances, like dishwashers, require a higher temperature setting, so consult your user guide or talk with an HVAC expert to explore your options.

§ Seal air leaks throughout the home. A tight home that doesn’t allow outside air in, or inside air out, is a low-cost measure that greatly enhances home efficiency.

§ Upgrade equipment. While high-efficiency heating equipment is a significant investment, it translates into bigger energy savings, and that’s savings you’ll reap over the life of the equipment.

As of April 2018 the government will place restrictions on any private rented accommodation that has an energy efficiency rating of F or G, meaning that landlords will not be allowed to rent out their properties until they are improved. Furthermore, as of 2016 landlords will no longer be allowed to refuse any “reasonable request” from tenants to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. Therefore it is wise for landlords to start improving their properties now, but where is the best place to start?
Insulation

Keeping your properties insulated will not only ensure that they are energy efficient, but also reduce your tenants’ heating bills. Furthermore, insulating your property is generally quite easy and cheap as you can get the materials you need from your local hardware store and place them in your properties in no time. If your property is prone to draughts you could also buy draught protectors for your properties and place them under the doors, and usually these come in packs of five or ten meaning you can fix multiple properties easily and quickly!
Electricity

Saving electricity is becoming increasingly easy, and most landlords now use energy saving light bulbs in all their properties in order to save money. However, one of the best ways to make sure that electricity is being saved in your property is to talk to your tenants and remind them simple things make a big difference, such as turning of lights and making sure televisions and laptops are not left on standby. Some electricity providers even provide meters that show how much electricity is being used and how much it is costing in real time, so placing these in your houses could give your tenants a gentle reminder!
Double Glazing

Depending on how old your property is you may have to bite the bullet and call in tradesmen to get it up to scratch. Most houses these days come with double glazing as standard as not only does it improve energy efficiency but also the safety of your houses, however if you do not have this installed it is wise to shop around and find the best deal. Don’t forget that you will need to cover your properties with landlord insurance before any work starts to protect it against accidental damages.

Improving the energy efficiency of your properties can often be easy, and in the long term will not only reduce your tenants’ heating bills but also increase the worth of your property portfolios.

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Hazards to Avoid With Home Improvements To Optimize Your Home Lights

Hazards to Avoid With Home Improvements To Optimize Your Home Lights

Hazards to Avoid With Home Improvements To Optimize Your Home Lights

Home improvements are a great way to bring up the property value of your house. However, there are some hazards that you should avoid when you are making improvements to your home. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when they are renovating their homes is over-expanding. When a homeowner over-expands their house, they tend to add more features than is necessary for basic living. Over-expanding and ensuring fire safety of a home not only costs a lot of money to complete, it can bring up the utility costs as well. Avoid over-expanding your home unless you plan on living there for a very long time.

Another hazard that people should avoid when making home improvements is changing the general architecture. If you have a stylized home –a rancher for instance- you should not be implementing modernized aspects such as doors or windows. When you go to sell the house, potential buyers could be turned off by this strange transformation. In the same vein as this, people should also avoid changing the function of a room in their home. Sure, turning a spare bedroom into a game room is fine, but leave your bathroom as a bathroom.

There is a major difference between a “do-it-yourselfer” and a contractor. If you have a leaky faucet or a spot on your floor, feel free to fix the issue. However, a professional should always do home improvements. If you are looking to expand a room, install a bathroom or rewire any part of your house, you should always have a professional complete the task. There are a lot of codes in residential living that you should be aware of. If not, you could be setting a fire hazard or breaking residential code.

If you do decide to make home improvements yourself or through a contractor it’s best to over budget than to under budget. One of the most frequent hazards of home improvements is under budgeting for a renovation. And under budgeting doesn’t just refer to money. Knowing the amount of time that your home is going to be in disarray is essential to keeping a schedule for your home improvement. This is why it’s best to go through a contractor. Contractors know how to keep schedules and will get your improvements done within that time frame.

Once the home improvements are done on your home, it is important to maintain them. Making sure that you are cleaning the gutters and checking for any termites in your improvement is essential to keeping your improvement in good standing. If you aren’t keeping up with your improvements, the work will be for nothing.

Home improvements are great for any home. They can expand the functionality of the house while giving you more of a return if you are thinking about selling the property. But if you are going to make improvements to your home, there are hazards you should avoid. Follow this guideline before you start your home improvements and you should see a great return on your initial investment.

When designing a room it is essential to pay attention to the lighting. Both the quantity and quality of light can have a dramatic effect on how the room will appear. Quantity is fairly simple, the more light you have the brighter the room. It also helps the room to feel larger. For example a bedroom with small windows will be very dark and close. The same room with larger windows will feel much less intimidating and gloomy. The quantity will be affected by how large your windows are and what artificial lights you have available.

The quality of the light is such factors as the colour and intensity. Both artificial and natural light can affect this. A classic example of different quality lights would be mood lighting as compared to spot lighting. A more subtle example is the effect that the direction that natural light comes from can have:

North facing rooms will only get reflected sunlight meaning that light often has a cold flattening quality caused by the large amount of blue light reflected into the room.
East facing rooms get direct light in the morning as the sun rises but far less light in the evening.
South facing rooms get the benefits of direct sunlight on them for most of the day making them warmer and better lit than others.
West facing rooms will be dark in the morning but brighten up as the sun moves to the west. They will often get the most heat as not only does the early afternoon sun tends to be the warmest but the setting sun will often shine directly into them. Wooden Venetian blinds offer a great way of preventing glare whilst still allowing light in.

When deciding how to light a room you should consider its size and shape as well as the amount of natural light available. For example a square room will have a different pattern of light and shadow compared to an L shaped or rectangular room. In general the larger the room the more ambient lighting you will need. Ambient lighting is the light we use just to see and perform standard tasks. It can easily be provided by the natural light available during the day as well as a few lamps or ceiling lights.

Rooms like a kitchen or study will benefit from task lighting that allows specific tasks to be performed. For example if you are drawing or painting then having a bright task lamp such as an Anglepoise can be a huge help by providing light exactly where you need it. A similar example is lights fitted so that they shine directly on your oven hobs so that you can see what you are cooking.

The last type of lighting to consider is accent and mood lighting, which can be used to highlight artwork and other decorations. The typical example of this would be a small bulb in recess directly above or below a work of art. However you could also include candles and Christmas tree lights within this.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Understanding The Best Home Insurance For Your Family

Understanding The Best Home Insurance For Your Family

Understanding The Best Home Insurance For Your Family

Anybody who’s ever had to take out a loan on their home knows that they’re required to get mandatory insurance. The thing is, there are some states that have raised this mandatory home insurance to punishing levels. It has to do a lot with economic factors as well as issues pertaining to the increasing number of natural calamities. Although flooding, earthquakes and other natural disasters are not usually covered in most insurance policies, these have affected most homeowners’ finances and subsequently the profit margins of insurance companies. This is true for instance in Florida where rates are going to increase by as much as 15% according to a report by the Miami Herald.

For those however, who are more intent in securing insurance for their homes to protect it as an asset, here are some basic guidelines:

1. Analyze your area. As a business built on actuarial or statistical data, insurance companies base their premium rates on factors surrounding the property in question. They take into account the risk factors that could affect your home and therefore their bottom lines. Home insurance premiums in tornado prone areas are generally higher than others.

2. Make your home insurable. Let’s make this simple, the more risks that your home is prone to, the higher the insurance premiums you might have to pay for it. Mitigating those risks with measures such as installing burglar alarms and fire alarms could give you some leverage with the insurance companies. It also tells them that you’re genuinely trying to protect your home rather than looking forward to getting insurance claims.

3. Avail of insurance that covers floods. Almost all basic types of home insurance exclude floods in their coverage. The few private insurance companies that do, look at this as a high risk segment and place high premiums on it. Flooding can cause very significant damage specially if you live in a hurricane prone area. A specific type of insurance that covers this is the National Flood Insurance Program created in 1968. Several measures are now being mulled over in the legislature to further expand and make this type of insurance better for everyone.

4. Check if your living expenses are covered. Your house gets burned to the ground and you have nowhere to stay. You can’t work, you have to find shelter for your kids, and basically live like a nomad until you have a new place to stay in. Look for the clause that specifically covers your living expenses during times when your house is unsuitable for living after a conflagration.

5. Check for exclusions in your policy. Exclusions are the main ways by which insurance companies can avoid to pay claims made by the insured. Sometimes, the littlest of details matter and not paying attention to them, could lead to tragic results. If possible, make a simple checklist comparing the exclusions of one policy to another to see which one is the most realistic.

Getting the right insurance policy is all about getting adequate protection for your home. The price of the premium, though important, should not be the guidepost for your decision. Make it a point to choose the policy which you think could cover the things that might happen to your house.

Home is a place which people build not only with bricks and cement, but with memories, feelings and desires. It is a house with laughter as its heartbeat — a home is a territory that marks the domain for its inhabitants, who invest in terms of time, money and energy to get a place that they can call home.

As the intellect of mankind advanced with the progress of society and systems, we learnt to develop channels and operations to provide facilities to others, to obtain the best according to their requirements. One such service that provides for and covers the private homes is Home Insurance. It is also known in the real estate industry as the homeowners insurance and abbreviated as the, HOI. Home insurance policies are very similar to life insurance policies, in which the dependents are offered a particular amount of money, in case of occurrence of a death. Likewise in case of a home insurance, the policy covers for the loss incurred to the structures and contents of a home, which can be triggered due to natural disasters or man-made calamities. A home insurance policy is the solution which makes it possible to protect one’s house from unwanted and unforeseen reasons, which are as diverse as; lighting, smoke, break-ins, fire, riots, explosions etc.

A home insurance policy involves paying a single amount as premium to cover risks that come under categories of property and liability. However it is important to keep in mind is that the insurance policy should be updated to the present existing value in accordance with the inflation. Also, an appraisal is paid by the insurance company that will be added on to the policy premium. How the value of the house and its constituents is determined, depends on the area occupied by the house and the rate of construction per square feet on the date of signing the policy. The contents of a house are assessed according to the market value of the items. In case of a loss, the claim is valid on the value of the similar new items, along with the depreciation.

A home insurance policy is a term contract, which is eligible for a fixed period of time and can be determined at the time of undertaking the policy. The amount paid by the homeowners to the insurance providing institute, is known as the premium, which is paid at the end of every term. In case the home is less likely to get damaged due to its location or any other advantage, the premium demanded will be low. However, if the house is situated at a place, which is prone to getting damaged, the premium demanded will be higher.

There are many advantages associated with obtaining the right home insurance policy, the foremost being that home insurance policy acts as a safeguard against unwanted incidents. The benefits of the home policy outweigh the cost of the premium that one has to pay, which is often less than even one percent. One of the best things about getting home insurance is that the insurance company even pays for the rent of any alternative accommodation in case if one has to relocate on temporary basis, in the occurrence of any insured peril.

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Home Improvement Projects Such as Smoke Protectors To Protect Your Home

Home Improvement Projects Such as Smoke Protectors To Protect Your Home

Home Improvement Projects Such as Smoke Protectors To Protect Your Home

Home improvement projects can add an incredible amount of comfort and value to your property. They are an ideal way to make your living space more functional and appropriate for your family’s needs. This article will give you all the information you need to start working on your home today. Click for more info. Just like when you move a heavy piece of furniture with drawers in it, you will want to remove these from your cabinets and counter bases before you install them. They will be much lighter and easier to deal with if these have been taken out ahead of time. They are very simple and easy to put in when you are finished.

Chipping paint and ceilings, and rotting decks with water damage can be seen easily when checking home you wish to buy. Things like roof defects, bad ventilation, or other hidden problems can be located by professional inspectors. These repairs can prevent future issues from occurring. Choosing the right paint color for a room is essential. Color can affect how you feel when you are in the room. A cool color will calm you, whereas a warm tone can energize you. If you are painting a small space, use a cool color as it will make the room look larger. If the space is imposing, use a warm color to make it feel more cozy.

A great home improvement tip is to check out Youtube whenever you encounter a problem that’s needs fixing. There are thousands of helpful videos on Youtube that will show you how to fix problems at home. This can be a great way to keep cash in your pocket. Before starting any demolition job in your house, take steps to minimize the mess. Lay down plastic and contain the area you will be working in. Keep your tools confined to the work area as well. Demolition is a messy job and having to clean a mess throughout the entire house can take hours of extra time.

If the closets in your home are not very large, it would be a good idea for you to use organizers if you are trying to sell your home. Doing so will make the closets in your home seem much bigger and a lot of buyers will bypass homes that seem to have too little space. If you are hiring someone to perform your home improvement work, make sure to get multiple bids for the project. Although it can be a little time consuming, this process ensures that you are getting the best deal on your project, and it helps you become more familiar with the industry and what to expect from your contractor.

If you are looking for home improvement projects that are guaranteed to raise the value of your home, you can’t go wrong with a bathroom or kitchen remodel. Builders and real estate agents estimate that perfecting these rooms is likely to earn you more than 100 percent back on your investment when you put your home up for sale. No matter what project you decide to start with, home improvement tasks are a way to adjust the look and feel of your property to meet your changing needs. The information in this article can be used as a starting point to help you plan and complete your next project.

Statistics show that most fires start in the home during the late night/early morning hours. A majority of the time, the homeowners are not even aware that there is a fire billowing in their home until it is too late. Therefore, the U.S. government suggests that every home should be equipped with smoke detectors. Purchasing a few of these and also a couple of carbon monoxide detectors is a good idea. Statistics show that many people who die in house fires had no knowledge that they were being overwhelmed by thick smoke. And those who do wake up in time suffer severe smoke inhalation and even burns. If you have a family, then take a look at them and ask yourself: “Is it worth the risk?”

Every general hardware and home supply store carries battery operated smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors for carbon monoxide detection. Most of these are powered by 9-volt batteries. Read the back of the box to be sure you know which type of batteries you need to buy. Purchase enough to cover each level of your home. Install an alarm inside many different areas of your house. Some communities have a service where the fire department will come to your home and install the alarms for you. This service is very handy for the elderly and for those unable to move easily on their own.

Most hardware stores and general supply stores carry battery operated smoke detectors for detecting smoke and fire, as well as carbon monoxide detectors for detecting carbon monoxide. Most run on 9 volt batteries, but check the label on the back of the box to make sure you are buying the right kind. You should make sure you have enough detectors to cover every level of your home. The more areas covered the better. Some companies and the fire department will provide the service of hanging the alarms for you if you wish.

Your smoke detectors should last a long time. Record when you bought them so you will know when it is time to replace the units. Testing the alarms once a month is a also a good safety practice. Another good thing to do in conjunction with your alarm is to create a fire plan with your family and also a plan in case your carbon monoxide detectors go off. Perhaps even have two way radios that the family can use to contact each other, in case of separation. The more prepared you are for a home emergency, the batter chances you and your family will have of surviving.

/0 Comments/by
, , ,

Roofing Tips For Your Property To Protect Your Home

Roofing Tips For Your Property To Protect Your Home

Roofing Tips For Your Property To Protect Your Home

There are many things that you need to know about roofing. There are lots of things to know about roofs, and it can be hard to find good information. Therefore, this piece is here to help. Here you will find some excellent tips on roofing that will set you off in the right direction.

If you think your shingles need replacing, do not hesitate to act. While you may prefer to put the work off, this will most likely result in greater damages. Getting shingles replaced or repaired as soon as they are damaged will allow you to save money and time. Taking proper care of your roof will help it remain durable over time.

While leaks sometimes can be caused by shingles that are faulty, be sure you look at your roof’s foundation too. Water can get into your home anywhere that dry rot has occurred. It is important to examine every potential water entry point, like rotting wood, so that you are really resolving all the problem areas.

Never neglect safety when planning repairs on your roof. Do not attempt to repair a leaky roof when the weather is stormy or you could be seriously hurt! Damaged roofs are unstable during rainy weather, so do not take such a risk. Just do what you can with the leak, like collecting the water in a bucket, and look at the roof later when the weather is better.

Don’t every try and repair your roof in wet, snowy or icy conditions. If your roof is slippery and wet, you may fall, causing bad injuries or perhaps death. If you are doing your roof yourself, work on it when it is sunny and dry outside.

Always check references. Make sure to call the references if you can too. Get their real opinions on the jobs that were done and the quality of the service. Look into these addresses on your own too. You can drive by their other houses and check them out so you know if you want to hire them.

Make sure your homework is done when you’re hiring a contractor. It’s important that you don’t simply hire the one with the lowest bid. Instead, find out about the roofers and their reputation. You can ask friends and family, use a service or research online.

If you’ve called a roofer, but their visit isn’t for another couple days, use a type of temporary fix on the leaky roof. Try buying heavy duty plastic and layering it over the area. While not ideal, it will provide a temporary solution for you.

When hiring a roofing contractor, ensure that they’re skilled at roofing. You might need to speak with people you know to see if they have any recommendations for you. This is important because you don’t want to have a poor roofing job done which would result in costly repairs in the future.

After narrowing down your list of roofers, determine which one offers the best warranty. You need a warranty of at least three years, preferably five. The contractor’s warranty should cover faults due to both workmanship and part failure. A proper roofer should provide you with the manufacturer’s warranties for all of the supplies he uses, too.

The age of your roof is the most important factor in deciding whether to repair or replace it. Most roofs need to be replaced about every 20 years. Even if you have a new roof on top of your old one, you’re going to have to replace it once the older one is about 20 years old.

Don’t be scared because there is so much to learn. The advice that this article has give you should help you quite a lot with a variety of roofing issues. Whether you use the information here or look for other solutions, you now know much more about roofing. Keep all this information in mind as you make decisions.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Contemporary Bedroom Designs for Studio Living In The New Year

Contemporary Bedroom Designs for Studio Living In The New Year

Contemporary Bedroom Designs for Studio Living In The New Year

For many, one’s first home is either a studio or one bedroom apartment. Although these may be compact, it’s perfectly possible to make a studio homey, especially with all the clever storage solutions you can find in furniture today. It needn’t be too expensive to kit out a small space. Look around at a furniture sale to give you some ideas of what kind of furniture you should be getting – there are often room sets which can provide you with some inspiration.

If you have a bedroom and a living room, you might want to buy a sofa bed, rather than just a normal sofa. This will provide you with easy to organize guest accommodation – and the bed will fold away and disappear back into the sofa bed whenever it’s not required. If you’re not in a rush to buy a sofa, wait for the sofa sales before you buy – you’ll save a great deal this way. Sales are usually put on to clear the last season’s stock and if you’re not too fussed about what colour or shape sofa you have, you can find some real bargains.

In the living area, you’ll need a table and chairs – even if you don’t have a dining room, you still need somewhere to eat. And if your kitchen is just a corner of the living room, the table can provide useful extra workspace to prepare your meals on.

Find a unit that will hold your TV and DVD player, but also provide some useful storage space. You could get a wall unit that has a space for the TV, or a TV stand with a cupboard built-in underneath it. The key to making a small space work is to keep it organised, so once you have your furniture sorted out, keep the clutter to an absolute minimum and your space will remain quaintly bijou rather than poky and cramped!

The modern passion for interior decorating and contemporary design means that it has never been easier to find items for your home to create the look you want. Contemporary interior design has changed the way we decorate our homes and allowed us to express ourselves through interior design in a way that reflects style and class, without spending a fortune.

For our grandparents’ generation, it was the case that the more ‘stuff’ we had, the better! Living rooms cluttered with a million and one items, and bedrooms decorated with chintz and flowers galore were the norm. Thank goodness times have changed! Nowadays, the minimalist look is favoured, and homes reflect a more pared back approach to design.

To create a contemporary and modern look in your bedroom, choose the right key pieces of furniture and don’t over-clutter. Double beds in sleek and sharp designs make the ideal central focal point for the bedroom and you can find a wide range of fabulous modern designs at Bensons. Take your time to choose the right bed for you and this can be your springboard for the rest of the room.

Once you have found the right bed, consider the rest of the bedroom, and in particular the bedroom furniture. Choose wardrobes, dressers, chests of drawers and bedside tables in clean, modern shapes and styles. If you’re going for a contemporary look you obviously don’t want to go for anything vintage or with an antique feel. The colours you choose to decorate your bedroom with once you have found your furniture will really finish off the look of your room. For a contemporary look, think blocks of colour as opposed to lots of patterns. Simple is the key, so flowery or chintzy wallpaper is out! Finish off the look with a well chosen piece of modern art hanging on the wall.

New year, new opportunities indicates weekly trips to the gym, carrots instead of candy and an opportunity to break bad habits. How about a resolution that goes beyond 2012 and keeps your children and home safe for years to come? This year, make it a priority to childproof your kitchen and clean beyond the countertops to keep your family happy and healthy all year long. “Your kitchen never gets a day off,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance Corp. “Between hot appliances and sharp cooking utensils, kids can often be in danger of hurting themselves. Fortunately, homeowners can prevent most accidents by making a few simple adjustments and educating their children about kitchen safety.”

Follow these resolution tips from Mr. Appliance to keep your kitchen clean and your kids safe: Keep items not safe for kids on higher shelves. Place juice boxes, apple slices and cheese sticks on the lower shelves for a healthy snack within your child’s reach. Soak refrigerator removable parts in the sink with warm, soapy water to remove stains from food spills to keep new produce as fresh as possible. Position refrigerator shelves to make it difficult for children to climb inside and close the door leaving your kitchen with a dangerous hide-and-seek spot.

Turn pot and pan handles in and away from the edge of the stove so curious hands can’t pull them down. Remove oven racks and wash them by hand with warm water and soap to remove caked on food that can burn in your oven.

Establish a “safety zone” marked by a small rug or area of the kitchen to keep kids several feet away from the oven while it’s hot. Wipe interior microwave surfaces with a mixture of two tablespoons baking soda and one quart water to remove food stains and keep your microwave clean for future use. Encourage children to use an oven mitt when removing a hot plate or bowl.
Heat a microwave-safe bowl of vanilla extract for three minutes to give your kitchen a fresh scent. Keep the dishwasher closed when you’re not loading or unloading. Sharp utensils inside can be dangerous to children. Create a “safety zone” when opening the door to a steam-heavy dishwasher to avoid burns from the hot steam. Teach children to wait for dishes to cool down before unloading.
Give your dishwasher a fresh start to thoroughly clean your dishes. Remove food residue by running an empty dishwasher with a cup of white vinegar.

Most of these resolution tips can be accomplished in a matter of minutes and keep your home safe and energy efficient, too! If you find a problem that you can’t handle, contact an appliance repair professional to help.

/0 Comments/by