Tag: home improvement

Effective Tips To Help Buy Energy Efficient Homes

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

In the last few years, the cost of energy has significantly increased. As a result, people have been troubled because of high energy bills and are trying to lower their costs all of the time. Thus, many people have been looking to buy energy-efficient homes. Buying eco-friendly homes is not just a trend anymore. It has become a desire for most buyers. Unfortunately, most buyers don’t have proper knowledge about energy-efficient or ‘green’ homes. If you are one of those buyers, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will give you some tips for buying an energy-efficient home.

High-Ranked Energy Star Heating Systems

An energy-efficient home should have a high-ranked energy star heating system. Such systems allow you to choose rooms that you want to heat at a particular time. For instance, if you spend most of your time in the bedroom, there’s no need to heat the whole house and raise your energy bill. It is also worth mentioning that gas heaters are more economical than electric heaters. On the other hand, electric underfloor heating can prove to be quite expensive. Therefore, you will have to choose an alternative. You need to choose a heating system as per your needs and requirements.

Proper Insulation and Seals

Before buying a home, you should make sure that it is properly insulated. If your home is insulated properly, an appropriate temperature will be maintained in your house. Heat won’t be lost through your home’s windows, ceiling, walls, and so on. Thus, you will not have to keep the heater on at all times. With proper insulation, your home will save a lot of energy. Before you buy a home, make sure you check the draft seals around doors and windows. The home should be properly insulated. If it is not, you will have to ask your home builder to make the necessary modifications.

Buy A North Facing Home

North-facing homes are always better because of passive solar heating. Due to this, your home stays warm during the winter season. If you want to buy an energy-efficient home, a north facing home will be your best choice. If it’s a new construction, ask your home builder to construct a north facing home, as you can always make new requests concerning your home building as most builders have their home building privileges and codes.

Energy Efficient Hot Water Systems

In most of the homes, hot water is one of the major reasons for raised energy bills. Thus, you should buy a house with energy efficient or star rated hot water systems. It is better to use a solar water heater. It significantly reduces your energy costs. As mentioned earlier, a gas water heating system will be more economical than an electric water heating system.

Solar Heating for Pool and Spa

If you have a pool or spa in your home, it will be economical to use solar heating with it. You can also buy certain covers to make sure the temperature of the pool is maintained. This way, you will not need an additional booster. If you can’t avoid a pump, make sure you buy an energy efficient model.

All the factors mentioned above will have a major impact on energy consumption. If your home lacks these features, you need to consider installing them. This will help you save a lot of money and make your home more comfortable.

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Discover The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Underfloor Heating

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

The vast majority of homes now have some form of central heating system, which is typically used during the colder months of the year. In fact, many of us would struggle to survive in the sub-zero temperatures we often experience if it wasn’t for a heating system. However, in recent times, there has been much more choice available when it comes to a home’s heating system, and one particular popular method is underfloor heating. This post will discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of having an underfloor heating system.

Advantages

One of the main reasons that underfloor heating has become so popular is that it provides warm floors throughout your home during the colder months of the year. It is also said that having such a system installed will actually increase the overall value of your property, so is definitely something to consider if you are thinking of selling your home at some point in the future. You will also find that having a large underfloor heating system installed in your home will ensure you no longer need large, bulky, and often ugly-looking radiators, which in turn will also free up some extra room around your home.

If the walls, ceiling, and doors in the rooms of your home are well insulated you will also find that underfloor heating is far more efficient simply due to the way in which heat will be distributed around your home. Radiators will typically heat the surrounding area quite quickly, although as the heat rises it will usually take a little longer to heat the entire room. An underfloor system offers the ability to heat a far larger surface working its way from the floor upwards, which in turn will provide the rooms in your home with a far more consistent temperature.

Disadvantages

To be completely honest, there is really only one real complaint that owners of underfloor heating systems have, and that is the amount of time it takes to heat up when compared to the various other forms of heating. A room will typically take a longer period of time to heat up, although this also means it will take longer to cool down. This will only cause a real problem if you are looking for immediate heat in a room, but most of the modern underfloor heating systems come with pre-programmed controls, thus allowing you to switch the system on beforehand anyway.

You may also find, depending on the type of system you purchase, that you may not have the ability to replace the heat from all radiators around your home. This is usually only a problem if you choose to purchase one of the smaller systems available, whereas a larger system will provide a complete replacement for radiators. You should also be aware that the system should not be placed under items of furniture, which means you may have to rethink the layout of a room. You will also find that this type of system can prove to be expensive if you choose to run it in conjunction with your main heating system, and it is therefore typically viewed as a luxury, rather than a necessity.

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The Value of Roof Inspections

Posted on by chad siemer

Similar to routine car maintenance checkups, scheduling a roof inspection is an important part of prolonging the life of your roof. Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t schedule routine roof inspections as they do for their cars.

It’s not necessary to have annual roof inspections performed, but it is recommended to have it done every two to three years to make sure it’s in good shape. Roofs are one of the most expensive repairs homeowners make and a new roof costs thousands. That’s why it’s important to make it last as long as possible.

Why is a Roof Inspection Necessary?

Roof inspections act as a form of preventative care. Roofing contractors typically offer them for free as a way to get more work. What’s important is that you find a trusted contractor who won’t try to create work for themselves when problems don’t actually exist. Also, make sure they’re licensed.

Regardless of your location, roofs are exposed to a lot of different weather conditions. Whether it’s heavy rain, hail, snow, wind, or hot and cold temperatures, roofs take quite a beating throughout the year.

Homeowners living in areas prone to receiving tornadoes and hurricanes should definitely make sure their roofs are in good shape prior to and after a big storm hits. An inspection before a storm will help prevent more damage from occurring. If there are leaks or damaged shingles and you haven’t noticed, a big storm will certainly expose them and by then it’s too late. Additional damage has occurred and the price to fix it has climbed.

Getting a roof inspection is a good idea if you’re considering repairs or installing a new roof. It’s crucial that you don’t just take the advice of a single contractor. Gather the opinions of several before making any final decisions.

Common Problems with Roofs

Roofs may look fine to the average homeowner, but a lot of problems that arise with roofs happen below the surface. Some of the most common problems associated with roofs include:

  • Leaks and holes
  • Ripped or missing shingles
  • Roof discoloration and deterioration
  • Loose or damaged flashing
  • Depressions that cause water collection

What an Inspection Should Include

A thorough roof inspection should take some time. Make sure the contractor walks around the home, on top of the roof, inside the home, and checks inside the attic. Some contractors have special equipment and may take pictures as part of the inspection. Ask what they plan to do so you know what to expect.

Routine roof inspections help determine the structure of the roof, its projected life span, and whether repairs need to be made. Inspectors should be able to detect damage from storms or branches, areas susceptible to leaks, shingles that need repairing, and the overall structure and function of the roof.

If it’s been a few years since your last roof inspection, consider scheduling one as soon as possible. Don’t wait for the next big storm to hit. Treat it as preventative care and you’ll likely avoid those costly repairs in the future. Once again roof inspections are usually free so it doesn’t hurt to have your property checked out.

Chad Siemer writes about a number of home improvement topics for several websites, including Keeping You Dry Roofing.

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Lesser Known Tips To Help You Sell Your Home

Posted on by Jenny Zamora
Mirage Sapele Natural

 

Tidy your home, move some of the clutter away and always keep your home looking ‘show-room-ready’ on the off chance that someone will turn up for a last-minute viewing. These are very common tips you’re told from the very start when you first decide to pack up and sell your home. But what about the tricks you don’t get to hear about so much? We’ve uncovered some lesser-known, yet invaluable house selling tips you may not have come across before.

Learn Which Rooms Sell

What’s the most important and saleable room in the house? That’s right, it’s your kitchen! A remodel of your kitchen will work wonders on your selling potential and it doesn’t have to cost you the earth. Look into updating the cabinet doors, or freshen up the room with a lick of paint. Think about how you can make it look more spacious. Buyers know themselves how expensive a kitchen can be to re-decorate, so if they see yours and hate it; it could knock thousands off their offer.

Build up some interest

Imagine that you’ve seen a rail of beautiful coats in a sale, but no one else seems interested – would you buy one? Maybe.  But you can’t say it wouldn’t cross your mind as to why no one else is taking an interest. Buying a house is much the same thing, except on a much bigger scale. With houses, buyers are all vying for the same types of property, but only one person can get each house. Competition is fierce, so you need to make sure your house is the main contender. Consider asking your friend to pop over while you have another visitor round, to pretend they’re interested in buying it. Build up a ‘buzz’ around your house, and don’t forget about marketing it yourself online.

Lighting

Lighting is far too often overlooked when it should be one of the most important house-selling considerations. How a buyer sees your home in that one quick nip around, is how they will envisage their lives in the property every day. No one wants to walk into a dingy house – no matter how tidy it is! Let as much sunshine in as you can. Keep the blinds up, turn the light around to put its focus in the center of the room, or even change some light bulbs to increase the wattage. These are some quick fixes you can take into account, but if you want to make a real difference – consider investing in some stylish lighting options. It doesn’t cost much and will be well worth the investment in the long run!
It’s the little things that count so try to think outside the box. Don’t just look at furnishings and the general look of the house either, check-in the nooks and crannies to see if you can spot anything that a potential buyer might not like – because this is what they’ll be doing too!

If you have any other lesser-known tips for selling houses in Orlando, be so kind as to share the juicy details in the comments section below.

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DIY Tricks to Revamp Your Yard

Posted on by Jenny Zamora

Tired of a plain-looking backyard that does not add any value to your home? It is time that you thought of an upgrade. The good news is that you do not have to call in a professional as there are some DIY backyards upgrade projects that you can take part in to transform it into a sanctuary that you will instantly fall in love with such as:

Love Life Gardens with our new sail shade

Building a stacked stone fireplace

The backyard can be transformed into a place where people can just sit around and get some warmth by simply building a stone fireplace. This is not difficult to do because all you need to do is get the stones and some cement that will be used to hold them together. Remember to build a good foundation for the fireplace so that you do not end up burning down the house. You can add some great-looking chairs around the fireplace which can also double up as a romantic avenue for couples who want to cuddle and catch up as they get warmth from the fire.

Create a rugged canvas rug

The floors of the backyard can be transformed using a simple drop cloth that can be changed into a unique rug. All you need to do this is some painter’s tape, a ruler, and some stripes of your preferred bold hue. This can be turned into a fun family project as you use the painter’s tape to draw some lines into the shapes or lines that you would like. The ruler can be used to draw straight lines that will make the job look more professional. This is usually easy to clean and looks great on the floor especially when matched up with the proper furniture.

Outdoor shade sails

These are great options that can be used when you are looking for incredible shade for your backyard. Adding a shade sail to your yard can provide a gorgeous look for your backyard. They are available in different colors and dimensions allowing you to pick the one that suits your needs best. You can have one side fastened to the roof while the other you can erect a pole so that it can serve its purpose without any problems. These can also be used in the pool area especially if you do not want to get direct sunlight over the place. They can also be used to offer shelter to the flowers and vegetation in your backyard.

Create a beautiful pathway

You might be surprised at the kind of impact that a simple pathway might have on your backyard especially if you are dealing with a large space. Simple stepping stones can be used to set a clear path that people will use to get around. You can use contrasting small gravel and large stones to come up with an interesting look at the end of the day. There are great pathway inspirations available here. This will also help to create an organized look for the backyard as well as help people to stay out of the grass which will help make it look more beautiful. Remember to always maintain the pathway so that it is not swallowed up by grass and other weeds.

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