Get Your Home in Tip-Top Shape

Jan 20, 2011

A Month by Month Guide to help get those Simple Household Projects Done!

January

• A fresh start for the New Year. Make a project list that you want to complete by the end of the year and post it where you will see it everyday.
• Take down all those holiday decorations, pack & label each box to make it easier to locate them, buy a few light reels to keep those Christmas lights organized, and clean out any broken or unwanted items.

February

• Check your entire house for leaks; sinks, toilets, shower heads, pipes, etc…
• To check your toilet for leaks, add a few drops of food coloring to the tank at bedtime. If the water in the bowl is discolored then your flapper is leaking. Just replace the mechanism inside. Its an easy and inexpensive fix.
• Replace any old faucets, shower heads, or faulty pipes. You can save a lot of money and water throughout the year.

March

• Spring is in the air! Time to get the outside of your home ready for the warm weather.
• Repair sagging fences, fix window screens, and check your deck for any rotten wood or damage and make repairs as needed.
• Pressure wash the deck, siding, driveway and your house.
• Check to see if your mailbox is still in good shape. Replace or repair or just spruce it up.

April

• Spring cleaning time!
• Pressure wash the outside of your home if you haven’t already. Check for cracks or damage to the siding or brick and make repairs. It will prevent further damage down the road.
• While your cleaning, don’t forget the windows-inside & out-, wipe down your ceiling fans, blinds, and HVAC vents too.
• Schedule a maintenance checkup on your HVAC system.

May

• Memorial Day, Backyard Bar-b-Que’s and Warm Weather!
• Before that first Bar-b-Que, give that grill a good cleaning. Remove any rust and grease with a stiff brush.
• Check out the foundation of your home, look for cracks and signs of termite damage.
• Check your driveway for any cracks or damage that may have appeared or worsened over the winter.
• Keep the ants out by sealing cracks and putting out bait traps. Take caution when using traps around children and pets.
• If you have a pool-it’s time to open it up. Check the pool and pool deck for damage and make sure the pool equipment is running properly.

June

• It’s half way through the year and where are you on your project list that you made back in January? Do you need to reprioritize some of the items on the list, maybe move the more important ones to the top or add a few new items.

July

• It’s time to get out the cleaning supplies and get those once a year jobs done.
• Clean behind the refrigerator & vacuum the coils, clean under the washer & dryer, check the washer hoses for leaks, check your sinks & dishwasher for leaks and clean under the stove.
• Test all your circuit breakers and label them if they are not already. This will help you know which switch controls what part of the house.

August

• It’s vacation time. Make sure your home is secure while you are away. Check all windows and doors for secure locks, if you have a security system check to make sure it is working properly and ask a trusted neighbor to look after things and give them your contact information in case of an emergency.
• Don’t forget to stop newspaper and mail deliveries.
• If you are going to stay home for your vacation. You can organize your garage and gardening tools. Sell or donate items you no longer use or throw out the ones that are broken. You can also work on the list of projects you created earlier in the year.

September

• Cooler weather is just around the corner. Check all windows and doors for proper caulking, weather stripping and sweeps. Make sure your attic and crawl spaces are insulated correctly and that loose insulation isn’t blocking vents.
• Check out your landscaping. Is it overgrown from the summer? Are trees hanging over power lines or your roof? Call a professional to trim trees if necessary.
• Are plants growing too close to your foundation? This could encourage insect damage, weaken the foundation or create a fire hazard.

October

• Its time to start getting the house ready for the winter. Clean gutters and downspouts.
• If your hot water heater is in an unheated garage or utility room you may want to invest in a insulating blanket.
• Bring in any outside cushions, furniture, and plants.
• Switch your ceiling fans to reverse to help circulate the warm air.

November

• Unexpected company may visit this month, but not the kind you will welcome in. Mice and rats will be looking for a warm place to make a nest like your garage or house. Seal holes around pipes & wires with steel wool. Make sure doors close properly and look for any gaps they may try to sneak in.
• Test all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and replace batteries.
• Have your fireplace and chimney inspected and cleaned.

December

• It’s Christmas time! Time to bring out the Christmas decorations and lights and get to work.
• The first rule of thumb when hanging Christmas lights is to “stay off the roof”. It is dangerous and you could cause damage to the shingles which could cause leaks.
• Never hammer nails into the roof to secure decorations. There are plenty of other options to secure decorations without causing damage.
• If you invested in the Christmas light reels that where suggested in January, it will be much easier to work with them. Still check for damaged or broken lights and consider replacing them with LED lights that are more energy efficient.
• Last but not least, check your project list that you created in January and see if you completed all the items. If not you still have a little time, but you can always put them on next years list.

Kitchen Flooring

Jan 20, 2011

The kitchen is the heart of a home and one of the most important parts of a kitchen is the flooring. There are more types of flooring than ever to chose from. Here are a few examples:

Tile

• Tile is one of the easiest surfaces to clean. It is also resistant to stains and bacteria. There are also a wide variety of styles, sizes, and materials to choose from.
• The hardness of tile is also one of its weakness. If you have joint problems you are not going to want to stand on it for hours cooking.

Wood

• Hardwood is great if you want to flow your kitchen floor into a dining room or great room. It gives you a more cohesive look. There is also the choice of prefinished wood. The finish on prefinished wood tends to hold up better than hardwood.
• Wood can warp around sinks, dishwashers, and freezers where leaks are possible.
• If hardwood gets flooded, you will most likely will have to replace all of it. That is a big expense.

Cork

• Cork is one of the greenest floors to put down. It is design-oriented, functional, easy to care for, comfortable, and comes in a variety of finishes. It is also easy to install, hypoallergenic, and soft, so its easy on the joints.

Vinyl and Laminate

• Vinyl today is very different from the 1960’s. Today’s vinyl is made to look like rock, slate, hardwood and tile. They use techniques to make it look more expensive and feel like it too. It is durable, easy to install, inexpensive, easy to maintain, and gentler on the joints.
• Laminate is also very different than in the past. Laminate is much more durable than hardwood, it does not absorb stains quite as fast, and it offers many design options. This might be your best choice if you have mess kids or animals.