2015

If you've recently been dealing with pets in your home, you're probably upset and a bit disgusted. It can be uncomfortable going about your everyday routine knowing that their are pests living in your home with you. Luckily, there are steps that you can take to minimize the issue. Take a look at the following information to see what you can do to make a difference with a pest problem. 

A slab leak, which is water seeping in through the foundation, can occur for a number of reasons. One common cause is damage to the larger pipes that lay under your home. Typically, these major pipes are made from copper, which is quite durable but can erode and start leaking under the right conditions. To prevent a slab leak due to pipe erosion, follow these three tips. Have your water hardness tested.

A whole house humidifier can be a blessing in winter when the warm furnace air strips away moisture and leaves your skin, nose, and throat feeling uncomfortably dry. There are several different types of humidifiers on the market including steam and drum style. What are the pros and cons of a steam whole house humidifier compared to a drum style unit? Here are some considerations to make before contacting a heating repair and installation service for a unit.

Many home builders today take great care to angle homes on their property in such a way that the future homeowners can take advantage of the environment and local weather patterns to help naturally warm and cool the home. By learning to use the sun and wind to your advantage by selectively opening and closing windows and their coverings, you can greatly reduce your home's heating and cooling costs over the course of a year.

Do you like to try out new arts and crafts? Have you recently decided to sew your own clothes, in order to either save money or to have more clothing options available to you? Sewing can be an extremely fun and rewarding hobby, but can seem confusing at first. You may find yourself wandering around the fabric store in a daze, wondering whether or not you'll actually need to purchase everything you see for sale.

Ensuring a home has access to fresh running water is one of the more important things that a homeowner must provide their home. For those that live far from an urban area, there may not be a local water system to meet these needs of your home. In this cases, it will be necessary for the home to get its water from a well, which will require having a pump. A well pump is a highly complex device that will be battered by its exposure to the elements, but these tips should help you to keep your well pump running.

Metal roofs are made to be durable and long-lasting, but if you don't maintain them correctly, you'll be taking years off of their usable life span. Over time the screws holding the roof down will need to be re-tightened, the edges along the seams should be re-sealed, and any rust forming on the metal should be treated so it doesn't expand and get worse. You should check your roof before the new winter season begins to make sure it will hold up properly during major storms, snow, and ice.

If you are looking for a fun way to get together with friends and family, consider hosting a karaoke party at your home. This is a wonderful way to incorporate the love of music into an event, while giving everyone invited some entertainment they will not forget. Here are some ideas you can use when hosting your own karaoke party. Collect Your Materials To have a karaoke party you will need songs with video available to view so people know what words they will be singing.

Moving involves a lot of things. You need to have a definite moving date, you need to figure out all the logistics of getting you and your family to where you are going, and you need to figure out how all your belongings are getting packed and moved. If you are already very busy, then trying to do all these things can make an already stress-filled time even more stressing. Or, you can choose to do what you can to make things easier.

When hunting for an apartment, you probably focus on things like how far the apartment is from your job and the other places that you frequent, how many bedrooms and bathrooms are available and whether or not there are certain amenities that you are interested in, such as a pool. Another important thing to look at during the apartment shopping process is how safe and secure a unit is for your family.

Home ownership comes with a wide variety of tasks and challenges, and one of the most difficult is finding ways to get the most enjoyment possible out of all of your space. Building a patio in your back yard can be a great way to enhance your land, but it will also likely require the construction of a cover to provide relief from the sun.  Below, you'll find a guide to some steps you should follow in order to maintain your patio cover.

Any remodeling project involves a lot of planning and worry. But the planning and worry can increase when your bathroom remodel doesn't involve a lot of room space. You want the end result to look stylish without losing any function or storage. Can you have style and function? Here are three ways to blend the two together so you can enjoy the look of your bathroom and still enjoy proper use of the room.

If you've just moved into a house, or even if you have lived in your house for a while, it is always nice to have some shade trees in your backyard. It is never too early, or too late, to add some trees to your backyard. Although you can plant trees that are not native to your area, if you really want the trees to thrive, it is smart to plant native trees.

Are you planning to renovate your landscape by creating walkways with pavers? You may want to buy sand for the pavers if you want the walkways to maintain their appeal for a long time. In this article, find out what can happen if pavers are installed without sand and what kind of sand you should use for the task. Why Is Important for Installing Walkway Pavers? One of the reasons using sand to install pavers is necessary is to create a bed at the bottom of the walkway.

Garden gnomes are ceramic garden figures that resemble bearded dwarves, often adorned with a long pointed hat. Although they have been seen in multiple forms and mediums for many centuries, the ceramic dwarves that have been in European and American gardens for generations were originally of German origin. The origins for their placement in yards and gardens is thought to be based on a myth that elves can be summoned to work in a garden at night if a gnome statue is placed there.

If you are in the process of renovating or building your commercial property, you could be torn about the best type of storefront to build. Although wooden storefronts are obviously traditional and very common, you should know that there is one choice that might be a better fit for you -- an aluminum storefront. These are a few reasons why an aluminum storefront could be the best choice for your place of business.

If your property has a few trees that are starting to grow out of control, it might be time for a trimming job. If you don't have any experience with managing trees the best solution is most likely to locate a contractor that offers tree trimming services in your neighborhood. But even if your tree is not badly growing out of control, there still might be some other ways that a good trimming could benefit you.

Appliances can be the biggest space hogs when you're trying to fit all the amenities into a tiny house. Most houses that qualify as tiny are under 400 to 500 square feet in size, so every inch counts. Yet, hot water is still a major source of comfort you likely don't want to skip. Fortunately, the following options can save you space while providing just enough hot water to do the dishes or take a comfortable shower.

If you want to remodel your kitchen on a budget using green friendly materials, you should look into using concrete. You can use concrete in a number of different creative ways in your kitchen. Kitchen Counter If you want your kitchen counter to be unique, concrete is the way to go. Since you do not have to cut the concrete, but rather pour it into a frame, you can have your counters any shape you want.

You've gone online and watched a 3-minute video about how to swap out your old bathroom vanity for a brand new vanity. Looks simple, right? If you have never done this bathroom renovation before, you will most likely run into some issues you may not have thought of. By being aware of these 4 potential problems, you can prevent them from happening to you. The New Vanity Is Too Short

If you have extra basement space in your home that you aren't using to its full potential, consider converting your space into an additional apartment. There are a few things to research beforehand to make sure that you understand everything that would go into this type of renovation. Here are three basic things that would need to be considered before getting started on a basement studio remodel. 1. Make Sure the Space is up to Code and Correct Permits are in Order

If you've recently moved to an area that uses open canal water for irrigation, rather than taking irrigation water from the drinking-water supply, be prepared to make some adjustments. Your ability to use sprinkler water for gardening and recreation will change substantially. You'll still be able to have a garden, pool, and other water-based home features, but you must be careful to get the water from the right source. Here's a rundown of what you can expect as the weather gets warmer and your water usage goes up.

A toilet is supposed to flush down the water, refill the bowl and then stop. But that last part is sometimes skipped, resulting in constantly running water in the toilet. This can prove highly annoying due to the sound but can also make your water bill go through the roof. What are some common methods for fixing a toilet that won't stop running? Check the Flapper Lift the lid for the tank of the toilet.

The string trimmer, also commonly referred to as a weed eater or weed whacker, is a lot more versatile than most will give it credit for. With the vast array of attachment options available at most hardware stores, the lowly weed whacker can help you with any number of other chores, some of which go far beyond the scope of your lawn itself.  Hedge Trimmer Attachments Many models of string trimmers can be outfitted with a hedge trimmer accessory, which can save hundreds of dollars on a completely separate tool designed to keep your shrubs in line.