Home Improvement Information

Home Improvement Information

Practical DIY Projects to Complete Over a Winter Weekend

While many home renovation projects are best tackled during the warmer months, there are specific minor repairs and tasks that are important to address in winter.

3 Unexpected Paint Projects That Work in Any Room

Are you looking to spice up your space in the new year? Get some inspiration from those who’ve already taken the plunge.

Elevate Holiday Hosting: Kitchen Upgrades for Effortless Entertaining

Putting together a holiday feast is no easy feat. Anyone who has prepared a multi-course meal knows just how difficult it can be to time everything properly, and to find storage and cooking space for each component of the meal. However, with the following kitchen update ideas, your preparations can be seamless and stress-free.

Fall Maintenance Checklist to Keep Your Home in Tip Top Shape

Fall is in the air, which means there is a lot to get done around the house before the cold weather comes. From landscaping to insulation, read on for a homeowner’s guide to prepping for the upcoming season.

How to Limit Indoor Air Pollution in Your Home

On average, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, making indoor air quality critical to the health of families. The level of some pollutants in indoor environments can be two to five times higher than outdoor concentrations.

Steps to Take Before Contractors Begin Work on Your Home

Achieving your dream home through a remodeling project is an exciting prospect. Just ask the 55% of homeowners who reported renovating a part of their home in the past year.

How to Build a Wooden Trellis for Your Garden

Are you dreaming about beautifying the backyard? Is your garden in need of some color and dimension? If you have the tools, a free weekend and the initiative, you can add charm and beauty to your outdoor space by building a garden trellis.

Purchasing a Portable AC? Keep These Tips in Mind

With scorching summer temperatures here, a cautionary tale unfolds for those in search of a portable AC unit to beat the heat. Enticing promises and clever marketing tactics make it easy to fall prey to the pitfalls that await unsuspecting buyers. Here’s how to be a savvy shopper:

Why You Should Green Your Home to Green Your Future

The U.S. housing market is cooling. Median home prices have declined more than 9% from record highs last summer.

How to Protect Your Favorite Outdoor Gear

With warmer weather here, more and more people are spending time on their decks, patios, and in their gardens and yards using outdoor products. From grills to furniture to mowers, 88% of Americans have invested in products dedicated for outdoor use and 65% of those that have use them at least several times a week, according to an Allstate Protection Plans survey.

Budget-Friendly Outdoor Projects for Any DIYer

Want to transform your outdoor space while saving money? There are plenty of hands-on projects you can do yourself to eliminate expensive labor costs. The following ideas can be tailored to your budget and personal preferences:

Tips for Homeowners to Improve Safety and Sustainability

You may not realize it, but building safety has a huge impact on our everyday lives.

Don’t Let Battery Chargers Ignite a Disaster: Top Fire Prevention Tips

According to the National Fire Protection Association, local U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1.35 million fires in 2021 – an average of every 23 seconds. These fires resulted in 3,800 civilian deaths and 14,700 reported civilian injuries, but the devastation didn’t stop there.

Tips for Homeowners to Improve Safety and Sustainability

The International Code Council’s 43rd annual Building Safety Month campaign has begun, and week one’s theme: “Building Safety Starts at Home” highlights how building safety impacts our everyday lives.

How to Build a Firewood Rack for Your Backyard

If you’re like many outdoor enthusiasts, the warm months mean fun bonfire parties with sing-a-longs, scary stories and s’mores, right in your backyard. But having a wood-burning firepit requires having a dedicated place to store firewood.

Top Five Tips for a Successful Spring Clean

A recent survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the American Cleaning Institute found that three out of four Americans spruce up their spaces this time of year. If creating a clean home is on the top of your spring checklist, follow these expert tips to ensure an easy and efficient experience:

New Survey Reveals Gen Z and Millennials Struggle to Keep a Tidy Home

Home organizing is more than a trend; it’s a lifestyle. From streaming shows demonstrating how to color-code your pantry to magazines offering tips to unclutter quickly and even a litany of organization products, there’s an abundance of information in the world of home organization. Yet, despite all this great content, younger generations still struggle with staying organized.

Protecting Your Items – and the Earth – When Moving

Moving is a big job – and it can be a wasteful one, too, considering all of the packing material required. Make moving more sustainable with these eco-friendly tips:

4 Misconceptions Homeowners Have About Floods

Many people look forward to spring when the weather warms up and flowers start to bloom, but it also marks the start of the peak time of year for flash flooding in the United States. According to NOAA, 75% of flash floods happen between late April and mid-September. And while you may not want to think about it, when water backs up and overflows, it generally goes where it doesn’t belong and can cause serious damage to your home.

Painting the Interior and Exterior of Your Home

Painting the interior of your residence can seem to be a scary undertaking, but with planning and preparation, it can be achieved successfully.

How to Shop for Spring Household Essentials With Ease

Whatever your spring plans include cleaning your living spaces top to bottom or taking up an outdoor fitness routine, you’ll likely need some household supplies to fuel your seasonal endeavors.

Spring Cleaning: Don’t Toss That ‘Junk,’ It May Be Valuable!

It’s time to hit the garage, basement, attic and closets for that age-old task of spring cleaning! Before hauling unwanted possessions to the curb, you may be surprised to learn they might be valuable -- especially if you have sports cards and memorabilia gathering dust.

3 Ways to Prep Your Home for Bug Season

It can be tempting to think that bugs simply disappear in the cooler months. The truth is that many bug species have evolved to survive all year long, sometimes hiding in the warm nooks and crannies in and around homes. Others go into a hibernation-like state.

Simple Steps to Excellent Exterior Weatherization

The winter season often brings strong winds and harsh weather. However, you can stop drafts and prevent damage from occurring to your home’s exterior with proper weatherization. Follow these top tips to keep your house in great shape through the winter season and beyond.

New Tax Credits Increase Appeal of Heat Pumps for Homeowners

More and more people are turning to heat pumps to heat and cool their homes. It is estimated that 18 million American households already use them. With new energy incentives being offered, and more homeowners choosing greener technologies, that number is expected to rise dramatically.

Help Banish Winter Blues With These Home Improvement Fixes

Preparing your home for cold weather can lower your energy bills; promote a more comfortable, healthier environment; and even help banish winter blues. Here’s what to know:

One-Day Home Projects to Complete Before the New Year

As the new year approaches, many people will begin considering their resolutions. Some will choose to focus on setting health and fitness goals, while others may identify DIY projects to improve and organize their homes. But why make DIY projects part of your New Year’s resolution when you could easily complete them before the year’s end? Check out five home projects that can be completed in one day before the new year arrives.

Tips to Assess Your Furnace and Save on Heating Costs

Now that cooler weather is here, homeowners are advised to evaluate their furnace to see if it needs to be serviced or replaced. By planning ahead, you can potentially save money on heating bills or dodge a breakdown in the middle of a cold snap.

Styles on the Horizon for Your Home in 2023

With travel returning to normal, there’s a renewed interest in seeing the world but you don’t have to go far to bring the beautiful details of faraway destinations into your home’s spaces.

Easy DIY Summer Projects to Tackle Around the House

Summer is the most popular time of the year for home renovations, with the great weather making indoor and outdoor fixes a breeze. From simple remodel ideas to budget-friendly outdoor updates, these are the top projects to tackle this summer, according to a DIY expert.

4 Steps to Prep Your Room for Clean Paint Lines

A home painting project can be overwhelming, especially if you're a beginner. However, if you do the right prep work, the painting process doesn't have to be so intimidating. By following these steps, you'll set yourself up for clean paint lines and amazing results, no matter your skill level.

Your House and Building Financial Security

As we approach Memorial Day, give thanks for our soldiers who gave and are giving sacrificially for our freedom.

Look Before You Buy: Virtual Reality Comes to Home Improvement

You're about to shell out a significant amount of money to upgrade your house, and the choices make your head spin. Traditional asphalt or slate shingles? Summer blue or teardrop blue paint for the walls?

Picture Perfect Home Decorating Tips From a Pro

Decorating can be one of the most exciting times during your experience as a homeowner. Not only are you creating the essence of your home, you are also adding your very own personal touch and style.

Inspecting your Swimming Pool

With the varied availability of swimming pool equipment and designs, you have a lot to think about when it comes to safety. Whether you use different types of swimming pool liners, or think about purchasing a new swimming pool toy, there are a lot of pool inspection tips you should consider.

Seven Energy Conservation Tips to Help Homeowners Save Money

In an effort to help consumers in the Atlanta area combat high utility bills, RS Andrews provides this consumer awareness release to advise homeowners on seven ways that they can conserve energy to save money each summer.Tip Number One: Set the temperature on your thermostat a little higher.

Styles And Varieties Of Locking Mailboxes For Sale

Locking mailboxes made from durable, weatherproofmaterials are highly desirable due to the built in safetyfeatures and the long-lasting exterior. Your mail willarrive safely and be waiting for you upon your return whenyou purchase and install a locking mailbox on yourproperty.

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Single Pane Glass Repair in an Aluminum Frame, Part 2
This week we are going to continue our series on single pane window glass repair. Let's talk about broken glass in a fixed window, usually referred to as a picture window.

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Seven Energy Conservation Tips to Help Homeowners Save Money
In an effort to help consumers in the Atlanta area combat high utility bills, RS Andrews provides this consumer awareness release to advise homeowners on seven ways that they can conserve energy to save money each summer.Tip Number One: Set the temperature on your thermostat a little higher.

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Making a Pen with Your New Wood Lathe
So you just purchased a wood lathe but do not know what kind of project you should start out with. As soon as the right amount of skill is obtained, beautiful pieces of woodwork can be created with a wood lathe.

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Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter - Overlooked Sources of Heat Loss in the Home
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long - the heat loss, cold drafts, and wasted energy! Well if your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home!These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause your heat pour out and the cold outside air pour in - costing you higher heating bills, causing cold drafts, and wasting energy.Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home.

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Interconnects for Your Audio/Video System - Choosing The Proper Cables
Research & DevelopmentI began designing audio and video interconnect cables in 1988. I was asked to develop custom interconnects for discriminating audio and videophiles, who wanted to see and hear the quality of their components and the source material without added personality from their interconnects.

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Top Ten Remodeling Tips
My husband and I just completed our first remodel. It was a period renovation of a Victorian Gingerbread Craftsman.

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Ceiling Fans Look Great and Save You Money
It doesn't matter if you live in a hot climate or the North woods; there are many days when the breeze isn't blowing and you would like the air to circulate for comfort. Running central air conditioning is expensive and isn't always called for.

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Breaking Away from White Wall Paint
Paint is one of the most affordable and easiest ways to change a room. But choosing the right paint colors for your home can seem like an overwhelming task.

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Have You Considered Fluorescent Lighting for Your Home?
Many of us know that fluorescent lighting is common in work areas and schools. It is the long tubes that run in ceilings, right? Fluorescent lighting is more then just that.

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Chairs, Rocking Chairs and Other Comfortable Places To Park It!
A chair is one of the best inventions ever made. If you've been standing a long time what can appeal more to the eye than a comfortable chair.

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Physiological Response to Window Coverings
Nothing soothes the brain like Mother Nature, whose intrinsic scenery relaxes and refreshes us, consciously and subconsciously. Therefore, a view of nature should never be completely covered up during the day.

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You Say Jacuzzi and I Say Whirlpool
What's in a name? Whirlpool baths have been around forever, right? If it weren't for the Jacuzzi brothers in 1956, we wouldn't have the fantastic whirlpool baths of today. According to the Jacuzzi Company, the brothers invented the first pump that could be placed in a bathtub, circulating the water to aid arthritic aches and pains.

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Sliding Glass Door Replacement
This article is going to be about replacing an old sliding glass door with a modern Vinyl frame sliding glass door. If you currently have french doors and you want to replace them with sliding doors, or vise versa, future articles will cover that topic.

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Your Building Your Dream Home, But Where Do You Start?
You have finally found the perfect lot, in the neighborhood of your choice, and at a price you can afford. Now you have to decide what type of house you want built.

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Replacing Steel Casement Windows
I have been getting quite a few emails from homeowners wanting to know how to replace their old steel casement windows. Those are the type with the handle that you crank and the window opens outward.

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Using A Hardwood Floor Sander
Refinishing your hardwood floors yourself can be time consuming and a bit scary at first but well worth it in the long run. It can cost a bundle to hire a professional to refinish your floors for you, but if you have the time, you can do it yourself.

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Laminate Flooring - Cleaning & Maintenance
One of the biggest advantages of laminate floors is that they are made to look good for many years with a minimum of effort. Most laminates come with a 10 to 25 years residential warranty against staining, wearing and fading, depending on the brand.

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Outdoor Bars - Essential For Summer Entertaining
The trend for enhancing your patio is to create an outdoor kitchen area. Cooking and eating aren't the only things favored by these new ideas in outdoor living.

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Get Rid Of Air Pollution In Your Home With House Plants
Do you know that formaldehyde, a colorless, pungent-smelling gas can cause severe health effects to us? Sources of formaldehyde are:- environmental tobacco smoke and combustion sources (burning wood, kerosene and by automobiles) preservatives in some paints, cosmetics and coating finish used to coat paper products pressed wood products and furniture made with these pressed wood products certain insulation materials such as urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) and fiberglass insulation durable press drapes, other textiles, and glues. Wow! Looking at the list, there must be plenty of formaldehyde in our homes! The scary part is formaldehyde can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing when exposed at elevated levels.

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Where's the Care Label for my New Bedspread?
I love bedspreads, don't you? A comforter can be used for the winter months but the bedspread is brought out of the linen closet in the spring when it's warming up and the whole world is freshening and renewing itself outside. A bedspread is available in most any color, pattern or fabric and it can be one of the most expensive items you put in your bedroom.

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