Tag Archives: home improvement

6 Products that Pay You Back

With a tiny investment, you can reap great savings rewards. Get a hold of the following products, frugally of course, and start saving now. Netflix or Hulu For just $8 a month, you can have access to hit television shows, movies, specials, sports, news and more. Compare that to $75-$300 a month for cable. Plus, with streaming, you can get your entertainment anywhere. You may already have everything you need to play streaming videos on your television. The Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and most Blu-ray players already offer a streaming feature. If you don’t currently own one of those … Continue reading →

Not So Extreme Home Makeover

If you have been following my blogs, you might be aware that I’m a big fan of decluttering and organizing while still maintaining a house that never seems to be far from clutter. Now to my defense (watch out, rationalizing here), I have three young children, a work at home career, a hardworking husband in the middle of a huge work project and a healthy sense of procrastination. But I still hate clutter and the feeling that there is no space. So why is it that in the past few weeks we have added three very large items to our … Continue reading →

Quick Ways to Boost the Value of Your Home

The news for reselling a home is pretty depressing. Sales of existing homes are at their lowest point since the 1996, and home values are dropping faster than ever. But sometimes you just need to sell your home, and there is nothing else to do. If you are in this situation, or if you just want to boost your home’s value for a possible refinance, there are some smart moves that you can make. While redoing the kitchens and bathrooms are always a plus, they are expensive and time consuming. Instead focus on some quick tips that will pay off. … Continue reading →

Increasing Your Door Strength

Whether you are concerned about high winds, fire or burglary, increasing the strength of your doors can be a real comfort to you. There are several things that you can do, depending on whether you are building a new home or retrofitting an existing home. Here are some things that you can do to increase your door strength. If you have a door that leads from your garage to the inside of your home, make sure that this is a fire door, capable of keeping out fire and smoke long enough to protect your family. Also, since many break ins … Continue reading →

How to Care for Your Roof

There is a reason that people talk about having “a roof over your head.” Roofs are one of the most important parts of a house. They keep you and your possessions safe and out of the elements. A problem with your roof could lead to problems through the rest of your house. Taking proper care of your roof is essential. Here are some things you need to know about how to care for your roof. Make sure that there is good ventilation in your eaves and attic. This can extend the life of your roof because there is a less … Continue reading →

Guide to Interior Doors for Your Home 2

How to choose interior doors should be given a lot more thought than it is in most people’s homes. Interior door choices can solve all sorts of problems from a noisy laundry room to a bathroom that is too small. In my previous post, I started talking about some of the different choices in interior doors and listing the pros and cons of each. Now, I’ll continue with the rest of the types. If you missed that earlier blog post, click here: Guide to Interior Doors for Your Home. Pocket Pocket doors are related to sliding doors in that they … Continue reading →

Guide to Interior Doors for Your Home

Interior doors can update your home and give it a new makeover, or solve a stubborn closet or laundry room problem. But not all interior doors are the same. Different designs and even different materials have different purposes. Here is a guide to tell you what you need to know about interior doors for your home. Let’s first take a look at the style of doors. The different types of interior doors include hinged, sliding, pocket, bi-fold and folding doors. Hinged or Hung A hinged interior is the classic door that most of us think about when we think of … Continue reading →

2009 Tax Credits for Home Improvement

Tax credits for energy efficient home improvement projects are back again. This is good news for many of us who have older homes that need some improvement. Of course, there are no tax credits for last year (2008), which means that the insulation we put in over the family room attic will not qualify. However, since we aren’t done yet with our energy efficient improvements, I am sure that we will be able to take advantage of this credit. The bill was signed into law on October 3, 2008 by President Bush. It provides for tax credits for energy efficient … Continue reading →

Clever Ideas Around the Home & Yard

Sometimes you have a problem around your home that can be fixed with just a little bit of ingenuity. How many times have we lived with an issue or paid for an expensive solution while wishing for something better? Well, most families are pretty smart and creative about coming up with great ideas. For example, in a previous blog I posted about How I heard that you could use your solar pathway lights for indoor lighting in the case of losing power. There is a magazine that we get called Living The Country Life. (livingthecountrylife.com). It is a magazine devoted … Continue reading →

Guide to Thermal Windows

One of the big projects on our home to do list is to replace our old windows with new thermal ones. Thermal windows help insulate your home and greatly lower your heating and cooling costs. Here is a guide to what thermal windows are and how you can choose among the various types. Thermal windows are also often called thermal replacement windows, because of the ease of using them to replace existing windows. Do you already have thermal windows? it is easy to check. Thermal windows are always double or triple paned. Regular windows consist of a single pane and … Continue reading →