How to Mitigate Damage From Sunlight Inside Your Home

Sunshine can brighten and warm your home, but it can also damage carpets, drapes and furniture. To keep your belongings from getting sun-faded, you may need to be careful with the timing of when you open your window coverings. Buying UV resistant fabrics and coverings can also help. Finally, adding tint the exterior of your windows can keep heat out and avoid sun damage indoors.

Window Treatments: Inside

There are window treatments you can add both inside and out to prevent excess sunlight from damaging your belongings. For example, from the inside out, you can add faux wooden blinds inside the window frame for nearly complete coverage when that part of your home is in full sun. You can find these blinds in either a manual format or an automated blind that you could open and close on a timer or with a remote.

Window Treatments: Outside

Add a retractable awning outside your window or your patio is an easy way to keep your house from getting too warm and protect your furniture, carpet and interior curtains. Again, timing is critical. Depending on where you live, morning light can be a nice way to warm up your space. To reduce the risk of interior damage if you need the eastern light, consider adding window tinting to those windows in particular. You can keep the window treatments open, collect light, warm up the east side of your house, and still avoid UV damage to your fabrics and fibers.

Fiber Choices

If you find that features of your home have faded over time due to sun exposure, keep an eye out for sun resistant fibers when you upgrade. For example, look for a low-nap carpet to replace any sun-damaged products. The longer the yarn fiber, the greater the expanse of material that can be damaged by the sun. Another option if you’re carpeting a room designed to soak up the sun, such as a four season room, is to use peel and stick carpet tiles that you can swap out if you do notice any sun-fading.

Letting the sun warm your home in the wintertime is actually the oldest form of solar power. However, allowing your windows to let in as much sun as possible can damage fibers, particularly older fabrics and rugs. To protect your home on hot days, the addition of window tinting can help your fight high utility bills.

Guest Post - 5 Top Innovation Trends in Real Estate

The real estate industry is vying to gain more grounds by making specific improvements in its operations. They are utilizing strategies and innovations that will take the industry to higher grounds. Investors are looking into the real estate industry as the innovations give prospects to the real estate business. Operations in the real estate industry are also becoming easier as these innovations are ensuring a top-notch delivery. Real estate experts are integrating these developments into their business processes, providing them with long-term success. Here are few innovations in the real estate industry;

Artificial Intelligence, AI

Artificial intelligence is one of the many innovation trends of the world. The world is moving into the phase of artificial intelligence, and so is the real estate industry. The real estate industry is integrating the use of AI to help in the business processes.

Artificial intelligence, AI, can solve logical and mathematical problems better than humans. The world is moving to a state where computers will take over more jobs performed by humans. The real estate industry is also phasing with the world and integrating artificial intelligence into its operations.

Artificial intelligence can be in physical forms like robots or invisible forms like software. They perform not only manual labor but also possess mental capabilities and have the capacity to learn. Artificial intelligence is a big opportunity for the real estate industry as it provides structural analysis, statistical analysis, and other computer-controlled operations.

3D Printed Buildings

3D printed buildings are one of the biggest and most prominent trends in the real estate industry. 3D printed buildings are built or printed by machines and little or no human help. Machines called 3D printers to use mechanical arms to create and build components of a building project.

The printer uses liquid plastics, cement, metals, and other needed materials for construction. It also uses a software program that gives the printer the dimension and other end product information. The integration of 3D-printed buildings in the real estate industry is one of the most remarkable innovation trends.

Although the 3D-printed buildings are not fully integrated into the real estate industry, they are already in the process—one of the largest 3D printed buildings in the Dubai municipality stands about 9.5 meters tall. The real estate industry anticipates this system’s complete integration to drive the industry to a greater height.

Internet Mode

The world understands the essence of the internet, so does the real estate industry. The internet has helped several industries in their improvement. Real estate agencies have taken to the internet to make their products easily accessed.

Real estate agencies are developing websites and web apps that make their operation easier and more convenient. Real estate also makes use of IoT to integrate the physical and virtual world into real estate processes. The global IoT sector has experienced rapid improvements from 2018 at $150 billion to 2025, exceeding $1.5 trillion.

The IoT will bring significant change to the real estate industry as it provides a world of smart properties. There has also been an increase in the IoT device globally, showing the integration of the internet world into the real estate industry.

Blockchain

The use of blockchain in the real estate industry is gaining more ground, the use of cryptocurrencies for payment is becoming more recognized. In the latter part of 2017, the use of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, etc., to buy homes became possible. The integration of blockchain technology into the real estate industry became one of the most significant innovation trends.

The use of blockchain technology has eradicated several real estate problems like fraud. The use of blockchain made payments and transactions easier and faster. The blockchain also provides real estate agencies with relevant property information and makes them easier to get.

Property Management Company

Property management companies are also integrating themselves into the same phase the real estate industry is moving. Real estate agents also need to have the technical know-how to handle the change in the industry. Several property management companies like MDSquared Property Group can distinguish themselves from others by their excellent work and ability to keep up with the real estate industry trends. Even homeowners want to hire the best NYC property management company to manage their property. Property management companies are also enjoying and utilizing the phase in the industry to build their career.

There are several innovations in the real estate industry. These innovations range from digitization to technology, artificial intelligence, etc. With these innovation trends, the real estate industry is on its path to a greater height.

Author Bio: Lena Linetti is an architect based in San Francisco.

Installing a Pool This Spring? 4 Design Ideas to Consider

You’ve made the decision to add a swimming pool. A pool will increase the value of your home or business in many ways. Here are four different design options to help you decide which pool is best.

Above Ground Pool

The first type of pool is the above ground pool. As its name suggests, it sits on top of the ground. On the pro side, this type of pool is less complicated and less costly to install. On the con side, above ground pools don’t always have the durability or overall visual appeal of a quality in-ground installation.

Types of In-Ground Pool Designs

The next and most diverse category of pool installation is the in-ground pool. There are three major types of in-ground swimming pools. Your new in-ground pool can have a flexible vinyl liner. It can also have a rigid fiberglass liner, or it can be constructed from concrete.

Frameless Glass Pool Fencing

As you decide which type of pool you want to install, it’s important to consider your fencing requirements. A professionally designed and installed fence gives you an unchallenged sense of safety and security while adding to the overall appeal of your entire pool area. There are many design choices when it comes to pool fencing. One of the most durable and beautiful is frameless glass pool fencing. This style of pool fencing provides you with excellent safety and security while allowing you to preserve and enjoy the unbroken design of your pool and surrounding landscape. Frameless glass pool fencing can also be designed to accommodate a wide variety of pool shapes and sizes.

Vinyl Liner Pool

An in-ground pool can be installed with a flexible vinyl liner. The main pro of the vinyl liner is the variety of designs available for the pool. The flexible vinyl can be constructed to fit almost any design. The con of the vinyl liner is durability. A vinyl liner can be torn, requiring repair. Also, any vinyl liner will eventually need to be replaced.

Fiberglass Liner Pool

An in-ground pool can also have a rigid fiberglass liner. The pros of a fiberglass liner are ease of cleaning and durability. The cons of the fiberglass lined pool are that it is generally more expensive than a vinyl lined pool and has fewer design options.

Cement Pool

The fourth style of pool design is the cement pool. This style of pool has the pros of being open to almost any design concept and also extremely durable. It has the cons of being more expensive to install and if needed, repaired.

So if you’re thinking of installing a pool this spring, consider these four different designs. Whichever design you choose, enjoy your beautiful addition to your home.

Household Items You Need To Replace

You might be surprised to learn that certain household items are less durable and permanent than you originally thought. We tend to think our home's windows, the fireplace, and even our furnace are invincible, but they can wear down and become less effective over time, leading to inefficiency, higher bills, and damage. To improve your home's safety and function, it's a good idea to look through this list of household items you need to replace and swap out any out-of-date fixtures and items in your home as necessary.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

We might not think much of our home's smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, but they're invaluable features. They're designed to keep us safe in case the unthinkable happens. A smoke detector will last up to ten years, and a carbon monoxide detector will last up to seven. Having a working smoke detector will increase your house fire survival chances by 50 percent, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Even if you don’t need to replace your detectors, you might want to inspect and replace their batteries on an annual basis.

Fire Extinguisher

Your fire extinguishers have a shelf life. A rechargeable fire extinguisher will last up to six years, and a disposable fire extinguisher will last up to twelve. You should check your fire extinguisher's pressure gauges monthly to ensure they're still charged or full, and recharge or replace them as necessary.

Baseboard Heater Cover

A well-designed and well-maintained baseboard cover can last you a lifetime, but less durable models might wear out sooner. On average, a baseboard cover will last around twenty years. When you're picking out a new cover, you'll want to pick out the right size and make sure to remove and replace the existing cover correctly.

Air Conditioner

Another household item you need to replace is your air conditioner. Your air conditioning unit will start to wear down over time, with the average unit lasting anywhere from eight to ten years. Regular maintenance can help prolong its lifespan, but eventually, you'll need to replace it. If you're experiencing humidity issues, temperature fluctuations, or excessive noise signals, the source could be an air conditioner that's on its last legs.

Windows

Depending on the manufacturer, vinyl windows can last twenty-five years or longer. If you notice minor leaks around the window, you can repair them with caulk or weather-stripping. A rotted frame or broken seal, on the other hand, are signs that you should have your windows replaced.