4 Reasons Why Your Heating and Cooling Won't Turn On

As a homeowner, very few issues are as frustrating as a broken heating and cooling system. Luckily, most HVAC issues can easily be taken care of as long as you catch them early on.

Tripped Circuit Breaker

Whenever an appliance is no longer working in your home, the first thing that you should do is double-check the circuit breaker. The breaker box is usually found on the side of a home, but yours could be located in a closet, garage, or patio. At the breaker box, there should be a single switch that runs to your HVAC system. If that switch is red, then the circuit breaker has been tripped and you will need to reset it.

Severely Clogged Air Filters

Many homeowners don’t realize that severely clogged air filters can actually result in a system malfunction. That is just one of the many reasons why you should regularly check and replace your home’s air filters. While every home is slightly different, most residential air filters need to be changed at least once every month or two. As an added bonus, regularly replacing your air filters will also improve your HVAC system’s efficiency, and that is going to lower your heating and cooling expenses.

Broken Thermostat

Even though most modern thermostats are very durable and will run smoothly for quite a few years, those devices aren’t going to last forever. At some point, your thermostat is going to break, and that is when you will need to call an air conditioning repair company. An experienced technician should be able to replace your thermostat in a matter of minutes. To further improve your home’s energy efficiency, you might want to speak with your HVAC technician about replacing your old thermostat with a “smart” thermostat.

Refrigerant Leak

In the vast majority of residential HVAC systems, the refrigerant is kept in a closed line. If that line ever leaks or appears to be damaged, then you must immediately contact an HVAC company for repairs. The refrigerant that is put in HVAC systems is highly toxic, and that is one repair that you never want to carry out on your own. Your technician should be able to patch the leak or completely replace the faulty part in a matter of hours.

While some of these issues will be annoying to deal with, they can typically be avoided with a little bit of maintenance. At least once or twice a year, you might want to consider hiring an HVAC technician who offers preventative maintenance services.

3 Easy Stress-free Ways to Build Your Dream Home

Owning a home is a significant milestone in life. However, before getting there, potential homeowners have to struggle with a critical question. Do you buy or build?

The latest population survey revealed that homeownership rates have risen to 65.3%. Building your dream home allows having a say in every step of the process. Unfortunately, it also comes with its fair share of challenges. Continue reading to know how you can stop the construction from causing you sleepless nights.

1. Get Your Finances in Order

Financing is the biggest headache when planning to build your home. According to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average cost of building a 2,776 square foot home is about $ 427,892. Unfortunately, not everyone has that kind of money just lying around. The good news is that this is just a minor setback. You can get financial assistance from lending institutions in the form of home loans.

Traditional mortgages are not an option when you are trying to build your own home. You will need to apply for construction loans. These attract higher interest due to the risks associated with construction. To secure this kind of loan, you must provide a detailed construction schedule along with quick estimates of the total costs. In addition to the plans, you also are ready with a 20%-25% down payment. On completion of the project, you take out another loan to repay the first one or refinance the loan into a permanent mortgage.

2. Choose a Contractor You Trust

Most of the stress associated with building a home is due to the fear of the unknown. You get some peace of mind when your contractor is trustworthy. Choose a company with experience and a proven track record. It is especially important because you will need to prove to your lender that you have a professional builder involved in the project.

Your contractor is required to draft a quotation. It is used by the lender to determine your qualifications for a loan. An inaccurate quote can make you miss out on the financing. To avoid hiring quacks, visit www.costcertified.com to find a certified contractor in your area.

3. Get involved

The best way to protect your investment is to get involved. You can do this without getting in the form of your contractor. The first way to do this is through site visitations. Make it a point to attend all construction meetings to get progress updates of your new home. You can be there during all milestones, such as framing and plumbing.

You are free to ask questions and bring up any issues while visiting the site. The second way to get involved is by staying in touch with the construction team. Request for progress reports at regular intervals to verify if the description matches what you saw at the construction site. Both site visits and reviewing progress reports will put your mind at ease for the duration of the project.

Final Thoughts

With proper financing and the right contractor, building your dream home can be a fun experience. Be prepared to get involved to make sure you get value for your money. Otherwise, building your home is a worthwhile investment.

Guest Post - How to make your laundry room stylish

People usually don’t pay much attention to designing a laundry room; perhaps because they don’t host parties there and it’s associated with somewhat daunting work. However, by considering the space for your laundry room, carefully thinking about the organization strategy and adding all the necessary things in an orderly manner, you can not only end up with a stylish laundry room but a highly practical, functional and efficient one. So, designing a laundry room has much more benefits than just an aesthetical appeal. You can turn any space, either small or big, an independent or a joint space into a fully-functional chic laundry room. You just need some creative ideas and perhaps a few DIY skills. For starters, take a look at some clever ways to create functional and stylish laundry rooms.

1. Designate an area for your laundry room

First of all, if you don’t already have a laundry room, you should find a suitable space for it. It can be a separate room, extra small, medium-size, or big – you can work with any space basically. Even if you don’t have a separate room, but you have a bigger bathroom, you can designate one part of it to be laundry space. It’s important to have all the measurements of the space on paper, as well as the measures of the washing machine and the dryer, being the bulkiest items there. This is essential as it will help you see if, where and how you can fit everything.

2. Save space by stacking up the washing machine and the dryer

If you’re dealing with extra small space, let’s say the width of a regular door, usual ceiling height and 1 to 1.5m depth, you might think it’s impossible to use up this space efficiently, for anything except for a storage room. This is where you’re wrong. Even in this space, you can fit a washing machine and a dryer, by stacking them up. Of course, you should purchase stackable models. It’s important to note that if you experience some issues with your machines, you should try to find washing machine parts or dryer parts and fix the problem before deciding to get new ones. It might turn out that it’s just a minor issue that can easily be fixed, being a more time and money-saving alternative. What’s more, you can even use the door to hang some racks that will hold washing and drying supplies. 

3. Think storage

Storage is the key component of every laundry room. The options are countless when it comes to smart storage options. You can use some wall shelves, floor shelves, retractable shelves, different kinds of rods and containers, baskets, drawer sets and many others. When considering all these numerous handy options, it’s essential to take into consideration the layout of your own laundry room and to choose them accordingly. In this way, you can keep all the necessities such as laundry detergent, fabric softener, color catcher sheets as well as laundry perfume and dryer sheets in easy hand reach. You can also store laundry baskets here. 

4. Consider installing a foldable tabletop ironing board

A suitable time-saving option for a laundry room would be installing a foldable tabletop ironing board. Of course, if your space allows you to do that. Remember to install it in the reach of an outlet. This built-in ironing board is a huge space saver as well. It is very practical and creates no mess. 

5. Add details for a more stylish appeal

Now that we have all the necessary features of a laundry room in the place, we should think about adding some decoration to make the room more appealing, stylish and fun. You can consider adding some greenery to liven up space. Many people opt for putting up different motivational posters. Some of the most popular ones include writings such as ‘wash, dry, fold, repeat’. You can also hang up some interesting paintings and add color by placing some accessories in bold colors. Adding an eye-catching backsplash or a rug can also be quite an effective stylish tool. Remember to go for one style and stick to it, in the same way, you do with other rooms around your house. 

These are just some basic tips to help you get started. You can get some more useful ideas online. It’s key to do thorough research and then decide what works for you by modifying some ideas if you’re unable to apply them as complete ones. 

Author Bio

Allan Wickerson is a passionate blog writer who is extremely keen on writing about health, lifestyle, home improvement, and technology. His exclusive hobby is surfing the net to find amazing articles that can inspire him with some fresh ideas for article writing. He loathes being a common person who wastes his time. Follow him on Twitter.

Guest Post - How to Fire-Proof Your Home

A house fire is a scary experience for everyone involved. You never expect a fire to destroy your home, but it’s better to prepare for a disaster than assume it will never happen. As average temperatures on Earth continue to rise, wildfires are becoming more prominent. Plus, even in cooler regions, arson could occur.

Fortunately, there are ways to keep your home and family safe from fires. Here are some tips on how to fire-proof your home to minimize the risk of damage and injuries.

1. Install Smoke Alarms

A cheap and easy defense system for fires is the smoke alarm. As soon as they sense smoke, they alert you to get out of your home. With advanced technology, there are even smart smoke alarms that will send an alert to you even if you’re not home.

Install smoke detectors in every room of your house for the best protection. Ensure you change the batteries once a year to ensure they function properly in case of a fire.

2. Add Fire-Resistant Windows

The typical glass window can easily crack or break with the intense heat from fires. Fire-resistant glass is an easy fix for that, especially when doubled-up. It can resist even the highest wildfire temperatures.

Without fireproof windows, you’re risking a wildfire spreading into your home. It’s a cost-effective option, as well.

3. Landscape to Stop Fires

Did you know that your landscaping could be putting you in danger of a house fire? If there’s a wildfire near your home, the first thing it’s going to reach is your landscaping. You can design your landscaping in a way that prevents a fire from reaching your home.

Make sure dry vegetation is cleared away. Additionally, instead of only having vegetation, opt for concrete or stone landscaping. You can also plant fire-resistant vegetation.

4. Purchase a Fire Extinguisher

A small fire can turn into an unmanageable one very quickly. Having and knowing how to use a fire extinguisher can be the difference between a little bit of fire damage and your whole house being consumed by fire.

Although there are various types of fire extinguishers, a Class A model should work for your home. They work on materials such as wood, cloth, paper, household items, and plastic.

5. Clean Your Chimney

If you have a chimney, regularly clean it. A chimney fire can be devastating for your home, and it’s easily preventable as long as you don’t let creosote build up in it. Creosote is impossible to avoid, but a chimney fire is definitely possible to avoid.

Schedule regular cleanings and maintenance on your chimney. It will allow your chimney to last longer and work as it’s supposed to. Plus, you won’t have to worry about a chimney fire.

6. Consider Fireproof Roofing

Living in a place where you are prone to wildfires can be risky, but there are other ways to fireproof your home to ensure safety. One of those ways is by replacing your roof with fireproof materials.

A roof replacement can be expensive, but it will be worth it for your safety. Common fireproof materials include metal tiles, slate tiles, and clay or concrete tiles.

7. Keep the Exterior Wet

On drier days, days when wildfire possibility is high, or when you know there is a wildfire coming towards your home, you can still keep your home safe. Sparks fly high, so if you have a hose, wet down your roof periodically to put out any sparks.

Additionally, if you have wood around your home anywhere, whether it be a wood pile or a wooden fence, wet it down as well. Make sure it is thoroughly soaked for the best prevention.

8. Exchange Your Doors

Wood doors won’t provide much protection against a raging fire. A fire can come through a wooden door in about 20 minutes. Exchange your doors for ones with a metal core for better fireproofing.

You can also exchange your garage doors. Most garage doors are plastic or wooden, which will burn quickly. Metal doors will provide more protection.

Prevention Is Key

By taking these precautions, you can better prevent a fire from destroying your home. If you live in a region prone to wildfires, consider taking extra precautions in an effort to save your home from fire damage.

Author bio: Rose Morrison is the managing editor of Renovated, where she offers advice on home renovation, maintenance, and organization.