4 Signs It's Time to Have Your HVAC System Serviced

As a homeowner, one of the things that you will need to stay comfortable is a functioning HVAC unit. With a HVAC unit that is working properly, you will be able to stay cool in the summer months and warm during the winter months. While most HVAC units work properly, there are times when you may have to get it serviced or replaced. Whenever you are looking to address any issues you have with your HVAC unit, it is important to hire a reputable HVAC contractor.

Utility Bills Keep Increasing

According to USA Today, one of the signs that you need to get your HVAC unit serviced is when the utility bill keeps rising. Whenever you are getting unexplained changes to your utility bills, it is possible that there is something wrong with the HVAC unit. Anytime your bill consistently goes up, you will want to contact a HVAC company to inspect your unit, make any necessary repairs or get it replaced.

Uneven Temperatures in Your Home

Another sign that you will want to look for when looking to get your HVAC unit serviced is when the temperatures in the home are not consistent. Throughout the home, the temperature on the thermostat should be the actual temperature in every area. If not, it is time to get it looked at. Whenever the temperatures in the home are uneven, there could be a defect with the unit and you should therefore get assistance from a HVAC company to help you find a way to address this issue.

Little to No Airflow

As well as there being uneven temperatures throughout the home, you will need to get your HVAC unit serviced if there is little to no airflow. Any HVAC unit that either has weak or no airflow is a sign that there is a potential defect. As a result, you should contact a HVAC company to find out more about how you can resolve this issue with your HVAC unit.

Your Last Tune Up Has Been Longer Than a Year

When owning a home, it is important to get your HVAC unit serviced at least once a year. If you have not gotten your HVAC unit tuned up in one year or longer, it is a good idea to get it serviced as soon as possible. Getting your HVAC unit serviced once a year will ensure that the unit is working properly and/or if there is anything that needs to get repaired or replaced.

It is important to make sure that your HVAC unit is working at all times. The best way to ensure that your unit is always working at its best is to look for signs that it needs to be serviced. These four signs are the things to look for to determine whether or not you need to get our unit serviced and complete any necessary repairs so that you can remain comfortable in your home at all times.

9 Clever Ways to Keep Your Tiny House Kitchen Organized

Tiny homes are making huge waves nowadays. From rustic to fairytale-like aesthetics, these houses are slowly sprouting here and there.

However small in size, this type of house doesn't mean it needs no cleaning. In reality, a scaled-down version of a traditional home has areas that are harder to tidy up.

Because the space is limited, there are restrictions when it comes to cleaning. Sometimes, you have to take your furniture out of the house before you can even start.

One of the most crucial spaces that need attention is the kitchen. Aside from the fact that this is where you prepare your food, it's also where you'll be most of the day. More so if it also serves as your dining and living area.

Take it from sanitation experts, Maid Sailors Cleaning Services Austin, TX. They believe that a clean, tidy kitchen is the happiest place to be in. We couldn't agree more.

To inspire you to get moving, here are nine clever ways to keep your tiny kitchen organized.

Clear Away Some of the Clutter

First, you should get rid of anything that does not spark joy.

You don't want any clutter to get in your way when you're about to make the meanest chicken pot pie in the world, or well at least in your world.

Start by going through each of the drawers in your kitchen. A high-level purge is exactly what you need when you want to clear away some of the clutter. There's no need for you to keep two pairs of everything when you can get by with one.

Once you see that all drawers are clear of mess, that's when the absolute satisfaction begins. The next step is to find other storage in the house to clean.

Prioritize Most-Used Kitchen Tools

Identify which of the kitchen tools you use most often. Once you're done, put them in the most accessible drawer so that you won't have to rearrange stuff all the time.

A tiny space means you have to be more creative on where you place your stuff. You don't want to constantly move things around so that you can reach items that are pushed back at the bottom of the drawer.

Whether they're ladles and spoons, or knives and scissors, you still have to be careful about where you put them. 

Invest in Useful Storage

When it comes to tiny houses, clever and functional storage spaces are ample. You can have a settee converted into a drawer where you keep your pots and pans.

Ensure you have storage for every item in your kitchen—knives, cups, plates, and holders included. That way, it's easier to identify where you put them and where exactly to get them when you need them.

Invest in such drawers or containers so you can give yourself plenty of room to move. Multi-functional items are helpful when you are a tiny homeowner. You may have a smaller space, but you have complete items around you—and that's one of the essential factors when owning a home.

Use the Tops of Your Cabinets

The space on top of your cabinets is a good spot for extra storage. You don't have to add another drawer for all your bulky items like pots or cookbooks. You can stash them above your existing cabinets, and you're good to go.

It's one organizational skill that you can use when living in a tiny house.

However, don't try to clutter it with non-essential stuff. It's not a pleasant sight, especially if you want to keep your tiny home looking all sparkly and exquisite all the time.

Consider a Fold-Down Table

Instead of a typical kitchen table, a fold-down version is your best bet. It works similar to a traditional table, but it respects the space that you have.

When not in use, you can easily fold and stow it away in one of your cabinets, so you can have the extra space to move around and go about your day.

Another upside is that it's also easier to clean. You can take it out, wash it down with water, and you can put it back without a sweat. There's no need for you to uninstall and reinstall all the time.

Besides, you can always choose to have al fresco dining right outside your tiny home when you feel like doing so.

Organize by Zones

Another organizing hack we swear by is when you do it by zones. Don't just stash and stack things just for the sake of organization. Try to be as strategic as possible.

If you don't know where to begin, you can arrange everything by function. For example, you can put everything edible on the right side and the tools on the left side. Whatever floats your boat, do it as long as they are neat and properly stored.

Make Use of Cabinet Shelf Risers

When you don't have the extra space, there's no need for you to add shelves. What you can do is to buy shelf risers instead. It gives your already existing cabinet an added layer where you can put other essential items.

There is no need to read manuals for installation; just put it on top of the cabinet, and you're ready to start organizing again. Easy as that. No need to exert extra effort.

Keep Counter Space Clear

When maintaining your tiny kitchen, always keep your counter space clear. It may be small, but it gives you the illusion that you have space even when it's limited.

When you're starting to notice that your kitchen countertop is filling up with clutter, remember its primary purpose—to prep meals. If it doesn't serve its primary purpose, build another storage space for the mess.

Hang Items on the Back of Cabinet Doors

The back of cabinet doors is also a great way to hang stuff. The fact that it's hidden most of the time is a great excuse to hang items that you don't want visitors to see, but you use often. It's a creative space to put potholders and washcloths.

Besides, it's a great use of space, especially when you have nowhere else to put them. You can mount racks or hooks behind cabinet doors, and you have an instant place to put other essential kitchen tools.

Your home may be tiny, but if well-kept, the feeling is much like living in a groomed mansion.

Used Vs. New Office Furniture: The Pros and Cons

There’s no debate about it, when it comes to purchasing things we need, everybody would go for what is brand new and there are good reasons for that. Brand new products are better, not damaged and you can always return it back if they happen to not work exactly as they were designed. However, they cost a lot and sometimes people just have to make do with second hand items. This is very common in the furniture world.

We are going to compare used and new office furniture, look at the reasons that lead people to get either of them as well as the benefits and limitations of choosing ol furniture over new and vice versa. If you are thinking of furnishing your office but are unsure on what to go with, stick around and learn a few tips along the way.

New Office Furniture

Any person starting their business for the first time is always consumed by the need to make an impression. This makes them go all out, at the expense of the budget, to go for brand new furniture pieces. This comes with its own mix of pros and cons as outlined below.

Pros

• Better Aesthetics: New office furniture looks better from all angles. Having never been used comes with a lot of benefits since everything is fresh and clean. From the paintwork, the upholstery, the framework and any other additions that make furniture functional. Having new furniture in the office elevates the profile of the office in a major way and this is exactly what you need when starting out; a strong image to win the confidence of your potential customers.

• Warranties: Buying new office furniture comes with warranties and other after sales services as you are buying it directly from the manufacturer. This gives you privileges  like the ability to return the furniture if it doesn’t fit your needs within a certain period. The furniture can also be replaced if it breaks way too soon due to mistakes that have nothing to do with you. In a nutshell, new furniture comes with follow ups and this protects your investment.

• Better Quality: New furniture is better quality and will last you much longer as it is completely unused. Every single part has been constructed with care using the best materials money can buy and all these add up towards determining what the final price will be. Quality furniture means that you and the people working under you use comfortable, durable and reliable pieces of furniture that don’t cause body aches.

• Flexible Payment Plans: You can get flexible payment plans when you buy brand new furniture by striking a deal with the manufacturer. What makes this worth it is the fact that you will be getting high quality pieces of furniture that will help you achieve what you want even as you continue making the payments. At times you may even get great discounts and offers that knock the price down.

• High Resale Value: Brand new furniture has high resale value. At some point you may feel the need to refinish the space with bigger and better furniture and you could kill two birds with a single stone by selling off what you were using, something that can only be possible if you were the first buyer. Depending on how well you have maintained them, you can fetch prices near what you bought them for and that’s an underrated achievement.

Cons

• Expensive: Furniture is not cheap and the more you need, the more you will have to spend. Depending on the quality of materials used, the cost could run into thousands of dollars and this is one of the reasons why people baulk away from going with brand new furniture and choose to go with used ones. The benefits are many in the long run, but the initial cost can be too much for new businesses.

• Longer Shipping: The time it takes to place an order to the furniture arriving at your door is very long. Most furniture makers don’t simply make furniture hoping someone will walk in and buy it, they depend on orders and this can take weeks and by the time it arrives, you may have lost valuable business. This means you have to make the order much earlier.

• Requires Professional Help: Setting up your office with brand new furniture will require the help of professionals in order to make use of the space available to the best of your abilities. This is extra labour and it rarely comes free. You eventually have to pay something from your pocket to get this done.

• It Arrives Disassembled: Most times, brand new furniture comes in their separate pieces and this is necessary to make their shipping much easier and faster. But this means you will have to handle the entire process of assembling everything from scratch. You can use a manual that comes along with the pieces but this can be a lot of work for those involved.

Used Office Furniture

Used furniture is what you go for when getting new furniture is beyond your budget, after all, setting up an office is not a cheap undertaking.  If you are stuck at this point and unsure on whether to go with used furniture or not, the following are the pros and cons that should help you make that decision.

Pros

• Affordable: Used furniture means it has been owned and used by another owner before you and this fact alone knocks the price down significantly. This allows you to save money and get functional pieces of furniture in return. On average, used furniture goes for less than half the initial price and you can even knock it down a little further if you know how to bargain.

• Always Ready: Used furniture doesn’t need weeks of construction or a prior order to be placed. It is ready for shipping at any time and this saves time. If you are running against the clock as far as opening an office is concerned, then you have to go for used furniture to speed things up a little. You can get your furniture shipped to you within hours from the moment you place the order.

• It is a Form of Recycling: By buying used furniture you are stopping them from ending up in a landfill. By repurposing used furniture for your establishment, you will continue using that piece of furniture for a little longer before it finally breaks down beyond use. On top of getting a better deal, you are keeping the environment cleaner.

• Antique Look: Sometimes you may be lucky enough to land used furniture with a very cool vintage design and this can transform your office from normal looking one into a classy and unique working space. This kind of vibe is what makes your customers feel good being around the office.

Cons

• Are Worn Out: Anything that has been used will always come with some form of damage or an appearance of being worn out. Functional as they may be, when you use a worn out piece of furniture for a space as serious as the office will give your establishment a bad look.

• Unpredictable: You never know what you may get when it comes to used furniture. The seller will try everything to complete the sale and this includes hiding important information about damaged parts or other issues. Finding out that the furniture you just bought is missing a leg or the upholstery has bugs is the last thing you want to deal with once you have already paid.

• No Warranties: Most times, used furniture is bought from individuals rather than manufacturers and there’s little that people can do to address your concerns once you have parted with your money. All they care about is getting the furniture off their hands and ocne that is done, you will not have access to them again and you will be forced to live with any fault that comes with the furniture.

Final Verdict

The choice to go with new or used office furniture is influenced by a lot of factors and each of them should be taken seriously if you hope to find furniture that fits your needs. If you do choose to go with brand new furniture then do due diligence and get the best value for your money and that will come in the form of Flexispot. 

We are the best office furniture makers around and we have all types of products from sit-stand desks like the Adjustable Standing Desk Pro Series, or standing desk converters like the EdgeRiser Standing Desk Converter or ergonomic chairs like the Soutien Ergonomic Office Chair to that you can get without breaking your bank. 

Feel free to check out our website and browse through our long list of office products that will  make your office more homey and refined.

How To Make Your Home Look Better Than Your Neighbors’

Whether you live in a neighborhood where all the houses look the same or one where people are constantly making huge upgrades to prove they have the best home on the block, you can stand out by making just a few tweaks. Of course, you want to know how to make your home look better than your neighbors’, but you don’t want to break the bank. Check out some of your options.

Showcase Your Entryway

Find ways to make your entryway stand out. When people look at the façade of your home, it’s the first thing they will see. Further, as guests arrive, the entrance is what greets them. You can upgrade your door, use lighting to illuminate the walkway, and install framing statues.

Upgrade to New Widow Styles

Basic windows don’t attract the eye, but if you install a bay or specialty window, it will stand out from the street. Beautiful windows look incredible from both inside and outside the home. The benefits of new windows go beyond aesthetics. You can improve the energy efficiency of your home as well.

Take Care of Your Lawn

The majority of your property is likely your lawn. You should take care of the grass to prevent bald spots and dry patches. A manicured lawn instantly improves the curb appeal of a home. While some spend hours in their yard watering, clipping, and mowing, you may benefit from an irrigation system that uses the right amount of water where it’s needed on your grass.

Plant a Unique Garden

Everyone who drives by your home will gawk when they see your exotic plants. Create a garden around the perimeter of your home or property that showcases unique plants that your neighbors don’t have. People will instantly recognize your home.

With impeccable lawn care, exotic plants, and new windows, you’ll make your home look better than your neighbors’. Focus on the entry of your home to impress everyone who sees it.