Exterior Repairs You Might Need to Make to Your Home Before Winter

As winter draws closer, make sure you can handle the dropping temperatures. Although winter brings about festivities, it also comes with heavy snow, strong winds, and ice. Therefore, make sure you can enjoy your home’s comfort and survive through the season.

Also, the last thing you need during spring is to recover from the winter damage. Before snuggling under the blanket during winter, it is vital to ensure your house is in the right condition. Take care of your home so it can protect you better. Before the onset of winter, handle some repairs around the house to avoid costly maintenance practices and replacements. Here are some exterior home repairs to prepare for winter and enjoy peace of mind.

Roof Repairs

The winter winds may be pretty ruthless, and you don’t need some missing shingles. Check on your roof for any signs of damage. Determine if there are any missing or broken shingles that would cause water or snow damage. Consider hiring roofing contractors to check on your roof and handle any necessary repairs. If you have a flat roof design, consider clearing any dust, debris, or vegetation that may clog your drains. Walk around the house to determine if there is extensive roof damage and plan on scheduling a repair. This way, you can ensure your roof is in proper condition to handle all the weight from snow buildup. Add ventilation or maintain roof temperature to prevent ice dams that would cause damage to your walls or ceiling.

Furnace Repair

You need to keep your indoor temperature at optimum levels and ensure it’s warm. Thus, it is imperative to keep your HVAC unit in running condition. Check on your outdoor furnace to maintain energy efficiency. Clean your furnace and repair any broken parts to keep your home properly heated. Have a professional check on your furnace and ensure all parts are clean from debris and plant material.

Gutter Repair

Ice dams can cause damage to your roof, insulations, and ceiling. Apart from maintaining your roof temperature, check on your gutter and ensure the drains work properly. Check for any loose gutters and fix them in place. Free your gutters from any dust, dirt, and plant materials that would cause water damage and ice dams. You can clean and repair the gutters or call a professional to do it.

Go through various parts of your home and check for any damage. Ensure your foundation is free from cracks that would damage your home’s integrity. Plan your budget, determine the repairs you handle yourself, and don’t ignore anything.

Demolishing Your Home? Here’s What You Need to Know First

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House demolition usually takes a couple of days to be fully done, but it can depend on the size of the building. But most of the work is done before the actual act of demolishing. 

Consultations

The first thing you want to do is to do a thorough inspection. After this is done, make sure to collect all of the required permits to go through with the project. The complexity and amount of permits required to undergo a demolition vary from the size of the demolition in question.

Experience of the Demolition Expert

Demolition is not a simple process and a lot of things can go wrong when doing it. This is why you should ask your demolition expert how many years has he been in the business. As well as the complexity of the projects he has previously undergone, reviews aren’t a bad place to start either. If you have a particular problematic roof, it would be good to know that the hired expert has experience handling it. 

The Question of Permits

In order to proceed with your project, you will be required Development Application (DA) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC) approval. For a consultation with the permits it is best to go to your local council, while a CDC can be attained via your demolition company. And you will be required to notify the neighboring properties of a demolition taking place next to them. You should notify them about seven days before the demolition process takes place.

Pay Attention to the Hidden Expenses

One of the traps with demolitions is that they will lure you in with the “all-inclusive” line, where they pay for everything. There will be a lot of potential hidden costs, so you have to be aware of this fact, as they can boost the price after the contract has been signed due to unforeseen elements. Some of these hidden expenses include:

    • Clearance paperwork

    • Temporary fencing

    • Sewer works

    • Asset protection permits

What are all the Services that the Demolition Company Will Provide?

Since you’ve read this far, you understand that there is more to a demolition process than just tearing the building down. The sheer scope of the services that the demolition company will provide should definitely come into question when deciding for which company to go for. Will the demolition company be liaising with your neighbors in order for no damage to be done to the surrounding properties? Will they be providing the permits necessary for the project? Will they be clearing the obstacles during the process? All of these things are points that you should be looking out for when hiring. Ideally, you don’t want to do your house demolition and then later pay for damage done to your neighbor’s property.

Disconnect Current Services

Before the demolition can commence, you need to disconnect any existing services (such as water, gas, and electricity). Contact your electricity company around 5-6 weeks before the demolition takes place. Do not forget to degas the air conditioner as well. The demolition company might help you out with fencing, disconnecting the power, and hiring a portable toilet.

Manual Labor

Manual demolition is the physical start of the process. This is done in order to remove the hazardous materials from the site, such as asbestos (which most houses will have). Asbestos is notable for killing over 5,000 workers a year in the UK, so it should be handled by the professionals. During this stage, recyclable materials can be salvaged for later use. 

The Machine Part of the Work

After all of the hazardous materials have been removed, it is time for the mechanical part of the demolition. Mechanical demolition is known for being the most cost-effective and the most efficient way to do home demolition. It is also the most common way of doing so. In this process, the house is removed by using John Deere excavators along with other heavy machinery. Then the resulting debris is transported to the closest waste management facility (provided you care about the environment, which you should!).

Cleanup

Once the entire process is complete it is time to clean up the remains. You will have to remove the remaining debris. This can be tricky at times so its best to ask your demolition company to assist you.

The Best Upgrades for Your Backyard Pool

Everyone loves a backyard pool during the warmer weather, as the water is perfect for a party or just a simple dip to cool off. Although a pool can be amazing, there are plenty of improvements that make maintenance and using a pool an easier experience. Here are some of the best upgrades for your backyard pool.

Pool Enclosure

The first and most drastic change is a pool enclosure, which transforms your exposed pool into a protected area. A pool enclosure still gives you access to the fresh air but also protects you and the pool from outdoor debris and pests. Pool enclosures make cleaning easy and provide a host of other benefits, and that’s not even accounting for the extra advantages of adding a solar screen. Therefore, a pool enclosure is one of the best upgrades for your backyard pool.

Pool Lights

Although most people use pools during the day, having a pool in your yard means you can also take nighttime dips. However, swimming in the dark is dangerous, and you should never do it. Try installing pool lights that brighten the water and make the pool safer for use at night.

Salt Water Chlorination

One issue a lot of people have with their pools is balancing the chemicals in the water for safety and the smell of chlorine that comes with proper pool care. Luckily, there’s a newer method that’s becoming popular: salt water chlorination. This method replaces your water with a special mix that’s safe for swimming, doesn’t have the smell of chlorine, and gives swimmers less eye irritation.

Auto-Filler

One major component of pool maintenance is keeping the water level at the right height, which is quite a hassle and requires constant attention. An auto-filler is a very useful tool that can sense when the water level is lower or higher than safe and put in or take out water as necessary. This can save your pool equipment from damage and prevent overfilling of the pool, which can cause floods.

These upgrades and devices can help keep your pool clean and increase how often you can use your pool. That’s what makes them so useful for anyone with an outdoor pool at home.

Ideas for Designing a Stylish and Comfortable Family Room

Your family spends a lot of time in the family room. There is no reason the lived-in spaces can’t be both functional and stylish. In fact, the more accommodating a style and design becomes, the more compelling the space becomes. Whether you go modern, formal, rustic or simply approachable in the idea of the room, there are great ideas to blend style and comfort in the family room.

Make It a Multipurpose Room

It makes sense to make the family room a multipurpose one. It can be made both grown-up and kid-friendly with sophistication using durable materials such as performance fabrics. With different zones and strategic layouts, you can also accommodate storage pieces. These are very useful in easily hiding eyesores and minimizing clutter when you are having guests over.

Utilize Color and Texture

Yes, it is most often advised to use neutral colors and build in layers, but there is nothing that says you can’t be bold. Color and texture can be used on the walls, in the window coverings, as accents on segments, such as a pitched ceiling or one wall. Even using colors like gold or black to highlight areas means it does not have to be a solid appearance. 

You can also add texture to the different elements in the room to create interest. This includes floor coverings, furnishings, and accessories such as throws and covers. Think outside the neutral box.

Choose the Right Couch

These days, sectionals offer far more than they first did. The beauty of a sectional couch is the built-in flexibility. Whether you maintain a sectional in its gathered form or split the pieces up around the room, you have more choices. With power reclining, a chaise, or a sleeper, you can instantly adapt the room with this one sectional couch to accommodate many desires. A sectional can fill the corner space and give you something to build from, occupy a single wall and leave more floor space, or split the room and mark different areas. The possibilities are wide open.

Accentuate Standout Features

Sometimes the standout feature, such as a showcase fireplace, seems to command the room. So, build from that. Use the showpiece as the focal point. Seating stemming from the best positions to enjoy the fireplace engenders social connection and thoughtful repose. You can impose a coffee table in the same way, and rather than use it to gather miscellaneous objects, fill it with a collection of pots and planters that both enhance and juxtapose the otherwise formal and traditional appearance.

Use Open Floor Plans

Open floor plans have grown in popularity, at least with builders. Without the walls and separations, there is more wide-open space to consider. This makes conjoining the living spaces easier. Where a kitchen and family room are nearly occupying the same space, what better way to make the most of the two most popular rooms in the house? Use your couch or sectional to designate the division while still enjoying the lighting and the style in both rooms as one combined living space.

Mastering design challenges is not impossible. Gather ideas as there is no shortage of them in books, magazines, and on the Internet. Take a look at your space when empty and then imagine the use of the space in unconventional ways. Keep all the members of your family and how they enjoy the space in mind. You may even find ways to keep your family more engaged in the process.