Home improvements spruce up your home this season

With a few simple improvements you can add character and curb appeal to your home at a reasonable price and make it the envy of the neighborhood. Tidy up perimeter landscaping. Collect and remove all weeds, loose leaves and litter from the property. Put up a fence or replace an old one in disrepair. Today's attractively priced vinyl fencing is one option that is easy to install, easy to care for and looks good for years. New styles and darker colors give you a wealth of options. Inspect your home's siding. Is it chipping, staining or rotting? Your siding may just need a power wash or it may need to be replaced. If it's the latter, talk with your local contractor about low-maintenance vinyl and fiber cement siding options. New styles, such as CertainTeed's Board and Batten vertical vinyl siding, mimic the look of traditional siding and come in a wide range of colors. Look at the roof. Asphalt shingles can last many years depending on the quality of the shingle, the slope of the roof and proper ventilation. To be sure your roof is in tip-top shape, use binoculars to look for missing, cracked, curling or decaying shingles. If any are spotted, it may be time to replace your roof. Consider asphalt shingles as new styles can add dimensional appeal to your home. They're long lasting and feature a Class A fire rating. Picture your home online. Home improvements are also home investments. If you want to see how your chosen fence, cladding, roofing or other selection fits on your house, go to certainteed picturemyhome to give your home a virtual makeover.

Vacuums the value of the wet vac

Vacuum cleaners were a wonderful invention, one that continually make house cleaning slightly less of the awful chore it is. With dust and debris, crumbs and spills dealt with quickly and easily, we can spend less time completing those tiresome jobs and more time having fun. We’re even free to make a mess as we go about our lives, because we know that clean up won’t take long. But what’s that – a liquid spill? Now that’s a whole other thing! When someone spills milk or soda on the floor, it’s time to rummage for a cloth somewhere. And what happens when you make a spill on the carpet? Well, that’s even more complicated, as you race to clean up before the liquid settles in. So much for that fun we were supposed to be having. But if you have a wet vacuum cleaner to hand, then cleaning up that spill won’t take long at all. Simply plug it in, and clean, and then you’re on your way again. There was a time when the wet vac was strictly for use in the workroom only – the characteristic shrill noise it made when cleaning didn’t really make you want to use it anywhere else! While it remains a useful garage tool, perfect for cleaning up those work-related messes, technological developments have helped make the wet vac perfect for your home use too. There are now a great variety of vacuum cleaners available that allow you to clean either wet or dry messes in an instant. House cleaning can be a wearisome chore, so this combination of cleaning abilities helps you get the job done just that little bit faster. And the incorporation of a number of useful features makes using your wet vacuum easier than ever before. Won’t the vacuum container fall over when it gets too full of liquid? Most wet vacuums are designed with this in mind, and are set upon wider wheels than its dry-clean only counterparts. Don’t worry about having to check the container to ensure it doesn’t overflow either – many wet vacuums have built in safety devices that will switch the motor off automatically once the container is full. It seems those wet vacuum manufacturers have thought of everything! So if cleaning house is not your favorite way to spend your free time, a wet vac might just be the choice for you. Getting two things done at once – what’s not to like?

Home warranty the 5 reasons you need to get one today

Wouldn’t it be nice if your life had a “reset” button? There aren’t many guarantees in life, so when you can get one… you should! And a home warranty policy can provide exactly that guarantee! What is a Home Warranty? After all, your home is the single largest investment you’ll ever make. Doesn’t it make sense to have home warranty protection that matches? That last thing you want to do is deal with the problems that occur when household systems break down and you have to repair or replace them. A home warranty protects homeowners against the costs associated with unexpected repairs or replacement of major household systems and appliances that may break down… even from normal wear and tear! And if something like your refrigerator or freezer breaks down, you may have insurance to cover the food inside, but it won’t cover the appliance. That’s where a home warranty is useful. A home warranty policy works. And what’s even better, it’s so simple! If a covered appliance or system in your home breaks down, it will be fixed or replaced with no hassles, no lengthy claims process, no thumbing through the yellow pages trying to find a reputable service provider. Why is a Home Warranty Beneficial? 1. It’s comprehensive: A home warranty plan provides coverage over the existing systems and appliances in your home, regardless of age, make or model. 2. It’s affordable: Home warranty protection protects your wallet against the high cost of home repairs or replacement that comes from normal wear and tear. 3. It’s always available: A plan through a reputable home warranty company gives you preferred customer access to screened, local service contractors 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. 4. It’s convenient: A home warranty policy gives you plenty of security because you know – in case of emergency – that a service contractor will respond within a few hours, even on weekends and holidays. 5. It’s easy for you: A home warranty plan gives you the peace of mind that if your home system or appliance cannot be fixed, they will be replaced with new item. Weigh those benefits against the cost of buying or repairing those same systems yourself. And don’t forget to add in the time and hassle you’ll experience by trying to schedule and manage the repairs or delivery. It’s time you can better spend… on just about anything else! As a home owner, you’ll enjoy the peace of mind that comes with a home warranty. But if you are selling a home, consider these added advantages: According to a recent poll, over three quarters of buyers rate a home warranty as one of the most important considerations when buying a home, behind location, design and financing options. And an international home warranty policy survey showed that people who sold their homes with a home warranty sold their house sooner and got more money! How Do I Find a Good Home Warranty Provider? If you Google "home warranties" you will find many providers and finding the right one is important. Here are some tips to help you. When you are looking for a home warranty company, be sure to find one that is focused on you, the consumer. After all, there are plenty of home warranty companies that “straddle the fence” and try to appeal to both the service contractors and the realtors who push their products. It’s much nicer to deal with a company that pays attention to its customers. How can you tell? Companies that do focus on the consumer will have valuable information on their website about the types of things you’ll find useful… even if it doesn’t have to do with home warranties. You’ll also want to find a home warranty company who offers 24/7/365 service. If you find a home warranty company who does, use them! If not, keep looking. You don’t want to make a late night phone call because of a broken furnace only to get a recording that says, “Please call back tomorrow morning.” As you search for a home warranty company, look for ones that make it easy on the consumer: for example, they should have one number for claims, online policy sign-ups, etc. You don’t have the time to be running around, trying to do all the legwork. The home warranty company should make it easy for you to sign-up. They’re in business to help you! Find a home warranty company that covers the systems and appliances in your home. Many companies offer a pre-packaged policy – which is okay – but additional coverage should at least be available for other appliances in your home, such as a pool or spa. Your policy should be guaranteed. If it’s not, find another company. Some companies will make sure that your satisfaction is guaranteed. Those are the companies that care about the consumers. Home warranties are excellent “just-in-case” policies to have. You’ll sleep better at night knowing that you are well taken care of should something happen to the systems and appliances you rely on every day. And having the right company protecting you will give you even more peace-of-mind to ensure that your home is a great place to live!

Home improvement rules to follow

Even though home improvement is pretty straightforward most of the time, it is important to carefully follow instructions in order to successfully complete a home improvement task. Many home improvement jobs take a lot of time to complete. This will be time well spent, since each home improvement or repair you make will increase your home’s value. Home improvement is clear-cut, but takes patience and requires that you follow instructions to the detail. It is imperative that you closely follow the instructions when repairing or remodeling. Written instructions will provide you with the steps to correctly complete the project and avoid problems. And make sure to keep any receipts for materials and tools you buy incase you need to return or exchange the merchandise. The first rule of home improvement is to learn as much as you can before starting a project. For example, if you are planning on hanging drywall in a room in your home, you need to know exactly what materials you will need, in addition to the steps used to complete the job. You will also need to know what about wallpaper, tiles, paint, or other materials to finish a wall job. Most any home improvement job will increase the value of your home. That is why it is important to be very methodical when you start a home improvement project; you should take notes, create files, and plan every step of the job. Budgeting and planning are two other important steps in any home improvement project. If you do not have a plan, you will likely spend more money than you need to, buy the wrong materials, take longer to complete the project, and make errors along the way. Depending on the type of home improvement project you are planning, it could be rather straightforward. However, some home improvement projects are easier than others. Ease of completion does not equal less cost, however. For wall improvement projects, paint, panel and tile are sometimes easier than wallpapering. Tiles come in multiple choices, including self-adhesive, or peel and stick. However, if you have damage to your walls, such as holes, you will require spackle and a few other materials to patch the area before finishing the walls. When repairing or remodeling a basement, the same rules apply and then some. Michigan and Kentucky basements are known to be the worst for home improvement, mostly because those areas are highly prone to flooding. Improvement or repair projects in basements often require special considerations for insulation, and can often cost more money and require a little more time to complete a job. Basements in newer home tend to have fewer problems, thanks to advances in construction. Making improvements or repairs in a bathroom requires a whole unique set of tools and knowledge. Dealing with plumbing and electrical issues are the trickiest parts of home improvement, because they often require a certain level of expertise, and even professionals have been known to make mistakes. That is why educating yourself before beginning a home improvement or repair project is imperative. A big rule to follow in home improvement is to clear whatever area you are working in completely before beginning the job. This will prevent accidents and things from getting damaged or destroyed. It is also imperative that you use safety equipment, such as dust masks, gloves, and goggles when doing any kind of home improvement or repair project.