On the Wire - Resolutions for Your Home
If you’re like most Americans now is the time you might be thinking about the changes you’d most like to make most for the New Year. Whether it’s losing weight, getting organized or making more money, your home can help you keep these New Year’s Resolutions. With a few simple changes around the house, you can expand your space, save money and make your home a healthier, better living environment. Here are a few tips for meeting your New Year’s resolutions through your number one investment, your home:
MAKE MORE MONEY – If you’re thinking about making some home improvements this year but worried about the expense, you might want to give top priority to those that can make you money when it comes time to sell your house. For example, Remodeling Online reports that even though the average deck addition costs $6,300, you’ll see a return on that investment of 104%. Plus, fixing up that tired bathroom can deliver an 89% return if the house is sold within one year from the time the work is completed. Even if your home improvement budget isn’t up for these big projects, smaller ones can also pay big dividends. Replacing kitchen appliances with ones that meet the new Department of Environmental Protection’s Energy Star rating can reduce utility expenses and help protect the environment. And, even something as small as replacing 25% of the incandescent light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescents can reduce total electric lighting costs by an amazing 50%.
STAY ON A BUDGET - The best way to keep your house from costing more next year to lower your energy usage. Even if your home is only three years old, you may not be up to standards when it comes to energy efficiency. Small fix ups like improving insulation, caulking around windows or sealing the gaps around outlets and light switches on exterior walls can dramatically reduce the cost to heat and cool your home. For a list of hundreds of great energy saving ideas, check out the US Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network web site. Here you’ll find great do-it-yourself energy saving tips for all areas of your home, as well as a shopping guide to help you choose the most efficient major appliances and a seasonal tip section that suggests the best improvement for each month of the year.
LOSE WEIGHT - If your house could go on a diet, cutting the fat would mean decluttering your rooms. Crowded spaces are hard to work in, hard to clean and can take way too much of your daily energy better put to more productive projects.
GET IN SHAPE - Lack of maintenance is the #1 cause of deterioration in homes today. Even if you have little time for home care, small maintenance jobs done now can save thousands of dollars later. Make a list of important maintenance jobs that need to be done each season. For example, in January it's too cold to work outside - so take this time to look over your plumbing system for leaks. More "inside jobs" for this time could include cleaning the dryer exhaust duct to prevent fires, or replacing the grease filter in your kitchen exhaust fan.
EAT BETTER - Since many Americans spend more waking hours in the kitchen than almost anywhere else in the house, fixing up your kitchen is a great way to make sure you’ll “eat better” in 2008. But most kitchen improvements are expensive right? Wrong! Cheap kitchen makeovers are possible and many are easy do-it-yourself projects. For starters, give your walls a facelift with new paint and a wallpaper border. And, before putting the paintbrush away, freshen up your dark cabinets with a bright complimentary color and add new hardware. Replacing countertops or flooring, as well as upgrading your faucet can also provide a quick and inexpensive facelift.
GET ORGANIZED - Soon it will be time to start organizing for last year’s tax returns. Before that, take some time to organize the records for your home. Start by gathering last year’s home improvement and maintenance expenses. Some of these expenses may be deductible, especially if you own rental property, or can reduce your tax burden when it comes time to sell. If you made appliance purchases this year, find the receipts and staple them to the inside back cover of your owner’s manual. This way you’ll know where they are in the event a warranty claim becomes necessary.
If you’re worried these New Year’s Resolutions might not last to the end of the month, don’t set yourself up for failure. Plan your improvements in small stages, especially if you’re doing them yourself. By breaking bigger jobs down into smaller parts, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment along the way and avoid becoming overwhelmed if your enthusiasm at the start of a job gets the best of you.
back to the top
Ask Tom & Leslie - Squeaks and Creaks
This week’s question comes to us from R. Burt, who asks, “What can I do about squeaky floors? My house is about 20 years old, built over a crawl space. The floor covering is vinyl in the kitchen and baths, and carpet over the sub-flooring in the rest of the house. The squeaking occurs in both the vinyl & carpeted areas; e. g., when I installed a new, heavier refrigerator in the kitchen I get a "groan" every time I step in front of the cabinets adjacent to the fridge. Another area is around the bed in the master bedroom. The underside of the floors in the crawl space is fully insulated”.
Of the hundreds of calls and emails we receive each week to our radio show, floors are the number one most asked about topic. Of those calls and emails, seeking the solution to a squeaking floor is a popular question. Floor squeaks are pretty common and can occur in homes that are brand new or very old.
Squeaks happen when loose floors move as you walk over them. While they are annoying, a squeak seldom means you have an underlying structural problem. The actual sound stems from one or a combination of two sources. Either loose floor boards are rubbing together or the nails that hold down the floor are squeaking as they move in and out of their holes. Fortunately, squeaks can be about as easy to fix as they are to find – if you know what to do. The solution to either scenario is to re-secure the floor to the floor joists (the beams to which the floors are nailed). Here’s what to do:
Carpeted Floors When it comes to fixing squeaks that are under carpet, the best solution is always to remove the carpet. Once it’s removed, use hardened drywall screws to hold the floor in place by driving one next to every nail in the floor. Screws never pull out so they are much better than nails. If removing wall to wall carpet is too much of a hassle for you to tackle, there’s a way that may allow you to fix the squeak from above. Using a stud finder, locate the floor joist beneath the carpet in the area of the squeak. Usually, joists run perpendicular to the front and back walls of a home so check in that direction first. Once you’ve located the joist, drive a 10d or 12d galvanized finish nail through the carpet, through the sub-floor and into the floor joist. You’ll probably need to do this in two or three places. Make sure to drive the nail in at a slight angle as this will help prevent the floor from getting loose again. Lastly, grab the carpet by the nap or pile and pull it up until the head of the finish nail passes through it. Hopefully, as the nails disappear through the carpet, so will the squeaks.
Hardwood Floors Fixing squeaking hardwood floors is a little trickier than fixing a carpeted floor, but the principles remain the same. Locate the area of the squeak and then use a stud-finder to locate the joists. Note that since the joists will be 1 to 1 ˝” under the hardwood floor, you’ll need to use a stud finder than has a “Deep Scan” feature to be sure you are in the right spot. Once you’ve identified the location, you can either screw down the loose area or re-nail it as suggested above with the carpet. In either case, you’ll need to pre-drill the floor. For screws, purchase a bit from your local home center or hardware store that includes a counter bore. This will leave a hole that is exactly 3/8” in diameter and the perfect size to fill with an easily available oak plug. If you are nailing the floor, use a drill bit that is slightly smaller in diameter than the finish nails you are using. This way, the nails will pass easily though the floor without bending or splitting floor boards.
Squeaking floors may be one of life’s little annoyances, but they are easily kept under control. However, if squeaks ever really get under your skin, remember the technical term they are sometimes referred to by: Charm!
back to the top
Got A Question About Your Money Pit?
You can do-it-yourself but you don't have to do-it-alone. Getting in touch with us is as easy as 1 - 2 or 3!
- The toll-free studio hot line is 1-888-MONEY PIT. Find out when we broadcast in your area by checking out our website at www.moneypit.com. Each week we take dozens of calls, give great advice and offer callers a chance to win a terrific prize awarded to one random caller to every show.
- Call when it's convenient for you, 24 hours a day, same number: 1-888-MONEY PIT. A live person takes your call 24/7! So -- WHENEVER you have a home improvement question -- phone it in. Simply tell our phone screener your first name, and where you're calling from...and ask your question. We’ll get back to you with the answer – or even call you back during the show!
- Click here to email your question to us. We may read your email on the air and we also respond personally to many of the email questions we get.
back to the top
On the Air - Curb Appeals Basics
Trying to sell your home? Does it lack curb appeal? Getting potential buyers to take a second look from the OUTSIDE is what will get them INSIDE. A great looking front entry can do that for you. Just changing your front door can add value to your home. Curb appeal basics, on the next Money Pit radio show. To find out where we broadcast in your area, or download our podcast, visit www.moneypit.com.
back to the top
Fun Fact - Energy Efficient President
He probably wasn’t aware of it, but Abe Lincoln was a pioneer in energy efficiency. Homes made from logs score big in R-value, a factor used in calculating energy efficiency. Walls made from logs contain millions of tiny air pockets which store cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter.
back to the top
Short Cuts - Funky Fridge
Is that funky smell coming from your fridge NOT last night’s leftovers? It could be food particles clogging the drain pan. To keep debris from clogging your refrigerator’s drain and settling in the drain pan, clean the system regularly. Start by removing the drain stopper, and use a pipe cleaner to push debris through the drain to the drain pan. Follow with a solution of soap, ammonia, and water, then empty and wash the pan.
back to the top
Share This Information With A Friend!
Simply forward this Email. And invite friends to register to receive this E-newsletter each week.If you would like to unsubscribe from our weekly newsletter, please refer to the unsubscribe directions at the bottom of this newsletter.
back to the top
Copyright 2008 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
|
