Secrets to a Spiffy Home Office

The home office is a centralized space used to serve all business doings. In order to properly get things done, it needs to be organized and furnished in the right way. Transforming a workspace into a personal dojo is no easy feat - but it is worth it in the long run. We examine why this is and lay down some key steps to re-purposing your office into a prosperous work environment.

Let There Be Light Nobody likes a cramped, stuffy room; bottom line, it’s uncomfortable. Unless you’re content with the cramped quarters of a basement, choose a room with windows to promote natural light and air flow. If you already have an established home office, but it lacks ventilation or enough sunlight, reach out to Wallside Windows to get a free in-home estimate and learn how we can help install custom-designed replacement windows in your office.

Privacy Is Key Have you ever tried reading in a room full of people talking? Re-reading the same sentence, getting interrupted every few paragraphs, and that dreaded feeling that you’re ultimately not getting anything done - it’s not exactly a good feeling. Mitigate the chance of noise disturbances by selecting an area of your home that is away from chatter and in a spot that you’re unlikely to be interrupted.

Gear Up Equip yourself with the tools, furniture, and technology you need to effectively do your work. The best bet for a desk is going with one on the larger size (that is if you can make it fit). With a larger surface space, you can space out your computer, important documents, and use a desk calendar so that all of your plans can be easily inputted and seen right in front of you. Additionally, you may want to consider a desk with drawers; this will allow easy, organized accessed all in one place. Lastly, outfitting the office with a comfortable reclining chair to occasionally read and take breaks is excellent for clearing your head.

The Subtle Yet Impactful Role of Atmosphere Atmosphere plays a subtle yet effective role in determining the feel of a room. Rooms painted with bright and vibrant colors, for instance, exude an exciting aesthetic. Conversely, those with earthy tones like neutral hues of green and beige facilitate a calmer tone. For your office, choose a color that naturally makes you comfortable and confident. Other types of decor like pictures, plants, and other visual elements of decor spur motivation and enthusiasm.

Space It Out It’s counterproductive to your well-being and productivity to be cooped up in a corner for long hours at a time. To avoid this, position your desk, furniture, and storage units in a layout that allows you to walk around and stretch out without having to leave the office.

Three Advantages of Allowing More Sunlight Into Your Home

Although many people love the sun simply for basking in its warm rays, there are many other advantages beyond the simple comfort of tanning. Listed below are three major benefits from incorporating the sun’s natural light into your home.

Enhanced Quality of Sleep Instead of opting for over-the-counter sleep medication and all its potentially risky side effects, there’s a natural, arguably just-as-effective alternative that’s right outside your window - the sun! Numerous studies have discovered that by exposing one’s self to natural light for roughly fifteen minutes to an hour (this varies on an individual basis), it realigns our natural circadian rhythms; this is related to our internal biological clock, which controls when it is time for our bodies to go to sleep. If we receive an insufficient amount of sunlight, the circadian rhythm could be altered and in turn disrupt our sleep cycles.

Heightened Mood Contact with sunlight naturally produces serotonin, which is a chemical in the brain that balances mood. A lack of serotonin may cause a slip into depression, mood swings, and reduced hunger. Stimulate the intake of serotonin in your home by installing new windows in places where people eat, converse, or lounge so that they can soak up that quality sun as often as possible.

Absorption of Vitamin D Within the sun’s rays exists rich amount of Vitamin D. Once its light meets human skin, the rich Vitamin D soaks into our system. By being exposed to sunlight and in turn receiving Vitamin D, the immune system grows stronger which in turn reduces the risk of many ailments. In addition, exposure to sunlight has been linked to decreased rates of melanoma, various cancers, and many other maladies while also pointing to increases in bone health and many other positive physiological effects.

Lower Blood Pressure Recent studies have found that increased exposure to sunlight leads to lower blood pressure. It is said that the increased intake of nitric oxide delivered from sunlight exposure subsequently lowers blood pressure. Though the research is hopeful, it’s still in its early stages and thus not totally confirmed in the medical field.

Sources: http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/how-sun-lowers-blood-pressure

What to Do Before and During a Power Outage

When the power goes out, it sends us a stark reality check that communicates just how severely we depend on it for everyday necessities. Without knowing how to handle the sudden loss of clean water, lighting, internet, and television - amongst other utilities - it can be quite devastating. To avoid a mini crisis or panic when a power outage strikes, follow these steps below.

Preparation Although the chance of power outages occurring may vary depending on where you live, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the time to prepare for them. To ready your home for a power outage, gather together food that your family can survive on for roughly one-to-three days (or more if it makes you comfortable). Gather non-perishable foods with long expiration dates, bottled water, batteries, flashlights, a radio, blankets, and anything else that will add to your health and comfort. Place these in a crate with a label entitled "power outage kit" so that it's easy to find and everything is stored in one place.

Boil Water When there’s an electrical outage, it adversely affects the cleanliness of home waters - so there’s a possibility that the running water will be contaminated. If your supply of bottled water and other packaged beverages runs out, boil your water as a preventive measure to eliminating harmful bacteria.

Proper Insulation In the event of a power outage during the winter, you will want to shut all doors and windows while also making sure to seal any open crevices; doing so will assist in conserving heat. Secondly, make sure to dress warm with as many layers as needed. To facilitate optimal insulation, make sure your current replacement windows are updated with features that cater to maximum home energy-efficiency such as low-e glass, a low U-factor, and double or triple glass panes.

Keep Food as Fresh as Possible A great deal of the food in our home refrigerators is perishable, meaning without proper storage temperature it will quickly become unsafe to eat. This goes for meats, yogurts, dairy products, condiments, and pretty much any good stored in the fridge or freezer. If a nearby neighbor or friend’s power is up and running, quickly transport your refrigerated foods to their fridge in order to keep the food properly stored. However, if this is not an option for you, eat this refrigerated food first (before it goes bad); be sure to conserve it as best you can while also remembering to open-and-shut the doors as quickly as possible to avoid the cold from escaping.

Regularly Check Power Status Every few hours or so, flip a light switch to check if the power is back on or not. This may sound like common sense, but it’s good to check so that you can get back to living with electricity as soon as possible.

How to Secure Your Home Before Leaving for Vacation

Though you’re probably giddy with excitement to rush out the door and begin your vacation, it’s important to not let this blind you from taking the time to fully lock up. Follow these preventive measures to ensure your house is protected during your time off.

Shut Off Electronic Appliances There’s no point to keeping energy-sucking appliances such as the television, laptop, or other electronics on when no is using them; unplug these to cut back on your energy bill. A popular exception to this, though, is scheduling lights to turn on at specific times of the day as an attempt to make it appear that someone is home and ward off potential burglars.

Contact the Post Office Though you may be taking a break from work, the post office hasn’t. While you’re away, your mail is likely to stockpile up and possibly overflow. To prevent important documents from being stolen, contact the postal office to hold off from delivering your mail so that you can pick it up later when you return.

Keep Windows Locked Reduce the threat of break-ins and interior damage from weather by locking up windows on all levels of your home. Also be sure to cover windows with drapes or blinds so people cannot peer in and look into your belongings. If unsure about the performance of your windows or if they need to be upgraded or not, consult a professional at Wallside to discuss your options for replacement windows.

Clean Up Finish laundry, vacuum, and put all goods and appliances in their proper places before leaving. This way, when you return, you can enjoy the remaining time of your vacation without being burdened by chores.

Help from Friends and Family Prior to leaving, ask a reliable friend or family member to check up on your home every couple of days. Especially if you are gone for a significantly long amount of time, it’s reassuring to know someone is checking up on your property for any signs of suspicious behavior. Also, for those with pets such as fish or hamsters, ask a friend to feed it as needed. With other pets that require a bit more attention - like dogs and cats - it’s better to have them temporarily relocated to a friend’s house so that they can be watched and fed.

What to Look Out for When Inspecting Your Windows

The quality of a home’s windows have a direct impact on a multitude of factors concerning the aesthetic, energy efficiency, and ventilation. Although windows are specifically built in such a way to last for years on end, with time there comes the need for replacement. Listed below are some of the most commonly found defects incurred by home windows.

Cracks in Window Panes After years of wear from weather damage and general usage, cracks in home windows are bound to happen. If your windows’ glass has suffered cracks or damages, simply call or message a crew member from Wallside Windows to set up a free in-home estimate to assess the damage. We will evaluate whether it should be fine without help, if it needs repair, or if it needs to be replaced. If the harm is sizable to the point it will negatively impact your home’s energy efficiency, we will provide you with the next steps to to properly handle the situation.

Air Leakages or Drafts Summer breezes are nice; cold drafts that seem to come out of nowhere, on the other hand, are not. These pesky nuisances not only leak out precious home-generated air conditioning, but also lead to significant drops in home energy efficiency. If you have recently noticed drafts and think you may need a new set of replacement windows, contact Wallside for assistance.

Frame Damages Wood window frames are known for becoming withered with mold, mildew, and insect infestations. These damages require either a whole new frame or just a minor repair. Windows with vinyl frames - which Wallside designs itself in its own factory - however, are largely resilient to rot and other damages that tend to inflict wood window frames.

Faulty Weather Stripping Weather stripping is used to insulate homes and control the temperature inside a home and defend against air leakages. With time, weather stripping withers and may need to be replaced. To find new weather stripping, visit your local hardware store and follow this guide to install it.

Sticky Track A properly functioning window should open and close with ease. When they don’t, it’s generally a result of a dirty window track that is probably filled with accumulations of filth and grime.