Water Sensors Can Save Your Home

Winter brings a lot of snow to many areas of the country, and when the snow starts melting, you need to be prepared. Along with the spring thaw, you may get spring rain which can add up to thousands of gallons of water very quickly. If any of this water manages to get in your home, it could be disastrous for you and your family. To protect your home, you will want to have water sensor alarms placed strategically in your home to alert you of any water.

The majority of people who are concerned about water invading their home have a water sensor alarm hooked up near the sump pump in the basement. If the water level rises above what the sump pump can handle, the water alarm will alert you of this. If you have a generator hooked up to operate your sump pump when the power goes out, you may also wish to have an alarm set up that will alert you if the generator stops working.

If you have a dry basement and do not have the need for a sump pump, you are still not clear of danger from water. Many people have discovered a crack in their basement wall after the crack had allowed water to get through and after the fact that all of the items they had stored in the basement were ruined. Placing water sensor alarms in different areas throughout your basement will alert you to any water that makes its way inside so you can prevent your belongings from getting ruined.

You may also wish to have water sensors installed in areas where your washing machine and hot water tank are. If either of these two appliances breaks, they could cause hundreds of gallons of water to leak out before you even notice. Even the smallest of leaks can cause major problems as it could easily turn into a mold issue.

A water sensor alarm may not be the answer for everything, but it can certainly decrease the chances of your home being damaged by water. The water sensor alarms can be installed and set up to alert you by either an actual alarm sound, text, or email. If you choose to have it installed and monitored by a home security company, you can have the company call you when an alert is received. Regardless of how you choose to set up your water sensor alarms, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing you’ll be able to prevent water from causing major, costly, and devastating problems.

Sewing Your Own Drapes or Curtains

Winter is a great time to make new drapery or curtains for the windows in your home. Curtains or draperies are essential for privacy and also help to keep out cold air. In many cases, making your own window coverings is less expensive than buying drapes or curtains at online or at brick-and-mortar stores. If you have extra-large windows, then it might seem like it’s impossible to buy ready-made window coverings. After you have new vinyl replacement windows installed in your home, you’ll definitely want to have attractive draperies or curtains to make your new windows look even better.

Borrow a Sewing Machine

Making new window coverings from fabric is not difficult, especially when you have a sewing machine, but you can also sew fabrics by hand. If you don’t have a sewing machine of your own, then check with friends or relatives to see if they have one you could borrow. Next, you need to measure windows correctly, using either a yardstick or tape measure. In addition to covering the window, you want to have additional fabric for seam allowances and hems along with above and below the window. If you plan to add ruffles to curtains or need tiebacks, then make sure to buy extra fabric to account for those additions.

Buy Your Fabric

When you are buying fabric, you need to determine how many yards are required, so use a calculator to convert inches to yards before going to the store. You must decide if you want lightweight curtains or more heavyweight draperies on your windows. The easiest types of draperies or curtains to sew are styles that have a pocket at the top so you can simply slide your curtain over the curtain rod. If you have a curtain rod that uses multiple hooks to attach the curtain to the rod, then you’ll need to buy a strip of canvas or another type of fabric that has holes in it that are reinforced with metal rings. This will be stitched to the tops of the curtains and will most likely be found in the sewing notions section of a fabric store. If you have a hard time finding this, or need help figuring out which type of fabric would work well for your curtains, a fabric store employee should be able to help point you in the right direction.

Hang Your New Curtains After bringing the fabric home, measure carefully to trim off any excess material and begin to sew panels together or create a pocket at the top and hem at the bottom. Just make sure your pocket is large enough to comfortably slide over your curtain rod. If you are planning on using curtain hooks, then don’t make a pocket at the top, but stitch on the canvas strip with reinforced holes instead. When you are using a sewing machine, you can make hems quickly, but it is also possible to stitch the hem by hand. After the draperies are finished, hang them and admire your hard work.

Tips for Saving Money When Cooking

If you are like many people, every month you look at your electric bill and wonder if there’s anything you could do to bring it down a little bit. You may have winterized your home, installed vinyl replacement windows, or invested money into insulating your garage to keep the cost down, only to discover your bill is still higher than what you’d like. One place you probably didn’t realize you were using so much electricity in is the kitchen. Most people cook every day and it does take a lot of electricity to make a nice meal. However, you can make some changes to keep your electric bill down:

Plan a Meal Marathon

Most people cook every day. If you spend an hour cooking each day, you are using approximately seven hours of electricity each week. However, if you plan one day a week to cook your meals for several days, you can save. Most stoves have two racks, which means you could potential cook more than one thing at a time. As it takes less energy to reheat a meal, you could save as much as three or more hours a week by planning your cooking in advance.

Use the Right Burners on Your Stovetop

A lot of people often find that using the front burners of their stovetop is simply habit. If you are using the front burner all of the time, chances are likely that you are wasting a lot of electricity. The front burner is often the largest and should only be used for large pots and pans. Smaller pots and pans should be placed on the smaller burners. Using larger burners will use more electricity.

Grill Throughout the Year

While many people put their grills away when cold weather arrives, they still crave barbecue. Even if the temperatures drop, you can still use your grill once a week to fulfill your craving and save money. You will, however, have to be careful. Do not attempt to grill your foods from inside your garage as it can create a risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Plan to grill on days when weather permits. If you want to lower your electric bill, reevaluating your cooking habits could help make a difference. Making just one small change in how you cook could add up to big changes!

Winter Home Improvement Projects

The winter can be a very dreary time of year. Between the shorter days, the colder weather, and having to spend a lot of their time indoors, many people start getting depressed this time of year. The good news is that winter home improvement projects can be a great way to help fight off the winter blues. Not only will they give you something to do, it’s also nice to be able to give your home a new look while you count down the days to warmer weather. Best of all, many of these projects can help add value to your home, something important to keep in mind if you’re considering selling your home in the near future.

Here are a few home improvement projects you may want to consider tackling this winter:

Add New Tile To Your Kitchen

Renovating your kitchen can cost hundreds of dollars. However, you can make a major change to your kitchen without spending a ton of money all at once. One project you may want to consider is adding new tile to your kitchen. There are several types of tile you can choose from, including natural stone and metal.

New tile can help emphasize the appliances and countertops in your kitchen and it’s a relatively simple process that can really make a drastic change in your kitchen’s appearance. However, it can be a rather time-consuming project. Don’t be tempted to cut corners. Remember to take the time to prep the area correctly and lay out a template properly.

Lighten Up Your Rooms

You can boost your mood and fight off the winter blues by adding more lights to your rooms. There are many types of lights you can choose from, but one type of light you may want to try is LED lights. LED lights can help you save money on your light bill because they are more energy efficient than many other types of lighting.

Replace Old Kitchen Appliances

If you have kitchen appliances that are old, then you may want to consider replacing them. New appliances will not only help make your kitchen look better, but they can also help you save money on your energy bill.

Work On Your Bathroom

Your bathroom is another good area of your home that you can work on improving during the winter months. Improving your bathroom doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, either. For example, replacing the toilet seat is inexpensive and it’s something that you can easily do yourself without having to hire someone else to do it for you. You may also want to consider replacing the flooring in your bathroom. You can add a small sheet of vinyl or vinyl tiles to the bathroom floor. This is relatively simple to do. In fact, in some cases, you may not even have to take up the old floor. You can simply place the new flooring over the old.

New Year's Resolutions for Your Home

With a new year comes the traditional promise of change and renewal. We all make our own resolutions at the start of each year to try to improve ourselves or something about our lives - but what about our homes? After the hectic holidays are finally behind you, you’ve got plenty of time and the perfect opportunity to sit down and really work out what you want to improve, replace, or renovate around your home for the coming year. If you’re considering some home improvements for the new year, we’ve got a few suggestions:

Simplify and De-Clutter

Clutter in a home can build up faster than you expect, especially around the holidays with all the guests coming and going and the sudden influx of gifts. Resolve to set some time aside this year to really go through your drawers, your kid’s clothes and toys, and anything else you’ve let pile up and get rid of everything you don’t feel like you actually need. Even if some of it is hard to say goodbye to - your mom really thought you’d love those ugly plates - you and your home will feel refreshed and recharged when you’re done.

Cut Back on Bills

This one might look a little daunting at first, but the long-term benefits will be more than worth it. Start by sitting down with your family and start setting down some ground rules about energy usage, like keeping the heater/air conditioners down and turning off lights when you’re done in a given room. From there, you should consider some home improvements to help increase energy efficiency and reduce your utility bills. New compact fluorescent bulbs, low-flow shower heads, energy efficient washing machines, and energy efficient replacement windows can all come together to help reduce your home’s energy usage - and with it, your bills!

Make A Plan To Get (And Keep) Your Home Clean

With these bigger tasks out of the way, all you need to do is to clean your home and keep it that way! Get the family together and work out a list of chores that everyone can stick to every day - loading the dishwasher, picking up kid’s toys, tidying up the dining room, and so on. Resolve to make a list of these chores and make sure everyone sticks with it - come next year when your home is already spic and span, you’ll be glad you did!