Creating a Welcoming Entryway

We’ve all heard the saying that you only get one chance to make a first impression. As a person walks into your home, the entryway gives visitors a first impression of what the rest of your home is like. A well-designed entryway should create a warm, inviting atmosphere and set the tone for the rest of your home’s decor. But with so many different areas of your home to decorate, the entryway often gets treated as an afterthought. Or for many people, their entryway is so small, decorating it can be a challenge.

Livening up your entryway doesn’t have to be hard! Here are a few easy ways to help make your home’s entrance a little more inviting:

Hang It Up

One complaint many homeowners have about entryways is that they can seem like magnets for clutter. As people walk in, they’ll take off their coats, set down their bags, and leave their shoes behind, so it doesn’t take long for an entryway to start looking messy. Things like coat racks and wall-mounted hooks can be extremely helpful in keeping your entryway looking neat and tidy. If you don’t have much space to work with in your entryway, wall-mounted hooks can be particularly effective since they help keep clutter under control without taking up any of your floorspace.

Have a Seat

When a person walks into your home, there’s a good chance the first thing they’ll want to do is take off their shoes. Since not all shoes can easily be slipped off, it’s very helpful to have a place to sit down. A single chair will work just fine, but many people like to put benches in their entryways. Not only do they give people a place to sit down as they take off or put on their shoes, boots and shoes can easily be stored under a bench, keeping them from cluttering up the rest of the floor.

Rugs and Mats

Most people don’t intend to bring dirt, water, or mud inside with them as they come in the house, but it will inevitably happen, no matter how careful a person is. Having an absorbent mat with a rubberized bottom near your door will help prevent water, snow, and mud from getting tracked in through your house. If you have hardwood floors in your entryway, a mat like this will help prevent your floors from being damaged by moisture. Even if you don’t have hardwood floors, but do have floors that can be slippery, having a mat by your entryway will prevent people from slipping and falling.

While mats are more utilitarian, decorative rugs can serve a lot of purposes in an entryway. A long runner rug can help lead guests into your home. Rugs can also help to define your entryway as being its own distinct area, which is helpful if your home has an open floor plan and your entryway blends right into another area of your home.

Mirrors

One of the best things any entryway can have is a mirror. Before walking out the door, many people like to take one last look in the mirror before they leave, so having one in your home’s entryway is certainly something many people will appreciate. But if your entryway is pretty small or doesn’t have much lighting, mirrors are a great way to help make the space seem brighter, larger, and more open. Mirrors can also add a fantastic decorative touch!

How Vinyl Replacement Windows Compare to Wood Windows

When you’re looking for new replacement windows for your home, you might be surprised by just how many options are out there. Not only do windows come in a large variety of styles, you can get replacement windows in a variety of different materials. Wood windows have long been a favorite with homeowners who love the classic, traditional look. But over the years, vinyl replacement windows have become the top choice for homeowners. All types of window materials have their pros and cons, so how do vinyl windows compare to wood windows ?

Cost

The number one reason that so many choose vinyl for their new replacement windows is because they are so much more affordable than other types of windows. Wood windows, on the other hand, are one of the most expensive types of replacement windows on the market. The exact price of windows, no matter what type of window it is, varies depending on the size of the window and the manufacturer, but wood windows consistently cost considerably more than vinyl replacement windows.

Maintenance

A lot of people love the look of wood windows, but one of the biggest downsides that come with them is how much effort you have to put into taking care of them. Wood windows need to be scraped and painted or stained every now and then to protect the wood and prevent wood rot. When you paint window frames, you have to be very careful about how you paint them, otherwise the window can get stuck shut as the paint dries. If you end up with a small section of wood that has been damaged or started to rot, you’ll need to have that taken care of to prevent the damage from spreading.

Vinyl replacement windows require virtually no maintenance. You don’t need to paint them, so that’s one less chore for you to worry about. Since you don’t have to paint vinyl windows, you’ll never have to worry about them starting to peel or chip over time. If your vinyl windows start looking a little dirty, good old fashioned soap and water can help make them look as good as new again.

Appearance

Since so many people like wood windows because of the way they look, they can be quick to dismiss the idea of getting vinyl replacement windows because they think vinyl windows only come in two colors: white or beige. While you can absolutely get vinyl replacement windows with white or beige frames, those are hardly the only options available. Vinyl replacement windows can come in a variety of colors and faux wood finishes, so it is possible to get the look of wood windows, but without the expense or having to deal with the maintenance.

With their budget friendly prices and how little maintenance they require, it’s easy to see so many homeowners are choosing vinyl replacement windows!

Planning Your Garden? Avoid These 5 Plants!

Summer is almost here, which means it’s the time of year when gardening enthusiasts are hard at work planning out what they want to do with their yards this year. If you’ve been planting gardens at your home for years, you may have learned the hard way that certain plants can end up being more trouble than they’re worth. But if you’re just starting to take an interest in gardening, it can be easy to get carried away when you see a plant that looks really great without thinking about whether or not it could cause problems.

While there are many types of plants that can be safely planted in your yard without issue, there are several other types of plants that can end up causing a lot of headaches for homeowners. Sometimes, the roots can spread out further than the homeowner expected, causing them to pop up in places they never wanted them to. In other cases, a plant might grow extremely fast or be extremely difficult to truly get rid of after you’ve planted it. Save yourself some hassle. Here are five plants that aren’t so garden friendly.  

Kudzu

Kudzu is such a nuisance of a plant that it is actually banned in some areas. It can easily grow up to 12 inches per day and will grow over anything that gets in its way. If kudzu starts growing over a tree, it can actually kill the tree by preventing it from getting the sunlight it needs. Once kudzu starts growing, it can be extremely difficult to stop. Herbicides do work on kudzu, however, it can take years of repeated use for them to take effect. Kudzu actually is popular with some farmers because goats can graze on it, which keeps it under control. But unless you happen to have goats, it’s best to avoid kudzu at all costs.

English Ivy

We’ve all seen pictures of those charming-looking homes and buildings that have English ivy growing all over the walls. They look so distinguished and elegant, don’t they? However, English ivy can actually be extremely destructive if it’s allowed to climb up over walls or trees. If it grows over a wooden surface, the ivy will trap in moisture, which can cause wood rot. When it grows on a stone or brick wall, it can get in between the cracks between the stones, compromising its structural integrity. Worst of all, English ivy can be extremely difficult to kill and get rid of once you realize what a hassle it can be.

Bamboo

Many homeowners like the idea of adding some bamboo to their yard to give it a little bit of a more unique look. It looks great and it’s a pretty hardy plant, so what could be the problem? Bamboo’s underground rhizomes can spread very rapidly, so it can very easily take over your entire yard and possibly your neighbor’s yard if you’re not careful. To keep bamboo plants from spreading into areas where you don’t want them to be, you’ll need to plant them in a container made of either concrete or heavy plastic. Although some varieties of bamboo spread slower than others, it might be easier to just steer clear of bamboo all together.

Mint

Love the idea of having fresh mint to cook with or to add to drinks anytime you like? Don’t feel like you should necessarily steer clear of mint all together, but be very careful about how you plant it. The roots on mint plants have a tendency to grow very quickly, so you could very easily end up having a lot more mint than you really want. Mint has been known to spread even if you plant it in a buried pot, so play it safe and keep your mint plants in planters that stay above ground.

Wisteria

Wisteria can create some absolutely beautiful blossoms and can grow in areas that don’t get much direct sunlight, but it can cause a lot of problems. Chinese and Japanese varieties of wisteria highly invasive and can cause damage to your home and anything else they grow on, including trees. Wisteria vines will need to be pruned during the summer and winter to prevent the plant from damaging the plant’s supports.  If you really love the look of wisteria, American wisteria (sometimes called native wisteria) is less invasive than Chinese and Japanese varieties.

Great Ways to Use Your Tax Refund Around Your Home

Now that the deadline for filing your taxes has passed, you might be trying to think of ways to put your refund to good use. While some people like to use their tax refund to go on vacation, buy new electronic devices, or splurge on another big ticket luxury item, many people like to use their refunds to tackle some of those home improvement projects they’ve been wanting to take care of.

Using your tax refund to improve your home is one of the smartest ways to use it, especially if you’re considering selling your home in the near future. Not only can improving your home make it more comfortable and enjoyable to live in, certain improvements can help to add value to your home. Not all improvement projects have a high return on investment, so if you really want to boost your home’s value, you have to be careful to choose the right projects. Here are a few projects that can help you make the most of your tax refund!

New Steel Doors

If you’re considering selling a home, a new steel front door is a great way to give your home’s curb appeal an extra boost. According to the 2015 Remodeling Impact Report by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), new steel doors can recover 75% of the total cost of the project when the house is sold.

Not ready to sell? New steel doors are still an excellent investment. If it’s been a long time since your home got new exterior doors, they might be starting to look a bit worn or show signs of damage. Older doors are also likely not as energy efficient as newer doors are, so replacing your doors could help you save money on your energy bills.

Vinyl Replacement Windows

Vinyl replacement windows are another great way to spend your tax refund regardless if you’re planning on selling your home or staying put for a while longer. Older windows that are damaged or have outlived their useful life can really drive up your energy bills and make your home quite uncomfortable. The 2015 Remodeling Impact Report listed new vinyl replacement windows as being the second most appealing project to buyers, ranking only behind a new roof.

New Garage Door

Whether you’re looking for a way to make your home more appealing to potential buyers or you just want to change up the look of your home’s exterior, a new garage door can make a big difference. Best of all, replacing a garage door has consistently been a home improvement project that recoups a large percentage of its cost. In 2015, new garage doors had an average of an 87% return on investment.

Insulation

Anything that improves your home’s energy efficiency is a great way to spend your money. If your home could stand to use more insulation, an insulation upgrade will help bring down your home’s heating and cooling costs and make your home a lot more comfortable in general. Since so many homebuyers are looking for energy efficient features in homes, a home with plenty of insulation will definitely be very appealing!

Understanding Energy Efficient Window Terminology

When you start looking for new vinyl replacement windows for your home, you might think it will be a pretty simple task. After all, windows don’t seem like terribly complicated items. But if you’re specifically looking for energy efficient windows, some of the vocabulary associated with them can be a little overwhelming. We want to help take some of the guesswork out of buying your new energy efficient windows! Let us explain some of the terms that are very commonly used when talking about energy efficient windows.

Low-E/Low-Emissivity Glass

As the sun shines in through your window, some of the heat from the sun will naturally come in along with it. While getting a little extra heat without having to turn up the thermostat can be nice during the winter, it can also heat your home up on hot, sunny summer days. Low-E or low-emissivity glass windows have a very thin, barely visible metallic coating on them that works to reflect heat back to its source. During the summer, this would be toward the sun and during the winter, this would be the inside of your home. This way, the heat in your home stays in during the winter and your home stays cooler during the summer.

When heat from the sun can transfer into your home, the amount of heat that transfers through the window is called solar heat gain. If you’re looking for the most energy efficient windows, you’ll want ones with a low solar heat gain coefficient.

U-Factor

A window’s U-factor refers to the amount of heat that is conducted through a window. Unlike solar heat gain, a U-factor does not specifically deal with heat from the sun. The U-factor is the rate that heat is transferred from the inside of a home to the outside, so this would also apply to heat from your furnace. The lower a window’s U-factor, the more energy efficient it is.

R-Value

Since it’s very important that energy efficient windows don’t conduct heat very well, you’ll want to look for windows with a high R-value. A window’s R-value refers to how well it conducts heat and you’ll want windows with a high R-value.

Insulated Glass

When you have double or triple pane windows, there will be a small gap between each pane of glass. With insulated glass windows, this gap is filled with argon, an inert gas that insulates better than regular air, making the window more energy efficient.

Warm Edge Spacer

Have you ever touched your windows on a cold winter day and noticed that they felt colder along the edges ? Or maybe you’ve looked at them and noticed condensation on the glass along the edge. In some types of windows, panes of glass are separated by aluminum, which is a very conductive material. Warm edge spacers, on the other hand, are made of less conductive materials and prevent heat from being transferred along the outer edges of windows.