Can Siding Help Make Your Home More Energy Efficient?

Improving the energy efficiency of your home can take on many different forms, like installing vinyl replacement windows, adding more insulation to your attic, replacing your exterior doors, or getting a programmable thermostat, just to name a few. Since the siding on your home can last for several decades, especially if properly maintained, it’s generally not high on the list of projects homeowners consider if they’re looking for ways to make their home more energy efficient. But if it’s time to replace your home’s siding, are there energy efficient siding options available?

Cracked or damaged siding not only leaves your home more susceptible to weather damage, it also creates an opportunity for drafts to form. But believe it or not, although the siding on your home helps protect you from the elements, many of the most popular types of siding have a fairly low R-value, which means they don’t offer the highest insulation value by themselves. Instead, most of the insulation value in your home’s walls comes from the insulation in your walls and any extra insulation underneath the siding. However, some types of siding are more energy efficient than others. For example, wood shingles have an R-value of 0.87 and aluminum or vinyl siding has an R-value of 0.61, but fiber cement siding only offers a 0.37 R-value.

While many of the most common types of home siding aren’t particularly good insulators, there are also insulated siding options available which are much better. Insulated vinyl, aluminum, or steel siding comes with a layer of rigid foam insulation attached to it and typically has an R-value of 3 or 4, so it is indeed a much better insulator than regular aluminum or vinyl siding.

Regardless of which type of siding you choose for your home, another way to make the exterior of your home more energy efficient is by having a house wrap installed underneath the siding. Since a house wrap offers another barrier between your home and the elements, it can help improve the energy efficiency of your walls by an R-value of 2.

5 Alternative Window Dressings

Are you looking to add a little flavor to your home or getting ready to put your house on the market? Something to consider is the windows, whether they are new replacement windows or original antiques. Are your window treatments doing their part to brighten up your place? Maybe you could add something different that will diffuse light and a give a fresh feel to a room? Here are five ideas for window treatments that aren’t traditional blinds or drapes:

Shelves

Combining aesthetics with function, this little trick will offer so many uses and serve the main function of allowing privacy and filtering the light that comes into your house. In a kitchen setting, this is an excellent space for glasses to be stored. The sunlight gets a little extra tone as it passes through the glasses and into the room. Also, it is an ideal spot for an arrangement of plants, especially ones that need a lot of sunlight.

Stained Glass

Purchase several rolls of different color contact paper and cut out some geometric shapes. Then arrange the shapes in a pattern or a more random display to allow light to pass through the window, but still obscure the view from the outside. Of course, the colors that cascade into the room is a lovely way to dress up the room.   

Painted Trim

Vibrant colors added to the window frame can really add an accent to a room that it lacked before. This works particularly well with windows that aren’t intended to be covered. A bright color enhances the light as it passes through the window pane and brings visual interest to the room.

Beads

Beaded curtains are a great way to add color and privacy to a room. Usually found in assorted colors, beaded curtains can add an eccentric feel to a room while still obscuring the outside view and filtering incoming light.

Thrift Store Finds

If you enjoy flea market and resale shop treasures, but don’t always know what to do with them, a DIY valance may be the answer. Whether it is a unique carved bit of wood, like a frieze or a vintage sign, these can be fastened to the top of the window well blocking the light from above and still allowing ample light to permeate into your room.

Whatever it is that you want to do to spice up your windows, there are a lot of options for you to choose from. They don’t always have to be the traditional options, you can adapt so many things to dress up your windows, adding personality with simple, inexpensive methods.  

Don’t Overlook Your Floor: Affordable Ways to Have Nice Looking Floors

The first thing most people notice when buying a house is the floor. If you are selling your house, you may want give your floors a makeover to entice buyers and possibly raise your home’s value. If you have carpet and it needs replacing, you may want to see what options there are for other flooring. Hardwood is a heavily sought out type of flooring for prospective home buyers, but it is not cheap. If this is the case for you, there are more affordable alternatives to installing new hardwood flooring.

Refinish Your Floors

If you already have hardwood flooring, but it’s seen better days, refinishing your floors is definitely a great solution. Floor sanders are available to rent at your local hardware store. If you choose to refinish the floors yourself, be sure to sand evenly across the whole surface, because once you go too deep, there is no going back. After sanding the floor, do an extremely detailed cleaning of the floor to remove any dust before applying the polyurethane.   

Paint Your Floor

If your floor is full of deep gouges and other imperfections, painting your floor may be easier, cheaper, and improve its appearance. There is a lot of room for customizing with designs and color patterns.

Vinyl Flooring

For areas that are subjected to moisture like, bathrooms, mudrooms, and kitchen areas, it may be wise to add vinyl flooring. It is easy to apply, clean, and affordable. You can get creative with alternating color tiles or just keep it all one color. The prep time is minimal and if done well, it will last a long time.

Plywood Flooring

This seems to be all the rage in the DIY community and for good reason. There are a couple different ways to do this. Some homeowners choose to cut the plywood into slats that resemble country-style slats (about 8” - 12”), or in other cases, people cut the boards into squares. After you glue and nail the boards down, finish it with polyurethane or paint.

Taking the time to upgrade your floor will make a huge impact on your house whether you are looking to sell it or if you plan on living there for a long time to come.  

Tricks for Making Small Windows Look Bigger

Windows make a very big impact on a room’s appearance, so it can be really frustrating to have a room with windows that aren’t as large as you’d like them to be. Not only does it mean you’re getting less natural light in that room, it can interfere with your room’s decor. But with careful decorating, you can make windows look larger than they actually are. 

If you want to make small windows look bigger, window treatments can make a big difference. Careful curtain placement is a very effective way to tricking the mind into thinking a window is larger than it actually is. Remember that your curtain rod doesn’t have to be the exact same width as your window. If you want a window to look wider, use a curtain that’s 60-80 percent wider than your window frame and let the curtains extend past the width of the window. When you open the curtains, don’t open them past the edge of the window and it will look the curtain is covering more sections of a larger window.

Windows too short? Hang long curtains close to the ceiling to create the illusion of taller windows. In this case, you’ll want to place your curtain rod about two inches underneath your ceiling molding. If you don’t like having the gap between the top of your curtain and the ceiling, you can always add a valance or cornice board to fill it in and create a more finished look.

Choosing curtains with the right type of fabric is also very important. Since dark colors tend to make spaces look smaller, light-colored curtains will help make windows look larger. You can also look for curtains with patterns to either make windows look taller or wider. Use curtains with horizontal patterns to widen a window and ones with horizontal patterns to make them look longer.

Outside of window treatments, many decorators use strategically-placed mirrors to change the perception of a window’s size. Since mirrors reflect light, placing a mirror beneath or across from a window reflects the sunlight that comes into the room, making it feel like you’re getting more light than you really are.

Last, but certainly not least, consider changing the color of your window frame. While many homeowners like to paint the trim around the window in a color that contrasts from the walls, painting it the same color as your wall can create the impression of a larger window. Since the frame would blend into the rest of the wall, you wouldn’t have that defined area calling attention to the size of the window.

4 Creative Ways to Give Your Stairs a Makeover

Stairs can be a major focal point of the home. Not only do you see them every single day, if your staircase is right by an entrance, they’re one of the first things visitors see when they come over. After a while, they might start to look a bit worn out or maybe you’re just starting to get tired of the way they look. Most people don’t have the budget to completely knock out their existing staircase and build a new one, but there are plenty of ways you can give your stairs a whole new look.

A New Handrail

A new handrail is a great way to completely transform any staircase. The railing on your stairs can be a great accent for your home’s style. Wood rails have a very classic look and can be stained or painted to suit any color of decor. If your If your home has a more unique, offbeat style, check flea markets and antique shops to look for a salvaged vintage rail. For homes with a very modern edge, maybe a railing with a glass railguard would be just what you’re looking for.

A Fresh Coat of Paint

Paint can really do a lot to completely transform a space and a staircase is no exception. Black and white stairs are a popular choice for a very classic and refined look, but they’re also a opportunity to add color to your home. Is there a color that would look great as an accent color against the walls? If you really want to keep your options open, chalkboard paint is a popular choice for stair risers since it gives people the chance to have fun with their stairs. Or maybe you could paint a runner onto your stairs instead of using carpet. The possibilities are endless.

Wallpaper or Stencils

Your stairs certainly don’t have to be limited to being a solid color. Many homeowners use pieces of wallpaper on the risers of their stairs to add a vibrant pattern to the space in a way that isn’t overwhelming. Instead of using wallpaper for a strong pattern, you can also use a textured wallpaper to create a subtle but memorable appearance. This blog post from Amassing Cents shows an excellent use of textured wallpaper on stairs.

If you like the idea of having a pattern on your stair risers, but don’t like the idea of using wallpaper, see if you can find some stencils so you can create the same look using paint.

Molding and Wainscoting

Instead of changing the stairs themselves, why not consider changing the wall by the stairs? Applying things like wainscoting and molding the the wall add visual interest and create a more polished-looking architectural touch. If you’re thinking of putting your home on the market soon, those sorts of touches could really impress a person who’s considering buying your home.