Preparing Your House for Winter
November 11th, 2008
Now that fall is upon us there are a bunch of things that you should consider around your house to prepare for the winter months. Unless you happen to live in a warm climate there’s a good chance that you’ll need to ensure your house is ready for winter.
Items to check for:
- Eaves
- Cleaning up leaves
- Check your windows and doors
- Do you have the supplies you’ll need?(salt, shovels)
Why do it?
By maintaining your house you increase the longevity of the outside items - over time it’ll save you money on repairs and help maintain the value of your house.
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DIY vs Contractors
September 19th, 2008
Some projects can be done by anyone with some effort and practice and some should be done by pros. I would even go so far as to say that most projects can be done by yourself as long as you’re somewhat handy. With that said some just can’t be; Not Made of Money posted a great article where they point out 5 repairs that should be done by a professional.
This got me thinking - really when do you call a contractor to come in and do a project? Well there are a few times that come to mind:
- If the work involved requires specialized skills and knowledge
- When you’re not sure how to start or finish the project
- If there are a lot of unknowns
- Its a large job
Not Made of Money’s list is a great starting point for trying to figure if you should bring in a contractor or not. Choosing a contractor can be a daunting task at times but starting a project to find out you can’t complete it can be worse. You can save yourself a lot of money if you’re capable of doing the project yourself but if you don’t know what you’re doing you might end up costing yourself even more. When unsure ask questions, research and get advice before starting.
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How to Hire a Contractor
September 15th, 2008
Knowing that you need a contractor to do a job is one thing now comes the hard part: you need to find this contractor. Contractors come in all shapes and sizes from the really good ones to the ones that shouldn’t be handling tools. Personally I’ve been fairly lucky in my dealings with contractors, I’ve never had to fire one for incompetence nor have I had to fight with one over money or work done. Needless to say if you’re not careful hiring the wrong contractor can really make your life miserable.
Getting a professional to come in and do work in your house can really increase the value of your home and your enjoyment of it. Simplifying and updating a kitchen are things that most people would have difficulty completing themselves. Here are some ideas on how to find and hire a contractor:
Family and Friends - Ask your family and friends if they’ve ever used a contractor that they liked. They’ll be able to tell you their experiences right away. This can save you a lot of looking around not to mention the contractor is likely to want to do a good job so they can get more referrals
Real Estate Agents - I’ve had more quality contractors referred to me by my real estate agent than anyone else. First off it’s in their best interest to help you out and they’ll have heard if the contractor is good or not.
Sites and Shows - There are a ton of reality shows about house construction or upgrades. These shows often use contractors to help them out and they will say who helped them. You’re not guaranteed a good contractor but chances are pretty decent.
Phone Book - I’d go to this resource last mostly because you’re shooting in the dark. But when all else fails there will be people to help you out here.
Now that you’ve contacted a contractor and they’re quoting the job there are two things that you really need to remember to make sure you’re protected.
Check References - If you don’t know the contractor ask for their references and check them. If they give you a short list or ask why warning flags should be going up. If the person does good work they would want their previous customers to vouch for their work.
Get the quote in writing - Construction or upgrade projects are filled with unknowns and some contractors see this as an opportunity to take advantage of people. Make sure you get the quote in writing before any work begins. Again this is to cover yourself especially if you’re not familiar with the type of work the person is doing.
Good Luck with your project!
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Destroying Magazines to Declutter
September 10th, 2008
Magazines and newspapers can take up a great deal of space if you let them. There was a great post over at Productivity 501 where they suggested destroying your magazines. Personally I think this is a great idea - keep only the stories that you need and just get rid of everything else. I know this doesn’t work for everyone since people sometimes share magazines or want to keep them, but in general the practice can really help keep down the clutter of magazines.
When you get a new magazine go through it and tear out the stories that you want to read then get rid of the rest. Once you’ve read the stories you can decide if you want to keep them or get rid of them. Most of the time the information can be found online so you’re safe getting rid of the magazine. Keeping a few magazines isn’t a bad thing but when you have dozens of them littering your house you end up with clutter.
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6 Steps to Painting a Room
August 21st, 2008
When it comes down to it most people don’t like to paint it can be hard work when you make a mistake its there until you repaint. I’ve done a whole bunch of painting lately and I’ve gotten a system in place that makes it as painless as possible
- Plan out your project - Start off by figuring out everything that you need to do. This holds true with every project and its no less true here. When you plan out a painting job you’ll know everything you need and the steps you need to take.
- Prep the room - First off you need to make sure you can get at the walls easily and that they’re clean. If you’ve got any holes to patch do that first.
- Tape what needs to be taped - Use painters tape (it comes off easier). Tape the ceilings, baseboards, around windows and outlets and anything that needs to be taped.
- Paint the first coat - Start with the edging then paint with the roller
- Check to see if additional coats are needed - after the first coat you’ll know if you need to paint a second or third coat (repeat the painting as necessary)
- Remove the tape and put the room back in order
Overall painting a room shouldn’t be a big ordeal though many people make out to be one. If you plan ahead and prepare painting a room with 2 coats should take no more than a few hours including the wait time between coats. Wait a couple hours to remove the tape and guess what, you’re done. A simple way to improve your house!
A couple things to keep in mind - if you’re not sure about primers or what type of paint to use talk to your paint specialist. These people are around paint all the time and they know what you could expect. Their recommendations can save you lots of time (and energy).
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