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Home Improvement Tips for Summer

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Our home is probably the biggest purchase we will ever make and it is important for home owners to protect that investment with careful home maintenance.

Over the summer is the perfect time to check our home for needed maintenance and repairs.

summer home improvement

Consider these areas of your home:

  1. Siding: Siding is not just cosmetic! Quality, well maintained siding protects the underlying structure of your home, so it is essential to have siding repaired as soon as the need arises. Insulated siding also closes off air flow and increases your home’s energy efficiency.
  2. Heating, Ventilating and Cooling Systems: It is considered a good practise to have a HVAC professional examine your systems yearly to ensure that they are running at optimal levels. Also, bear in mind that an air conditioning unit that is ten or fifteen years old is probably costing you more than it would to replace it. Investing in a new unit will help you reduce your energy costs.
  3. Roof: Your roof takes a lot of wear and tear each year from the passing seasons, so have your roof inspected when it is warm and have any repairs carried out before the weather turns cold once more. Replace damaged or missing shingles, flashing or any other areas of damage. Clear your gutters of debris to ensure that you don’t have flooding issues.
  4. Windows: Energy efficient windows make a huge difference in heating and cooling costs. Select double or triple panes windows that have argon or a similar gas between the panes. Check for a warranty and references before choosing a window installer.
  5. Draughts: Windows are not the only way that draughts can get into a home. Check that doors are correctly hung and that insulation is sufficient. Replace insulation, repair cracks in the mortar or brickwork and foundations. Cracks allow not only air leaks, but water and insects to gain access to your home. Draughts also reduce indoor air quality and can cause difficulties for children, elderly and sufferers of allergies or asthma.

Take advantage of the warm weather and longer daylight hours of summer to give your home a health check and bring it back up to standard, protecting your investment, health and lifestyle.

Energy Efficient Windows

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Windows add light and character to our homes, yet they can also create a huge drain on energy if they are not carefully selected and installed.

Installing energy efficient glazing is the best answer and will repay the initial outlay over just a few years, but if finances are tight then there are some simple steps that can be taken to improve energy efficiency and save money until new glazing is an option.

Add storm windows, caulk and weather strip to reduce air leaks and use drapes to reduce heat loss in the window and to stop heat gain in the summer.

When considering windows, minimise the number of windows on the east, west and north facing walls while still allowing for adequate natural lighting. Windows on the south facing wall should have a solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of greater than 0.6 to maximise energy efficiency.

energy efficient window

The aim is to maximise heat gain in the winter and minimise it in the summer, so bear in mind the number and size of your windows to ensure that your energy usage is maximised. Low emissivity glazing can help control solar heat gain in heating dominated areas.

Similarly, major glazing areas should generally face south to collect solar heat when the sun is low in the sky in winter, while during the summer overhead overhangs and other shading devices will help prevent excessive heat gain.

A coated glazing will help reduce energy costs by controlling heat transfer. A virtually invisible coating of metal or metallic oxide saves energy costs as does a tinted glass which reflects light in summer and absorbs in winter.

Also, take into consideration how your windows open as some styles have lower air leakage rates than others.

Awning style, were the window is hinged and the top and opens outwards has a lower leakage than sliding windows due to the sash pressing against the frame. Hopper windows, hinged at the bottom and that open inwards also have lower leakage rates. Casement windows are hinged at the side and also have a lower leakage rate.

Fixed panes, when fitted properly, have zero leakage but are not desirable in areas where ventilation is required. Single and double hung and sliding sashes that slide vertically or horizontally have a higher air leakage rate than hinged windows.

Tips for Keeping Your Bedroom Cool this Summer

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To keep your home cool for the summer is often quite the challenge. But the bedroom is generally the most important because you want to enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep. For all the rooms in the home, the bedroom is generally number one when it comes to being cool and comfortable.

What follows are a few simple tips for keeping this room in your home cool. Many of these suggestions are quite practical and limited in cost so you can put them in your budget.

Use a Fan: Fans can cool a room considerably at night. Plus, even a light breeze can make the room seem much cooler. For those who many not like having the air blown across the bed, you can put the fan in the window to better circulate the air in the room. Most standard fans will work and cost very little money or you can install and overhead fan that can help reduce the electricity bill as well.

Close the Shades: Only open the shades during the hottest part of the day so that the heat buildup will not be so great. You can also install solar window shades that will reduce the heat coming in from the outside of the home as well. The combination will greatly reduce the heat buildup and you can open the windows at night to let the cooler, fresh air inside.

Pillow in the Freezer: This is a neat trick where you put a small pillow in the freezer for an hour. Be sure to wrap the pillow in a plastic shopping bag to keep ice from forming. The pillow will stay cool for a while as you drift off to sleep.

white bedroom

Decorate with Cool Colors: Your bedroom should be painted in cooler colors such as blues, grays or light greens. Having cooler colors is more of a psychological trick, but it often works quite well in helping people believe that it is actually a cooler room. Sometimes, that’s all you need to accomplish in order to make the room appear cooler.

Silk & Satin: These fabrics are cooler to the touch than cotton or other types of bedding. They are also smoother as well so they will feel more comfortable in the hotter weather. By using satin sheets and silk pillowcases, you can increase the comfort level in your bed while making it cooler to the touch as well.

Hang up the Bedding: Try removing your bedding and hanging it up during the day after you get up in the morning. Then before you go to sleep, take the bedding down and put it back on the bed. By hanging your bedding out of the sun, you help keep it cool and drain away any moisture build-up for a more comfortable sleep.

These are just a few ideas for keeping your bedroom cool this summer. By utilizing any or all of these ideas, you will sleep more comfortably and cooler which means a longer night’s sleep.

Home Improvement Cheat Sheet for the Summers

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A home and its interiors speak volume about its owner. How you style it, build it, create your space or plainly the type of furnishings you use narrate one’s persona and natural inclinations to the guest.

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Building a house and investing in it can be a very expensive affair, more so, when the time for renovation or alterations arrive. A simple design aesthetic can create a massive dent in your savings vault. However, a few tips and tricks available online at one’s expense come in extremely handy and prove to be cost efficient.

  1. Firstly, look at the rooms and their arrangements to facilitate necessary cooling fixtures. Most of us dilly-dally with such projects until the very end. It not only proves to be a very cumbersome affair when done at last and also proves to be not-so cost friendly. Try to periodically get these checked and maintained. See that your electric goods have not met their end yet. If you find that your cooling or heating costs rise alarmingly every year, you may want to invest in new electrical items.
  2. You may now want to focus on installing ceiling fans instead of central lighting fixtures. Sunshine is aplenty during the summers, and days last longer. However, keeping cool is the concern here. Cut down CA costs by working on things like trims and mouldings. The thicker the moulding, the more expensive it is. Smaller mouldings still add character, and class to a room without breaking the bank.
  3. Check the gutters. Improper drainage is the number one cause to a water accumulation in the basement or crawl spaces. Make sure downspouts drain away from the foundation and free of debris.
  4. Focus on the windows. There is no better time than summers to invest in new windows to keep the cold at bay during the winters and minimize heat in the summers. Or maybe provide you with a picturesque view, in general.
  5. Remodel kitchen and baths. Replace counter tops and appliances and increase the saleability of your home. Likewise, baths can sparkle with new fixtures, lightings, paint, repainting the old vanity and adding mirrors, is also quite cost efficient.
  6. Install a patio. Make sure your backyard is up to scratch to enjoy those lazy noon-to-early-eve summer barbeques, and cocktail get-togethers. Try shadings with awning and install lighting to make the most of available space. It is also the perfect time to add that shed or greenhouse you have been planning all along.
  7. Lay a new driveway. Summer is definitely the time to repave your driveway. Adhering is more easily done than in the colder season. Also, it is also the season to do any work on the walkways of your property.
  8. Go solar. Now is the right time to install solar panels. This not only ensures hot water and heating all around the year, but since they are so efficient the government offers a 30% tax credit for solar energy systems and geothermal heat pumps. Solar thermal and PV are also quite popular these days.