House and Home — Page 2 — Home and Garden Diva

5 Home Repairs You Must Make Before Next Winter Strikes

Winter has nearly disappeared and it won’t be back for a long time. That means you can concentrate on getting ready for summer. You want your home to be beautiful, but first you have to do something. When the cold weather was here it’s possible it could have damaged your home. Especially if you had lots of snow and heavy storms. It’s better to fix the faults soon so you can forget about them and your home will be safe next winter.

It’s entirely up to you if you want to do it, but just remember if there is damage there it could get a lot worse next winter. If anymore damage is caused it could multiply the price of the repairs. Before you do anything you will obviously need to know what could have gone wrong because you might not be able to see anything from where you’re standing. Here are a few of the big ones you need to have checked so you can put your mind at ease.

Seal your driveway

Go outside and have a look at the ground. You should be looking for any cracks that appear in the driveway. The good news is that cracks don’t mean it’s falling apart, but the bad news is that it needs to be resealed. Think about all that water that would have got into the cracks during winter. Because it was so cold the water would have turned to ice and it makes the cracks worse. If you don’t get them fixed now the cracks will get even bigger next winter and the drive could fall apart.

Fix your roof

The roof must be checked because anything could have happened to it and you would never know. If it’s not rained heavily since winter you would not know if a large section of your roof had been destroyed. If tiles have cracked or fallen out it’s now going to be easy for the rain to get inside and do even more damage. It’s a good idea to get someone out straight away so they can give the roof a once over.

Clean up inside

If anything did happen to your roof you can’t just stick some new tiles on and forget about it. You need to go and look at the damage inside your attic because anything could have happened. Maybe there is a huge puddle of water that needs to be dried up straight away. You don’t want mold growing inside your home and that can happen when there is enough moisture. Take up a huge cloth and make sure all the water is soaked up.

Deal with the fence

When the wind is strong enough it’s hard for your fence not to have suffered any damage if it’s old. That isn’t to say the wind would have ripped it out of the ground, but it could have broken it in some places. You must go and check, especially if you have any pets that run around the garden because it’s easier for them to escape. You also want to secure the fence in case it falls down in the future and lands on someone.

Unclog the gutters

You won’t want to do this on your own because the smell will give you nightmares, but all the crap needs to be taken out of the guttering because if it’s not kept clean you will eventually pay the price. It will be full of leaves and everything else that somehow ends up there and it doesn’t let water get away. You might have survived this winter without having it cleaned out, but make sure you don’t get into next winter without them being empty. They could fall down when blocked water freezes up and it becomes very heavy.

Attached Images:

License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source

Lance Abraham is an interior designer by profession and is an integral part of the top brass of Baybrook remodeller Inc which is a leading company providing replacement windows in CT. He has vast knowledge in this field and shares his thoughts with people on his blog.

What Type of Gutter Should You Get?

by Trish

Having the right type of guttering installed on your home is an important consideration, particularly if you live in a place that goes through all four seasons. If you’re having new guttering put in, there are several things to consider, including the material it’s made of, the features it includes, and various other, more aesthetic considerations.

What Material Should it Be?

Aluminium is one of the most popular choices for guttering, as it is a very light material that doesn’t rust at all, and is available in different colours and finishes. It’s quite a durable material, as long as it doesn’t suffer any hard knocks which can cause it to become damaged – this is something to think about if you live in a windy area with many big trees around. Aluminium guttering is available in various thicknesses, and it’s best to opt for a thicker type if you live in a place that gets very cold in the winter, as thin aluminium can warp if it gets filled with heavy snow and ice.

Steel is a much heavier material than aluminium, but it’s also a lot more resistant to harsh weather, such as storms and wind, although it is possible for it to rust if it’s not finished correctly. Steel is also cheaper than aluminium and available in more colours, but you must be careful to get it rust-proofed if you live in a particularly wet area.

Vinyl is similar to aluminium in its functionality, although it’s quicker and easier to install, and easier to cut to shape. It’s also more resistant to denting, and is just as rust resistant, although it can warp in extremely high temperatures.

Copper is quite a rare choice for guttering, although it is often considered the most attractive, it is also the most expensive. Copper guttering is rust and rot resistant, and incredibly durable, although it can oxidise and so turn green if not finished correctly.

What Features Should it Have?

A Leaf Screen or Mesh is placed over the top of guttering to prevent it from becoming clogged up with leaves. However, it needs cleaning out quite often, especially in the autumn and winter, as leaves can build up quickly and prevent any water from entering the gutter.

Gutter Slots

Slots in guttering work similarly to leaf screens and mesh, but are much less likely to get clogged up. They work by having a solid, angular “roof” surface, with small slots cut into it, which allows water to enter, but causes leaves and other debris to slide off instead of getting stuck, thus making it easier to clean.

Gutter Guards

Gutter guards also prevent guttering from becoming clogged, but once again they feature a different design; A completely solid roof covers the gutter, but with a lip that curves underneath, allowing water to filter into the gutter, while debris falls away.

What Else is There to Consider?

Range of colours, shapes and styles, price, and the climate of the area you live in are all important considerations when having new guttering installed.

Attached Images:

License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source

Patricia Thompson is a home improvement expert. She says that Gutters Sunshine are really good in performance and are not too expensive even.

Why You Don’t Want Ants in Your Garden or Lawn

by Trish

Ants are generally a big nuisance. They get into your sugar bowl; they readily collect where there’s a spattering of juice; and they spoil your favorite desserts. Ants – you really don’t want them inside your home; but what about outdoors? Well, they’re outside, so leave them be, right? If you are an avid gardener, you know that ants are tiny machines of destruction. They can readily destroy your most prized plants and infest your lawn to the point that you can no longer have picnic outdoors or have your kids play in your backyard.

Ants Create Numerous Mounds

So, how can ants wreck your yard? To start with, allowing an ant colony to firmly establish itself in your yard or lawn is not a good idea because these insects can easily overrun your space in a matter of weeks. If you don’t pay attention to your ant problems, you could end up staying indoors all the time. You won’t like to go outside and enjoy your plants because as soon as you step onto your yard, you might accidentally tread on one of their mounds. That’s not a pretty picture, especially if you’ve just disturbed a large group of red fire ants. These kinds of ants won’t just crawl all over you; they’ll bite you – and a fire ant’s sting is painful and very itchy. So, instead of being able to enjoy your garden, you would think twice about venturing outdoors in case you step on one of their mounds. What if you have kids? You certainly wouldn’t want your children playing in a yard crawling with fire ants. In addition to this, mounds are unsightly and they affect plant growth and development.

Ants Sting

As mentioned, ants sting when disturbed. The injury is typically itchy, inflamed and painful. Sometimes, minute pustules or blisters form on the site of the bite. Although ant bites readily resolve in time, some people are hypersensitive. It is also exceedingly rare for fire ants to attack humans. They usually just sting when they are bothered. However, there have been exceptional instances when fire ants have harmed people. Babies, the elderly and incapacitated individuals could be target of ant attacks, particularly if there is an extensive infestation in a specific area.

Ants Could Kill Plants

Are your prized orchids swarming with black ants? Have you noticed that your zinnias are failing to bloom because the buds are teeming with ants? Are your dahlias no longer blooming? Many kinds of ants are attracted to the sweet nectar produced by flowers. Some people say that ants are harmless because they don’t eat flowers. Well, this may not be entirely true. Based on my experience, the black ants that swarmed all over my beautiful ground orchids also brought with them lots of aphids. Ants farm these creatures because they eat the honeydew produced by aphids. Aphids cover stems or leaves, and they deter plants from absorbing sunlight. Black mold also form on the parts that also get coated in honeydew, which further prevents sunlight absorption.

In addition to farming and protecting aphids, ants affect plants’ root systems too. These insects don’t eat roots, but they damage these when they burrow or create tunnels under the ground. Ants’ underground activities pull the soil away from the roots which means that these won’t be able to absorb water well.

Citations:

Alexander Saprykin (personagrata.me). “Ants and apple”. May 8, 2011. Online image. Flickr. December 4, 2012.

Attached Images:

License: Creative Commons image source

Claire Brent is a freelance blogger who often writes about pest management. She covers many issues, including termite and ant control, diseases caused by insects, green pest control methods, and other pest-related issues. She also provides material for Preventive Pest, a company that provides solutions to difficult pest problems.

Eight Tips For Home Office Design

by Trish

If you love to telecommute, you’ll love having a home office but only if it’s designed correctly. Home office design isn’t particularly complicated but it does require quite a bit of careful thought and planning. If you’ve recently decided to convert a room into an office, here are eight tips for getting the most out of your decision.

Spaciousness is Key

Space is everything when it comes to home office design. Considering the purpose of the room is to provide yourself with somewhere to lock yourself away for a few hours, a cramped space is not something that you want. If your choice of room is up for debate, go with the larger option. If it’s not, maximise the space that you have available to you by keeping your furnishings to a minimum.

Invest in a Quality Chair

If you’re going to blow your budget on something, make it the chair. When it comes to office chairs, you really do get what you pay for. And when you consider the amount of time that you are likely to be sitting in it, it’s worth paying a lot. Consider the ergonometric variety and never buy before you try.

Storage Space Matters

Regardless of how neat you consider yourself to be, if you don’t have space to put anything, you can expect to be working in a pretty messy environment. Storage space is therefore not something that you can afford to skimp on. Sleek filing cabinets will not only make you feel like a professional, they’re also the perfect solution to your document storage needs.

What do You Need?

Take a look online and you’ll find all manner of fancy desks and storage units. Before purchasing anything however, it’s important to ask yourself exactly what you need. Do you use a laptop or a desktop? Does your work require ample desk space? What items do you need to have easy access to? If you don’t take the time to answer these questions, you are highly unlikely to end up with a home office that meets your needs.

Don’t Work Against the Wall

The last thing you want is a desk that faces a blank wall. If your home office has a window, that’s where your desk should go. If not, it should face outwards, preferably towards the door.

Tame Your Wires

Despite the popularity of wireless internet, wireless power has yet to be invented. This means that your home office is never going to be completely free of tangles. You can however keep such tangles to a minimum with cord winders, tubing and conveniently placed holes in your desk.

Choose Colours You Love

One of the benefits of telecommuting is that you don’t need to work in a stuffy office environment. Don’t make the mistake of creating one at home. Beige has no place in a modern home office. Choose colours that you love. It’s also worth noting that different colours tend to have different effects on different people. Try to establish what colours are most likely to keep you calm, and of course, productive.

Keep Things Bright

Finally, if you want to minimise eye strain and generally stay productive, ample lighting is very much required. To make the most of natural light, you should try to keep your windows as bare as possible. And when it comes to artificial lighting, don’t rely exclusively on the ceiling variety. Additional lighting in close proximity to your desk is very much recommended.

Ed Markwell is an interior designer with a passion of protecting the environment from global warming. He recommends replacing older models of gas boilers with new ones to slash energy use by 50%.

Finally got rid of our renter!

by The Diva

I’ve been trying very hard to relax and get back into my regular routine all week. Our troublesome renter finally moved out late last Monday night. YEAH!!!!!

I’m so happy about that I almost dig a big happy dance right in front of him the night he moved out. I would have if it hadn’t been so late! Who moves out of a persons home at 11 o’clock at night after being out all day and arriving at the house by banging on the door furiously? Very odd.

We’d basically reached the point with our renter where we told him he pretty much had to move out. He moved in the last week or July and he was only supposed to stay for a week or two. We were just doing him a favor because he’d broken up with his girlfriend and he was supposed to just be staying at our house while he looked for another room to rent or an apartment .. but we should have known .. he’d waiting until he HAD to move out from his girlfriends place even though he’d known he needed to look for a place for about a month and of course once he moved in to our place he didn’t start looking for a new place. No … in fact, the first week he was with us he apparently even quit his job!

Yep .. he paid the rent late, ate our food even though we were only renting him a room, used my soaps and shampoos .. like really used them to the point that I have empty bottles of bathing products! Oh and if you read my last post about our house smelling like cigars .. well he’s a cigar smoker. He didn’t smoke in the house but ALL of his stuff was just saturated with the smell of cigars and it was so bad that it basically made my house smell of cigars. I’m very sensitive to scents so I could smell it. My husband who is a smoker couldn’t, but it was extremely strong to me.

Oh and this guy .. when he was still working worked an evening shift so he wouldn’t come home until about 1 am at first. That was ok as I’m a night owl .. but he started going out drinking with the “boys” after work and unbeknownst to us he put in his notice at work because he hated his job so I guess between being miserable over breaking up with his girlfriend and quitting or maybe even being fired from his job – hey we don’t know! – and as a result of this late night drinking he started coming in at three or four in the morning absolutely toasted!

Naturally this would totally disrupt the whole household as my dog would be barking when he came in. Sometimes i’d still be up sometimes not but I could never relax. He’d come in and start banging doors around, slamming the bathroom door or his bedroom door, run water like Niagara falls in the bathroom to fill his glass and walk back and forth and back and forth from his room to the bathroom several times. Then he’d always get up an hour or two later and make noise … and I think sometimes barf.

He just stunk and made so much noise. He was inconsiderate of everyone in the house. There’s more, lots of little things but those are the main things. I’m just happy he’s gone. He was one of the worst renters we ever had! Now he’s back living across the street “temporarily” with his girlfriend again. I have no idea how long that will last. Maybe they’ll get back together .. who knows.

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5 Home Repairs You Must Make Before Next Winter Strikes

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What Type of Gutter Should You Get?

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Why You Don’t Want Ants in Your Garden or Lawn

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Eight Tips For Home Office Design

Finally got rid of our renter!

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