How to Clean Gutters

If you’re facing an afternoon cleaning gutters, you’re not the envy of your neighbors, and you’re most likely not looking forward to the task. Cleaning gutters isn’t much fun, but it’s certainly not rocket science either.

Find a Safe Ladder

Unless you’re of unusual height or have low gutters, you’ll need a ladder to help you reach the gutters you’re looking to clean. Using a ladder requires a bit of safety training. Always position the ladder so that the feet of the ladder are planted firmly on the ground at the same height. A rocking ladder is bad news. Use an appropriate angle and ask a friend or partner to come and spot you while you work on the ladder. Never use the top step and never lean out over the side of a ladder as you can pull the ladder over with your weight.

Put on Work Gloves

There can be some nasty critters in a clogged gutter and you’ll want to protect your hands from anything that might be lurking there. Put on heavy work gloves and you might even stick a garden trowel or hand rake in your back pocket to use on particularly sticky spots. Wear sensitive work clothing as well and sturdy shoes to give you better traction on the ladder you’ll be climbing over and over again.

Scoop Out Debris

Clean the gutters by scooping out and depositing the debris that gets wedged inside. Use your hand rake or trowel to scoop it up. You can deposit the junk in a trash bag or drop it directly onto the yard and landscaping where it might blend in or can be used for firewood later. Get everything out of each gutter to reduce the number of Saturday mornings you’ll be doing this every year.

Check Gutters and Wood for Damage

While you’re at eyelevel with your gutters and the wood behind them, check for potential damage. It is not uncommon for wood behind gutters to rot and need to be replaced. When it is time to replace your gutters, given the choice, you might consider installing a gutter cover to help keep leaves and other amounts of debris out.

Easy Step By Step Instructions

• Find a safe ladder to work with
• Find heavy duty work gloves and correct eyewear for the project
• Use a garden trowel or rake to help you scoop out and dispose of the trash and debris found inside the gutters

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

You can put your gutters to use for you by using rainwater recycling. Collect the water from the gutters to use in watering plants and landscaping.

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How to Create a Net Zero Home

A net zero home is one that is invisible from the electric or other utility grids. A net zero house is powered under its own steam, wind or sunshine and leave no carbon footprint. Building a net zero home is becoming increasing popular, and others are transitioning their homes into net zero houses in an attempt to help the environment.

Build Small

The smaller your building, the less you have to heat or cool. Using space wisely is a huge consideration in a net zero home. When building a net zero home from the ground up, it is easy to design a home that is small yet flows easily. When attempting to convert a home, this can be a huge stumbling block.

Create an Efficient Building

The better your space is designed, the more efficient your home will be. Your goal is to keep the hot inside during the winter and out during the summer. The better protected you are from the elements, the less your expensive heating and cooling systems will have to do. Limit windows on a east or west view and instead use windows on a southern exposure. Thick walls and layers of insulation will help create energy barriers as well.

Use Energy Efficient Appliance and Systems

Use the highest quality and most efficient systems you can afford. The goal is to use as little energy as possible for your air conditioning system, hot water heater, heating costs, lighting, and appliances. Energy Star and other energy efficient systems will make a huge impact in the amount of energy used in the home.

Produce Energy of Your Own

The final step is to produce your own energy. You do this though solar panels or a wind turbine, depending on your area. The basic idea is to create the same amount of energy that you need to cancel out the energy you’re using in the home. Doing this will create a true net zero home.

Easy Step By Step Instructions

• Build a small home that utilizes space well
• Design your home to be especially energy efficient
• Use energy efficient appliances and systems to reduce energy requirements
• Produce energy of your own through solar or wind power

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

When calculating energy usage, be sure to include the ghost energy of leaving computers and televisions on during the day and night.

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How to Repair Hurricane Damage

Recent years have shown the world the kind of damage hurricanes can bring. Cleaning up after a hurricane can be almost as devastating as finding the damage. When you’re home has been damaged, it is best to begin repairs as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.

Contact Insurance

As soon as you know the state of your property following the hurricane call your insurance company to open a claim and begin reporting items. Make a detailed list of damage including items in the house, refrigerator, freezer, cabinets, closet and garage or storage sheds. All property damage should be photographed and detailed notes written down for future reference.

Begin Immediate Demolition

As soon as you have photographed the evidence, immediately remove wet carpet and other wet items that are susceptible to mold. Cut away wet drywall left after standing water including an extra six inches to reduce the likelihood of mold. Rotten and warped wood flooring should be removed as well. Wet furnishing, drapes, clothing and bed linens should be taken outside the home.

Handle the Claim Details

Your insurance company will come to inspect your claim and once your claim is processed will release funds to cover the costs of all items. If your claim is substantial, the funds might be released to both you and your mortgage holder to ensure the job is well supervised. Once you have funds available and your claim is dealt with, it will be time to do major repairs.

Hire a Contractor

Once the basic demolition is complete, or you’ve removed as much as you’re physically able to do, call in a contractor to aid in your repairs. Insurance money should pay for all damages if you’re properly insured. Regardless, be sure to hire a reputable contractor. Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama or Louisiana contractors are numerous, but finding a quality contractor means calling references and checking for licenses and insurance.

Work Quickly

Work quickly once you know your claim is being processed correctly. New Orleans contractors were swept up immediately after Katrina and the same is true for any storm-hit areas. Don’t settle for a bad contractor, but don’t wait around waiting for one to find you. Be proactive and get your repairs completed as quickly as possible.

Save Documents

Save all documents related to the repairs. Invoices, receipts and payment records may be required by your insurance company if recoverable depreciation was held back for major repairs. Having proper documentation should make it easy to show what was done when and how much it cost. This is required for the insurance company to release funds held back initially.

Easy Step By Step Instructions

• Immediately document damage and file a claim
• Remove items that could cause further damage including mold
• Follow up on the claim to see it processed
• Hire a quality contractor to handle repairs
• Keep and submit all documents to release any recoverable depreciation

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

Never pay a contractor all funds upfront. Any solid contractor will have credit for supplies and will not require more than 50% initially. If you pay the full cost upfront, the contractor has very little incentive to finish the job correctly with so many other hurricane damaged homes.

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How to Pick the Best Floor Plan

Picking floor plans when building a new home is exciting. However it can get a bit confusing when presented with multiple options and an overwhelming number of potential upgrades.

Look for Energy Efficient Homes

Energy costs are going up, so if you’re able to cut costs considerably for the future while building your home, you’ll be in a far better position down the road. Look for energy efficient floor plans or Energy Star house plans to better understand what these plans offer. In most cases, it is the more technical details of the plan that make a difference in your future energy costs – the layout of the home will remain the same or similar to non energy efficient plans.

Look For the Right Size

It’s easy to get swept up in excitement and max out your budget buying house, but look instead for the size of house you realistically need and can maintain. You might plan ahead to the future, but do that through rooms rather than simply square footage. Giant rooms look grand but can be more difficult to keep clean. An open floor plan with plenty of smaller bedrooms and office space would provide more usable space.

Choose the Right Amenities

When looking at house plans, be sure you pick the right amenities for your family. With a limited budget, you might opt out of fireplace you might use once a year and include a build-in computer niche or separate sinks. Add bathrooms when able as these will add value to your home and be indispensable for children and guests. Consider the use of stairs every day and how a two-story home might affect your lifestyle differently than a one-story house.

Choose the Right Flow

When looking at floor plans, imagine yourself walking through the home. Look for problems that would present themselves later, such as the nursery being next to the automatic garage door or the back door opening into a living room rather than kitchen. Find the flow that would work best for your family. In some cases, flow is better in smaller homes than larger ones with more unusable space.

Easy Step By Step Instructions

• Look for an energy efficient home that will pay off down the road
• Consider floor plans that are the right size for your family
• Choose the right amenities in the plan
• Imagine the flow of the home and how it would accommodate your lifestyle

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

When looking at floor plans, always remember that options shown will be expensive additions to your total cost. Plan your budget accordingly.

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How to Build a New Home

Unless you’re unusually handy, building a new home truly means hiring someone else to act as the general contractor and build it for you. In most cases, your general contactor will be the building company you choose to use. When you decide it’s time for a new home, perhaps to cash in on the First-Time Homebuyer’s Tax Credit for $8000, many individuals consider new construction first. Who doesn’t want a brand new home to live in?

Research the Area

The first thing to do before starting construction with a home builder is to scout out the areas. From Fargo to New Orleans home builders, you can bet that the areas being developed are as different as night and day. Most often, new construction takes place outside of existing neighborhoods, pushing the city limits out. Look at all the factors of the location including commute times, local services and restaurants, road conditions and, of course, potential neighbors.

Look at Available Homes

Many builders have model homes available to tour to give you an idea of design. Walk through model homes and speak to the sales agent about important factors such as how long the company takes to build, how many upgrades are included in the price, and the plans for the neighborhood – will it have a community swimming pool, for example?

Choose the Right Plan

Building a home truly starts when you choose the right plan. Most home plans today by energy efficient home builders are attractive and less expensive to own long-term than the traditional alternative. Choose a plan that has the right amount of space and cost. Leave room in your budget for the design portion of the process where you’ll be sure to spend too much.

Select Your Designs

Once the basics of your home are selected, you’ll be invited to make decisions regarding colors, tile, carpet, fixtures, radiant barrier and any number of other upgrades. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement, so be mindful of your budget and how much you can realistically spend.

Put Down Earnest Money

Once you put down earnest money on the contract, usually $1000-2000, you’ll be locked in to the purchase. Some builders require payment unfront for certain upgrades, but other than that you’ll be able to sit back and enjoy watching your home go up from the ground to the brand new chimney.

Easy Step By Step Instructions

• Research the areas you’re considering
• Look at available builders and plans
• Select the right plan
• Choose upgrades and other options
• Put down earnest money and sign a contract

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

Visit the building site as often as you can. This will give you an idea of how things are progressing and it might also let you catch potential problems ahead of time.

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How to Get Energy-Efficient Windows

When a window becomes fogged or broken, you have the choice in most cases of replacing the affected panes of glass or of replacing the entire window. While replacing a pane of glass is less expensive, taking advantage of the opportunity to install a more energy efficient window might pay off substantially in the long run.

Examine Your Windows

Small gaps and cracks in window casing and around panes of glass let in air and weather. Water can seep through the cracks and cause damage and cold air can come gusting through loose window panes making your home colder and more expensive to heat.

Go through your home and examine each window. Look for gaps and cracks and on a cold day, feel for cool air coming through areas around your windows.

Seal Small Cracks

A sealing foam or caulking can seal up many of the smaller cracks around the outside edge of windows, but some windows are made to where the sealants don’t block much of the air that comes in around the glass itself. To make this form of window energy efficient, you’ll have to replace the whole window – not just the panes.

Research Windows

There are many companies offering replacement windows. Atlanta might have hundreds of dealers specializing in energy efficient window products and this is the time to do your homework. Research Atlanta replacement windows online and through magazines to find the most effective brands. You want your windows to be a blend of long-term effectiveness and reasonable price.

Measure Windows

Once you have a brand in mind, you’ll need to start measuring your windows to gauge the amount you’ll be paying for each. After completing your measurements, an official installation measurer will likely come out to double-check your numbers – this is great to prevent problems during installation from a hole that isn’t as square as the window, for example.

Buy and Install Windows

Visit with a representative who can help you make the final decisions about the new windows. Once you have your energy efficient windows selected, you’ll need to arrange payment and set up a time for installation as well. The more windows you order and install, the longer you can expect the process to take, but it will be well worth it.

Easy Step By Step

• Examine your windows for small leaks and cracks
• Seal as many windows as possible to block cracks and leaks.
• Begin researching new windows for those that can’t be sealed.
• Measure your windows to complete an order or to comparison shop specific products and pricing.
• Buy and install the new windows.

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

Be sure you keep your recipes and paperwork from your efforts to make your home more energy efficient. Your efforts will usually be tax deductible.

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How to Clean and Stay Environmentally Friendly

For decades scientists have been giving us information that cleaning products are bad for our health and bad for the environment. How do you keep your house clean without chemicals? About a year ago I started watching a great show on the BBC called How Clean is Your House. The premise of the show is two overly zealous women cleaning the filthiest homes in and around Great Britain, and some of them truly are disgusting.

What interested me about the show however was the way the women cleaned. They used agents such as vinegar and baking soda, rice and lemon juice to disinfect and clean around the homes. I was surprised at how simple it actually was to clean using natural, kitchen ingredients.

Shopping

The fun part is researching and finding out what in your kitchen can also be used to clean. Vinegar and a little rice is great for the bottoms and inside of any glassware you have laying around collecting dust and much more fresh smelling than Windex. Baking soda really does work wonders on stains and white laundry and is much gentler than bleach. Websites such as http://www.frugalfun.com/cleansers.html even provide recipes for carpet cleaners and laundry soaps, all for a fraction of what you might pay for a commercial cleanser.

Damage Control

Before you cover your countertop in table salt and begin to scour, test a small area first to be sure your solution won’t damage as it cleans. Natural ingredients are generally safe but you want to be sure that the method you are using with them doesn’t destroy your home before you can get it clean.

Easy Step By Step

• Research ways to clean with natural products instead of chemicals
• Use items around your home in your cleaning processes
• Devote some extra time and elbow crease to your cleaning.
• Enjoy the clean shine of a pristine home.

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

Natural cleaning products can take a little longer to achieve the same results. Make the transition slowly or replace just a few products. Even eliminating one product from your cupboard makes a difference environmentally and to your health.

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How to Create an Urban Organic Garden

Gardening is not just something for those with acres of land. Even if you have a small plot of land behind your condo, you can still create the kind of organic garden that will see you nicely through most seasons with your own fresh fruits and vegetables.

Find a Space

When organizing your outdoor space, be sure to take into consideration movement within the garden and storage of utensils and larger items such as pots and compost bins. In fact, for a garden in a small space, an urban compost tumbler is likely your best choice as it takes up far less space and creates compost much more quickly than a traditional bin or pile. Leave a corner available for compost, tools, your wheelbarrow and the traditional contents of a potting shed. The rest of the yard can be dedicated to growth.

Prepare the Soil

You shouldn’t plant new plants directly into your backyard. You should clear and then prepare the soil adequately. Compost is usually a great means to do this as compost will renew the nutrients in the soil and give it the right balance for optimum growth. Your soil should ideally be mixed with an equal amount of compost.

Organize Plants

As you are working with limited space, you’ll want to organize your garden carefully to maximize space and take advantage of different plant types. Some are naturally repellent to pests, for examples and others thrive when brushed against frequently. Learn about your plants and organize them inside the garden leaving plenty of room to move about freely.

Plant Your Plants

As you plant each item, shovel a bit of compost back into the hole before placing the plant inside it. Fill the hole with compost and soil and then water the plant thoroughly to give it the best start possible.

Care

Different plants require different levels of care. Weed your garden and use mulch or compost to cut down on new weed growth. Water it regularly and prune or cut back plants as necessary. As your garden begins to produce your own organic foods, enjoy them in the kitchen or give them to friends as delicious and healthy gifts.

Easy Step By Step

• Find a space in the backyard that is suitable for gardening.
• Leave a space available for storage of gardening equipment.
• Prepare the beds using compost and by removing rocks and other items.
• Organize plants in the optimum arrangement
• Plant plants.
• Care for the plants as required going forward.

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

To be sure your garden stays organic, be aware of what items you are putting into the compost you make or what might be included in the compost you buy. Animal products, including manure, should not be present in organic compost.

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How to Use Compost

Compost is a great alternative to chemical fertilizer and even mulch. Compost has many natural abilities that make it ideal for organic gardening. It contains no chemicals and can be made at home using a compost bin or compost tumbler. To use compost, you must first decide where you will find your raw materials.

Finding Compost

To use compost in the garden, you must first buy it or make it. Traditionally it can take months to create compost in your backyard using a leaf pile or bin, but some compost tumblers allow more oxygen to penetrate the rotting material breaking it up faster and allowing you to use it even earlier. If you need compost right away or would rather not create your own, you can usually buy compost from a nursery. Needless to say, making it yourself is the less expensive means. If you want an organic garden and plan to purchase compost, also be sure the brand you buy is certified organic as well.

Preparing Beds and Pots

Before planting any new items, you should prepare the soil in which they will rest. To do this, break up the dirt in the pots or beds and add a healthy dose of compost. Mix the two together to give the plant even access to the rich nutrients of the compost. In a pot, you should have one half soil and one half compost. Beds will be harder to monitor, but be generous.

Planting

When planting plants, you can use soil or compost to fill in extra areas around the roots. If you’ve prepared the beds properly, you already have compost around the plant, but a bit more is fine as well. Putting a spade full of pure compost at the bottom of the hole before putting in the plant will also give the species a nice start.

Fertilizing

Compost is the most natural fertilizer. Use compost regularly in your garden to help discourage weeds and pests as well as encouraging plants to thrive. As plants in your garden fade and die, you can simply add them back into the compost bin to complete the circle.

Easy Step By Step

• Find compost at the store or take the time to make your own.
• Prepare the soil by mixing one half compost and one half soil
• Plant plants using compost as filler, especially at the bottom of the hole
• Regularly use compost as a fertilizer in the garden.

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

Turning over your compost regularly can make it ready for use faster, but be sure to turn from the bottom all the way to the top for the best results.

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How to Build a Compost Bin

If you want the benefits of organic compost in your garden, but aren’t ready to take on a commercial compost bin, you can simply build your own by using simple items you might already have laying around the house or garage.

Arrange the Bin

Your first step will be to actually find the bin for your compost. This is as easy as finding a trashcan no longer in use and cleaning it thoroughly. You need a canister or bin that is at least two feet tall that has a lid to help keep the soil moist.

Drill Aeration Holes

Using a drill, put eight or ten holes in the bottom of the bin. You can put a few holes around the sides of the bin at the bottom as well as necessary.

Find a Shady Spot

Your compost bin will need to sit in a shady spot. If you leave it in the full sun, the compost will dry out and no longer be particularly useful. A shady corner of the yard or even the patio of your condo or apartment is fine.

Create Compost

To start your compost collection, you’ll need to shred some newspaper and place it at the bottom of your newly created bin. You can also use dry leaves for this purpose. After filling your bin up to ¼ with this material, add dirt from your garden on top of the newspaper making the bin half full. Cover your bin with the lid and as you have paper products or certain food scraps, you can add them to the compost. These items include paper towels, egg shells and plant products.

Easy Step By Step

• Clean out an old trashcan that still has a lid or buy a new one.
• Drill 8-10 holes in the bottom of the can for aeration.
• Place the bin in a shady spot.
• Layer newspaper, dry leaves, dirt and then household waste to begin creating your own compost.

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions

If possible, elevate your compost bin by placing it on pavers or other large rocks. This will help the air to circulate more thoroughly.

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