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 Instructions For Getting Energy Efficient Windows

• 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 When Getting New Windows

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 Download And Set Up an FTP Program

There are a number of things about designing and building your own website which cause confusion and uncertainty to those who are new to this activity. FTP, which stands for File Transfer Protocol, is one of those things that always seems to confuse and intimidate people who are new to website design. Part of this confusion is probably because the full name ‘File Transfer Protocol’ seems to shed no light on understanding what it is, what it does, or what it is used for. In this article I shall attempt to shine a light on this mysterious creature and take the reader through the process of downloading and installing a free and popular program to make FTP available to them.

First, to shed some light on the name ‘FTP’, or File Transfer Protocol’: the word ‘Protocol’ is used in it’s usual everyday sense that it is a set of rules or guidelines by which something is done. So, simply put, a File Transfer Protocol is a set of rules or guidelines by which files can be transferred from one computer to another over the internet or a network. This sometimes doesn’t make any sense to people who don’t understand computers because they don’t realize that many different computers use many different codes. If you have a file on one kind of computer and you want to use it on another kind of computer then without a set of guidelines, or a ‘protocol’, to ‘translate’ the file from one computer to another it would not be possible. FTP is a form of code which helps you when you move a file from one computer to another. Think of FTP as a ‘translator’ or ‘interpreter’ working in the United Nations so that all the different countries can talk to each other and settle their differences.

And that’s it: simple isn’t it? Often people don’t believe it is quite as simple as that but it is. There is nothing else to understand about FTP unless you are about to start programming, which you’re not.

The other thing that helps to make FTP appear confusing and complex is the fact that you often use a program to do it: These are called ‘FTP Clients’. FTP Clients manage the ‘translation’ from one computer to another and will allow you to upload files, which is to send files to the server; or download files, which is to get files from the server. They will also allow you to make changes to files on the server. FTP and the FTP Client are essential ingredients of a web designer, or website owner’s toolkit. There are very many different designs of FTP Clients, many are free and many will cost money to buy. Many operating systems have an FTP client integrated within them and browsers such as Firefox have an FTP client which can be installed and used as part of the browser. You will need to have an account with a web host before using an FTP Client, but so long as you do have a web hosting account then you can use an FTP Client to transfer your site and all your files to the web host, and back again.

One of the most popular free FTP Clients is ‘FileZilla’; it is easy to download and use and, if you are using Windows XP, then I can take you through the steps – although I doubt they are very different if you are using another operating system. I am using Firefox 2, and so if you are using any other browser there may be some slight differences, but nothing major:

The simplest way to download Filezilla is to go to the Google search page and type ‘download.com filezilla’ into the search field and the very top result will be for Filezilla at the download.com website. Click on the link and you will see the name of Filezilla with a big blue link below it saying ‘download now’. Click that and a small window will appear with a button saying ‘save file’ – click to save the file and you will download the software automatically. It will take a few seconds to download.

Now look for the new icon on your desktop; it will be called ‘Filezilla set up’ or something similar. Double click the icon. The first thing you will see is a small window asking you to select your language, make sure it says English (or whatever your preferred language is) then click the ‘ok’ button. A license agreement window will appear; click ‘next’. The next page will ask you to ‘choose components’ – ion most cases the defaults are perfectly ok for most installations so I suggest you agree with the selection and click ‘next’. You will now be asked where you want to install the software, in most cases the default location is your program folder, which is fine; if you want to install it elsewhere then type the location in here, otherwise just click ‘next’. You will now be asked to choose a start menu folder, again, the default will be fine, click ‘next’. You will now be asked to decide on some general settings, if you are using a shared computer then select ‘use secure mode’ otherwise leave all settings as they are and click ‘Install’. The software will now be installed onto your computer; this will only take a few seconds and then you will be asked to close the window – click ‘close’.

You will now have a new icon on your desktop, coloured maroon and blue with a big ‘FZ’ on it and called ‘Filezilla’. You can put the original download file into your recycle bin and delete. Double click the new icon to start your FTP Client.

To use the FTP Client to transfer files between your computer and your web host you will first have to set it up. After double clicking to start up the FTP Client, click on the ‘File’ menu and select ‘Site Manager’. A new window will appear, find the button which says ‘new site’ and click it. A folder will appear in the main area of the window, type the name of your site into the new folder which appears.

Get your login details for your web host, because you’ll need them now. Under ‘Host’ type in the FTP address of your website; this will be a website address beginning with ‘ftp’ in a format such as: ftp.siteforge.net or else it will be a number series in a format such as: 88.88.888.88 – either will do. If the boxes below are greyed out then your site manager is set to anonymous login. To input your login details deselect ‘anonymous’ and select ‘normal’ for Logon and input your username and password for accessing your web host. You can now click ‘connect’ and your FTP Client will connect to your web host and you can upload or download files for your site.

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How To Build a Website

There are many methods you can choose when you decide to build a website. The method you select will depend on your knowledge of coding and/or programming. If you are a total novice to the web designer industry then there are programs that allow you to drag and drop items, place text via text boxes and change the colors with a click of a button. These are known as WYSIWYG editors (what you see is what you get), they are very helpful in order to get a nice looking website up and running in a short amount of time if you have no html (hyper text markup language, the coding used to build websites) knowledge. The main downside to using a WYSIWYG editor is that the coding will be full of rubbish and useless variables which will give you the disadvantage in the search engines as messy code will confuse the bots and penalize you for it. You could go through each page after it has been made and take out unnecessary bits of code making the page clean and user friendly, but by doing this you will have to have a good knowledge of html so you would be better starting from scratch in the first place.

If you are fairly comfortable with the way html works, you can make a website by just using notepad and saving the file with the .html extension at the end. This method is not used as often in today’s world as you can get programs such as Microsoft Front Page and Macromedia Dreamweaver. These both allow you to see a WYSIWYG view, a core code view and a split view in which you can make something and then tidy the code up straight after saving you a lot of hassle in the end. My favorite out of these two (and probably the most popular) is Macromedia Dreamweaver as it has inbuilt FTP access so you can manage a whole website from the one interface. By using the remote view, you’re able to see what’s on the server. This allows you to make adjustments and update your revisions directly to your server. Once complete, you can view the changes immediately in through the domain name the site is linked to.

The main benefit of this is being able to see what your website looks like in different browsers as they interpret the code in different ways which can make your site look absolutely fine in Windows Internet Explorer but completely messed up in Mozilla Firefox. While the majority of users use Internet Explorer you still have to make it compatible with Firefox as a small percentage use it and you would be loosing vital traffic if your site is not compatible with it. You are best downloading the main browsers (explorer, firefox, opera and any other you are willing to) and checking your site on a regular basis in each making it look the same in each one. Another way around it is to complete your site and then pick the next browser and adjust the code until it matches and then move onto the next one.

If you are not using a WYSIWYG editor then I always find it best to design each page in a program such as Adobe Photoshop so you can get the feel of the layout and color scheme before you actually start making the site in a code editor. The benefit of this is you may start coding your website and decide you want to change bits around, this is a lot harder once you have integrated the code into your website so by making the final layout in Photoshop and moving bits around with ease, it will make your life easier in the long run. Also it’s always easier to follow a template then thinking from scratch making it up as you go along.

Once you have mastered the basic html code and getting a website how you want it to look you can then move onto the more advanced coding which will make your website stand out from the rest of the competition in your niche. There are other variations of code such a PHP and JavaScript which you can learn in order to add more advanced features into your website.

Another common method of making websites in today’s world is using a CMS (content management system) which will make it easier to update and maintain your website once you have made a basic template adding ‘PHP includes’ where you want the data to appear. There are many free CMS templates available in which you can download for free and use to give a professional look to your website.

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How to Light Your Yard

As night falls, your backyard can take on a certain gloom that may be too inviting to unwelcome guests. By lighting your yard, you can have the peace of mind that your property is protected, and with the right kind of lighting, you can also enjoy additional decorative elements.

Select The Yard Lights

There are many kinds of lighting options available. A flood light may make sense by a garage, but it might also be too harsh for nearby neighbors. If you do invest in a floodlight, hang it so that the glare is only directly visible on your property and the light isn’t shining into any windows.

If a floodlight is too much, or you’d rather have more decorative lighting, consider lights along pathways or in the landscaping. Path lights and accent lights give off a bit less light than a full spot light or flood light, but they will illuminate your yard enough to see while you walk outside after dark or if you’re curious about a noise.

You can install electric lights which may be less expensive, but more complicated to install. You can also install solar lights which derive power from solar energy and automatically light up after dark. These are simple to install and often require nothing more than placing them in the ground where you wish the accent lights to be, or mounting the light to the wall if you’re installing a solar flood light or spot light.

Install Lights

If you’ve selected solar lights, you have little to do but decide where to actually place the light. If you’ve selected electrical lights, you have a bit more work ahead. Turn off the power before working to install the lights. Carefully follow the instructions of the manufacturer. If at all unsure, consult with an electrician or have your lights professionally installed. This will keep you safe and ensure your lights are installed properly.

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How to Grow a Butterfly Garden

A butterfly garden is a flower garden specifically planted to attract butterflies. Whether you take on this project alone or with your children, you will watch in wonder as butterflies come flocking to the garden you planted.

Gather Materials

Before you start planting, be sure you have all the materials you will need. Your garden will need flowering plants or seeds (see below for specific types of blooms), a clean, empty, plastic milk jug, large flat stones, and gardening tools.

Choose a Location

You will want to locate your butterfly garden in a sunny spot with good soil. Try to find a place that not only gets direct sunlight, but that is visible from your patio or windows so you can watch the butterflies enjoy your garden. Also, make sure your garden is in a location that will not be damaged by other pets or children playing.

Choose Your Flowers

Butterflies are attracted to fragrant flowers that have large petals or blossoms that grow in direct sunlight. Consider flowers such as giant swallowtail, prickly ash, swallowtail ash, violets, pansy, pearl crescent, asters, milkweed, ageratum, bee balm, bougainvillea, calendula, coneflower, dahlia, daylily, geranium, hibiscus, marigold, milkweed, snapdragon, yellow sage, and zinnia. These types of flowers provide easy access to the nectar that butterflies love to eat.

Plant Seeds or Seedlings

Once you have your spot picked out, prepare the soil, making sure it is moist, and plant your seeds or seedlings. If you are planting seeds, be certain to follow the instructions on the seed packet. Remember that butterflies tend to migrate to groups of flowers, so plant your flowers in bunches.

Add Other Elements

Your garden will not just consist of flowers. Provide places for the butterflies to rest and bask in the sunlight and socialize. Place some flat stones near the flowers where the butterflies to land. Also, dig a small hole and place the milk jug inside the shallow hole after you have cut off the top of the jug. You may choose to lay some stones over the edge of the jug to keep it from blowing away and to give the butterflies more sunny spots to perch. Fill the jug with fresh water. This puddle will give the butterflies drinking water and a place to socialize.

Decorate Your Garden

The extra elements in your garden don’t have to just be for the butterflies. You may choose to decorate your garden to make it more pleasing to the humans that visit it. Add a small fountain or garden arbors to enhance the look of your butterfly garden. Once you have finished putting everything together, watch and wait for the butterflies to come!

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How to Grow a Window Herb Garden

Fresh herbs in the kitchen can add a great deal of flavor to food as well as a pleasing aroma and appearance to the room itself. Growing herbs in a window not only saves on space in the kitchen, it also allows the small plants to thrive in the sunlight. A window herb garden is perfect for cooks who enjoy growing and using their own herbs.

Prepare the Window

To grow herbs in your window, you must find a space that has plenty of light. A window with a southern exposure will receive plenty of even light throughout the day while a window on the east or west of the home will only get quality sunlight as the sun rises or sets. Windows on the northern side of the home may not get direct sunlight at all.

Your window should have a wide base, or you may consider installing a window box in an existing window frame to give yourself extra room for growing plants and herbs. Even a standard window sill will be wide enough for a small herb garden, however. Remove any other items from the sill and protect the wood with a plastic tray or piece of cloth to attract drips or spills from water.

Purchase Herbs

As you will be growing your herbs inside, you can buy seeds or seedlings, but be sure to plan on small plants. Window herb gardens can be nicely arranged using a series of small pots or even tin cans, or you can opt for a more elaborate set up with a connected series of pots or growing areas. Be sure to have holes for drainage, but also containers to catch that drainage.

Allow time for your herbs to grow before trimming or use. If you purchased mature plants, you need only allow for the plant to settle after being transferred to a new container. Plants grown from seed will obviously take much longer to grow.

Water and Prune Your Herbs

As your herbs grow in your window herb garden, water them slightly on a regular basis, but don’t overwater. Check to be sure your plants are thriving in their current condition and location. If your herbs are struggling feel the soil to be sure it is damp, not soaking after you water and try moving your plants to a window with a different sun pattern.

Prune your herbs back to encourage full growth. Use the pruned pieces in your cooking and soon your meals will have an extra flair and so will your kitchen as you enjoy your window herb garden.

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How to Paint a Room

There is no faster, or less expensive, way to change the appearance of a room than to give it a new coat of paint. Painting a room requires a bit of prep work and time, but the more carefully you attend to the details, the better the result.

Buy Paint

The first step to painting a room is to determine what paint color and any texture you will be using. You can obtain samples from a paint or home improvement store to see what colors work best in your room. Then, with a color in mind, head back to the store to buy your paint. Plan on at least two coats, so a small room may need only one can, but two gallons of paint is your best bet. If you are painting over stained walls or dark paint, you should also buy a gallon of primer. Be sure to also buy paint supplies such as rollers, brushes, painter’s tape and paint trays.

Tape the Edges of the Room

While professionals shun painter’s tape, it can help keep your ceilings and floors paint free. Take time to carefully apply painters tape to the outside of your paint area. This will give you a bit of freedom in case a brush slips or there are drips while you are painting. Tape the ceiling, doorways, floorboards, and any other built-ins that will not be painted.

Remove Wall Art and Spackle

Remove any wall art or other hangings and spackle the holes left behind. Sand down any spackle that dries uneven with the wall texture.

Prime and Paint!

Cover your floors with a drop cloth and carefully pour the primer (if you are using one) into your paint tray. Use a roller to carefully roll the primer onto the walls in a V pattern. Overlap your strokes and refill your roller with paint frequently to get the best coverage. Avoid too much paint on the roller at a time as this can lead to drips and splatters.

When the walls have been primed, clean the tray, attach a new roller, and pour in your paint color. Ensure the primer is completely dry, and then begin rolling on your paint color using the same V technique. Use a brush to paint the narrow spaces where a roller won’t fit such as corners, the tops and bottoms of walls and the areas around windows and doors. Allow the first coat of paint to dry, then repeat with a second coat. Some dark colors may require three or possibly even four coats of paint for solid coverage.

Clean Up

Allow the paint to dry completely before removing the tape. Pull the tape carefully to reveal crisp corners and straight lines. Throw the tape away, clear away your tools and drop cloth, and enjoy your painted room.

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How to Measure for Blinds

If you’re hanging new blinds, before you order, be sure you measure six times. That may seem extreme, but measuring blinds requires three measurements on each window. And you’ll want to measure twice just to be sure you got each one right the first time. Thus, you’ll be doing at least six measurements per window.

Gather Supplies

To measure for blinds, you’ll need a metal measuring tape, a stepladder, a pencil and a pad of paper. Be sure you use a metal measuring tape as a fabric one can stretch and give you a false measurement.

Measure

To measure the window, climb on your stepladder and measure the top of the window first. Then measure the middle, and then the bottom. It’s very common to have different widths at different parts of the window, hence the three measurements. All measurements should be across the window in a straight line to check width. Measure to an eighth of an inch and write down all three. Then measure the length of the window in at least two places. This measurement is not as critical.

Once you have all of the measurements recorded, take the smallest of the three widths and record it as the official width of the window. The blinds will fit most snugly here, and you don’t want them too wide.

Order

When you have all of your measurements ready, order your new blinds rounding your measurements to the nearest eighth or quarter inch – whatever the company uses. Do not account for wiggle room as the company already does this for you. The hardware will cut a quarter-inch off each side of the window, so use your exact measurement (the smallest one.)

When the blinds arrive, you should use the manufacturer’s suggestions for hanging them in your windows.

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How to Decorate Your Yard for Christmas

Christmas is a festive time and it’s also a time to pull out your decorations to show your holiday spirit. Decorating your yard for Christmas can be fun, but it doesn’t have to be stressful, too. Some basic decorations can go a long way this holiday season. Here’s how to decorate your yard for Christmas.

Hang Greenery

Your first step to decorate your yard for Christmas is to hang garlands around your door and windows. Greenery around openings is festive and is a good basis for additional decorations such as lights and ribbons. In fact, greenery or a wreath with a large red ribbon may be all the outdoor decoration you need.

Hang Lights

Lights have a special place at Christmas time. Hang a strand of lights over your holiday greenery to dress it up. Frame your door and windows with lights, and outline the shape of your roof with a strand. You can use standard light bulbs, twinkle lights or dangling icicle lights for this purpose. You may choose to climb onto your roof to hang additional lights, but if you do, be very careful as this is one of the most common holiday accidents waiting to happen.

Put Out Lawn Ornaments

Once your lights and greenery are hung, pull out some lawn ornaments, The latest craze is to place a giant blow up statute on the lawn in the shape of Santa Claus or a snowman. You can purchase one of these light-up statues, or opt for the more traditional reindeer made of sticks and light. Craft shows may have specialty decorations made from painted wood that suit your style.

You can also use smaller lawn ornaments such as candy canes, mailbox covers, and luminaries to dress up your lawn. The holidays are a time for frivolity and fun, so if you’re worried your decorations have gone overboard, don’t. Everyone loves a festive set of decorations.

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How To Decorate a Living Room

The living room is the center of your home. The formal living room often sets the tone for the rest of the household, and the decorating style you select has bearing on every room in the house.

Find a Theme:

When you decorate a living room, you must first consider your preferred style. Are you a fan of country decorating with gingham and lace? Or perhaps you prefer classic styles with display tables and curios. Modern styles with bold lines and bright colors are increasingly common as are comfortable styles that use neutral colors and oversized furniture. Flip through decorating magazines or websites to see examples of what appeals to you.

Find a Focus:

The focus of your living room will be the starting point for decorating. The focus should be a large item that brings your personality to the room such as the fireplace mantle, picture above the fireplace, sofa, rug, or even an ottoman. Use that piece to find your color pattern and inspiration for the rest of the room.

Living Room Colors:

Once you have your focus, select a wall color and accenting colors for accessories and additional furniture. Don’t be afraid to be creative, but using a focus piece will help keep the room coordinated rather than matching. Paint the walls or use wall paper, then select window treatments, rugs and upholstery that coordinates with the rest of your selections.

Living Room Window Treatments:

Window treatments such as drapes, blinds and shutters give a room a polished look. Shutters can be a more beautiful alternative to basic blinds, and drapes or window hangings bring a room together.

Living Room Furniture:

The furniture in the living room can be many things, but most often consists of a sofa and additional seating. Chairs, chaise lounges and love seats all find their way into living rooms as do rocking chairs, ottomans and foot stools. Desks and bookcases are common additions as are coffee and side tables. Buy furniture according to the size of your room and your particular decorating style. Minimalist styles will have little furniture while traditional styles will have much more.

Living Room Accessories:

Finally, once the colors, windows, and furniture is selected, you can focus your attention on finding accessories such as pictures, lamps, curios and houseplants to help bring a room to life. Don’t overwhelm your living room with accessories, but tasteful accent pieces scattered throughout the room make the room comfortable and personalized to your unique taste.

Living Room Arrangement:

Arrange your furniture according to the shape and traffic flow of a room. Many believe the arrangement of furniture can affect the tranquility of a home, and at the very least a misplaced table or sofa can be the cause of repeatedly stubbed toes and bashed knees. Leave plenty of room for navigation and ease of motion. Group chairs together for conversations and be sure to play up the focus of your room as it is the piece that brings everything together.

Once you have your focus, select a wall color and accenting colors for accessories and additional furniture. Don’t be afraid to be creative, but using a focus piece will help keep the room coordinated rather than matching. Paint the walls or use wall paper, then select window treatments, rugs and upholstery that coordinates with the rest of your selections.

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