How To Choose the Right Windows for Your Home

 

JroppoWhether you’re getting ready for a window replacement project for your property or building a new home, choosing the right windows can seem like a major task. You’ll need to decide whether you want fiberglass, vinyl or wood-clad, but the decisions don’t end there. Homeowners also need to choose the right style window and grille. Learn more about the specific styles that work for each property type so you can keep it looking great.

 

What Type Of Window For A Tudor Home?

 

If you have a Tudor style, your windows will likely be double hung styles with a pattern near the top of the glass or casement styles with six to eight panes or simulated-divided -lights separated by muntins. Muntins are small strips of metal or wood that hold each individual pane of glass in place or mimic the look of individual panes of glass, however they can also be called glazing bars, grilles, grids or muntin bars. A casement window will open from the side to provide a large vertical opening, while double hung styles can open from either the top or the bottom, allowing homeowners to customize the breeze that comes into their house.

 

Do You Have A Modern Property? 

 

Modern windows use single, large panes of glass without any grilles or other adornments. The look is clean, sleek and modern and provides an unobstructed view of the outdoors, which is great if you’re trying to keep an eye on your kids playing outside.

 

What Type For A Farmhouse?

 

If you have a farmhouse, your property is built for function and simplicity. Windows in a farmhouse are typically two panes of glass divided by a muntin in the middle. It’s not uncommon for a farmhouse to feature double hung styles to create a breeze through the house from both the top and the bottom.

 

What Style Works In A Craftsman House?

 

Many styles work in a Craftsman home — from large picture windows that don’t actually open to functional ones that use a combination of full panes on the bottom and divided panes at the top. It’s not uncommon for a working window to be a double hung style so homeowners can choose to open them from the top or the bottom.

 

Do You Have a Prairie House?

 

If you have a prairie style home, the casement style is right for your house. They’re typically simple and plain, but may have a grid pattern along the sides to add some visual interest.

 

What Type Of Windows For A Cape Cod Or Colonial?

 

Double hung styles are common for a Cape Cod or Colonial home, and these are typically made of six individual panes of glass separated by muntins. Some of these houses may even have a non-functional picture window at the front of the house to add a bit of visual interest.

 

What Style For A Victorian?

 

If you have a true Victorian or just a Victorian style home, a window may include special touches to add visual interest, including colored glass accents, fanlights and diamond-patterned grids. The beauty and light shines through easily, creating a one of a kind look for your home.

 

No matter what style of home you have, it’s important to choose the right windows. If you’re still not sure which type is right for your house, work with a window replacement company. They’ll be knowledgeable about which style will maximize the return on your investment when it’s time to sell your home.

 

About the Author:

Opal Enterprises is a professional window replacement company that loves sharing knowledge with homeowners. For over 10 years, they have been providing windows, siding, and roofing to the Naperville, IL are and western suburbs of Chicago.

Best Gardening Tools for Small Lawns

lawnFor small lawns, choose smart tools that get the job done quickly and store away neatly

(BPT) – Small lawns have many of the same needs and issues as larger lawns, but they don’t always require the same bulky tools to get the job done. A smart arsenal for small lawn care includes some sturdy hand tools and a few small, but powerful, gadgets. If you’re looking to outfit your arsenal, consider these tools.

* Easy thatch dispatchers – Thatch is a natural protective layer of debris that forms in lawns at the soil level and helps retain soil moisture. But when thatch gets too thick, matting to half an inch deep or more, it can prevent water, air and nutrients from reaching grass roots. Thatch removal tools slice through and lift thatch. The push-powered, wheeled Combisystem Vertical Cutter by Gardena removes matted thatch and aerates the lawn soil at the same time. For those who prefer manual raking, there’s the sharp-bladed True Temper Thatch Rake.

* Lawn care at the flip of a switch – Small lawns need fertilizer and treatment for weeds just like large lawns. But a large awkward push spreader can be overkill for a small lawn and take up valuable storage space in the garage. The new lightweight, hand-carried, battery-powered Ready2Go Spreader is specifically designed to make quick work of small lawns, slopes and tight spaces. It comes pre-loaded with popular lawn care products from Preen, GreenView and Vigoro. Each unit is pre-calibrated for its product so no further adjustments are ever needed. To use the spreader, just pick it up, flip the switch and walk to cover up to 2,500 square feet to fertilize or treat the lawn. To spiff up yards overrun with weeds including tough dandelions, try the Ready2Go Spreader with Preen Lawn Weed Control. For eco-friendly spring lawn feeding, the Ready2Go Spreader with GreenView Lawn Food offers quick green up plus controlled nutrient release over eight weeks. Each unit is refillable, reusable, and its pre-installed AA batteries are replaceable. After use, store the compact, portable tool on a shelf, with no space lost in the garage or shed.weed

* Water the lawn, not the living room – For a lawn, water ranks with sunlight in terms of importance. For a small lawn, often nestled up close to the house and open summer windows, putting water only where it’s wanted is desirable. The Dramm Colorstorm 9-Pattern Turret Sprinkler has adjustable directional sprays in nine different patterns to water small lawns evenly. Durable and efficient, it gives the lawn the good, deep soaking it needs, while leaving the living room curtains dry and blowing in the summer breeze.

* Keep the lawn in fighting trim – Mowing a lawn regularly is more than aesthetic: keeping grass at the right length, between two-to-four inches, helps grass develop strong roots. The Black and Decker 19-inch cordless electric mulching mower is designed for small lawns. It not only makes it easy to keep the lawn mowed to the correct height, it chops up clippings so they decompose easily, discouraging thatch buildup.

* Give a small lawn an edge – By their nature, small lawns are often viewed up close and personal. Edged lawns not only look nice, they help keep garden weeds out of the lawn and vice versa. But edging by hand is hard work. The GreenWorks 12 Amp Corded Edger is sturdy, lightweight, easy to maneuver and ideally suited to creating crisp tidy edges in turf along borders of walkways, driveways, paths and garden or landscape beds. With only a connecting cord of its own, attach the edger to the grounded outdoor-rated extension cord of choice, up to 50-feet. For those who prefer a manual edging solution, choose an edging tool with a sturdy handle and a strong hand-forged cutting edge such as the English-made Clarington Edging Knife.

These are tools that get the job done and done quickly, keeping small lawns trim, tidy and naturally strengthened to fend off weeds. They’re also compact and easy to store and keep until next needed, a boon where storage spaces are also smaller with no room to spare.

Outdoor kitchens: Tools and tips to do it yourself

kit 2(BPT) – Outdoor kitchens are one of the hottest trends for exterior home improvements in 2014, a survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects reveals. If you’re considering creating a backyard kitchen this year, you may be wondering how much of the work you can do yourself in order to get the most out of your budget. Fortunately, many aspects of the job are within the abilities of the average do-it-yourselfer, and resources like rental stores mean you can easily obtain the tools you need to get the job done.

Getting started

Your first step is to assess your outdoor space, decide where your kitchen will be and determine how much area you can dedicate to it. Will you start from scratch, perhaps creating a patio of pavers or building a new deck to accommodate the kitchen? Or will existing structures provide a starting point?

Next, seek inspiration. Resources like Pinterest, YouTube, home improvement shows and outdoor living websites can provide ideas and insight into current design trends in outdoor kitchens. Gathering ideas can help you decide what elements your kitchen must have – such as a multi-burner stove and ample lighting for nighttime entertaining – and what might be on your list of possible features, like a wet bar or built-in seating around the kitchen.

Designing your outdoor kitchen

Once you know where your outdoor kitchen will go and what features you will include, it’s time to start laying out your plans. Plenty of online tools are available to helpkit you design an outdoor living space, including the kitchen of your dreams.

You’ll need to consider many factors, including the dimensions and layout of your outdoor kitchen, materials you will use and how you will landscape around it. Popular building materials include pavers, stone, wood or composite materials, and each imparts its own look to your outdoor entertaining area.

The building process

While most homeowners will have at least some of the tools needed to complete an outdoor kitchen, it’s likely you’ll be missing others. Renting tools through an American Rental Association member store is a cost-effective way to obtain the equipment you need without a long-term investment of money and storage space. To find a rental store in your area, visit www.rentalhq.com.

Tool rental can also ease another reality of DIY construction – the ability to work around your schedule and at your own pace. Renting tools means you can get what you need when you need it, without having large or expensive pieces lying around when not in use.

Give yourself plenty of time to work on your outdoor kitchen, and don’t be afraid to seek help. Friends and family can pitch in on basic tasks, but some higher-level jobs – such as installing a gas line for a built-in range – may require professional help.

Six Ways to Kick Your Lawn’s Grass This Season

tractor(BPT) – For most of us, springtime can’t come soon enough. Following a brutal winter with severe temps and record snowfall nationwide, people are more anxious than ever to enjoy the first days of spring outdoors.

To help get your lawn ready for use and enjoyment this season, the Craftsman brand has developed the following tips to ensure that your lawn kicks grass, takes names and becomes the envy of neighbors everywhere.

* Fertilize: Lawns wake up hungry in the spring. Feeding your lawn in the spring strengthens roots and gets it ready for growing season. A well-fed lawn means a better root system to combat weeds early, as well as heat, cold and drought.

* Remove debris: Leftover sticks and leaves from the fall and winter months don’t only look unpleasant, but they deprive the grass of oxygen and sunlight.

* Don’t mow too low: It’s imperative to fix your mower at an elevated setting so that the grass can grow to about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. This technique results in fewer summertime weeds and healthier, greener looking grass.

* Don’t overwork: For larger yards, lawn maintenance all season long can be a cumbersome experience. To get the job done with exceptional speed, consider the Craftsman 22HP 42-in. Turn Tight (TM) Fast Riding Mower. This not only has a 6-inch turning radius, but can also reach speeds of up to 7.5 mph. To conquer large lawns with rugged terrain and thick grass, consider the powerful new Craftsman G7400 Pro Series Mower, available at sears.com and Sears Hometown stores nationwide. This riding mower boasts Turn Tight (TM) technology, the ability to reach 7.5 mph and is equipped with a reinforced deck with electric lift, automatic transmission, quick blade change and more.

* Keep it quiet: To avoid disturbing your neighbors and to protect your hearing, consider using the new Craftsman Quiet Front Wheel Drive Lawn Mower. This new lawn mower (also offered in an all-wheel drive model) is equipped with the Briggs & Stratton’s Quiet Power Technology (TM) Engine and is 65 percent quieter than a similar Toro lawn mower model (20371). It is so quiet that you can talk to your neighbors and hear your kids while the motor is still running.

* Let it breathe: Aerating – or poking small holes in your lawn – is a great way to improve oxygen circulation and nutrient penetration. Consider ventilating your lawn with spiked shoes or the Craftsman 36-inch Spike Aerator that works with all brands of riding lawn mowers and tractors.

With these six tips, your lawn will be in good shape for the growing season and will take top honors for the best-looking lawn in the neighborhood. For more information about recommended Craftsman lawn and garden products, visit www.craftsman.com or Sears stores nationwide. To receive exclusive Craftsman deals, gain access to members-only projects, get expert tips and learn about the latest tool innovations from the brand, don’t forget to sign up for Craftsman Club, supported by SHOP YOUR WAY (TM). Shop Your Way points can be redeemed for purchases at Sears and Kmart.