Category: Homeowner Tips

(BPT) – Whether you are thinking of selling your home next year, or simply looking to update certain elements, investing in your exterior will deliver a return on your investment in both resale value and enjoyment.

From siding and garage door to the landscape and patio, there are many opportunities to refresh the outside of your home for style and function. The top trends of 2020 are all about bringing fresh ideas to tired spaces, updating with the latest product innovations, and ensuring your exterior gets as much love as the interior of your home.

Indoor-outdoor living

With a strong desire to expand living space, homeowners are investing in decks and patios that have a seamless flow from indoor to outdoor. Products such as Royal(R) Building Products’ Zuri(R) Premium Decking offer all the beauty of real hardwood flooring without the maintenance. Zuri’s variety of rich colors allow homeowners to create intricate designs and inlays that add an upscale look that can be completely customized.

Screened porches with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors are popular as well as porch/deck hybrids that can be designed to feature built-in kitchens, fireplaces and seating. To further personalize the space, homeowners are mixing textures and materials, including metal, wicker and wood, in outdoor furniture and features to create individualized style.

Continue reading “Low Maintenance, High Curb Appeal: Top Exterior Home Trends of 2020”

(BPT) – The leaves have changed, temperatures are dropping and pumpkin spice treats abound, which means winter is coming. Now is the time to winterize your home, which can mean up to a 10% savings on your energy bills, according to Energy Star.

“Winter brings unpredictable weather and dropping temperatures, which can test the limits of your home and reveal weaknesses – like drafts – you didn’t realize were there,” said Cathy McHugh, director brand management at DAP. “Taking a few simple steps now to repair, prepare and protect your home through the harsh winter weather will help save on time, energy bills and costly repairs come spring.”

Help your home fight the cold, without breaking the bank, by tackling these four DIY-friendly preventative projects.

Continue reading “4 DIY-Friendly Projects To Get Your House Ready For Winter”

(BPT) – Winter weather is difficult to predict. Use these tips to help protect your home from the costly damage winter storms can bring.

Take care of your roof

• Keep your gutters clear. This keeps ice from accumulating and backing up under the shingles.
• Trim trees year-round so branches don’t fall on your house.
• Worn-out, missing or damaged siding and roof flashing can let water and ice into your home. Be vigilant and replace them.
• If your chimney is leaning or the mortar has seen better days, get it repaired.

Continue reading “Winter Is Coming: Be Prepared For Costly, Damaging Storms”

(BPT) – After a long summer relaxing on your deck or patio, autumn is a great time to renovate your outdoor space – or build one from scratch. Home improvement expert Alison Victoria, host of HGTV’s “Windy City Rehab,” offers five tips for fabulous fall fix-ups.

Get decked out.

Fall is an ideal time to tackle a deck project, whether it be repairs, board replacement or a completely new build. In addition to offering more pleasant temperatures for working outside, fall and winter are typically slower times for contractors, meaning you won’t have to wait as long to get onto their schedules. Contractors may also be willing to offer off-season discounts on their services or materials, which tend to be cheaper after the spring and summer rush.

“Another big advantage of waiting until the off-season to tackle outdoor projects is contractor focus,” explains Victoria. “Rather than being one of many projects a contractor is juggling, you can be one of the few, which often translates into greater attention to quality and better customer service.”

Continue reading “Five Fall Fix-Ups For Your Outdoor Space”

(BPT) – From cooking to conversing to entertaining, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s also a space that homeowners often dream of renovating. A growing trend in kitchen design is personalization, where thoughtful updates go beyond stainless-steel appliances and standard cabinetry to incorporate a host of interesting design elements.

By adding splashes of personality to your kitchen, you make the space one of a kind, and you’ll enjoy it more because it reflects your preferences and style. Consider these key ways to breathe new life into any kitchen.

Continue reading “3 Stylish Ways to Personalize Your Kitchen”

(BPT) – Natural disasters cost Americans $91 billion in damages in 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

With parts of the country in the midst of peak hurricane season, and other regions of the country approaching the dangerous wildfire and flooding seasons, experts emphasize the importance of safeguarding key assets, especially those irreplaceable personal and financial documents.

“As the number of extreme storms in the U.S. continues to rise, so does the importance of protecting your assets like sentimental family photos, wills, insurance/tax documents and more,” advises Cheryl Nelson, a certified instructor at FEMA’s National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC). “We can’t always predict exactly when natural disasters will strike, but we can take proactive steps to safeguard the things we deem irreplaceable.”

In observance of National Preparedness Month in September, the Master Lock Company and Nelson partnered to offer insights and advice for safeguarding valuables from the unexpected.

Continue reading “Top Tips To Protect Valuables From Extreme Weather Disasters”

(BPT) – Summer may be winding down, but a new opportunity to garden is just beginning. Plenty of vegetables and flowers can be grown successfully in late summer and into fall, so it’s a great time to refresh with plants that either thrive in slightly cooler weather or are easy to bring indoors once the temperatures start to drop.

Savor the flavors of fresh grown herbs.

With Pesto Party basil from Burpee Plants, you can have your own actual pesto party! Bring the basil indoors when there is danger of frost and keep the plant handy in a sunny spot in the kitchen so you can simply snip off leaves as you’re cooking and entertaining. Just be sure to leave some foliage on the plant so it will continue to grow. If you make a bigger batch of pesto than you can use in one recipe, freeze the leftovers in ice cube trays to pull out and cook when desired.

Continue reading “Tips For Late Summer Gardening”

(BPT) – Whether you plan to sell your home soon or you simply want to make your property more modern and livable, there are many things you can do to increase the value of your house. The good news is you don’t need a massive budget to make a big impact. Here are five affordable things you can do to boost your home’s bottom line.

Update the entryway

Updating the entryway provides a warm welcome to guests. Clean the space of clutter and consider adding a new sturdy doormat and plant or wreath to add a splash of style. Of course, the focal point of the entryway is the front door, so if yours is looking drab, a fresh coat of paint can go a long way. If it’s dented and worn, consider a replacement that doesn’t cost a ton but has great return on investment: Remodeling Magazine’s 2019 Cost vs. Value reports an average national job cost of $1,826 with a 74% ROI.

Replace appliances

A kitchen remodel certainly boosts a home’s value, but even a minor kitchen remodeling can surpass $20,000, with upscale remodels costing $100,000 or more. To get that new kitchen look and feel without the big price tag, consider putting funds toward new appliances instead. Coordinating appliances for a cohesive look enhances the aesthetic of the room. Stainless steel continues to dominate in interior design, but choose the right colors for your kitchen’s unique look and you’ll love the results.

Continue reading “5 Budget-Friendly Projects That Boost Your Home’s Value”

(BPT) – With cooler days and temperate weather, fall is a good time to get outdoors and tackle some larger home projects, as well as prep your home for winter.

“Cold weather can wreak havoc on your house, leaving you with a long list of repairs,” said Cathy McHugh, director, brand management at DAP. “It’s important to take preventative action now so you can enjoy the coming weather change, rather than making costly repairs later.”

Don’t know where to start? Here are the top five “must-do” repairs from the experts at DAP.

Continue reading “4 Home Fix-Ups For Fall”

(BPT) – Summer heat may be good if you’re at the beach or pool, but when you’re at home, it often means fighting scorching temperatures with costly air conditioning. Not only can this feel like an endless battle during the dog days of summer, but leaving the trapped hot air in your home can also worsen indoor air quality.

Considering people spend an average of 90 percent of their time indoors, this is a big deal. Proper ventilation has many benefits, from keeping a home comfortable all summer long to improving overall home health, including removing pollutants and stale indoor air to improve air purity. What’s more, when you ventilate strategically, you can enjoy cost savings as you won’t have to use your air conditioner as frequently.

You may be able to block the sun strategically using blinds and shades while opening windows on the particularly cool evenings, but if you really want to embrace the trend of healthy home ventilation, consider systems that focus on specific parts of your home, including the attic, garage and indoor spaces.

Continue reading “How To Keep Your Home Cool and Improve Indoor Air Quality”