Quality Home Improvement » Utility Bills

Quality Home Building Features to Look For When Building a Home

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:37:39 +0000

Everyone has a dream of building the ideal home for oneself and family. The purpose of any home is to provide the maximum comfort level, as well as full protection from the natural elements and other dangers. The quality home building features to look for when building a home would be a strong structure, proper lighting and ventilation, and features that would reduce the utility bills.

Your home should be designed in a way that lets in the maximum natural daylight. For that it is necessary to have the proper orientation of the house structure on your property. You should plan your house in such a way that the most lived-in rooms should be located along the south edge of the house, and the rest of the structure should be spread along an east-west axis. The important rooms facing the south will be bright and sunny. Generally people like to be in rooms that have natural light coming in from two sides. So it is better to design the room orientation, with windows providing natural light from at least two sides.

A building feature that can create a sense of intimacy or privacy is the height of the ceiling. In rooms that are more private, the ceiling height can be 7 feet. Rooms that are meant for small gatherings can have 8 to 9 feet high ceilings. Places meant for large gatherings and lot of movement can have ceilings that are 10 to 12 feet high. A higher ceiling can improve the air circulation in a house, but will also bring up the cost of heating. Many people feel the need to have a fireplace, and it is important have it in the right place and designed correctly. When a fire is burning it will usually suck the air for combustion and you will feel a draft of air coming through the openings in the window or doors. To eliminate this draft you can fix glass fireplace doors provided you have a vent, so that the combustion efficiency is not reduced.

Another important aspect that requires careful consideration is the flooring of your home, and you should consider the durability and the maintenance cost of the material you are going to choose. Hard flooring materials like marble, granite, tile and concrete, require less maintenance and are much more durable. These type of surfaces are ideal for living room areas and kitchen where the surface is put to a maximum of walking around and there is a constant spillage on the floor. Softer materials which are more comfortable on the feet like carpets can be chosen for bedrooms and study rooms. Another factor to consider in flooring is the safety. Hard materials are usually smooth and slippery, so you should get a finish which is designed to minimize the danger of sliding. Also carpets need constant cleaning and care, as they harbour dust and dust mites.

Always use materials that are low in volatile organic compounds, as this will improve the quality of air inside the house.

Quick and Easy Green Home Improvements

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:37:26 +0000

Many homeowners are looking for quick and easy green home improvements. Whether you want to make these improvements for the sake of going green or you want to do some things before placing a home on the market that will make it more competitive with new homes, there are plenty of options.

Joining the green revolution will make your home more comfortable, less costly to heat and cool, and some changes will reduce your water and/or sewer bill. Many of these improvements will also make your home more comparable to newer homes on the market. This might or might not justify an increase in selling price. While these quick and easy green home improvements might appeal to home buyers who have a strong interest in a green home, it might not matter to other prospective buyers when they make an offer. If, however, you make available a record of your utility bills for the last year, showing a decrease in heating, cooling and water costs could be attractive to a buyer.

The top seven quick and easy green home improvements that are also economical are:

1. Switch to energy efficient light bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs cost a bit more when you buy them, but they will last years longer and use only a fraction of the energy. Start with the lights you tend to use for the longest period of time – like the kitchen light that is never turned off or the bathroom light the kids just can’t remember to turn off. If you are planning to put your home on the market, you might want to start with bulbs in permanent light fixtures.

2. Install insulating/reflective window coverings. Film window coverings are available in several levels of light and UV ray blockage and colors. You can choose different textures and colors depending on the amount of direct sunlight on various windows. The window film is available in most hardware and home improvement stores, and it is easy to install.

3. Install weather stripping on doors and window frames. Weather stripping is relatively inexpensive and it is easy to install on window frames and door frames. It will reduce the amount of heat exchange by sealing up cracks or openings. This will make your home more comfortable, more energy efficient, and more environmentally friendly.

4. Install low flow shower heads and faucets. Most homeowners can install new shower heads and faucets or affordably hire a handyman to do it. These faucets and shower heads use less water without blocking adequate water flow. They will save water and reduce your water and sewer bills.

5. Adjust the float in the toilet tank to use less water. This is a fairly simple adjustment that can be accomplished by most homeowners or a handyman. If you can’t adjust it, try putting something in the bottom of the tank that will displace some of the water. Just be sure that what you use won’t rust and won’t get in the way of the working of the flushing mechanism.

6. Insulate the hot water distribution pipes in your home. This is also a relatively inexpensive and easy job of wrapping the pipes that go from the hot water heater to the various plumbing fixtures (kitchen, bathrooms). Keeping the water warmer as it moves through the pipes will provide warmer water and it will reduce the amount of water you have to run from a faucet while you wait for the hot water to get there.

7. Install insulating or reflective window treatments. Install reflective blinds or shades at your windows. Then be sure to close them at times when the sun shines on them directly or during the warmest part of the day. This will reduce your heating/cooling bills.

Try these seven steps to make some quick and easy green home improvements. The money you will save on utility bills will probably pay for the improvements very quickly.

Copyright 2008 by ABCD Publishing

By: Dan Fritschen

Home Improvement Centers With Training and Workshops

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:48:35 +0000

The various Home Improvement Centers show sites for do-it-yourself jobs. They give tips covering all aspects of residential home repair, remodeling, home improvement and renovation projects of the house. The sites generally give you advice and tips on how to maintain your home, so that its value increases.

The Home Improvement Centers offer not only help and tips on home improvement, but they also have tutorials on all your repairs, redecorating and remodeling jobs at home. Their aim is to make all DIY projects easy for the customer to follow. The centers also show how the job can be done in an inexpensive way and save energy too. Above all the job should give the customer the utmost satisfaction.

Types of Jobs

The type of jobs which have a step by step instruction given by the Home Improvement Centers are house painting, wallpaper, carpentry, home insulation, woodworking, electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, heating, flooring, masonry, concrete, wood decks, interior decorating and gardening. Advice is also given on how you can reduce your utility bills.

@Catalog and Directory

Often the home improvement ideas given by the Home Improvement Centers are catalogues and guides, where the instructions are very systematic. Sometimes there is a complete home improvement catalog for every room in the house. You just have to link to your respective room and you are flooded with home improvement tips, ideas and all the latest products and services. The directory of some Home Improvement Centers lists government guidelines, consumer reviews and even product showcases.

Tools

There are some other interesting tools which are included in some Home Improvement Centers. There is home valuation, whereby the market value of your home and neighborhood is estimated. There is also a payback estimator, which tells you the approximate payback estimate which is viable for your renovation type. Above all an array of calculators is offered, so that you can estimate your financing options on your own.

Learning through Workshops

Home Improvement Centers offer in-store and online learning projects, so that you can learn how to do the projects of home improvement yourself. They are called clinics, and they are generally open to everyone. Complex projects are simplified and the instructions which are taught are easy to follow.

There is an interesting workshop called the Do-It Herself Workshop in one of the Home Improvement Centers. The environment here is friendly and supportive for women. They learn new skills and are taught to tackle interesting home improvement and décor projects. It is generally a one-night workshop, and one of them is held at The Home Depot store, which is one of the popular Home Improvement Centers.

There are workshops for kids as well. There are other Home Improvement Centers which reuse valuable materials and make home improvement affordable for more people. They also provide job training and create local jobs.

By: ade perillo