Living Lifestyle for Fairfax, Virginia home owners and businesses

5 Home Security Tips That Add Value to Your Home

Posted on 12 May 2012 by Big Blue Bear

alarm

Home security doesn’t have to be ugly. Armed with the right information and a little creativity, you can add value to your home while making it safer and deterring burglars. There are so many home security tips and tricks out there, but they always focus on making your home into a fortress, not a house you are proud to live in.

So, what can you add to your home to protect it and increase its value?

Fences – Attractive fences are an excellent home security measure which can increase your home’s value. By adding a secure, attractive fence, you are adding an extra obstacle that burglars need to break through before they get to your home. Fences are often a sign that the homeowners have dogs, which burglars also hate. Most thieves find it easier to just move on to the next house. If you are looking to see a home with a fence, you’ll attract interested dog lovers who want the added protection.

Lighting – Security lighting doesn’t have to be big and ugly. There are thousands of different types of lighting fixtures for outdoors, and all of them will help deter crime. Burglars hate light, because it is more difficult for them to break in and remain undetected. Outdoor lighting trends such as all-weather chandeliers, torch lights, and sconces can add a lot to your home. You can also use energy-saving CFL bulbs in all outdoor light fixtures, which will save you money too.

Alarm Systems – An alarm system doesn’t have to be big bulky keypad next to your door with wires all over the windows. Various security systems are wireless (the new high-tech trend), and the best part is that they don’t cost more than traditional wired systems. You can also hide the keypad in a bedroom, leave it on a kitchen counter, and use smartphone apps or keychain remotes to disarm and arm the system every time you leave.

Window Treatments – The right curtains, shutters and shades add beauty and style to your home. When you select the right window treatments, they look as though they were designed with the house. Of course there is an added security benefit as well – by blocking the view inside your home, burglars can’t see your valuables and can’t tell if anyone is at home. Good quality window treatments will last for many years, and be an asset to your house.

Landscaping Design – No matter what your house looks like on the inside, when it looks well-maintained on the outside, it is worth much more. Well-kept lawns can increase property values across the entire neighborhood. When your shrubs and trees are planted in the right locations and trimmed, they will also provide your doors and windows with a clear view to the street. Burglars love homes where the windows are hidden by overgrown bushes because it allows them to break in undetected. Spend some money and time on proper landscape planting and maintenance now, and you’ll enjoy the beauty, value, and home security benefits for years to come.

Home security can beautify your home when you do it right. Do your research and you’ll come up with interesting ways to add security while making your house worth more at the end of the day. It doesn’t need to cost a lot, it just needs to be well thought-out and properly executed.

About the author: Ellen Dorris is a LifeShield.com home security advisor. She has a passion for staying on top of crime trends and helping the good guys outsmart the criminals. She often writes about safety tips, crime news, new security system technology and stupid crime stories.

Posted in Home Improvement | Tagged decks, home, improvement, lawns, outdoor, patios, porches, remodeling | Leave a comment

How to Turn your Backyard into a Dog Paradise

Posted on 12 May 2012 by Big Blue Bear

dogyard

By Alex Levin

It’s easy and relatively inexpensive to turn your backyard into a doggie paradise. With the right equipment and a little planning, your dog will be entertained for years to come.

Before you add any new attractions, the first thing to do is make sure your yard is safe for your dog. If you don’t have a fence, install one. Your yard won’t be very much fun for your dog if he’s on a chain or tie-out. A stockade-style fence is better than chain link because some clever dogs can actually climb chain link fencing. Make sure the fence is tall enough that your dog can’t jump over it and deep enough that your dog can’t dig underneath it.

Remove any plants, bushes or trees that are poisonous to your dog. Your local vet can advise you of regional plants that you should destroy. Some well-known plants that can make your dog sick are tulips, daffodils and tomato plants.

Set up a lean-to so your dog can get out of direct sunlight. A dog house is good for the winter, but dog houses can get brutally hot in the summer sun. A nice, shady tree or bush also works well to block the sun. Find a spot to keep a large bowl of fresh water in the yard. It should be out of the way so that it doesn’t get spilled. Fill any holes, and remove any rocks, trash or debris that could injure your dog. Check the yard regularly to keep it free of hazards.

When you have the yard safe and ready for your dog to enjoy, you can add some fun features. The most important thing you can add to your backyard is you. There’s nothing your dog would rather play with than you. Dogs can entertain themselves quite well, but a solitary dog can also find plenty of trouble. If you’re outside with your pet, trouble won’t be so tempting.

You’ve probably seen dog shows with agility courses. By simulating a few of the activities in an agility course, you’ll give your dog many activities to enjoy. Here are some fun games that don’t cost too much but will provide hours of fun. In addition to the obvious physical exertion, these tasks also stimulate the canine mind.

• Check the local toy store for a collapsible, soft-sided tunnel. Children’s tunnels are cheaper than dog tunnels from a pet store. Anchor it to the lawn with parachute cable or tent stakes. Use treats to tempt your dog into the tunnel the first time. He’ll love to race you through it after he gets the idea.

• Use dowel rods and buckets to set up a few jumps. Encourage your dog to hop over the rod with a treat. Dogs love to jump over things.

• Create a teeter board with a long plank and a cement block. Make sure the plank is wide enough for your dog to comfortably walk up and down it. Bribe your dog to try it with treats. Most dogs love teeter boards.

• Make a pit for digging. You can use an old patch of garden or a few square yards of lawn. Encourage your dog to dig by partially burying a toy. If you dig in the dirt with your dog, he’ll get the idea quickly.

• Use a piece of carpeted plywood on four cement blocks to create a pause table. Teach your dog to jump onto it, pause for a few seconds and jump down.

• Set up a shallow wading pool. Water dogs love to frolic in a pool when the weather is toasty. You can find used wading pools at garage sales and thrift stores.

• If your dog likes to play tug of war, get a long piece of hemp rope with a diameter of one to two inches. Tie it onto a low branch of a tree. Dogs love a good tussle. Some breeds, like pit bulls, will grab the rope and hang in the air.

• Of course, no doggie playground would be complete without a couple Frisbee-style toys. You can buy soft-sided flying disks that won’t hurt your dog’s mouth. Don’t buy one that’s too large for your dog. It could trip him when he’s retrieving it. Dogs have a natural affinity for flying disks and will usually play with Frisbees for as long as you throw them.

• Tennis balls are a dog’s best friend. You can buy inexpensive tennis balls at any sporting goods store. There’s something about a tennis ball that dogs can’t resist. You can play catch or retrieving games with it. It’s fun to throw the ball or to hit it with a racket for extra-long runs. Your dog will have more fun if you hit the ball along the ground to simulate a rabbit or small animal. If you hit it too far in the air, he might lose sight of it. If that happens, you’ll have to retrieve it to keep playing. That’s not as much fun.

The key ingredient in any of these activities is you. After your yard is outfitted with toys and agility games, you and your beloved pooch can spend years playing together. He won’t have as much fun without you, and you won’t have as much fun without him.

Author Information

Alex Levin is a writer for JW Surety Bonds, contractors bond specialists operating nationwide.

Posted in Lawn & Garden | Tagged care, garden, how-to, lawn, tips | Leave a comment

Thrifty Renovation: Your Next Painting Project!

Posted on 12 May 2012 by Big Blue Bear

paintbrush

A fresh coat of paint can liven any home.

Homeowners seeking to brighten up their homes may want to undertake full-scale renovation, but their finances may not support this option. You may be able to borrow the money, but your financial picture isn’t strong enough to support loan payments.

With a fresh coat of paint, you can give your home a fresh look, bringing a sparkle to your cabinets, furniture and walls in a matter of hours. Read on for some tips on how to give your home a thrifty renovation.

Kitchen cabinets — Replacing kitchen cabinet faces can set you back by several thousands of dollars. To give your kitchen a new look, a coat of paint and some paint brushes can give your cabinets a good makeover.

This job is best managed by removing the cabinet faces from the hinges and painting each one individually as this will enable you to paint trim and, if desired, the insides easier. Fix cracks and dents, and use a primer. Choose a color that gives your kitchen a lift and apply. Replace old hardware with new knobs and handles to give your cabinets a more contemporary look.

Your refreshened cabinets will instantaneously update your kitchen, allowing you to buy some time to plan and undertake a more extensive renovation.

Old furniture — Living room and dining room furniture shouldn’t be painted, but a fresh coat of varnish can help breath new life into your buffet, dining room table, chairs and other wood objects. Beyond painting, you can put new coverings on cloth surfaces, giving your living room a new look.

Bedroom furniture is the easiest to paint, with shelves, dressers, tables and chairs well suited for a makeover. You can easily remove these items from your home and place them on the lawn and spray or brush paint. Use a tarp or newspapers for a foundation and paint away. Apply two coats for a fresh look. Replace knobs and handles if desired.

Walls — Neutral colors are safe, but why play it safe? Paint over those drab white walls and add in some color.

Consider painting one wall in a room a different color, to offer a contrast. For example, three walls might be beige and the last wall bright red. That “stand out” wall might also serve as the back drop for some artwork or a simple visual design statement.

For a fresh look throughout the house, consider painting each room a different color. You may need to move or redo some furniture to come up with the right mix or match, but you can have fun doing so.

Final Thoughts

Your related costs for this project will include gallons of primer, paint, sand paper, varnish, knobs and anything else that might give your home a makeover. Your greatest cost is what you buy — you’ll supply the labor or perhaps be joined by family members and friends willing to help you out.

See Also — How to Choose the Right Home Siding

Posted in Decorating | Tagged decor, exterior, interior design | Leave a comment

Food Storage Rotation Done Right

Posted on 12 May 2012 by Big Blue Bear

foodstorage

How to store your bulk food items.

Having enough food on hand is important for many families. Not just what you need for the next few days or weeks, but food you can keep months, even years. Buying food in bulk can be good decision as you’ll pay less and have a hedge against possible shortages. Those shortages can occur whenever a natural disaster strikes or in a war. Read on for some tips on a how to store food properly and rotate your stock correctly.

Your needs — Firstly, you’ll need to estimate how much food you want to store and for how long. For example, if you have a family of six and would like to have a six month supply of food on hand, then you’re going to need a large storage area, one that goes well beyond what your kitchen, pantry and stock room can supply. Most of your long-term food items will be dry goods, items that you may be able to store in dry basement, in a room converted to house these goods or elsewhere. Set aside your storage area, build shelves and buy bins to handle the project.

Storage ideas — Accessible food storage means putting your food where it can easily be retrieved and used. Your areas need to be well lit and sealed from outside access, particularly from vermin and insects. An assortment of storage bins and containers can be used to house dry goods. Label each container, but also label each bag or box that goes in the container. Describe its contents and the date it was put into storage. For example: Wheat Crackers, 05/01/2012.

Rotation and placement — Your food storage area should be well-marked and easily understood. If you cannot keep all of your food storage in one place, then assign different areas for various products. For example, legumes, whole grains an dehydrated foods have the longest shelf life and can last for many years if properly stored. Compressed food can be stored furthest away, perhaps in that back closet you have set aside for long-term use. For the rest of your foods, you’ll want to ensure that items that will perish sooner are up front and items that are newer are placed in the back — just as you do in the refrigerator.

Organize and systemize — You can track everything on a spreadsheet and reference that, but ask yourself an important question: will you be able to access your computer if the power goes out? Consider a dual system — one that allows you to keep soft copies of your information on your computer with hard copies kept in a loose-leaf binder or on a clip board. Create the tracking system that works best for you, but is also one that everyone in the family involved can easily follow.

Extend your plan — If interior space is limited or if you want access to more food, you can also purchase cans of seeds from suppliers. Unlike most store bought seeds that have to be used within a year if not months of purchase, seeds stored in airtight cans can last for three or more years. Those seeds can be planted in your garden, to provide fresh fruits and vegetables that can be eaten or canned. With canning, you’ll need to create a storage system and include these goods with your other foods.

A food storage plan should also encompass other items including ample amounts of bottled water, chocolate drinks, sterno cooking heat cans or a propane cooking stove, and even backup radios, batteries and weather alert stations. However you store, you’ll need to track it.

Reference: Managing Your Food Storage Space Wisely

Posted in Living In Fairfax | Tagged buying, financing, home improvement, remodeling | Leave a comment

A Second Mortgage and Your Home

Posted on 10 May 2012 by Big Blue Bear

2ndmortgage

Is a second mortgage right for you?

A second mortgage is debt that along with your first mortgage must be paid back to satisfy the lien on your home. Homeowners may take out a second mortgage for a variety of reasons including to consolidate debt, pay down medical bills or to fund a home renovation. You can also pay for college, take a trip or fund some other endeavor with the monies borrowed.

Second mortgages are also called home equity loans as the equity that you have in your home is tapped to cover the loan. Equity represents your vested interest in a home. For example, if your home is appraised at $300,000 and you owe $210,000 on your first mortgage, then you have $90,000 in equity in your home. A lender may allow you to borrow a portion of that equity, but not all of it.

Two Choices

Who should you see about obtaining a second mortgage? You have two choices here:

First, your primary or first mortgage holder may allow you to take out a second mortgage. The advantage here is the lender is already familiar with you and may not need all the closing documentation another lender would require.

Second, you can approach any lender that specializes in home equity loans for your second mortgage. The advantage here is that you may be able to secure a lower rate. However, you’ll also pay more in closing costs. Moreover, the holder of a second mortgage has a second lien on your home which means that if you default on your mortgages, the first mortgage holder also has first dibs on your home when foreclosure action is taken. Thus, your interest rate on the second loan will be higher than with the first mortgage.

Cashing Out

If the thought of making two loan payments a month bothers you, you can always refinance your home and take advantage of a “cash out” provision. With this arrangement you have one loan and receive cash to handle your bills. In the case of the home with a $300,000 appraised value and $210,000 in outstanding debt, you may be able to refinance for $250,000, putting $40,000 in your pocket.

When shopping for a second mortgage, you’ll find similar financing arrangements as you would with a first mortgage. You can choose a fixed interest rate loan, a variable rate loan and even a loan with a balloon payment. What you will be able to get, however, depends largely on your personal credit rating and financial strength. The stronger your financial position, the more likely you’ll get approved for a loan and one at a competitive interest rate.

Mortgage Loan Calculator

When shopping for a loan, you’ll want to make good use of a monthly loan calculator to compare rates and find out how what your monthly payment will be. It can be difficult to compare similar loans, but with a loan calculator you can get a precise calculation for your monthly second mortgage payments.

Posted in Living In Fairfax | Tagged buying, financing, home improvement, remodeling | Leave a comment

Jewelry Down the Sink: Don’t Panic!

Posted on 5 May 2012 by Big Blue Bear

This post is part of our series: 10 Things Women Should Know About Plumbing.

Did you just drop those precious earrings your grandma gave you down the drain? Or maybe a great-grandmother’s ring? Or even just your house key?

It’s okay. No worries. Rule #1 is Don’t Panic.

These things are not necessarily gone forever. You can probably get them back without even having to call in a plumber. Just take a step back, breathe, and, whatever you do, don’t turn on the water. Turning the water on could flush your jewelry, or whatever it was you dropped, all the way to your septic tank or county sewer line. Your chances of getting it back from there are slim to none.

Here’s How We’re Going To Get It Back?

A P-Trap installed under a kitchen sink. Under your sink is a “U” shaped drain pipe, called a P-Trap. (Look at it sideways and it’s a ‘P’.) It’s main purpose is to trap some water to work as a plug to keep sewer gases from coming back into your home. A side benefit is, it will also likely catch anything solid that’s accidentally dropped down the drain, such as your lost piece of jewelry. And, in 99% of cases, it’s really simple to get to and take apart.

Tools you’ll need: a pair of channel locks and an empty bucket, trash can or pot that fits under the p-trap and you’re okay with if it gets really gross water poured into it. Depending on how good you are with handling things that are gross, you may also want a pair of rubber gloves.

Turn off the water supply. This isn’t 100% necessary. It’s more a better-safe-than-sorry kinda thing. Turning on the faucet while you’ve got the drain off = bad idea.
Put the bucket/pan/can under the p-trap.
Use the channel locks to loosen the two ring nuts holding the trap onto the pipes.
Then just wiggle the p-trap off the pipes and pour out whatever’s inside into the bucket.

With any luck, your ring/earring/house key will be there. It’ll likely be REALLY dirty, but there.

Once you have your ring/earring/house key, put the p-trap back in place the same way you took it off, only backwards. Once you have everything screwed on tight, run the water to check for leaks. If anything’s leaking just tighten the ring nuts a little tighter, and if it doesn’t leak, your work here is done.

Posted in Plumbing | Tagged arlington, businesses, homes, plumber, plumbing, virginia | Leave a comment

Toilets and Your Child’s Toys

Posted on 30 Apr 2012 by Big Blue Bear

This post is part of our series: 10 Things Women Should Know About Plumbing.

If you have little ones, you have little toys. Kids love playing with their toys anywhere and everywhere but when G. I. Joe wants to go for a swim in the toilet, there’s more to worry about than just germs.

Toys: A Leading Cause Of Clogged Sewer Lines

A sewer pipe that is more than 50% blocked with rancid, orange, black and grey gelatinous grease. Sewer pipes clog when their insides become coated with oily deposits that in turn trap solid objects that try to make their way down the drain. The bigger the object that gets stuck, the more surface area the oily deposits have to stick to, the faster the sewer lines end up clogging.

Toys that go down the toilet are a big help to the clogs. They’ve got lots of surface area for the grease to stick to. Once they’re embedded in the grease, they’ll start snagging all the other things that go down the drain, like toilet paper and tampons, and before you know it, your pipe is clogged and raw sewage is backing up into your basement. Once that happens, the 99 cent toy you bought with their happy meal is now costing you thousands of dollars to clean up after.

So even if your toilet isn’t immediately clogged, a child flushing a toy down the drain is still a big problem. So what now? Well, the good news is, your toilets, sinks, showers and tubs are all going to keep working for the time being. The bad news is, if a toy is stuck in your sewer line, nothing short of hydro-jetting is going to move it out.

A Plumbing Snake Just Isn’t Gonna Cut It

A plumbing snake, which is essentially a long wire with a spatula on the end of it, will scrape the toy off the inside of the pipe once it becomes stuck, but it won’t push it down the line. You’ll likely have to have the line snaked several times before the toy makes it to the county sewer where the pipes are larger and a clog is the county’s problem, not yours.

Hydro-jetting, which uses high-pressure water to scour the inside of the pipe will push everything down the pipe, will clear the toy all the way down on the first try. It costs more than snaking the line, but it gives you the benefits of knowing the line is completely clear and, because it cleans all the greasy deposits off the inside of the pipe, it will actually have the long term benefit of preventing future clogs. The one downside to hydro-jetting is there is the potential for it to backfire, almost literally. If a clog is big enough, it may take the jetter time to break through it. With 18 gallons a minute flowing into the clogged sewer pipe, the time it takes the jetter to break through may be too long, and all the water it shoots down the pipe can very rapidly back up into your house. A good plumber will actually have you sign a waiver acknowledging the potential for this to happen.

In the end, the #1 rule when it comes to children’s toys and toilets is prevention. Once the toy is down the drain, you’re stuck. Keep the toys, and any other foreign objects for that matter (including feminine sanitary objects), out of toilets at all cost.

cost for main sewer line fix? (ask.metafilter.com)
Don’t Waste On The Flush – New Toilet Technologies (neararlingtonva.com)
Cracked Toilet Or Tank? Don’t Fix, Replace ASAP. (infairfaxvirginia.com)

Posted in Plumbing | Tagged arlington, businesses, homes, plumber, plumbing, virginia | Leave a comment

QSC Power Meeting 2012

Posted on 28 Apr 2012 by Big Blue Bear

I march of 2012, Plumberologist management attended the annual Power Meeting of the QSC. We enjoyed all the presentation given by the vendors. Even more we appreciated the opportunity to put faces to the names of people with whom we’d developed such wonderful relationships through the QSC email forum.

The amount of knowledge we gained in just a few short days was overwhelming. Just trying to take it all in was like trying to take a drink of water from a fire hose. Nonetheless we came back to our company headquarters in Manassas charged and ready to implement some of the ideas we came up with at the conference and during the very long car ride home.

Here are a few of the highlights of the trip…

Seminar Highlights

It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You! — How to Build Your Business by Building Your Brand

David Avrin — The Visibility Coach

With so many choices confronting your prospective customers and clients, the question is: Why should they choose you? In this
energetic and entertaining presentation, internationally-renowned marketing expert and best-selling author David Avrin – The
Visibility Coach, will reveal what it truly takes to recognize and promote your true competitive advantage while building a category-
leading brand identity. Based on the lessons in his breakout new book: It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You! ((c)2010
John Wiley Sons) David Avrin’s eye-opening and engaging presentation will leave you with a new perspective of what it takes
to stand out and a head full of fresh ideas and actionable strategies to become top-of-mind with your top prospects.

Humor: A Strategy for Success

Jeanne Robertson

In this step-by-step presentation, Jeanne helps audiences learn how to develop a sense of humor. She explains the dynamics of
humor, challenging audiences to laugh at themselves, look for the humor in everyday situations, create their own humor, relieve
stress through humor, take humor breaks and influence others to do the same. As she relates her original, funny tales, Jeanne
helps people develop a refreshing new approach to humor and the magic it works in our daily lives.

Marketing Selling Water Energy Conservation

Dave Yates

Keep up trends and find your niche with energy and natural resource technology! David will discuss HET; recirculation;
WaterSense; ModCon; Inverter-Drive; ECM; wireless; snow-melt and more!

What you need to know before you go on your next sales call
How to sell ice to an Eskimo
Exposing PEC (Parasitic Energy Costs) as a sales tool
Overcoming price objections using ROI (Return on Investment) while addressing the deal-killing pay-back issue
Sealing the deal with ECV (Energy Conservation Value)
Boost your bottom line: 10 things to do on every sales call

Sandler Training’s Cut Paste… The Most Effective Motivational Program in the World!

Bob Sinton

At this lively, fun-filled event, you will learn how you and your employees can create individualized “Dream Boards” to stay
focused on dreams and goals most important to them.

QSC Members Learn From Members Panel Discussion: Members Expanding Their Business

Facilitated by David Avrin.

Discussion topics include: Geothermal; Solar; Home upgrades for aging population; Pipe lining and bursting; Whole house
energy assessment.

Tracking Productivity Efficiency

Lawrence Snow, QSC Business Coach

How often have you examined the stats for each of the techs in your departments? Which ones are performing and which ones are
not? Is the top sales person always the best tech? This seminar will focus on different statistics in the service departments and
how to manage these statistics. Additionally, attendees will discuss bonus programs and how to monitor these plans using key
indicators. We will review live Big Board statistics from a company and determine which techs need to be let go or replaced. We
will also discuss the stats of CSR’s and how they can affect the total operation.

Posted in Plumbing | Tagged arlington, businesses, homes, plumber, plumbing, virginia | Leave a comment

4 Deck Choices For Your Home

Posted on 28 Apr 2012 by Big Blue Bear

deckdesign

Deck materials for your consideration.

Our outdoor living options have certainly expanded over the years. Gone are the simple concrete patios that offered a place for families to set up a picnic table and a grille for family gatherings. Today’s homeowners want decks, providing a near seamless transition from indoor living to outdoor enjoyment.

Deck Choices

When choosing a deck, you have several options beyond mere wood for your materials. Wood, of course, is the most popular choice today, but homeowners may want to consider several other options, as they plan this important home improvement project.

1. Wood — Clearly the top choice for homeowners, decks made from pine or redwood are still very popular. Pressure-treated pine does a great job of resisting rot and repelling pests, but has a tendency to show an unsightly green shade that detracts from its appearance. Other options include redwood, cedar and South American hardwoods that has been carefully harvested from rain forests. The disadvantage in using wood is that it must be thoroughly cleaned at least once annually and restrained every two or three years. Moreover, you may only get 10 years out of your deck before it needs to be replaced.

2. Composite — Decking made of composite materials are increasingly being embraced by homeowners. Composite decks have the look of wood, but make use of waste products that otherwise would fill landfills. These products include plastics and sawdust, materials that help these decks maintain the same look year after year. Cleaning is a breeze and many composite decks come with long warranties, guaranteed to last as long as 25 years.

3. Aluminum — If you are thinking “bleachers” when you hear of decks made from aluminum, you’ll happily discover that aluminum used on decks is free from the unpleasant pinging you might expect. Decks and rails made from aluminum feature interlocking floor panels with a gutter system underneath to promote drainage. Most of the water on this type of deck slides off, but the remain water exits through the drainage system and out to your yard. Manufacturers produce various color choices to give your deck a more natural look, one that complements your home.

4. PVC — Polyvinyl chloride or PVC materials is another option for your deck. Such decks are color-matched to your home and engineered to provide perhaps the lowest maintenance of any deck material available. Such decks do not warp or crack, nor can they splinter, stain or rot. A garden hose or power washer will keep the deck clean, with no fear of molds or stains appearing.

Deck Brands

When shopping for a deck, you’ll learn that various brands are associated with the deck materials chosen. Genovations is a PVC brand, LockDry is for aluminum decks and Trex is one brand associated with composite decks. Yes, there are others and when working with a contractor you should find out which brands are available in your area. Prices for non-wood decks are generally much higher, but the trade off is a longer lasting, low-maintenance deck, one that will give you many years of outdoors enjoyment.

See Also — All About Decks

Posted in Outdoor Living | Tagged decks, home, improvement, lawns, outdoor, patios, porches, remodeling | Leave a comment

Home Lighting Options

Posted on 28 Apr 2012 by Big Blue Bear

homelightstyles

You can instantly update your home by changing out or installing new home lighting. Lighting is key with regards to establishing a welcoming and inviting home atmosphere. Although, there are some lighting fixtures that can cost an arm or a leg, there are many other affordable home lighting home options that can make the impact you want without breaking the bank.

Did you move into a newly constructed home and did not opt for the glamorous and pricey home lighting package? Well, we did and after 10 years of living in our house, we decided to trade out those basic brassy lighting fixtures for something more our style. We slowly replaced our kitchen and dining room lighting fixtures and it made such a significant impression that we decided to keep going and replace the rest of the fixtures on the main floor. Although the dining room and kitchen fixtures were different, we decided that the rest of the fixtures in the hallway areas needed to be the same for uniformity. We were pleasantly surprised with the wide variety of choices and styles, particularly with online home lighting stores. The prices were reasonable and we could shop from the comfort of our own home. Most websites we checked out even offered free shipping and returns too. This we found to be quite convenient.

Installing dimmers to your current lighting fixtures is an excellent way to update your home. Not only is it inexpensive, but an easy do-it-yourself project which can be done quite quickly. For example, most chandeliers are quite stunning but sometimes can be slightly over powering with regards to the amount of light that is released from them. To truly make any lighting fixture shine (no pun intended), it would be ideal to control how much or how little light is emitted from them and dimmers give you that control in order to create that desired atmosphere.

Another way to update your home lighting would be to trade out those older table and floor lamps. If you like the base of these fixtures, go ahead and replace the shades for an inexpensive and quick update. If you do decide to purchase completely new lamps, be sure to see what the maximum voltage is and opt to put in a three-way light bulb. This can control the amount of light you would like to have in a room.

As you can see, by making small lighting changes throughout a home, a quick update is made and may even inspire you and give you the confidence you need to take on other home lighting projects such as installing track or spot lighting.

Ann Martin is a contributing writer for Dinnerware Center, which specializes in dinnerware and flatware sets, such as the Noritake and the Noritake colorwave. Ann writes for other cooking and home and garden sites as well. When Ann is not writing, she travels and is an avid reader.