If you are looking for an alternative to tile or wood flooring for your porch or lanai consider indoor-outdoor carpet, it is perfect for enclosed porches because it’s resistant to mildew and stains. It’s a much better choice than standard indoor carpet for giving your porch a finished look, and installation is easy.
To figure out how much carpet to buy, measure the length and width of your room, add 6 inches to each measurement, and multiply the two numbers. Here’s how to install it:
Cleaning comes natural to most of us, we have been cleaning a home since we were kids. Our parents had our first chores as cleaning your bedroom, then you migrated to the kitchen, bathroom and living room all in preparation for when we would get our own home. We all hated cleaning the bathroom had to spend so much time on the little things like the sinks and tub and don’t get me started on the toilet! Most of us have a routine set-up for washing our bed linens, but the same probably can’t be said for the rest of the bed.
We all take pride in our homes. While we spend thousands of dollars of remodeling our kitchen and bathrooms, choosing the exact colors of paint and floor design we sometimes let the exterior go. Our lawns are an extension of our home, our family…us so let’s spruce it up starting with the edging. If the edging is not repaired, damaged edges will continue to deteriorate, and like any bare patch, they also provide an open invitation for weeds to establish. Reseeding a damaged edge is rarely effective, so try tackling the problem using this simple technique.
Spring is in the air and that means your backyard will soon get more action! Spending time with the family and friends outdoors is one of the best ways to pass your weekend and evening. Don’t let another year pass without creating that fire pit you have always wanted.
Choose a location. Select a location that’s away from any combustibles such as bushes, sheds, low-hanging branches, etc. If you want it to be an extension of your back deck or your outdoor kitchen consider replacing the wood from the deck with tile that looks like wood. With this concept you can extend your deck add a foot path and then the same flooring around the pit.
Lay out the fire pit. Starting at the center, paint a five-foot diameter circle using a string as a compass. Tie one end of the string around the can of spray paint, then the other around a stake at the center of the pit. You’ll also need to paint a three-foot diameter circle for the actual pit, and a 12-foot diameter circle for the seating area.
Dig the footer and pour concrete. With the location laid out, dig out the footer for the inner and outer walls of the fire pit, digging between the three-foot and five-foot circles, about five to six inches deep. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, mix the fast-set concrete in a wheelbarrow and fill the ring with concrete. Make sure the top is level and smooth. Wait for the concrete to set up.
Separate your stones while you wait. While the concrete is setting, you can use that time to separate your stones into face stones, and a few for cap stones. The cap stones will be used to make the top of the fire pit wall, so keep the flat, smooth stones for the caps. The rest of the stones will make the wall.
Start laying stone. Start laying the stone in a ring, following the outer edge of the footing. Once the first complete ring is done, lay a ring of fire brick (on their edge, so they stand three-inches high) around the inner ring of the pit.
Continue the stone. Continue laying rings of stone on top of others. Continue laying courses of fire brick, as well. Keep everything level by choosing stones that fit. If they don’t fit, cut them. Try to avoid laying diagonal and vertical stones, they look bad and cause instability in the wall.
Fill the wall. Once the stone and fire brick are at the height you need, fill the void between the fire brick and stone walls using scrap stone and mortar. You’ll want the wall to be totally solid before you cap it.
Place the cap stones. Lay the cap stones on the top of the wall, laying them out in dry-stack to make certain that everything fits. Cut individual stones to fit, if necessary. Once you’ve got a good fit, mortar the stones into place.
Seating Area. For the seating area, dig out the grass in the area inside the 12-foot circle you painted, and lay down landscape cloth. Fill the area with gravel. Enjoy.
Knowing how to refinish a kitchen table is great for taking an old piece of furniture and making it look new. You don’t have to have any special equipment and you can do it in a weekend.
Choose the color of stain based on the style of the table and the wood tones in the rest of your house. The table doesn’t have to be an exact match—most homes have a variety of wood colors, so don’t stress if your stain’s color is a little off.
You have spent so much time, energy and money into improving your home, from the kitchen and bathroom remodels to landscaping. Good drainage is important to ensure that a home stays dry and free of mold. If groundwater collects in the basement, it is not only an inconvenient eyesore for the homeowner, it can also lead to wood rot and mold.
When deciding on flooring the homeowner now has several choices, you can use a more traditional flooring such as hardwood or tile or you can use concrete for a unique flooring. The advice below may seem straightforward, but it is following the directions and being diligent that provide the best results.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The snow is falling, a fire crackling in the fireplace, and that beautiful rug covering your tiled or hardwood flooring is now dirty. The perfect time to work on that rug and clean in the snow! If the fibers of your favorite rug aren’t vacuum-friendly, or the material is just too delicate to clean conventionally, take it outdoors this winter. This is a tutorial you’ll want to consider for your wool rugs, vintage rugs, and high pile rugs that require a little extra care when cleaning. You know the kind; the rug that hoards dust and crumbs into each crevice, or the one that sheds almost all of its fibers every time you torture it with a vacuum cleaner.
Black mold can be an insidious problem for homeowners, potentially leading to a costly removal process and even a host of health problems. Kitchens and bathrooms can be affected the worst because of the moisture in those rooms. But by learning how to get rid of black mold safely and effectively, you can protect the health of your family and the value of your home, without breaking the bank.
It is never too late or too early to save money and reduce your carbon footprint. The first place to start is with your home and you will be surprised at what you can do to reduce those monthly bills. Here is a short list on the things you can start with to achieve your goals. Once you start seeing your monthly bills go down it will inspire you to look for more, deeper, and bigger ways to reduce those bills.
Change your filters. One of the things we don’t really think about is the filters in our central units. When you turn on your air conditioner, fan or heater you are filtering the air in your house through this filter in your central unit. When you don’t routinely change this filter you are causing your system to work harder, use more electric and pump all the “stuff” you don’t want back into the home. You can purchase filters that are reusable that can be removed washed and replaced. These filters cost a little more but will save you in the end since you will not have to continue purchasing more filters. These filters should be removed cleaned monthly.
Turn off and unplug. Did you know that some things you use daily like a computer, tv or monitor will still draw power even when it is shut off? This little drip of electric going to these items will add up over time. Turning them off is good but turning off the power strip or unplugging them is better. But turning off the units or even unplugging will extend the life of the unit and cutting off the trickle of electricity will help your bills in the long run.
Go tankless. Most homes have a 50 gallon hot water tank; one of the biggest ways to save energy is to switch that tank with a tankless water heater. A standard water heater will have a surge of electricity after every bath, load of laundry and sink of dishes you wash. Every time there is a drain in the tank it takes energy to heat the water to be ready to use. Periodically throughout the day it will also kick in to consistently heat the water to maintain the temperature needed to be ready for you to use. Another great alternative to a tankless water heater is a solar water heater. This consists of a 50 gallon tank connected to a solar panel that heats and maintains the temperature even at night! Also think about replacing that shower head with a shower head or shower systems that saves water.
Insulation is the name of the game. You can never have too much insulation but you can have too little. Let’s look at the biggest bandit of heating and cooling…windows and doors. Check your windows and doors to make sure the seals are tight with no leaking or cracking. Re-caulk, change the weather stripping and door sweeps as needed. If you have blown insulation, how old is it? Did you know that cellulose insulation has a typical lifespan of around 20 to 30 years? How old is your home? How old is your blown insulation? Is it still up to code? To get the best results your attic insulation should he at the least R13 but the best is R19. If you have single pane windows replace them with double pane to get the best results.
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