Your home is the biggest investment you will ever make and taking good care of it can save you thousands of dollars in the long term. While you take care of the obvious things, these easy maintenance tasks could be slipping under your radar. Taking a couple of hours to maintain your home every month will be well worth the effort.
Frozen pipes are a ubiquitous part of the wonder that is winter. If you are a home builder or a home owner, no doubt you have experienced the mayhem burst pipes create. Even on new builds, burst pipes continue to be a major cause of damage to the home and can be exorbitantly expensive to replace or repair.
Jack Frost is on his way and it’s time to get your home ready for the winter chills. One prevalent winter problem that can cause damage to your roofing is the formation of ice dams. Luckily, there are a range of precautions you can take to prevent the ice dams from damaging your shingles this winter.
Mike Holmes is now partnering with Amvic to bring you ‘Holmes Approved’ building materials that ensure you have a safer, greener and healthier home.
Spring is nearly here and there is much you can do to get your home ready for seasonal flooding and summer heat. Aside from the prerequisite spring cleaning, there are a number of things that you can do to ensure that your transition from one season to the next is seamless.
This winter has been a hard one with polar vortexes and record snow topped only by plummeting temperatures. All this inclement weather can actually do permanent damage to your home in many unexpected ways. Here are some tips on how you can prevent your home from falling victim to the winter chills.
With a record number of large storms slated for North American landfall this summer, many of you will be knee deep in water as your basements flood. Basement flooding is a common problem when storm waters overwhelm city sewers and drainage systems. A flooded basement can cost thousands of dollars and may lead to secondary problems such as damaged foundations and mold. There are many precautionary measures you can take to mitigate basement flooding during stormy weather.
Every year in the US termites cause $5 billion in property damage. In a natural ecosystem, termites perform the very important task of breaking down fallen trees. With their natural habitats largely removed, termites seek alternative sources of wood to call home. Subterranean and drywood termites are among the most voracious insect species in the world and they would like to make your home, their home. Luckily, there are many ways to build that prevent termites from accessing your home.
If your pool is an energy hog, it may be time to make a few changes that can reduce your summer energy consumption and save money. Your pool pump is potentially using more energy than any other home appliance with over 2,000 watts or more for a 1.5- or 2-horse motor. There are ways to mitigate unnecessary pool energy consumption and small investments now can save you tons of money in the long run.
Summer cooling can significantly add to the running costs of your home and contribute to harmful greenhouse gas emissions. You can reduce both costs and emissions through the installation of radiant barrier sheathing. NASA has utilized radiant barriers on its astronaut suits and equipment since the Apollo mission as they are very effective at keeping out radiant heat. Radiant barriers are extremely effective at reducing summer heat gain in attic spaces.
