Point Of Home Improvement

Posts Tagged ‘energy’

Because of the decline in the housing market, and thanks in part to the lowest mortgage rates in history, more and more people are choosing to refinance their home loan rather than move to a new home. Low rates can mean lower mortgage payments and bigger savings to your bottom line! All good news!

But one thing people seem to forget is that by staying in your current home, you’ll need to pay more attention to your home’s upkeep and maintenance. Chances are if your home is more than 10 years old it is in need of some winter weather maintenance to keep it in optimal shape. Here are some simple and easy things you can do to add to the life of your home while saving you money on energy bills in the long run.

Weatherproofing your windows and doors

The first place you should check when you begin to weatherproof your home for winter, is to check around your windows and doors for caulk that looks stiff or crumbly. If it is peeling, chipping or otherwise falling apart, it definitely needs to be replaced. Fortunately replacing weatherproofing caulk is easy and inexpensive and even the most ‘unhandy’ handymen can replace old caulking. Use a screwdriver or utility knife to remove the old caulk. Take care to completely remove all of the old caulking, and lay down a new bead of caulking in its place. Choose a brand of exterior caulk with a long lifespan, and use a damp – not wet – sponge to wipe away any excess.

Weatherproofing with weatherstripping

Another simple place to check when beginning to weatherproof your home is to check your weatherstripping. Weatherstripping is the flexible material that surrounds your doors or windows to protect against drafts. Typically the material is made from vinyl, but made be made from foam, cork, plastic or even in some cases metal. New vinyl weatherstripping will last longer and provides a much tighter seal than older materials. For doors and awning or casement style windows, open the door or window and remove the existing damaged weatherstripping and cut the vinyl strips to length, pressing firmly and tightly into place. Voila! You’re done!

Your home supply store will be able to provide recommendations on the appropriate size of weatherstripping for your job – adhesive-backed vinyl is typical for windows and doors while heavy duty stripping (for garages and such) may require nails and tacks. You may luck out if your home is a relatively new home, because then you can purchase pre-made threshold stripping to fit your doors.

Weatherproofing to avoid heat loss

Some homeowners, in lieu of installing storm windows and doors, add plastic sheeting to their windows to help stave off heat loss. This is a very inexpensive, and easy, way to help keep your warm toasty in the winter. Simply attach the plastic to your home’s window moldings and shrink the plastic using a hairdryer. This ensures a tight seal and a good fit for your windows. If your windows are in the least bit drafty, you’ll be surprised at how big of a difference weatherproofing your windows with plastic will make.

Another small change that can make a big difference is checking your outlets for drafts. Many homes, especially older ones, don’t have proper insulation around their outlets. Simply remove the outlet plating and check to see if you feel a draft. If you do, one quick way to seal up any drafts is to cut a sheet a foam to the size and shape of your outlet and place behind the outlet plate. This will help form a tight seal and keep out any drafts blowing through.

Weatherproofing your pipes

The cold weather can be incredibly hard on the plumbing in your home – especially when temperatures reach below freezing. To avoid your water freezing, or worse – your pipes breaking – you should have insulation protecting your hot and cold pipes throughout as much of the home as possible. The insulation will help your cold pipes from freezing and and bursting, while it helps protect your hot water pipes from thermal loss, making your electrical or gas consumption more efficient.

The easiest way to protect your plumbing against the weather is to install tubular-sleeve insulation. It comes in a variety of sizes and is incredibly easy to install. All you have to do is cut the sleeve to the length of the pipe you wish to protect and wrap it around the pipe! If you need more than one sleeve to cover a long pipe, make sure to duct tape the seam. Easy as 1-2-3!

Weatherproofing your home is something that can be done in a day! The investment may be short-term, but the rewards will definitely be long-term! You’ll notice a huge increase in your comfort – and your wallet – once we’re in the thick of the cold winter months.

The order and harmony are two keys concepts to consider in the interior. As you know there is an oriental philosophy called Feng Shui, which sets out basic principles that can generate harmonic compositions at home or at work, so we feel at ease and that the energy flow. But if this concept seems too complicated you do not worry because we’ll give you five keys to easily apply it to your decor.

1-The receiver is the most important part of the home, because it penetrates much of the energy. It must always be placed harmonious furnishings, unfinished-neck, avoiding the overhead of objects and the accumulation of elements that carry a low mood, such as invoices, photos of deceased or any other element that we generate sadness.

2-The windows are very important, they penetrate the sunlight brings warmth and good energy to our home. These must not be too small, because not provide enough light, not too large, because they would be our energy, and should always have a translucent glass. If you have a window of the street, take advantage and put a bench next to be able to sit and watch what happens abroad, it will help you to get away and create a connection between the exterior and interior of your home.

3-In the bedroom there should be no more than a mirror, and when our reflection may not be seen from the bed, as this will help to relax. The mirrors in Feng Shui are important because they retain their positive energy stored by the sun during the day, but an excess of these can be counterproductive. Also in the bedroom should be avoided electronics, especially televisions, because remaining energy to the room and prevent the rest.

4-The room should be the hub of the house, so it should facilitate the entry and exit of persons and reporting them. The ideal is to have a corner sofa that is situated around a small table, because it invited to share the day to day among the members of your household.

5-Finally, the bathroom should be well organized, with a separation between the shower and toilet, and if possible, incorporate some natural plant to provide balance to the room.

I hope these five keys will help you have a home more harmonious and balanced, because in this time when stress is part of everyday life, our home should be a space in which to relax and escape from everything.

Mirrors are very important in Feng Shui, and are used for different reasons. The use of mirrors in the home or office can serve to attract the positive energy and remove negative energy. That is why there are many types of mirrors with different objectives.

Some tips:

- Place mirrors near the window. A mirror in the right place is to harmonize the energy flow in your home. It is also believed that placing a mirror near the dining room helps build wealth.

- If they enter your home the first thing they see is a wall, then it is advisable to hang a mirror to make the space seem larger. Furthermore, it is not recommended to sleep facing a mirror or any reflecting surface.

In turn, the mirrors are also used to take the place of fourth corner. If a room is U-shaped or L, place an object such as a tree in the corner, showing balance. Place a mirror in front of that object. This will create an imaginary wall creating the four corners of a room.

- Do not place mirrors at the end of a long corridor, can only be placed on the walls to expand with positive energy. If you can see a door or window directly as they enter the room, is that place where energy is going. Place a mirror looking in at the door or window, and a plant in the front door, to reflect in the mirror and create a flow of energy.

These are just some ways to keep the positive energy by using mirrors in your home. They can create the illusion of light and space, expanding the sense of energy. Using the principles of Feng Shui, mirrors can be placed on their site, along with other furniture, to create a balanced and comfortable, which will promote a balanced life.