Home Ownership January 31, 2023

4 Things to Do in February to Avoid a Yucky Spring

4 Things to Do in February to Avoid a Yucky Spring

By: Gabriela Barkho

A mud-remediation plan. That’s No. 1 on this short list.

That dark time when winter just won’t go is like that friend who can’t take a hint to leave.

Give a push with these four easy tasks that’ll help usher in spring.

#1 Deep-Clean Your Entryway

Snow. Salt. Boots. Shovels. Your entryway floors, baseboards, rugs, and more have had a rough few months. Give that smallest of rooms some deep cleaning love now, before the salt crust becomes a permanent part of your entryway decor in spring.

#2 Make an Anti-Mud Plan

Mud may be the least of your frozen worries now, but it’s a-coming.

Be prepared with a remediation plan. With your yard in its frozen-tundra state, you can easily see the troublesome spots.

Research potential ground cover, like gravel, a rain garden, decorative rocks, or the right grass that’ll soak it up. Then you’ll be ready to execute your anti-mud plan the moment it’s warm enough — and do it in time to keep the mud at bay.

#3 Organize Your Cleaning Closets and Laundry Room

Before the madness of spring cleaning begins, organize (or even renovate!) your laundry room and clean closets or cupboards.

This will not only breathe new life into these often-ignored areas, but perfectly pampered cleaning stations can seriously rev up your spring cleaning motivation.

#4 Hail a Handyperson

Spring and summer are peak handyperson seasons. Skip the surge pricing and the agony of waiting for callbacks by hiring someone now. At least for the indoor chores.

Plus, you may be surprised at what outdoor chores can be done.

You’ll be spring-ready before the first flower buds.

 

Home Ownership January 24, 2023

10 Delightful Ways to Make Your House Brighter in Winter

10 Delightful Ways to Make Your House Brighter in Winter

By: Leanne Potts

Let more natural light shine indoors with these simple tips.

Fall and winter start cozy — who hasn’t used the colder temperatures as an excuse to binge-watch Netflix while swaddled in a couch blanket?

But come January, staying indoors can feel less like a treat and more like you’re living in a cave.

Here’s how to make your house lighter, brighter, and cheerier with more natural light indoors.

#1 Take the Screens Off Your Windows

You’ll get 30% more sunlight shining indoors without screens on your windows.

Here’s the best part: Sunlight warms your room and saves you money on your heating bill. It’s solar power — for you!

Be sure to store your screens in your garage or basement, where they won’t get damaged. In the spring you’ll want to put them back on so you can keep that 30% of the sun out and run your cooling system less.

#2 Hang Outdoor String Lights Indoors

They don’t give off a lot of light, but they’re cheerful as heck.

Drape them around a window or a mantel, or hang a string of LED glimmer lights in a tall potted plant. They’ll add a layer of soft light to your room and remind you of fireflies, flip-flops, and patio parties.

#3 Steal a Little Swedish Chic

Scandinavians excel at making a home light and airy because they’ve got places where the sun doesn’t rise at all from November to January.

And you thought you had it bad.

To adapt to weeks and weeks of polar night, Swedes keep interiors pale to reflect and amplify light.

Think white walls, light woods for furniture and floors, and light upholstery. To get the look without getting rid of your dark furniture and floors, put white or light gray slipcovers on your sofa and chairs, and put down light-colored rugs.

The fastest way to bring a little Sweden into your room is to paint it. Try creamy white, pale blue, or dove gray.

#4 Change Your Bulbs

Replace those incandescent bulbs and their yellowy light with LEDs, which produce a brighter, whiter light.

But get your bright right:

  • The higher the K rating on the bulb, the cooler and whiter its light.
  • For cool, white light, opt for a bulb rated 3,500K to 4,100K.
  • For blue-white light that’s closest to natural daylight, use a bulb between 5,000K and 6,500K.

Unless you live in Sweden (see above) you may want to leave the uber-high K bulbs for grow rooms and seasonal affective disorder therapy clinics — because they’re as bright as real sunlight on a hot summer day at noon. You’ll need sunglasses to read.

#5 Hang Mirrors

Make the most of that weak winter light by bouncing it around the room with mirrors.

If you don’t want the distraction of seeing your reflection all the time, use a large, convex one — also known as a fish-eye mirror. It will amplify light better than a flat one. Another option: Hang a gallery wall of small mirrors.

#6 Replace Heavy Curtains With Blinds or Roman Shades

Fabric curtains, while quite insulating, block light and make a room feel smaller and more cramped, especially if they’re a dark color or have a large print.

Try Roman shades or a simple valance paired with blinds to let in the maximum amount of natural light.

#7 Clean Your Windows

Dirty windows block a lot of natural light.

Admit it. Yours are kind of cruddy because who remembers to block out an afternoon to clean the windows?

So, get it on your list. Clean the glass inside at least once a month and the glass outside once a year. Your serotonin level will thank you.

#8 Swap Your Solid Front Door for One With Glass Inserts

A solid front door can make your house look and feel as dark as a dungeon.

Get rid of it and install a half-light or full-light door that lets the natural light stream in. For even more natural light, add glass sidelights and a glass transom.

A new entry security front door will cost about $250 in fiberglass and $975 in steel, including parts and installation. A a new door will add curb appeal, which equals higher resale value. And coming home in the evening to the warm glow of light radiating out the glass panels in your front door is an instant mood lifter.

#9 Add a Skylight

It’s the ultimate way to bring more natural light into your house. A window only catches sun for a couple of hours a day, but a skylight lets in the sun all day.

An indoor view of the sky makes deepest January more tolerable. And feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, light streaming from above, is liberating. A skylight, installed, costs between $1,300 and $3,000. A cheaper alternative is a tubular skylight, which costs $500 to $950 including installation.

If you’re really good with tools, you can install a tubular skylight yourself. Don’t even think about installing a full-blown skylight yourself.

#10 Add Plants

Putting pots of plants around your room will remind you that spring and green will return.

Match plants to the amount of light you have, because dead and dying plants are depressing. Tropicals that thrive in indirect light are usually the best choice. If you have a sunny window you’ve got more plant options.

Bonus points for adding a plant that blooms in the winter, like a kaffir lily or anthurium.

Buyer Tips January 17, 2023

The Importance of Radon Testing

THE IMPORTANCE OF RADON TESTING

Radon is an odorless, colorless radioactive gas that is formed by the natural breakdown of uranium from radioactively contaminated soil. Radon can be found in high concentrations in rock and soil that contain granite, shale, phosphate, and uranium, or even fill soil containing industrial waste.
Long-term exposure to radon can cause lung cancer, so it is very important to know if you are being exposed.

Radon levels may vary from season to season, day to day, or even by the hour, as pressure differentials occur outside or within a structure. Dramatically different radon levels can be found in seemingly identical neighboring homes. Consequently, the only way to determine if there is a radon concern is to perform a test.

While radon kits are available for consumer use, it is generally recommended that radon screening or testing be performed by a qualified radon specialist, especially for real estate transactions.

Schedule your Radon Test Today!

Call us today at (401) 632-6188 or click the link to book your radon test.  Book online here!

Paul and Lisa Miranda
PJM Home Inspections, Inc. dba HouseMaster

Home Ownership January 10, 2023

5 Tasks Every Homeowner Should Do in January

5 Tasks Every Homeowner Should Do in January

By: Gabriela Barkho

Start looking for that contractor NOW if you want your project done by summer’s end.

Whew. The holidays are done. The new year has rung in.

That’s when smart homeowners know it’s time to do these five things that’ll save time, money, and hassles all year long.

#1 Organize Your Seasonal Storage Space

Packing away holiday decor presents a big opportunity. It’s the best time to sort, declutter, and reorganize that space where you store your seasonal stuff.

So before simply stuffing your holiday things back in there somewhere, take inventory; then sort, filter, donate, trash, and re-home as many of your things as possible.

It’ll help keep you more organized all year long, and make it easier to find all your holiday stuff next year.

#2 Deep-Clean the Kitchen

All of that holiday merriment-making is rough on a kitchen. Give it a good deep cleaning now that the glittery dust has settled.

Purge your pantry and frisk your fridge, passing what you can on to local food banks. Scrub the walls and kickboards, and even pull those appliances right out from the walls for a thorough vacuuming to prevent gunk (and stinks!) from accumulating.

#3 Plan Summertime Projects Now (Especially if You Need a Pro)

Finalize plans for any landscaping, decks, patios, or other outdoor projects that need warm weather. Two good reasons:

1. If you’re DIYing, you’ll be ready to roll at the first hint of nice weather. That way, you’ll be less affected by any supply chain shortages and have your improved yard ready to enjoy by summer.

2. If you’re hiring a contractor or other professional, getting your bids and contracts in place now will save you from competing with the spring rush (wait too long, and you may not be able to book anyone!).

#4 Create a Schedule to Clean ALL Your Home’s Filters

It’s not just your HVAC. The filters in your fridge, your vacuum cleaner, your dryer, your air filter, and other household items need to be changed or cleaned at least once a year to be effective, usually more often — especially your dehumidifier. Yucky mold grows easily there.

Check manufacturer instructions for all the filters in your home, and create a master schedule; then add them to your calendar app to remind you.

#5 Save Some Green at White Sales

Linens and towels go on sale in January. It’s a long-standing retail tradition that started back when linens only came in white (hence the name), and it still has a solid rep as a money-saver — only in more colors today.

Cut your threadbare bath towels into rags and restock your supply, plus fill in any gaps in your bed linens you may have noticed if you had a house full of holiday guests.