Home Maintenance Binders

Do you keep a home maintenance binder?

First, do you know what a home maintenance binder is?  When I was interviewing people for case studies for my book, The Complete Guide to Building Your Own Home and Saving Thousands on Your New House, I was surprised how many homeowners did not use these binders (and, for the most part, did not know what they were).

A home maintenance binder consists of all of your maintenance schedules, manuals for things like your furnace, air conditioning units, smoke detectors, and so on.  Typically, these manuals are thrown into a drawer somewhere and soon forgotten.  Did you know there are home improvement tips within these manuals?  Did you know that by, simply sifting through them, you can create a home maintenance schedule based on published suggestions?

To get yourself started, purchase a binder that is two or inches thick and purchase a package of pocket dividers.  Gather all of your various manuals for this, that, and the other thing.  Yes, the manuals for your home entertainment units and ceiling fans count.  This is the beginning of your home maintenance binder.  When broken down task by task, completing this is not as daunting as it may seem.

Preparing For Old Man Winter

Winter may seem like it is far off, but it is actually right around the corner.  It is no mystery the fuel crisis is cause for adequate preparation for those living where winter hits hard.  There are a number of home improvements that can be performed in order to improve the efficiency of your home's heating.

1. Do you have leaky doors and windows?  Be sure all the windows and doors are weather-tight.  If you are living in an older home, replacement windows may be a necessity.

2. Are you properly insulated?  Attics are typically where a lot of heat loss occurs, so be sure it is properly insulated.

3. Do you have a fireplace?  Heat loss can occur if the fireplace is not properly vented.

4. Is your foundation tight?  A foundation that is old and falling apart creates a set of problems most do not want to think about, including heat loss. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended).  If you have a furnace that needs maintenance, filters that need to be changed, or a chimney that needs to be cleaned . . . as you can see, there are a lot of things that should be addressed before the cold weather hits.  Are you prepared?

Going "Green"

What does "going green" mean to you?

Are you interested in doing some "green" home improvements?  Before making this move, it's important to really understand what green concept are.  Here is a good definition:

"Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal." -- Wikipedia.org

Green home improvements is rapidly growing in popularity.  Be aware of the marketplace's stance on green products when you're out and about making your choices.  There are some imposters claiming to be green in order to cash in on the "craze," so be sure to do your homework and be an informed consumer.

Check out the National Association of Home Builders for more information about "going green" with your home improvements.

To Tape or Not to Tape

Should you bother taping off a room before priming and painting?

There are a lot of people who think this step is pointless.  Some of these people may even claim that they have painted dozens of rooms without taping anything off with beautiful results.

How often is this true, though?  (Think about how big you said that fish was, and how big it actually was.  Stories have a way of exaggerating themselves.)

For pristine paint results, tape off the edges of the room and along all moldings, trims, and casings.  This prevents paint from getting on to wood, as well as getting on to other painted surfaces.  I have seen what a mess this can make, so be sure to do it right the first time.  Burnish down edges to prevent paint from bleeding under edges, and be sure to choose the right tack. 

For example, there are low tack tapes available when you are painting multiple colors on to one surface.  This low tack tape will prevent the color beneath the tape from peeling up when the tape is removed.  If you are unsure what type of tape to choose, ask a customer service representative at your local home improvement center or hardware store.

Large-scale Home Improvement Projects

Do you have a home improvement project that is larger scale than painting a room or changing out window blinds?  Does your home improvement project encompass the use of an architect, or blueprints drawn up by a contractor or another professional?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, there are a number of things to consider during the planning phase of your project.  If you are adding another room on to your home, or extending an existing room, proper building (and plumbing if applicable) permits must be obtained well in advance.  When obtaining these permits, it is necessary to show the code enforcement officer exactly what you are doing, how many people will be involved during the building phase, and the materials necessary to complete the project.

The same is true if you are building a structure separate from your home, like a garage, a deck, or a shed.  If proper permits are not in place prior to taking on these large scale home improvement projects, you run the risk of facing fines and other repercussions.  Something as simple as adding a four foot deck may seem meaningless and silly to you in terms of permits, but it is still a necessary and required step.