About Me

Picking Up the Pieces After a Flood

Dealing with serious flood damage at home is not the end of the world. And most importantly, it does not have to cost you an arm and a leg to get your home back into living condition again. In fact, you may find (like I did) that recovering from a flood gives you an opportunity to improve the look and feel of your home overall, and even to implement design options that increase the value of your property. I spent about a year fixing up my place after a pipe exploded while I was on vacation, and literally ruined everything inside from the flooring and walls, to my photos and important paperwork. So, I figured I could help others "pick up the pieces" and create a bigger ad better lifestyle at home by turning a flood situation into an opportunity, instead of dealing with it like a crisis.

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Picking Up the Pieces After a Flood

2015

Diagnosing Curious Noise Issues With A Residential Hot Water Tank
Providing hot water to the house in an instant, the hot water heater is easily one of the more valuable pieces of modern equipment in the home even though it often goes unrecognized unless something is wrong. The hot water tank of the unit houses the water both while it is being heated and after the water has reached a desired temperature. On occasion, noises from within the hot water tank may leave you scratching your head as a homeowner.

2 Tips To Help You Keep Your Glass Shower Doors Looking New
Investing in a glass surround for your shower can be a simple way to update the look of your bathroom. If you want to maintain the high-end feel glass shower doors can provide, it's essential that you take the time to keep these doors clean. Here are two simple tips you can use to ensure that your glass shower enclosure looks new well into the future. 1. Use a natural cleaning solution to get rid of soap scum.

Tips For Hanging Decorative Paper Lanterns
If you've decided to use paper lanterns for a decorative lighting effect, you'll want to give careful consideration to the method that you use to hang them. Not only is the method you use going to dictate their lighting effect, it's also going to be a significant safety concern. You'll want to make sure that they are secure and upright no matter where you hang them. Here are a few ideas to help you hang your paper lanterns for any occasion.

Three Reasons Why You Shouldn't Ignore Dead Tree Limbs
When tree leaves suddenly discolor, curl or fall off of a tree limb outside of the normal autumn leaf drop, it always warrants attention, especially if it's a large or overhanging limb. Some dead-looking branches can easily be explained by severe weather, a lightning strike, or even improper pruning techniques. But leaves, branches or limbs that appear to be dead can also indicate that something more serious is going on inside the tree.

Preparing Your Property For Tree Trimmers
If you are planning on having tree trimmers come to provide general yard maintenance, there are some things that you can do to prepare. Prepping your yard and understanding the needs of professional tree trimmers can make their job even more efficient. Here are four things that you can do to help tree trimmers stay on-task and meet your needs. 1. Keep Pets and Kids Inside Having strangers on your property might be exciting for kids and pets, but safety should be considered.

3 Tips When Fighting Rodent Infestations
Nobody likes seeing a skittering rodent in their home. Indeed, rodents are pests and absolute menaces when it comes to both health and the integrity of your home. Rodents will chew through walls, cables, and do all manner of unwanted activities. However, there are some helpful things you can do to prevent rodents from moving into your home before calling an exterminator.  Don't Make Your Home A Target Rodents are often attracted to homes that are perceived as places where they can score a meal.

Garden Plans: Ideas For Trouble Areas
Many yards contain trouble spots. Perhaps it's a shady area where nothing seems to grow. Or maybe it's a corner or small strip that could use some developing. Transform your trouble area into a place of beauty with the appropriate plants and a pleasing layout. Shady Garden Do you have an area overshadowed by a tree or maybe by the house itself? Luckily there are several plants that actually prefer the shade:

3 Ways to Take Care of Your Window Blinds
The window blinds that you use inside of your home will either enhance your home aesthetically and in terms of efficiency, or will be a hassle that frustrates you. To make sure that your blinds are useful for you, it pays to make sure that you do all that you can to keep your blinds in the best possible condition. In that regard, use the pieces of information in this guide, to learn the best cleaning, repair and troubleshooting tips for your window blinds.

Three Window Treatments That Can Help Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
If you want your home to be more energy efficient, many improvements can be done to windows and doors. Some of the improvements include replacing the windows entirely. This may not always be possible, or you may have already had your windows replaced. Window treatments can be another great way to add energy efficiency to your home: 1. Using Curtains And Wind Shades To Give Windows Insulation If you want to have more energy efficiency with the windows and doors in your home, simply adding curtains can be a great help.

Bring The World Into Your Backyard With Exotic Patio Settings
Patio furniture has a boring reputation of being little more than metal chairs around a basic round table and pop-up umbrella. Today, though, you can give your home and yard a spark of personality with outdoor spaces filled with just about any type of fun, eclectic, classy or chic furniture that you want. You can even create exotic spaces that evoke faraway lands, foreign cultures or dream vacation spots. Here are a few ways to easily make a space that takes you away from it all.

Tips To Help You Get Organized If You Are Preparing To Move To A New Home
If you are getting ready to move to a new home in a few months, organize your current surroundings so that packing up and transporting items will be a breeze. The following ideas will help you eliminate clutter so that you can be prepared on the date that you have requested help from a moving company. Hold A Tent Sale Hold a tent sale to get rid of items that are no longer needed.

Deploy and Conquer: The Insect-Insect Pest Control Strategy
Given that pesticides are not only expensive but also harmful to the environment, they are not the best option when it comes to dealing with pests in a garden. The problem is that most garden owners usually view them as a necessary evil – while they may not like using them, they feel that they have to because the alternative is to watch their plants get destroyed. However, this is not true.

Ideas For Quickly Remodeling Your Swimming Pool
If you are lucky enough to have your own swimming pool, you might want to spruce up its look every once in a while. To help you do that without having to go through a lot of stress, you might want to check out the following ideas. Add A New Liner Some people will want to wait until their current pool liner is no longer in the best shape while others will have no problem changing it out sooner.

Four Tips To Help You Maximize Storage Space For Garden Equipment And Outdoor Projects
If you are a person that likes to work in the garden or do outdoor projects, you probably have a lot of tools and materials that you need to store. You may even need to have a little extra space to work on some of your projects. With a good garden shed, the right storage and a workbench, you can maximize your storage space. For some of the larger equipment, you may even want to consider a storage service to create more space.

3 Reasons To Hire A Commercial Weed Control Company
Purchasing commercial property can be an excellent investment, especially if you are able to buy it at a good price. But whether you plan to use the buildings on the property for your own business, or want to lease the building to other business owners who need office or warehouse space, you are still responsible for maintaining the land included in your property. You most likely do not have the time or inclination to provide landscaping and weed control services yourself, so your best bet is to hire a professional company who specializes in commercial weed control, and can also keep other plants and shrubs on the property in good condition.

3 Ways To Keep Carpet Beetles At Bay
Now that spring is almost here, homeowners all over the country are looking forward to opening their windows and letting in some fresh air. However, you may be letting in more than you bargained for in the form of one of the planet's most destructive fabric pests -- carpet beetles. Carpet beetles frequently access home interiors through open windows, and although adult carpet beetles don't feed on fabric, their larva do.

How To Keep Your Tile Flooring Clean And Shiny
Tile floors have an attractive appearance, but they are difficult to keep clean. Once the grout lines are stained with dirt or mildew, or the tiles become cloudy, then your beautiful floor becomes an eyesore. Here are a few tips for keeping your tile flooring clean and lustrous. Sweep And Vacuum Tile floors are installed with grout between each tile. The area with grout is slightly depressed, and this becomes a magnet for dust and dirt.

Removing Pesky Rodents From Your Home
No one really enjoys having to deal with having a mouse problem inside their home. You will need to change some of your habits to keep mice from wanting to live inside your home. You may also need to invest in some trapping methods. Here are some tips for you to remove mice and to keep them out of your home for good. Removal Methods To remove mice from your home, you will need to decide if you would rather try to get rid of them humanely or if you want to kill them to ensure they do not return.

What You Need To Know About Your Foundation And Your Homeowners Insurance Policy
If you're the owner of a home, it's important for you to understand that your homeowner's insurance isn't the only protection you need. This is particularly true when it comes to your foundation. Whether or not a problem with your foundation will be covered by your insurance policy depends on a number of factors, including the source of the damage and whether or not you, as the owner of the property, took measures to prevent it.

Here's How A Lawn Service Can Help Your Yard Stay Beautiful
If you're tired of mowing grass every weekend, but want your yard to look nice, then you may be tempted to pay the neighborhood kid to mow for you. However, if you want a yard your neighbors will envy, you should consider hiring a professional lawn service. They do much more than simply mow your yard, and it really makes a difference in the way your yard looks. If yard maintenance is a chore you dread, then here's why you should hire a pro.

Easy Updates For Your Living Room Decor
Is it time for an update to your living room decor? Perhaps you'd like to make over your space, but you don't want to spend a lot of time and money on the project. Changing up your living room design can be easy with a few simple tips: Select a New Color Palette If you want to go all out and paint the walls, that's a noticeable update. However, even without painting your walls, you can switch up your color palette.

Flood Your Master Bathroom With Light
Who wouldn't appreciate a bright morning? A light and airy bathroom makes mornings feel cheerful. As you plan your bathroom remodel, include tips for maximizing the natural light in your master bath. Focus on the Windows First, let the natural light flood in. If possible, have transom windows hung above your regular windows. Otherwise, have existing windows updated to allow maximum light exposure. Keep window treatments light, either gauzy or white-hued, to further promote the sunlight in your bathroom.

Tips for Finding Treasures at Estate Sales
That old saying that one person's trash is another person's treasure certainly applies to estate sales. Estate sales are sales that occur in a person's home with the goal of selling off everything inside. Many people hold an estate sale after a loved one has died. There are treasures to be found at an estate sale, but you need to know what to look for and have the patience to seek out those diamonds in the rough.

Indoor Air Quality: Breath Of Life Or Death?
While many people watch the news each day to determine the status of outdoor air pollution, many would be well-served by being as diligent about the air quality in their homes. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a number of alerts on this subject, identifying it as a priority health concern. Their analysis shows that many homes, even in heavily industrialized cities, have air pollutants levels that are two to five times as high as outdoor air.