Archive for the ‘Home Improvement’ Category
Green Building Initiative Spruces Up Sugar Land
June 23rd, 2008 categories: Home Improvement, Sugar Land
With the increasing emphasis on environmentally friendly products and services, it’s little wonder that the movement has extended to residential construction. And these days, many of Sugar Land’s newest homes are customized to include such “green” features as water-saving plumbing and energy-efficient design.
So in an effort to promote environmentally-sound measures aimed at positively impacting our earth, The Greater Houston Builders Association has implemented a Green Building Initiative. This voluntary initiative offers an eco- friendly alternative to local residential construction and is widely practiced by many of the area’s leading deluxe homebuilders. Sugar Land, with its family atmosphere and miles of earth-friendly green spaces, provides the perfect backdrop for these progressive (and incredibly cost-effective!) home designs.
To learn more about Sugar Land’s environmental construction and its impressive array of available stunning green homes, click here!
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Buyers of homes for sale in Houston want that yard to look nice!
March 30th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement
It’s that time of the year. Have you looked at your yard lately? With the sun coming out and the occasional rain shower, everything is growing like a weed. Oh, and… um, that is, including the weeds…. Actually, I think the weeds are growing faster!
Anyway… I was off to the local mulch yard run by LETCO to pick up some mulch else my wife was not going to let me have a peaceful week-end! I have a small Mazda B2300 pickup truck so I only order half-a-yard of mulch at a time which pretty much fills up the truck. That costs me $12.72 including the tax. That’s really very reasonable.
I made four trips and that pretty much covered all I needed for the back yard. I think I’ll only need two truck loads for the front yard but that’s next week-end’s job.
If you are thinking of selling, remember, Houston home buyers want the place to look good and that doesn’t just mean the inside should be neat… the yard is the very first thing a prospective buyer sees. If they’re put off by the yard, they might not even come inside to look at your home!!! So, make a good first impression, keep the value of your home up there and maintain your yard.
THREE MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF USING MULCH
1. AESTHETICS & INSULATION Mulch has a beneficial insulating effect on the soil it covers. In the summer, it significantly contributes to the cooling of the surface temperature of soil. In the winter, it will help to trap warmth and so keep the root zone warm. If applied thickly enough in zones 8 and 9, mulch will protect the roots of many species from the ravages of severe freezing.
2. MOISTURE RETENTION A good mulch will help retain moisture in the root zones of plants, prevent root scorch, and eliminate direct evaporation from the sun. Further, it will reduce plant stress resulting from rapidly alternating cycles of drying out and excessive watering. A good mulching retards evaporation, cuts water bills, greatly lessens the harmful buildup of salts caused by irrigation with city water, and improves plant health and vitality.
3. ORGANIC MATTER Organic matter is quickly depleted in the hot summers of Texas. As mulch breaks down naturally, it introduces valuable organic materials into the soil.
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5 Easy Money-saving green ideas for Houston Home Owners
March 13th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement, Real Estate News
The Houston Real Estate market can be tough. Even though we’re not suffering like the rest of the country it can still sometimes be quite a struggle to differentiate your home & sell it. How about some “green” ideas that are simple to implement and that, if highlighted correctly by your realtor, will make a big difference to your sales success? Here are five easy ones to implement:
1. Dodge Drafts and Seal Air Leaks
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to save money around a Houston home is to seal off drafts, which can reduce your energy bills 5 to 30 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. With Houston’s hot summers and (fairly) cold winters, that amounts to real money.
Check for window drafts by carefully holding an incense stick up to each frame and watch the smoke to see if there is a leak. (Be sure to remove all curtains first to avoid a fire.) Then use caulking or weather-stripping to seal the cracks. Make sure you cover any pipe outlets or cracks in the foundation. Also roll up an old towel, or buy or make a cute ‘draft snake’ to put over the crack in the bottom of doors (at the ’sill’ or ’saddle’).
You’ll find that a less drafty house will also win applause from your residents and guests, as no one wants to feel like they’re getting a cold shoulder.
2. Install a Programmable Thermostat
It may not be the most thrilling piece of electronics you could buy yourself, but a programmable thermostat will pay for itself in one season, and save you time and hassle. By maintaining more constant heating and cooling levels, and always ‘remembering’ to turn down the heat at night, the average family will save $150 a year, according to the EPA.
That’s impressive, considering that programmable thermostats can be picked up from major manufacturers for as little as $50. They don’t contain mercury like the olden days, and are available at most home-improvement and hardware stores.
Installing one is usually only a matter of connecting up a few wires in the back once you remove your old one (shut off the power to the area). Generally anyone can do it with a screwdriver and the instructions. But if you have any doubt, it’s a quick fix for an electrician or handyman.
3. Fix Those Water Leaks
A dripping faucet or pipe joint is more than just an auditory annoyance. Besides driving you crazy, it can really add up to substantial water waste. One faulty faucet wastes 3 gallons of water per day, reports the U.S. Geological Survey.
Sometimes a leak is just a matter of a quick tighten, which almost anyone can do with pliers or a pipe wrench. Other times you get befuddled, or have a leak that is too hard to get to. In those cases it is worth calling a plumber, because not only will you see lower water bills over time, but you decrease the risk of mold, which is a serious threat both to home value and indoor air quality. It may be a cliché, but every drop does add up.
4. Install Low-Flow Showerheads and Toilets
You’d probably rather not spend much time thinking about toilets, but it’s a fact that most older models waste large amounts of water. In fact, more than 30 percent of indoor residential water use is flushed down the porcelain throne.
Decades ago, toilets used 5 gallons per flush, but readily available low-flow models use less than a gallon, and work great. American Standard, Toto and Kohler are leaders in the field.
Also save water and money, and still have ample water pressure, with a low-flow showerhead, which can slash bathing-water consumption 50 to 70 percent. The devices are simple to install and start at around $8. Many styles and features are available, including flow-adjusting dials and a pause button.
5. Buy Energy Star Appliances
Energy Star was designed by the EPA to take the guesswork out of appliance buying. Look for the blue-and-white label, which means the item is at least 10 to 50 percent more efficient than standard models (depending on the class of product). That means lower energy bills and less pollution, like you’ll find with this Asko ‘hidden’ dishwasher.
More than 18,000 products in 35 different categories are covered in the Energy Star program, and most major manufacturers participate. Energy Star is a fixture in the showrooms of most retailers coast to coast.
A home fully equipped with Energy Star products will use about 30 percent less energy than a typical house, saving $600 a year. But remember, you don’t have to rush out and replace every whiz-bang you own tomorrow. Go to energystar.gov to see qualified products and learn more.
With the exception of the purchase of “Star Appliances”, these modifications are really fairly low-cost when viewed against the overall cost of a home. If you made these modifications and then produced some results in better utility bills or obtained an “energy audit” to go along with your marketing material, it will definitely make an impact when it comes to selling your home.
Source: The Daily Green
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Houston Home Owners - Fix that drywall yourself! Save yourself a lot of money!
March 12th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement
Other related stories:
How Houston Home Owners should deal with possible hail damage to their roof
Houston Home Builders - let’s go green!
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My Experience with a Houston Roofing Company
February 28th, 2008 categories: Home Improvement, Off Beat, Real Estate News
The job is finally done! It took one day & then another 20 minutes today to fit one last roof jack as they ordered one too few.
The job looks phenomenal. The roof tile we selected is such a nice contrast to the white siding that it makes the siding look like it’s just been painted and it hasn’t been painted for over seven years!
My wife and I were both very impressed with the crew that did the job… these are the things we noticed:
- they covered the flower beds to prevent damage to plants
- they moved outdoor furniture & umbrellas out of the way
- they completed the job in one day
- they did an incredible job tidying up afterwards…:
- they vacuumed all around the home
- they used a magnet wheel to pick up all nails
- they replaced all outdoor furniture where it was
- The place looked better after they were done than before they started!!
So, so far so good… in a few hours a home inspector friend of mine is going to climb onto the roof to give it a once-over. If he thinks everything is good then I’ll be even more happy.
Let me know if you need the roofer’s contact info.
Related stories:
How Houston Home owners should deal with possible hail damage to their roof.
Did you get hail the other day? Better check your roof.
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