Have you ever wondered how your doors and windows are holding up? The weather can be so unpredictable nowadays. Today it is humid, tomorrow it is freezing. You might be satisfied with the kind of performance your doors and windows are doing but it is better to assess their condition as early as now until it is too late.

Whether you are looking to get them doing the job properly or planning to sell your property in the coming years especially because efficient doors and windows add up to the value of your home; it is important to check on your doors and windows on a regular basis.

One question we might have in our minds is how frequent should we replace our doors and windows. Although we do not have an exact answer to that, get this: our homes are just like humans — they age. As our home ages, so does everything in and out of it. From time to time, you would encounter repair or replacement project in your home. And oftentimes, doors and windows are involved. Some signs are not just so obvious, that is why regular check-up is recommended.

To help you with the million dollar question “When should I replace my doors and windows?”, here are some sign guides to make you move forward.

EXTERIOR DOOR

Make a statement

While the curb appeal of your home includes many elements, the front door will always be the one that captures the bulk of the attention first. It somehow makes an impression. So if you have any plans of selling your home anytime soon, consider replacing your door with something that is not old-fashioned or outdated. Pick the right color and style that will match the entirety of the exterior design of your house. Make time to choose the best door knocker that adds a statement.

The cold does bother me

If you feel a current of cold air coming into the house, assess your door properly. During a long period of time, chinks may occur between the door and frame admitting draft. You do not want to cover gaps up with just tape or towel to inhibit the air from coming in. Get a new door as soon as possible as this will also help you lessen utility costs in the long term.

Crack on!

The common causes of door cracks, warps, and other door problems are winter seasons and extreme weather conditions. A weather-beaten door usually loses its spark and end up performing less than it should do. Word to the wise, if you have got a weathered or cracked door, it is best to get a new one at once to avoid further incident that may occur.

WINDOWS

The bills turned me off

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Try to understand the function of the kind of windows you have at home. Most outdated homes utilize single-pane windows with improper insulation. The lack on insulation in windows may cause your HVAC system to put more effort into doing its job. The best solution to this is replacing your windows. Make a choice from a range of energy-efficient windows out there. These windows will definitely help you save money!

Open to change

Over time, dust and dirt will be accumulated in parts of your windows sometimes causing you to have a hard time closing and opening them. Clean them regularly but poor operation can also be caused by a situation that may occur in the window’s roller system. If this is something that you cannot handle or deal with, maybe it is time to replace the windows.

Are you seeing this?

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If your windows are showing visible damage, it is time to replace them! Common problem you would encounter with window frames are cracking and decaying. If they also show moisture on the panels and condensation is building up between the panes, I’m telling you it is best to get new ones.

Just feel like upgrading

I do not know about you, but I think windows are one of the most important facets of your home. Sometimes they just do not go well with the design of your exterior. So if you have the budget for just mere replacement, why not. Upgrade your curb appeal by opting for modern-designed windows that are also energy-efficient. An updated look will also add worth to your home especially if you are selling.

The question now, is it worth-it to replace windows and doors? The answer, without reservation, is an ABSOLUTE YES! New windows and doors do not just increase your home’s overall value, you are also guaranteed to save money on energy costs. Replacing them all at once will help you achieve a cohesive exterior design thus, achieving your curb appeal goal.

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We take sanctuary in our homes. It is a safe haven and a comfort zone for all of us. But for people suffering from allergies, the house can also be a pit of unseen hazards. It is estimated that around 50 million people in the United States experience and suffer from allergy each year. Allergies is recorded to be one of the leading causes of chronic illnesses in the United States.

If we ask ourselves what could possibly trigger allergy and asthma at home, we may not be able to pinpoint everything right. Dust mites, molds, household pets, and smoke are indoor allergy triggers. You might miss your flooring doing the devil’s grin. We usually prioritize the texture and style when getting new flooring but we are not aware that a specific kind of flooring may have a strong effect on the household’s allergies.

If you are planning to install new flooring in your home because of issues concerning allergy, do a little research about the types of flooring out there and eye on the ones that are great in allergen reduction in your home. In this writing, we will tackle some of the choices you have to get you going.

First let us discuss the type of flooring you need to swipe left!

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Carpets are a minefield of pollen, dust, and other allergens. Trust me, many allergists hate synthetic carpets not only because they are hard to maintain, they also produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which sets off asthma and allergies. Carpets are definitely difficult to clean but you can always call your favorite cleaning service and have them cleaned on a regular basis. If you are on a budget, you can also do the cleaning on your own to save money.

Sure carpets are soft, warm, and cozy but for allergists – the love is just nonexistent. So if there are members in your household who have allergy issues, forget about going on a magic carpet ride because you would rather use your three wishes for something else than getting rid of a chronic disease caused allergy!

Make sure to install floorings that would not further irritate allergists. Remember to avoid floorings that emit VOCs.

For an allergen-free flooring, hard floorings are your guys. Hard surface flooring can be an allergist’s best friend as it does not absorb particles that are airborne and you can definitely avoid needing to dust with it.

CONCRETE FLOORING

One of the common choices for hard surface flooring is concrete floor. Although it is not everyone’s cup of tea, they are certainly simple but classy in a way with the right design concept. Concrete floors can be painted or “glazed” so you could still see the concrete look. Perfect for allergist, industrial design theme lovers!

LINOLEUM

Plain concrete flooring does not float your boat. Maybe you could try linoleums. It is often considered an alternative to the more costly flooring options. It is definitely way cheaper but still stylish. If you are trying to side more on the practicality side, then linoleums might be the solution.

TILE FLOORING

For the warmer states, tiles are a big thing especially on specific rooms and areas of the house like the bathroom and kitchen. The interesting thing about tiles is that you have a variety of choices to choose from depending on your design theme. They come in variety of sizes and even complicated shapes to make your flooring stand out.

WOOD FLOORING

I do not know about you but I am biased towards wood flooring. The entire vibe wood floorings have, gives off a certain elegance to our home. It is also proven durable. You can always choose from actual hardwoods or the engineered ones.

When planning to install new flooring in your home or any other items, it is important to consider many things. But always prioritize the effect of your project on everyone’s health.

Christmas is around the corner and it’s one of the most awaited days of many people around the world. Children look forward to this special day and adults, too. The cool breeze, colorful lights, and festive ambiance are some of the things that make this day wonderful. A lot of family reunions also happen during Christmas. All the loved ones gather to celebrate it together.

Sure, Christmas is considered to be the happiest day of the year but will you still be excited to deal with the post celebration cleaning? I’m sure we all are aware of what we deal with during the holidays; gift-giving, Christmas decorations, and gatherings. All these activities should be fun but the amount of clutter after is terrifying!

The rubbish is unavoidable, almost impossible to prevent! But though trash is inevitable and you would not want to skip Christmas to avoid the big pile of clutter you are about to conquer, there are ways to at least lessen the chaos. There are different types of clutter you would encounter during the holidays but we will tackle a few of them which are commonly run into.

Wrapping Paper

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If you haven’t asked Santa yet, maybe tell him to give you a gift without a wrapping paper. Hold on! Before you start reacting negatively, hear this one out. We go by the tradition; gifts should be wrapped with a wrapping paper because mainly it adds an element of surprise. I could not agree more. But have you thought about how many trees are cut down just so you could open a surprise gift? We should go with the unconventional way of going paperless. While you happily gift someone, gift nature the act of being a responsible citizen of this world. This approach is very important as it helps save our trees and above all, you do not have to worry about the wrapper clutters. There are many ideas and inspirations you can find and make them as a reference in going paperless with your gifts.

But if you still want to push with the traditional way of giving gifts and do not want to deal with the clutter, get this: During opening of presents, make sure to get enough bin bags, cardboard boxes, or even your trash cans near the activity. While someone opens a gift, make sure to tell the person to put the wrapping paper in the bin at once. Or better, ask the kids to do the job! I am sure they will enjoy opening the gifts (even if it is not theirs) and make them put the paper in the trash. You can also recycle some wrapping paper that are still in good condition. This is also a part of the green agenda. It will help you save money in purchasing gift-wrappers for the next year.

Food

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What is Christmas without food? And it is easy to be very enthusiastic for Christmas in terms of stocking up. With all the supermarket sales and special offers, it is impossible not to get tempted to buy even if the items are not necessarily needed in your Christmas menu. And since we are amidst pandemic, you also have the choice to just shop online to avoid temptations! It is best to stick to a menu plan before going to the supermarket. List down all the stuff you will be needing for the menus and never go beyond the list! Remember that. Make it a mindset that you have a budget to follow as this also helps you deal with future clutter especially with the items that are irrelevant.

Make sure to know that the food you are catering will accommodate everyone you are expecting or you have invited. Say you are only planning to cook for six people, do not cook a dish for fifteen because you do not want to get too much leftovers and food waste. Try your best to estimate the amount of each dish for the number of people you are catering. It is estimated that around 27 million tons of food are thrown away in US alone. And at Christmas we eat more and waste more food. So much food clutter in a Christmas household, isn’t it?

Time

Remember that Christmas is one special day where you spend precious time with your loved ones. But Christmas is also a time when you are bustling with so much errands and other commitments. Think this, you get so preoccupied with decorating the house with Christmas decorations that you forgot to plan about the Christmas menu you are going to prepare. How about the gifts? You get so busy trying to keep up with the supermarket chores for your menu that you forgot to purchase all the gifts for the kids and you found out that they already ran out of stock! That can be too frustrating and somehow chaotic like the film Home Alone. This is when you get the time clutter. Time clutter has many forms. But their common cause is the lack of planning. You better plan ahead of time. In your available time, think of a thing that needs to be accomplished first before heading onto the next one. Make sure to allot enough time for each activity as you do not want to compromise the time you have for the succeeding tasks.

Decors

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It gets overwhelming when the Holiday season come about. Most people are excited about the decorations and some can get a little too far! Although Christmas decors are pleasing to the eyes with all those colorful lights and statement-making Christmas trees, the clutter they make can really be stressing at one point. It is mainly because of the space they take in every corner (mostly living room). You do not have to over decorate your home with bits and bobs. Make a minimalist approach when decorating. Less is more! You can find inspirations for Christmas decorations at home without needing to utilize a lot of items.

When the time comes that you already need to remove the decors, find large cardboard boxes where you can store all of it for the next year. If you feel like changing themes on the next Christmas, make use of this phrase: One thing in, one thing out. New items will just add up to the space provided for your old Christmas decors and you do not want to overcrowd your storage. So if you are planning for a new Christmas decoration idea, donate the old decors or better yet sell them.

Electrical safety is one of the most vital safety measures to prevent dangerous or unpleasant bound to happen in your home. Electrical safety precautions can help protect the household from electrical shocks and burns. According National Fire Protection Association’s Applied Research Department, there were an approximate 34,000 home structure fires reported per year in 2014 to 2018. Involved in these incidents include lighting equipment like cords, plugs, wiring, and lighting. From these, there were 470 reported deaths and 1,100 injuries.

Electrical distribution and lighting equipment placed first in damage among properties and ranked third among the major causes of fire in the recorded number of house fires, fourth in the cause of house fire death, and third in injuries from home fires.

From these data and the list of all common safety hazards around the house by the National Home Security Alliance, it is evident that electrical safety is one major facet that every household should respect and comprehend.

Here are some tips you should consider to avoid electrical incidents.

If you are working on anything electrical, make sure to cut off the power at the circuit-breaker box prior to doing your electrical chore. If you are not familiar with the function of the circuit-breaker, it is best to study the circuit-breaker fundamentals first or if you are really not confident about it, just ask for someone who knows the basics. This is probably the most fundamental way in dealing with electrical safety hazards. Double-check if there is no power to anything electrical that you are dealing with unless you want to have contact with a grounded wire. I guess not.

It is stated in the National Electrical Code that it is required to have a ground fault circuit interrupters or GFCI equipped in any room in your home that has running water; talk about kitchen, laundry area, and bathroom. The main job of a GFCI is to stop the flow of electricity from a circuit whenever it perceives that the circuit has become a shock hazard. This method is compulsory for newer homes. But for older homes, it is best to get your rooms with running water equipped with GFCI.

Refrain from using extension cords as a permanent power source. They sure are great for jobs that are temporary but to use them as a substitute for permanent wiring can be dangerous. Do not ever run through ceilings or walls because if a cord is covered, heat cannot escape, which can cause a fire hazard.

Kids can be so curious about things. This includes your electrical outlets at home. We do not want our kids to share the same fate with the curious cat so if you have children or having any kids soon, it is highly recommended to get tamper-resistant receptacles. These receptacles are specifically designed to prevent children from getting hurt while fidgeting with an outlet.

As much as possible, avoid getting a single outlet overloaded. It can likely to cause harm if a bunch of appliances with high-wattage are plugged into a single outlet. Give the outlet a break! You could consider installing a new one or reorder your appliances to different outlets.

If you happen to come across a warm outlet in your home, you could be dealing with some problems. There are several reasons why an outlet is warm to touch. This can be a hard task so it is best to get the assistance of a professional electrician to do the diagnosing and rest of the job. The best you can do is to limit how many devices are plugged into the single outlet at one time.

If you do not have any electrical experience at all, do not do any electrical job at home on your own as it is a very dangerous task and can cause serious damages and injuries and worst, death. So make sure to acquire the service of a professional when you run into any electrical problem at home if you are not confident with your skill and knowledge about the situation.

Fall in Texas occurs during the months of mid-October to November and the season is almost over for Texans. Winter starts in December and usually lasts up to February, January being the coldest month with temperatures ranging from 7°C (45°F) to 17°C (63°F) – which is still comfortable to many. And now is the right time to prepare your Texan homes because “winter is coming”.

To be winter-ready means to keep you warmer during the cold season. This way will also help the household in reducing energy consumption. Thus, saving money throughout the winter months. You will also be able to extend the life of your home’s systems and guaranty to eliminate safety hazards.

Here are some techniques to prepare your home in the cold weather months:

Air Leaks

While you are still under fall season, it is best to consider acquiring professional services to audit home’s energy. They will also be able to provide evaluation of window and door seals situations. You can also check yourself by holding a candle in front of a prospect draft. If the flame wavered in the draft, then you got yourself an air leak. For doors, you can install foam to a door that is leaking or cover with weather strip inside the doorframe. It is also advisable to get double pane windows as early as you can before winter. Double pane windows helps stabilize your home’s temperature. This means that you are able to reduce energy with double paned windows because their added insulation. The cheaper way to seal out drafts if you do not have double paned windows is by covering your windows with plastic.

Gutter Cleanup

Gutters, without a doubt, will be filled with leaves that have fallen from trees. If not maintained prior to winter season, damages may come about. If a homeowner is not able to get leaves and other debris out of the gutter, the channels will be block which may result to overflowing. If they overflow, the water will certainly run down your home resulting to sped-up home exterior deterioration. As for winter weather, stored water from blocked channels will become ice. As a result, gutters could tear away from your home because of the weight the ice adds to them.

Inspect Home System

Probably one of the most vital aspect to check on prior to the cold season is the home’s heating and air conditioning system. Before it gets freezing, make sure to have your HVAC system inspected by an HVAC contractor company. You must service your furnace regularly. In this way, you would be able to assess dilemmas that may occur before costly breakdowns. This technique will also lengthen the life of your furnace and will certainly persist in running in a way that it achieves maximum productivity with minimum wasted expense.

Wood Check

Another thing that needs protection on your home are the exterior wood trims. Painted wood trims adds elegance and warmth to your home. Essential aspect for the winter season. For rotted trims, you have the option of replacing them but it is not a cheap move. To prevent costly repairs, inspect wood trims in a yearly basis. Look over the caulk and paint. Reassure that the caulk is not cracked and apply new caulk if needed. Make sure also that the paint is not chipped and peeling away, otherwise apply new paint.

Water Tank Insulation

Is your water heater running accordingly? If not make sure to check on it and perform necessary actions to fix it for the cold days. Water heater should be flushed two times in a year and ideally, in advance of winter kickoff. Wrap the water heater in a blanket insulation to conserve fuel. Then set the temperature to 120 degrees.

Tree Clearing

Trees in your property sure increase the total property value. These greeneries also save energy and benefit the environment. But during the winter, they can be a burden. It is a good move to trim away branches of trees before it starts to get freezing. During fall season, assess if the trees around your property are still healthy so you can come to a decision whether to trim them or remove them out entirely because once a tree is no longer healthy and shows signs of fall on your home when it gets ice-coated during the winter, it can cause damages.

Double Check on Safety Detectors

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), home fires occur more in the winter than in any other season, and heating equipment is involved in one of every six reported home fires. Fire resulting to the utilization of heating equipment may be unavoidable so make sure to run a test on all of your smoke detectors. Furthermore, check on their battery life. You may also want to consider getting carbon monoxide detector in your home.

There are so much winter elements that you should look forward to that may bring real damage to your home. You are probably not over with the recent Halloween or still enjoying fall to think of winterizing. But as early as you can, take time to do all the possible things you can do to be fully prepared for the winter elements that may come your way when the thermometer plunges.