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Fall Pick Trimming and Termites

Just a reminder - it'a a great time of the year to trim up those trees and shurbs around your home.  It's also a good timte to have your home inspected for termites.  Termites can surprise you by getting into your home in the trickiest of spots.  An inspection can save you thousands of dollars by acting now and catching them in the bud. 

A good inspection company will spend about 30-40 minutes walking around and inside of your home.  There are even a few companies who use special dogs who are trained to smell the little critters.  This is very helpful because the dogs can smell through walls and find unsuspecting termites without having to see them.

Bathroom Remodeling

Remodeling your outdated bathroom will add value to your home value, as well as provide you with great usage while you own the home. 

It's worth your money to purchase moderate to upper-end fixtures, cabinets and countertops/sinks.  Stay away from the old chrome and brassy fixtures, including light fixtures.

A good idea is to go visit a couple of model homes in a new subdivision. This will give you some ideas of what is "in."  Have fun with your project!  It will economically help you out.

Old Wood Windows

If you have an older home that has wood windows, it  may not be necessary to replace them.   We recently had our home tested for energy efficiency and our 45 year old wood windows passed with flying colors. This really surprised us because we've been told that they would all need to be replaced.  Yes, there are big pluses to new thermal, vinyl windows - they are easy to clean, they are more energy efficient, and they are easy to install.  But if we don't have to spend the money, great.

What was the biggest energy leak and the best bang for our buck?  The lack of insulation in our attic and the lack of caulking around the crown moulding.  We ended up spending about $2,400, most of which was the insulation, to "tighten" up our home and we certainly can tell the difference.

The company we used and recommend is Home Performance Services (HPS).  Mark Freeman is our contact.  He can be reached at 816.746.0002.  Click here to go to their web page

wOOd flOOring - is it worth it?

If you have wood flooring in your home, whether old or new, worn or covered in carpet, it's a good thing. 

Prior to floor-to-floor carpeting, homeowners had no choice but wood floors.  Today's homeowner prefers a combination of wood, tile and carpet flooring.  The benefits of wood floors are:

1. They do not disguise dirt/dust
2. It's easy to clean the dirt/dust off of them
3. The color of the stain pulls together colors and creates atmosphere

If your home currently has wood floors and they are either covered with carpeting, are in bad shape, or are an outdated color stain, you can easily hire a professional to come in and re-finish them for you.  If you would like to add wood floors to your home, again, a professional can install the flooring for you at a relatively good cost.

Please contact me if you are interested in learning more about your options or who would be a good referral - anita@yourhomeconsultingteam.com.

Have a blessed day!

idea to consider getting them in shape before putting your home on the market, or, for your own use as well.

Painting Your Exterior

Painting your home can be a pain in the butt, but it helps preserve your wood siding and trim.  If you live in a home that is fairly easy for you to paint yourself, or even if you pay someone to paint it, here is an option I use:  I paint a "direction" of our home each year.  For example, last year I painted the east side (for some reason, that side is always the worst for our home).  This year I plan on painting the south side, the year after will be the west, followed by the north.  The year after that, I will paint the trim on the whole house.  In a year or two after that, I will start over again, that is, if we are still here.

Of course, you have to paint the house the same color - your neighbors might get a little miffed if the new paint is yellow and the old paint is blue!

Feel free to contact me to discuss paint color options - I happen to have a degree in art.  anita@yourhomeconsultingteam.com

Happy Memorial Day!

Rain Gardens

This a great way to improve your landscaping, help control rain flow, and add to the environment.  A rain garden is simply a small depression inthe ground planed with water loving plants designed to capture and soak up rainwater.  These shallow gardens reduce flooding and pollution by filtering and infiltraging stormwater into the ground rather than letting it run off your property. 

Click on the link below to learn how to do it yourself:

How to Build a Rain Garden Of Your Own

Have fun and send me a picture of your finished project!

Anita@yOurhOmecOnsultingteam.cOm