Five Ways to Create a Healthy Home
August 29, 2006
Have you ever thought of your home as being healthy or unhealthy? While the concept of a healthy home may be new to some of us, it is steadily gaining popularity with homeowners. A healthy home can include a number of elements from building materials used to construct your home to using non-toxic cleaning products. Below is a list of five ways to assist you in creating a healthy home environment.
1. Clean Air and Circulation:
Here are some little known facts from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) about the air inside many of today’s homes:
? Indoor air pollutant levels may be two to five times higher than the pollutant levels outdoors.
? Indoor air pollutant is one of the top environmental concerns today.
? Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors.
? Indoor air pollutants such as tobacco smoke, pollen, mold, dust, and animal dander have the ability to create asthmatic and allergic reactions.
Listed below are a few ways to improve the quality of your indoor air:
Be Prepared With Your Home Equity Loan Checklist
August 29, 2006
A home equity loan can be an excellent way to obtain money in order to pay off high interest bills or consolidate your current debt into one monthly payment. A home equity line of credit is a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral. Because the home is likely to be a consumer’s largest asset, many homeowners use their credit lines only for major items such as education, home improvements, or medical bills and not for day-to-day expenses. Additional benefits include a nice tax advantage and the possibility of an overall lower monthly payment. However before you decide that a home equity loan is right for you make sure you do your homework.
Not all online lenders of home equity loans are the same which means there are ample opportunities to save a few more of your hard earned dollars.
The biggest obstacle to overcome is deciding on the appropriate online loan lender. Make the wrong choice here and it could come back to haunt you in the form of higher payments. I have compiled a small list of items to check for when searching for the best online loan lender. One item to be on the look out for is the annual percentage rate or (APR) as it’s commonly known. This is the cost of credit on a yearly basis expressed as a percentage. This cost is based on the interest rate alone and will not take into effect other fees and charges such as closing costs.
Add Sizzle to Your Surroundings
August 28, 2006
Is your home décor lacking that extra something that spells the difference between comfortable and vibrant or between comfortable and tranquil? Candles might be just the polish your décor needs. Take advantage of the sparkling colors, rich textures, and fresh scents of candles without draining your decorating budget.
Some candles are best unadorned, but candleholders offer an additional opportunity to highlight their presence and beauty. You don’t have to burn the candles; you can use them as objects d’art, incorporating them into displays, floral arrangements and centerpieces-alone as an accent piece, or in a grouping as a focal point.
Typical candles no longer exist-they belong to a bygone era. Tapers gave way to thick and varied heights long ago. Today, you’ll find square candles, heart-shaped candles, fruit and vegetable candles, gingerbread candles, floral candles, Christmas tree and ornament candles, and candles with artistic free-flowing shapes. Within that variety of shapes, you’ll find an endless array of adornments, such as beads and glitter, straw, botanicals embedded in the wax, still life scenes, etc.
Color, Shape and Texture
Finishing Your Basement Can be Very Rewarding
August 28, 2006
Transforming your home’s basement into a finished space can prove to be very rewarding. Frequently the additional living space is used for a variety of entertainment functions including: Recreation Rooms, Bars, Gyms, Billiard Rooms, Home Theatres and Family Rooms. In addition, Bedrooms and Bathrooms are also incorporated into the floor space. Typically the square foot cost of finishing a basement is significantly lower than other floors within the home.
Planning is critical before starting a Finished Basement project. From a financial standpoint, first determine how big your budget is and how you will finance the project. Will a mortgage be required or can you refinance or obtain a home equity loan?
From the project standpoint, carefully consider what you want to use the space for. As part of this consideration, consider ceiling heights, existing pipes, Oil Tanks, and Heating and Water systems. Also consider lighting. To make a Finished Basement cozy, warm and comfortable, the number and kinds of lights to install is key. In addition, consider natural lighting. Can additional windows be installed and will they be appropriate for the finished space?
Feng Shui Decorating Guidelines
August 28, 2006
The importance of following feng shui decorating guidelines.
Feng shui decorating guidelines show us the correct way to place objects, furniture and how to decorate in order to achieve harmony. Living and working spaces and their decorations affect the people inhabiting them, and feng shui decorating knowledge studies the way to make that factor affect in a positive and harmonic way.
If you want to learn and be able to follow feng shui decorating tips, the first thing to do is to learn about feng shui in general and its main concepts. By learning this, you will find yourself naturally acquiring information on how to decorate any different spaces according to feng shui.
According to feng shui decorating guidelines, the way and the position in which we place our furniture, the colors we choose, the different objects and places we choose for them, everything can be done in a way that ensures harmony. Actually, in China people are used to look for a feng shui expert to guide them in occasions such as when they buy a new house.
A Bit About Bare Root Roses…
August 28, 2006
Scents from the rose garden filling the air as you walk by… it’s a lovely summer scent that you can enjoy every year. Many gardeners know that the rose is referred to as the queen of all flowers, and you can see the history in the rose by traveling back in time to Europe. The rose is a plant whose scent predominates the historical gardens all over the world. Historical gardens in Europe include the use of Roses, Peonies, Honeysuckle, and a few other strongly scented plants. The rose creates the feeling of royalty, color, and elegance all in the same instant
The rose bush is a perennial that will fill your garden space without much added work.
In planning a rose garden, you might have the option to plant roses that are bare root. What are bare root roses? Bare root roses are plants that you will dig up from your family or friend’s house and bring back to your own garden. The plant that you dig up without bringing the soil that the plant lived in to your garden is a bare root plant. Here, we are going to discuss more about bare root roses, and how to plant them for your rose garden success.
You Say Jacuzzi and I Say Whirlpool
August 27, 2006
What’s in a name? Whirlpool baths have been around forever, right? If it weren’t for the Jacuzzi brothers in 1956, we wouldn’t have the fantastic whirlpool baths of today. According to the Jacuzzi Company, the brothers invented the first pump that could be placed in a bathtub, circulating the water to aid arthritic aches and pains. In 1968, Roy Jacuzzi went on to invent the first self contained whirlpool bath by putting jets on the sides of the tub. From this idea a whole industry was born and hydrotherapy has never been as popular and important as it is today. Since the Jacuzzi’s thought of the idea for experiencing water in a new way, the tub has long since held their name. However, a whirlpool bath, and spa are also names for the same kind of tub. It is a little like Kleenex and facial tissue or Jell-O and gelatin.
How To Save Money On Your Mortgage
August 27, 2006
Obtaining a home loan is arguably the most expensive transaction you’ll experience in your lifetime. Therefore, getting the best home at the greatest value is an endeavor worth pursuing. Whether you’re trying to squeeze in to a higher priced home or just trying to shave a couple bucks off of the closing costs, this article will help you explore your options.
Here’s a list of our top 7 things you can do to cut corners and save money on your mortgage
1. Shop Rate!
Sometimes the obvious just needs to be stated out loud: Lenders do not charge the same rate. Some charge more, and some charge less.
- Obtain several loan offers for consideration, and compare the rate.
- If a lender offers you an unusually low rate, check for fees, points, and additional charges or changes in terms.
- Don’t fall into the trap of just going with the largest bank on the block. Do your homework and check your lender’s background and reputation, but open your doors to all the choices that are available to you.
Obtain 3 or 4 loan offers, and check to see how the rates being offered compare to the current interest rates. Our website offers a directory of resources and a ratewatch, and there are many other websites available to you through your favorite search engine that offers similar, free information.
The Art of Ice Dam Removal
August 27, 2006
You may have noticed long icicles hanging from your gutters and not realize the significance of the damage that may be occurring behind them. Icicles are usually one of the first warning signs of possible ice dams on your roof. This article will explain what ice dams are, how they form and the best methods for removing them safely.
What is an ice dam?
An ice dam is a wall of ice that forms at the edge of the roof, usually at the gutters or soffit. When it forms the water then backs up behind the ice dam and creates a pool of water. This pool of water can leak into your home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas
What causes ice dams
Ice dams are usually caused by heavy snowfall and improper ventilation in the attic. This causes warmer areas in your attic then the snow begins to melt, even when the outside temperature is well below freezing. When the accumulated snow on your roof starts melting it runs down your roof underneath the snow until it reaches a “colder” section like the soffit’s, valleys or in gutters then it begins to freeze again, this process of thawing and refreezing is what causes an ice dam.
Colour Your World With Art
August 27, 2006
When you buy art, you may think you not consciously choosing a colour scheme so much as buying something which appeals to your eye. You may prefer certain subjects for your pictures, such as land or seascapes, but certain colours, which do appear in these types of painting do evoke inner feelings and emotions. We know that some colours are calm and restful, some are hot, fiery and emotive.
Apart from colours used in actual artworks, it is easy to change the look of a picture with the window mount or frame used for it’s display. Certain colours which may be used to mat a picture with can appear to alter colours used in the execution of a painting. You will not see this unless you actually place different coloured mountboards around a painting. Then you will see how different a painting can look. By selecting the correct colour mount, you can make a good painting look fantastic!
