Refinance Your Second Mortgage
September 30, 2007
A 2nd mortgage is a secured loan on your property, with your home serving as collateral. Depending on the particular terms of your second mortgage, you could be able to refinance if you wish to reduce your monthly payments or are in need of extra cash. Refinancing a 2nd mortgage can be an option for those who want to pay off their mortgage (excluding any home equity lines of credit), reduce the interest rate they currently pay on their second mortgage, or simply want reduce their monthly payments. Refinancing a 2nd mortgage can also be an option if the homeowner wants to pay off the mortgage, including home equity lines of credit, and receive cash.
You can refinance your second mortgage even if your credit is less than perfect. Second mortgages are an excellent means of reducing monthly payments and getting extra cash for bills, remodeling needs, or any reason the homeowner sees fit. If your interest rate on your 2nd mortgage is substantially above the current interest rates being offered by most lenders, you may be able to refinance your second mortgage. Sub-prime loans are available for second mortgage refinances and even with adverse credit, you may be able to lower the amount of interest you pay on your second mortgage. A poor credit rating is no reason not to explore the possibility of refinancing your 2nd mortgage.
Swimming Pool Pump Energy Savings
September 30, 2007
Swimming Pool Pump Energy Savings
by: Gregory Fort
When you bought your swimming pool, you knew the summer fun involved additional costs. First in line is the cost of the pool. Next there are the maintenance and pool chemicals. Then you received your summer electric bills.
When you bought your swimming pool, you knew the summer fun involved additional costs. First in line is the cost of the pool. Next there is maintenance and pool chemicals. Then you received your summer electric bills.
You cannot eliminate the electric costs of running your pool, but you can minimize them. Swimming pool pumps consume a lot of electricity, second only to home air conditioning. Is your swimming pool pump sized correctly? The larger the pump the greater your maintenance costs will be. Most private residential pools require .75 horsepower pumps or less. Consider the following chart.
Hours .5 HP .75 HP 1 HP 1.5 HP 2 HP 4 70 105 133 184 239 6 105 157 200 276 358 8 140 209 267 368 477 10 174 262 334 460 597 12 209 314 400 552 716
kWh per month - multiply by your electric rate for dollar figure
A Garden Bench: A Beautiful Addition To Any Garden
September 30, 2007
Okay, so you have spent hours upon hours creating the perfect garden. You have chosen only the choicest flowers, agonized for days over their placement, and even bought that much too expensive antique statue to set it all off. Now that it is finished, you know that you have created something truly special, something that is unique, and a place in which you could see yourself relaxing after a long, hard day. The only problem is: There is nowhere to sit and relax, no vantage point from where you can absorb the peace and beauty that all of your hard work has brought you. Do you know what you need? A garden bench.
Garden benches are the perfect accessory for any garden because they can be inviting, entertaining but unobtrusive at the same time. They can be beautiful in a cozy arrangement of outdoor furnishings, or can stand all by themselves in a secluded setting. Do you want your furniture to be the focal point of your garden, or do you want it to blend in with its surroundings and pale in comparison to your garden’s natural beauty? No matter what type of atmosphere you envision for your garden, a garden bench can pull it off.
Living In Style In Shipping Containers
September 30, 2007
Living In Style In Shipping Containers
by: Cornelia Myers
Believe it or not there is a group of architects that have developed some very stylish residences out of the humble shipping container. Not only residences, there have also been hundreds of metal shipping containers used for museums, restaurants and weekend houses. You would not even realize that these beautiful and creative structures were once hauling supplies across the country.
The shipping containers are stacked, painted and customized to form the outer structure of the houses. Glass ceilings, walls and windows add light and give the structures a very bright and airy look.
The Shelburne Museum, located in Vermont, features a Collectors House designed by interior designer Albert Hadley and architect Adam Kalkin. It was created by using 3 overseas shipping crates that make a very striking house. The building features glass garage doors, a large patio area, living space, bedrooms and a full sized kitchen.
Refinance Your House
September 29, 2007
If you have seen all the advertisements regarding refinancing your house you may be wondering if refinancing can actually save you money. The answer is yes! Interest rates are at the lowest levels in decades and there has never been a better time to refinance your home. Before choosing a lender to refinance your current mortgage, consider a few key factors and analyze your options. Your current interest rate, the length of time you plan to stay in your home, your credit rating, and the value of your home are all important issues to consider when looking to refinance your house.
Refinancing your house can save you thousands of dollars over the length of your mortgage. Depending on your current interest rate, your monthly house payment could drop by a substantial amount. Even if you have adverse credit, lenders are waiting to give you a quote on refinancing your house. There is no need to apply to many lenders to get the lowest rate possible. Online mortgage companies can often give you quotes from multiple lenders, eliminating concerns about multiple inquiries on your credit report.
Beneficial Lacewings for the Garden
September 29, 2007
Beneficial Lacewings for the Garden
by: Marilyn Pokorney
Many insects are beneficial insects and are friends for the
garden. These predator insects eat pest insects that would
otherwise destroy plants and the fruit and vegetables
growing in the garden. Lacewings are but one of the
beneficial insects.
Green lacewings are common in most of North America. Adults
feed only on nectar, pollen, and aphid honeydew, but their
larvae are active predators.
Adult green lacewings are pale green, about one-half to
three-fourths inch long, with pale green wings, long
antennae and bright, golden eyes. Females lay oval shaped,
pale green eggs at the end of long silken stalks which turn
gray in several days. The one half inch long larvae are
yellowish-gray or brown, are very active, have well-
developed legs and large pincers with which they use to suck
the body fluids from prey.
They eat many common garden pests including several species
of aphids, spider mites (especially red mites), thrips,
whiteflies, eggs of leafhoppers, moths, leafminers, small
caterpillars, beetle larvae, mealybugs, and the tobacco
budworm.
Color Psychology: The Joy and Pain of Yellow
September 29, 2007
Warm and luminous like sunlight, the right shade of yellow brings cheer to dreary rooms. Some bright yellows, however, cause people pain in interior design.
Imagine you’re driving by a green field of grass, punctuated by yellow wild flowers. Your eye gets distracted by the yellow flowers and your brain forgets the peaceful green grass.
In an office, you easily find yellow legal pads. The reason: our eyes see yellow first, before other colors. As the most visible color, yellow grabs attention.
Like the sun, too much bright yellow hurts our eyes and agitates us. Brilliant yellows make our eyes tired. Therefore, like road workers use yellow flags for caution, you want to use yellow with caution.
Paint walls a pale yellow to mimic a sun-filled space and create a soothing feeling for the room’s occupants. Choose soft creamy yellows, not dingy, dirty-looking yellows that make people nauseous.
In contrast, bright-yellow painted walls can cause feelings of turmoil and hostility. Use bright yellows sparingly, especially in high-anxiety spaces like kitchens. Naturally bright rooms that have been painted bright yellow over-stimulate some people and may bring about angry feelings. Babies cry more and adults lose their tempers more often when surrounded by bright yellow walls.
A Little Giant for Home Improvements
September 29, 2007
A Little Giant for Home Improvements
by: Amber Sell
It has been estimated that 16 in every 1000 households undertake a major home improvement project each year. In 2001 alone, an estimated 13.6 billion was advanced in personal loans for home improvements, making it the third most popular reason for taking out loans. Unfortunately, while the numbers of residents looking to renovate, remodel, and improve their homes continues to increase, so does the number of accidents and injuries associated with those improvements.
It is vital to use all tools and equipment safely when carrying out home improvement projects, including both interior and exterior projects. Whether it’s a simple quick-fix or a major undertaking, using trustworthy tools and equipment is imperative for your safety and security. Little Giant Ladders creates all of their ladders and accessories with your safety in mind, which is seen in their complete compliance with OSHA ANSI A14.2 standards. Nothing is more important than trusting the equipment you are using, and with Little Giant you are guaranteed to feel completely safe while performing home improvement projects even while facing the following challenges.
Weight Capacity
Park Benches
September 28, 2007
One of the best ways to create a warm and inviting outdoor space is to incorporate the use of park benches into your outdoor decor. Whether they are simple or grand, park benches send a subtle message to your neighbors and guests that you want your outdoor space to be appreciated and enjoyed by all.
Park benches are an open invitation to slow down, to linger, and to enjoy the beauty that has been created in spaces such as gardens, ponds and orchards. They present more than just the opportunity for outdoor seating; park benches help to create breathtakingly beautiful outdoor rooms that can be used for meditation, relaxation or for visiting with friends and family. One cannot help but to be drawn to these spaces as they walk by, or as they admire them from a nearby window. They are ideal gathering places for not only the family, but for your friends and neighbors as well.
Park benches can also be used at the main entrance of the home. By strategically placing a park bench along an entry path or in an entry way you send an open-armed message of welcome that will not go unnoticed by all who visit your home.
Picnic Tables Available - No Reservations Required
September 28, 2007
Picnic Tables Available - No Reservations Required
by: Kathy Moran
One of the greatest social events ever dreamed up, a picnic is a combination of food, family, friends, recreation, entertainment, and merriment. At the first sign of spring, people begin firing up their grills and taking their meals outdoors, and they don’t go back inside until the world freezes over once again. In fact, there are some year-round, die-hard barbecuers who won’t quit unless someplace much larger and hotter freezes over, too.
Although the summer is filled with picnics, little is generally known about how and where they originated. Listed as a new word, “pique-nique” first appeared in the 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Françoise de Ménage. It is believed to have been a combination of “piquer,” meaning to “pick” or “peck” and “nique,” an obsolete word, which meant “trifle” or “little pieces.” It was described as a potluck gathering, to which everyone brought a dish, and the food, transported in the first picnic baskets, was set out for all to “peck at.”
