They can be nearly impossible to hold onto while installing them. Give your fingers a break by rubbing a strong magnet several times over the tool’s shaft to magnetize it and temporarily give it the ability to hold onto tiny screws by itself. An audit simply tells you what you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your house. But, following the advice presented in the audit results can save tons of money on future energy bills. For products to be rated as Energy-Star certified, they have to meet strict high-efficiency standards and don’t cost much more than unrated products. The number of kinds of certified products today is vast.
“The process is simple,” says Mike McAllister, owner of Riverside Kitchen Center in Mount Vernon, Washington. “Remove the small flange that holds the existing insert, then replace the insert with your material and add wood or metal stops to keep it in place.” If you’re considering replacing an appliance, replace it with an energy-efficient product.
- If you’ve nowhere to extend sideways, one option is extending down – into a cellar, or by adding a basement.
- Season 44 starts with restoring the first black postmaster’s house in Atlanta, then the crew heads to Newburyport, MA, to remodel a classic New England-style home.
- Do you love the look of old shiplap walls and ceilings, but live in a new home?
- Equipping your fireplace with glass doors blocks heated and cooled air from escaping and amplifies the fire’s heat, which in turn reduces energy costs.
- As you rotate the knob clockwise and counterclockwise, the intensity of the light changes.
The Mighty House radio show has been a labor of love for over a decade (another number I should know… but I don’t… it’s been longer than that). If you are a listener or a viewer over this amazing internet thing, Your feedback is what keeps us going. Please comment on Facebook or call the show – you can say whatever you like – it’s your dime. These days “home improvement” spans a gamut of possibilities. We call it “Home” not “House” improvement for a reason.
Smartify your locks.Create a smart lock for your door, so you never have to leave keys for the housekeeper. Control it from your phone and assign access “keys” to anyone you please. Splurge in the bathroom.Treat yourself to pretty guest-size soaps, so your soap dish always looks fresh. Dine better.Replace a big dining table that you never use with a more intimate 36- to 48-inch round version. Keep it — it’ll feel special, even if you’re just ordering Thai takeout.
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Radon test kits are available at home centers and hardware stores for about $10. They usually involve setting a collector in your home for a week or so and then sending it to a lab for analysis. (One manufacturer is Pro-Lab and charges $40; includes a postage-paid envelope.) Conduct the test in the lowest livable area.
Add Bling to Closet Doors
Overhead pot racks can hold your bulky kitchen items right where you need them while making a rustic design statement in your home. Removing the doors only takes an afternoon and a few basic tools. It’ll cost you little to nothing beyond the cost of paint and caulk. If your bathroom is small, chances are it feels even more cramped with an opaque shower door and enclosure. Swap this out for a crystal-clear shower door to open up the room and make it feel bigger.
In addition to the amount of cash you can gain, getting a cash-out refinance can come with other benefits, too. You can subtract your current loan balance from the appraised property value to determine how much equity you have in your home. Let’s look at how cash-out refinancing works, and what you need to know about using cash from your home for repairs and renovations. Overhead racks start at $50 and need to be installed in the joists on your ceiling to make sure they can hold the weight of your pots and pans. If the wall you want to remove isn’t below one of these beams, it’s much less likely to be a load-bearing wall.