Is It Time to Cut Down Your Tree?

Autumn is a good time to do a number of things around the house. You’ve likely already started preparing for winter, trimming back some of your plants, and doing other maintenance tasks that are perfectly suited for brisk fall days. There may be at least one big task that needs to be done that you haven’t even considered, though: cutting down that tree that you’ve been worried about for ages.

It may seem strange to think of a project as major as cutting down a tree as especially well-suited for autumn, but there are actually a few reasons why this is the perfect time of year to bring that tree down. If you’re on the fence, here’s some advice on how to tell whether the tree really needs to come down and how to make sure that you bring it down safely.

Why Autumn?

Though bringing down a tree can be done at any time during the year, there are a few reasons why you should give it extra consideration during autumn. Cutting down a tree in the fall can help prevent regrowth, as sap will rise during the day and then can freeze during the cold overnight and kill the roots and stump. Even if it’s not cold enough to freeze, the fall cutting will weaken the roots and remaining stump and greatly decrease the likelihood of regrowth.

This isn’t the only reason to cut down trees in the fall, though, and not even the most important reason. If you’re cutting down a tree, it most likely has significant damage or disease and will become a hazard eventually if it isn’t already. Dead and damaged trees are much more likely to fall or split during the winter as water penetrates the damaged sections and freezes; cutting down the tree in the fall prevents this from happening, giving you control over when and how the tree falls instead of leaving it up to chance.

Inspecting Your Tree

When trying to decide whether a tree needs to be cut down, there are a few things that you should look for. Significant damage to the tree is a big one, and one of the most obvious; this can be storm damage, lighting strikes, or other types of damage, and should be pretty obvious just from looking at the tree. Splits, cracks, and holes in the trunk revealing that at least part of it is hollow make this sort of damage very obvious. At the very least you should remove damaged or dead limbs before winter, and if the damage is significant then the whole tree should come down.

There’s more than just physical damage that can indicate a tree needs to come down, though. Signs of disease such as large sections of dead leaves, discoloration on the trunk, and smells or visual signs of rot can also mean it’s time to cut down the tree. Mushrooms or other signs of fungus can also mean that the tree has a significant fungal infection, especially if the mushrooms are growing on the trunk or out of exposed roots. Infestation by insects or other pests can also indicate a problem with one of your trees, as these can eventually kill the tree and make it much more likely to fall. Any of these problems could result in a weakened or internally damaged tree that could come crashing down under the weight of winter snow and ice.

Bringing It Down

Cutting down a tree safely requires you to control the way it falls, ensuring that it avoids buildings, property features, and of course people who are helping with the cut. While it’s possible to do this yourself, there are companies that specialize in controlled cuts that bring the tree down safely and help to dispose of it afterward.

 

Could Your Mailbox Use a Facelift?

Your mailbox likely isn’t a feature of your home that you think about very often, but it can actually have a big impact on how people view your home. This is especially true if your mailbox is rusty, damaged, or otherwise has obviously seen better days. Giving your mailbox a facelift can make a big difference in how your home looks, even if your mailbox is a standalone unit that sits up by the road.

How much work should you put into a mailbox refresh, though? This depends entirely on the condition your mailbox is in and what sort of revamp you’d like to give it. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some ideas that cover everything from basic retouches to your mailbox to entire rebuilds of your mailbox mounting to create a unique new look on your property. You might be surprised at how many ways there are to revamp your mailbox and completely change its look!

Retouching Your Mailbox

The simplest way to retouch your mailbox is to apply a coat of paint to it, or something simple like a magnetic mailbox cover. This covers and seals any rust that might be present, improving the look of the mailbox and preventing further damage by protecting it from the elements. Wash and dry the mailbox beforehand and use a wire brush or steel wool to remove any obvious rust, then wash it again just to be sure. Make sure that you cover the numbers and flag with painter’s tape before you start, or apply new numbers once you’re finished so that your house number is easy to read.

If your mailbox is in decent shape but just seems kind of dull, another option is to add decorations such as decals or other items that you can secure to the box. You can even swap out these decorations throughout the year, keeping them relevant to upcoming holidays or seasons so that the look of your mailbox stays fresh throughout the year. Just make sure that your decorations don’t obscure your house number of make it difficult for postal workers to deliver your mail.

Mailbox Revitalization Projects

Bigger mailbox renovation projects can include installing your mailbox on a custom wrought-iron post, a wooden mail station that the mailbox sits on, or inside something like a brick enclosure. These can be purely decorative or add functional elements such as a drop box for packages as well. Depending on the options you choose, you may even be able to match up the look of your mailbox area with the look of your home or other property features as well. Just keep in mind that depending on where your mailbox is located, there may be limitations on what you can install based on local ordinance.

When undertaking a project like this, you may also decide that you want to move your mailbox to a new location (such as removing it from the front of your home and installing it into an enclosure by your driveway.) This can be a great idea to improve the look of your property, but you’ll need to check with your local Post Office first. Moving a mailbox without getting it cleared by the Post Office can lead to a variety of problems, including fines and undelivered mail!

Need Some Help?

Depending on what you have in mind for your mailbox, it could be a simple DIY project, or it might be something of a larger scale. If you want something a bit bigger than what you can handle on your own, don’t worry. There are metalworking and woodworking shops that can give you what you want, and even bricklayers if you want some brickwork done. If you aren’t sure where to start, HomeKeepr can help.

 

Why Winterize?

It’s around this time of year that you usually start hearing a lot about “winterization” and preparing your home for the cold months ahead. You may be wondering whether winterization really helps you get your home ready for the winter months. You might also wonder when the right time to start winterizing actually is. If you find yourself asking these questions, the answers are pretty simple. Not only should you winterize your home, but you should winterize it well before the cold weather starts moving in.

Winterizing your home can be a big job, so it’s important to understand how different winterization tasks will benefit you. The more you understand about winterization as a whole, the better you’ll be at figuring out which specific winterization tasks will provide the most benefit for your home and circumstances. While it’s a large topic to cover all at once, here is some basic information to cover then whens, whys, and hows of winterizing your home.

When to Winterize

Winterization should start once the temperature starts to fall and nights start getting a lot cooler. In many areas this is late October and early November but depending on where you live you might want to start winterizing even earlier than that. Some people think that the timing is just so that cold weather doesn’t take you by surprise, but the actual reason is a bit more practical than that.

Winterization involves a number of home maintenance and repair activities, and some of these involve adhesives, sealants, and other materials that have to cure or dry. The colder it is, the longer it takes for these materials to set up properly. In some cases, they might even experience shrinkage or fail to set up at all if the temperature is too cold for too long. Starting winterization early enough in the fall ensures that you have enough time to get everything done before temperatures drop into the trouble zone.

How to Winterize Your Home

Winterization can be broken down into three general types of activities. These general groups are inspection, repair, and prevention. The specifics of these activities will depend on where you live and how your home is laid out, but here are the basics:

• Inspection activities involve checking to see how barriers and equipment are holding up to make sure that they’re ready for winter. Examples include checking your roof for signs of damage, checking for drafts or other signs of window leaks or damage, and having your furnace or heat pump inspected to ensure that it’s clean and working properly.
• Repair activities involve fixing damage and checking items off your to-do list to prevent things like drafts or unwanted animals or insects from getting into your home. Examples include fixing your siding, replacing damaged shingles, or getting repairs done to your HVAC system.
• Prevention activities are tasks that help you to preemptively take action so that potential winter problems never come to pass. Examples include covering pipes with insulation to prevent freezing, taking window unit air conditioners out of your windows to prevent heat loss, installing thermal film over your window interiors, and disconnecting hoses from outdoor faucets before installing faucet covers to prevent leaks and freezing.

It can be a big job to cover all your winterization tasks, but each one that you complete can help you to avoid problems and even save some money over the course of the winter. Many winterization tasks are common DIY activities, though some will require a bit of professional help to complete.

Professional Winterization

It’s increasingly common for homeowners to bring in professionals to help with some or all of their winterization activities. This includes things like professional roof or HVAC inspections, calling a plumber to inspect the pipes under the house and make sure that they’re insulated, and installers to replace old drafty windows with new ones. 

 

Year-Round Savings With Ceiling Fans

In general, people tend to think about air conditioners as a way to keep a home cool and heating units as a way to keep it warm. There’s nothing wrong with this line of thinking, of course. If you’re only relying on heaters and air conditioners to maintain the temperature, though, then you may be spending way more than you need to keep your home comfortable.

One key part of controlling your home’s heating and cooling costs that you might be ignoring is the humble ceiling fan. By using ceiling fans effectively, you can keep your home at more consistent temperatures throughout the year while spending a lot less on heating and cooling. If you like the thought of staying comfortable while spending less, here’s what you need to know about using your ceiling fans effectively.

Ceiling Fans Save Money

Modern ceiling fans are incredibly energy efficient, giving you a way to keep air circulating in your home without breaking the bank. In fact, the average cost of running a ceiling fan comes out to around only one cent per hour; compare this to 36 cents per hour or more to run an air conditioner, and you can see how big of a potential difference a ceiling fan can make. That’s not to say that you’ll be using a ceiling fan instead of an air conditioner, but using a fan in conjunction with air conditioning helps to create a windchill effect within your home that lets you set the thermostat a few degrees higher while maintaining the same comfort level in the home. This results in less overall time with the air conditioner on and lower overall spending on cooling.

A similar effect can be had during the winter. Heat rises, meaning that you’re spending a lot of money on heating in order to essentially heat your rooms from the top down. Having your ceiling fan going keeps the air circulating, preventing the warmest air from staying near the ceiling and making it easier to maintain comfortable temperatures without having to run the heat excessively. This can actually result in a more enjoyable heat as well, since the circulating air will help you avoid cool pockets and drafts near the floor.

Proper Fan Usage

If you’re using ceiling fans in your rooms throughout the year, it’s important to make sure that the fans are placed properly. Ideally you should have fans placed near the center of the room they’re installed in, hanging around 7 to 9 feet from the floor with around a foot clearance between the fan and the ceiling. Large fans are best so long as they work with your room layout and don’t interrupt your décor; as they have larger blades, they can move more air at once even when running at lower speeds and will save you more money than smaller fans.

During the summertime, you should have your ceiling fans spinning in a counterclockwise direction to create the desired windchill effect to keep things cool. When possible, you should also close curtains and blinds to prevent sunlight from heating up the air as well. Once temperatures start to drop and you turn on the heat, flip the switch on your ceiling fan so that it starts spinning clockwise to circulate the air without the windchill. Open up the blinds and curtains as well, letting in that free heat from the winter sun.

Installing Ceiling Fans

If you’re installing new ceiling fans in your rooms, you’re going to want to bring in an electrician to get everything wired correctly and make sure that the fans are hung properly.

 

What is Terrazzo?

If you’ve been looking for a stylish and durable material for floors, countertops, or other surfaces, there are few finishes more timeless than terrazzo. A material in use in some form for at least 600 years, terrazzo continues to dazzle and dominate in all kinds of locations in the modern home.

Terrazzo: A Brief History

The Renaissance was an incredible time for artists and architects, with plenty of ground-breaking innovations in the arts coming about. But alongside all the fancy sculptures and haunting stained glass, there was an incredible amount of waste in the form of scrap chips. It was probably an accidental discovery outside of artisan workshops that led to terrazzo, but over time, Italians noticed that walking over those marble, glass, and other durable chips pushed them into workshop floors.

The result was an early form of the breathtaking material we know today. Over time, Italians learned to create terrazzo on purpose, by scattering the chips from workshops onto clay bases, compressing them, and polishing them for a more uniform look. It has since been used in such famous locations as St. Peter’s Basilica and George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and spread like wildfire in new homes built from the 1940s through the 1960s.

Looking for Sustainability?

Terrazzo is considered a sustainable floor option, provided you choose one made the old fashioned way: out of recycled materials. Leftover bits of glass, marble, stone, and even more modern materials like plastic can be included in a terrazzo floor to create a unique look. And with a zero VOC base, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a floor that’s safer or greener. It’s even approved for LEED-certified buildings and contributes to the points that are required for LEED certification.

As long as there are manufacturing processes going on, there will be plenty of waste that can be turned into terrazzo. It’s an excellent way to use up these materials and prevent them from ending up in a landfill. Plus, the material is incredibly durable, even when used in high traffic areas like entryway floors, so unless you simply want a change, there’s no reason to worry they’ll need to be replaced.

Choosing Terrazzo for Your Home

Terrazzo is one of the most flexible surface coverings available, and considering its long lifespan, one of the best values. Of course, if you’re not planning on being in your home for a while, you may find that the cost (which is similar to high end ceramic tile) to be a bit more than you’d budgeted for. However, if you’re in your dream home or at least the one you’re planning to retire in, there’s nothing that works harder or lasts longer.

You can use terrazzo indoors or out, on floors, inside showers, on walls, or as a backsplash; the possibilities are literally endless. Since it can be purchased as premade tiles or poured in place, it’s also a great solution for oddly shaped areas. There’s no pattern to match, and no wrong direction to turn terrazzo tiles, making a tile option a reasonable DIY project for people who want to try their hand at their own backsplash or shower tile.

If you’d rather use a pour-in-place terrazzo option, you’ll likely need professional help. There’s a great deal of equipment and skill involved in getting everything just so to keep your terrazzo at its best for the long haul.

 

A-door-able Updates!

It goes without saying that your doors are an important part of your home. They provide security, help to control the temperature, and even play a big part in the overall look of your home. Your front door is one of the first things that people notice when coming to your home, and the state that your door is in can have a noticeable impact on the impression that people have of your house and property. Stop and think about it for a moment: What sort of a message is your front door sending?

If you don’t like what your door is saying or aren’t really sure how others view it, you might consider getting an upgrade. There are a few different types of updates you can give to your door depending on what you want and the sort of budget you’re dealing with, so you definitely have options. Here are a few things to think about while trying to decide if you’re ready to update your door or not.

Does Your Door Need an Update?

The first thing you should think about is whether your door actually needs updating. Don’t just think about your front door, though. While that’s the door in your home that gets the most attention, you should also stop and think about interior doors, back doors, and other doors that you, your family, and your guests will see. These other doors aren’t as likely to need a major update, but if they’re damaged or otherwise out of style then you might consider making some changes.

As you consider your doors, look at their physical condition: Is there any visible damage, or perhaps weathering or warping? Do the doors have trouble opening or closing, even after tightening hinge screws or making other adjustments? Think about how they look and how well they match the surrounding walls or other fixtures like shutters; do their colors and styles cause them to blend in, stand out, or contrast? What about features such as windows or other design work in the doors? Do they match what you envision for your home? This may seem like a lot of questions, but you want to consider both the look and the functionality of your doors when trying to decide whether to update or replace them.

Door Upgrade Options

If you’ve spent some time considering either your front door or other doors in your house and found them in need of some changes, it’s time to think about exactly what sort of change you want to see. Is it something subtle, or something more significant? Regardless of how you’d like to change the look and feel of your home, there’s likely some door updates and upgrades that can help you achieve it.

One of the most basic updates you can make to your door is to change its color with a fresh coat of paint. This can be especially useful if you just want your door to stand out a bit more and appear more welcoming. If you want a larger color upgrade, paint the door and then paint or replace your window shutters to match. Windows or other door inlays can be installed into some doors, though it’s more likely that you’ll buy a new door to accomplish this major change in look. There are a few other reasons to buy a new door as well, especially if you’re looking at damage or warping. There are both wood and metal doors available depending on your needs, so be sure to shop around to find the perfect doors for your home.

Getting the Door of Your Dreams

Whether you want a new paint job, a brand-new door, or large-scale updates to the door and other features of your home, finding the right pro to help you can be a big task. Fortunately, it’s one that HomeKeepr can make a lot easier. Sign up for a free account today to connect with the contractors, painters, and other pros who can give your door (and your home) the update that it needs to totally revamp its look.

 

Silence Is Golden: Quieting False Alarms

Alarms play an important part in keeping your home safe. Smoke alarms and other fire alarms can give you an early warning in case a fire breaks out somewhere in your house, which is why it’s recommended that you keep your alarms in working order. To make this easier, some homeowners opt for hardwired alarms which don’t require periodic battery changes to stay active; these alarms are powered by your home’s electrical wiring, so they’re always functional as long as you have power.

Unfortunately, these alarms sometimes go off when there isn’t a fire threat as well. While you don’t want your smoke alarm or other warning system to miss signs of an actual fire, it can be pretty frustrating if your alarm goes off all the time when there’s no actual danger. If you have issues with an alarm that seems to always be going off, here are a few things that might help.

Cleaning Your Alarms

If you have a smoke alarm that’s way too sensitive, especially if I didn’t used to be, then there’s a good chance that you need to clean it. Dust, dirt, and similar small particles are some of the most common causes of alarms becoming too sensitive over time. The reason that this occurs is that these small particles can interact with your alarm in the same way that smoke particles do, triggering its sensitive mechanisms. Carefully cleaning your alarm with canned air or using a vacuum designed for electronics use can remove the dust and restore the alarm to proper working order.

It’s worth noting that insects might also be part of the problem with your alarm, especially if there’s a bit of a dust buildup on the alarm unit. These may be cleared out when you blow the dust free from your alarm, but it’s possible that you’ll need to place insect baits or spray bug spray on the wall near your alarm to help get rid of them. Just make sure that you don’t spray the alarm itself, and keep in mind that even spraying near the alarm might temporarily set it off.

Humidity Issues

If dust isn’t the culprit for your overly sensitive alarm woes, humidity might be the problem. If the humidity is too high, water condensing on the sensors within the alarm, or even just water vapor or steam interacting with those sensors, can interfere with the alarm and cause it to go off. This can be especially problematic as too much water within the alarm can actually damage the alarm mechanism and cause it to completely stop working or start sounding all the time.

If humidity is your issue, the only way to take care of the problem is to remove the humidity. This can be accomplished with a dehumidifier placed in overly humid rooms, pulling water from the air and keeping it from affecting the alarm. If the problem is that the alarm is too close to a stovetop or otherwise being exposed to steam, you’ll need to do a bit more work to fix the issue; you’re going to have to install a hood, vent, or some other method of redirecting the steam before it comes in contact with the alarm. If you don’t, the steam will likely ruin the alarm sooner or later.

Professional Maintenance

In some cases, issues with smoke alarms are caused by electrical problems or insufficient current to keep them properly powered. For battery-powered alarms, all that’s required is to change the battery every few months to keep the alarm in good working order. With hardwired alarms, though, it’s a little more complicated. You’re going to need to call in an electrician to check out the situation, and they’ll either have to fix the wiring or possibly replace the alarm if it’s found to be defective.