Category: Home Improvement

Strategies to maintain and improve your home

Categories
Buying Home Improvement Investment Real Estate Selling

Don’t Underestimate the Value of Curb Appeal

In the current real estate market, a lot of attention has been given to staging a home to help it sell.   I am a big fan of staging, but think curb appeal is even more important.  After all, it doesn’t matter how nice your home looks on the inside if buyers drive up, take a look at the outside and drive on.  Here are some simple ideas to create curb appeal for your home:

  • Make sure the outside looks clean and fresh.  Remove cob webs and brush off dirt and bugs from outside walls.
  • Pressure clean walk-ways, pool patios, fences.
  • Paint any exterior that looks drab or dirty.
  • Remove weeds and dead leaves from plant beds.  Fill in bare spots with new plants and lay down a fresh layer of mulch.
  • Re-asphalt driveway
  • Paint or stain front door.
  • Thoroughly clean all outdoor light fixtures and make sure the bulbs are working.

Even if you are not selling your home, these small fixes can make your home inviting to your friends and make you fall in love with it all over again!  If you are a buyer or investor, look at homes that don’t have curb appeal.  Most likely they have been on the market longer than homes in the neighborhood that do and you can get them for less than you would a house that has a pleasing exterior.  Once the house is yours, you can add curb appeal and reap the benefits.  Your cost to create appeal should be minimal compared to the savings you got on the purchase.

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Categories
Environmental Home Improvement

Composting is Beneficial for South Florida Gardens

Growing plants in South Florida is very easy.  When I first moved here, I remember someone  telling me,  “plant once and cut it forever” .  Well, after successfully growing tomatoes, jalapenos, and a variety of peppers by simply throwing seeds from my kitchen into assorted pots, I am convinced that growing just about anything is pretty easy.  The quality of what is grown, however, requires a little more effort.  I threw papaya seeds in the yard and grew massive papayas, which were disgustingly mealy, and my frangipanis, though flowering, could use a little more something.

Composting is an easy way to improve the quality of your plants while reducing waste.   A friend and neighbor of mine who swears by her composter and my sister, who lives in Italy and thinks composting is a no-brainer, have convinced me that composting is the way to go.   So, after years of procrastinating, I have decided to go more “formal” with my garden and will start composting.  Since the University of Florida has an amazing agricultural extension and an extremely informative website, I will be building vs buying my first compost pile.  I will post my progress on this blog and, hopefully, will be producing compost that looks as good as this person’s.Real_Compost

Categories
Environmental Home Improvement

6 Reasons to Consider Florida Friendly Landscaping

In a state where water is in short supply and there is a year-round growing season,  Florida friendly landscaping is backyard after resizedimportant and can result in:

  • lower water bills
  • better looking yard during dry season and droughts
  • decreased maintenance requirements
  • increased presence of wildlife
  • shade and lower energy bills
  • minimizing the need for pesticides and fertilizers

For a guide of Florida friendly plants and other tips visit Floridayards.org

Categories
Environmental Home Improvement

Making Your Home More Energy Efficient Just Got Easier!

appliancesGovernor Charlie Crist signed a bill into law today that will give rebates on energy-efficient appliances.  The details are still to be worked out, but according to the Governor’s office consumers could save an average of up to 20% per appliance.  If you do plan to use the rebate, apply quickly.  Both the State’s  Solar Incentinves Rebate and Miami-Dade County appliance rebate programs were so popular, they quickly ran out of funds.

Categories
Buying Environmental Home Improvement

5 Ways To Tell If Your Home Has Chinese Drywall

drystatslargeChinese drywall could be present in your home if it was built or extensively remodeled between 2004 and 2008.  Due to the building boom and major hurricane damage during those years, drywall had to be imported for the first time.  Unfortunately, Chinese drywall has high levels of chemicals that we do not find in drywall made in the United States.

  1. Presence of sulfur smell or other strange odor
  2. Corrosion of copper pipes, especially on the air conditioning unit.  Instead of seeing a copper pipe, you will see one covered in a black, soot-like coating.
  3. The air conditioner evaporator coil located inside the air handling unit fails.
  4. Writing on the back of the drywall that says, “Made in China” or confirmed presence by builder.
  5. Confirmation by an outside expert.

BEWARE OF SCAMS!!!  This is Florida, after all.  DO NOT pay someone to come take an air test, as to date, there is no air test for Chinese drywall.  The easiest way to tell if it may be an issue are items 1-3 above.  If you are not sure, call your air conditioner technician.  DO NOT pay someone to spray anything on your walls.  There is no product currently being backed by anyone that can contain the dangerous substances found in the drywall

For important updates on Chinese drywall from, sign up at Florida’s State Department of Health

Categories
Environmental Freebies Home Improvement

Free Trees Help Beautify Your Yard and Conserve Energy

The right landscaping  can help you save money.  Properly positioned, plants will  shade your home and tree-resizedlower cooling costs.  Using plants that don’t require a lot of water can minimize water usage while still allowing you to have a beautiful yard.

Miami-Dade County wants to encourage tree planting and offers the popular “Adopt-a-Tree” program several times a year throughout the County.

Achieving and maintaining a Florida-friendly yard, one that requires minimum watering and maintenance, is a great way to improve your home.

Other home improvement articles:

Free High Efficiency Shower Heads

Categories
Environmental Freebies Home Improvement

Free High-Efficiency Shower Heads and Rebates to Conserve Water and Save $$

Water conservation is extremely important in Florida.  Even though we are surrounded by water, we are in the middle stop-signof a several-year drought and we all need to do our part to save water.  In addition to complying with current watering restrictions, there are steps you can take around your home to cut down water use.

Miami-Dade County has a program to exchange your old shower head and get a free, high-efficiency shower head.  They also offer rebates to homeowners who replace an old toilet with a high-efficiency one.