The Changing Tone of Door Chimes
A gentle “ding-dong” signals that someone is at your front door. The sound is one that you’re familiar with, but you may be ready for a change. Change is particularly welcome if you have chimes for two or more doors and those chimes are hard to tell apart. Most homes are outfitted with electromagnet door chimes, making it easy for you to have one bell ring “ding-dong” and the other emit a simple ding. In any case when your traditional door bell fails, you may encounter a hefty repair bill.
Wireless Door Chimes
Given that electromagnet doorbells are being replaced by wireless door chimes, we’ll share with you an example of a GE one-button system, one that makes changing a door chime a snap.
Your doorbell has failed or it simply fails to chime as needed. Many homeowners have given up replacing their old, electromagnet systems and have switched to a wireless door chime that can be installed within minutes.
Low-Cost Option
GE, for example, offers a door chime that comes with one button. You’ll need to buy a second and subsequent set for each additional door of find a chime system that comes with two buttons. Given that these sets run for about $20, you’ll still pay much less for a new battery-operated chime system than having an electrician fix your old system. You can do it yourself if you’re handy with electrical matters.
Battery-operated door chime systems provide an operational range of up to 150 feet. You’ll need to install a 12-volt battery and check it from time to time for wear. The chime itself plugs into any electrical outlet and has settings to allow you to choose different chimes. Simply select the desired chime for your front door and do the same with the chimes for your other doors. The GE system, by the way, offers seven unique sounds. That’s several more than the number of doors you have to your home.
Digital Signal
Wireless or electronic doorbells send out a digital signal via an integrated circuit to trigger a sound. Such systems dispense with solenoids, tone bars and wiring, providing a modern way to tell you that someone is standing at your door.
How Can We Help?
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Home Improvement Tip
for the week of: May 13
Closet Space ...
Do you ever wish you had enough closet space? Enough room for coats, shoes, and things. View our closet organizations for the upstairs.
Food Storage Rotation Done Right
Having enough food on hand is important for many families. Not just what you need for the next few days or weeks, but food you can keep months, even years. Buying food in bulk can be good decision as you’ll pay less and have a hedge against possible shortages. Those shortages can occur whenever a natural disaster strikes or in a war. Read on for some tips on a how to store food properly and rotate your stock correctly.
Your needs — Firstly, you’ll need to estimate how much food you want to store and for how long. For example, if you have a family of six and would like to have a six month supply of food on hand, then you’re going to need a large storage area, one that goes well beyond what your kitchen, pantry and stock room can supply. Most of your long-term food items will be dry goods, items that you may be able to store in dry basement, in a room converted to house these goods or elsewhere. Set aside your storage area, build shelves and buy bins to handle the project.
Storage ideas — Accessible food storage means putting your food where it can easily be retrieved and used. Your areas need to be well lit and sealed from outside access, particularly from vermin and insects. An assortment of storage bins and containers can be used to house dry goods. Label each container, but also label each bag or box that goes in the container. Describe its contents and the date it was put into storage. For example: Wheat Crackers, 05/01/2012.
Rotation and placement — Your food storage area should be well-marked and easily understood. If you cannot keep all of your food storage in one place, then assign different areas for various products. For example, legumes, whole grains an dehydrated foods have the longest shelf life and can last for many years if properly stored. Compressed food can be stored furthest away, perhaps in that back closet you have set aside for long-term use. For the rest of your foods, you’ll want to ensure that items that will perish sooner are up front and items that are newer are placed in the back — just as you do in the refrigerator.
Organize and systemize — You can track everything on a spreadsheet and reference that, but ask yourself an important question: will you be able to access your computer if the power goes out? Consider a dual system — one that allows you to keep soft copies of your information on your computer with hard copies kept in a loose-leaf binder or on a clip board. Create the tracking system that works best for you, but is also one that everyone in the family involved can easily follow.
Extend your plan — If interior space is limited or if you want access to more food, you can also purchase cans of seeds from suppliers. Unlike most store bought seeds that have to be used within a year if not months of purchase, seeds stored in airtight cans can last for three or more years. Those seeds can be planted in your garden, to provide fresh fruits and vegetables that can be eaten or canned. With canning, you’ll need to create a storage system and include these goods with your other foods.
A food storage plan should also encompass other items including ample amounts of bottled water, chocolate drinks, sterno cooking heat cans or a propane cooking stove, and even backup radios, batteries and weather alert stations. However you store, you’ll need to track it.
The Latest Trends in Kitchen Colors
The kitchen is the center of many homes, and is the most popular room in the house offers Families.com. Today’s kitchens are larger, updated and multi-functional, with some serving as food preparation, family meeting area and even an office wrapped up in one.
If your kitchen’s colors are growing tired, you can apply a fresh coat of paint as well as update select surfaces to make this room shine. Read on for some tips to add some sparkle and zest to this family-friendly room.
Wall Paint — Antiseptic colors are no longer in vogue including in the kitchen where people are opting for more vibrant colors. A retro look or one that mixes vintage with modern can help your kitchen stand out. Use subdued colors such as robin’s egg blue or contrast a neutral color with one wall painted in merlot red or a similar vibrant color advises House Beautiful.
Major Appliances — Hands down, the trend toward stainless steel is favored by many. Designers are obliging, creating every appliance imaginable with a stainless steel face. Not just refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers, but microwaves, washers and dryers. For small appliances, use a neutral color scheme for your coffee maker, toaster and electric can opener.
Hardware and Metals — Old cabinets can get a new look simply by replacing its hardware. Brushed chrome and bronze provide a look that is both elegant and time-tested. Your kitchen faucet can be modern, but still offer a timeless design.
Cabinetry — Speaking about cabinets, if you’re in the market for new ones, then choose mahogany or dark wood for a more natural look. Apart from a new purchase, you can paint or glaze your current cabinets for a like-new appearance.
Flooring — Tile is definitely out in today’s kitchens, with homeowners preferring wood. Lighter, grey-toned woods are popular and offer an attractive, visual contrast to stainless steel and your wall paint. Reclaimed and bleached ash floor is both a design and an environmental statement, offering character to your kitchen according to Canadian House & Home.
Considerations
If you’re not sure what will work in your kitchen, bring along a friend to the hardware store as you review colors. Keep in mind the impact of both natural and artificial light as you choose colors for the most popular room in your house.
 |
Home n' Garden Tip |
 |
5 Home Security Tips That Add Value to Your Home
Home security doesn’t have to be ugly. Armed with the right information and a little creativity, you can add value to your home while making it safer and deterring burglars. There are so many home security tips and tricks out there, but they always focus on making your home into a fortress, not a house you are proud to live in.
So, what can you add to your home to protect it and increase its value?
Fences – Attractive fences are an excellent home security measure which can increase your home’s value. By adding a secure, attractive fence, you are adding an extra obstacle that burglars need to break through before they get to your home. Fences are often a sign that the homeowners have dogs, which burglars also hate. Most thieves find it easier to just move on to the next house. If you are looking to see a home with a fence, you’ll attract interested dog lovers who want the added protection.
Lighting – Security lighting doesn’t have to be big and ugly. There are thousands of different types of lighting fixtures for outdoors, and all of them will help deter crime. Burglars hate light, because it is more difficult for them to break in and remain undetected. Outdoor lighting trends such as all-weather chandeliers, torch lights, and sconces can add a lot to your home. You can also use energy-saving CFL bulbs in all outdoor light fixtures, which will save you money too.
Alarm Systems – An alarm system doesn’t have to be big bulky keypad next to your door with wires all over the windows. Various security systems are wireless (the new high-tech trend), and the best part is that they don’t cost more than traditional wired systems. You can also hide the keypad in a bedroom, leave it on a kitchen counter, and use smartphone apps or keychain remotes to disarm and arm the system every time you leave.
Window Treatments – The right curtains, shutters and shades add beauty and style to your home. When you select the right window treatments, they look as though they were designed with the house. Of course there is an added security benefit as well – by blocking the view inside your home, burglars can’t see your valuables and can’t tell if anyone is at home. Good quality window treatments will last for many years, and be an asset to your house.
Landscaping Design – No matter what your house looks like on the inside, when it looks well-maintained on the outside, it is worth much more. Well-kept lawns can increase property values across the entire neighborhood. When your shrubs and trees are planted in the right locations and trimmed, they will also provide your doors and windows with a clear view to the street. Burglars love homes where the windows are hidden by overgrown bushes because it allows them to break in undetected. Spend some money and time on proper landscape planting and maintenance now, and you’ll enjoy the beauty, value, and home security benefits for years to come.
Home security can beautify your home when you do it right. Do your research and you’ll come up with interesting ways to add security while making your house worth more at the end of the day. It doesn’t need to cost a lot, it just needs to be well thought-out and properly executed.
About the author: Ellen Dorris is a LifeShield.com home security advisor. She has a passion for staying on top of crime trends and helping the good guys outsmart the criminals. She often writes about safety tips, crime news, new security system technology and stupid crime stories.
How to Build a Home Theater and Must-Haves to Include
Anyone can slap together a television and some speakers, but it takes a special touch to create a truly awesome home theater. You need to carefully select a television that’s perfect for your space, determine the best speaker configuration, and may even have to make some alterations to the media room. However, you don’t need to stop there. If you want your home theater to be the envy of your friends and neighbors, you’ll need to deck it out with the coolest gadgets and extras that you can find.
Pick Your TV
Some people build their home theaters around the visual experience, and other people are audiophiles. If you’re more concerned about the number of pixels on your screen than how many channels of audio you have, then you probably want to start by selecting the perfect television. Plasma televisions offer the best picture qualities, but its glass screens can pick up a lot of glare if there’s any natural light in the room. If you’re worried about glare, an LED-backlit LCD television may suit your needs. You might also want to look at DLP televisions or projectors if your budget is tight.
Bigger isn’t Better
The next thing you need to think about is the size of your television. To determine the biggest television that will work in your home theater, you need to figure out how far you’ll be sitting from the screen. You can then take that measurement and divide it by three. If you buy a television that’s any larger than that, you’ll be able to make out the individual pixels.
Sound Systems
The easiest way to set up your audio system is to just buy a home theater in a box. These systems include all the components required to create a surround sound experience, but the individual pieces aren’t always the best you can find. If you want the best home theater money can buy, you need to purchase each component separately.
Processors, Receivers, and Amplifiers
The central component of your surround sound system will either be a processor or receiver. Both of these units have the same function, which is to route audio and video input signals to your speakers and television. Receivers include built-in amplifiers, which processors don’t have. Since the built-in amplifiers found in receivers aren’t always powerful enough to handle the demands of multichannel surround sound systems, it’s important to determine whether or not your setup requires an amplifier. If you want the best sound possible, you should consider buying a processor and a powerful amplifier.
Speakers
A basic surround sound system needs at least three speakers, but you can do better than that. If you want to get the most out of your home theater system, you’ll need to spring for at least a 5.1 surround sound system. That means you’ll need two speakers in the front, two speakers in the rear, a center channel, and a low frequency effects (LFE) channel. If your processor can handle it, you can also add additional side and height channel speakers.
Furniture
After you have the basics out of the way, you can start having some fun. Selecting unique furniture is one of the easiest ways to put a personal touch on your home theater, so you should go out of your way to find pieces that will truly increase your enjoyment of your media room. Some people install rows of comfortable recliners, which is a great way to mimic a real theater setting inside your home. You can also go with an assortment of couches and recliners or tuck a few beanbag chairs out of the way for the kids. The most important thing is to make sure that every seat has an optimal sight line to the television.
Room Alterations
Most people stop after they’ve put together the basics and chosen furniture, but there are ways to make your home theater experience even more enjoyable. If you’ve already selected a room that has ideal lighting and acoustic characteristics, then you won’t have many alterations to make. However, most media rooms can benefit from a few alterations.
If your home theater room has any windows, you should consider purchasing blackout curtains. Even if your television has an excellent contrast ratio, stray light can adversely affect the picture quality. If you use your media room for other purposes, you can select a blackout roman shade that’s layered over a regular shade. That will give you the greatest control over the lighting in your home theater, but cellular shades and roller shades are other options you can consider.
You can also perform some alterations that will improve your overall sound quality. The best way to do that is to either cover hardwood with a thick rug or install carpet. You can also cover the ceiling in acoustic tiles and place either tapestries or acoustic tiles on the walls. The door should also have a solid core.
Must-have Gadgets
If you want the ultimate home theater experience, there’s really no end to the fun tweaks you can make. One intriguing option is a small device that hooks into the LFE channel of your surround sound system. You mount the device to your couch or chair, and it vibrates in time to the bass and special effects on the LFE channel. That can increase your immersion when watching a movie or playing a video game, but it can also allow you to listen to music without cranking up the volume.
Another great way to punch up your home theater system is to incorporate some more technology. If you buy a television that is Wi-Fi enabled, you’ll have access to tons of great media content on the Internet. You can also install a media center PC that has a DVI or HDMI output, which will allow you to listen to all your digital music files and bypass restrictions that some video on demand services place on set-top boxes. There are also peripherals and software packages that can allow you to use your phone or tablet computer to control both your television and PC.
For the ultimate home theater touch, you can even install a commercial-grade popcorn machine in your media room. The sense of smell is one of the most powerful memory triggers, and nothing conjures up images of movie theaters like the scent of buttery popcorn.
Make It Your Own
If you combine the latest technology with your own unique design touches, you can end up with a pretty stupendous home theater system. The biggest limitation on the design process is your imagination, so you should let it run wild. You can look at pictures of fantasy home theaters, check out the latest gadgets, and take your own personal style into account. Your ideal home theater might mimic the lush theaters of the early 20th century, or it might take design cues from the video game arcades of the 1980s. After you have the basics down, it’s time to let your personality shine through.
Thrifty Renovation: Your Next Painting Project!
Homeowners seeking to brighten up their homes may want to undertake full-scale renovation, but their finances may not support this option. You may be able to borrow the money, but your financial picture isn’t strong enough to support loan payments.
With a fresh coat of paint, you can give your home a fresh look, bringing a sparkle to your cabinets, furniture and walls in a matter of hours. Read on for some tips on how to give your home a thrifty renovation.
Kitchen cabinets — Replacing kitchen cabinet faces can set you back by several thousands of dollars. To give your kitchen a new look, a coat of paint and some paint brushes can give your cabinets a good makeover.
This job is best managed by removing the cabinet faces from the hinges and painting each one individually as this will enable you to paint trim and, if desired, the insides easier. Fix cracks and dents, and use a primer. Choose a color that gives your kitchen a lift and apply. Replace old hardware with new knobs and handles to give your cabinets a more contemporary look.
Your refreshened cabinets will instantaneously update your kitchen, allowing you to buy some time to plan and undertake a more extensive renovation.
Old furniture — Living room and dining room furniture shouldn’t be painted, but a fresh coat of varnish can help breath new life into your buffet, dining room table, chairs and other wood objects. Beyond painting, you can put new coverings on cloth surfaces, giving your living room a new look.
Bedroom furniture is the easiest to paint, with shelves, dressers, tables and chairs well suited for a makeover. You can easily remove these items from your home and place them on the lawn and spray or brush paint. Use a tarp or newspapers for a foundation and paint away. Apply two coats for a fresh look. Replace knobs and handles if desired.
Walls — Neutral colors are safe, but why play it safe? Paint over those drab white walls and add in some color.
Consider painting one wall in a room a different color, to offer a contrast. For example, three walls might be beige and the last wall bright red. That “stand out” wall might also serve as the back drop for some artwork or a simple visual design statement.
For a fresh look throughout the house, consider painting each room a different color. You may need to move or redo some furniture to come up with the right mix or match, but you can have fun doing so.
Final Thoughts
Your related costs for this project will include gallons of primer, paint, sand paper, varnish, knobs and anything else that might give your home a makeover. Your greatest cost is what you buy — you’ll supply the labor or perhaps be joined by family members and friends willing to help you out.
Top 5 Unusual Uses For Lofts And Attics
If you are lucky enough to have an attic or loft, there are a number of ways to use it, and no matter what use you eventually employ the space for, you are the one who will live with it. Themes, color schemes and illumination, flooring and furnishings make huge differences in atmosphere. Some people enjoy cozy, claustrophobic spaces. Others need more airy-feeling areas. So go ahead and take your personal needs, likes, dislikes, and finances into consideration.
Rented Room
One could use this space to generate extra income by renovating it into a rent-by-month room, complete with restrooms and kitchenettes. On the other hand, a bed and breakfast room that rents by the night can generate more income. However, because the guests come downstairs to use the restroom and eat their breakfast, which the homeowner prepares, lack of privacy might make the extra income less appealing.
Walk-in Closet
Visions of boxes of old Christmas decorations, grandpa’s old steamer trunk, and various mementos from school days come to mind. However, what if one were to develop that same space into one huge, well-arranged walk-in closet? Imagine a wall with long bars on which to hang seasonal or special occasion clothes and shoe and purse racks built into the shorter wall spaces. A full-length mirror and stool would grace one end of the closet. Family members could have their own sections. There would be no more need to store winter sweaters beneath the bed or have piles of seasonal coats or shoes crowd the bedroom closets.
Crow’s Nest
A crow’s nest was a small spot way up on a tall mast where a sailor perched to look out for things like land or pirates. Today’s uses still imply a place to look out upon things. What is there to look out upon from your attic or loft? Is there a river, a forest, the ocean, or a great view of the night sky? A pair of binoculars, a telescope, and at least one strategically positioned window is essential for the crow’s nest. Charts, either nautical or of the stars, are recommended. A person could have some fun decorating the space in dark woods and maroons with ships wheels, old pirate-looking chests and a few leather-bound books.
Spiritual Retreat
Everyone needs a private place to go to regroup and rejuvenate. A place to read, pray, and contemplate can include bookshelves, a small table, an easy chair, or rocking chair. Restoration of the body and soul can also happen within a private spa. A deep whirlpool bathtub, a dry sauna, adorned with plush carpets and towels could be just what the doctor ordered. Herbal teas, pretty candles, skylights, a few plants, and an indoor waterfall are all possible in this space renovated especially for relaxation.
Herbal Drying Room
Because heat rises, lofts and attics are perfect areas to dry herbs and flowers. The plants tend to keep vibrant color as they dry out in attics and lofts. The joy of fragrance as they dry is indescribable, wonderful, and rewarding. Uses for the dried plants include teas, medicines, spices, and decorations. One would need a large table for working. Stackable screens lined with herbal leaves and blooms are necessary. One can get creative about how to hang some plants upside down from the ceiling.
While determining how you want to use the space, consider what type of work will need done. Will you need to hire a contractor or do you plan to turn your loft or attic into a usable area all on your own? Do windows or sheet rock need installed? You may also need to call in an exterminator to rid the area of unwanted tenants like squirrels or bees.
Whatever use and method you decide upon, enjoy your new project.
Quick Remodeling Guide
 |
 |
|
|
|
| end side navigation |
