When Is It Time to Replace Your Home's Insulation?

When it comes to making your home as energy-efficient as possible, one factor you don’t want to forget about is your home’s insulation. Insulation prevents outside air from coming into your home, which helps to keep your HVAC system from working as hard to maintain temperatures. It’s not just your attics and walls that need insulation—crawl space insulation is just as important. Below are five signs that let you know when it’s time to replace insulation in your home.

Animal Infestation

Once pests take up residence in your attic or crawlspace, it’s hard to remove them. Not only do they leave feces and urine in the insulation, but they also use insulation to make their nests for their beds and for raising their offspring. If you’ve recently had to call pest control to get rid of rodents or other animals moving into your home, it’s a good idea to call an insulation company too. They can assess your home and let you know how much, if any, insulation will need to be replaced.

Higher Energy Bills

The most significant sign that you need to add or replace your insulation is that you have higher energy bills. If your power company hasn’t raised their rates and you’re not using more energy than usual, your power bills should remain fairly consistent. If you notice them rising quickly, call an electrician to help you figure out the source of the problem.

Outdated Materials

Older insulation, especially crawl space insulation, breaks down and loses thickness. However, that’s not the only problem that you face with insulation. Building codes change over time, which means that the thickness of the insulation your home has may no longer be in accordance with recent building code changes.

Unpleasant Odors

If your home has a lingering unpleasant odor that doesn’t seem to have a source, the problem might be with your insulation. Not every type of insulation is waterproof, and fiberglass insulation absorbs water. As for your crawl space insulation, melted snow and humidity impact your insulation leading to mold and mildew growth.

Water Damage

If you notice puddles on your floor or wet spots on your ceiling, these are a couple of signs that you have a leak. Not only do leaks lead to water damage that causes the wood structure of your home to rot, but water damages your insulation as well. Additionally, insufficient and ineffective insulation indirectly causes water damage. One example would be if your pipes aren’t adequately insulated and burst during the middle of winter.

Unless the insulation in your home becomes damaged, it should last anywhere between 80 and 100 years. Even if you believe that you don’t have a problem with your insulation, a home energy assessment is a great way to find areas of improvement. Contact your local insulation company today and prepare to be surprised at how much money you save when your home becomes as energy-efficient as possible.

Tips for Helping Your Outdoor Furniture Last Longer

The backyard is an oasis during the warm summer months, but winter is harsh on your patio tables and chairs. You must protect your furniture to ensure it lasts more than a few seasons. These are tips for helping your outdoor furniture last longer, so you can enjoy it for years to come.

Clean It Regularly

Keeping your patio furniture clean is a vital step in maintenance and preservation. How you clean it depends on what kind of furniture you have. Here are some various maintenance strategies for different types of outdoor furniture:

• To ensure hardwood furniture lasts a long time, wipe it down with penetrating oil to keep out the moisture.

• Wicker furniture has a lengthy cleaning process. Spray down the wicker with water and then mix a soap and water solution. Using a soft brush, scrub down the hard-to-reach places and leave them out to dry in the sun to prevent mold and mildew.

• Weatherproof metal doesn’t require much cleaning besides a simple wipe down with soap and water.

• Cushions and covers also need cleaning. Ensure that they’re completely dry before storing them.

• Remove the canvas from your cloth furniture and toss it into the washing machine on a gentle cycle.

Store It Away

The best tip for helping your outdoor furniture last longer is to store it indoors during winter. Patio furniture has a tough time with the harsh and intense elements of the colder months. Use vinyl covers to protect against unwanted moisture and scuffs.

This tip is essential for wooden furniture. Temperature fluctuations and moisture can wreak havoc on wood. Storing it indoors will help it last longer.

Cover It Up

Covering up your tables and chairs will suffice if you live in a region with mild winters. There are table covers on the market equipped with UV ray protection and water resistance. When looking at which cover to purchase, remember that double-stitched covers are higher in quality and will last longer.

Pro-Tip

Don’t neglect covering up your grill. It’s also exposed to the elements.

When springtime comes, and the weather warms up again, your patio furniture will be ready for use.

Guest Post - Steps to Designing an Outdoor Kitchen

Are you finally coming round to the idea of building your own outdoor kitchen? Warm evenings and al fresco dining awaits! Having an outdoor kitchen is a great talking point for guests, and adds something different to any dinner party.

You might not be aware, but anything you can have inside can usually be implemented outdoors too. That goes for ovens, grills, sinks, cupboards, and everything in between!

Here are some things to consider when designing your outdoor kitchen:

Are you going for a more basic or luxurious outdoor kitchen?

You can still achieve a pretty awesome setup with a basic grill and worktop. However, more luxurious setups can involve sinks, cupboards, or even pizza ovens! Bear in mind that the more extravagant you choose to go, the more expensive your project will be, naturally.

This might also depend on the size of your property. If you happen to have a very large backyard with acres of space, you could design a more fully-functional outdoor kitchen. 

Is this outdoor kitchen going to be permanent?

There are a couple of considerations here. If you have fallen in love with cooking outdoors and would love nothing more than the al fresco lifestyle, feel free to jump right in with installing appliances and cooking apparatus! However, if you think this might be something you only do once in a while, ask yourself if you really need permanent features.

Also, if your property is rented, it could be better to steer clear of setting up a permanent outdoor kitchen!

Consider your costs

Sit down and have a real think about everything that might add up to the grand total cost of your outdoor kitchen:

• Appliances

• Furniture

• Permits

• Tools

• Electrician or plumber fees

Where in your backyard will it go?

If you live in the north of the country, or an area that receives plenty of rain or wind, make sure your outdoor kitchen will be well protected. Give your appliances plenty of shelter from the elements. 

Make sure you keep grills covered and regularly clean them after using them!

If your kitchen will be subject to extreme temperatures, be sure to think twice about using PVC or non-stainless steel appliances. These can get damaged in extreme weather conditions.

Jack Vale is a writer from Happy Writers, Co.  

Winter Safety Precautions to Protect Your Family and Finances

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Winter is here, which means it’s time to brace yourself for the temperature drops. In addition to getting used to the colder climate for a season, it’s also a time of more accidents and potential damage to your home.

Luckily, you can get ahead of those winter hiccups. Here’s how some simple winter preparations can save you and your family from costly repairs in the future.

Remember Car Maintenance

When it gets cold and icy out, cars have a higher chance of sliding or crashing into someone else. If you live somewhere that gets extremely cold or snows frequently, you should have your car inspected and maintained to the best of your ability. If you’re on a tight budget, at least invest in tire repair services. Durable tires are an important part of driving during the winter. When roads are covered in ice, it’s important that your car has plenty of traction when making tight turns. Tires that have deteriorated could cause your car to slide and cause an accident.

If you can afford to do more, have your brakes checked. You should also keep an emergency kit in your car in case your car stalls or breaks down. Common items to include are jumper cables, blankets, water, warm clothes, and nonperishable food items.

Seal your openings

Winter months typically mean higher heating bills, especially if your windows and doors aren’t properly insulated. Regularly dealing with drafts can expose you and your children to the cold air which can compromise your immune system. If you have older windows and can’t replace them, there are weather insulation kits you can purchase from the store as a temporary fix. Preventing cold air from entering your house will also reduce the need of running your heating system for an extended period of time.

Prepare your water pipes

A general rule is that if you live in temperatures that are 28 or lower, you should take precautions to protect your water pipes. If your pipes freeze, they can cut off your water supply. In severe cases, your plastic or metal pipes can burst and cause a myriad of damage. Water leakage can cause moisture to accumulate and may even cause mold to grow over time.

Certain areas like basements, crawl spaces, and garages are even more susceptible to damaged pipes because they don't get as much attention as common areas like your living room and bedrooms. Therefore, be sure to have them properly insulated before the temperatures drop too low to keep your water supply flowing and save you money on future water damage.

Winter months come with more than snowmen and hot chocolate. As a homeowner, you have to practice preventative care in colder climates. Simple tasks like preparing your windows, servicing your tires, and insulting your water pipes will keep both your home and family safe. Who knows, you may be able to finance a family outing with the money you save by prepping for the cooler weather.