Month: August 2011 - page 5

Water Damage Restoration: Prevention Tips For Your Basement

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Have you ever come home and found your basement and the contents floating away?  If so you know all about how badly water can damage your belongings and most importantly all about water damage restoration.  There are many different reasons basements flood.  Your job as a homeowner is to prevent water getting into your basement in the first place.  Prevention is the key to prevent water damage.

The most likely reason your basement becomes flooded is due to natural causes.  Rain, snow melt and flooding can all lead to rain coming in to your basement.  In order to prevent this from being the source of your problems add an extra sump pump.  It will cost far less than having to have water damage restoration completed in your basement.  It is essential that you track the water flow away from your house.  This is especially true when you live on or near a lake or river.  If you are aware that a heavy rain is coming and that your home is prone to flooding another way to help is by adding sand bags to the homes foundation.  This is really only in special cases that you know the rain and floods are coming.  This is common with homes that are close to inland lakes and rivers in the spring season when snow is melting and the rains are heavy.

Another reason basements flood is because of the way the land around your home does not allow for penetration of the rain water. If the ground has a high water table level around your house the ground can be easily flooded.  This causes the extra water to stay on the top of the lawn which could easily cause the water to flow towards the house and flood the basement.  If this is the case for your home it is best to dig pathways away from your home to alleviate the gathering of water in your basement.

Another reason the puddles occur in the lawn around your home that could lead to a flood in your basement is from having an uneven yard.  The best way to handle this is to make sure that any areas that are low lying are away from the home.  It is also important to slope any areas around your home away from the foundation.  This will prevent the water from running into the basement area of your home.

Gutters and downspouts are an important piece in directing rain water away from the base of your home.  In order for them to continue to work properly you will need to keep them clean and free of debris.  It is important that in the winter you keep the gutters free of ice damns to allow for water to freely move away from the house instead of building up creating an area that could puddle.  Foundation cracks should be filled and gutters cleaned every six months to prevent and fix minor damage. Water seal paint can be found at most local stores and it is advisable to use it to seal the concrete blocks around the foundation.

Water damage restoration is expensive and time consuming.  If water does get into your basement valuables and precious family heirlooms can be damaged.  Preventing water from seeping into your basement in the first place is a lot easier, cheaper and less time consuming than dealing with the after math of water damage.

Go Maher

Window Treatments: Different Types of Window Blinds

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Choosing window treatments for the windows in your home is an important part of the decorating choices in your home.  You need to determine the style you are looking for, the purpose of the room and a budget to better help you determine what you are looking for in window treatments.  When determining style you will need to look at the room and your home as a whole.

Do you have a very modern home with sleek lines, is it contemporary or is your home a little bit more country?  When looking at the purpose you will need to look at the room.  For instance a kitchen window has different needs than a bedroom.  Light needs to be kept out of a bedroom and the kitchen is a room where light is of value. Budgeting is important in any room improvement.  It is not necessary to break the budget for designer window treatments in a room no one will ever occupy like a laundry room.  We will look into these objectives as we explore different types of blinds.

Windows with blinds between the glass are a popular option these days.  They are very efficient and the blinds inside the glass can be switched up depending on the desired look.  However, this option is expensive and requires replacement windows be installed.  The benefits are high though so if you are looking into replacement windows that you would then have to dress up with window treatment this option then becomes a little bit more feasible.  They are perfect for a home that needs a low maintenance window that is energy efficient and made to blend with any style home.  Windows with blinds between the glass are really a great choice for anyone looking into replacement windows.

For larger window and door walls panel blinds are becoming very trendy.  They can be purchased in many styles but gear toward a trendier look and feel for your room.  They are also sold in many different price ranges depending on several factors; fabric density, size and style.  You will find the hardware to install them is pricier than the panel blinds themselves.

Venetian blinds have been and continue to be a very popular option in window treatments.  They offer many advantages over other types of window treatments.  If you are looking for an all around good deal the venetian blind is the way to go.  They offer a style that is timeless and are great because they also offer different degrees of privacy.  You can find them to go with any size budget and are incredibly easy to install.

When looking to add blinds to windows that are odd in shape or out of the way, like skylights pleated blinds are the best options.  They do tend to be pricier than other window treatments but offer the convenience of coming modified to more custom windows.  They do fit in to any type of home décor and are often viewed as a higher end window treatment. Pleated blinds are often seen as a higher end window treatment and can be used in staging a home for resale very effectively.

Roller blinds are neat.  You can purchase them in a variety of textures, colors and prints.  They bring a different look and feel to a room.  Roller blinds can be used to fit into any décor.  They also offer varying degrees of light control for the rooms they are used in.  They are usually a bit more expensive than traditional blinds.  You are paying for a more sleek, stylish and custom product.

Cellular shades are a perfect choice to give a warm feel to the rooms in your house.  You can open them form the top or bottom which is super nice in a room such as a bathroom where you want privacy to be maximized but also to enjoy natural lighting.  They are incredibly affordable and can be purchased in most colors to compliment the décor in your home.

If you are looking for a very inexpensive route for a temporary place such as an apartment you are renting stick with mini-blinds.  They are inexpensive, can be used to create ultimate privacy by closing them tightly or no privacy at all by retracting them completely.  They tend to blend into any style and are really for a temporary fix for window treatment needs.  They are hard to clean but are so inexpensive it is probably cheaper to buy new ones than to waste time cleaning them.

Faux wood and real wood blinds offer the same advantages with different budgets.  They are both very pleasing to any décor and soften the look and feel of your room.  They offer any degree of privacy a homeowner would desire.  The biggest advantage of real wood is that it is incredibly durable where as faux wood can easily get damaged.

When choosing window treatments there are many different options as there are with blinds in general.  Depending on style, budget, purpose and personal choice can affect your window treatment choices.  Look into several different options when looking into window treatments.  You will find that between curtains, blinds and other treatments that the options within the categories can vary greatly.  You will want to look at décor that is pleasing to your eye and determine exactly what you desire for your home. Personally I am waiting to purchase window treatments for my home because I am hoping my husband will agree to replacement window so I can buy windows with the blinds between the glass so I don’t have to worry about the kids and cats tearing the window treatments up.  I have had a cat stuck in the middle of my venetian blinds.

Heatkeeper