I’m a dog lover.  But I know there are plenty of you cat lovers out there. According to the U.S. Humane Society, 39% of U.S. homes have at least 1 dog and 34% of homes have at least 1 cat.

For those of us who like to live with animals, we typically need to go to extra lengths in our homes to ensure that our living spaces are as inviting and appealing as possible.

We battle pet hair, fleas and odors.  According to American Pet Products 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 91% of cat owners say that a fresh smelling home is of utmost importance to them.  The survey also reported that multiple cat owners (which is more than 50% of households surveyed), have more problems with pet odor related accidents in the house.

So, if you’re into your cats, and you’re into your home, I’d like to offer a few tips for you to consider:

• LITTER DEODORIZER – Use between box changes
• SCRUBBING – Wash the box weekly.  Don’t use a harsh soap, for obvious reasons; and rinse well
• FILL THE BOX – Keep 3″-4″ deep at all times
• QUALITY LITTER – Will soak and clump better
• SCOOP DAILY – To control odor
• CHANGE WEEKLY – To control odor and keep cat happy
• HAVE 1 BOX PER CAT – They don’t usually like to share; could cause problems

These little tips might help you to improve your existing space just a little bit more.

Seeking more animal-related Home info? Check this posting out.

We snagged this picture from these guys.  They do some pretty cool stuff out in OKC.

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You know how you’ve always heard things like:

“Your house is an extension of you.”

“Your personality is reflected through your home.”

“Home is where the heart is.”

“My house is your house.”

Yadah, yadah, yah.

Well, a couple of authors, Dawn Ritchie and Kathryn L. Robyn, wrote a book titled the “The Emotional House: How Redesigning Your Home Can Change Your Life.” 

Now, although I think these ladies really tapped into the touchy-feely side of Home Remodeling, they present some truly excellent points.

They explain that because the majority of us spend the majority of our time in our homes, these personal spaces have very powerful influences over the way we feel about our lives.

“The Emotional House” includes exercises, similar to a workbook, that allows the reader to explore the various spaces of her home, room-by-room.

Here’s a quote from HGTV’s Candice Olson: “This book unlocks the door on home design, giving keys to creating a home that lifts your spirits and agrees with your lifestyle.”

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Time to get a new roof, eh?  Do you feel like you’re walking into the situation a little blind, def and dumb?  Having a decent grasp on the terminolgy alone will allow you to feel more confident through the process, as well as make a better-informed decision, in the end.

Here’s a little roofing vocabulary:

Tear Off: To remove the existing roof material from the house

Recover: To install new shingles over the existing shingles

Valley: The area where 2 roof sections meet

Ridge: The peak of the roof

Hip Roof: A roof-shaped like 4 triangles

Gable Roof: A roof shaped like 2 rectangles

Rake: The side edges of the roof

Eve: The bottom or gutter edge of the roof

Decking: The wood underneath the shingles

Drip Edge: A metal trim that is fastened to all the roof edges, and protects the rake edges from hard rain

Felt Paper: Material used as a vapor barrier to protect the shingles from heat, air and moisture that comes from your attic space (acts as a 2nd barrier)

Flashing: Installed along walls, chimneys, and skylights to prevent water from entering seams – made out of aluminum

Ridge Vent: A long, continuous vent installed on the peak of the roof with a slot for exhaust ventilation

Cap-Shingles: Shingles installed along the ridge vent or hips

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People ask us all the time, “What’s this ‘Aluminum-Clad’ thing all about?  I thought the Marvin windows were wood windows.”

Marvin windows are wood windows.  But they’re nothing like those old, wood windows that came with the house, and are now rotting from the outside in.

Reason why – the Extruded Aluminum-Clad finish.

This is what the Marvin guys tell us:

“Marvin’s clad-wood windows feature a low-maintenance extruded aluminum cladding with a commercial grade finish…”

The finish comes is a number of different colors so you can match to your existing paint or trim – 19 different colors to be exact.

The finish is substantially stronger than roll-form aluminum (the commonly used product found on most wood window competitors), and it features a protective Kynar finish that offers resistance to fading and chalking.

I love this page.  Marvin lays it out, plain and simple, the differences between window finishings.  Look for yourself.

Just another little Marvin tid-bit, for you.

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Times may be tight, and you may not be able to afford the luxurious bathroom renovation that you’ve had your heart set on for who knows how long… But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need be forced to operate in an environment that completely turns you off.

As you continue to save your pennies for your dream remodel, check out these little DIY tips that might help you as you “tough it out.”

THE MIRROR

30% of homes are rockin’ the plate glass bathroom mirror look.  Creating a focal point within the room will make a world of difference.  Pulling the plate off of the wall and trying to replace it with a different mirror altogether might force you into various issues that you could avoid by simply framing the existing plate.  Get crafty with this one!  Purchase any sized trim board or framing material, paint and finish as you wish, and hang around the perimeter of the glass plate.  You might be very surprised at how dramatically this will change the look and feel of the room.

THE COLOR

Maybe your walls are covered with hideous wallpaper, or maybe they’re struggling with chipped paint issues.  But even if your walls suffer from neither of the above, the decision to change the color of (what is typically a smaller) room, is a pretty fantastic idea.  You’ll get fairly quick, dramatic results.  And one of the best parts is – if you hate it, you can just redo it!  DON’T BE SCARED!

THE FAUCETS

Have you seen how hip, cool and trendy these guys have gotten on us?  Faucets range very dramatically in price and in style.  I’ve seen pricing as low as $25 and as high as $500.  For your little temporary fix (unless you’re planning on reusing your purchase for your future bathroom), don’t go balls to the wall, here.  But go ahead and pick out something really nice and sleek.  You might be surprised to find out that you can replace your old, hum-drum, chrome job for a pretty modern-looking, fun addition, for around $100.  (And check into the eco-friendly faucets, too, if you’re into that sort of thing.  Some of the newer ones can save water and update the look of your bathroom all in one).

THE LINEN

Shower curtain, hand towels, bath towels, soap dish, etc.  I was visiting with my mom the other day.  She wanted to go to Wal-Mart to get a new shower curtain.  I asked her why she was set on Wally World.  She said that they had the “nicest things for the best price.”  I had to stop her right there, and ask her to agree to go with me to a couple of my favorite shops.  By the end of the day, she had bought an elegant new shower curtain, hand towels and wash cloths – and she ended up paying about $50 more than she expected to pay at Wally World.  She said to me, “This shower curtain is so fancy!  Wal Mart wouldn’t have had anything like this!”  She was happy, and her lesson learned was this: Be willing to pay that little bit extra on things like this.  You’ll live with that shower curtain for how long?  Do a quick cost-benefit analyiss and then give me a good reason why you shouldn’t treat the ‘ol, ugly bathroom to something nice once in awhile.

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Been getting a lot of questions surrounding the eligibility guidelines for the recently passed Economic Stimulus Package / ARRA 2009.  Many folks were initially left with the understanding that they would be able to take advantage of this opportunity, so long as they had purchased “Energy Star” rated products.  We soon found out that this was not the case.  Additional, stricter guidelines had been placed into effect which did not allow all Energy Star products to remain qualified.

Let me loosely translate some of the energy tax credit mumbo jumbo for you – I have pulled my facts off of the Marvin.com website.

1. Credit is based on 30% of cost of product – up to $1,500
2. Credit is available on projects completed in ‘09 & ‘10
3. Credit will apply to homeowner’s principal residence only
4. Credit is a dollar for dollar reduction subtracted from your tax liability (Subtract directly or add to refund)
5. Projects completed in ‘09 can be claimed on ‘09 taxes

My five bullet points are quite concise.  The Marvin website offers additional elaboration – but any Q&A should be able to be handled by a window supply company.

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My parents remodeled their bathroom last year.  When they built the
new doorway for the bathroom, the asked that the opening be built wide
enough for a wheelchair to fit through.  Seeing as how neither of my
parents are wheelchair bound, I didn’t understand why they did this. 
But my mom explained to me, “We plan on living in this house until we
die.  It is our house and we’re not going anywhere.  The likelihood
that one of us will wind up in a wheelchair is pretty high – so we’re
taking early precautions while we can.”

At the time, I didn’t like to hear her say it.  But I know I can always count on my mom for being one step ahead of me.

Assisting a parent in the aging process can be rough.  I believe most people work hard to keep their loved ones in the comofort of their own homes for as long as possible.  The home is for most people, after all, their most valuable and beloved asset.

The greatest risk a person has to being able to stay in their own home is falling.  But the percentage of falls attributed to “preventable” scenarios is quite high.  Poor lighting, loss of balance when exiting the bathtub, tripping on a rug – these are all items that can be addressed head on, to perhaps allow an individual to remain safely in the comofort of their own home for a longer period of time.

Design and home modifications range from simple and inexpensive do it yourself solutions, to costly remodel options for kitchens, bathrooms, elevators, etc.

There are plenty of private resource companies available to assist people in terms of home modification.

But local state services are also available to those who qualify.  Johnson County Housing Services and the Johnson County Human Services & Aging (913-715-8861) are availble resources that one might contact for further information.

(I think this little lady is just too cute.  She has a series of photos posted – visit her link.  She wears several different costumes, but I think this one is my favorite).

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I like coming to work for several reasons.  One of the great benefits of my job during the summertime is the air conditioned office.  You see, when I go home tonight, my thermostat will be set at 78 degrees and it will attempt to work its way down to a balmy 76.  We are blessed to live in much nicer conditions than many folks, but our HVAC system is definitely nothing to write home about.  And did I mention that it sometimes turns off unexpectedly – Just because it can?

July 3rd – August 15th is designated as Air Conditioning Appreciation Days (yes, it’s a real holiday).  Air conditioning is something that we definitely appreciate.  But what sort of background knowledge do you have in terms of AC?  Are you doing everything you can to allow your unit to run for as long as it possibly can?  Take a look at this information.  It will give you a little run-down of some of the important highlights that might be of most use to you and your home.

SIZE DOES MATTER: You can avoid chronic problems right from the gate.  Purchase a system that is of proper size to your home.  A unit too small will overwork itself in an attempt to keep up.  A unit too large will short-cycle (turn itself on and off constantly), and will not properly dehumidify the home.

THE MORE VENTS THE MERRIER: Without returning air, a blower motor will be suffocated and will have to work much harder.  This will force the unit to overheat – it will live a much shorter lifespan.  Lack of vents will also use far more energy than necessary.

GET A NICE, BIG SLAB: The unit must sit completely level.  If you do not install your unit on a cement slab base, your gravel base must be solid and level.  If not, you will force your compressor to work too hard and your unit’s lifespan will be much shorter than expected.

CHECK-UP, PLEASE!:  Dirty filter, frozen coils, blocked ductwork, low refrigerant – these are things that are involved in basic maintenance.  I recommend you have your system checked annually to semi-annually by a professional.

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Whether you’re trying to sell your home, or you’re just one of those crazy types who takes pride in the appearance of their home, you might like to browse the following information.

Many of us are quick to give attention to interior home remodeling projects.  We can easily clean and clear out clutter, paint interior walls or swap out cabinet hardware.  But a home’s exterior is what makes the first impression to a buyer or a guest.

Consult this little list for a few exterior remodeling tips that will help you get the most bang for your buck:

• ROOFING: How old is your roof?  Has your roof endured any high wind, hail or heavy rain storms?  What about ice storms?  Just because you can’t see the damage, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.  Discolored, missing or damaged shingles should be replaced.  While this can be a major expense, if damage is storm-related (and most damage is) then your insurance company will hook you up.  And if you get in touch with a good contractor, he’ll deal with your insurance company for you.
• PAINT: Painting a wall or two is definitely something that most homeowners can do on their own.  But for a whole-house exterior job, you should definitely call a professional.  This type of project, if done properly, can completely change the look of your home.  It can also add thousands to your resale value – It is what will catch the eye of a prospective buyer.
• LANDSCAPING: If you don’t have it, get it.  The exterior of your home really should be as beautiful as the interior.  I always find it funny how many people will spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on interior furnishings and decor, but are reluctant to invest a little extra money in proper landscaping.  Nicely trimmed hedges, plants and a little mulch will go a long way.
• PORCH: In case you were wondering, I’m really big on porches.  I’ve talked about them before.  Porches do SO much for a house.  They increase resale value astronomically, they enhance curb appeal and they completely change the overall first impression of a house.  They are an absolute must have.

Let’s take a look at how these guys have clearly utilized our little list of tips:

Roof – Check!

Paint – Sort of blah in terms of color choice, but nice and clean, nonetheless.

Landscaping – Very nice.  Very nice.

Porch – A little narcissistic, but that’s okay.

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