How To Protect The Front Of Your House 4 Easy Steps
As Halloween approaches, tricks-and-treats, scary pumpkin faces, and all sorts of creepy ghoulies are going to visit your home. Nothing is quite so cute as young children coming to your home to ask for candy, and if you have any decency you'll have some treats available to hand out. Unfortunately, there are also some sinister pranks that are potentially waiting to happen on Halloween.
Fun Pranks and Violent Vandalism
Some pranks are just good fun, others are potentially criminal vandalism, most fall somewhere in between. It might just be that your doorbell rings, but nobody is there when you open the front door with your bowl of candy expecting trick-or-treaters. When instead, there's a gift bag on your porch which with further inspection turns out to be filled with dog poo. Disgusting, yes, but you throw it away and wash your hands, with no harm done.
Toilet paper across your yard? Poor choice, especially if you have guests coming for the holiday season, but you know it was with good intentions by which the local teenagers have declared you to be the “cool” adult in the neighborhood.
Spray paint to the front of your house or physical damage to a car in your driveway are criminal acts of vandalism and are a different story. Unfortunately, these are things you need to be aware of and prepared for.
Maintaining Security for Your Home
There are solutions that allow you to celebrate the fun Halloween celebrations while maintaining safety for your home.
- Consider handing out treat or gifts on your driveway instead of at the door. You get to participate in the fun of the evening, and pranksters don't have the tactical advantage or a valid reason to be on your porch. Win-Win!
- Make sure you have plenty of lights on. Nothing deters a thief or criminal quite as much as a brightly lit environment. Without fail, criminals will move on and find an “easier” victim than a well-lit home.
- This goes without saying on a regular basis, but make sure your doors and windows are locked when you aren't actively using them.
- At the end of the evening, put any valuable decorations back inside before going to bed just to be safe.
Safe Windows
Modern windows, although they will lower your power bill with eco-friendly features while maintaining a much nicer look than traditional wood framed, single pane glass, also add security features to your home. An additional locking mechanism makes them impossible to pry open from outside even if you want to have them slightly opened for a fresh breeze of outdoor air. Such features are especially useful during times like Halloween when strangers in costumes are approaching your home. With the windows slightly open, you can hear what's going on outside, yet rest assured nobody can sneak in through them. When you're distracted by kids trick or treating, you can rest assure knowing your home is secure.
Door Security
Doors are often the most overlooked security failure for homes. The layman tends to assume the door is closed and locked, therefore it, must be secure. Unfortunately, the professional thief knows this couldn't be further from the truth. The most secure door ever invented is only as strong as the screws attaching it to your house. Fortunately, modern security features offer longer screws to secure deeply into the wooden framework of the house. If needed for additional security, steel reinforcements can be added to the framework in order to lock the bolts in place and create an essentially impenetrable area with a door that only allows access to the keyholder.
Stay Safe This Halloween
Halloween is a time for great fun as neighbors and friends spend time together dressing up and giving candy out. Unfortunately, some people can and will take advantage of such generosity. Practical safety considerations to protect the front of your home don't have to ruin your enjoyment of the evening. Contact RWC for more information on secure windows and doors.
Transform Your Home With A Fall-Inspired Look
The fall season is a period of transition from summer to winter. Gone are the fast-paced days of summer and the extreme temperatures of winter yet await us. At the onset of fall, Mother Nature brings forth a wealth of earthy colors and cool temperatures that set the stage for a shift in the atmosphere.
The atmospheric shift boasts an array of colorful foliage, crisp, fresh air, and a sense of tranquility outdoors. When you consider all the characteristics of fall, you have the perfect background for a change in your home’s curb appeal.
Fall-Inspired Curb Appeal Tips
Fall is a cozy time of year that evokes a sense of peace. As such, your home’s curb appeal should do the same. To capture the essence of fall in your home decor, employ these five curb appeal tips:
1. Decorate Your Home and Lawn in Fall Colors
Highlight the uniqueness of your home’s structure by decorating your home in various shades of orange, brown, green, and blue.
One of the most important elements to emphasize is your entry door. With the right decor, you’ll welcome guests and family members without saying a word.
If you need a new entry door, consider contacting our team at RWC. We are the go-to source for home improvement in New Jersey.
2. Transform Your Lawn Into a Cornucopia
Fall, which is also known as the season of harvest, is the perfect time for your lawn to embody the sense of abundance and nourishment; make your lawn a cornucopia.
Strategically place an assortment of fall flowers, fruits, vegetables, and leaves around your porch and lawn. Remember, a little goes a long way. Your fall decor shouldn’t be overbearing. Less is more with fall decor.
3. Incorporate Halloween Decor
Beyond being a time of harvest, fall is also a time for ghosts and ghouls. Your home’s curb appeal should incorporate Halloween decor to show your festive spirit. Carved pumpkins with spider webs and other fun decorations will make your theme pop.
4. Illuminate Your Lawn
During fall, the days shorten and the nights grow longer. To ensure your home gets the visibility it deserves, highlight your outdoor decor with solar lights. Place your lights in key areas of your lawn to maximize your curb appeal. Focus on spotlighting the following areas:
- Entry doors
- Flowers
- Halloween decor
- Walkways
The location of your lights should be functional as well. With shorter days, it’s important to use your lights to enhance visibility so children and guests can safely make their way to your door while trick-or-treating or coming to say hi.
5. Maintain Your Lawn
Another important aspect of your curb appeal is lawn maintenance. It’s imperative you rake your leaves regularly during fall. In fact, with an appropriate fall-inspired theme, you can incorporate the gathered leaves into your decor.
The following are more lawn maintenance tips that will help you keep your lawn fresh and inviting.
- Continue to mow your lawn.
- Water your grass.
- Fertilize your grass.
- Aerate your soil.
- Remove weeds.
Keep in mind, the best way to ensure that your lawn reflects the beauty of fall is to maintain a lawn maintenance schedule.
Renew Your Home with Home Improvement Projects
In addition to improving the decor of your home, fall is the perfect time of year to make home improvements. With mild temperatures and a sense of renewal, you can update your entry doors and windows.
The outdoors aren’t the only area of your home that matters. You can bring the tranquility of fall indoors by renovating your kitchen and bathrooms. Transform the look of your interiors and enhance functionality by incorporating the latest in kitchen and bathroom trends, including open floor plans and energy-efficient appliances.
With nearly 60 years of experience, our team at RWC has helped many customers in New Jersey realize their goals of transforming their homes into a true oasis. We encourage you to call us today to make your home the embodiment of your dream home, both indoors and outdoors. See what we can do for you today.
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Tile Kitchen Floors For Your NJ Home
Is your kitchen linoleum ragged, or maybe your wooden floors are scuffed and worn out? These are problems that homeowners never encounter with tile kitchen floors.
Why Does Tile Work For Kitchen Floors?
Ease of maintenance is a big plus for homeowners as tile floors are known for their durability and ease of care. Beyond durability, a tile floor in your kitchen needs no special cleaning solutions, are mostly stain resistant, and spills are easily wiped up.
Floor cleaning routines require nothing more than a bucket of water with a mild cleaner added and a sponge mop. When you have tile installed, make sure that it is sealed so the maintenance remains easy and your floors will always look great.
Ease of Repair
Should your tile floor become damaged, you can replace a single tile or a whole row. Once they are laid down, the repair is virtually unnoticeable. Just be sure to give RWC a call to keep your floors looking their best!
Versatility of Material
Tile floors come in many kinds of materials including:
- Vinyl
- Ceramic
- Porcelain
- Stone (Quarry)
Why You Should Tile Your Kitchen Floor
There is not a real estate pro around who can deny that a tile kitchen floor is a sound investment as it increases your home value. Other reasons you should tile your floor include:
- If you have your kitchen heated by radiant heat, tile is a sound choice as it more evenly distributes heat in the room
- Hard tile floors are non-toxic, just make sure your installer uses a non-toxic grout so that your tile floors stay non-toxic
- Tile floors are pet-friendly, both safe and the messes they make around their feeding area or if they have an accident are easily and quickly clean up
- Tile floors do not absorb odors or bacteria
Choosing the Right Tile Material
Smart homeowners do their research before setting out to select their tile choice. Here are some things to consider before you choose.
Quarry stone, such as granite or marble are the most expensive tile for flooring there is, but ceramic and porcelain tiles have all the features of natural stone at a far more affordable price.
Some people use less expensive flooring material with a natural stone backsplash and/or countertops.Conversely, some homeowners may choose to use leftover tile as a bathroom backsplash.
Most of the time, those that choose natural stone only use a single matching color for their kitchen flooring. Natural stone is elegant and understated. On the other hand, ceramic and porcelain come in endless colors and patterns.
Adventurous homeowners may even mix and match tiles – only your imagination limits what can be done with a tile floor from the perspective of design.
If your kitchen is on the small side, use large square tile that tend to open up a small space. For larger kitchens tile size doesn’t make much difference.
The hardness of porcelain flooring is subject to rating by Porcelain Enamel Institute. Choose a rating of Class 3 or Class 4 for kitchen use.
Water resistance is a very important feature for a kitchen floor. If your kitchen is moisture-prone, choose an unglazed tile with a maximum absorption rate of 0.5%. For glazed tiles choose a tile with a maximum rate of 0.3%.When wet, tile floors may become slippery. If this a concern for your home, check out tile flooring that is textured.
For the best selection of tile in the Caldwell, New Jersey area contact the professionals at RWC. At RWC we have an outstanding selection of kitchen flooring of all types. Our installers are experienced tile technicians that will complete your flooring on time, on a budget, and most importantly correctly.
Call us at 973-227-7123 or contact us now to request a quote.
Stop Drafty Windows and Drafty Doors To Save on Your Utility Bill
Windows and doors are an opportunity to help make a home beautiful with great designs and features - some homes even have stained glass accents on their door or windows. But, windows and doors also play a vital role in keeping the interior of your home of your enjoyable.
Here is how they do this:
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Lit by natural light
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Protect the family living in the home from bad weather
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Provide a level of security for those living inside
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Adds design opportunities for home interior decorating
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Is a focal point for the exterior appearance
When windows and doors are in good working order they prevent drafts from occurring. As they age and lack of maintenance can make both windows and doors a silent thief of your heated or cooled air. Windows can also wear out, especially when exposed to rainy or snowy weather which may cause casings made of wood to rot. Drafts are costly according to the United States Department of Energy the likely energy savings homeowners will gain is between 5% and 30% when drafts are fixed. Some window drafts are easy fixes, but there are serious problems that may call for window replacement.
How to Identify the Cause of Drafts & Repair Them
Stopping drafts give you two benefits immediately:
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Makes your home more comfortable
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Lowers your utility bill
Causes and Repairs of Drafts
On the outside of your home inspect your doors and windows. Look for gaps around windows and doors. Check for cracks in the caulking around windows and if they show up you need to have them repaired too.
Sometimes, there is a defect in your windows and doors that can cause drafts too. To stop a draft, try closing and locking a window. Do this carefully, sometimes a window looks shut when it actually isn’t. If your window won’t lock, open and close it as far as you can. This is done so you can assess if the window is on its track. If that doesn’t solve the problem call RWC and have a professional window and door specialist come out to make the repair.
Should You Have Your Windows and Doors Replaced?
Window and door replacement is not cheap, but the gains in home enjoyment and warding off damage to your home makes replacement worthwhile. Also, new windows will add to your home’s value.
The following are signs that your windows need to be replaced:
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Drafts of warm air in summer and cold air in winter - Try the feather test. If you hold a feather next to the edge of the window and it moves, you have drafts that are driving up your heating and cooling budget.
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Foggy windows - Single pane windows are especially prone to this. They do not stop the transference of warm and cool air. When the inside cool air meets outside warm air, or vice versa, condensation will build up. This is a sign of inefficiency that gets expensive over time.
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Hard to open or close windows - Opening and closing your windows shouldn’t be difficult. A properly hung window will open and close with ease. Old wooden windows can warp over time with the swelling and contraction of the wood with the weather changes.
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Hard to clean windows - If you avoid cleaning your windows because they are hard to clean, or because doing so would require a ladder on the outside of your home, you may want to consider replacement windows. Modern replacement windows are easy to clean and are treated to attract less dirt on the outside.
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Replacement parts are hard to find (or non-existent) - If you are unable to get replacement parts for your windows, this is a definite sign that it’s time to upgrade to new replacement windows.
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Chipping, water stains, deterioration, and wood rot - Once windows have reach this stage, it is very difficult to simply repair. The window needs to be taken out and replaced.
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Mismatched windows - If your windows don’t match the aesthetic of the house or even each other, it’s time to contemplate replacing them. New windows will upgrade the look of your house and bring much-needed energy efficiency.
For more information on wheither you need to replace your windows and doors we are your go-to window and door contractor in New Jersey. Call today, our number is 973-227-7123 or contact us online.
You can read the full story at RWC NJ Stop Drafty Windows and Drafty Doors To Save on Your Utility Bill