Helpful Winterizing Tips For Your Home [Infographic]
Winter will be here before we know it! Winterizing your home is important because it saves energy, increases comfort and can even prevent damage. Fortunately, most of the steps in this process are simple. Here are a few things you can do to prepare for the coldest months of the year:
Sources:
www.plumbing-geek.com/prevent-frozen-pipes.html
www.rwcnj.com/ourproducts/windows.htm
Informative Tips To Help Get Your Home Ready For Winter
Your home is a warm and inviting place to come in out of the cold this winter. Make certain it's ready to serve as a place of refuge for your family and friends once Old Man Winter's winds start to blow.
Be Prepared for Snow Removal
These past few year's snows and ice packed New Jersey's hospital emergency rooms with throngs of injured people. Don't become a statistic this year. Make certain you're stocked with the appropriate tools and materials to keep your front porch and sidewalks free of ice and snow.
Before the first snowflake falls, purchase deicer, sand and a good snow shovel. You may even want to consider purchasing a snowblower if you can't or don't want to physically shovel the snow from your driveway and walkways. If you drive to work, make certain you have a good quality ice scraper so you can see to drive safely.
Tips for Shoveling Snow Safely
Removing snow and ice from your walks is important for your and your guests' safety. Shoveling snow can be dangerous as well. If you're not accustomed to exercising, then moving several hundred pounds of snow with a shovel will put a significant strain on your heart. When it's cold outside, your arteries constrict which makes it more difficult for blood to reach your brain and extremities. According to the National Safety Council, people over the age of 40 who are relatively inactive should be particularly aware of the dangers associated with snow shoveling.
To be safe, keep these tips in mind when shoveling snow.
- Work slowly and stretch your body before you begin.
- Don't shovel after eating or while smoking.
- Push the snow with the shovel instead of lifting it.
- Fresh snow is lighter so try to work right after a snowfall.
- Don't work until you feel exhausted.
- Take breaks as necessary.
Make Guests Feel Welcome
Once your guests and friends have braved the ice and snow to pay you a visit, make sure they're greeted warmly. And that includes much more than simply clearing the sidewalk and offering them a mug of hot chocolate. Your front door is your visitors' first impression of your home and you. It should be a beautiful space that guests want to enter. You can certainly make the door more inviting with wreaths, decorations and festive flair, but the door itself says a lot about your style and personal tastes. It should be consistent with the rest of your home's decor and feel.
Installing a new door will not only make your home a more pleasant, inviting sanctuary from the cold, but it will also make your home more modern and increase its curb appeal all year long.
Be Sure It's Toasty Warm Inside
When it's frigid outside, you want the inside of your house to be comfortable and warm. But if your is drafty, it certainly won't a place you want to spend much time. What's more, if you keep adjusted your thermostat to account for the drafts, your utility bill could increase substantially. Check the doors and windows for gaps that can allow air to seep into your home. While caulking and weatherstripping might help some, new, custom-built windows and doors are the best way to keep cold air outside and warm air inside where you live.
If your windows and doors need to be replaced, contact RWC in West Caldwell, New Jersey. We'd love to assess your home and make a recommendation about windows and doors that will keep your home warm and inviting all winter long. Request an appointment using our convenient online form or give our friendly staff a call today at 973-435-4230.
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.
DIY Fails That Can Lead to Costly Damage
All over the internet, DIY, or Do It Yourself, projects are all the rage. People research on Pinterest or watch YouTube videos, and they are amazed at what they can create themselves without having to hire outside help. While some creations are superb, others run into some trouble. These less successful attempts have led to another fun category to search on the internet when you’re bored at work - DIY fails. Some may try to recreate that soufflé they saw on Tasty, but it turns into a pudding mess. Others may think it’s ingenious to replace their broken headlights with a flashlight, but it’s a quick way to a ticket or an accident.
While a soggy soufflé is just a ruined desert, other DIY projects can have more consequences. You may be telling yourself, “I should have just hired a professional.” There are instances when you need to put down the power tools and admit that you need help. Take a look at some of these examples we have dug up for you.
1. Useless Drawers
It looks like someone forgot to measure twice. We guess those drawers are just for decor purposes now. If you want to renovate your kitchen, and you want drawers that you can use, try contacting RWC - where they renovate windows, doors and more. When you plan to renovate your kitchen, you aim to make it more aesthetically pleasing and more functional, not dysfunctional. Someone spent money to make this mistake and now they’re going to be spending even more money repairing it. Do yourself a solid and call the professionals. Get it right the first time.
2. DIY Falls
That looks like a fantastic idea, right? Aside from walking away with a bad repair or renovation, people can get seriously injured when they try to do their renovations on their own. Just in this one example, a man is risking falling to his demise, ruining the home’s electricity and possibly electrocuting himself. That bonus you earned at work was earmarked for the cost of improving your home, not for paying thousands of dollars in medical bills. We hope a strong breeze doesn’t blow in. People say walking under ladders is bad luck…
3. When one door closes, it disappears
It looks like a bad twilight zone episode. We hope the people in that home aren’t trapped. We aren’t exactly sure what the intention was for this design, but an entryway without an entrance just doesn’t make sense. If you want to install a new beautiful entrance for yourself, and you don’t want to end up like this person, take a look at RWC’s portfolio. A door is the first thing someone sees when they come to your home. Make a good impression - unless you’re a complete recluse. If that is the case, this house without the door is way more your style.
4. I can’t handle this
This person must have felt pretty silly. We’re not sure how they didn’t realize their mistake before they were done installing the door knob. We hope whoever uses the bathroom at this house knows that they have an open door policy. Fortunately, this one is an easier fix than other fails on this list.
5. Toilet humor
It looks like someone did not measure correctly for this one. It would appear that it was too late to go back, so this DIY-er had to be a bit of a MacGyver. Everyone likes a little peephole into the bathroom, right? Fixing this mishap would require replacing the door so it opens the opposite way and won’t run into the toilet. Perhaps you could rearrange the toilet’s positioning, but moving around waste lines doesn’t sound like the simplest solution to us.
6. The roof, the roof, the roof is the floor
Anyone could make that mistake, right? Now their kitchen floor has asphalt shingles. It’s a mix-up a professional contractor would not make (at least not ours). Aside from what you may think, floors and roofs are not interchangeable parts. We don’t live in Legoland. It’s fun to be creative and use your imagination, but you want to make sure your home is built correctly with the right parts in the right places. Not only is it odd looking, but it also will not work properly as a roof. That roof is going to cost time and money to be repaired.
7. Tree Standing
You may be able to park your car in that garage if you are a stunt driver. Perhaps you own one of those tiny Smart cars, or you drive a motorcycle. If you drive anything else, your car is not getting in there. We’re all for nature, but maybe this build required a little more consideration of placement. Well, now they have their very own storage unit or place for the band to practice without some pesky car getting in the way.
Please remember that it’s ok to ask for help. That’s why we call professionals professionals. They know what they’re doing. The people on this list clearly did not. For your home renovation needs or repairs, reach out to RWC. With 54 years in the home improvement business, they are unparalleled. They will work with you to pick out the products that best fit you and your budget. Please visit their site to see all the services they provide.
RWC has been relieving home improvement stress since 1959. Call us today or visit us on the web for your free consultation!
5 Tips for Lawn Care and Snow Removal
As the cold winter weather continues, you will soon find that your lawn is inundated with snow and ice, making it difficult to care for your landscape and maintain your home’s overall appearance. You may be tempted to simply leave the snow where it is (carving out a path to your front door and through your driveway, of course). However, doing so may leave you a much bigger mess to deal with come spring. Instead, care for your lawn and work on removing snow throughout the winter, not only to help reduce the impact on your lawn after the snow melts, but also to increase the appeal your home has to potential buyers (even if you are not currently putting it on the market).
Following these five tips throughout the winter can help you improve your home’s property value, whether you are just moving in, starting a remodel, or putting your house up for sale.
1. Protect Your Plants
Most plants (especially those not specially modified to survive deep frost and snow) cannot survive the winter without help. Therefore, it is important to take steps to protect them so that you don’t have to deal with completely replanting your garden or landscaping in the spring. For example, This Old House recommends driving tall stakes around plant beds near paths and driveways so that you know where to stop shoveling.
Furthermore, it is a good idea to envelop particularly sensitive plants in a protective covering (such as a burlap sack) to keep them warm and shield them from snow. Mulching is also one of the most effective safeguards against frost. Protect plant roots with a thick layer of bark, straw, sawdust, peat moss, leaves or even grass clippings.
2. Plan for Spring
You may not be thinking that far ahead, but flowers and other plants that will bloom in the spring should really be prepared several months in advance. For example, spring-flowering bulbs such as tulips or daffodils should be planted before the first frost of the season to ensure that they survive the rest of the winter and are ready to blossom in spring. That way, you are not greeted by a barren lawn once the snow melts, but instead can experience (and show potential home buyers) a springtime color explosion!
3. Aerate and Dethatch
Keep your lawn as healthy as possible by aerating and dethatching it to improve its ability to absorb water, air and nutrients. Aerating your lawn involves perforating the soil with small holes, which will alleviate soil compaction and help roots grow more deeply. Dethatching removes the buildup of thatch that grows as grass blades and other dead plant pieces accumulate underneath the visible surface of the lawn, and helps new grass shoots grow once the snow melts in the spring.
4. Don't Forget the Front Door
Your front door is often the first thing that people see when it comes to your house (whether they are real estate agents, potential buyers, or just passers-by on the street), after scanning your lawn and patio. During the winter, maintain your front door by wiping away the grime left from rain, snow, and sleet, and consider investing in a more decorative front door if you have a somewhat plain one. RWC provides a number of door services including front entry door replacement.
5. Be Proactive
Taking steps to tackle your snow removal and lawn maintenance before they become an issue will help save you time and keep your home looking the best that it can. For example, use a snow melter (such as a liquid magnesium chloride blend applied with a garden sprayer a few hours before a storm) before snowfall in order to minimize cleanup later, and make sure that your lawn is in peak condition - even when you are not there to maintain it.
Ultimately, the steps you take to care for your lawn (especially deep in the throes of winter) will reflect back on your home’s property values and curb appeal. Whether you are just starting on building your dream home or are looking to put it on the market, staying on top of your lawn care and snow removal will have countless benefits down the road. Our goal at RWC Windows & Doors is to help streamline the renovation and remodel process as much as possible - we have proudly been helping New Jersey homeowners “relieve home improvement stress” since 1959.
We offer a variety of products and services to help you relieve home improvement stress including decorative glass, doors, kitchen and bath renovation, pre-finishing, windows, and the installation that comes with each. Whether you are looking to purchase a new front entry door or upgrade your kitchen design, RWC can help you through every step of the process.
Call us today to speak with one of our friendly and knowledgeable professionals! We've been improving home improvement stress since 1959! Let us help you build your dream home.
5 Ways to Childproof Your Home
Whether you have lived in your current home for decades or have just moved in, it is vital for the safety of your children that you inspect every nook and cranny for ways to make improvements. This post will describe five ways that you can make your home safer for children of all ages. Some home improvements are small and require little effort, but others need a little more elbow grease. No matter the size of the project, every step you take to make your home a safer place for your children will pay off in the long run – especially in peace of mind. As you are probably well aware, children always have a way of knowing what they are not supposed to do or touch and then proceeding to do or touch it anyhow! The following are our top 5 tips for making your home a safer place:
1. Install Gates
Though this may seem like a no-brainer to some, others are not so convinced or are not utilizing them in as many places as they could. Baby gates are most commonly seen at the top and bottom of stairs. This is to keep children from falling down, or climbing up and then falling down, stairs in the home.
However, another great use for baby gates is to keep your young ones out of rooms that you consider to not be childproof. For example, this may mean separating your child from the kitchen or bathroom. Though baby gates are in investment, it may be cheaper for you to install a gate than to make your entire kitchen or bathroom childproof.
2. Use Bumpers
Your furniture may have some pointy or hard edges. Though this is not something you have to think about until your kids can get up and start moving, it is something that you cannot afford to forget to do. Amazon is just one great resource for finding foam corner guards.
The New York Times reported that in 2009 alone, over 140,000 children were sent to the hospital due to coffee table related injuries alone. If you have childproofed your home and attained some of these foam baby bumpers, yet your child still manages to hit his head, here is an excellent resource you can use to see if he needs to go to the hospital.
3. Update Your Windows
Your windows may pose more of a threat to your children than you think. If your windows are old and have a tendency of falling shut, your little one’s fingers may be in danger. If your windows are not equipped with the proper locks, little ones may end up with the window and opening it. Though one may assume that screens offer sufficient protection between your child and the outdoors, you are wrong.
According to Time.com, a surprising 5200 children fall from windows each year. And, approximately 80% of those windows were reported to have functional screens. If you are looking into installing new windows, RWC can help you get the job done right. If installing newer, safer windows are not in your budget, just make sure that your windows lock securely and that you have no furniture butted up against them. This will keep your children from climbing around and playing with your windows.
4. Keep Chemicals Out of Reach
Your little one will try to get into anything and everything they can. If you have cabinets or drawers that are within your child’s grasp, it is critical that you purchase and install child safety latches. These latches will not allow your child to gain access to the cabinet or drawer, keeping him away from its contents. These can be purchased at Babies ‘R’ Us as well as several other retailers.
If your cabinets do not allow for the use of child safety latches, perhaps it is time for you to make a change. If you are interested in installing safer cabinets that allow for the use of such safety products, or if you are interested in remodeling your kitchen to create an overall safer area, we encourage you to contact us at RWC.
5. Stuff Your Sockets
The last and possibly most important tip is ensuring that all of your electrical outlets are properly covered. Electrical outlets are one of those things that children inevitably discover they are not supposed to touch, and inevitably always try to do. There are many companies that sell plastic protectors that you essentially plug into your electrical sockets. These covers make it so your little one’s tiny fingers cannot access the socket – keeping them shock free!
If you are not comfortable with the level of safety that your home currently offers your children, it may be time to contact RWC. RWC is dedicated to helping its clients create a safe environment for every member of their family.
Visit our home page to request a quote from RWC and view the services we provide today!
5 Ways your Home can Improve your Mood Instantly
Redecorating a room is always a great idea for giving a facelift to an old and tired space. But, it has other benefits as well. Different design elements can also have a profound effect on your mood. Design elements such as paint color can literally affect how you feel. Following are just a few examples of how home décor can affect the mental and emotional well-being of the inhabitants of a home.
1. Sun exposure
Although sun exposure isn’t a design element in itself, the amount of sun exposure the interior of a house receives can be greatly dependent on the location of design elements within the rooms of the home. Exposure to the sun can be a positive factor in brightening one’s mood. In fact, sunlight is a known factor in reducing depression in people. The natural sunlight that streams into a room contains endorphins and serotonin, both which positively affect a person’s mood. It’s not hard to increase the natural light in a room.
One trick is to decorate with large mirrors that reflect light. There is a multitude of decorative mirrors available on the market, so any homeowner should have an easy time finding mirrors that fit into their existing décor.
Window treatments are also an important factor for increasing natural light. Remove heavy drapes that can absorb sunlight and replace them with light and airy curtains that allow sunlight to enter the room. If you still desire some privacy, consider adding some shutters to the windows, as they can be easily controlled by you or anyone else in the home.
2. Color your world
Painting in an inexpensive and relatively quick way to change the look of a room. The colors you choose to paint the walls of your house are important factors in determining mood. In the bedroom, go with a favorite color, preferably one that is vibrant. If it needs to be toned down a bit, consider painting only a few of the walls, or perhaps, just the upper or lower halves of them. Don’t forget to add some accent pieces in complementary colors to enhance your add even more. Replace boring old bedspreads and sheets with bright new ones that match the wall color. Also, look for lamps, pillows, and blankets to complete the look.
Another way to use color to boost mood is to choose soothing colors that replicate the effect of sunlight. These colors can soften the appearance of the walls and will make it feel like the sun is shining in the room, even when it isn’t. Earth tones and soft blues work well for this effect.
3. Liven it up
There are few elements that can brighten up a mood like a living creature. So, it stands to reason that having living, thriving plants as part of a home décor can provide an emotional boost. Plants provide both light and energy to wherever they are. There is just something about bringing the outdoors inside that is calming and soothing. Having plants in the house can give you the feeling of the warmth and comfort of spring and summer, even during the colder months. Studies have shown that houseplants can lower anxiety levels, reduce fatigue, and boost mood. Flowering plants help to bring a pop of color that helps to motivate individuals as well as improve mood. In addition to having plants inside the home, try to arrange a significant amount of time in rooms that have views of nature. If possible, arrange furniture so you are looking over forestry or water.
4. A better life through better light
Proper indoor lighting can often be overlooked, but it is an important element in improving your mood. Inadequately lit rooms can make you feel closed in and sequestered. Dim light can contribute to foul moods and depression, so it is important to make sure every room is adequately lit. Make sure there is plenty of overhead light as well as light that emits from floor and table lamps. Not only will you be able to see more effectively, it will provide a serene and comforting feeling that will result in an improved state of mind.
5. Accessorize
Just like wearing jewelry can perk us up, home accessories can help to bring cheer inside the home. Adorning a home with fun accent pieces such as vases and picture frames can not only turn a dull room into a haven, it can bring a smile to your face as well. Choose accessories for the home that are fun and bring a smile to your face. There are so many options to choose from; you can’t go wrong.
Everyone’s home should be their safe haven. It is important to feel happy whenever you are there. Making a few easy alterations to the decor can go a long way in helping you achieve an improved mood whenever you look around your home.
For more ideas and for a free design consultation, give us a call at 973-227-7123, or simply visit our West Caldwell, NJ showroom!
RWC - "Relieving Home Improvement Stress Since 1959".