Featured Articles & Faqs
How to Turn Your First Home into a Decorator's Showcase
(ARA) - Whether you've signed a lease agreement or purchased a house, moving into your first home is an exciting time. For many people, it's their first opportunity to express their personal style by decorating their own space.
Instant Gratification: Painting Projects to Update Your Decor in One Weekend
(ARA) - Updating the decor in your home doesn't have to be a long, laborious or expensive process. Instead, get a little instant gratification by using paint to easily refresh areas and items throughout the house. With a little cash and a free weekend, you can makeover your house right now.
Hide your Home's Wall Flaws with Beautiful Texturing Techniques
(ARA) - When it comes to home decorating, texturing can do for your walls what a good coat of wax can do for your car's finish - hide a host of flaws. Poorly patched holes, uneven sheetrock, ugly wallpaper and even multiple layers of peeling paint can all be hidden beneath a beautiful layer of texture.
Portable Electric Generator Safety Tips
Portable electric generators are great when electric outages affect your home, but safe operation is critical. Be sure to inspect and maintain your generator regularly. Keeping fresh gas in the tank and running the generator for awhile periodically helps ensure it will be ready when you need it.
Three Projects to Turn Home 'Blahs' into 'Oohs' and 'Ahhs'
(ARA) - As the cool winter months bring us indoors, is your home feeling warm and inviting - or giving you a case of cabin fever? If it's the latter, don't fret. There are many simple and inexpensive updates you can complete to give your home a quick pick-me-up, allowing you to enjoy every minute spent inside.
Tips for Clearing your Car of Snow
For your safety, and for the safety of other drivers, brush snow off your car and car roof before you get on the road. This will prevent potential accidents caused by big sheets of snow flying off your car when driving. A push broom will make the job easy and allow you to sweep off the snow in just a few minutes. If your push broom has a metal bracket around the bristle head, wrap duct tape around the metal to help protect your car's paint.
Create a Winter Weather Emergency Kit for your Car
Here are the items you should have in a winter weather emergency kit:
Ideas for 'Re-Feathering' Your Empty Nest on the Cheap
(ARA) - The kids are finally on their own and you're ready to reclaim some spaces in your home that were previously dedicated to child's play. Even though as empty-nesters you probably won't spend so much on food, education and gas money, you're still not ready to go into debt to redecorate the once-kid-centric rooms in your home.
What are ice dams and how can I protect against them?
The right weather conditions for ice dams are usually when outside air temperatures are in the low 20s for several days with several inches of snow on the roof. Ice dams typically form when snow on the roof starts to melt due to heat escaping from inside the home. The melted water runs down the roof, refreezes and clogs up gutters. As more snow melts, because the gutters are blocked, the water is forced to travel under the shingles and leak into the house.
Do I need to remove snow from my roof and if so how?
With a light snow, there is no need to remove it. But in the event of very heavy snow, it may be advisable because two feet of snow on the average-sized roof can be the equivalent of 38,000 pounds, or 19 tons, which can cause stress on your home's structure. And the melting and re-freezing process can cause ice dams to form.
