The point of a gutter system on your house is to move the larger amounts of water brought by inclement weather away from the foundation.  As water seeps into the ground it can separate and cause damage to both your foundation and driveway.  Fixes and repairs later on are much more expensive than a simple gutter cleaning. Having clean gutters will prevent a lot of damage later on.  Gutters that are bent or don’t slope properly will cause water to spill over the edge. Clogs and debris in the gutter can have the same effect. If you are afraid of heights or ladders then this project isn’t for you. Call a professional service to clean your gutters.  The project just isn’t worth the risk to your safety.  Besides, the right professional can offer a boat load of knowledge and information that simply can’t be covered in this article. Gutter Cleaning Safety Tips So let’s get started.  You are going to need a few tools handy to get your gutters clean.  Go ahead and get your garden hose ready with a spray attachment, a garden trowel, tool belt, some gutter sealant, your trusty step ladder, and a bucket to catch any debris.  You will need all of these things handy to get the job done and work towards clean gutters First, get your ladder ready in a nice and level area.  You don’t want your ladder tilting or moving and causing you to fall.  I would also recommend staying on the ladder and not crawling on to the roof.  The roof is high up and with nothing to secure you to it’s easy to lose balance. Work along the gutter slowly, moving your ladder as needed.  Don’t overstretch yourself and lose balance and fall.  Remove any debris with the garden shovel or hand trowel.  Sometimes this may be difficult to use so don’t feel afraid about digging in with your hands.  Debris left in your gutters will decompose over time and stink.  That stink will stay on your hands.  Wearing garden gloves with latex gloves underneath will prevent your hands from picking up those bad odors. After all the large debris is removed give the gutters a good scrubbing with the garden hose.  Set the spray attachment to the jet setting and blast everything out.  Make sure all sludge and left over debris wash away and everything is spick and span.  Keep note of standing water though or anything like that. If you notice water dripping from the seams of the gutters wait till after everything is dry and apply a nice bead of gutter sealant to every seam where two pieces of gutter connect.  It would also be a good idea to apply the sealant all around the end caps of the gutters as well. While you’re up there now would be a good time to get some painting and touch ups done.  Grab some paint that matches the color of your gutter and give a nice dab around any blemishes or rust spots.  Treatment now will prevent the gutter rotting out later and having to replace the entire thing. Let The Professionals Handle It If you experience any leaks you can’t fix or standing water call a professional service.  All though you can fix them yourself, it can be difficult and a little dangerous.  They will also make sure you have squeaky clean gutters.   Guest writer Olger Fallas is an experienced house painter in Maplewood New Jersey. He has over 10 years of experience in interior and exterior residential painting as well as commercial industrial painting. His company is committed to providing the highest quality service at the most affordable price. Their motto is: “We don’t cut corners, we paint them!”   Read more »

A ‘sticking door’ refers to the problem of a door that is coming into contact with the flooring or door frame and is therefore ‘grinding’ against it. The door will feel stiff and resistant to opening. Assess the problem: The first step in fixing a sticking door is to establish precisely what is making the door stick. Even high quality oak doors that have been fitted and hung by a professional can develop problems over time. - Change in climate – heat can make a door swell. This prevents the door from fitting into the frame as comfortably as it did when fitted. All wood swells (even pricey oak doors) – how much it swells will depend on the climate you live in. -  New flooring – needless to say, if you renovate your home with a layer of thick carpet, your doors are going to become difficult to manoeuvre. - House movement – over time a buildings structure can change position. This is usually due to the foundations that the house is built on. Although this is uncommon, the movement in the building can change the pressure on the door frame causing it to become ‘stuck’. How to correct the problem: If you believe your sticking door to be the result of a humidity problem there is a very simple solution that you may find works – a dehumidifier. What’s more, you’ll benefit not only from doors that can now be opened and closed with ease, you will also gain a home that is more comfortable and less ‘stuffy’ to live in. However, if this doesn’t work, or if your door is sticking for another reason, you are probably going to have to resize it. Many people feel apprehensive about carrying out this work themselves (particularly if they’ve invested in a somewhat pricey set of oak internal doors). However resizing a door is arguably one of the most straightforward DIY tasks you will come across; so whether you’ve got oak doors or a more cost-effective set of pine doors you’d do well to give this a try yourself. You will need: screwdriver, sandpaper, paints and varnishes, and (in some cases) a plane. - Establish exactly where the door is sticking. - Use a pencil or chalk to mark the doors problem areas. - If the side of the door is sticking, simply sand down the area that’s causing problems. Don’t ever sand or plane the actual door frame. Ensure to check regularly how well the door is fitting so that you don’t sand too much. Don’t forget the paint or varnish will be applied, which will add a further ½ mm (approximately). - If either the top or the bottom of the door is sticking, the door must be removed. Make sure you unscrew the bottom hinges first then place a wedge under the door for support. - Once the door is removed, lightly sand the problem area/s. - Apply any paints or varnishes. Wait for the door to dry. - Reattach the door. Sticking doors are simply a consequence of enjoying the unique and classic appearance of wooden doors. Unlike what many people believe, investing more in higher quality woods (such as oak doors) will not prevent the doors from sticking. Expansion is simply a natural reaction of wood to heat and while dehumidifiers can help to prevent the problem many of us will find we need to resize the door so that it fits more comfortably. This article was written by Amy Fowler on behalf of UK Oak Doors. Amy is interested in home improvement and enjoys challenging herself with DIY projects. Read more »

Electricity is not something that you should tackle yourself, and usually it is better to call in a professional if there is ever a problem.  If you don’t know what you are doing it is simply too dangerous.  It is best to call in an electrician, particularly if it involves any re-wiring.  There are plenty of professionals who provide excellent electrical services.  If you are unsure of who to hire ask around amongst friends or family, they should be able to recommend someone. Lights going dim  If you find that when you start up any of your appliances, or turn on your heating, for example, and you find that your lights are going dim, then you need to call in an electrician.  This is certainly not a do-it-yourself type of job and is a sign that there is too much strain on your circuits.  Some appliances draw a lot of energy when they start up and this is where the extra strain is being placed on your circuit breaker.  It can do a lot of damage to your electrical system as well as your appliances. Installing power points  With continuing technological advances households are needing more and more appliances to function properly.  We also rely heavily on entertainment sources that need to be powered by electricity.  It is not uncommon for electricians to be called out to install more power points in a home.  This is true of older homes particularly.  It is dangerous to have too many leads plugged into the one power point, so if you find that you have double adaptors at every power point you need to think about installing extra ones. An older home If you have an older home it is a good idea to have the electrical wiring checked.  Have it looked at if you have never had it done or if  you have bought the home and are unsure of the condition of the wiring.  Faulty wiring can cause electrical sparks which can easily cause a fire.  You may find that some wiring needs replacing, or it may even be alright.  It is not worth taking the risk so have them checked out. Buying a new property If you are buying a new house have a qualified electrician check the wiring for you and make sure that everything works properly.  Go round and make sure there are enough power points to run all your appliances, so have a quick look at where you think you might place the furniture and if you need to install extra points.  If you want to put your television in a certain spot in the room, for example, it is better to put in new power points rather than have wires running across the room. Electric shocks  If your light switches or power point switches feel warm or give you a slight shock or feel tingly when you touch them then you need to have an electrician come and fix the problem.  The connections have either become loose or are deteriorating and need to be replaced, otherwise it can result in electrical shock or a fire. Read more »

Home maintenance might sound like a bit of a complicated job, but as with almost everything in life, the best way to go about it is to take it one step at a time. If your house is looking a bit dilapidated, but it’s really just a case of surface mess and low level breakage and wear and tear, then you should start with a good old fashioned to do list. This will help you get your bearings and allow you to focus on one thing at a time. Better yet, it might also be the catalyst that helps you make a start! Kitchen So, say you start in the kitchen. You may want to begin with the necessities before tackling the idea of installing a shiny new granite bench top. This may include addressing the to do items that will help you keep the kitchen in better condition, such as organizing a rubbish and recycling timetable and taking note of any cleaning products that need replenishing. Then run your eye over the electrical appliances in the kitchen and make sure they are all working properly and don’t represent a safety hazard. Review the state of the plumbing and water in the house, check the heating and water pressure, and make sure that you’re striking the right balance between electricity consumption and comfort. Living Room Move to your living room and do the same thing, taking note of replacements you need to make or things you need to buy. Look at the sockets behind your home entertainment system and make sure that the power boards are not overloaded or prone to poor connections. Repeat this procedure for all rooms in your house. The key here is to make a list of the items that keep getting put in the ‘do it later’ basket; it’s time to make some headway with these. Flooring Check the carpets and rugs in your home for both surface dirt and deep inbuilt grime. You might either have to do a vacuum or a deep carpet clean, depending on how dirty they are. If it’s the latter, then the good news here is that if you keep up to date with your maintenance checks, your carpets and rugs will stay a lot cleaner in the future. Windows Conduct an audit of the frames on your windows and the glass panes themselves, making sure they can open freely, without any difficulty or hindrance, and that there’s no cracked or broken glass. Then check the doors and make sure that the hinges are in good order and that they swing fluidly; it goes without saying that a well oiled hinge is important to a good night’s sleep. Also make sure that your door handles are not loose, clunky, or otherwise annoying to operate. You might need to take them apart and give them a service, or replace them entirely if warranted. Garden In the garden, make sure your plants and trees are not growing too close to your house or roof. If allowed to get out of control tree roots can cause problems with household foundations and sewerage pipes and can also cause problems with your guttering and other rooftop features. It might sound like a lot of work, but the reality is that taking care of these issues in a systematic way will ensure you stay on top of things and avoid paying costly bills. If they do become major problems then you might need professional help to solve them. It’s better to keep the house well maintained along the way and save yourself massive headaches down the track. This article was written on behalf of Housework Heroes. To learn more about house cleaning then visit their website, or perhaps take a look at their article on winter home maintenance.   Read more »

When your home becomes damaged by water it can be a most devastating experience.   Often it hits suddenly and unexpectedly, at the worst possible time it seems, and you just don’t know where to start.  Start with a professional.  Having a professional come in and assess the situation for you can really ease your mind.  They can bring in specialize tools to determine the amount of moisture that is actually present which may be higher or lower than you initially thought.  It is important to know how much moisture you are dealing with so that you can make sure you dry it all out.  If you don’t properly dry out your home after a flood or leak you could end up needing extensive water damage repair down the line and it could even lead to structural damage.  Structural damage due to water leaks can lower your home value and even prevent you from selling it in the future if you needed to.  A professional can quickly assess the problem and fix it correctly the first time, instead of being surprised again later when you are applying for a second mortgage or preparing to sell your home. Professionals will also be able to find out how much and where mold may be hiding.  Mold is the most common problem after a flood and it can be very hazardous to your family’s health if left undetected and untreated.  A professional will have a special tool and the know how to check for mold behind walls or in ceilings and even in air ducts.   Trying to determine all of that on your own could be nearly impossible and not knowing if you have mold in your home is a dangerous situation.  Professionals will also know how to dry out without damaging your other precious items such as photographs that may have been soaked and are now sticking together.  Calling in a professional to take care of your basement water damage repair needs will get your home back to normal quickly so that you can go on with the rest of your life. Read more »

Almost all homes are built with some sort of guttering system – a series of gutters and downspouts that are attached to the roof line of the home and that run down along the side edges to channel water away from the house to the ground below.  This system is important because it keeps water from traveling through the edges of the roof, down the walls, in the windows, and ultimately into the house, where it can cause all sorts of problems. In order to keep your gutters working their best, however, it is important that you periodically clean them to remove any debris and leaves that can collect along the span of the gutters.  When too many leaves or debris collect within these channels, the water has no where to run, so it winds up running down the sides of the house and that can cause problems with basement flooding and other areas of flooding inside the house. The other problem that arises is that debris that is caught in the gutters that gets pushed along the route by the traveling water eventually winds up getting stuck in the downspouts, and that can cause a big backup because it is not easy to get to the clog.  In order to remove the debris, you wind up having to deal with the downspouts as you would a clogged toilet, which is not a fun process. The best way to clean out your gutters is to get up there once or twice a year on a ladder, put on some heavy duty gloves (there are sharp edges along the inside of the channels), grab a garbage bag, and then scoop out as many leaves and piles of debris as you can.  Then run a hose with the water turned on to see if you have cleared out the area sufficiently.  There are specialized tools you can use for this job, but they are not really needed if you keep up with periodic maintenance. Read more »

Dishwashers are your friendliest kitchen buddies. They make your life in the kitchen more entertaining and stress-free. Because they are indispensable machines, you need to keep them in good condition if you want to enjoy quality time with your family. Read more »

There are many parts that make a toilet work. These parts are mostly inside the tank of the toilet. Most toilet parts are easily replaced. If your toilet is not outdated you will be able to find parts to fix it. Read more »

When thinking about installing a new metal roof for your home you may wish to consider the option of completing the project yourself. Read more »