Get Your Home Ready for Winter

Start getting ready for winter by raking leaves and showing your home some love!

It’s been a stunning fall so far but we know what winter will bring! Not only do we need to get out our winter coats, gloves, warm clothes, and shovels, but we need to get our homes ready for winter, too. At RDS, your home design specialists, we’ve been discussing what we need to do to our homes this fall so that we aren’t caught off guard when cold weather really arrives. 

Download our Winter Ready Checklist here. Use this handy checklist to make sure you’ve done everything you can to have your home ready for winter.

What should you be doing to get your home ready for winter?

Furnace:

One of our first Front Porch Friday videos was all about furnace filters. View it here for everything you need to know about them. It’s important to get your furnace serviced, the filter changed, and tested for any leaks.  A yearly furnace checkup could save you from a really cold night. 

Clean Up:

The leaves are falling and we’re busy raking. (Make sure to mow or mulch some of them into your lawn to give it some much-needed nutrients.) But don’t forget to clean out the gutters once the leaves are down in order to prevent overflowing gutters when it rains or ice build-up when it’s cold. 

To avoid a slippery scenario, keep leaves cleared off walkways, the driveway, and decks.

Is your chimney clean? If it hasn’t been cleaned in a while, especially if it is wood burning, now is the time. Experts suggest having them inspected yearly.

Cover outdoor furniture or move it indoors after cleaning it.

Take soil out of the pots that you keep outside or bring them inside. The soil can freeze, expand, and crack your pots.

Do you need to trim branches from trees and bushes that could be affected by wind, snow, and ice? This is especially important if they are near your home. Wait until they are dormant to trim them so that you don’t hurt the plants. 

A Little Prevention:

Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and check your fire extinguishers (the pressure gauge needle should be in the green area). 

Do your flashlights need new batteries? Be prepared! It’s going to be dark longer so you’ll want plenty of working batteries in case of a power outage. 

Take a hard look at your fireplaces, furnace, and any other types of heaters you use. Is the area around them clear and free of anything flammable?

Reverse the blade flow of your ceiling fans so they run clockwise, creating an updraft and pushing the heated air down into your rooms.

Disconnect outdoor hoses and store them in the basement, shed, or garage. Drain the outdoor faucets and cover them with hose bib covers. Don’t forget to have your lawn irrigation system winterized.

If your roof and shingles are older, have them inspected for cracks, leaks, and damage to flashing seals around chimneys and vent stacks.

Winter will be here before we know it, but now you know what to do. So get out those warm, snuggly blankets, find your slippers, and heat up the hot chocolate. And if you’re ready to design a new home or remodel part of your existing home, we’d love to create it for you. 

DIY or Pro...What to Do?

You’ve watched the DIY channel; you’ve wandered through the home improvement stores, and watched your neighbor doing everything around their home. But are you DIY savvy or do you need to use a pro when tackling projects in and around your home? Of course, here at RDS, we’re all about using a pro when you’re building a home or remodeling an existing home.  But there are many projects you might be able to do on your own. Knowing how you answer the following questions may help you decide.

Our latest Front Porch Friday dealt with this topic – DIY or Pro. But let’s delve into this in a little more detail. 

Ask Yourself the Following Questions; How You Answer Will Help You Decide

What is worth your time and energy?

What is worth it to you? If it’s a huge project, is the time away from your family worth it? Will your full-time job impact the timeline of the project? Is your family willing to live in chaos for a while? Any project, whether it’s a DIY or handled by the pros will cause a disruption to you and your family, but will a DIY cause more or less disruption? What is your stamina like? We all want to believe we can do it all, but can we? Or do we even want to? It might be better for you do the demo or prep work or finish work, and have a pro do the other parts. 

Is the reward worth the risk?

Saving money is always important, but it may not be worth it for you to do it yourself and save a few bucks. Depending on what your project is, having someone complete this project may be a better use of your money. In addition to financial reasons, you need to know your limits. Anything that carries with it the potential for causing damage to your home or yourself, or others should be handled by the pros. Plumbing and electrical are two biggies to be wary of doing yourself if you don’t have prior knowledge or experience. Ready to knock down a wall? Do you know if it’s load bearing or how to even find out? We’ve all seen DIY projects gone wrong!  If you have the skills needed for the project, or can learn a new skill quickly, then go for it! There’s nothing like being able to say that you did it yourself - if it isn’t too risky for YOU!

Do you know what you’re doing?

If you’re a seasoned DIYer, then you get what it takes to complete a project.  For the rest of us, we need to understand and be aware of all of the steps that will be needed to complete the project. We need to have all of the necessary tools available to us, whether we own them or rent them. Research is paramount for success, as well as knowing who to call if things go wrong. Hidden surprises are the worst and will not only slow your project down but might prevent you from completing it. However,  the more DIY you do, the better you will be with future projects. 

Be honest – will you finish what you start?

This is an easy one to understand. Look around - do you have other unfinished projects? Don’t start any new ones until you finish other ones you have started. In addition, if you tend to be a weekend warrior, how long will this DIY take? If it’s a huge project, do you have the time?  Start small if this is your first project and stay on your schedule! 

How long will the project take and can my family live with it?

A kitchen remodel, finishing a basement, or adding a room will take a great deal of time and energy, especially if you’re doing it yourself. How will your family cope with the project? If the DIY is a big time-involved project, you might want to call the pros. Painting, building furniture, replacing doors, changing light fixtures, or adding a deck or outdoor space might be better places to start as a DIY. 

Do you understand what permits and licenses might be needed?

Depending on your project, you might need a permit or license. Some communities require a permit to install a hot water tank or HVAC system. Some require permits for fences, patios or decks, or room additions. Pros understand permits and licenses since that is critical to their success. Every community has different rules and restrictions, so if this is more than you want to handle, then using a pro has its benefits.  But if you love working with permits and licenses, you’ve done it before, or you just want to learn how to do this, then go for it. Don’t listen to your neighbor’s advice about needing a permit – always call the city to check.

If you’re thinking of designing a home or just redesigning an existing home, call us. We are your seasoned professionals and while we won’t knock down walls for you, we’ll help you figure out which ones you can have knocked down! 

Preparing Your Deck for Summer

Spring is finally here and we’re all thinking about lazy summer days and nights spent on our decks. At RDS, we love it when we see a deck being built, knowing what fun it will provide the family. Grilling out, sitting, reading, watching the birds, and enjoying time with family and friends, all happen on a deck. But is your deck ready for everything that will happen on it this spring, summer, and fall? As your residential designers, we’ve done the research to help you get your deck in party shape!

Structural Integrity:

A quick look at your deck, no matter the age, isn’t enough. Get under the deck and inspect the posts and beams that hold up your deck. Any chunks of wood missing? Touch the columns to make sure they aren’t soft, spongy, or showing signs of rot. Even pressure-treated wood can show signs of rot, especially in areas where it touches the ground and areas where non-rated pressure-treated wood might have been used. Don’t forget to check all railings to be sure they are still secure. Anything amiss? Call a contractor or handyman and get these problems fixed. Rain, snow, and ice can do a number on decks, especially older ones or decks that haven’t been treated, so do your due diligence to keep the deck structurally sound. 

Dazzling Decks:

The structure is sound, so now it’s time to make your deck dazzle. Clear everything off of the deck so you can see all of it. Search for boards or nails that have come loose and replace as needed. All wood decks will have this issue over time. 

Now comes the next step – cleaning. If your deck is a composite deck, cleaning is a breeze. Scrub it with a soap and water solution and removed any mildew or dirt that built up over the past year. Rinse it well, dry it and let the decorating begin.

A couple more steps are required for those of us that have a wood deck. Clean and dry the boards, maybe with the help of a pressure washer. Just don’t spray with too much pressure or you’ll take off the paint or damage the wood. 

If your paint is peeling or the stain has faded, scrape off the loose paint, sand it, prime it, and repaint. Have fun with the color! You could even paint patterns or use a different color as a border. Staining might be an option for you. It allows the grain to show through and doesn’t wear as quickly as paint does. Follow the application and care process no matter which application you choose to create your best summer deck.

Add the Accents:

Now the fun begins! How do you use your deck? Do you have shady and sunny areas for you and your guests? What mood do you want to set? 

There are many options available for you to create the best looking, comfortable, entertaining space you could imagine.  This is the place for bold pops of color, fun, colorful outdoor rugs, sail shades, umbrellas, or a pergola, and a variety of furniture – think about a big table, some low tables, comfy chairs, loungers, and seating that is perfect for kids. 

Create different seating areas that serve different purposes. Do you want a safe fire pit area? A gathering area perfect for conversations? An outdoor kitchen and bar? An eating area? A spot for the kids to gather and play?  Your own personal retreat?

And don’t forget planters filled with a variety of plants. Create a privacy wall with tall plants, add pops of color with colorful annuals, and plant herbs for delicious summer meals. You might want to plant lavender, marigolds, citronella grass, rosemary, or peppermint to keep those pesky mosquitos away. Use plants like asters, bee balm, butterfly bush, cosmos, and lantana to draw butterflies to your yard. 

Whatever you desire, you can create it on your deck!

Did you see our Front Porch Friday Video? Click here Preparing Your Desk for Summer to view it. Have a fantastic summer on your deck!