Top Home Improvement Tips

Moving house is not a decision to take lightly. It requires commitment, hard work and a lot of strength to get through it. If only it was as simple as boxing up your belongings in one house and unpacking those boxes in another.

There are the viewings, budgets, paperwork and a lot of crossing of fingers to take into account. Sometimes there is even rejection involved when your offer isn’t accepted. It’s important not to take it to heart and persevere.

When you stop and think about how much your house is worth, do you think about it in its current state. Your home is your home, and it’s perfectly fine as it is. But, it may be worth taking a walk around your home and get in the mind of a third person. Not the estate agent but a possible buyer. Why should a complete stranger buy your home? What does it have to offer? Is there room for improvement? It may be worth putting aside a small budget for aesthetic enhancements:

New Flooring – Lived in floors can usually be covered with a rug of some sort and be forgotten about, but to potential homebuyers, new engineered flooring is in high demand. The flooring is comprised of wood layers stacked cross-grain and bonded together under heat and pressure – the process of this makes the floor more durable and stain resistant which is perfect for families with kids and animals. Investing in a beautiful floor will highly increase the resale value of your home.

Wash Your Windows – Newly washed windows can make a huge impression on potential homebuyers. The amount of light streaming in can make all the difference. Buyers want to be able to see out clearly as well as looking in. If you’re not able to do it yourself, hire a professional Window Cleaning Company who will give your home an affordable facelift.

Out With the Old In With the New – Bathroom and kitchen renovations don’t require a huge expense. Worn out baths, countertops and faucets can be refurbished to look brand new. They will increase the life of those fixtures for at least ten years for a fraction of the cost of buying new and getting it all installed.

If you have any tips to share, let us know!

Home Maintenance 101 (II)

What could be the worst case when you are running late and the moment you rush to bathroom to get a shower and you find a leak in the faucet? Well, this freaky situation might have been avoided if regular checks would have been done. After Heating & Cooling checklist, we have come up with Plumbing checklist that you might want to follow as to avoid the horrific situation we just mentioned above. Let’s get started with Home Maintenance 101 (II).

18. Inspect faucets for leaks

19. Flush 1 gallon water from the water heater if the valve is in working order

20. Check water pressure in home 21. Inspect accessible, exposed drain lines for signs of leaks

22. Inspect accessible water lines for signs of leaks

23. Check to see if sump pump is working

24. Test water heater operation

25. Check for slow drains in bathtubs and sinks

26. Check operation of water heater elements (electric)

27. Check amp draw of water heater elements (electric)

28. Check operation of water heater gas burner (gas)

29. Check thermocouple on water heater (gas)

30. Check gas valve on water heater (gas)

31. Check flue pipe for deterioration on water heater (gas)

32. Inspect shower tiles for obvious cracking or separation

If we have missed out any point, do leave us a comment and we’ll add it up in the list. Stay tuned until we come up with Home Maintenance 101 (III), meanwhile do enjoy reading other posts.

Home Maintenance 101

Just like regular oil changes keep up your car on the road, regular home maintenance keeps it in good condition. If you think it’s going to be a tedious task, you are probably mistaken. It won’t take your extra time and if it gets done regularly, it will save you wasting your hard earned money. However, it’s a long list of various tasks, but you schedule them accordingly. Since it’s a long list, we’ll feature all the checklist points in 4 posts so that you can also get time to check all the points yourself and if you get stuck, get help of local handyman. We have covered “Heating and Cooling” in this post. Have a look at the below checklist.

1. Check and clear primary & secondary condensate lines and pans

2. Inspect evaporator coil if accessible

3. Inspect condenser coil

4. Check system operating pressures (Freon levels)

5. Test temperature rise and drop of furnace, A/C and heat pump

6. Check belts and pulleys; adjust if necessary

7. Lubricate motors if oil ports are accessible

8. Inspect filter; replace if customer has a replacement filter

9. General inspection of wiring in the furnace and the A/C units

10. Check amp draw of evaporator motor

11. Check amp draw of condenser motor

12. Check amp draw of compressor

13. Inspect furnace chambers and burners

14. Check controls and safeties on furnace

15. Visual inspection of expose flue pipe

16. Check thermostat operation

17. Check crankcase heater operation for heat pumps

We hope this checklist covers all the necessary points related to Heating and Cooling. If we have missed out any point, do leave us a comment and we’ll add it up in the list. The second part of Home Maintenance 101 series will be featured in a few days meanwhile visit www.arsltd.co.uk for more information.

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