Quick Tips to Keep You Warm This Winter

For the past two weeks, we have addressed keeping your house airtight and plumbing safe this winter. To finish up this series, we will add a few quick tips to ensure you are snug in the upcoming months.

• If your furnace is more than 10 years old, there’s a good chance that it wastes a lot of fuel. Consider upgrading to a newer one.
• Replace your furnace filter about every 3 months.
• Make sure your cold air returns aren’t blocked.  Your furnace needs these to operate efficiently.
• Install a programmable Energy Star thermostat that will lower the temperature at night and when no one is at home.
• Uncover all south-facing windows to let all possible sunlight in your home.
• Keep all vents and baseboard heaters clean.
• If you have a fireplace, close the damper when the fireplace is not in use.
• If the damper is old or doesn’t close well, try putting some insulation in it to seal it off. Just remember to take it out before using it!
• If you like using a fireplace, consider getting an insert that will direct the heat into your house instead of just sending it up the chimney.

• Consider replacing all of your lightbulbs with energy-saving CFL bulbs.
• Install a timer on your water heater so it isn’t heating a whole tank of water when you don’t need it.Plant evergreen trees close to your home to block the winter wind.
• Reverse the direction of ceiling fans to push hot air downward and delay it from escaping the house.
• Consider hanging thermal curtains to help prevent drafts.
• Try to use the clothes dryer for consecutive loads of laundry. This conserves the energy that would be needed to heat up the dryer several times.
• Install a dryer vent seal to prevent cold air from traveling back into your home.
• There are attachments to vent your dryer inside your home so you don’t waste the heat and humidity. (Don’t try this if you have a gas-powered dryer).
• Try not to use space heaters to heat large areas of your house.
• If you spend most of your time in one room in a large house, consider setting your thermostat low and using a small heater to heat where you are going to be.
• Keep all closet doors closed when possible. There’s no need to heat space that isn’t in use as long as it doesn’t contain water pipes.
• Replace the caulking around any bathtubs or showers.

• If your water heater needs to be upgraded, consider installing a tankless water heater.
• Use the oven for baking during colder hours of the day to help heat your home.
• Use an energy monitor to tell you what appliances are using the most energy. This might help pinpoint areas where you can cut back on energy usage.
• Wear socks and slippers.  If your feet are warm, you will feel warmer and can keep the thermostat set low.

Ron and Martha Wolford are the leaders in luxury home construction in Louisville, Kentucky.

Visit our website!

http://www.wolfordbuilthomes.com

Winterizing Your Plumbing

Don’t let the cold weather play Russian roulette with your pipes. Water freezes and turns to ice, and when that happens it expands. If that water happens to be inside a metal pipe, it may be strong enough to burst that pipe open. So if you live in an area where water freezes in the wintertime, you’ve got to start winterizing your plumbing.

Going Away

Are you going on vacation? Do you own a property that you don’t live in full-time? Unattended plumbing systems are much, much more likely to fall prey to winter weather. If you own property where hot water isn’t going to be used for many days or weeks at a time, you’ve got to winterize.

Begin by turning off your main water valve. Next, go outside and turn on your hose bib (the outside faucet where you connect the hose). This allows water to drain out of all the pipes. If you have a basement, turn any faucets on there to drain the water.

Buy a large bottle of windshield wiper fluid, liquid that will not freeze even in freezing temperature conditions. Put about 2 cups of this fluid into all drains. This includes the sinks, showers and bath tubs. The goal is to allow the liquid to drain down to the trap, where it will stay. Plumbing traps must have liquid in them to prevent noxious sewer gas smells. But in winter, ordinary water may freeze in that trap and burst pipes. Use your windshield fluid instead. To finish the job, pour about 4 cups of the fluid into each toilet (and don’t flush!).

Staying in the Cold

Even if you plan on using your plumbing system throughout the winter, certain pipes and fixtures can still freeze in cold weather. Check the inside of all your exterior walls. Exterior walls are exposed to the cold. Any plumbing pipes against these walls are at risk. Insulate them to protect them from the cold. Pipe insulation is foam-like material that can be purchased at any home improvement store. Simply wrap it around pipes and use duct or electrical tape to keep it in place.

The same goes for pipes in unconditioned spaces, like attics, crawlspaces and basements.

Next, you need to shut off your hose bibs (the outside faucets). It’s highly unlikely you will be using your garden hose in the winter, and this is why this particular fixture is so prone to freezing and bursting in cold conditions. Locate the inside shut-off valve for this fixture (it’s commonly found under the kitchen sink) and turn it off.

Go outside and disconnect the hose if it is in place. Now, turn on the hose bib to allow any water inside the pipe to drain. Turn off the outside shut-off valve as well. No water will flow to the hose bib while the shut-offs are engaged, so write yourself a note to open them back up once spring rolls around.

Thank you http://www.doityourself.com for great ideas!

Are you planning on building your dream home?  Remodeling your existing home?

Ron and Martha Wolford are the leaders in luxury home construction in Louisville, KY.

Wolford Built Homes

Let us help you have the home of your dreams!    

 

http://www.wolfordbuilthomes.com

Winterizing Your Home: Making Your House Airtight

According to the Department of Energy, you can save 5 to 30% on your home energy bill just by fixing gaps and cracks where air enters or leaves your house. The first step is a visual inspection. Indoors, on a windy day, light a stick of incense and hold it around windows, doors, and other areas where air can get in or out. If the incense travels horizontally, you know you’ve got a problem.
For more accurate results, hire a pro to conduct a home-energy assessment that includes a blower door test. This uses a door-sized fan to pull air out of your house, which will reveal air leaks that aren’t easy to find.
Outside look for gaps and cracks in your home’s foundation, siding, and in spots where two building materials meet-such as siding and a brick chimney. These spots often develop gaps as your house settles with age and because materials expand and contract. Once you’ve identified where your house is leaking air, use this guide to fix the leaks.

1. Exterior Elements:  Seal gaps between different materials (like brick and siding) using exterior caulk or a patching compound.  Make sure it is for outdoor use and compatible with the materials it is in contact with.
2.   Attic Hatches:  Seal the perimeter of the access panel to your attic with weather stripping.  You can also get a draft-blocking stair cover if you have pull-down attic stairs. For walk-up attics, use weather stripping and a door.

3.  Electrical Outlets:  Remove cover plates and secure foam gaskets onto their backsides before reattaching them.

4.  Windows and Doors:  Add caulk or weather stripping around windows and doors. A door sweep will create a weatherproof seal between the door and threshold.

5.  Pipes or Ducts/Vents:  Use caulk or canned spray foam to close gaps wherever pipes, wiring, or ducts penetrate walls, floors, and ceilings.

6.  Ceiling Fixtures:  Gaps around light fixtures often create air loss.  But restricting airflow can cause overheating.  Try replacing older fixtures with air-sealed, IC-rated models.

What sealants work best where?

 Wider gaps in doors and windows:  Weather stripping

Irregularly shaped gaps:  Canned spray foam

Hairline Cracks and Narrow Gaps:  Caulk

  Many thanks to Green Energy Homes and Living Magazine for great suggestions!!!

Are you planning on building your dream home?  Remodeling your existing home?

Ron and Martha Wolford are Louisville’s premier luxury homebuilders.

 

Wolford Built Homes

Let us help you have the home of your dreams!

http://www.wolfordbuilthomes.com

Estate Sales: How to Build the Perfect Vintage Collection

It takes time to build a home with soul and character. You simply can’t do that by visiting Ikea, particularly if your are wanting to create a sense of history in your home.  I visited Scott Nussbaum, a local antique dealer to get his take on Estate Sales.

Nestled in the heart of the Clifton neighborhood of Louisville is Scott F. Nussbaum Antiques. In business over 40 years, Scott gets many pieces for his store from families that want to liquidate their estates. Maybe a parent died and the children don’t want additional pieces for their homes. Or a couple is downsizing and doesn’t have room in their new condo. Scott will then conduct an Estate Sale on behalf of that family.  The work that goes into these Sales is incredible.  Scott shuts down his store for two weeks to meet with the family, price each individual antique and stage the house for the Sale.  He often incorporates pieces from his store in order to complete the home, keeping in mind the style of the house and furnishings therein.  The day of the Sale, Scott allows fifteen people to enter the home at a time.  This allows everyone a little elbow room and keeps the process fair to those who arrived early. If you want a real bargain, wait until the second day of the sale, as everything is marked down.  I look forward to going to an Estate Sale Scott is conducting in Harrisburg, Kentucky later this fall.  Check the Courier for dates and times!

Estate Sales are a great way to begin or add to a vintage collection. Here are a few simple tips:

1.Black and White Photographs: Old photos are an inexpensive way to add instant history to a room. Estate Sales are a great venue for wonderful old photos of days gone by.
2. Small Historic Details: Estate Sales or Architectural Salvage are bold ways to infuse your décor with age and patina.
3. Special Furnishings: Find one special piece at an Estate Sale and plan your room around it. Items with a history can be the most valuable piece in your home and it’s ok for it to have a few imperfections!!!!
4. Estate Sale prints: You may not find a Monet nor a Picasso, but you can find interesting prints that are unusual and true conversation starters!!!

Many thanks to Scott Nussbaum for his time and expertise.!!   Visit Scott F. Nussbaum Antiques at 2036 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, KY  40206

Ron and Martha Wolford are the leaders in luxury home construction in Louisville, Kentucky.

Visit our website!

http://www.wolfordbuilthomes.com