CasaSugar

How-To: Add a Medallion to Your Chandelier

CasaSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:15:11 -0700

If you want to class up your chandelier, consider adding a medallion to it. I've already showed you how to turn medallions into wall art, and alerted you to a new medallion light. If neither of these ideas strike your fancy, then maybe a ceiling medallion in its traditional placement is for you.

To find out how to install one, read more.

Locate ceiling framing and mark attachment locations on casting.
Pre-drill and countersink at attachment points.
Apply construction adhesive to the casting. While holding it firmly in place, attach the casting to the structural framing.
Screw attaching casting to structural framing.
Fill the screw holes with plaster. After the plaster has dried, sand it thoroughly until it is smooth.
Fill in any irregularities along ceiling with paintable caulk.
Prime and paint the medallion to match the ceiling.
Enjoy your newly ornate ceiling!

Need some more visual aids? Check out these handy instructions from This Old House.

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How-To: Keep Raccoons Away From Your Home

CasaSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:00:56 -0700

They may be cute, but these masked bandits are carriers of dangerous parasites and rabies. While in most cases raccoons will be able to coexist peacefully with humans, sometimes their presence becomes a nuisance, if not a real danger (my dog was recently attacked by a raccoon in the yard). To discourage them from taking up residence in your crawlspace or in your yard, I've rounded up some great tips to keep raccoons at paw's length.

Trim any tree branches that overhang your house or garage.
If you have large garbage bins outside your house, secure them with a bungee cord.
Do not leave pet food or scraps outside.

For many more tips, read more.

Keep your barbecue grills clean, or store them in a secure garage space.
If you have a fruit or vegetable garden, a motion light may help to discourage raccoons from snacking.
Seal any entries into crawlspaces, though first ensure that raccoons aren't already in the crawlspace.
Place a screen over your fireplace chimney.
Lock pet doors at night to prevent raccoons from making midnight kitchen raids.
Hang birdfeeders where raccoons can't get to them.
A 24-inch-wide band of sheet metal secured around trees will prevent raccoons from climbing them.

Do you know any tricks or techniques for discouraging raccoons? Leave them in the comments!
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Can You Use a Circular Saw?

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:00:34 -0700

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How-To: Rewiring an Overhead Fixture

CasaSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:15:45 -0700

If you thought that changing out a light fixture was beyond your skill set, think again. This small change made a huge difference in our entry. It can make a huge difference in your home as well!

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How-To: Hanging a Window Box

CasaSugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:00:22 -0700

For all of you small-space gardeners out there, window boxes are a great way to maximize growing space. Find out how to hang one with this how-to, from the experts at This Old House. If you have basic carpentry skills (and know how to operate a level and a power drill) then you can decorate your house with gorgeous, flower-filled window boxes.

Depending on the type of windows your home has, you'll have to hang your window box at different heights. For a house with double-hung or sliding windows, measure down one inch from the bottom of the sill. Make a pencil mark. For a window that swings out, measure down 6 to 8 inches.
Now you're going to install the top screw on the bracket. To do so, hold the first bracket with its top on the pencil mark. Mark the bracket for the top screw hole. It should hit close to the first section of siding below the window.
Next, use a countersink bit to drill a pilot hole and counterbore into the bracket on your pencil mark. Fasten the bracket to the house with a 3-inch-long galvanized decking screw through the pilot hole.

For the rest of the directions, just read more.

Make sure that the bracket is level then install the second screw. Then check again that it's level. Bore a pilot hole and counterbore for the second screw through the bracket just above the horizontal leg, where it will be hidden by the window box. Then drive another 3-inch screw through the bracket.

Next, install the second bracket. Use the same technique as for the first bracket. Be careful though! You'll want to use your level to make sure that the second bracket is at the correct height.

Next, you'll want to make sure that the window box is centered. Do so by placing the window box on top of the brackets with the angled side of the box facing out.

After you've measured to ensure that it's centered, fasten the window box to the brackets. Drill and counterbore pilot holes into the upper rear edge of the box, directly in front of each bracket. Then drill a 2-1/2-inch-long galvanized decking screw through the box and into the upper end of each bracket.

Congratulations! You're done! Now fill the box with potting soil, and plant with gorgeous flowers, vining plants, and herbs.

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Casa Verde: 21 Eco-Friendly Home Improvements

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:02:22 -0700

I'm always looking for new ways to make my home greener, so thanks to Tdamji for pointing me to this list of 21 eco-friendly home improvements. (By the way, if you haven't checked out Tdamji's Minimal Harm - For the Love of the Planet group, I highly recommend it.)

This 21-green salute will help your conscience and your pocketbook, saving money and increasing your home's value. How many of these tactics do you use in your home? Tell me in the comments section below, or share some of your own ideas.

Consider installing solar panels. If you decide to buy some, consider used ones, as they are quite a bargain and even after as long as twenty years have been known to produce a good percentage of the power that was generated when they were brand new.
Replace all the standard light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent ones. These energy-smart bulbs use 70 to 75 percent less energy than the incandescent kind and last up to ten times longer!
Roof improvements. Believe it or not, research indicates that roof color and the type of material used can help to lower attic temperatures. Light-colored tile roofs outperform the shingle ones when it comes to decreasing temperatures.
Install a motion detector outside to replace your outdoor lighting. Outdoor lights left on all night waste energy and disturb wildlife.

For the rest of the list, read more

Don't waste water. Check your home carefully for leaky faucets and get them repaired as quickly as possible. Use cold water when laundering clothes and adjust your clean threshold if you possibly can. Those jeans of yours can probably be worn a few more times than usual before washing them, and can't that towel be dried off at least one more time before throwing it in the hamper?
Install low flow showerheads. They are a worthwhile investment (especially if you live in a rented space, because you can take them with you). They cut down on water usage and save energy costs.
Create a compost pile in your backyard. Mix food wastes with dirt and use a shovel to turn the pile over every week or so to give it some air. Turn throwaways like eggshells, coffee grounds and spoiled vegetables into soil and garbage into something useful.
Install an aluminum-clad storm door. This type of door is energy-efficient and will help to insulate the entryway of your home.
Some considerations when heating and cooling our homes: Invest in a high-efficiency HVAC system that is Energy Star certified and install it in your home. This will greatly reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted. It will also shave your utility bill enough to make you smile reasonably broadly.
Clean out your air conditioner filters or replace them regularly. A dirty filter will hamper the airflow, costing you more to run your system.
Consider investing in and installing an automated thermostat. High-tech thermostats are well worth the cost, and what you spend, you will get back over time in lower energy bills.
Install glass doors for your fireplace. Glass doors are safer than fireplace screens. They also reduce the amount of heat that escapes through the chimney from your home.
Use power strips for your home computers. Even after you turn off your computer, power continues to flow to peripherals like printers and scanners.
Install more fans in your home. Ceiling fans can help reduce your family's dependence on air conditioning during the summer, and they are also helpful in the winter as they can push heat down from the ceiling.
Do an "energy audit" in your home and make a list of what needs to be done to get things up to "green par." Take that list to your online supplier or local hardware store and enlist their help in buying needed supplies.
Insulate your home. Doors and windows are two of the most obvious areas of concern when it comes to home energy conservation. Use weather-stripping.
Seal off unexpected trouble spots. Sometimes the less obvious spots in your home can be a source of energy loss and you will need to be thorough in order to seek out and destroy them! Check out the areas around light switches and electrical outlets.
Live by the code of the 3 Rs; Refuse, Reuse and Recycle. Keep these three things in mind whenever you buy, use or discard anything.
Stop a leak. Organize a "stop a leak day" on which everyone in your family tightens, insulates, replaces, caulks or does whatever else is necessary to make your home as "watertight" as possible.
Add insulation to your hot water heater. Don't forget that the standard water heater found in most homes is on all the time. Adding some extra insulation will save more energy than you would think and knock up to 15 percent off the costs of heating water.
Consider window tinting to reduce the glare of the sun. First of all, it will reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Tinting will also eliminate up to 99 percent of damaging ultraviolet rays and reduce the fading of your fine fabrics and furnishings.

Hvenbnd's Beautiful Wall Colors

Casa Community — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:43 -0800

Su Casa member Hvenbnd recently asked for your advice on wall colors. See how her painting quest has progressed since we last checked in with her.

I posted an earlier entry asking the community for help with picking paint colors. I just could not narrow it down! Finally I discovered Inspired Design. Diane really helped me choose colors that work with my vision, furniture, art and personality. Here is the kitchen in process! All paint is from Sherwin Williams.

Have you made any recent improvements to your home? Show them off in Su Casa!

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Before and After: Updating a Sun Porch

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:00:23 -0700

Su Casa member PrettyLittleWorld loves her new home, but she wasn't a fan of her sun porch. She writes, "When we moved into our new home over the summer, we knew the sun porch would have to get some attention so that we could use it. The previous design was just all around unattractive, and made the porch feel a little depressing. We needed to stay within a small budget because there were bigger and more expensive things that needed doing in the rest of the house."

To see how she improved the original porch, read more.

PrettyLittleWorld used paint to improve the sun porch, which, as you well know, is one of the most dramatic and inexpensive ways to update a space. Using Winter Flannel and Quail Egg paint, the entire space looks updated and refreshed. PrettyLittleWorld also added a new, comfy porch chair for a green pop of color, and moved houseplants into the space as well. "We changed the sun porch into a space that we love to use!" she reports.

Have you made any changes in your home? Share them on Su Casa.

Cool Idea: Disguise an Ugly Rental Wall

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 06:15:36 -0700

When you live in a rental, you often have to deal with some less-than-ideal features, such as ugly linoleum and mirrored closet doors. Canadian House and Home magazine recently offered a reader advice on hiding an ugly mirrored wall, and the tip is perfect for renters dealing with an ugly wall or closet door in their own home. Simply use inexpensive fabric curtain panels and a pretty curtain rod to improve that less-than-ideal feature in your rental. Want all of the details on how to do it? Head over to Canadian House and Home.

Home Depot to Launch Exclusive Martha Stewart Living Brand

CasaSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:00:11 -0700

Home Depot and Martha Stewart Living have announced a plan to develop an exclusive Martha Stewart Living line of home improvement products including outdoor living, home organization, and home décor items for Home Depot's stores. Like Martha's other products, you can expect them to be traditionally stylish and good quality, but they will also be affordable. Both design teams are working side by side to create a collection that makes coordinating décor and design during home improvement projects easy. You can look for the line's outdoor living products, such as patio dining sets ($399-1,999), in stores beginning in January 2010, followed by home organization items, such as closet organization systems, in February.

It's no surprise to see Martha Stewart expanding her brand to another store - she's practically on her way to world domination. But it is curious to see Home Depot taking on a designer name. Designer capsule collections is something we've seen with other big retailers like Target, Macy's, Rooms to Go, and HSN, but it's a first to see Home Depot headed in that direction. It's also exciting! Especially since Home Depot is a national brand, and a one-stop shop for home improvement products, it will be a treat to find some stylish décor there.