CasaSugar

How-To: Get Your House Ready For Cold Weather

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:53 -0700

As we head into Fall, it's time to prepare your home for cold weather. In its Fall Home Maintenance To-Do List, Kiplinger.com names nine things-at least some of which most homeowners can do themselves-to lower your utility bills and protect your investment. Check out some of the easiest, most effective ways to get your home in cold weather fighting shape.
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Casa Quickie: Just Say No to Slippery Steps

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:15:35 -0800

If you plan on hosting any dinner parties or holiday gatherings, the last thing you need is a guest with a head injury. Unfortunately, slippery, icy walkways and steps are often the culprit in Winter accidents. Stop slips before they start by making sure to keep your steps free of ice and snow. First step: Always shovel any ice and snow away as soon as it lands on your steps and walkways. Then, if there's still a problem, use sand or kitty litter to provide traction. Using rock salt is also an option, though if the temperatures get below 25 degrees, it won't work. Do you use these methods, or do you have another way to keep your steps slip-free?
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How-To: Protect Your Family and Home From a Wildfire

CasaSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:30:12 -0700

As most of you probably know, California has been ravaged by fires this Summer. As I write this, one of my friends awaits evacuation notice at her Southern California home, and several others are keeping a close watch on fire patterns in their area. Fire scares me - it is erratic and unpredictable and frighteningly fast. And while I can understand why some homeowners are reluctant to leave their homes, in the end, your home is just a house. It's the nonmaterial things you fill it with - namely your family, pets, and memories - that make it truly a home. This is why I urge readers to listen to firefighters' warnings, and to leave their homes if a mandatory evacuation is issued. Your life is much more important than any piece of property, no matter how much you love it.

Here are some smart pointers from the City of Napa, California's fire safety page:

Maintain a "defensible" space around your home by clearing all flammable vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around all structures.
Clear dead leaves and branches to leave widely spaced ornamental shrubbery and trees.
Clean all needles and leaves from the roof, eaves, rain gutters, and yard.
Trim tree limbs within 10 feet of your chimney and trim all dead limbs hanging over your house or garage.
Cover your chimney outlet or flue with a spark arresting half-inch mesh screen.

To see the rest of the tips, read more.

Make sure your address is clearly visible for easy identification in an emergency.
Check to see if a fire hydrant is located near your home. If not, you should have a water storage supply of at least 2,500 gallons for use in an emergency situation.
Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from buildings, fences, and other combustible materials.
Clear all vegetation and other flammable materials from beneath your deck. Enclose undersides of elevated decks with fire-resistive materials.
Remove "ladder fuels." They link the grasses and the tree tops.
Create "fuel breaks - these can be driveways, gravel walkways, or well-maintained lawns.
Maintain your irrigation system regularly.
Prune tree limbs so the lowest is between 6-10 feet from the ground.
Dispose of cuttings and debris promptly, according to local regulations.
Keep at least two means of escape (either a door or window) in each room.
Mark your driveway and access roads clearly.
Keep ample turnaround space near your house for fire equipment.
Prevent sparks from entering your house by covering vents with wire mesh no larger than 1/8 inch.
When possible, use construction materials that are fire resistant or noncombustible.

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Home Maintenance: Change Your Filter

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:33:52 -0700

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Gross, huh? The good news is that there are some simple-but often overlooked-aspects of home maintenance that can really make a difference in your home's air quality. And since it's fall, we wanted to remind you that this is the ideal time to implement one of those home maintenance routines, by changing your furnace filter. (User fragiletearz even had "change filter" as one of the monthly tasks on her savvy housecleaning schedule, though she may have been referring to an air conditioning filter instead of a furnace filter!)

To find out how to change your furnace filter, just read more

First, determine whether you have a common filter or a HEPA filter.
Changing your common style filter is simple. Just slide the old one out and slide the new one in. Be certain that the air flow arrow points toward the furnace or blower motor.

Changing a HEPA-style filter is a little more difficult, but still not that hard. All you need to do is open the front of the media housing and slide the old one out and slide the new one in. If your model requires pleat spacers, make sure that they aren't damaged, and replace them if they are.

Check out the full instuctions at Filters America. After you figure out how to change the filter, go to Low Impact Living to find a variety of green air purifiers and furnace filters.

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Casa Quickie: Vases as Fish Bowls

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:00:53 -0700

To me, big ole electric fish tanks just scream bachelor pad, or worse, a divey Chinese restaurant. There's nothing pretty about a standard pet shop fish bowl, either. But having a little Nemo in your home can inspire a connection to the natural world, and there's something calming about watching them propel their little bodies through the water. The design-savvy solution? Use simple vases as fish bowls. On this windowsill, three cylindrical vases (remember, when in doubt, group in threes) are filled with small, white rocks and decorated with seaweed. The colors of the vases are cued to those of the room, using mostly white, yellow, and green, showing that fish can be used as décor as well as low-maintenance pets!

Casa Verde: Google Rents Goats For Lawn Mowing Alternative

CasaSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:00:02 -0700

Lately, I've been showing you ways to go green without spending money, since being eco-friendly isn't always about dollar bills. Sometimes, though, all it takes to get into the earth's circle of friends is to spend your money differently.
Google knows what I'm talking about. The Internet monster has switched up its lawn maintenance routine by abandoning a lawn-mowing service for a more holistic approach - the service of goats. To trim the fields at its Mountain View, CA, headquarters, Google has hired the folks at California Grazing to bring about 200 goats and goat-herding border collies to the office for a week to clear weeds and eliminate brush-fire hazards. The service costs about the same as mowing, curbs air and noise pollution (except a few bahhhhs), and eliminates gas usage. Would you consider doing the same at your home?
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Coveted Crib: A Craftsman Remodel

CasaSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:15:39 -0800

San Francisco Bay Area remodeling firm Harrell Remodeling specializes in renovating homes with a focus on comfort, beauty, and eco-conscious materials. In the case of this two-story home, the firm considered the needs of the environmentally conscious, active family who lived in it, and developed a low-maintenance expansion on the existing home. Using sustainable materials for this whole house remodel, the remodel focused on supplying the family with what they needed for their easygoing, active lifestyle, including additional storage space and easy maintenance.

Additional changes to the home include a luxurious Japanese Ofuro soaking tub and dry sauna, expanded hallways, Craftsman detailing that reflects the home's original look, and a newly designed master bedroom, master bath, and office.

To see more photos of this pretty home, read more.

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How-To: Make Thrifty Home Heating Decisions

CasaSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:45:03 -0700

Worried about how you'll pay your heating bill this Winter? Since I know that this is a concern for many families, I decided to ask heating expert Chris Cooper for some advice on the subject. He took my queries to heart, and then sent me some ideas about lowering heating bills.

According to Chris, this Winter, the cost of heating a home is going to leave many people feeling anything but warm and cozy. In fact, those living in the coldest areas of the United States may well find themselves facing a home-heating crisis when trying to pay their bills. "We have a serious problem," said Dale McCormick, director of Maine's state housing agency. "This Winter is going to be our (Hurricane) Katrina."

To find out the first steps in keeping your heating costs under control, read more.

However, there are some ways to keep your bills lower. Chris says that keeping a house in good repair and well insulated is as important as properly servicing your furnace and water heater. Consider negotiating for annual maintenance as part of any new furnace purchase and ask the contractor for conservation and saving tips specific to your house. Homeowners with oil furnaces might also consider joining a fuel co-op to reduce oil costs.

Need more advice? Check back tomorrow for a list of specific changes you can make in your home to reduce your home heating bill. Thanks Chris!

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Garden Therapy: Little Farm in the Big City

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:00:06 -0700

Imagine the possibility of creating a low-maintenance, beautiful, and productive farm in the middle of a city. Such is the reality for homeowner Jennifer Carlson, a Seattle resident who turned her backyard into something extraordinary. For photos of her smart landscaping and gardening ideas, as well as some adorable animals, check out the slideshow. For even more information, head over to This Old House to see blueprints and more photos. Any city dwellers who wonder how they can turn their small patch of yard into something productive will delight in Carlson's home. Source

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Room Therapy: Low-Maintenance House Plants?

CasaSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:00:25 -0700

Dear CasaSugar,

I want to get a house plant for my not-so-green apartment, but I need something low maintenance since I'm barely home on my days off. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Lioness5

Hi Lioness5,

I was just at a friend's house this weekend and she had stunning houseplants. This is remarkable only because she used to have a black thumb - she killed every plant she touched. So what changed? She found easy, low-maintenance plants that could deal with her occasional indifference to their existence.

To see the rest of my answer, and to leave your suggestions, just read more.

I've rounded up a few different types of plants that might work for your house, depending on your home's growing conditions. Take a look!

Plants That Will Grow in Water

Don't want to bother with planting your houseplants? Then check out these plants, which will grow in a vase or bowl of water!

Wandering Jew
English Ivy
Bamboo

Plants That Need a Sunny Room But Little Else

Cacti
Aloe
Bromeliads

Plants That Require Little Care And Indirect Sunglight

Snake plant
Spider plant
Wax plant
Ivy

I hope this helps! Anyone else have other suggestions for easy-to-care-for, hard-to-kill houseplants? Let Lioness5 know by leaving a comment below.

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