The Importance of Radon Removal in Your Home

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, roughly 20,000 lung cancer fatalities a year are caused by radon. Research shows that nearly 30% of homes screened in seven different states have radon levels above 4 pCi/L. It’s important to learn more about this dangerous gas so that you can effectively protect your family.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that can penetrate through common building materials like paper, leather, and plastic. Formed through the natural breakdown of uranium, it is frequently found in igneous rocks and soil. It may also be in well water.

image:swat-radon.com

Radon can enter a home through the basement because air in this subterranean space has negative pressure in relation to outdoor air, so air from within the earth is actually drawn into the basement through cracks in the foundation and other spaces. The age of the home has no bearing on the amount of radon that may be drawn into the living space of a basement. Once the radon rises to higher levels in the home, it can typically dissipate due to the increased ventilation.

How dangerous radon is for you depends on the amount of radon in your environment, how often you’re in the home, and whether you spend most of your time in the basement. People who smoke cigarettes are more likely to experience health problems because radon and tobacco smoke reinforce each other to magnify the negative effects.

The great news is that there are steps homeowners can take to address this potentially dangerous situation. It starts with a simple test to determine if action is needed. A radon removal specialist can then determine the best option for mitigation. While radon cannot be eliminated from the ground beneath a home, there are ways to stop it from entering the structure or ensure that it’s quickly vented out.

It’s important to remember that high radon levels have been found in states across the nation. Special suction systems and fans can be used to move the radon directly from the ground to the outdoor environment. It will effectively bypass your home so that you can keep your family safe from the treat. The radon mitigation system may also work to reduce overall humidity levels in a home. Rather than taking chances with the health of your family, have your indoor air tested so that you can make a more informed decision about any treatment system.

Simple Home Repairs Guide for Beginners

If you own a home you know how thing tend to get broken all the time and have to be repaired. If you have called repairmen every single time something cracks you have probably spent more money you can possibly imagine. But the truth is you do not have to be a skilled handyman in order to fix most of these. All you have to do is follow this home repairs guide and there will be no more reasons to spend money on repairmen.

How to repair cracking grout

No matter if the grout is installed properly, it can always start cracking and crumbling. Once this happens you should be able to fix it by yourself in order to prevent the crack damaging the surrounding tiles and that is where the real trouble starts. To fix it by yourself you will need to get grout. If the lines between your tiles are around one third of a centimeter you should get unsanded epoxy or acrylic grout. If the lines and wider you will need sanded grout. Once you have this you should first clean the damaged area with a mixture of vinegar and water. You should grab a grout saw and remove the damaged part. Clean the whole with a damp paper towel and make sure there is no water left in it. You should them mix the new grout with a little bit of water and push it into the whole. Clean the spot with water and vinegar again and you are done. The only thing remained to do is to clean the mess.

How to unclog the toilet

Most people don’t know how to unclog the toilet properly and they end up calling for help even though they could easily do it by themselves. The reason they don’t get the job done is that they cannot make a difference a sink and toilet plunger. The thing we see on TV all the time is actually used for unplugging the sink. The real toilet plunger actually has an extension at the end that can easily fit the toilet drain. Once you have the proper equipment fixing the problem should be too hard. All you have to do is pour some water into the toilet and thrust the plunger into the toilet around 10 times. If that does not get the job done you can try doing it with a toilet auger. These do not cost too much but should be able to unclog all the tougher clogs.

How to make metal roof repairs

Metal roofs are quite durable but storms and contraction of the metal might make you have to repair it from time to time. If the damage is too big you might have to replace an entire section of it. But if you do not think there is a need to do this you can just do some simple repairs on it. First of all search for loose nails and re-nail them. You can also easily seal up any leaks you find in the roof. All you have to do is get urethane roof cement and spread it all over the damaged area. If there are holes in the roof you should cover them up with smaller pieces of metal. For cutting the metal pieces into the smaller ones and applying those pieces onto the roof you will need things like drill and grinder. If you do not have these take a look at Milwaukee tools and start collecting the tools for your toolbox.

All of these repairs are easy to do and no matter how much inexperienced you are, you should not have any troubles doing them. All you need is some effort and the proper tools and there will be no need to call repairmen anymore.

Custom Home Builders Recommend the Use of Pinterest to Build the Home of Your Dreams

If you’re planning on building the home of your dreams, you are probably well aware that there are a lot of selections and decisions that need to be made as a part of the process. The choices can seem endless and, especially towards the end of the process, can seem overwhelming. This is why many custom home builders actually recommend that their clients use Pinterest, as it can help to keep all your ideas and thoughts in one handy place.

image:evenwedgehomes.com.au

What is Pinterest?

Firstly, we felt it was important to take a closer look at what Pinterest actually is. Basically, it’s a virtual pinboard. The platform allows users to sign up for an account and to create a variety of “boards”, which are essentially just folders where you can “pin” similar ideas. Later on, all you need to do is go to the board in question and all of your ideas are laid out before you. Many people use it to collect recipes, inspiration for parties, and the like.

How can Pinterest help me build my dream home?

The most common way that people use Pinterest when building is to create a separate board for each room of the home. This means that you can collect images and ideas that relate specifically to the master bedroom, kitchen, lounge room, family bathroom, guest bedroom or ensuite – you don’t have to have everything all meshed in together. You might have a different colour scheme or theme in mind for each room, so separating them can help.

Some custom home builders have found that their clients get even more detailed and create separate boards for specific elements, such as kitchen cabinets and lighting fixtures. This will allow you to see how all of the individual elements will work together across the home, however, it should be noted that there is a limit to how many boards you can create so you might run out of room before you run out of elements. Just be sure to use your space wisely.

Is there anything I should watch out for?

Whilst using Pinterest to build your dream home is a perfectly safe endeavour, you should watch out for broken links. Some images (mostly those you’ve found on Pinterest, not those you’ve searched specifically for) don’t point back to the originating website, which means that you’re limited to only the information provided with the image. There is nothing worse then falling in love with an element only to discover you don’t know where to buy it!

To ensure that your dream home is everything you wanted and more, we recommend speaking to your custom home builder about using Pinterest. As you can see, the platform offers a number of benefits and allows you to keep track of all the ideas swirling around your mind. This can go a long way to helping you verbalise exactly what it is you’re looking for, and you can even show your builder what you’re thinking. All round, it’s a success!