Spring Lawn Care Guide By: Julie Day As the world outside finally begins to turn green after a long winter, it’s time once again to pay attention to your lawn. Spring is a sensitive time for your yard – the soil is spongy, the plants are tender, and the weather is unpredictable. Your lawn will thank you for being gentle this time of year, but it will also thank you for addressing a few important spring tasks. Here’s how to go about taking care of your lawn in the spring. Types of Grass Spring lawn care depends on the type of grass you are growing: Cool-season grasses include fescue, bluegrass, and rye. They have two growth spurts – a moderate one in the spring, and…
Posts By: Tony Messuri
Household Tip – How to Stop Disposal From Backing Up Into Other Sink
Because your disposal breaks up food and other debris, it is not uncommon for a drain to become clogged. If running your garbage disposal causes water to back up into the other sink, you may have a clog in the drain lines. You should fix this as soon as possible because food material and debris will eventually begin to smell as it sits in the drain. The material trapped in the drain builds up until the pipe is fully blocked, causing the water to back up through the drain pipe that the sink and the disposal share. The good news is that unblocking a garbage disposal drain is a task you can do yourself, without an expensive call to a plumber. 1. Fill the sink…
The Homeowner’s Helper offers homeowners access to informative Better Business Bureau alerts!
As a member of the Better Business Bureau, I have access to informative BBB alerts to help the homeowner avoid the seemingly ever growing number of scams impacting the homeowner. I am happy to share this valuable information to anyone interested. Simply inform me of your interest via email at tony@thehomeownershelper.com and I will include you on my subscriber BBB alert subscriber list. I can assure you that you find this information helpful and it may just help you avoid becoming a victim of that next fraud/scam. The BBB alert email list is separate from my monthly newsletter list which you can also subscribe to at the top of my website home page. The monthly email newsletters offer useful tips to help the homeowner with…
Transform your Interior Decor to Create a Cozy Atmosphere
The change of seasons, the change of family schedules, or even a change in furniture; there are many reasons to take the time to transform the interior of your home and revitalize your decor. Why not take the opportunity this fall and winter to refresh your interior with the bold colors trending this year? Traditional fall colors like bronze orange, vibrant gold and comfy eggplant bring plenty of life to a home’s decor, especially after the temperatures have dropped and you’ve closed up the house for a season. Winter colors are warm this year, with a lot of browns blended in with reds, yellows and taupe, creating a cozy interior feeling through the long winter months. And if you’re looking to transform your home into…
Eco-friendly Tips to Protect Homes from Pesky Bugs
Cool weather signals homeowners to finalize outdoor chores and cozy up for the long winter ahead. It also signals pesky insects to head indoors seeking food sources and warm, safe places to hibernate. What can the smart homeowner do? Experts say the record-breaking summer heat has created a bumper crop of bugs. Ohio State University entomologist David Denlinger predicts that insects will continue to do well until frost comes. Home Invaders Unwelcome invasive pests like silverfish, spiders, earwigs, flies and ants are typical party crashers once temperatures fall. In the late ’90s a new pest appeared on the scene: the brown marmorated stink bug. First spotted in Pennsylvania, stink bugs are now in 38 states including Indiana, destroying gardens and landscapes and overwintering in homes….
Home Improvement Tips
Before selecting a remodeling contractor, you should carefully plan your project from start to finish. For example, if your project involves a room addition, determine exactly what your needs are, how the room is to be used, and what you want the completed job to look like. It is a good idea to coordinate your color schemes and draw a simple floor plan using miniature tables and chairs to lay out the room arrangement. Be specific in explaining to the contractor what you want, and be sure to approve any architectural plans that are involved in the remodeling job before the contractor begins the work. Hiring a Contractor It is extremely important to compare costs before making a financial commitment toward any home improvement project….
Don’t Get Burned by Furnace Fraud
Fall is the ideal time of year to have your furnace serviced – before the busy winter season starts. All too often, however, unsuspecting homeowners are duped into buying a new home furnace or authorizing expensive, but unneeded, repairs to their existing heating system by contractors who use scare tactics. The Better Business Bureau reports that while most furnace companies are reputable, competent and fair; others may falsely tell you that your furnace needs to be repaired or replaced when in reality it does not. These con artists may try to frighten you with warnings that your system is leaking dangerous gases that could explode or poison those inside the house. The most important first step is to not panic. Before you authorize any work,…
Creating Space
As a result of the downturn in today’s real estate market, many homeowners who planned to upgrade to larger homes are opting to stay put and renovate their existing homes instead. Consequently, homeowners and contractors are becoming increasingly more creative in order to find areas of existing homes that are seldom used and convert them into more useful living space. In fact, the blueprints for a new home office, mudroom or larger kitchen may already exist within the walls of your home without having to invest in a costly addition. Below are some examples of unique renovations that will not only maximize the living space and functionality of your home but it’s resale value as well. Kitchen: For most families, the kitchen is the most…
Ideas to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient this Winter
After winter has arrived, you know what’s coming next – higher energy bills. To get through the cold, dark months of the year, you flip on the lights and turn up the heat, both of which can send energy usage skyrocketing. It’s natural to want to cut those costs – the good news is, it’s easy to do. Making your home more energy efficient has a triple pay-off: your bills can decrease, you’re making a smaller environmental impact and you’ll be keeping your family warm and toasty. To make sure that your home is as efficient as possible, follow these four tips. Insulate When the temperature drops, we often grab a blanket to help stay warm. Adding insulation to your home is like wrapping it…
Garage Organization
This blog post is the first in a regular feature about the different services offered by our valued network of area contractors. To get the best price and attention, always contact The Homeowner’s Helper before seeking quotes. We often have multiple contractors for each service, so we strongly recommend you obtain at least two quotes (three or more quotes for larger projects) before proceeding with the project. Today we are featuring a question-and-answer with Jon Ross, the owner of Closet Concepts, which has locations in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. What are some simple/easy ways to get a garage organized in the winter in preparation for the spring/summer yard work season? Our garage shelving with doors, doors and baskets can store any of your garden tools,…
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