Now that fall is upon us and the weather is changing the house may seem to be a little more cluttered. Our sweaters and coats a spilling out of closets and dressers. Our boots and book bags seem to have taken up permanent residence on our floors in the hall and around doorways. These seemingly minute issues do have a tenancy to pile up into one nasty mess by mid December. Before the weather takes a serious turn for the colder it’s pretty smart to get things organized, stowed and put into place now.

Winter coats and jackets are much more bulky and intrusive than those lighter jackets we use in the spring and summer. So in order to preserve your sanity in searching for the correct coat for the correct person consider utilizing coat hangers. These can be installed in closets or in the open of an entryway. By installing coat hangers and shelves in an entry or hallway, a little more character can be added to a space. This also helps keep the coats aired out and easily accessible. Shelving units can be utilized with racks and hangers to help keep our book bags, gloves and hats off the floors and organized. This can also contribute to a cleaner household by not remaining in a smelly sodden heap on the floor.

Another issue that comes up during the colder months is boot and shoe storage. While it may be fine to walk on into the house with your shoes on your feet during a dry, clear spring day, but the opposite is true for a blustering winter snow storm. Shoe racks and cubbyhole shelves can help keep footwear stored, organized and can also serve as a way to keep the wet grime from sitting on your floors and destroying them. These racks can be utilized in closets, entries and mud rooms effectively all year round. It keeps things tidy, organized, cleaner and contributes to a more efficient layout of home spaces.

Winter also brings with it gusty, low temperature winds. Doors can be blown in suddenly while the family is getting ready to go out. Checking and replacing doorstops can hep to prevent damage. Old and worn out door hardware can also let in drafts and contribute to higher heating costs. Check and repair or replace any door hinges or handles that may not work properly.

Weather stripping is particularly important in preventing drafts. Be sure to check that your doors have a good seal to prevent serious drafts. Inspect all your windows to ensure they close, seal and secure properly. Some repairs or replacements may be very helpful in keeping your house warmer and cleaner during the colder months.

Remember that winter is a time when we close our doors and windows effectively sealing ourselves off from the outside. The best way to retain heat is to ensure that those seals are effective and in good condition. As a side effect of closing ourselves in, we tend to collect both moisture and clutter from extra necessities. To prevent this from turning into a serious issue by spring, organization and proper space management can go a long way.

Water conservation starts at home. We all know this, but do we really know what that means? Of course turn off the water while brushing your teeth, and don’t let the water run to long in the shower are the first things that pop into our minds. But we can build upon our responsible habits of water conservation by utilizing efficient fixtures as well.

These include low volume toilets, efficient faucets and shower heads, and energy star high efficiency appliances like dishwashers and washing machines. Any of these items, if installed during your next remodeling project can save hundreds of dollars a year. Not to mention the environmentally responsible aspects of greater efforts at water conservation. Our pocket books like the environment can be severely depleted by our irresponsibility regarding water conservation.

In addition to financial and environmental responsibility, our new fixtures and appliances can be quite attractive. No one likes using a tarnished and crusted over sink faucet. Make your bathroom look good and work even better with low volume fixtures. The benefits of replacing your fixtures with low volume replacements can prevent future problems and expenses. If your current faucet or shower head is crusted over with hard water deposits the reliability of good seals is reduced. Water damage can become quite extensive from a very small leak. Thus by replacing a faucet and a shower head at around $50.00 each, you could be saving costly tile, flooring and carpentry work in the future. Your toilet too, can use up a lot of water, and if there is a leak nothing pleasant can be expected in the repairs. Replacing with a new low volume toilet cuts down your water usage by up to three gallons a flush. The replacement with also provide you the opportunity to inspect the seating flange and valve for any necessary repairs.

Get your clothes and dishes clean with high efficiency, low volume appliances. You can expect a better cleaning of your wardrobe and dishes from these newer washers then even those ten years old. This is the result of cleaner water being used in lower quantity which results in fewer hard water deposits and more efficient cleaning technologies. Each high efficiency appliance include a water filtration system that removes extra particles from the water. This in turn, requires less water for soaking and rinsing. Thus your clothes and dishes come out cleaner with fewer minerals dried in the the fibers or onto the surface. All this is done with less water and energy, saving your money in the interim.

Be sure to look at your plumbing lines to assess if additional repairs may be needed. Early detection of issues can prevent serious problems down the line. Besides repairs and replacements to water and drain lines are much more easily done during the initial replacement rather than after. Repairs after may also have lead to damage which could cost more money, time and effort than the initial replacement of an old and crusted valve.

Ever walk into a room and trip over something on the floor while tracing the wall with you fingertips looking for the switch? If your like most people today, this has happened to you more than once. Not only do we all struggle with those illusive light switches, but out of reach ceiling fans can be a pain to switch settings or turn on and off as well. There are many different solutions to these problems and a few handy household electrical gadgets that can make life so much easier.

Lighted or glowing switch plates and switches can make the locating those troublesome switches much less of a bother. Plates can glow by utilization of phosphorescent coatings that absorb light during the day and glow with a pale light in the dark that is easily seen. The switches themselves can be treated with the same phosphorescent coating. Although in many cases the switch itself is equipped with a bulb that automatically turns on when the switch is turned to the off position. This light stands out distinctly in the dark and makes finding the light switch more convenient.

For less obvious solutions to the run away light-switch problem, many people have turned to the use of remotes. These remotes can come in many forms and perform many handy functions. The simplest is a key fob remote, which can turn on your lights inside from a distance of up to 50 ft away and around corners in many cases. This gives a little added security by being able to actually turn on the lights inside the house from the outside. Other types of remotes can be set for more than one light or set of lights. These tend to take on the more traditional appearance of a remote and can vary in size. For example, a universal lighting and component remote can change the settings of your fan, turn on specific lights, and turn down the volume on your home electronics.

Before considering a particular remote for your home consider first, your particular needs. It can be frustrating to have a highly technical remote that would be able to control lighting, home entertainment components, open garage doors, and engage security systems if all that was needed as a simple remote to turn on the lights inside the house while carrying an armload of groceries to the kitchen. Likewise it can be discouraging to have a remote that performs only part of what you may need it to do.

Once you have an idea of what you may be in need of, consider your current lighting and component arrangement. While many lights will work wonderfully with a remote, many may not. Consult your electrician about any additional equipment that may be needed for the best suited remote set up. It may be necessary too, for you to invest in more than one remote. If there are multiple family members or more than one major entry point of your house, a second remote could be a very good idea.

The first step in any home theater project is to plan and then prepare the room. Things like the placement of the television or projector, sound proofing, and the routing of cable need to be looked at during this step. In order to do that with the fewest cables and connectors, Gefen products should be on your mind.

Gefen is the world’s leader in audio/video connectivity. They supply a wide selection of signal switchers, splitters, extenders, scalers, converters, KVM solutions and home theater accessories for everyday usage. You are going to want to map out your entire home theater room in order to know how many of each product you will need.

The second step is to figure out which television or projector you need for your project. There are some really good all-in-one packages on the market today and for some people this is the way to go. The do-it-yourself guy wants to be able to mix and match for the perfect home theater. The only true benefit to buying a home theater system package is having a warranty on the entire system. Mixing components may void some warranties. The right sized television will help to frame the room and reduce eye strain. Some people can even get motion sickness or feel claustrophobic if the room is too small for the television.

Hopefully, you were able to get a few tips from this article. The information was brief, but to the point. Remember to plan you project before you start or you may get lost along the way.

Did you think that living digitally meant freedom from boxes that came with a monthly bill attached? Did you hope that your music, movies, and pictures could be enjoyed on any television or in any room without adding a bunch of new wires? Boy, were you wrong until recently. BOCS(Broadcast Over Cable System) starting asking those same questions and discovered that no one had invented the technology necessary to pull these things off.

BOCS is a system of integrated, wireless components that allow you to watch what you want to watch from any television in your home without having to buy or lease another cable box or have any additional wires ran throughout your home. The MediaHub is placed wherever your sources are in your home – typically in your main TV viewing location. You connect up to three devices using the supplied composite Audio/Video cables into the corresponding inputs of the MediaHub. The MediaHub then creates three new TV channels and inserts them into the coax wiring in the wall. Each device also gets an Infrared LED stuck to it which connects to the MediaHub so the device can be controlled remotely. The Supercombiner is inserted between where the cable modem splits off and the main cable splitter filters out the appropriate frequencies so the BOCS™ channels can be inserted and also takes care of redistributing the MediaHub created channels to the rest of the home.

By adding a few components to your home theater system or a regular television, the BOCS system allows you to decide what you want to watch an where in the house you watch it. This gives you freedom from the constraints placed on you by the cable system or satellite network that you currently subscribe to.

In order to know what Altronix equipment you will need, you will have to plan your entire home theater system. Things like …Are you going to us a personal computer to control the sound?, What hardware are you going to use?. These things all have to be considered before you will know which Altronix components are right for you and how many of each you will need.

Once your system is working you will not want it to fail. Altronix power supply equipment has one of the best quality records in the industry. The company was formed in 1983 and has consistently performed at the highest levels in the field. Home theater power supply is not the limit of their equipment’s capabilities. Altronix offers a comprehensive line of Security, Fire, CCTV, Access, Nurse Call, and Automation products, also. The security industry requires electronic components which can perform flawlessly under rigorous conditions, twenty-four hours a day and Altronix has consistently supplied those products.

When you design a home theater system, home security system, or any other electronic system in your home, you want quality and dependability to be inherent in the system. You do not want to have to worry about the failure of an expensive system because of the most basic systems. Altronix offers you that peace of mind.

Are you annoyed with having to iron everything you take out of your closet because is is so cramped or stuffed full? You will be amazed with what a little closet organization can do. One way to do that is to install a closet organizer. Here are the materials, tools, and instructions on how to install that organizer.

Materials

Shelving components, closet organizer or shelving, new knobs for your doors from Century Hardware.

Tools

Flat pry bar, level, tape measure, stud finder, pencil, hacksaw, drill with Phillips bit, screwdriver, and a hammer.

The easiest and least expensive way to an organized closet is to use coated wire shelving. You can buy these in a kit or individual components. You can save money by using an old dresser in the closet and building shelves around it. There are a lot of options here, so plan carefully before you begin the project.

Installation steps

1. Use the hammer and pry bar to remove any existing shelves or rods. Spackle all holes then repaint the closets interior.

2. Measure your closet carefully. Plan out where your long and short length cloths will be hanging. That will make your cloths less crowded. Make a rough drawing of how the closet will look when it is done. When you are estimating space, remember that the shelves are going to be about 2 inches thick. Many times a kit will do for everything except the new knobs and hardware for the doors. You will want to order these from Century Hardware. You may need to cut the shelves and hanging track with the hacksaw.

3. Use the level an pencil to draw a line 6 inches above where you want the first shelf to be. Find all of the studs. Cut a hanging track to fit each wall, then screw it to every available stud. Slip the standards into place every 16 to 32 inches apart.

Those are the basics of installing a closet organizer. You can choose to add a wire basket or shoe shelf or any of a dozen other options to fit your needs. While you are remodeling the interior of the closet, you could repaint the closet door(s) and add new knobs and hinges from Century Hardware.

Good luck with your project!

DoorBell Fon

Unfortunately, in these times, home security is a major concern for us all. You can lock windows and doors, even bar them, but eventually you will have to answer the door to someone. How can you do that without exposing yourself to potential attack? Well, DoorBell Fon is one way. You can answer any door or gate from the security of your house without ever unlocking the door.

When a visitor presses the button on the door intercom, the DoorBell Fon rings the phones in your home with a distinctive ring. Pick up the phone to converse with the door. If you are on the phone when a visitor arrives a call waiting tone will sound to alert you. In fact, the DoorBell Fon system will even work without phone service. The system provides the necessary voltage to operate on its own, keeping you safe at all times. This means never having to open the door to a stranger again.

Home invasions are at their worst and the numbers are climbing to staggering heights. DoorBell Fon helps to provide security where it is needed the most…your home. This system is not for the rich only. It is very affordable for everyone. Even though you can’t really put a price on security, DoorBell Fon does help you to be one step closer to breathing at ease in your own home.

ACME staple gun

The often overlooked staple gun is as much of a construction main stay as the hammer. The Acme Staple Company is on the cutting edge of improving and designing staplers that will meet the needs of any company or individual.

Founded in 1894, Acme has operated continuously since. The company stays on the cutting edge of the industry because of its commitment to offering specialized and custom staplers for every use. Their staplers are not only used in home renovation and construction, but in the graphic arts, printing, and shipping industries. They will make staples out of any feasible material and offer a tensile to your specifications.

What that all means to the average guy working on a home project is toughness and durability. When you staple down a tarp or wall wrap you want to know that the staples will hold. If you are building a wood working project, you need the staples to hold. Acme Staple Company offers that to you. You get the same quality and toughness that the guys on the job site get. That takes a little bit of the stress of home renovations off of your mind.

Whether you are working at home or on the job site, Acme Staple Company offers a product that will meet every performance requirement that you may have. Their staples come in several different metals for any purpose that you may need to have met. Try using Acme staples on your next project and see if you are satisfied or not.

When planning out a remodeling or renovation project the design can be the most fun and sometimes one of the most frustrating aspects. Rarely is the initial designing taxing or irritating in any way. In fact selecting the finishes for your walls, floors, and surfaces can be an exciting game. But when it comes down to the actual installation improper preparation can thwart a gorgeous design into a hobbled version of itself. By carefully planning out any obstacles that may come up, including code requirements, product ratings, electrical and plumbing capacities, we can be more confident that the final product will closely resemble the original image we were hoping for.

Measure twice and cut once is a mantra heard echoing on any job site. The same can be said, with slight modification, to designing. Measure twice, design once. Proper measurements of the existing space and layout of all fixtures and lines is imperative in planning out a new space, particularly if the new space will not keep its original dimensions. Knowing precisely how the original was laid out down to a fraction of an inch, can help with properly laying out the new floor, electrical, plumbing, and in some cases structural plans. Note also in your original layout where the electrical and plumbing mains are in relation to the project area.

The placement of the mains can have a dramatic effect on the cost of a remodel. If your kitchen sink and dishwasher were at one end of the kitchen, directly above the main water lines to the water heater, it is going to cost more to move them to the opposite side of the kitchen than to reinstall them in a position close to the original location. Likewise, electrical feeds must be run for new appliances or lighting. Sometimes the projected scope of work calls for more than the capacity of the existing electrical panel can carry. If this is the case, a sub panel must be installed, this is no small matter. Is it becoming clear why planning and careful attention to detail must be paid while still in the designing phase?

Another issue to pay close attention to is your actual fixture and finish product selection. For instance if you are replacing an electric stove for a gas one, be sure to plan for running gas lines and the appropriate electrical to accommodate. Not all appliances can just be plugged in. Another example would be counter tops. Marble is beautiful and costly, thus making it a much desired and sought after surface. Be sure to ask about it’s rating and maintenance. Travertine has been sealed with a resin to make the surface of the marble less absorbent, while a natural quarry marble has not. The effects of both can be quite different, but one is prone to staining and needs sealing in order to preserve its beauty more so than the other. Speak with your supplier about ratings for any and all finishes you plan on using, and what to expect from them in your particular installation. This can head off extra work, expense, and headache down the road.

Be mindful as you prepare for your project and remember that proper planning will give you the best result which will closely mirror the image you have set for the final. While poor planning will often result in frustration and extra cost. Enjoy the game of designing your remodel or renovation from start to finish by heading off problems before they have a chance to become one.