4 Simple Chores to Get Your Home Ready for Spring

Spring is here and you know what they say: April showers bring May flowers. Are you ready for this rainy season? Just as grey skies and weather warnings have us bringing out our rain boots and jackets, it’s important to ensure that your home is protected in the event of a storm. To spare you some headaches and a few costly repair bills, we’ve outlined our top four home maintenance items to tackle this (and every) spring.

Gutters

Gutters collect rain and help move it off of and away from your home. Uncovered gutters will fill with debris (leaves, sticks, rocks, trash, etc.) over time and should be cleaned out regularly. Unkempt gutters are unable to adequately move water away from your home; instead it will pool in the gutters and overflow onto your roof - which can cause serious damage. Cleaning out your gutters twice a year (in the fall and the spring) can help save you from major repairs.

Roof

It’s a good idea to assess your roof after the snow has melted. The several inches of white stuff that’s been on your roof for two or three months can hide damage. Once it’s gone grab a ladder (and a pal; don’t do this on your own!) and see what shape your shingles, flashings and chimney are in. You want to make sure that everything is attached properly and in good condition. Winter weather hits roofs very hard, so it’s important to ensure yours has fared well when things start to warm up or else you could be at risk for water damage when your first major rain storm hits.

Grading

While you may look at your lawn and yard in terms of gardening and landscaping regularly, how often have you thought about your grading? The slope of your outdoor space can have a big impact on the state of your indoor space. If your yard slopes away from your home, there’s nothing to worry about. However, if your yard slopes toward your home, you might be in trouble. Rain, like everything else, has to follow the laws of gravity. If your home is at the bottom of a downward sloping lawn, water will follow that slope, pooling around the base of your home and seeping into your foundation. This can cause all sorts of damage. Setting up your lawn so that it is flat or sloping away from your home is a must-do.

Cracks

Here’s hoping you sealed all your cracks before the winter, but if you weren’t able to take care of this chore a few months ago, it’s still valuable to do it now. Go through your home and caulk all the cracks in the walls and around windows and doors you see. These holes allow air to seep out and pests to get in. Sealing minor cracks will help make your home more energy efficient and deter unwanted bugs and rodents from making their nests in your space.

Taking care of these chores will help make your space more comfortable this spring and summer, and these little home improvement projects can prepare for your next big renovation or remodel. Not feeling confident enough to tackle these chores on your own? Connect with a local pro in your area and see how they can help with your space. Referral based websites like Angie’s List and HomeStars can put you in touch with the right company. Looking for more advice, ideas, and inspiration for your home? Follow @HomeShows on Twitter and Instagram, and like Home and Garden Events on Facebook.

Read More

Home Maintenance Advice: 5 Chores To Do This Spring

We’ve talked about cleaning, we’ve talked about organizing, and now it’s time for the final installment in our spring cleaning blog series: home maintenance. For many households, early spring is a time devoted to getting your home in shape. While you’re giving overlooked areas a good scrubbing and organizing as part of your spring cleaning chores, take some time to complete a little basic home maintenance. It’s the perfect opportunity to address anything that may have happened to your home during the colder months, and prepare it for the warmer ones. We’ve compiled a list of home maintenance tasks you should consider as part of your spring cleaning. Check it out below.

Gutters – Although the saying is “April showers bring May flowers”, we tend to see a lot of rain throughout the spring and summer. To help combat the adverse affects extensive showers and moisture can have on your home, it’s important to make sure that your gutters (or eavestroughs) are clear of debris. Over the course of the year, leaves, dirt, and litter can collect in your gutters. If you don’t clean them out, the water from rain and melting snow can get trapped, and instead of being directed away from your roof, will instead spill onto it, damaging your shingles and potentially seeping into your attic.

Image via This Old House

Roof – Your roof can take a beating during the winter (this harsh season is usually toughest on roofs). The freeze/thaw cycle we experience towards the end of winter can be especially damaging. Once it’s warm enough and the snow has melted, inspect your roof (either safely on a ladder or on the ground using binoculars). Look to see whether you have any broken or worn shingles.

Image via This Old House

Should you have any damaged shingles, get in touch with a roofing specialist (if you don't know one, check out a referral based website, like Angie’s List or HomeStars, where you can find local, recommended, experts) and have them repaired immediately. These can serve as an entry point for water, so you want them fixed as soon as possible.

Furnace/AC – Throughout the year your furnace and air conditioner will see a lot of use. Although these are complex systems, even the most basic maintenance can help keep them working efficiently and improve their lifespan. Once a month you should check your furnace and air conditioner filter to see if it needs to be cleaned or replaced. If the filter full of dust and debris that means your furnace or air conditioner has to work harder to cycle the air it’s either heating or cooling. A clean filter makes this process more efficient.

Image via Mother Earth News

Some filters are reusable; some are not. If your filter is not reusable and you need to get a replacement filter, measure your filter BEFORE buying a new one (trust us!).

Grading – As you start working on your flower beds, check to see which way the ground close to your home is sloping. If it slopes towards your home, you’ve got an issue. When it rains, water will follow the slope or grade of your lot. If the ground around your home slopes toward your home, the water will move toward your home and pool. This can lead to moisture seeping into your foundation and basement. To correct the issue, re-slope the ground to direct water away from your home. Some shovels and a bit of hard work should do the trick.

Image via Angie's List

Caulking – Although this is a chore you should have tackled before the winter (it really helps with drafts and pests), if you have yet to do it, do it now. Sealing cracks in your foundation and around windows and doors will help to keep moisture and bugs out of your home. It will also help to keep cool, conditioned air in and hot air out.  

Image via The Simple Dollar

This is something most homeowners can tackle on their own, but if this is outside your comfort zone, reach out to a professional.

We hope our spring cleaning series has helped you get more organized and prepared as we inch closer to summer. Missed our pieces on cleaning and organizing? Check ‘em out here and here. 

Read More

Sponsor Spotlight: Tony William Roofing & Exteriors

We're thrilled to have Tony William Roofing & Exteriors joining us at the Calgary Home + Garden Show, February 26 - March 1 at the BMO Centre & Corral. Here's an inside scoop on what's happening at Tony William Roofing & Exteriors and what you can expect from them at the show.

1. What are your featured products this season?

We focus mostly on high quality products resulting in long lasting roofs and exterior renovations. For instance:

• Malarkey Roofing products: a family run company that takes great pride in product quality. Malarkey leads the industry in terms of advancements in technology that bring asphalt shingles to the next level of innovation in roofing. Malarkey shingles recently developed a designer shingle - Malarkey Windsor - and it was Tony William Roofing & Exteriors who sold the first Windsor roof in Calgary.
• Hardie siding: a fibre cement siding which brings beauty, safety, and durability. The end result: a timeless exterior.
• Longboard Siding and Soffit are a favourite of ours as well: long lasting, no maintenance. You get the richness and beauty of wood without the upkeep, and always have a sleek, precision finish.
• Kayu Batu: bringing the beauty of exotic rain forest wood to the exterior of your home here in Calgary. It is functional, durable, and accentuates curb appeal. This and other quality products applied to your home's exterior by Tony William Roofing & Exteriors complement nearly any other siding product application.
• Celect siding by Royal: this revolutionary siding product comes in a variety of colours simulating wood finish without the maintenance.
• Shakertown: genuine natural colour grain of Western Red Cedar transforming homes into a work of art.

2. What can we look forward to seeing from you at the show?

We are focusing on spending time with potential customers! Our booth will showcase a display of some of the materials we use - however, we will be mostly using our space at Booth #667 as a meeting place to discuss future projects with potential customers and show them how Tony William Roofing & Exteriors is different. We stand alone among our competitors in Calgary because of our commitment to the little things. There are so many details involved and decisions to be made when thinking about starting an exterior renovation project of any size. The Calgary Home + Garden Show is such a great opportunity to discuss all the details and answer everyone's questions.

3. What home design and decor trends are you anticipating for 2015?

Homeowners are looking for a company and products that can withstand the test of time, not to mention the variety of weather that a home is exposed to here in Calgary. While the featured products we listed above are on point with home design and decor trends for 2015, the real trend heading into 2015 is "fortifying" your home: making the roof and exterior strong and durable while being sharp, classy, and timeless. We are entering a time where insurance companies are changing the way they operate when it comes to replacing storm damaged items on homes, often significantly increasing deductible amounts. The money customers do spend needs to count, and they need to be assured that the products being used and the company who applies them will be long lasting in our unique and volatile climate (weather and marketplace).

There is also a greater interest in building roofs and exteriors that are more efficient and environmentally responsible. Our product warranties are available from 25-50 years and offer advanced wind protection. Not only will your home be 'fortified' by using durable products, it will have a better insulation rating, and products chosen will not be in the landfill/need to be replaced in 10 years.

4. What inspires your products?

Our true "product" is service: the absolute best customer service. This is inspired by our desire to put quality and integrity back into our craft. We provide a service that allows homeowners to achieve the function and look they have envisioned for their home. The inspiration for the products we choose is customer driven: what is your vision? What is the absolute best product we can install to bring that vision to life while staying within the budget you have set out for your project? Our inspiration is you!

5. What is your favourite part about the Calgary Home + Garden Show?

In addition to meeting other exhibitors and seeing the products and services they have to offer, our favourite part of the show is getting face time with our potential customers and having a chance to speak to people about what we do and how we do it. Getting our name out there. Getting an opportunity to show potential customers how Tony William Roofing & Exteriors is different, and hear their questions and concerns about moving forward with a project, and sometimes even forming long lasting relationships! That is why we exhibit at the show year after year.

Don't miss out on Tony William Roofing & Exteriors' innovative products and exceptional customer service. Visit their booth at the Calgary Home + Garden Show and learn how they can help you with your next home improvement project. Don't have tickets yet? Right now you can get 2-for-1 on Facebook - bring a friend or family member to the show, we can't wait to see you there!

Read More

Cleaning Your Gutters: Don’t Eave It To The Last Minute

What’s on your “To Do” list right now? If cleaning out your gutters or eaves isn’t on there, grab a pen! We know it’s a busy time of year and that this is not a glamorous task, but trust us you do not want to leave this chore to the last minute. It’s much easier to take care of now, before the temperature dips dramatically and the wind begins to whip. It’s not safe or fun to be on a ladder in the snow.

Image via This Old House

As much as we might try to deny it, winter is coming. It’s a harsh season on your home, and your roof feels the brunt of its effects. Heaps of snow, ice, and sleet have the potential to cause serious damage. Cleaning your gutters before winter is in full force can help to protect your roof and your property.

Over the course of the year dirt and debris will accumulate in your gutters. Without a regular cleaning this buildup can impact how well your gutters work. It acts as a barrier, limiting the amount of water that can pass through. Gutters exist to collect the water that falls from the sky and drips off your roof. It moves through the gutter, down the downspout, and away from your home. If any part of that process is disrupted it greatly increases the chance of water seeping into your home. When water can’t move through your gutter it will remain there until it overflows onto your roof. Should that happen, there is a much higher possibility of it deteriorating your shingles, permeating your roof, and leaking into your home. 

Image via Right @ Home

When your shingles experience this type of wear and tear often, (clogged gutters continually overflowing water onto and under them), you could have more significant and costly issues on your hands. It’s best to avoid these headaches altogether by cleaning your gutters regularly – at least once every spring and fall.

If you simply don’t have the time to take care of this chore, consider hiring someone. Referral websites like Angie’s List and HomeStars will help you find someone reliable in your area. And, while you’re making sure your gutters are in good working order, take a look at your downspouts as well. They should extend at least six feet from your home to properly direct water away from your foundation. Completing these easy chores now will help protect your home for many months to come.

Read More

Pre-Winter Warm Up: 3 Chores to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Fall is in full swing. The leaves are beginning to turn, deciding to leave your jacket behind is becoming less and less of an option, and there's pumpkin flavored everything at your local coffee shop. We hate to say it, but hot on the heels of fall's arrival is a particularly unsavory character: Old Man Winter. It may be too soon to start talking about this dreaded season, (the amount of snow we are or aren't getting does tend to dominate most conversations for about three months so let's give it a rest for now), but it's not too early to prepare for winter's effects on your home. The blustery winds, severe snowfalls, and freeze-thaw cycles we experience during the winter can be hard on properties. So before the snow begins to fall and the ever-dropping temperature makes it harder and harder to be outside comfortably, try tackling the winter prep maintenance we've outlined below - your home and your wallet will thank you.

1. Seal up your home - Use caulking or weatherstripping to seal any of your home's cracks. Pay close attention to your foundation, windows, and doors. Although these little openings may seem inconsequential, fixing them will help to keep the heat in your home - when houses aren't sealed properly they get drafty and costly to heat. Not only that, it can also make a difference when it comes to deterring bugs and pests who are looking for a warm place to hide out from the cold.

Image via House & Home

2. Inspect your roof - As long as it's safe, get up on your roof and check or any damaged shingles or flashings. (If your roof is too steep to look at safely, grab your binoculars and take a look from a more reasonable height). If you notice any areas that look suspect, contact a roofing specialist. Should you encounter a problem, you want to make sure to catch it before there's a pile of snow on your roof slowly melting and seeping into your attic or forming an ice dam. Not sure where to find a reliable roofing company? Check out referral websites like Angie's List and HomeStars. Their user reviews will help you find a reputable individual or company to work with.

Image via House & Home

3. Change your furnace filter - You should be checking your filter about once a month. If it has accumulated a considerable amount of dust, it's time to change or clean it, (depending on the type of filter you have - some are disposable, some aren't). If your filter isn't dirty, put it back and check it again next month. Clean filters help your furnace to operate more efficiently and can even prolong its lifespan.

Tip: Measure your furnace filter before you go to the hardware store to buy a new one.

Image via Bob Vila

Home maintenance is one of the less fun things about fall's arrival, so we have to ask: what's your favorite thing about fall? What are you most looking forward to? We're definitely excited about our fall home shows! Check out the Marketplace Events home show nearest you to get expert advice and inspiration for every area of your home - US Shows & Canadian Shows.

Read More