5 New Year Resolutions For Your Home

A brand new year is upon us and it’s filled with possibilities. If you’re like most Vancouverites, you’re probably excited your home has gone up in value in the past year.  But you’ll also want to increase your resale value with some fixing, painting, and organizing. Try implementing some New Year Resolutions for your home this year. Not only will you get more for your place, but you’ll be happy living in a clean, beautiful space.

 

Get organized

After the holidays it’s a good time to get rid of all that clutter. It can be difficult to know where to start but you’ve probably got storage solutions you didn’t know you had. Put up a high shelf between the walls of a narrow hallway, or trunk storage in out-of-the-way nooks, such as under-stairs spaces and between wall studs.

If your small home is pinched for space, don’t despair: There’s almost certainly still room for storage. You just might need to get creative.

 

Cut Energy Use

Your house can be a real energy suck. Gain control by trimming your energy use. A good place to start is your ductwork. Ducts are notorious energy-wasters, leaking your heating and cooling air through holes and loose connections.

Sealing and insulating your ductwork can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20%, saving you lots of money. You’ll also make your home more comfortable, and a more-efficient system helps extend the life of your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump.

Because ducts are usually hidden inside walls, ceilings, attics, and crawl spaces, sealing and insulating them may be difficult and time-consuming. If you can’t reach all your ducts, concentrate on those that are accessible.

Use duct sealant or metal-backed tape to seal the seams, holes, and connections.  After sealing your ducts, wrap them in fiberglass insulation. Most hardware stores and home improvement centers have insulation wrap products made for ducts.

 

Seal a Drafty Window

Weather stripping often becomes loose, worn or distorted when the strip gets sticky and attaches itself to the frame, then pulls loose. Windows have weather strip on the sash, frame or both. Regardless of its location, the steps for removing and replacing it are the same.

If the weather strip is in good shape and loose in only a few places, like the corners, apply a dab of polyurethane sealant to the groove and press the weather strip into place. Otherwise, replace the entire weather strip. First, remove the sash and set it on a work surface so you can access all four sides. If the weather strip is one continuous piece, cut it apart at the corners with a utility knife.

Starting at a corner, pull the weather strip loose from the sash. If the spline tears off and remains stuck in the groove, make a hook from stiff wire to dig it out.

Work the new weather strip into the groove, starting at a corner. You’ll hear it click as the strip slides into the groove.

 

Stop Annoying Squeaks

With a bare floor, you can eliminate floor squeaks the easiest, most effective way: by driving screws into the floor joists. Existing nails or screws tell you where the joists are. Walk around the room, pencil in hand, and mark squeaky spots. Drive screws about 6 inches apart and add more screws if needed until the squeak is gone. If you want to prevent squeaks from developing, add screws along all the floor joists.

 

Add Inexpensive Alarms

Burglars hate noises, so even a small alarm usually sends them running. Home alarms are not too expensive and are available at most home improvement stores.  The alarms don’t provide the same security as a professionally monitored system since the wireless devices are activated by doors or windows opening (not glass breaking). Use the alarms for doors and windows in ‘hidden’ areas of the house where you don’t normally gather and that are often dark.