All Posts By: Penny Worth

On the Level

The most important step in finding a good heating repair company is making sure they are on the level. This means they have all of their licensing in order. Every state has their own qualifications and requisites for becoming a licensed contractor. Make sure any company you’re considering has met those qualifications and can show you their active license as issued by the state. If you happen to live in a state where no such licensing is required, check to see if the company belongs to any professional organizations. These organizations have their own qualifications, which will at least let you know that someone considers this company a professional service.

Consumer Reporting

In the old days, you …

The popularity of the loft conversions relate to the benefits that are gained by the homeowner. One of the main reasons is that an often unusable room is transformed into space that is fully liveable, which has the potential to increase the marketable value of a property by as much as 20%.

If consulting with a loft conversion specialist, you will likely find out that there are two main types of loft conversions, which relate to the dormer and roof window conversion. A roof window conversion is basically the process of installing a specific type of roof window, which are effective at letting in a significant amount of light throughout the daytime. A roof window is also highly aesthetically appealing …

Choose the right space

The answer may not be as obvious as you might think. While, geographically, that corner in the living room may seem to make the most sense, its important to consider the level of distraction you may be facing in the future. Televisions, children, telephones, and pets can all come as unexpected distractions to your productivity. Choose a space with minimal traffic, minimal use, and minimal access to distractions.

Also, its important to be able to separate work life from home life- the ability to shut a door and “leave work” is absolutely crucial for reducing stress levels and reducing the risk of “burn out”. Perhaps an unused dining room, or formal living room could be a …

A well-maintained property including an attractive yard is a great asset to have; not only will you be able to enjoy it to the maximum but you will also be able to command the best possible price for it in the market. Therefore, you need to invest in proper drainage solutions for your property. In other words, you’ll need to hire a company that can offer you a comprehensive range of services that includes:

Re-sloping the ground in order to guide water flow in a particular direction, i.e. away from the foundation, flower beds etc. and towards outside drains.
Building and maintaining drainage channels to divert excess water away from the property. Drains below the surface will prevent the soil …

I suspect that your first question will be if this type of system is right for you and your family. Also, will it fit in your house? Some home may be more difficult to retro-fit than others. If you are renting a property, you will most likely not be able to fit a whole house water filter, but check with your landlord to see if they will allow you to. After all, they will benefit in the long run. Let’s look at a few of the benefits and drawbacks of using water filters or, in particular, whole house systems.

The obvious main benefit is that they can provide clean water to your whole house, via one single filtering unit. Other …

Gas Safety Week highlighted the dangers of gas and recent and old stories of carbon monoxide poisoning surfaced, reminding everyone how lethal gas can be. Trevor and Alan Leighton died of carbon monoxide poisoning in 1992 when a landlord reconnected a gas supply to an appliance that had been already been judged as unsafe by a registered engineer. An incident like this is easily avoidable and having a day’s worth of home cooking is never that worth it.

These days, registered engineers are incredibly accessible so make sure that you hire a safe, registered engineer when carrying out any gas work inside your home. ‘Gas safe’, the legal body for gas engineers also make it easy on their website to …

Your Fuel Options

Before you make any purchase of water heaters or even compare the various options, you will need to think about fuel first. Most homes use one of three options in their current systems. This includes electric, natural gas or propane gas. Any of these can be a good option for you. However, for those who want to save bigger, it may be possible to use a solar or geothermal option too. If you plan to switch sources of fuel, be sure to factor in the cost of making such a switch.

Family Size

The next consideration in selecting a heater is to consider your family size and usage needs. In most cases, the system will have a …