Spring Cleaning Checklist

It's almost that time of year again, time to change the clocks and welcome the birds chirping, seeds sprouting, and rainshowers. If you live here in Colorado, well, we have a little while before rejoycing in the coming of summer, March is our snowiest month. Nonetheless, one can't help but get excited! So with the coming of Spring brings the usual spring cleaning. Here's a great checklist from Country Living to get your home in shape.

• Set your clocks AHEAD an hour. Yay for Daylight Savings!
• Check your smoke & carbon monoxide detectors. Replace the batteries.
• Start dusting. Top to bottom is most efficient.
• Flip or rotate your mattresses.
• Wash your pillows.
• Deep clean the kitchen. Get rid of expired items, clean the fridge, organize!
• Swap out heavy blankets for cooler weather linens.
• Start an indoor herb garden!
• Ventilate. Air everything out starting in the basement.
• Start up your dehumidifier. (For those outside of DRY Colorado)
• Clean the carpets. Rent a shampooer and get them good.
• Wash your windows inside & out.
• Prep your A/C unit/s. Clean filters, install properly.
• Clean your patio or deck
• Trim up your shrubbery
• Put out planters and freshen soil
• Prep your pool if you have one
• Unpack garden hoses
• Fertilize your yard
• Sweep your stoops & replace door mats
• Clean your shower curtains
• Conquer built up clutter!

Read More

Money Saver: Xeriscaping the alternative landscape

Another money saving idea for you, Xeriscaping. Heard of it? Basically it's landscaping that is specifically designed to save water aka save money. But the other huge benefit is that it typically requires far less maintenance. It's very common here in the Denver area, we apparently coined the term back in 1978.

So what is it and what does it look like? Well it can be a complex process if you take it to the extreme. There's the plan and design that takes into account things like curb appeal, sun direction, etc. Then you've got different soils to choose from, compost being the best. Then we look at the irrigation system, regular sprinkler heads vs drip lines all tailored to the specific plants and evaporation. Now for the important part, the plants, turf, and mulch all of which have various options suited for optimal efficiency.

My thought of Xeriscaping was always a barren looking brown and dry yard. I figured you plant a bunch of cactus and cover everything in rock...not exactly my idea of a nice looking yard. I was completely surprised at the variety of plant and design options available that actually look good! So if your yard is needing an overhaul why not go with something that will save you money and time.

Read More

A change in the tide: Renovation & Remodeling trends 2010-2011

As a result of the times people are changing the way they do things in their every day lives and those changes have now translated into the home improvement realm. There is an overall change in the tide with construction these days...

One of the biggest trends we've seen this past year has been the green movement. It started as a catch phrase but has grown into an actual movement since the downturn of the economy and job market. People are changing not only their lifestyles with food choices and exercise plans but they're also desiring a clean and healthy home for their family. Sustainable flooring and recycled building materials are a common request.

The next biggest trend we've seen in the industry is a scaling back of home improvement projects. In the past homeowners didn't put any thought into the future when they splurged on major home renovations. With the economy today homeowners are cautious of the future and want to make sure that they aren't going to lose their investment in their remodeling projects. They realize the possibility that they could become a victim of the poor job market and don't want to find themselves upside down, having to sell their home for less than they've put into it.

So with this cautious attitude we're seeing more and more small scale projects instead of the big home additions. Instead of gutting kitchens, tearing down walls, and purchasing top of the line appliances we're seeing more of a facelift approach. A lot of homeowners are re-purposing and reusing their exisiting cabinetry and flooring, updating only the countertops and fixtures. The same goes for bathroom remodels, adding some tile flooring, a new tub, and a fresh coat of paint is enough to get a noticeable update with a quarter of the cost.

Along those same lines of scaling back the focus of improvement projects has become "maintenance" projects. Replacing siding, windows, roofing, and doors to uphold the integrity of the home are common practice now according to Martin Conneely of Conneely Contracting.

Color is the new black! The color trends that are popping up seem to follow this overall lifestyle change to get back to the basics and back to our roots. The color pallets are broadening and earth tones and deep rich colors are popular. On the design side we're seeing these colors paired with a global influence in fabrics and decor. As the new year approaches expect to see a move toward simplicity and clean lines with more vivid and rich colors. "In 2010-2011, we’ll see a trend toward consumers choosing livelier colours to reflect their optimism in their quest for a brighter future.” says Stéphanie Pelland, Marketing Communication Manager for the Sico brand and member of the international colour forecaster Color Marketing Group.

Check out the Home Renovation Guide for more insight into the upcoming design trends.

Read More

Week of Freebies: Eco Fin Deck Stain

One of the best things you can do to maintain a new appearance on your deck is to keep up with the stain and seals. Regular maintenance like this will keep your deck looking brand new for years and save you costly repairs or worse, having to replace the entire decking surface.

Sun Frog has come out with a new wood staining product, Eco Fin, which is made from soy products and is a low VOC wood finisher for interior and exterior applications. You can use it not only on your deck but also on furniture. It protects against abrasions, sun, and water damage. Less than 2% of the can contains VOC which means a minimal carbon footprint. It comes in a variety of colors and tones and can even be used as a tint base for non Eco Fin colors.

Head over to get your hands on some Eco Fin and tackle two birds with one stone, home maintenance and eco friendly living!

Read More

Week of Freebies: Soy Clean BBQ Cleaner

Now here's something new, a cleaning product for your BBQ that is made from soybeans!

SoyClean BBQ Grill Cleaner harnesses the power of soy for a high perfromance green alternative to traditional products. A safe and effective way to remove char, grease, and burnt-on barbeque residue from grills and smokers. Also works well on ovens and grill hoods. Barbeque Grill Cleaner's bio-based content is 91% as tested by Iowa State University using conventional radiocarbon analytical methods.

Luckily for all of you World of Green, a great place to find all things green including everything from green building to green skin care, is offering a free sample of SoyClean. All you have to do is head over and email their customer service department for your goodies.

And when you fall in love with the product no need to worry, a full gallon of this stuff is only $19.99 which will last you many years of clean grilling.

Read More

Is Your Contractor Lead Certified per the EPA?

The latest enforcement to hit the construction industry is the Environmental Protection Agency's new lead handling regulations for contractors. The regulations require contractors to be certified in safe lead paint handling practices. That's right, the lead scare is back... but is it?? The truth is that the new regulations surround some rather far fetched ideas about lead contamination but unfortunately those of us in the trade must comply. Their argument is that by doing home renovations on homes painted with lead containing paint there is the possibility of lead contamination through the dust particles that may be disturbed during the project.

The National Association of Home Builders has urged the EPA to delay the enforcement but it's falling on deaf ears. The use of lead based paint in the US has been outlawed since 1978 but as you can imagine a large percentage of homes pre-date the ban, and therein lies the problem. In Denver it's estimated that about 80 percent of the homes were constructed prior to 1980.

When the government and it's associated agencies say jump we are left with no choice but to jump. So when composing your list of questions for prospective contractors make sure to ask them about their lead handling certification. And try to keep in mind that regulations and requirements like this will raise the rates of your project so try not to attack your chosen contractor when you see the related costs... it's not our fault, we're just doing as we're told.

Learn more about the new EPA regulations

Professionals looking to get certified

Read More

Product Watch: Bacteria used for making Eco Bricks??

You wouldn't think that the terms "eco" and "bacteria" would go sononomously but according to the latest product catching press in the United Arab Emirates the tides may be about to change. The latest in eco building products are bricks made from bacteria and sand! The specifics are obviously a bit more complicated but essentially the bacteria binds with specific solutions and the sand. When placed in a form the end result is an eco friendly brick ready to compose the walls of the next skyscraper. These new bricks require no baking in a kiln and therefore eliminate the need to burn coal for fuel. The creator estimates that this will reduce the amount of carbon emissions by 800 million tons annually!

This new discovery is still under testing with environmental engineers but the predicted future is a positive one. Ginger Kreig Dosier, an American architecture professor, is responsible for the find and she hopes to mass produce the bio-bricks for under developed countries and ultimately the US for the same cost as standard clay bricks. Construction of the future should prove interesting if discoveries like this persist!


~5280 Lady

Read More