South West Fl Real Estate Agent

Insulations Options for your Attic


Adding insulation in your attic can drastically help reduce your heating and cooling bills each month. The attic is a perfect place for hot and cold air to leak in and out. With proper insulation, your attic can provide you with an energy efficient home. There are many options for insulating your attic.

Insulating your attic is the number one way to help improve your heating and cooling bills and help make your home more energy efficient. When properly installed, attic insulation can decrease your energy bill by about twenty percent or more per month. In addition, there are many different types of material that can be used for insulating your attic. In most cases, you do not even have to hire a professional to install. The homeowner can do most attic improvements.

When looking at the type of insulation you will want to install in your attic, think about the R-value. The R-value of insulation is the insulations ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the more effective it will be to insulate. Insulations materials can vary in thickness. Some insulation averages R-3 while others are as high as R-8 per inch. It is important to remember that over time, any insulation will loose some of its ability to insulate and will reduce in R-value.

There are many reasons to consider replacing or improving attic insulation. For those who have little or no insulation, or who have very old insulation, replacing insulation has benefits. Also, you should consider insulation if you have high energy bills or if you attic or walls have been exposed during remodeling.

Before replacing or adding insulation to your attic you should determine whether or not you have moisture problems. Problems with moisture can become worse with adding insulation. Insulation can trap moisture causing mildew and mold to grow and spread. In addition, when water and moisture collect in the attic, it can cause stains and rot. Before putting in any insulation, it is best to seal all air leaks. This not only helps moisture, but also reduces heating bills by keeping cold air from entering the home.

There are many kinds of insulation that can be added to your attic. Insulation sheets and bats are easy to install. If you have an open attic space, some insulation sheets some may not be easy to install if the joists are not spaced evenly. Also, by applying a second layer of insulation blankets crosswise over the first layer can help seal cracks. This will help reduce heat loss. This can also prevent moisture problems.

Another type of insulation that is good for the attic is loose fill insulation. This is perfect for filling irregular shaped spaces. It also can have more complete coverage than bats. When installing loose fill insulation, it can be blown from a machine or hand poured and bought in a bag. If you like do-it-yourself projects, you can rent machines that will blow the insulation at rental stores. Caution should be used when using a machine to blow in insulation. The settings must be carefully set so that not too much insulation is used. If the insulation is too thick, it can cause settling and may not properly insulate the attic.

There are commonly used types of insulation that can be good options for using in attic spaces. Cellulose insulation is made from ground wood or paper. This type of insulation is often used in attics and usually has additives to prevent mold and resistance to fire. Fiberglass insulation is made of molten glass strands. This type is also fire resistant. Wood shavings used to be commonly used, but are not used much any more, especially in attics. Insulation made of wood shavings can be too heavy for the inside of attics and can promote fungal growth.

When working with insulation in your attic, extreme caution should be used. You should always protect your hands and eyes when applying insulation. Many types of insulation can irritate that eyes, nose and throat. It is always recommended to wear protective gear when using insulation in any part of you home. Adding or replacing insulation in your attic can be a good way to help lower your heating and cooling bill. Professionals can be hired to apply the insulation or many choose to do it themselves.

Look for an inspector who looks at the big picture, every home, new or old, has some minor repair issues.

Five Power Tools You Cannot Live Without


There are a lot of things that either needs to be repaired, or put together when youre a home owner. If youre a new home owner, and have just gotten out of apartment style living, you might want to take this list with you to the hardware store. From remolding jobs to putting together furniture you can use these 5 power tools to get your stuff together. Dont forget too that youll need a few extra tools for other jobs around the house.

Five power tools that you cant live without is a short list, but the work that they can do is a lot. Take a gander at the tools, and how they help you with tasks around the house.

Cordless Screwdriver. A cordless screwdriver will help you for all of those small tasks that dont need a lot of heavy power to do it. For example youll be able to use it for screwing furniture together, pre-drilling holes for hanging heavy objects on walls, or even to drill holes for picture frame hanging. One added benefit is that most have a reversible switch which lets you back out the screw if you need to.
Cordless Drill. Youll need a cordless drill especially if youve got a larger number of holes to drill for a project, and its handy too for not having to change out your screws between the screwdriver and cordless drill. They are great for making pivot holes for screws. The typical size of bit for home use is a 3/8 in. Anything larger is considered commercial size grade.
Corded Drill. A corded drill is necessary when youve got a large number of holes to drill. The cordless drill just doesnt have the power to drill through some material as a corded drill does. Its limitation is the length of the cord, but extensions can be added safely to it.
Power Circular Saw. Power circular saws are much easier on the hands than a hand saw, and they cut much more efficiently too. Break out the power circular saw when you want to cut large 2x4s, or any sheets of lumber such as particle board. Usually this power tool can cut a depth of up to 3 in. thick board without having to cut twice. Its a must have for any major home remodeling job.
Jig Saw. The jig saw will help you out of tough tight cuts. Intricate work like cutting around cabinet edges or anywhere a close fitting cut is necessary.

As you can see these power tools are the tools that youll need to get just about any job done around the house. Dont think that those will be the only tools youll need for living in your house. Here is a quick list of other necessities.

Caulking Gun. A caulking gun is used for a variety of projects around the house. If you want to put up a shower wall youll need the gun for adhesive. Other uses are for caulking around window frames and filler for holes.
Damaged Screw Remover. A very valuable tool for removing screws in which the head has been damaged from a bad bit, or from an overzealous drill. It can be a safety issue too. Damaged screws can have rough edges and deep cuts can result.
Damaged Nut Remover. A typical application of this neat little tool is for example removing a rusted bolt when replacing a toilet. Its good too for bicycle repair.
Wrenches. Different size wrenches are always good to have around the house.
Magnet. Long handled magnets on a stick are good for remodeling uses. Nails, nuts, bolts are easy to loose track of, and at times in very inconvenient places such as between floorboards or behind appliances. Make sure to get one. It might save you from an extra trip to replace hardware thats lost.
Circuit Tester. Inexpensive circuit tester kits are useful for testing to see if wires are useful for any electrical need that you have.

Home ownership is a joy, but its more joyful when youve got the correct tools to upgrade or fix any problem that you might have. Be prepared and get the 5 power tools, and pick up the other extras while youre at it. Youll breathe a sigh of relief when something comes around that you need to have your power tools for.