Home Maintenance | Page #3

Home Maintenance

Its been a very warm fall-to-winter transition here in Calgary, Alberta, but we all know that won't last forever...

The colder months bring unique challenges that require homeowners to take proactive steps to protect their homes from the harsh weather conditions. Here are essential tips for maintaining a safe and well-cared-for property during the winter season.

  1. Inspect and Maintain Heating Systems: Before winter sets in with full force, have your heating systems, including furnaces, boilers, and chimneys, professionally inspected and serviced. Also make sure to clean or replace air filters regularly to ensure optimal performance.
  2. Protect Pipes from Freezing: Prevent pipes from freezing by insulating them. Shut off exterior faucets and…

608 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

When winter descends with its icy grip on Calgary, Alberta, it's essential to ensure your home is well-prepared to withstand the deep freeze. The bitter cold, snow, and freezing temperatures can take a toll on your property and your comfort. Well, Calgary: next week it's going to get cold!

To keep your home warm, safe, and functioning smoothly throughout the winter months, here are some important tips to consider.

  1. Service Your Heating System: Before winter arrives, have your heating system professionally serviced. This ensures that it's working efficiently and reduces the risk of breakdowns during the coldest months. Replace air filters regularly to maintain good indoor air quality.
  2. Draft Guards and Weatherstripping: Install draft guards…

437 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

As the vibrant hues of summer give way to the warm and cozy tones of fall, your garden requires a thoughtful transition to align with the changing season. Transitioning your garden from summer to fall ensures that it remains a beautiful and inviting space as the weather cools down. Here are some essential tips to guide you through this seasonal shift.

  1. Clear Out Summer Annuals: Bid farewell to your summer annuals that may have started to fade. Remove these plants and replace them with cold-hardy options like chrysanthemums, pansies, and ornamental kale, which thrive in cooler temperatures.

  2. Prune and Trim: Give your garden a tidy appearance by pruning back any overgrown or dead foliage. This not only enhances the garden's aesthetics…

386 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Winterizing your home is important because by doing so you are protecting your greatest asset. There are many items to winterize before a deep freeze: you should clear out rain gutters, flush outside hoses, finish any paint touch ups, do a landfill run if necessary, and so much more. Again: this is all about making sure your home survives the extreme cold. Especially in a country like Canada, where such extreme weather is experienced, winterizing is key.

One major winterizing task people are quick to forget about is their outside doors. While it may seem simple enough—they close, they lock, you move on—these are crucial to prepare for winter.

First, you want to make sure that your door closes easily and the hinges are well greased. Stiff doors…

409 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Gardening season is upon us, and the secret to a great garden is great soil. What makes soil great? Compost!

Thanks to the City of Calgary, every home has a Green Compost Bin. You can regularly put compost waste in it for collection, or you can keep it inside your yard and do your own thing. If you choose to make your own compost, here is what you need to do:

Add Base: Food scraps are the base for your compost. You can basically compost any kind of food, except for meat & dairy products. This is because meat and dairy will attract rodents and maggots, but also compromises the nutrient balance of the compost. Have a mini compost container in your kitchen for easy access, then regularly dump it into your compost bin outside and clean it to reduce…

5858 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

It is time to prepare for snow, Calgary.

We have had a beautiful, mild autumn this year! All of us here at Team Ken Richter hope you have had a chance to get outside and enjoy it. If not, take advantage of this weekend! Temperatures are expected to rise to 6 degrees Celsius, so get a warm drink and go soak in the sunshine.

With snow coming soon whether we want it or not, here are some items to take care of before it’s minus thirty with wind chill and these tasks become much more arduous:

Lawn Care: Rake up your leaves, give your lawn one last mow, remove any dead branches, tidy up the plant beds and take out your shovel from the shed. We recommend putting wooden stakes in the grass along flower beds so you don’t accidently shovel away your…

1465 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Every fall we write about winterizing your home. This is because properly winterizing your home is extremely important. Your property is precious and valuable, do not risk it being damaged. Think of it like a child you need to bundle up in the wintertime. The weather has been beautiful so far, but we all know that with Halloween quickly approaching, snow is inevitably on the horizon...

First things first, make sure the structure of your home is in top condition. Pay particular attention to the roof, windowsills and siding. Winter can get wet quickly with Calgary chinooks, so limiting your chances of leakage is crucial. Heavy snow can also collapse already damaged roofs, so again, take care of these right away.

Pipes can be another major problem…

1270 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

There are many reasons why homeowners decide to change their windows, including: water leakage, drafty seams, too much condensation (which can cause mould to grow on the interior), lack of outdoor noise control, poor temperature regulation, etc.. While cracks or breaks on the surface of the window are obvious cause for immediate replacement, the listed reasons for changing your windows are gradual issues that you need to keep a cautious eye on.

Many people choose to hire a contractor to come replace their windows. This is certainly a wise idea for large and/or heavy windows that will require precise professional care. However, for your average window, you can easily replace it yourself so long as you exercise extreme control and care. Don’t be…

1432 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Legacy Homes are truly beautiful. There is something so special about having a home passed down from generation to generation. These homes carry so much history and the walls have seen a thousand stories. To be entrusted with this legacy is such an honor and is something to be valued. If you have been entrusted with a legacy home, you should feel proud of yourself! 

So, what exactly is a legacy home? A legacy home is one that is passed down to you from someone else. This could be a newer home, or an original homestead from way back when. Legacy homes often carry significance to a family and are a transition of a major asset. These are not to be confused with Legacy Homes, a home-building company. 

While being the recipient of a legacy home can…

991 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

 

Security systems have always been a way to give homeowners peace of mind whenever they are away from their property for work, school, vacation, errands, or simply sleeping. In medieval times, castles were surrounded by moats to ward off unwanted visitors. In Victorian times, bells were placed along doorways and windowsills to alert residents of arrivals. In the seventies, 'beware of dog' signs were posted and pit bulls purchased. More recently, alarm systems triggered by the opening of a secured door have been used. Today, technology companies are designing new and improved home security. 

Studies have shown that the mere presence of home security, whether legitimate or not, is enough to ward off a potential trespasser. Some people will post…

1024 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post