Home Maintenance | Page #4

Home Maintenance

 

Winter is coming.

With snow arriving and more to come, it is officially time to do all the little projects you have been neglecting so far this autumn. After all, no one likes to do hard labour in the freezing cold. The weather is going to reach a high of 16 degrees on Saturday, giving you the perfect day to complete everything on your to-do list!

Autumn is a great time for finishing renovation projects you started in the spring/summer and beginning new ones to prepare your home for winter. Remember that home renovations are an important part of keeping your property up to date and in the best condition possible. They may cost you upfront, but they add incredible value to your property. We highly recommend taking regular stock of your home and…

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There is no denying it, autumn has arrived and it is time to start preparing for winter. With warm weather expected this weekend, now is the perfect time to prepare your property for the long, snowy months ahead (don't get too sad, Calgary is a great place to live in the wintertime! But more on that later). We're going to miss green grass and leaves, but the autumn colors are beautiful--so lets protect them. 

Winter can wreak havoc on your lawn if you do not prepare it properly. What your lawn needs most in the wintertime is Potassium so it can stay strong, just like us. Today's Homeowner writes, "Potassium is a very important nutrient in overall plant health. It works at the cellular level to strengthen and harden plants from top to bottom, making…

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They say there is nothing quite like home-sweet-home, and they're right. Our homes are where our families grow, our treasured possessions are kept, our pictures are on the wall and our memories are made. When we're not at home, we crave our bed and miss knowing just how much to turn the tap to get the perfect temperature of water. Our homes are deeply personal, a major part of our lives. 

Perhaps we're getting sentimental. After all, Valentine's Day is just one week away. However, we are firm believers in the importance of a home, not only because so many people are not fortunate enough to have one, but because homes do play a major role in our lives. 

We love our home! But do we always treat it with love? No. Sometimes we let it fall into…

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Spring is officially here, and judging by weather forecasts, it may be around to stay. This means that Calgary is entering into a phase known as ‘The Great Thaw.’ The Great Thaw is that time of year when month-old piles of frozen snow begin to melt, when foundations begin to settle back in and when the trees start to stretch their limbs. Calgary is getting ready to say goodbye to another long winter and to welcome a fresh spring.

The Great Thaw is a beautiful, exciting time of year. Calgary’s colour palette turns back from grey to green. Outdoor sporting events, BBQ’s, evening walks and blooming flower beds are on the horizon. However, The Great Thaw also comes with its own unique set of challenges. At the foremost of these challenges is the effects it…

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With Christmas quickly approaching many people are preparing to leave for vacation. Along with making sure you pack enough pairs of socks and that book you’ve been meaning to read, make sure that you also prepare your home for your absence. The most important thing you need to do to keep your home safe over the holidays is to make it appear occupied and well looked after. There are a number of ways you can do this:

Leave A Light Leaving a light on makes it look like someone is always home. Leaving a light on all the time is not very energy efficient, though. This is why we recommend investing in a light that you can control via your smartphone to turn on and off at certain times while you are away.

Turn On The Radio: Leaving a radio on is not only…

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Even the best built home filled with the fanciest appliances will experience normal wear and tear as the years go on. How quickly this happens depends on a number of factors, such as materials, installation, climate, use, etc.. This is completely natural and should be expected. The problem is most homeowners do not expect it–or, they forget about it and then are hit with unexpected and bank account altering issues.

By taking preventative measures and really caring for every part of your home, you can make it last much longer without the hardship of replacing things. Here are some areas outside of the home with things you can do now to prevent damage to them:

Roof: Spring and summer are the perfect time to do roof maintenance since it is so nice…

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The snow may be melting, but the cold nights mean that the moisture turns to slick ice. While most ice is visible to the naked eye, some ice is far more dangerous and deceptive.The city is well equipped to handle the ice on the roads, as evidenced by all the leftover salt and gravel that washes up come spring, but the sidewalks are another story.

Sidewalks in urban centres, such as downtown and shopping areas, tend to stay clear since businesses want to avoid a lawsuit. However, your personal sidewalk is your own responsibility.

There are two major reasons to keep your sidewalk and walkways clear: the first is that when snow and ice build up, it can damage the pavement and produce significant cracks. The second reason is that having lots of ice and…

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There is something in the air. It bites at your cheeks and makes your nose run. It clings to your car and has turned golden fall leaves crunchy and brown. It has frozen your windows shut and has usurped your garden. The frost has arrived. It is in full force, making up for the lack of fluffy white snow. It may not look quite like winter, but it definitely is starting to feel like winter.

Monitor your home’s water systems. Water systems that are not properly winterized can do incredible damage, such as cracking your pipes, blocking flow and ruining any filtration systems. Turn off all outdoor water taps and make sure they are properly sealed for winter. Make sure that faucets indoors are all used frequently: run the hot water for a minute to clear away…

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With a new season slowly entering Calgary, citizens are taking advantage of the remains of summer. Soon golden leaves will start falling to the ground, but for now the sun is shining late into the evening and the flowers are still in bloom.Tis’ the season for last minute camping trips, BBQ’s and late night adventures. Summers in Calgary are precious, after all.

This summer had a very smoky finale. After weeks of raging forest fires in B.C and northern Washington, smoke drifted into Calgary. The sun was obscured, the air was thick and people were warned not to go outdoors. At one point, Calgary air quality rated at 17 on a 1-10 scale. Unfortunately in some cities bad air is a daily struggle. However, for Calgary this was quite the shock to the system.

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Calgary is a city that leads in innovation and conservation. We may get a bad rap for being an oil industry centre, but Calgary is actually an extremely conscientious city when it comes to keeping the environment healthy. The city does this by educating students, striving to go green as much as possible, protecting natural areas around and within the city and, most recently, giving every house a black and blue bin.

As you know by now, the black bin is for garbage and the blue bin is for recycling. This includes bottles, cardboard, paper, glass, etc. While a lot of things can go directly into this blue bin to be collected by the city, there are many things you shouldn’t put in it. The city website says it best: “When you put items that don’t belong in…

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