Category Archives: Yard & Outdoors

Can a Termite See

May 02, 2024   Matt

Can a Termite See

Have you been wondering about the age old question, can a termite see? Me either, but it is an interesting question. After all, these small pests can infiltrate a home and cause a huge amount of damage, but how do they find their food source? Do they see a tasty huge old Victorian home and call all their bodies to road trip on into the foundation? The truth is that in most termites, they have no eyes, so the easy answer to the question can a termite see is No. Some of the reproductive members of a termite colony will have eyes because they also have wings, but in general, termites cannot see.

So how do they find their food? That’s almost as good a question as can a termite see! Termites are blind, and they really have no method to their madness, so to speak, when it comes to finding a food source. Basically, they wander around moving about until they encounter some type of resistance at which time they switch directions and keep going until they find something they are able to eat. We’re not talking about a cross country road trip, but let’s just say you have termites in a wood pile behind your home. When they finish up with the wood and decide they want a different kind of wood and head toward your house, the travel across your yard might feel like a cross country journey to them!

Some people consider the question can a termite see frivolous, but it really can mean a lot to the person who is interested in getting rid of or preventing a termite problem. If they can’t see, all they can really rely on is touch. They like wet places – especially wet places with damp wood. Take steps to make sure you have no leaks around your home that may attract your blind enemy. Don’t let the soil underneath your house get wet in any way, and keep the soil away from the foundation of your house if at all possible.

When doing landscaping work, you may want to use a wood mulch to decorate. If you want to do this, keep the mulch away from the foundation of the house and always use black landscaping to keep the termites from emerging from the soil and eating through your mulch. An even better idea is to use stone when landscaping.

We hope we’ve answer your question about can a termite see effectively. For more information, you may also want to consult an encyclopedia or look on the Internet to become fully informed about those pesky termites!

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How To Get Affordable Homeowner’s Insurance In Alabama

April 27, 2024   Matt

How To Get Affordable Homeowner’s Insurance In Alabama

If you have a mortgage on your home it will come as no surprise to you that your lender requires you to purchase homeowner’s insurance. But did you know that almost 90% of Alabama homeowner’s who own their homes free and clear still choose to purchase homeowner’s insurance?

The reason isn’t difficult to figure out. For most people their home is their biggest and most prized asset and they simply want to do whatever they can to protect that asset. And well they should.

On the other hand there’s no benefit to paying any more for homeowner’s insurance than necessary and so many people are looking for ways to get affordable homeowner’s insurance here in Alabama.

Remember, too, that while your lender has every right to insist that you purchase homeowner’s insurance, your mortgage company cannot legally force you to buy insurance from any particular company. And that is your key to finding affordable homeowner’s insurance.

There are several things you can do that will drive down the cost of your insurance each month.

For example, did you know that if you have a retired person living in your home that you may be entitled to a break on your insurance?

Did you know that your credit score affects how much you pay each month for your insurance? It does. So keep your credit good and your credit score high, because the better your credit score the less you pay for your insurance each month.

Did you know that the biggest reason for a homeowner’s insurance claim is not fire, but water damage? The biggest culprit is either a broken water pipe or a broken appliance connection that floods the house at night or when the home is empty during the day.

Ask your agent how much you could save if you made the one-time investment to upgrade your home’s plumbing and wiring. If the numbers make sense, then go ahead.

Install outdoor floodlights that are motion-controlled and also trim back all bushes away from windows to discourage burglars. Install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and make certain that every single window has a working lock.

A 24/7 home security system that’s monitored off-site not only helps to protect you from both fire as well as burglary, it can also save you 20% or sometimes more on your homeowner’s insurance – but talk to your agent before installing a system as not all systems merit the full discount on your monthly premium.

Purchasing a kitchen-rated fire extinguisher for your kitchen and installing a full compliment of fire and smoke detectors will also help keep your monthly premium cost down.

Now, taking what you have learned in this article go to 3 different websites that allow you to compare the prices of homeowner’s insurance policies from different insurance companies. Input the same information onto 3 of these websites and then find the company that has the lowest price and which you feel confident will be around for at least another 30 years.

And you’re done. You have now gotten affordable homeowner’s insurance here in Alabama and you can feel confident that you will be saving money month after month and year after year.

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Easy Tips From One Handyman To Another

April 22, 2024   Matt

Easy Tips From One Handyman To Another

Home improvement can be great for the do-it-yourself homeowner, or the homeowner who likes to hire a professional to take on the project. Either way, you can’t go wrong with making repairs and doing some upgrading as long as you follow these tips and advice on how to avoid pitfalls and make the best decisions possible.

When selecting home renovations, consider the savings you will see in the future. For example, a new fridge may save you significantly on electricity bills, and new insulation in the attic could help reduce heating and cooling costs. While these renovations may seem expensive, future savings should always be considered during the planning stage of a home renovation.

Brighten up your kitchen or bathroom with a mosaic backsplash. Backsplashes serve two purposes: they are both utilitarian and a style element. Most people use regular square tile clay for their backsplash, but a mosaic design creates interest and allows you to express your personality. Fortunately, you can buy mosaic tiles on a mesh sheet, saving the time that it would take to lay each tile individually. This provides you with an intricate pattern without having to cut any tile, which can be tricky.

Open up the curtains and blinds during a showing to allow natural light into the home. If the outdoor scenery is not desirable, consider keeping the blinds somewhat closed to draw less attention to it. Turn on all of the lights in the home so the home looks bright and cheery instead of dark and dreary.

If you are the proud owner of an asphalt driveway you need to keep on the lookout for cracks and repair them as soon as possible to keep your driveway in good shape. Keeping your driveway clean and free of debris is the first step in good driveway maintenance.

Check your pipes and plumbing regularly. Clogs in sinks, tubs, and toilets can lead to water back-ups. Flooding from back-ups can create an awful mess and cause massive amounts of expensive damage. Slow moving drains can cause rings of dirt to appear in your tubs and sinks, creating a embarrassing issue. It is best to keep on top of and remove clogs regularly.

If you are looking to improve your house with new appliances, think of how much you are willing to spend as well as the length of time before you will have to replace them. Refrigerators last up to 20 years, microwaves up to 10 years, stoves up to 15 years and washers/dryers last about 13 years.

Don’t throw out your small baby food jars; instead use them to organize your workspace. Superglue or screw the lids of the jars to the underside of a wall shelf. Insert small items into the jars, such as: beads, jewelry parts, screws or nails. Then twist the jars back into place under the shelf. This helps take full advantage of a wall shelf and small jars you didn’t think you would ever need.

Whether you are improving your own personal residence or an investment property that you will use for resale or renting, the tips we have discussed in this article will set you well on your way to higher property values as well as hassle free and financially responsible remodeling projects.

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$1148 in One Day Working With Plants? You Bet!

April 17, 2024   Matt

48 in One Day Working With Plants? You Bet!

This article is actually an example of a simple yet, excellent marketing plan. Pay close attention to how I went out and found new business at a time of the year when things are normally slow, and not only did I make ,148.00, my friend Franky also made ,060.00.

Because I chose to keep myself out of the rat race of landscaping new homes, I went after a market that was more of an impulsive type market. New home landscaping is almost a necessity, since new homes don’t have any shrubs or grass. Not only that, many housing developments actually require people to have their landscaping done within a certain number of months from the time they move into their new homes. Therefore, when the house is done, people are anxious to get it landscaped.

Since I wasn’t in that market, and most impulsive gardening decisions are made in the spring, my business typically slowed down during the very hot summer months. So one year I decided to do a little test marketing, to see if I could muster up some work during the summer.

I decided to do a test mailing to 350 homeowners in an area where I knew the people could afford landscaping services, but were not extremely rich. I mailed a letter to these 350 homes, and the letter basically said I could help them with any landscaping project that needed done, and because my business was slow during the summer I could give them a really fair price.

Of the 350 people that received the letter 3 called me. I immediately sold two jobs, and the third job was still open for discussion. On one of the first two jobs I made about 0. and on the other I made about 0. That’s net profit. That’s how much I got to keep. Since the mailing cost less than 5., my immediate profit on the mailing was 5. Not bad at all considering this was only a part-time business for me. But don’t forget about that third caller. I had not even met this person yet.

The reason he called is because he happened to own a 60 unit apartment building in the Cleveland area, and he needed some trees or shrubs planted around the parking lot. The architect that he had been working with suggested Taxus Hicksi, which is an evergreen that is easily trimmed and maintained to a certain size. However, all the landscapers he had spoken with in Cleveland wanted about .00 each to install these plants. Although a fair price, that amounted to ,664.00 because he needed 106 plants.

He contacted me because he was hoping I could find a less expensive plant to use. After visiting the job site I realized that Taxus Hicksi actually was about the best choice for this situation, so I told him I would see if I could get a better price on the plants. I showed in a wholesale catalog that the wholesale price was .00 per plant, but mentioned that I might be able to find another source.

I knew that my friend Franky did at one time grow this particular plant, so I gave him a call. Turns out he did have 106 plants available, and was anxious to move some of them, he quoted me .00 each, balled in burlap. I called my customer and told him that I found good plants at a lower price, and that I could actually deliver and plant them for .00 per plant, which is exactly half of what others had quoted him. He was delighted, and I did the job. As a matter of fact he actually asked me to install some additional plants while I was there.

I hired 3 guys to help me do the job, and we had it done in one day. After I paid for the plants, and paid my help, I actually made ,148.00 on that one day job. My customer was so happy with the work we did that he asked me to come back the following week and do about another 0.00 worth of work. I made another 0.00 The following spring he hired me to re-landscape an older home that he had purchased, and I made another 0.00.

Remember the 5.00 that I spent to mail those 350 letters? The net profit on that mailing turned out to be about ,973.00!!! And my friend Franky picked up ,060.00 for the plants I bought from him. Were these 350 people I selected special? No they weren’t. Every town in America has at least 350 people just like them, probably thousands more.

There are many different ways to make money with plants, this is just one of them, I can show you plenty more. I’ve been making money with plants for over 25 years.

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Easy Landscaping and Curb Appeal for Florida Homes

April 12, 2024   Matt

Easy Landscaping and Curb Appeal for Florida Homes

The idea that an appealing outside is your best offense for intriguing potential buyers is based on the simple concept that first impressions really count. The great thing about learning some key elements of landscaping is that you can apply them to a home that you are just settling into, as well as one you are about to sell. For those who are selling or buying real estate in Tampa Bay Florida, some extra curb appeal advice will go a long way.

Florida is popular for nature-lovers. Instead of trying to keep up with garden hobbyists, present a clean, green impression, rather than a mini-arboretum. The decluttered impression that you want for the inside, should apply to the outside. Imagine a buyer coming to view your Tampa Bay Florida real estate house and all they can think is either, “how will I keep up with all those tropical flower beds?” or “how long will it take me to undo all of this?” Not that you should tear down all your hard work from a spectacular garden; just be sure to have it freshly pruned, trimmed and weeded for buyers, so they don’t feel like they have to have a green thumb if they want to buy your home.

Select your plants according to how much sun and water they need. Then, focus on buying smaller selections (or larger if your budget allows) of some of Florida’s award-winning specimens like the East Indian Holly Fern, which is wonderful for mass ground cover, and the Dwarf Golden Dewdrop for a beautiful border shrub with its yellow-gold leaves. Make up for size with color, with the purple-blooming Princess Flower, or the Yellow Elder, that will grow quickly (up to eight or ten feet tall). The plants you pick should attract the eyes to the house with their complimentary shades. For example, forest green trim on a house is complimented by shrubs with yellow leaves, and homes with neutral features can always use a few splashes of dramatic color in their landscaping.

Take a picture of the front of your house with you as you visit nurseries and garden shops. Garden professionals can suggest which colors and varieties will work best for your particular home. They should also be able to tell you what kind of mulch, pebble or lava stones you should use for each. The colors of these can also add a lovely contrast of color.
Plant a few annuals near the mailbox and an odd number of shrubs or hedges in front of the house to create depth. Make your house inviting with colors that compliment, but don’t complicate. If your house is basic in design, plant a few romantic Magnolias or exotic Calathea to break up the lines. Likewise, a house with a modern exterior can be dressed down for the conservative eye with neatly trimmed Serissa Foetida hedges and simple splashes of annuals.

If you want something even more simple, try buying big, decorative pots and filling them with a few shades of hardy flowers. This takes care of catching the eyes of the buyer, yet implies the perfect level of impermanence for the more fickle-natured. You can offer to leave the pots, or take them with you if the buyer doesn’t want them. This can be a quick fix for those who are trying to move, sell and maintain a family and full-time job at the same time. There are plenty of ways to get elaborate with landscaping, but if you need to keep things easy, focus on complimentary colors, hearty specimens and as neat of an exterior as possible, so buyers and visitors will see your house as a breath of fresh, tropical air

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Small Changes Can Add Up. These Ideas Will Improve Your Home Value

April 07, 2024   Matt

Small Changes Can Add Up. These Ideas Will Improve Your Home Value

Nearly everyone has at least one thing that they would like to see changed about their home. Fortunately, many home improvements are projects that even a novice homeowner can tackle. You can, with a little planning, easily accomplish projects like cabinet refacing, adding decorative molding to walls, windows, doors, or outdoor projects like improving your gutter system. Some things, however, are best left to the pros, especially if they involve electricity or plumbing. This article will help you decide if your home improvement project can be done by yourself, or if you need to call in expert help.

If you don’t want to invest money into buying a slipcover for your chair, you can make your own from a bed sheet. Buy a twin or queen-size bed sheet from cotton in the color of your choice. Drape it over your chair, and affix it with safety pins in a fashion that isn’t noticeable.

A good tip for those of you looking for home improvement tips is to make sure you do not underestimate your project. Before you begin, you should make a list of everything you are going to need and the steps you need to take. This will allow you to get an estimate of how long it will take and how much it will cost.

If you have a large garden but would like more indoor living space, adding a conservatory is one home improvement you should consider. A conservatory will provide an additional room to your house that will be filled with natural light. The room can be used for moonlit dinners, home gym equipment, sun lounges and much more. The structure is also likely to catch the eye of potential buyers and increase the resale value of your home.

When working on a home improvement project, it is always important to be flexible with your time and money. If you think you can finish a project in two weeks, plan for it to take three or four weeks. Also, make sure your budget is a little larger than you expect the job to cost you.

Listen to a contractor when you discuss your home improvement project and pay attention to what he says. If he gently lets you know an idea is folly, or asks you questions to get a better understanding of your needs, then he’s probably a great contractor. Also, see if he’s listening to you or if he’s just trying to get you to do what he envisions.

Allow room for all the debris that comes from a renovation. The process of tearing down and rebuilding creates a whole lot of debris that needs to go somewhere. Plan ahead for how you will remove it from your property and safely dispose of it before getting your project started.

As you have read in this article, with just a little planning and some investigation, you can take on basic home improvement projects and make your home a happy, healthy place for your family. By knowing what projects you can do and what projects you should leave to the experts, you can even save a significant amount of money. So pick up that hammer and those nails, and have fun with your next home improvement project!

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