From the category archives:

Home Maintenance

You might be tempted to put off fixing your home until the economy rebounds. Rebuild the patio? Sure, right after your 401(k) rallies. But some problems, if left unchecked, can lead to thousands of dollars in repairs (rebuilding a foundation wall, for instance) and might even compromise your family’s health, such as mold contamination.

The trouble signs are easy to spot, provided you know what to look for. What’s more, contractors aren’t as busy now, so they might even be more flexible on price. Here are the five biggest red flags of home maintenance, with advice on how to deal with them from ConsumerReports.org. Their recent reviews of gutter guards and roofing and siding materials can also help.[Read this article]

Source: www.consumerreports.org

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Master bedroom in a Lennar home in RaleighAre your ceiling fans set properly in your Lennar home? From season to season, ceiling fans need a bit of attention to ensure that the blades are rotating in the correct direction. The minimal amount of time it takes to make these adjustments can save you money on your energy costs. [continue...]

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Beautiful home at Lennar's Madera Highlands Summit Community in TucsonWarm summer days are a good time to take stock of any winter damage to your home. If your house wasn’t entirely buttoned up during storms, the chances are pretty good that a few problems, particularly pertaining to moisture, have become self-evident. Following are 10 post-winter repairs you may want to tackle now. If any of these are beyond your abilities, call a contractor. You can find qualified, pre-screened roofers or contractors on the web. [Read this article]

Source: www.hometips.com

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Beautiful exterior of a Village Builders homeLooking for ways to save water in your garden? With summer comes an increase in energy and water consumption for many consumers. To keep your garden and lawn looking their best, especially in the heat of the summer, water is an essential ingredient. To help keep costs down – and protect our environment – we’ve found some great tips on how to conserve water in your landscaping projects.  From using landscape fabric to mowing practices, this article has some extremely practical suggestions that you can put into use right away. [Read this article]

Source: www.hgtv.com

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Maintaining a Good Grade Around Your Home

July 13, 2010

Share How your home is sited—where it sits on its lot and how the land slopes around it—is important in keeping basements dry. Improper grading—that is, ground that doesn’t correctly slope away from the foundation—can allow excessive amounts of groundwater to collect in the soil around basement walls. The ground should slope away from the [...]

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5 Handy iPhone Apps for Home Improvement

July 8, 2010

Share While there’s no iPhone app that can help you avoid hitting your thumb with a hammer, falling off a ladder or stepping in a tray of paint, certain apps can be a useful addition to your tool kit when attempting some DIY projects. Here are five great apps that will assist you in illumination, [...]

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How Brick Can Crumble

July 2, 2010

Share Source: life.familyeducation.com Brick is amazingly durable and an excellent insulator, which is why it’s so widely used and has been for centuries. Older brick homes usually feature solid brick construction. Most modern brick homes, however, are made with brick veneers. These surfaces give the appearance of solid brick at a lower cost. Both solid [...]

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Home Maintenance Checklist for Summer

June 25, 2010

Share Source: realestate.msn.com Having a good home maintenance checklist is a very handy way to ensure that everything gets done around your Lennar home. A home maintenance checklist that is specific to a season can be extremely helpful in scheduling tasks at the best time of year. With the start of summer and warmer weather, [...]

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