Category: Home Tips

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Paper Countertops?!?

Keeping it green, there are some new companies that are utilizing up to 100% post-consumer paper and petroleum free resin to make counter tops.  This is something that I really want to try myself. I love the idea of recycling into something that will take a beating as I cook on it.  One super neat feature was the dish drain, carved right into the counter top. Re-Nest.com has the counter top post with a description of the industry and a sample of current manufacturers as below:

• Paperstone
• Shetkastone
• Richlite
• EcoTop

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Duct Cleaning

Cut down on potential allergens, new construction dust, remodeling debris, pet dander that might be hiding in your air ducts. Every time the furnace kicks in the particles are being moved throughout the house.

I purchased a new home this last May and had the major remodeling completed prior to moving in to the house. I was quite surprised to see more dust during the winter, with the windows closed than I did in the summer, with the windows open. A duct cleaning had never been completed, according to the prior owners.

Take a look at the before and after photos below. If you’d rather not imagine what is clogging the lungs of your house, then call Dirty Ducts and tell them that I sent you.

 AFTER

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Energy Assessment

So you woke up today with another -17 degree morning. Are you cringing at your upcoming utility bill?  Our bill nearly doubled during our last billing cycle.

I recently had an energy assessment done in my own home. Brian Paull from Premier Inspection used a thermal imaging camera to find the cold spots in my house.  We followed him around the house looking over his shoulder at the camera. We saw that some of the insulation had blown back in a corner of the bedroom, the outlets on the outer wall and one light fixture need insulation, the uninsulated garage door needs to be replaced, and obviously the upstairs windows need to be replaced. As a bonus, he offered some ideas on sources for remedies. Even making some of the smaller changes will make a difference.

MG&E is a great resource for other energy conserving ideas. Visit their website and review Saving Energy.

Once we have made the changes, I will post the improvement in the utility bill during our next chilly billing cycle.  In the meantime, it’s off to Home Depot!