Doors & Windows Category
Drafts in the home may seem insignificant, but they let the cool out in the summer and the heat out in the winter, which can lead to inflated electrical bills over time. The frustrating thing about these drafts is that they’re incredibly difficult to detect and are often found in hard-to-reach places. In fact, they’re so difficult to find that you may need to hire a professional in the end. But before you take that step, you can try to find them on your own. Here are a few places where you might find drafts.
Outside walls
Even if you have insulation in your walls, gaps can open up over
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Installing window blinds is not as easy as it may seem. Thankfully, many homes come with blinds pre-installed, so we rarely have to worry about this, but if your blinds are worn out or you need to install them in a new home or apartment, you don’t actually have to call a contractor. With a tape measure, a screwdriver, an electric drill, and a kit for installing blinds, you can perform this project yourself.
Step 1: Take your measurements. With your tape measure, record the distance between the jams of the window frame and measure from top to bottom. Then, take your measurements to your local hardware store, and they will cut the blinds to fit your windows. Of course, it’s up to you to decide what type of blinds you want, but cellular blinds are always a good choice. They’re attractive, and they can be opened from the bottom and the top.
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Installing storm windows comes with multiple benefits for the home. The windows help contain the internal environment of the home while keeping the external heat and cold out, and this can help reduce utility bills. Plus, as their name suggests, storm windows can help protect against catastrophic events to a certain extent. In short, installing storm windows is a valuable investment to benefit your bank account and your family’s safety. If you’re interested in installing them yourself, follow these steps.
- Step 1: Measure your windows to determine exactly what size storm windows you’ll use. Be sure to measure the windows from edge to edge, rather than just the glass part.
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If you have a loose or creaky doorknob that seems to be going downhill fast, you don’t have to live with it. All doorknobs break eventually, and they eventually reach a point where no amount of maintenance is going to make them better. But replacing a doorknob is incredibly easy. Just follow these steps.
Step 1: Choose your doorknob. Go to the hardware store and find a doorknob that’s going to match the décor of the room. You should be able to find a doorknob kit that comes with all the pieces you need.
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When it comes to cleaning the insides of windows, no one needs instructions. But cleaning the outside can be difficult, especially when it comes to high windows that can’t be easily reached or sprayed with water. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a yard and a latter to reach upper-floor windows. Some of us live in many-storied apartment buildings where reaching the outsides of windows just isn’t possible without putting one’s life in danger. In these cases, windows often go unwashed for years on end.
If your windows do happen to be relatively close to the ground but still
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A screen door is a great thing to have on those mild days when you want to let some air in and open your home to the outdoors without bringing in pests. But over time, it’s very common for screen doors to start wearing down. If it’s a rolling screen door, then its roller or its frame may become rusty and difficult to pull open. If it’s a swinging screen door, it may become rusty or a little out of whack simply from being slammed so many times. Whatever type of door you have, fixes are easy.
Before you do anything, you’ll want to remove the screen door completely. If it’s on hinges, this can be done simply by unscrewing the hinges. If it’s a rolling one, simply loosen the tension screws at the bottom of the door on the inside and carefully lift the door out.
Replacing the screen
If the screen itself has gotten holey, you might want to replace it first. To replace the screen, you’ll first want to cut out a
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There are a number of reasons why doors get squeaky. It could be rust, corrosion, a bad paint job, simple wear and tear, or old lubricant. Whatever the cause, it’s easy to put off fixing a door hinge, especially when it’s on a door that goes to one of the out-of-the-way rooms in the room. But making the fix is actually incredibly easy. Even if you end up having to replace the hinge, doing so is not so difficult and is very cheap.
Step 1: Start with WD-40 lubricant, which is easily available at any hardware store. Spray it directly onto the hinge, and then close and open the doors a few times. In most cases of squeaky hinges, this should fix the problem right away. For good measure, you might want to also spray the other hinges on the door.
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Window boxes for flowers and plants add a pleasant splash of color to a home, and they give urban dwellers a handy mini-garden to grow flowers or even vegetables. Nice window boxes can go for around $100, and they’re relatively easy to install, especially if you get one of the high-quality pre-fabricated ones. The exact instructions may vary depending on the type of box you get, but here’s a general guide to installing a window box.
Step 1: Mark your mounting location. It should be about 1 inch below the underside of the sill and directly below each vertical edge of the window frame. If your window swings out, move your markings down about half a foot.
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