Home Remodeling Contractor Hiring Guides on Sale at HomeAdditionPlus.com

By Mark J. Donovan

HomeAdditionPlus.com Home Remodeling Bid Sheets are a Must Have prior to Hiring a Home Remodeling Contractor and Starting a Home Construction Project

I just dramatically lowered HomeAdditionPlus.com's Contractor Hiring Guides and Home Remodeling Bid Sheets. Prices slashed by over 40% on many of them. Don't hire a contractor without first buying one of my home remodeling contractor hiring guides! You'll save yourself a bundle in money, time and headaches. See

Home Addition Bid Sheets and Contractor Hiring Guides.  

If you have plans for any of the following home improvement projects and plan to hire a contractor make sure to purchase the appropriate bid sheet / contractor hiring guide from HomeAdditionPlus.com first! You won't regret it!!

New Home Construction Bid Sheet

Room Addition Bid Sheet

Attic Conversion Bid Sheet

Kitchen Remodeling Bid Sheet

Basement Remodeling Bid Sheet

Bathroom Remodeling Bid Sheet

Deck Installation Bid Sheet

Garage Addition Bid Sheet

Wood Floor Installation Bid Sheet

Room Addition over Garage Bid Sheet

Asphalt Driveway Paving Bid Sheet

Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet

Brick and Paver Walkway Bid Sheet

 

 

 

The Deluxe FreezeAlarm is Perfect for Monitoring the Temperature and Power at Your Home

Remotely Control the Temperature of your Home via a Phone Call with a Deluxe FreezeAlarm

By Mark J. Donovan

I installed a Deluxe FreezeAlarm this weekend at my vacation home. I installed another one several years ago on another home and loved it. This neat little box calls you if it detects the temperature in your home is too cold or hot, if there is a power outage, or if the backup battery is too low. In addition, it can support a couple of additional sensors, e.g. water, motion and contact sensors that can trigger it to call you. It can be programmed to call up to three phone calls in the event of an alarm condition. You can also call it to get a temperature and power status of your home.

What I really like most about the Deluxe FreezeAlarm is that it can be used to remotely control the temperature of your vacation home or cabin via a simple phone call. The Deluxe FreezeAlarm can accept two thermostat inputs and output a signal to activate the heating furnace. Consequently you tie your existing thermostat into it and wire up a secondary thermostat that feeds it as well. You then set the existing, or primary thermostat, to say 70oF, and the secondary thermostat to say 50oF. When you’re not at the home for an extended period of time you set the Deluxe FreezeAlarm to operate off of the secondary thermostat so that the home stays at a cool 50oF. Then, an hour before you get home, you simply make a phone call to the box, which has a phone jack that plugs into the back of it, and tell it to switch to the primary thermostat. When you arrive at your home, your house is toasty 70oF warm.

At the time of this writing the Deluxe FreezeAlarm costs under $200. Consequently it pays for itself in very short order, compared to what you’d pay for with a monthly home monitoring service. It’s also simple to plug in and install. All you need is a power outlet and a phone jack nearby. If you want to wire up the device to control the temperature of your home, then you’ll also need to feed it two thermostat signals and connect up a signal wire between the box and the heating furnace.

The Deluxe FreezeAlarm is manufactured by Control Products Inc., and can be found at various home improvement centers and online stores.

Removing Vacation Home Dock and Winterizing of Lake Home

With Fall in Full Swing I’ve begun Preparing My Lake Home For the Onslaught of Winter

By Mark J. Donovan

I started pulling out the dock this past weekend up at my new lake home. Surprisingly I think it can be a one man project, and I may not even have to get wet in the process! I was able to remove two 4’x8’ sections of the dock by simply lifting up the top surface panels, removing a couple of bolts from each frame, and then lifting the frames out of the water and walking them down the remaining dock to shore. In 15 minutes I had removed the two sections. Only another dozen sections to go. Within the next week the lake home will be dock free and prepared for the ensuing winter.
Also for winterizing my lake home I turned off water to the detached garage, via the shut-off valve in the main home. I do plan to keep heat and water running in the main home this winter, however I am installing a piece of electronics that will allow me to control the temperature in the home via my phone. With one phone call I’ll be able to switch the control of the heating system between two thermostats. One thermostat will be set for 50 degrees and the other to 70 degrees. Normally I’ll keep the home set at 50 degrees when we’re not there, and then call ahead to switch it to the 70 degree set thermostat when we plan to come up. This way the home will be toasty warm when we need it and have overall lower heating costs throughout the winter. Stay tuned for a video on the installation of this piece of electronics equipment in the next couple of weeks.

Garage Door Installation and Garage Door Seals

How to Ensure your Garage Stays Dry and Warm This Winter

By Mark J. Donovan

Going up to our lake home tonight to inspect the new garage door that I had recently installed on our detached garage. With the new garage door installed, and the new gutters that I recently installed along the roof eaves, I expect I will now have a water tight and critter free garage.

Before winter hits, you too may want to inspect your garage door for proper operation and a tight bottom seal. Make sure the bottom seal is not ripped or damaged in any way. If it is, replace it to ensure an air tight and water resistant seal. Installing a garage door bottom seal is easy to do and cost less than $20.

Also make sure the sides and top of the garage door fit snugly up against the garage door trim. There is weatherstripping that you can buy and easily install around the exterior perimeter of the garage door to ensure an air tight seal.

Types of Window Styles

Check Out All the Types of Windows to Choose From Before Deciding Upon One for Your Home Construction Project

By Mark J. Donovan

Though the double hung window maybe arguably the most popular window style today there are still many other window styles you should consider when building your new home or home addition.

Double Hung Window
A double hung window consists of two vertical panels that both can be moved up or down. The double hung window is one of the most popular windows installed today due to its flexibility in window panel opening.

Single Hung Window
The single hung window is akin to the double hung window, however only the bottom panel moves. The top window panel is fixed.

Casement Windows
Casement windows are still fairly popular. They normally come in either single or pairs, and one or both panels are hinged and can be opened via a crank located most commonly near the bottom of the window.

Fixed Windows
Fixed windows come in all shapes and sizes including circles, squares, triangles, and trapezoids. They are ideal for letting in natural light without the hardware concerns common with other windows. They are often used as accent pieces for both the inside and outside of the home.

Bay Windows
Bay windows are still very popular in homes today. They are often used in large rooms such as in family rooms, dining rooms, and living rooms. Due to their large size and two dimensional shape, they allow much more light to enter a home all throughout the day. Often bay windows have a fixed panel in the center and either double or single hung windows on the sides.

Bow Windows
Bow windows are akin to bay windows in the sense that they let much more light in throughout the entire day. They typically utilize more glass panels to achieve the curved or bow look.

Jalousie Windows
Jalousie windows consist of many thin strips of glass stacked vertically upon one another and that are louvered. They can be cranked opened or closed, similar to a venetian blind. Often they are used in three season rooms or porches.

Awning Windows
Awning widows are single panel windows that are hinged at the top of the window frame. The window can be pushed or cranked open at its base. They are ideal for allowing air to enter a home even on rainy days. Due to the fact that they are hinged at the top of the window, no rain can enter into the home.

Sliding Sash Windows

With sliding sash windows the window panels slide open horizontally. One or more panels can be designed to slide along a track. They are ideal for smaller rooms or in kitchens where it may difficult to open another window type.

So before choosing the ubiquitous double hung window for your new custom home or home addition project take a closer look at all the other window types out there on the market.