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6 cheap and easy ways to boost curb appeal

https://homes.yahoo.com/news/6-cheap-easy-ways-boost-curb-appeal-204500858.html

By Mary Farrell July 22, 2015 4:45 PM

Is your house making a good first impression? If the door and areas around the front are looking like they need work, it could put off potential buyers, not to mention visitors. But it’s easy to upgrade your house’s curb appeal without spending a bundle. Consumer Reports asked home stagers (who prep properties to maximize sale prices), designers, color experts, and real estate pros for the best under-$50 fixes that make a big impact.

Freshen up the front door

Cost: $40 or less
Go for the unexpected, says Debbie Zimmer, director of the Paint Quality Institute. “A deep, almost eggplant purple works well with white or pale blue siding and on contemporary wood-stained homes,” she says. Another hue that she loves is yellow—think mustard or pale yellow, not school bus! “ It complements classic red brick or painted siding,” she says. And red is a great choice for traditional white siding and black shutters. Think barn, not candy apple. When picking door colors, consider your siding, roof, and neighbors’ homes to ensure a harmonious look.
Tips from the pros

• Follow the 60-30-10 paint ratio rule if you’re worried about going too bold, says DeAnna Radaj, a design pro based in Charlotte, N.C. “Sixty percent is the main color, on your siding. Thirty percent is the roof and trim—stick with neutrals for those. The last 10 percent—front door, shutters, and other details—is where to have fun.”
• If you’re going bold on your entryway, take a more muted approach on the garage door, especially if both face the street. That keeps the focus on the front door.

Get a new mailbox and numbers

Cost: $10 and more
Bland or worn-out house numbers and mailboxes can easily be replaced to bring the front of your house back into focus. If the ones you have are functional but dated or mismatched, consider investing in a can of spray paint. Unless it’s dented, there’s no need to replace a mailbox, says Rick Harris, a real estate broker for Coldwell Banker in Ashland, Ore. Radaj painted her mailbox, house numbers, and even the planters on her front porch. “I picked the color of the trim of the house—a warm brown— and went with a metallic paint that matched it,” she says.
Tips from the pros

• Make numbers big enough to see from the road. Create cardboard cutouts in the dimensions you’re considering, then hang them up, step back, and see what works best.
• Put numbers near a light. “There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to find a house at night when the numbers are in the dark,” says Debra Gould, president of the Staging Diva website.

Refresh the hardware

Cost: around $15 and up
If your hardware is in shoddy condition, replacements will make a huge difference. A new doorknob starts around $30; a kick plate ranges from $15 to $30, depending on the metal. Door knockers start around $13.
Tips from the pros

• Make sure all of the metal hardware on the door matches. “Many big-box stores sell series of products that work together,” Harris says. That’s a safe bet if you’re unsure; when your hardware has a uniform look, it shows thoughtfulness and ties the whole look of the house together.
• Buy hardware that’s in sync with the architectural style of your house. “You don’t want really contemporary brushed-nickel accessories or a funky doorknob on a colonial house,” Radaj says.

Lighten up

Cost: $15 to $50
Nothing warms up an entry and makes it feel welcoming like a few lights, especially once twilight falls. To brighten a porch, doorway, and walkway, Radaj uses LED lights intended for outdoor use. Our tests have shown that they instantly brighten, even in frigid temperatures, and can last for years. If you already have the fixture, it’s just a matter of switching the bulb. The $25 Feit Electric A19/OM/800/LED did great in our tests.

Tips from the pros

• Light a pathway. An easy, inexpensive way to do it is with solar-powered lights, which need no wiring. Just remember that they need to be installed in a sunny spot to function—and they don’t throw off the brightest light.
• Avoid candle-lit lanterns on a porch or walkway. Instead, use pillar and votive lights that run on batteries. They can be tucked into lanterns for a pretty glow and can be set on a timer.

Switch the doormat

Cost: around $10 and up
You can use a doormat to add a pop of color to your entry, Zimmer says. But if you have a door in a bold hue, keep the house numbers, mailbox, and doormat in a timeless style and stick with black. That will look great and won’t compete with the color, Gould says.

Tips from the pros

• Size it right. The doormat should cover about three-quarters of the width of the doorway.
• Go for textured types that catch dirt from shoes.

Hide a shabby porch or stairs

Cost: $45 to $50
If you haven’t gotten around to painting your front porch or deck, try throwing an outdoor area rug over it. Plunk down a bench and some plants, and no one will notice. A runner made for outdoor use can disguise a not-so-pretty stairway.
Tips from the pros

• Buy outdoor rugs with a nonslip backing for safety.
• Choose a colorful pattern if you want to make the rug the focal point and detract from a not-so-pretty setting.

Exterior paint picks from Consumer Reports

• Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior (Home Depot), $39  per gallon
• Clark + Kensington Exterior (Ace), $35
• Behr Premium Plus Exterior (Home Depot), $30
• Sherwin-Williams Duration Exterior, $68 
• Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior, $68
• Valspar DuraMax Exterior (Lowe's), $39

—Adapted from ShopSmart magazine

More from Consumer Reports:
The best energy efficient air conditioners
5 terrific side by side refrigerators
Best places to buy large and small appliances

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

A room-by-room guide to the best paints

 https://homes.yahoo.com/news/room-room-guide-best-paints-203000122.html?soc_src=copy

By Mary Farrell June 25, 2015 4:30 PM

Choosing a color is where many of us start a paint job. But you should really begin with the paint brand. If you get that wrong, the room might not look great no matter what shade you use. Paint in a sunny kitchen, for example, can fade, and bathroom walls can end up covered in mildew. Consumer Reports tests are designed to find brands that stand up to sun, moisture, and other wear and tear.

We also check for gloss change over time—if the sheen dulls, it’s as bad as having a stain. Keep in mind that a paint’s sheen (how shiny or flat it is) should match the job. As a rule, darker rooms with fewer windows and little light need a shinier finish, such as satin, to brighten them up, and naturally bright rooms tend to look best in a light-absorbing matte finish.

To make shopping easier, we’ve grouped our top-performing paints into the best finishes for our room-by-room picks. And to make doing it yourself even easier, all of the listed paints are self-priming, so you can skip that step. Plus they’re eco-friendly, with low or no volatile organic compounds—the noxious chemicals that can make paint smell bad and give you a headache.

For high-traffic areas and dark rooms

• Valspar Reserve Satin, $44 (Lowe’s)
• Behr Premium Plus Ultra Satin, $34 (Home Depot)

Why we like them. The easy-clean satin finish is ideal for any active space. Think entryways and kids’ rooms. The sheen also reflects light to brighten dark spaces. Both paints were great at hiding old paint and resisting stains. Valspar’s sheen didn’t change with scrubbing; Behr’s changed only slightly, but it left a smoother finish.

For kitchens and dining rooms

• Behr Marquee Interior Satin, $43 (Home Depot)
• Valspar Signature Satin, $34 (Lowe’s)

Why we like them. Satin finishes are a good match for walls that attract splatters. Our No. 1 paint, Behr Marquee, was especially great at resisting oil- and water-based stains, as well as standing up to aggressive cleaning. The budget friendlier Valspar Satin also earned high marks in both of those categories.

For bathrooms and trim

• Valspar Reserve Semi-Gloss, $45 (Lowe’s)
• Clark+Kensington Semi-Gloss Enamel, $33 (Ace Hardware)
• Behr Premium Plus Semi-Gloss Enamel, $29 (Home Depot)

Why we like them. The super-shiny semi-gloss finish—the easiest to clean—can hold up to sticky fingers and bathroom moisture buildup, and it’s great for highlighting woodwork. All three picks were very good at resisting mildew and stains.

For living rooms, bedrooms, sunny rooms, and ceilings

• Clark+Kensington Flat Enamel, $30 (Ace Hardware)
• Benjamin Moore Aura Matte, $54 (home centers)
• Valspar Ultra Flat, $29 (Lowe’s)

Why we like them. A light-absorbing, subdued flat finish can be soothing in a bedroom or living room and can help tone down too-bright spaces. It’s also the finish you want for ceilings. All three covered dark colors well and are durable, but Clark+Kensington left the smoothest surface and was better at resisting stains.
—Adapted from ShopSmart

More from Consumer Reports:
The best energy efficient air conditioners
5 terrific side by side refrigerators
Best places to buy large and small appliances

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

Roof Sketch & Measurement

From  http://www.iroofing.org/features/

Take measurements right at the tap of your fingertips. There is no more waiting or going through a third party! It is fast, easy, and convenient. This provides incredible flexibility as you can use it on every job with no extra cost!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQGF30q1DjI

Career Fair in Brookfield draws hundreds of applicants

http://www.scrippsmedia.com/tmj4/news/Career-Fair-to-be-held-in-Brookfield-Wednesday-302753851.html  

 Video by tmj4.com

 By Bridget Shanahan. CREATED May 6, 2015 - UPDATED: May 6, 2015

BROOKFIELD -- The summer hiring season is upon us, and a job fair in Brookfield is expected to draw hundreds.
"A lot of jobs pick up during the summer time, a lot of companies hire just for the next few months," said Sarah Ibarra with Hire Live.
This job fair at this hotel in Brookfield offers more one on one time than most -- companies have their own suite and more privacy.
"You're not going to be coming in and just dropping off your resume," Ibarra said. "You get to sit down speak with a lot of these hiring managers, head recruiters, district managers who will get the time to speak with you about the opportunity not just collect resumes."
So that means more interview time, anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes.
"Are they smiling. Are they happy to be here? Are they looking for a future and a career not just a job?" said Bill Cherette with Sears.
The guys at Sears are looking for sales reps for their home improvement division -- things really pick up this time of year and they say job fairs are one of the best ways to find new hires.
"We're looking for three to four [people], however with the right candidate we may bring on as many as six," Cherette said.
If you couldn't make it out today and are looking for something -- you can also...
"Go on to a lot of the job boards. We do post our jobs on monster, career builder, indeed. Zip recruiter. Reaching out to the local colleges, as well," Ibarra said.
Hire Live will be  hosting job fairs in the Milwaukee area every other month. Their next one is in July.

Happy St. Patrick's Day !!!

Five Low-Tech Ways to Burglar-Proof Your Home

 From: http://www.livewatch.com/blog/five-low-tech-ways-to-burglar-proof-your-home

Though the word burglar can bring to mind the image of a menacing villain, in reality most burglars are nothing more than common thieves, easily deterred by basic security precautions. Even if you don’t have a full home security system, there are many measures you can take to keep burglars out of your home. Here are five major tips to get you started protecting what’s most precious to you:

1. Use the right locks: Outer doors are your first line of defense, so install deadbolt locks if you haven’t already. Standard key-in-knob doors are vulnerable to basic lock-picking techniques, but deadbolts take a lot of skill to break. Also if your doors have glass panels, make sure they are at least three feet above the inside part of the lock—this makes it harder for potential thieves to smash the glass and reach inside to unlock the door.
2. Use your lights for intimidation: Lighting scares away potential burglars because it creates the illusion someone might be home, even if that’s not the case. You should make sure the entries to your home are illuminated at all times so you can see any unwanted visitors from inside before they make it to the door. Alternatively, you could use a motion sensor to turn on the lights anytime someone walks towards the entryway.
3. Secure your windows: Climbing through a window can be an easy way for a burglar to enter your house, but if the burglar has to smash thick glass, they will draw unwanted attention. Make breaking and entering harder for burglars by installing storm windows with multi-layer glazing. Also make sure the windows are equipped with locks on the inside.
4. Trim your bushes: Plants and shrubs provide an opportunity for burglars to conceal themselves, so make sure nothing green outside your window grows taller than the windowsill.
5. Make the occupancy of your garage a secret: Whether you’re on vacation or out to the store for five minutes, your garage door should be closed and windows covered. It’s best to make would-be burglars think you’re just inside watching TV.