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Adding Solar Panels to your Home

With the uncertainty of the market and future prices of energy – we’re talking about long term.  Now is a good time look at possibly installing solar cells on your home.  You don’t need to completely power the entire house all in one shot, but laying the foundation and maybe going room by room would be a good idea.

If you need a little help on how to do it yourself and cheaply, check out our previous article on the topic.

INSTALLING SOLAR ENERGY YOURSELF


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Use Caulk for Windows, Doors, Tubs, and Gaps

Using caulk is the norm nowadays when it comes to creating those seamless spaces between molding, windows, and doors.  The process is fairly simple, decide which type of caulk and the color you want to use, then go use it.

She's an expert at the caulk

Only thing you might find, especially if you don’t have much practice apply caulk, is that it can be messy your first time out.  You might want to have plenty of rags on hand to clean up any accidental mess that you make.

Most people will find that once they get their technique down, apply caulk to just about anything is really simple.

Though, when you go to the store, you are going to be overloaded with the amount of options you have.  Like any good product, caulk comes in all shapes, sizes, textures, and colors.  Be sure to know what you’re looking for before you leave the house.

Types of Caulk:

* Acrylic latex caulk is slightly longer lasting than similar, less expensive vinyl latex. It is easy to apply, but degrades in direct sunlight and adheres poorly to porous surfaces. It dries in about 30 minutes and takes about 1 week to cure, but it will last for 5 to 10 years.

* Butyl, also called butyl rubber, has better adhesion and stretching ability than acrylic, but costs more and takes longer to cure (about 6 months). It’s good for sealing masonry joints, and after about 24 hours its outer layer has formed a skin. Although it degrades in sunlight, it can last 5, 10, or even up to 20 years.

* Polyurethane caulks are expensive and more difficult to apply than latex and butyl, but they last longer, can cover a wider gap (up to 3/4 inch), and will stretch farther. It takes about 2 days for the outside to skin over, about 1 month to cure fully, and it can last more than 20 years.

* Silicone caulknot to be confused with paintable siliconized acrylic–has good stretching ability and can cover a 1-inch gap, but it can’t be painted and it adheres poorly to plastic and wood. Its outer skin forms in about 1 hour and it takes about 1 week to cure. Silicone caulk can last over 20 years.

* Oil-based caulk is inexpensive and you can use it almost anywhere. But oil-based caulk tends to “dry out” in cracks and when dry, it falls out, or it shrinks in the cracks when the oil in the caulking disappears. It can be painted, but if you use this product, plan on recaulking within 3 years.

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Contemporary Designs

Today, while we’re still in the midst of a worldwide recession, high unemployment, and some of the prices of items being just out of our reach – people can still stay modern and layout your home, style, and design in almost any way you want.

Contemporary designs are designs that require less…less clutter, less things, less expensive. While you can still go out and purchase a single item and spend a small fortune… there are those out there also looking to save space and if you know where to look, you can get what you want for a lot less.

See the photos below to see what others have done to their living rooms, entertainment rooms, bedrooms, and more.

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Your Home Office

Today, with the advancement of technology and the shrinking of the world, more and more people are opting for the home office. This special space in the house allows the occupant to finish work left over for the day (all too often), dream ab out the future, and come up with new ideas, that may someday spark a personal business or an improvement to something we may already have.

This room used to be the place where bills were paid and taxes completed. While this is still true, for a lot of people, it has also become the place where people meet, socialize, and share thoughts and ideas. Though, often there is only one person in the room and the social aspect all takes place online.

Below, we have assemble a gallery of photos to show you what other people have found to be the ideal office. Enjoy!

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