Get Kamfortable

One moment, you’re sitting at home enjoying quality time with your family. 

Next, you’re receiving a hurricane warning.

In emergencies such as this, it’s all too easy for anxiety to take hold. After all, you may have concerns for your family’s immediate safety, looking after your pets, or even reinforcing your property to reduce potential damages. Either way, the most important thing to do in this scenario is to keep your cool. 

Your ability to stay calm will set the tone for the rest of your household, which means it will enable you to keep your family safe. It also means you can formulate a plan. 

Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash

With that in mind, here are some of the steps you should take in the event of a hurricane.

1. Protect your home. 

Hurricane warnings are typically issued 36 hours in advance of the incident, though this can vary. As such, you should begin your preparations by taking steps to protect your home. For example, you should tie down any outdoor furniture, bringing things inside where possible. This means these items will not be lost to the storm, or cause damage to the rest of your property. If you live in an area where storms are a common occurrence, you may want to install Impact Windows. These windows are stronger and more durable than typical glass windows, meaning they’re less likely to shatter on impact – therefore protecting your home. 

2. Gather emergency supplies. 

Whether you will be heading to an evacuation site or staying at home (the decision should be made based on official guidance and advice), you should ensure that you have any necessary emergency supplies to hand during this time. This should include non-perishable food and drink, medications, first aid supplies, and backup power sources such as portable chargers, torches, and lamps. You should also gather together important family documents such as passports so they are not misplaced. 

3. Ensure vulnerable family members are cared for. 

If any members of your family are particularly vulnerable, such as elderly people who live alone, ensure that somebody is taking care of them during this event. You should also ensure they have their own emergency supplies set aside in the off chance that such an event occurs, so that should the worst happen they are not without access to crucial things such as food, water, and medication. If you do not live close by, reach out to their friends and neighbors who may be able to offer more immediate assistance. 

4. Follow all official advice. 

As mentioned above, any decisions that you make regarding your activity during a hurricane warning should be based upon official advice from local governing bodies or experts. For example, if they advise against trying to evacuate, you should avoid traveling. Remember the guidance they share is in your best interest. While power outages are common during storms, try to find as many ways as possible to stay connected during this time. For example, you should listen to local news and radio stations, or follow advice shared through social media platforms. 

When planning a home renovation, it can be tempting to jump straight to the fun part of picking out new paint colours, fixtures, and fittings. However, there are a few things you need to think about before you even start.

Photo by Karl Solano on Unsplash

Know What Your Plan Is

Before you decide how much to change, you need to know what you want to do with your home in the end. Do you want to raise the value of your home so you can sell it, or do you plan to stay there for a long time? Before you start, think about the condition of your neighbourhood and know which improvements will give you a good return on your money and which will be too much for the area. Having a clear plan for your future will help you figure out how far you want to take your project. For example, if you need demolition and excavation make sure you put it in your plan. 

Have A Budget

One of the most important parts of planning a renovation is to know your budget and stick to it. Don’t forget to include a “just-in-case” fund for any costs that come up that you didn’t plan for, and plan to use it. This could include the cost of eating out during a kitchen renovation or staying in a hotel for a night or two. It’s easy to want a top-of-the-line renovation, but maybe all you need are some cheap upgrades that will make your house look more expensive. Before you ever pick up a hammer, do your research and plan your budget.

Do As Much Research As Possible 

Talk to your friends, family, and neighbours about the work they have done on their homes and the problems they have run into. Homeowners who have been in your shoes can give you a wealth of information that can help you plan, and this information may change your final plan.

Know Where You Stand 

DIY renovations are a great way to save money, feel like you’ve accomplished something, and get the whole family involved, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, they can go horribly wrong. Know which jobs you can do safely and which ones you should leave to the professionals, like a wall that could hold weight, asbestos, or lead paint.

Pack Up

To make a house renovation as easy as possible, get rid of or move anything that is in the way. If you are remodelling your whole house, you might want to rent a locker or storage pod to keep all of your things safe and clean.

Think About Your Routine

If you’re a seasoned do-it-yourselfer, you probably know how to work around the mess of a house remodel. But if you’ve hired a contractor to do any part of the job, make sure they know your daily schedule and work with them to find start and end times that cause your family the least amount of trouble. After all, nobody wants to meet a salesperson while still in their robe.

These tips should help you to get started with any house renovations. Do you have any tips that could help? Please share them in the comments below. 

Pic Source – CCO License

If you live somewhere where it tends to get quite cold in winter, you are going to find that keeping the home warm is one of the most important things you need to do at home. Of course, it should actually be fairly easy to achieve this, so long as you know what you are doing, but if you are not sure then it’s something you need to think about. In this post, we are going to take a look at some of the things you can do to make your home much warmer in winter as easily as possible.

Repair The Roof

If you have any even slight problems with the roof, then you are going to find that this affects the home’s ability to hold heat in quite considerably. If you are keen to make sure that you are keeping the home as warm as possible, therefore, repairing the roof is a really important thing to consider. You should always allow the professionals to do this, whether that’s Dwight’s Roofing or whoever is the go-to in your area. That way, you will be able to keep your home a lot warmer overall, which is obviously important here.

Service The Boiler

The boiler is obviously another really important factor in all this, and something that you need to make sure you are looking at carefully if you want to ensure your home is much warmer in the winter months. The main thing to do here is to ensure that you get it serviced, which is the kind of thing that is actually very important but most people overlook most years. Hire a professional to do it and make sure that you don’t do it yourself, as that could really make things dangerous. However, having it done will make a huge difference.

Insulate

Of course, insulation is the main way that people tend to make their homes warmer, and this is definitely something that you should think about too if you want your home to be as warm and cozy as possible. With the right insulation in your home, you are going to feel much warmer at all times, while also ensuring that the home is more eco-friendly as well, so it’s a two birds with one stone kind of situation. All in all, this makes for a much more enjoyable winter experience at home.

Rearrange The Furniture

You might be surprised to hear this, but actually rearranging the furniture is a great way to help keep your home warmer in winter too. In particular, you should think about putting the furniture by the radiator, but not too close of course, so that you can effectively ensure that you are going to be warmer physically without having to change anything else at all. That is a very handy low-tech way to make your home considerably warmer in terms of how it feels for you at least, so it’s definitely something to think about if you are keen on making that happen.