Before you design a new home or remodel an existing one, you should consider investing in its energy efficiency. You’ll save energy and money in the long run. It’s also a good time to invest in a renewable energy system that will provide your home with electricity, water heating, or space heating and cooling.
If you’d like to design an energy-efficient home, no matter what type of design, you should use what’s called the whole-house systems approach.
If you’re remodeling a home, conduct an energy audit to help you determine what energy efficiency improvements should and can be made to your home.
Learn how to optimize energy efficiency with the following home designs and construction techniques:
If a hurricane is likely in your area, you should:
Listen to the radio or TV for information.
Secure your home, close storm shutters, and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.
Turn off utilities if instructed to do so. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
Turn off propane tanks.· Avoid using the phone, except for serious emergencies.
Moor your boat if time permits.
Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water.
You should evacuate under the following conditions:
If you are directed by local authorities to do so. Be sure to follow their instructions.
If you live in a mobile home or temporary structure—such shelters are particularly hazardous during hurricanes no matter how well fastened to the ground.
If you live in a high-rise building—hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.
If you live on the coast, on a floodplain, near a river, or on an inland waterway.
If you feel you are in danger.
If you are unable to evacuate, go to your safe room. If you do not have one, follow these guidelines:Read more...(330 words, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)
Stay indoors during the hurricane and away from windows and glass doors.
Close all interior doors—secure and brace external doors.
Keep curtains and blinds closed. Do not be fooled if there is a lull; it could be the eye of the storm – winds will pick up again.
Take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest level.
Recovering from a disaster is usually a gradual process. Safety is a primary issue, as are mental and physical well-being. If assistance is available, knowing how to access it makes the process faster and less stressful. This section offers some general advice on steps to take after disaster strikes in order to begin getting your home, your community, and your life back to normal.
When community evacuations become necessary, local officials provide information to the public through the media. In some circumstances, other warning methods, such as sirens or telephone calls, also are used. Additionally, there may be circumstances under which you and your family feel threatened or endangered and you need to leave your home, school, or workplace to avoid these situations.
The amount of time you have to leave will depend on the hazard. If the event is a weather condition, such as a hurricane that can be monitored, you might have a day or two to get ready. However, many disasters allow no time for people to gather even the most basic necessities, which is why planning ahead is essential.
Evacuation: More Common than You Realize
Evacuations are more common than many people realize. Hundreds of times each year, transportation and industrial accidents release harmful substances, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes. Fires and floods cause evacuations even more frequently. Almost every year, people along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts evacuate in the face of approaching hurricanes.
Ask local authorities about emergency evacuation routes and see if maps may are available with evacuation routes marked.
Call Timothy Parks Construction today for a free consultation.
(407) 383-9118 Orlando (727) 260-7344 Tampa Bay
(941) 270-2677 Sarasota
Attic Insulation
Properly insulating and air sealing your attic will help reduce your energy bills. Attics are often one of the easiest places in a house to insulate, especially if you’d like to add insulation.
Warning: if you think you have vermiculite insulation in your attic, there’s a chance it could contain asbestos. Don’t disturb it. Only insulation contractors certified to handle and remove asbestos should deal with vermiculite insulation.
Attic Insulation Techniques
Loose-fill or batt insulation is typically installed in an attic. Although installation costs may vary, loose-fill insulation is usually less expensive to install than batt insulation. When installed properly, loose-fill insulation also usually provides better coverage.
Before installing any type of insulation in your attic, follow these steps:
Seal all attic-to-home air leaks. Most insulation does not stop airflow.
Duct exhaust fans to the outside. Use a tightly constructed box to cover fan housing on attic side. Seal around the duct where it exits the box. Seal the perimeter of the box to the drywall on attic side.
Cover openings—such as dropped ceilings, soffits, and bulkheads—into attic area with plywood and seal to the attic side of the ceiling.
Seal around chimney and framing with a high-temperature caulk or furnace cement.
At the tops of interior walls, use long-life caulk to seal the smaller gaps and holes. Use expanding foam or strips of rigid foam board insulation for the larger gaps. Read more...(829 words, 2 images, estimated 3:19 mins reading time)
Where can we put all that stuff in the garage? I remember a comedy routine by the late George Carlin where he ranted for 20 minutes about ” all that stuff we all accumulate” very funny.. Anyway, thought I would share some ideas on garage storage. Not that mine is pristine by any stretch but I have found a lot of extra storage by suspending shelving, bikes, tools etc. from the ceiling. Most ceiling heights in the garage are well over 8 feet tall and provide a ton of storage that usually isn’t getting utilized. The walls are filled up with lawn tools and the floor is usually occupied with a little bit of everything, but all that space above our heads is just collecting spiders and webs. The home centers have a lot of mounting hardware that can be used to suspend bikes, tools, coolers, spare pieces of wood or pipe, you name it. You can screw them right into the rafters for the ceiling with some 2-1/2″ wood screws. Make sure anything suspended above the garage door does not prevent the door from opening and closing properly. If you need help finding a place for your “stuff” or would like some additional ideas on home maintenance, please visit us at www.tprci.com
Handyman getting the job done in Sarasota Fl 941-270-2677
Handyman $20.00/hr for new customers*(some restrictions apply)
At Timothy Parks Construction, Inc, we pride ourselves on a strong tradition of providing top-notch handyman services and 100% customer satisfaction on any job, big or small. Serving Englewood, FL for over 29 years, we have established a reputation as a competent and trustworthy company. We are licensed, insured, experienced, and most importantly, dedicated to our clients assuring the highest standard of quality.
Our wide range of handyman services includes, but is not limited to:
Landscaping
Home Additions
Home Renovations
Electrical
Plumbing
Roofing
Painting
Flooring
Handyman Outside the House
Handyman Inside The House
Handyman Odd Jobs
Decks & Porches repaired by this handyman
Doorbell Installation by this handyman
Doors and Windows Installed by this handyman
Fences installed and repaired by this handyman
Gutter Guards installed and repaired by this handyman
Gutters cleaned, repaired and installed by this handyman
House Numbers and Flags installed by this handyman
Locks & Deadbolts installed by this handyman
Leaf Removal any time of the year by this handyman
Mailboxes and Posts installed and repaired by this handyman
Porch and Flood Lights installed and repaired by this handyman
Pressure Washing Decks, Sidewalks, & Siding installed and repaired by this handyman
Shutters Repaired & Installed by this handyman
Siding installed and repaired by this handyman
Storage Shed Assembly and repairs by this handyman
Storm Doors and Storm Windows installed and repaired by this handyman
Trimming Trees & Hedges by this handyman
Weather Stripping installed and repaired by this handyman
Yard Furniture Assembly and repaired by this handyman
Call today for a for quote on your next interior painting project in Sarasota 941-270-2677 Read more...(559 words, 4 images, estimated 2:14 mins reading time)
Roof replacement or roof repairs needed? – Timothy Parks Construction & Roofing can give you roofing piece of mind. Our professional GAF ELK Certified CE 18239 roofing service will provide the perfect solution for your home improvement and remodeling needs in Englewood, Fl. http://www.tprci.com/roofing.html (941) 270-2677 Englewood, Fl A roof leak is a m […]
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When community evacuations become necessary, local officials provide information to the public through the media. In some circumstances, other warning methods, such as sirens or telephone calls, also are used. Additionally, there may be circumstances under which you and your family feel threatened or endangered and you need to leave your home, school, or w […]
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