Explore 1,000+ articles designed to guide you through every stage of your home improvement project.
Roofing
How to Tackle Ice Dams on Your Roof
Icicles on your roof may look quaint and charming, but unless your house is made out of gingerbread, they usually wind up doing a lot more harm than good. Typically, they’re a sign that your roof is forming ice dams—big, hard hunks of ice that build up over the edge of your roof. When ice…
Roofing
Is Snow Good or Bad for Your Roof?
It’s about that time of year when the snowbanks pile up and the whole world is covered in a blanket of white. While you’ve been bundled up indoors under a pile of blankets—if you’re lucky!—you may not have noticed that your home’s exterior hasn’t been immune to the snow either. A good blanket of snow can…
HVAC
How to Use Your HVAC System During a Fire Advisory
Are wildfires a threat to your home? A majority of scientists believe that climate change has increased the prevalence — and intensity — of forest fires, meaning we could see more of these hazards to come in the future, particularly in the western United States. Their reasoning? Droughts have contributed to drier than usual conditions…
Other Home Projects
How and When to Hire a Chimney Sweep
Did you know that fireplace chimneys need to be cleaned and maintained just like any other piece of equipment in the home? Chimneys that aren’t properly maintained can malfunction in a variety of ways. After enough fire burning, creosote can build up on the inside of your chimney, and if it’s not cleaned, it can…
Other Home Projects
How to Keep Animals Out of Your Home
Wildlife can be beautiful, and having animals near your home can be an enjoyable way to immerse yourself in nature as you relish the view. However, there are times when animals get too close for comfort — they stop being part of the scenery and start becoming a nuisance that causes damage to your home.…
Roofing
How to Prevent Problems with Flat Roofs
If you’re the owner of a home with a flat roof, you know that they can offer some pretty serious benefits in terms of aesthetics and energy efficiency. Plus, a secondary outdoor space? Count me in! While that’s all good, flat roof owners do have to be more careful to prevent roof leaks, damage, and…
Solar
Common Causes of Damage to Solar Panels and How to Avoid Them
Solar panel technology is ever-changing and improving — but it doesn’t make the panels impenetrable. Since the panels are made from outward-facing glass, they are vulnerable to damage from extreme weather and age. Water and hail damage to solar panels can feel like tricky problems to solve. Solar panels are built to last up to…
Other Home Projects
Warning: Learn These Home Heating Fire Hazards
Heating your home with poorly maintained equipment is like playing with fire—sometimes quite literally! Even if you don’t have a fireplace with an open flame, you could be putting the safety of your home and family at risk. Especially if you slack off on monitoring the condition and performance of your heating systems. While heating…