Drop Ceilings: Pros and Cons

Humans have long had a love/hate relationship with ceilings. On one hand, they help to hide the structure that keeps the rain out; on the other, they can be a pain to install and maintain over time. So when the idea of the drop ceiling started gaining momentum, it followed that two very die-hard camps formed almost immediately. But drop ceilings have changed dramatically since the first patents were introduced in 1919 and subsequent improvements made in the 30s and 50s. Today’s drop ceiling, while building on these same principles, is a very different creature.

Drop Ceilings Aren’t Just for Offices

Most people get their first exposure to drop ceilings in their office or schools, where two foot by four foot styrofoam rectangles are set in a grid, along with harsh fluorescent lights, in place of a more traditional plastered or drywalled ceiling. Because these drop ceilings can be very severe in appearance, the very phrase has become suspect. But there are other drop ceilings that aren’t quite so industrial, and can actually really add to your home’s design and unique interior space. These may mimic stamped tin ceilings, coffered ceilings, or a number of different kinds of decorative wood patterns like beadboard. You may not even recognize a modern drop ceiling simply from looking at it, and that’s really the point.

Pros and Cons of Drop Ceilings

Looks aside, drop ceilings are not for everyone. They aren’t even for every kind of space, contrary to what some people may believe. It also really depends on the installation style you’re working with whether or not a drop ceiling in question is going to be the best choice for your home. But in general you can expect the following truths about drop ceilings.

• They’re simple to install. Drop ceilings are popular with a lot of DIYers because they’re easy to install and don’t require expert drywall skills to get a good result. Unlike drywall, which must be hung, the joints sealed, sanded, primered, painted, and painted again, a drop ceiling comes as a kit and is put together much more like flat-packed furniture. Follow the instructions and you should have the ceiling you expect.
• Maintenance is minimal. Drywall and plaster crack, it’s a fact. It’s also a reason a lot of older homes have newer drop ceilings installed over the originals. Regular patching of ceilings as a home ages and shifts ever so slightly is a headache. Styrofoam ceiling panels have much more give and can flex as a house moves. Bonus points for areas like basements where wood may shrink and swell throughout the year.
• They provide small amounts of insulation. Depending on how a drop ceiling is hung and what type you choose, you can expect a very small amount of insulation gain from them, as well as noise dampening. They’ve been used in homes with tall ceilings successfully to lower the heated envelope of the home from 10 feet to a more energy efficient seven to eight feet across the country, but by doing this, you can also interfere with the way the home’s air exchange was designed to work. Take caution when dropping ceilings dramatically.
• Head space is reduced. Even when you’re using a drop ceiling in a very minimalistic way, there’s going to be loss of headroom. This is because drop ceilings generally have to be hung on special brackets or dropped within a hanging framework. You may not lose a lot of headspace, possibly only inches, but in areas like basements where inches can be too much loss, it’s a serious consideration.
• Lighting solutions can be tricky. You’ll need to plan your lighting carefully when installing a drop ceiling. Because of the gap that tends to be present, even if it’s just a few inches worth, mounting lighting can require a great deal of planning and care. You may have to use special supports or choose different lighting types when you change a ceiling to a drop ceiling, or carefully design lighting if adding a drop ceiling to an area that’s never had a ceiling in it before.

Make Spring Cleaning Easy with Built-In Storage

It might be a bit on the chilly side now, but it’s not going to be long before spring cleaning season is upon us again. It’s a great way to refresh spaces and toss out that stuff that’s just been collecting with no real purpose. But what do you do with the stuff you DO want to keep? Maybe you need some more storage spaces!

These days, there are tons of prefabricated kits that can help you turn your home into an organizational powerhouse, as well as plenty of small projects that you can do over a weekend to prepare for the inevitable. If you start building your future storage now, you’ll be totally ready for sorting and putting away when the grass starts to green again.

Built-In Storage Kits

You don’t have to be Bob Villa to install any of the many basic storage systems that are available through big box storages and home improvement centers across the country. Some are designed with specific kinds of storage in mind, like closet systems that help you make more room out of nothing at all. Other systems are designed to be extra sturdy for more challenging spaces, like garages or utility rooms. These out of the box systems are a great way to add built-in storage, even if you’re not particularly handy. They often feature pre-cut pieces with just a few fasteners you’ll need to insert into the wall, along with step-by-step instructions to help you succeed.

But if you’re feeling up to it, don’t hesitate to pick up add-on parts for those systems, or go off the map entirely and use them in unexpected places, like under stairs, in mudrooms, and in other odd spaces in your house. Every nook can become mega storage if you have the right kind of system to install there.

Building From Scratch

If you’re a little braver, or have some experience with home repairs, you may want to take a serious look at spaces like garage ceilings, wall voids, rafters, and attic knee walls for room you can reclaim. Ensure there’s no electrical wire or plumbing running in the space you have your eye on for extra storage, though. Skipping this step can lead to some serious repercussions, including, but not limited to, electrocution and pipe ruptures.

However, with a careful hand, you can take those formerly useless stretches of wall or ceiling and add things like built-in bookcases, cabinets, and drawers. Remember that your built-in can only be as deep as the void, minus the thickness of the back materials, so choose your spaces accordingly. Attic knee walls are especially fun options, since there are usually deep voids behind them that you can transform into your storage fantasies.

Some Special Options for Kitchens

Kitchens are notorious for lacking storage or working space, but they also offer a lot of small spaces that most people tend to overlook. For example, if you have a lot of mugs or tea cups, the simple act of installing mug hooks under your upper cabinets can permanently free up shelf space. The inside of your cabinets can host shallow storage racks, which are great for holding cleaning supplies, spices, and other small items.

Another option might be adding a rail to your backsplash, enabling you to hang up items that tend to end up scattered in the kitchen. Wouldn’t it be nice to actually know where the potholders are at any given time? You can do the same thing with pegboards or heavy duty metal sheets you can attach pots, pans, utensils, and the like to with magnetic hooks.

Do You Need a Water Leak Detector?

Leaks in your home can be a major problem. This is especially the case if leaks occur while you’re away from home or happen in places that you can’t easily access. While some leaks can be prevented before they happen with proper maintenance, there’s always the possibility that you’ll have a leak even if you keep your sinks and pipes in good shape. So what can you do?

One option is to have a water leak detector that can pick up on the leak when it occurs. If you’ve never heard of these or aren’t sure how they work, here are the basics. You might find that a water leak detector is just what you need to give yourself a bit more peace of mind when it comes to your home’s plumbing.

What Is a Water Leak Detector?

As the name suggests, a water leak detector is a device that can detect water leaks in your home. There are a few different types of detectors out there, but they all provide the same basic function of keeping your home safe in case leaks occur. They do this by not only detecting the leaks, but also by doing something about them when they find one.
Modern water leak detectors include both sensors to identify leaks and valves that are built into your home’s plumbing. The central detector unit closes the valves when the sensor detects something is amiss, preventing the flow of water and stopping the leak until it can be repaired. Many detectors also provide you with some sort of alert when this occurs, with some models working in concert with smart home devices to send a notice to your phone and even perform other actions like turning on lights in the affected area.

Types of Leak Detectors

There are a few different types of water leak detectors that you can install in your home. The most common ones feature moisture sensors, allowing them to trigger the system if an area that’s supposed to be dry suddenly has an increase in moisture. In-line sensors can determine when changes in water pressure occur, with abnormal pressure readings suggesting that water is escaping the line and that a leak has sprung somewhere. Temperature sensors can detect frozen pipes, helping you to reduce pressure before those pipes burst. Some leak detectors even use acoustic sensors to listen for the sound of leaks or running water; this can be especially useful in crawl spaces or slabs where it might be difficult to find leaks using other sensor types.

Regardless of the type of sensors you have in your home, the core unit of your water leak detector will determine how big of an installation job is required. Basic detectors can send alerts to your phone or sound an audible alarm but take no other action beyond that; these can often be installed as DIY projects and provide basic protection against leaks. Larger systems that use in-line sensors and have the ability to shut off the water automatically are much more complicated and typically require professional installation, but they also provide much better protection and more sensor options as well.

Pre-Qualified or Pre-Approved? What’s the Difference?

There’s a lot to learn when you’re starting out on your home buying journey. From concepts like earnest money to closing costs, it’s a lot to take in during a very short period. But of all the things to know, understanding the difference between being pre-qualified and pre-approved for your mortgage is one of the most important.

Why Your Mortgage Application Status Matters

It’s always been a good idea to bring a strong offer to the negotiating table when it comes to real estate, but it’s even more vital when the market is short on inventory and long on buyers. If you’re in a multiple offer situation (and sometimes, even if you’re not), the sellers are going to weigh the various offers they receive to decide if they think your offer is enough to bring in what they need to sell their home, as well as considering how strong an offer it is.

A strong offer is one that has a lot of the obstacles already removed. For example, if you need to sell your house before you can close on the one you’re making an offer on, this might be considered a weak offer for some sellers. A weak offer doesn’t mean a bad offer, necessarily; it’s simply an offer that looks like it could be tricky to actually get to the closing table. The risk versus reward is too high. This is why having the right kind of mortgage application status plays in your favor when it comes to negotiation.

Mortgage Pre-Qualification Versus Mortgage Pre-Approval

When you meet with a lender for the first time, they generally ask some probing questions about your income and assets, as well as your expenses and credit file. They’re not just being nosy; that lender is trying to help figure out just how much home you can qualify for and what programs might be best for your financial picture. Sometimes, these lenders will send you elsewhere because their banks or partner lending institutions simply can’t help you, but in a lot of cases they’ll produce something called a pre-qualification letter.

Pre-qualification goes largely by your word about your income and expenses, and is not a promise to lend. It’s simply a hypothetical among a list of hypotheticals. If you do in fact make this much money, your credit is as assumed, the house you choose lines up with these guidelines, and rates don’t change dramatically, you should be able to buy this much house. You can see how that would be a bit dodgy for a seller to hang all their hopes on.

A pre-approval, on the other hand, shows that you’ve gone through the additional steps to reach the highest level of mortgage approval you can get without actually having a house secured (the house you choose also figures into the final approval, but just how it figures depends on the loan program). For a pre-approval, you’ll need to provide income documents, permission for the lender to pull a full credit report, and details on any assets or liabilities you hold that aren’t included in your credit file.

A pre-approval isn’t instant; it requires more review, and you’ll need to choose a lending program to be approved for. However, doing all this extra work shows potential sellers that you’re already putting in a lot of effort to ensure you can actually close when the day comes, and that you’re eager to move the process along as quickly as possible. That’s the kind of buyer a seller wants to see!

Watch for These Signs of Unwelcome Visitors

Having a pest infestation is no fun, but it’s not an uncommon problem for a homeowner to experience, especially in transition times like from fall to winter or from winter into spring. Many pests come indoors seeking warmth from bitter temperatures in the late fall, stow away all winter, and then become active again as spring sets in. Others come indoors and remain active throughout their occupancy. In older homes, especially, it can be tricky to decide if you’ve got a pest problem or just a creaky old house and an active imagination, but it’s easier when you know some of the most common signs of pests.

Common Signs of Household Pests

Because there are armloads of different sorts of pests that can occupy a house at any given time, it’s impossible to list all the signs and symptoms you might notice, but this list should get you started with the most common pest animals in homes.

Staining
Staining on ceilings or walls can be a strong sign that you’ve got an insect colony setting up shop. Often bees, wasps, or even ladybugs will take up residence in voids in wall or attic spaces. If you hear buzzing, do not attempt to exorcise your insect pests without the help of a professional. Mammals and birds can also leave staining, depending on where they’ve built nests.

Scratching Sounds
Rodents love to get into the voids in walls, under cabinets, and in all those dark places in your home. They use these openings like little highways to get safely from their nests to food sources and back. While they’re at it, you may hear them in the walls, scratching, scraping, even gnawing.

Unusual Smells
A lot of pests give off distinctive odors that aren’t normally associated with homes. If you’re shopping for a house and notice a smell that’s “off,” don’t automatically assume it’s full of mold. There may simply be a pest infestation that can be far more easily remedied. The same goes for your own house; if someone mentions a smell you’ve not noticed because you live there all the time, ask for more details to help figure out what’s bugging you.

Holes or Gnaw Marks
Holes and gnaw marks can come from any sort of creature that would nest in your home. You don’t always get staining, depending on where the nest is; sometimes you only get a good view of the front door. Wood-consuming beetles like powderpost beetles, for example, will drill tiny holes in hardwood flooring and other wooden trim pieces. Mice, of course, will also chew through wood and other materials to better facilitate their successful lives in your home.

Nests
If you find an actual nest, or nest material, this is a great sign you’ve got an issue and one you can’t ignore. Rodents tend to chew up paper or other thin materials like plastic bags to create their nests, but waxy secretions might be the sort of nest material you’d find for bees, or leaves, mud, and grasses for birds that often nest in chimneys and attics. Whatever the nesting material, make sure to collect some for further evaluation.

Modern Materials for Modern Countertops

The countertops in your kitchen can make a big difference in how your kitchen looks overall. If you’re tired of your kitchen looking old and dated, updating your countertops is a great way to completely revitalize its look. There are a number of materials used in modern countertops that will help your kitchen stand out.

Countertop Materials

Here are just a few options to consider if you really want to give things a modern look:

Soapstone
Stone surfaces have long been a favorite material for kitchen countertops, but soapstone has come into its own in recent years. It’s heat and stain resistant like granite, non-porous (and thus liquid resistant) like marble, and has a softer texture than you’ll find with many stone surfaces. Just be careful, as there are two actually different materials that are sometimes called soapstone; one of these is talc, which isn’t going to give you the surface that you’re looking for. The soapstone that you want to get is steatite, which fortunately is much more common when shopping for countertop materials.

Leathered Granite
Granite has been popular as a counter surface for years, but has always had the drawback of being a porous material, meaning you have to be careful with spills. Leathered granite solves this problem while giving the classic stone a modern update as well. The surface of the granite is slightly roughed by diamond-tipped brushes, enhancing the stone’s natural color while cutting back on some of the shine and closing those infamous pores. The end result is a durable stone countertop with a unique look and a slight texture that really does feel similar to leather.

Engineered Quartz
Like granite, quartz has been used as a countertop material for years. So what’s the deal with engineered quartz? Unlike traditional quartz countertops, these are made with ground quartz mixed with resins to create a very hard and natural-looking surface. Colors can be added to create tints to match a wide range of decorating styles. Engineered quartz resists staining, corrosion, and damage from most cleaners. Just keep in mind that, like natural quartz, these countertops can still be damaged by heat.

Solid-Surface Acrylics
There are a few different brands of solid-surface acrylic countertops available, notably including Corian and Swanstone. These countertops mix acrylics with resin to create a stain-resistant surface that’s available in a wide range of colors, and that can be sanded to repair scratches or other small bits of damage. Perhaps more importantly, the man-made nature of these countertops means that they can be easily customized to meet the specific needs of your home. Their main drawback is that they tend to be vulnerable to heat damage, given that they are still made of plastic.

Concrete
Over the last several years, concrete countertops have become very popular in modern kitchens. They can be made on-site to ensure that they match your unique kitchen perfectly, and their dense nature means your countertops can take a beating without suffering much damage. Textures, acid-stained colors, and more can be added to the countertops during the creation process, and additives or sealants can significantly reduce the porosity of the concrete itself. These countertops do occasionally have issues with cracking, though modern methods have reduced this significantly. Even when they do crack, however, most concrete countertops can be repaired on-site.

Best Materials for Refinishing Stairs

Staircases tend to capture the eye because of the way they transcend from one level to the next. If your stairs have seen better days, though, you might not like the message that your staircase is sending. Whether you’re simply tired of the way that they look, or your stairs are starting to fall into a bit of disrepair, refinishing and revitalizing your stairs will have to come sooner or later.

Stair Materials

Here are a few ideas that you should keep in mind when trying to figure out the best way to give your stairs new life.

Stained Stairs
If you have wooden stairs that you’re trying to retain the beauty of, there are a number of stains that can give the wood just the nudge it needs to reclaim its lost glory. This can require a lot of prep work, as you want to remove the ground-in dirt from the years of use that your stairs have seen to bring out their best when you stain. It’s usually recommended that you sand, clean, and sand again before you start staining. Since stairs tend to be high-traffic areas, you’ll want to apply a water-based finish after your stain dries, then sand and repeat the process an additional time or two. It’s a lot of work, but it will definitely be worth it in the end.

Painted Stairs
If you don’t feel like doing all that work staining, you can take a slightly easier route and paint the stairs instead. There’s still a lot of prep work involved, and you’ll likely need to put down at least two coats, but you probably won’t end up doing quite as much sanding, and you’ll also be able to avoid some of the finishing as well. If you’re worried about slick surfaces, you can also mix in sand or similar materials into the final coat to create a rougher texture that prevents slipping. Best of all, you can customize the look of your stairs in ways that you couldn’t with stain.

Carpeted Stairs
There are a few different ways that you can approach carpeting on stairs. The entire staircase can be carpeted, you can put strips of carpet on each tread, or you can use runners that go down the middle of the staircase while still leaving some wood exposed on either side. The important things to remember are that you should always use a low-pile carpet on stairs, and it needs to be secured firmly to keep from becoming a tripping hazard. You should also avoid using carpet on stairs that descend into a basement or other damp areas, as you can run into problems with mildew.

Vinyl and Rubber Treads
If you want to make sure that you have the most slip resistance possible, there are a variety of vinyl and rubber stair treads available. Some of these are designed specifically for internal use, while others are designed for either internal or external installation. Many of these are designed with function taking priority over fashion, though a variety of colors and designs are available for those wanting to avoid ugly black mats. Some of these treads can even match the major colors in your home, giving you extra security while going up and down without sacrificing aesthetics completely.

Stone Staircases
An often-overlooked stair material that can add a splash of elegance to your home is stone. Materials like marble or granite can replace the wood treads and risers that you’re used to, matching well with tile or stone floors in other parts of the house. Just be sure to avoid placing stone stairs in areas where they are likely to stay wet, since some stone materials become slick or retain moisture due to their porous nature.

What’s New in Garage Door Styles?

Garage doors might not seem like they make much of a difference, but imagine what your home would look like if you just had a flat door where your current garage door stands. Because they take up so much real estate on the front of most homes, garage doors can actually have a huge impact on the way your home looks and feels. So, what do you want your house to say today?

Garage Door Options

Here are some current garage door trends that could speak volumes:

• Bright Colors. There was a time when garage doors came in muted neutral colors and whites, and absolutely nothing else. Thankfully, those times are in the rearview mirror and we’re living in a far more enlightened – and vibrant – age. Bright colors can help enhance especially interesting woodwork on garage doors, complement homes with a lot of color, like Spanish styles or Victorians, or make fancy hardware pop like nothing else. Be careful with bright colors, though, because there is such a thing as too much; you can end up overwhelming the rest of your home if you don’t use them with caution. White trim on a brightly colored garage door, for example, can help contain the energy if you need to tone it down a bit.
• Sleek Industrial Lines. There’s something about clean, sharp lines that can turn a modern house into an ultra modern one. Those industrial lines are still a hot commodity, as are glass panels in nearly invisible aluminum frames. The look isn’t right for every home, but an industrial garage door can be an incredibly flexible design element, especially when placed against square-cut stone, dark colored shiplap, or natural wood siding.
• Country Cottage Styling. The whole country cottage meets industrial hardware look has really had some staying power. Not only does it give a big helping of nostalgia to a lot of people, it also makes it easier to blend more modern elements into older homes that may have been seriously deprived of any sense of self by excessively generic remodels of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. It may come as no surprise, then, that garage doors that are designed to echo the same look are also super popular. Choose carriage house doors or doors that resemble barn doors for an industrial cottage look beyond the interior of your home. Pairing these garage options with Dutch lap siding or irregular stone or brickwork can really make both the doors and the house pop.
• Natural Wood. Sure, natural wood doors have been available for some time, but never in anywhere near as many designs or tones. Look for solid wood doors for a lot of rustic flare, or choose a synthetic wood door for a modern home to give it a little more earthy feel without all the maintenance. Your industrial homestead can really make a statement with wooden garage doors made from horizontal strips in different wooden tones.
• Asymmetry. Mid-century modern homes are gaining a lot of popularity these days, but until recently there wasn’t a great garage door complement for them. Say hello to the asymmetrical door. With garage windows on one side rather than across the top, these unusual statement doors are perfectly paired with other square and rectangular outdoor elements, just like what you’d find on a vintage MCM ranch style home. Those side windows still let in a lot of light, while allowing a great deal of security and privacy inside your garage. It’s kind of the whole package.