Stayin’ Cool With Ductless Mini-Split Systems

There’s nothing like a glass of cool lemonade on a hot summer day, unless of course the reason it’s so hot is that your air conditioner needs to be replaced. In that case, a new air conditioning system is pretty much the best thing ever. Maybe yours has lived a long and full life and is ready to be replaced, or perhaps you’ve added on to your home and need a solution for cooling that EZ Bake Oven you’ve created. In either case, installing a new ducted air conditioning system or plopping a window unit into the nearest window aren’t your only choices. You could go with Door Number Three: the ductless mini-split system.

What is a Ductless Mini-Split System?

Ductless mini-splits are air conditioning systems that are made to cool (and sometimes heat) smaller spaces. They can work together to improve climate control in entire homes and can even replace a traditional ducted system. Much like a central air conditioning system, there are two parts: the condenser, which is installed outside, and the inside air handler.

The main difference from traditional systems is that they don’t use ductwork, so they eliminate a ton of temperature loss that would normally occur in your crawlspace or attic. And unlike a window unit, a ductless mini-split system can be hung out of the way of windows, since it only requires a three-inch hole to run the refrigerant lines and electrical controls.

Advantages of a Ductless Mini-Split System

There are a lot of reasons to love a ductless mini-split, but energy efficiency has to be up there among the top. These systems can have SEER ratings of around 28, which is substantially more efficient than a ducted system’s 13 SEER national minimum requirement. Of course, a ducted system’s rating will vary by unit, but generally speaking, the higher the SEER rating, the higher the price tag.

Ductless mini-splits systems also boast these advantages over a traditional central HVAC system:

• More precise control of room temperatures. Mechanically, one of the most important differences between ductless mini-split systems and traditional systems is that mini-splits are controlled by an inverter system that allows your heat or air to come out of the air handler at the temperature you set. This is different from a ducted air conditioner that only blows air at one temperature, constantly switching on and off to maintain room temperatures.
  
• Ability to set room temperatures independently of one another. Although zoning is possible with ducted systems, it can be costly to install and is not a reasonable solution for many rooms that need different temperatures. This is especially a concern in multi-generational households or those where the home heats or cools irregularly throughout the day. With a ductless mini-split system, you can set the living room to stay a constant 72 degrees despite the heat baking your picture window, without your office having to become an ice cave. Everybody wins!
  
• No more dirty air cycling endlessly. Ducts are filthy, there’s no question about it. This is just an inevitable side effect of their design, especially in an older house that’s had decades or generations to collect substantial amounts of dirt in the home’s ductwork. Ductless mini-splits are just that: ductless. Each unit has its own filtration system, and there are no ducts for dirt to settle in, keeping room air significantly cleaner all the time.

Choosing Energy Efficient Windows

If eyes are the windows to the soul, then surely windows are the eyes of your house, right? Something like that, anyway. When it comes time to replace those windows, it’s important to make a carefully considered decision before pulling the trigger. Today’s modern windows come in a staggering number of designs, made from a lot of different materials, all with different ratings to help you better understand their performance.

Choosing the Best Windows for the Job

The good news is that there’s no one window that’s perfect for your home, so you’ll have plenty of options. There will probably be many different types and styles to choose from, with features that will help you improve your energy efficiency and keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Start by choosing the window style and cladding materials you want. Once you’ve settled on that, you’ll find yourself toe to toe with the NFRC label.

What’s on an NFRC Label?

The NFRC label is a useful sticker developed by the National Fenestration Rating Council to help you better understand what you’re getting from your window purchase. It contains lots of useful information, and if you know how to decode it, you can learn a lot about how your new windows will behave in all kinds of weather.

Here’s what you’ll see on the label:

• U-Factor. The U-factor tells you how much heat your window will lose when compared to other windows. A lower number means that there’s less heat flow between the glass, with values as low as 0.30 for double-pane windows and 0.15 for triple-pane windows. This measurement is only for non-solar heat flow, so don’t hesitate to go for a low U-factor if your home relies on passive solar for heating.
  
• Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). If you do have a passive solar home, this part of the label is going to be really important for you, because it shows how much solar radiation can pass through the window to be released into your home. A low SHGC rated window transmits a lot less radiation and is better at acting as a shade in the summer. High SHGC windows allow more radiation to pass through the glass, adding more heat to your home. Low SHGCs are excellent for super hot and sun-intense areas like the desert southwest, whereas high SHGCs are perfect for homes that don’t experience intense summer heat but might benefit from the extra heat being transferred indoors in the winter.
  
• Visible Transmittance. Do you like lots of indoor light? Most people do, but it’s not perfect for every spot. That’s why windows have options! Visible transmittance refers to how much light visible to the human eye is allowed to pass into interior spaces. This rating ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 transmitting the least amount of light and 1 transmitting the most.
  
• Air Leakage. Drafty windows are almost a feature of older homes with older windows, but they don’t have to be with tightly designed, properly installed new windows. A higher number indicates more air leakage, a lower one means less. This number is based on the windows being installed correctly, which is sometimes difficult for a homeowner to do on their own, so be sure to ask for advice to get the most value from your purchase.
  
• Condensation Resistance. Condensation forms on a window when moist air hits window glass that’s significantly cooler. A high number tells you that your new windows are highly resistant to condensation. Although condensation is mainly a cosmetic issue, it can lead to longer term problems. So if that’s a major problem where you live, you’ll want to give this part of the label careful consideration.

Accentuate the Positives: Highlight Your Home’s Best Features

Your home’s a looker, so why aren’t you doing all you can to point all the attention at its best features? Maybe you’re afraid that drawing so much attention to the details will leave your friends jealous, or maybe you just need some ideas for how to make those interesting details even more obvious. Either way, there are plenty of tricks you can use to accentuate the positives in your home.

Painting to Perfection

Paint is just one way to make your home’s best features shine, and there are all kinds of methods to make this happen. You don’t have to be a professional painter to get a lot of mileage out of some basic attention-getting paintwork, though hiring a pro can certainly help you get exactly the effect you’ve got in mind.

One easy way to catch the eye is to paint an accent wall, a wall or a section of a wall that’s a different color than the rest of the paint in a room. The accent wall’s location and color will really affect how well it does its job, but if you have a wall with a feature you want people to look at, it’s safe to assume that would make a good accent wall. In addition, painting the inside of a bookcase or alcove a different color than the main wall color can also get serious looks.

Another way to make paint an absolute neon sign is to use it to draw out the details in interior or exterior trim. If your millwork is relatively simple, a basic white can really grab attention. If there’s extra fancy trim involved, try using different colors to offset the trim’s different levels of detail.

Light It Up!

There’s no easier way to highlight something specific than by putting an actual spotlight on it. Got a great mantlepiece? Point a spotlight on it so you can really draw attention to it, especially after dark. Spotlights are great for art, murals, alcoves and other good features in your home. Just be aware of their location and proximity to things like windows that might make a spotlight a little less wow.

You could also install other accent lighting, such as LED strips, on the underside of a floating cabinet, around a particularly interesting mirror or trim piece or within a cutout in your room. This can bring a little more focus on the things you’re doing with that space. When in doubt, light it out… err… up.

Make Some Space

It may sound simple, but one of the best ways to draw attention to the great stuff in your house is to get rid of a bunch of other stuff in your house. When you have too many interesting things in one room, it gets visually overwhelming quickly! So instead of storing all your collectables in one exceptional built-in, for example, just pick a few of your best to display so you leave plenty of negative space for contrast.

Eliminating bulky furniture, excess accent pieces and even pictures can also help the eye move to the architectural details. There’s a lot to be said for decluttering if you really want your house to stand out. Keep pieces that mimic or have features or styling in common with what you want to accent, and move out those that seem to clash with the details in question.

The Fire and the Flood: Home Restoration Basics

When disaster strikes, recovering from it can be a big job. Whether you experience a home fire, live in an area impacted by a flood or have some other disaster strike, restoring your home can be a big undertaking. The prospect can seem overwhelming, but things may not be as bad as they appear at first glance. Whether you’re facing this sort of disaster now or just trying to prepare in case the worst someday comes to pass, here are some things you should know about home restoration after a disaster.

Be Prepared for a Shock

When you first go back into your home after a fire, flood or some other disaster, the scene can be very emotional. Even if the actual damage is minimal, furniture, furnishings and keepsakes may be scattered or damaged. There may also be smells that you’re not used to, which can seem very strong when you first enter the building. Don’t try to force yourself to get to work right away; give yourself the time necessary to accept what you’re seeing and calm down after that initial rush of emotion.

Talk to Your Insurance Company

Before you start trying to clear out your home or begin repairs, talk to your insurance company and find out what they need to process your claim. Take pictures of the damage, even though they may need to send someone out to take additional photos as well. Don’t move things around unless absolutely necessary, so that the photos showcase the condition that your home is in. Not only will talking to your insurance company get your claim started, but it will also help you in figuring out what limitations your coverage has. This may aid you in deciding exactly how to approach the restoration moving forward.

Deal with the Water

Whether it’s from a flood or fire hoses, water in your house can be bad news. Not only can the water warp or otherwise damage wood and other materials in the home, but it also provides growth opportunities for bacteria, mildew and mold. Pumps may be needed to remove standing water, especially in your basement, and dehumidifiers will almost certainly be a requirement in rooms that had a lot of water exposure. If ceilings or walls have notable water damage, support structures may be needed to keep ceilings from collapsing or walls from buckling. To avoid possible electric shock, shut off the main breaker in the home until the water is gone and an electrician can confirm that the wiring wasn’t damaged in the disaster.

Repair and Replace

If the damage is largely contained to a single area, you may be able to get away with some basic repairs and no major restoration construction. If there’s heavy water damage or a large number of rooms that were affected, however, you will almost certainly have to replace some water-damaged wood or other support structures. If the damage is substantial enough, this may even require major construction to completely redo some rooms. Don’t skimp here; though things might not seem so bad, wood and other materials that are affected by mildew, mold or rot can fail in the future and require even more costly repairs then.

Check the Outside, Too

A lot of focus goes into internal repairs when it comes to restoration, but there may be external damage as well which will set you up for problems down the road. Damage to your roof, leaks in your siding and even damaged brick or faux stone can set you up for ongoing leaks and water damage that will undermine the structure of your home over time. A thorough inspection of the exterior of your home should reveal potential issues before they can become major problems.

Your Pre-Listing Checklist

When it comes time to list your home, you’ll want to come up with a list of small repairs and other tweaks that you can do to try and get the most out of your property. If you don’t make a list, you might miss things that could bring down what potential buyers are willing to pay for your home. While there might be a lot of things to consider depending on the specifics of your home, here are some items that you should definitely double check before putting up a listing for your property.

The Paint

How do the walls in your home look? If it’s been a few years since they’ve seen a coat of paint you should probably consider giving them a fresh coat. This is especially true if previous work was done in a hurry or has obvious spots where patches were done and covered up with newer paint. A sloppy or mismatched paint job will turn off a lot of potential buyers since they’ll likely see it as a task they’ll need to undertake as soon as they buy the house.

Roofing and Siding

While you’re considering things that might be a big red flag for possible buyers, step outside and take a look at the siding, brickwork and roof. Even if you only have a few problems out there, to someone looking at the house, that could raise questions about leaks, insects and other issues the buyers might face in the future. If you want to get the most out of your home, then it’s worth replacing broken shingles or fixing bits of damage or discoloration on your home’s exterior.

Faucets and Plumbing

Leaks, drips and other plumbing issues are pretty common, and it’s easy to get used to them over time. If someone is shopping for a new home, however, a notable drip from a faucet or evidence of a leak can be big warning signs. Nobody wants to pay full price for a home if they might be facing water damage in the near future, so taking care of any drips or leaks, as well as stains that they might have caused, is a great move to make before you list.

General Landscaping

Sometimes it’s tempting to not worry too much about the landscaping when listing your home. If the landscaping has obviously been ignored, though, it may leave potential buyers wondering what else hasn’t been taken care of. Even if you just spend a little time trimming up the shrubs and eliminating some unsightly weeds, you can make a big difference on the first impression made to someone considering a purchase.

Clutter and Trash

Just as with landscaping, having clutter or other trash around can make a really bad impression when someone is looking at your home. There may be good reasons why things look a bit cluttered, but a potential buyer isn’t going to know what they are and quite likely won’t bother to ask. Take the time to straighten up and get rid of the garbage before your home goes on the market.

Obvious Repairs

There are many other small repairs that are worth making before your home gets listed. Any little bits of damage or discoloration should be evaluated to see if they can be repaired. While you may not have the time or budget to fix everything, you should still attempt whatever repairs you can. Your home obviously doesn’t need to be perfect, but the better it looks the higher the eventual closing price will be.

Roomba and Your Smarter Home

In recent years, a number of consumer devices have offered Internet-enabled features and other forms of connectivity. Not only does this allow for updates to the core software of these devices, but it also allows them to interact with each other and often lets their functionality be automated as well. It makes sense that you’d see this sort of functionality in devices such as robotic vacuums, which seem ready made to integrate with your house in a deeper sense.

Every current model of Roomba robotic vacuum (and many other robotic vacuums as well) features Wi-Fi connectivity and the ability to program and control the vacuum from a smartphone app. This is great for those who either already have smart home devices or are thinking of getting them, since it makes it much easier to add cleaning to your home automation routine. Here are just a few of the ways that a Roomba or similar vacuum can make your home that much smarter.

Programming and Automation

Even if you don’t plan to go for a full-on smart home at the moment, having a Roomba or similar robotic vacuum can make keeping your home clean that much easier. These vacuums have multiple sensors to help them avoid objects in the floor, and you can program them to run at certain times so that they aren’t underfoot during the day. After their initial programming, you generally won’t have to do anything else to them, as they can run automatically and even find their charging dock on their own when their batteries get low.

Digital Assistant Control

If you want to take your Roomba automation a step further, you can connect it to a digital assistant such as Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Assistant. This will let you start the vacuum with voice commands using an Echo or Google Home device as a hub. Not only will this make occasional cleanups that fall outside of your programmed schedule that much easier, but it can also let you program cleanup as part of a larger routine. An example of this would be if you were expecting company, you could set up a routine so that while you ran to the store you could have your Roomba vacuum while a smart thermostat adjusted the temperature and your smart lights turned off.

IFTTT Interaction

It’s possible that you might want your Roomba to interact with other smart devices that don’t connect directly to your digital assistant. Fortunately, there’s an app called IFTTT (“IF This, Then That”) which lets you connect different services that might not integrate otherwise. There are a wide variety of user-made interactions that cover smart devices, apps and more. You can even make your own if you can’t find what you’re looking for among what’s already on the platform. This enables some really useful interactions, as well as some that are intended just for fun. As an example, you could even set up IFTTT to send out a tweet on behalf of your Roomba every time it started cleaning or had to recharge itself if you wanted.

Sweep and Mop

If you weren’t aware, the makers of the Roomba also make a robotic mop unit for hardwood and laminate floors. Known as the Braava robot mop, these little units move over non-carpeted floors without leaving scuffs or other marks and can tackle a wide range of dirt, spills and stains. Best of all, you can program these mops using the same app that you use for setting up and programming your Roomba.

Can I Refinance My Mortgage?

Refinancing a mortgage is a powerful tool that can help you to save money on your home payments. Refinancing your mortgage takes advantage of your positive payment history and may enable you to lock in lower interest rates, obtain more agreeable repayment terms, or lower the amount you pay each month. You may even be able to add in the cost of needed home repairs as part of your new mortgage loan.

As with any loan, you have to qualify for a refinance. There are a number of factors that can influence whether you are able to refinance your home loan, including things like the value of your home, how much you still owe, what your credit score is and how able you are to repay the loan. It can be more difficult to refinance in periods of economic turmoil, but even then, it isn’t impossible.

How Refinancing Works

While it’s pretty common for people to talk about refinancing a mortgage, not everyone understands exactly what’s involved with a refinance. Though it’s typically talked about as if it were a loan modification, a refinance is usually a new loan that pays off and replaces the original mortgage. The refinance loan has its own interest rate and repayment terms, typically based on the amount that’s remaining on your home purchase. It is possible to do what is known as “cash out” refinancing, however, increasing the amount that you owe to take advantage of home equity and get cash for major purchases, debt consolidation or other expenses.

While you can refinance with the same lender that issued your mortgage, this isn’t actually required in most cases. Many homeowners shop around at different lenders to make sure that they get the best possible deal on their refinance loan. While this won’t always get you a substantially better deal on a loan, in some cases the time spent comparing lenders can result in significant savings.

Major Refinancing Considerations

There are a number of things that can affect the deal you get on a refinance or if you even qualify for a refinance loan at all. Some of these are well known and will affect pretty much any loan you might try to take out. Your credit score can have an impact, as can your debt-to-income ratio and the stability of your job. The remaining balance on your mortgage versus the value of your home can also affect your ability to refinance.

This can make things a bit more difficult if you’ve spent time out of work or laid off due to factors outside of your control; you’ll need to be able to explain these breaks to lenders and prove that you have the means to repay the loan. Economic unrest may also make some banks hesitant to issue as many large loans, meaning that your credit score and income will have to be a bit higher than usual to net a good deal on a loan. This won’t apply to all lenders, of course, but the fact that this can have an effect is important to keep in mind when shopping around for a refinance.

Is It a Good Time to Refinance?

Deciding whether it’s the right time to refinance depends a lot on you and your personal situation. Some people refinance to get their finances under control or to cover needed house repairs, so these reasons will have at least some influence on the timing of the loan. If you’re not under this sort of pressure, then you have a bit more freedom to pick your timing. It never hurts to shop around and check on possible deals, though if you find that you’re having trouble finding lenders willing to work with you or aren’t seeing the money-saving deals you want, then you always have the option to wait for rates (and possibly your situation) to improve.