Category: House and Home

Being a homeowner can be a hassle.

Very often you find new things you never knew would need fixing.

But a roof is not one of those things.

Your roof is one of the most visible external parts of your home, and it faces constant exposure to the elements. Given these facts, it is just a reality of homeownership that your roof will need replacing eventually.

How do you know when that time has come? Fortunately, there are signs, and we will lay them out for you below.

Keep reading to learn the signs you need a new roof.

7 Signs You Need a New Roof

You do not have to diagnose your roofing problems alone. A trustworthy professional can be invaluable in that process. If you do want that help, make sure you find roofing companies in your area that you trust.

Without further ado, we present the following roof inspection criteria for your inspection.

1. You’ve Got Rot

It can difficult to just look at your roof and say, “That is definitely rot.” That is usually something a professional roofer does. But you can see evidence that rot exists.

One piece of evidence is sagging. If you see spots in your roof that appear to be indented more than the rest of the roof, or you notice a general droopiness to your roof, that is a good sign of the trapped moisture that leads to rot.

2. It’s Got Spots

If your roof starts to look like a leopard, you’ve got problems. When there are spots on your roof that are darker than other areas, those are the spots we’re talking about.

These dark spots come when your shingles start losing granules. These granules protect your shingles from breaking down due to the sun. The spots are a sign your shingles will age quickly and lose their protective qualities.

3. Moisture in the Attic

If you see moisture damage in your attic, that is a good sign your roof is not covering it adequately.

You can notice moisture damage within the attic similarly to the way you notice it on the roof. Are there dark spots or water stains? Those are signs of moisture problems.

4. Too Much Moss

Moss may seem charming enough, and even harmless, in its way. But moss can damage your roof because of its ability to grow under your shingles and raise them up. When this happens, water leaks in.

5. Spiking Energy Bills

One of your roof’s functions is to protect you from precipitation. But it should also protect you from fluctuations in temperature. If you notice your energy bills rising, it might be a sign that your roof is not protecting you or your family properly.

6. Missing Shingles

It should be no surprise that missing shingles are a sign of when to replace a roof. They form a part of your roof!

It is not that you can’t replace the shingles on your roof. You can. But if they are coming off, it is a sign of deeper aging issues with the roof underneath the shingles.

7. Deformed Shingles

Almost as bad as missing shingles are shingles that are cracked or curling up. These are early warning signs that the shingles are about to fall off. You may be at an earlier point in your roof’s life cycle than with some of the other items on this list, but it is still just a matter of time until you need an entire roof replacement.

We’ve Got You Covered

No one wants to find out they need to get their roof replaced. At least these signs you need a new roof can help remove the element of surprise.

Once you accept the reality of a new for a new roof, check out our guide to saving money on home improvements for help.

Americans spent roughly $340 billion dollars on home remodeling in 2018, a number expected to grow by more than seven percent in 2019. If you’re planning to join the ranks of the fixer-uppers, it pays to know what you’re getting into.

Renovations can be expensive. In fact, the average price for a kitchen reno is $23,307. A bathroom remodel costs, on average,$10,301. We’ve put together our top home renovation tips and 13 ways to save money on your next project.

1. Set Your Budget

The easiest way to keep your costs from spiraling out of control is to decide up front how much money you can spend. Then when you’re looking for appliances, fixtures or flooring, you’ll know right away if you can afford to do everything you want to.

Here’s a kitchen remodeling budget you can use as a guide for creating your own. 

Tip: pay cash for everything to avoid interest charges on your credit cards. You’ll also be much less likely to impulse buy an expensive light fixture if you have to hand over the cash.

2. Do Your Research

Once you have your budget set, start window shopping for the items you’ll need. Get a sense of the prices by looking both on line and in stores. A lot of people underestimate the price of kitchen cabinets or counter tops. Hint: granite can be expensive! 

Research the prices of the items you really, really want and then see if you can find something nearly identical for less. You might be surprised how many look-a-like faucets there are.

3. Hire a Professional 

This seems counter-intuitive to your goal of saving money, but a contractor can save you money in the long run, especially if this is your first major renovation. Contractors will know what permits you’ll need from your local government, for example. They’ll also be able to tell you if that wall you want to knock down is load-bearing and therefore, an extremely expensive project.

Get bids from three reputable contractors and check their license.

Tip: Hire a contractor and do the work during the off-season. If you live in an area that gets a lot of ice and snow during the winter, contractors don’t get as much work. You might be able to negotiate a lower price, if you hire a contractor during the slow months.

4. Reuse and Recycle

You save a lot of money if you’re willing to re-purpose cabinetry. If you’re renovating your kitchen and bathroom, see if you can use the old kitchen cabinets in the bathroom. They may just need a coat of paint and some new hardware.

Even if you have to cut them down to fit, it will still be much less expensive than buying a whole new set.

If you’re only remodeling your kitchen, you might just need to refinish or repaint the existing cabinets. Fresh paint and new handles can make old cabinets look brand new.  You might also remove some of the old cabinets and replace them with open shelving.

Tip: Cut the center out of an old cabinet door and replace it with a glass pane for an upgrade that only looks expensive.

5. Don’t Pay Full Price

You can save a pile of money by shopping at salvage warehouses, auctions and at resale stores. Habitat For Humanity ReStores are filled with new or nearly new building materials, light fixtures and appliances. Many of the items are donated by builders who simply ordered too many sinks or bathtubs.

Check on those buy/sell/trade websites. It’s not unusual to find a set of bathroom cabinets or a box of hardware listed for a fraction of the cost to buy new.

If you’re looking for specific building materials, ask your contractor exactly what he needs. Then, shop around for the best price and order it yourself. You’ll avoid paying the contractor to shop, along with any additional costs he may add to the product.

6. Pick up Your Supplies

You can save a small fortune by picking everything up, rather than having them delivered. Unless you can negotiate free delivery, you’re going to save money by lugging everything home yourself. Most of the big box stores rent trucks by the hour, which will be much less expensive then paying the store to deliver your items.

7. Don’t Move Plumbing

Moving a sink from one side of the room to another or relocating the bathtub can add thousands of dollars to your project. If possible, preserve the original footprint of the room and avoid having to re-pipe the whole thing.

8. Plan for Standard Sizes

If you’re replacing doors and windows, use stock or standard sizes whenever possible. You’re going to save money if you can simply pop in a new door, rather than have to cut it down or order one custom built.

9. DIY 

The more you can do yourself, the more money you’ll save. It really depends on your experience. Painting is relatively easy to do, even if you’ve never repainted a room before. Wiring and plumbing, however, require a specific skill set and in many cases, a professional license. 

For basic projects, you can find a ton of information and how-to videos on line. If you’ve never replaced a bathroom faucet, you can watch a video that will walk you through it step-by-step.

We even have some great tutorials on our blog. Here’s one that’ll walk you through concrete stamping, if you’re looking to spruce up the outside of your home. 

10. Sell What You’re Getting Rid Of

If you’re replacing light fixtures or cabinets, don’t toss them. Take a few pictures and try to sell them on sites like OfferUp or even Facebook Marketplace. You won’t get full value for them, but you might make enough money to pay for upgraded faucets for your newly remodeled bathroom.

If you don’t want the hassle of selling, donate your old items. Habitat’s ReStores accept donations of materials that are still in working order. You’ll even get a tax deduction for donating to a nonprofit.

11. Do the Prep Work Yourself

The biggest cost in a home remodel is often labor, so why not save some money and do a lot of the prep work yourself? If you’re having your living room repainted, you can prep the walls yourself.

Wipe them down with a lint-free cloth and fill in any nail holes or scratches with a little spackling putty. Then, sand the area where you filled in the holes and wipe it down again to remove the dust. It may take several hours to prep the walls, so you could save hundreds of dollars doing it yourself. 

12. Improve Your Lighting Without Adding Windows

Before you start knocking holes in the walls to let in the light, play around with light fixtures. By adding a few ceiling lights or floor lamps, you can save hundreds of dollars. Even if you need to pay someone to wire your ceiling, it’s still cheaper than having new windows installed.

13. One of Our Best Home Renovation Tips – Focus on Cosmetic Upgrades

If you’re working with a limited budget, you might not have the money for a full renovation. There are plenty of ways to update your space without remodeling it.

Inexpensive lamps can brighten up a bedroom, along with some new curtains and pillows for the bed. While you’re at it, go ahead and replace your bedding. Shop the sales for inexpensive sheets and comforters. Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to buy a mattress or get it home. Most places will deliver the new one and take your old away.

Wrapping It Up

We’ve got some other great home renovation tips on our blog, including a few ways to spruce up the inside of your home using design tips from the experts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original man cave ideas are tough to come by, especially if you’re on a budget. But saving money and designing an awesome man cave is possible if you know how to shop and know what to look for.

You don’t want to spend your life savings on a room you’ll use to watch the weekly game–but you also don’t want to build the exact same generic man cave every other has. Part of having a place to yourself is making it yours, after all. 

Maybe this is part of your house redesign or your spouse’s dream.

The good news is you can do it without . Here are 8 cheap man cave ideas that will help finish your set up faster than you thought possible.

1. Do Inventory

The best way to save money on your man cave is to identify what you already own that’s going to go inside of your space. There may be some obvious things, like a TV or a sofa, but think about the little things, too. Maybe even do some spring cleaning of the garage or attic.

Before you worry about any other man cave ideas on a budget, see what you can come up with that would look good in your new space. Maybe you’ll surprise yourself by digging out something useful that will make your friends think your space is awesome.

2. What’s Your Space Like?

One more prep tip, then we’ll dive into some original cheap man cave ideas.

Unless you own a huge house with multiple empty rooms, chances are that you have one location for your man cave available: an empty room, your basement, or an extension room like a metal garage (Victory Buildings has some sweet ones if you’re in the market).

Consider your spacing-what do you have room for and what might not fit? Honestly, this is an overrated tip for saving money. You might buy too much furniture and realize you don’t have room for it, then have to resell it or be stuck with it. 

Don’t take away from your budget by buying unnecessary things.

3. Thrift Stores Are Your Friend

Hey, don’t judge thrift stores. In terms of do it yourself man cave ideas without going broke, they may just be your secret weapon.

Here’s what you should do: make a list of all the thrift stores in your area and hit them all in one fell swoop. You’ll be shocked how much $100 to $200 can buy you and what people give away to thrift stores. 

Seriously–furniture, TVs, movies, carpets. All the big things you need can be bought for pennies on the dollar at these stores. Hit them first.

4. Become A Master Craftsmen

If you want to make the process of building your man cave more fulfilling, considering building some of the elements of it. YouTube is home to hundreds of DIY workshops for building anything from desks to home bars.

You’re sure to find whatever you’re looking for in a video that’s less than twenty minutes long.

5. Discounts!

Search sites like Groupon and Coupons.com for discounts on some of your bigger purchases. You may be able to save 20% or more on items like TVs or couches by waiting an extra weekend or two for new sales.

Every dollar counts, after all.

6. Man Cave-Share

Here’s a funky idea for how to build a man cave on a budget: pool together cash with some of your buddies and build one together. Seriously, why not get the people who are going to use the space to help chip in?

The truth is, the person that owns the house should probably contribute the most. But you’d be surprised how many friends might be willing to chip in $50 for a minifridge if it means they’ll have a place to drink beer on Sundays.

Food for thought. I mean, Airbnb and Uber did it and that worked out, didn’t it?

7. Sports Equipment Decorations

You ready to kill two birds with one stone? Okay, here goes: garage cleanup and man cave art. 

How? Use your old sports equipment to make furniture and decorations for your new pad. Hang picture frames from a hockey stick on the wall or use baseball bats to make something that stands.

You can easily repurpose stuff that has been cluttering the garage by looking at Pinterest or any other site. Just type in “sports decorations”.

8. Save Your Bottles!

Similar to number seven is the advice to repurpose your stuff. Just this time, you’ll be repurposing domestic beer bottles or saving up beer caps.

Seriously, you can make tons of fun man cave art and gadgets out of recycled alcohol vessels. Make a table out of beer caps, lights out of beer bottles, or crush up some cans and make something a little funky.

Even though you’ll lose your $.05 deposit, you’ll save a few bucks by getting thrifty with your leftover beer paraphernalia. At any rate, it’s a good way to set the done for what’s about to happen in the room you’re designing.

Man Cave Ideas, Wrapped-Up

When it comes man cave ideas, the key is to decide on what you can do given the space and budget that you have, then to get creative. Truly, you don’t have to break the bank to build an awesome man cave that your friends will love come over to enjoy on game day.

Some tips we recommend include going to thrift stores, building your own stuff using YouTube tutorials, and making “manly” art with things like beer bottles and old sports equipment. If it’s any consolation, every penny you save can go towards buying a slightly bigger flat screen TV.

For more frugal living and craft tips, check out our website. Good luck with your build.

Creating a patio for your home is an excellent way to boost curb appeal and make better use of your outdoor space.

Worried that you can’t afford a fancy patio?

Don’t despair – it’s possible to create a patio on almost any budget, you just need to keep an open mind and be willing to get creative.

Are you ready to create a really unique patio that you’ll love spending time on?

Keep reading for our guide to creating a great patio on a budget.

Use Pallets to Create a Boho Deck

If you’ve ever visited Pinterest, you’ll know that pallets can be used for just about any home improvement project – and patios are no exception.

By arranging pallets into a shape of your choosing and securing to the ground, you have an instant patio. Leave pallets unfinished for a boho look, or paint and seal for a more polished finish.

You could even use an upturned pallet as a cute planter next to your patio.

Experiment With Salvaged Flooring for a Mosaic Look

By salvaging leftover tiles, slabs, and bricks from other construction projects, you’ll have plenty to play with when it comes to creating your own mosaic patio.

Use a cement, like Hymix, to create the base of your patio, then press in your stones, tiles, and other salvaged materials. You could even add decorative accents with colored marbles and glass beads.

Be prepared for tons of questions from impressed visitors.

Lay Your Own Bricks in a Shape of Your Choosing

A plain brick patio is a really nice option if you don’t want to go as far as creating a whole mosaic look.

It’s easy to lay regular bricks in all sorts of beautiful patterns, so take a look at some inspiration online and get laying.

Bricks are inexpensive and easy to find, making this an excellent budget option.

Fill the Space with Low-Maintenance Gravel

If you’re looking for the ultimate low-maintenance patio, it doesn’t get much better than gravel.

Simply mark out an area, purchase enough to gravel, and then spread evenly around your chosen spot. Gravel is available in a wide variety of colors so you’ll still have plenty of creative control.

A gravel patio will look great with metal garden furniture and ceramic ornaments, and you’ll never have to worry about cleaning or maintaining it.

How to Design a Patio on a Budget

Creating a patio on a budget is simple if you opt for cheap or salvaged materials, choose a relatively small area, and set aside time to do most of the work yourself.

If you’re not confident, ask family and friends for help acquiring materials and carrying out the project – most people will be excited to get involved.

Try one of the ideas above and you’ll soon be dining al fresco, enjoying tons of fresh air, and getting much more value out of your backyard.

Want more ideas on how to live frugally? Visit our website today.

Protecting your family is your number one priority. That’s why you need a sufficient and reliable security camera system in your home. A security camera will notify you of intruders and could even scare them away before they even try to enter your home.

Most home security cameras are equipped with night vision and motion sensors for optimal protection. Some are designed to work both indoors and outdoors while still others even offer time-lapse recording so you can see what was happening on your property when you weren’t looking.

So, what’s the best security camera system and why? We’re here to tell you.

Keep reading for a comprehensive breakdown of eight of the best home security systems available today. 

What is the Best Security Camera System to Protect Your Home?

If you’re looking for protection from more than a standard burglary, you may consider LifeShield for your home security. It also shields against fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. You can get the best protection for a great value on your home or apartment that includes security cameras.

LifeShield boasts ‘quadruple defense’ with four layers of protection even if your internet is down, power is out and phone lines are dead, you’ll stay protected.

Otherwise, there are some basic security camera models on the market that will suffice if you want to protect your home on a budget. Here are eight hot models in the order of cost:

Wyze Cam V2

For an inexpensive, yet reliable security camera model, the Wyze Cam V2 doesn’t get much better. It’s a small camera loaded with features like sharp 1080p video and motion and sound-triggered recordings. It also comes with free local and cloud storage.

One drawback to this device is that it doesn’t integrate with other smart home devices nor does it support IFTTT. If you’re looking for this support, it may be wise to think about a bigger model.

Wyze Cam Pan

As one of the less expensive cameras on the market, the Wyze Cam Pan is loaded with features including motion tracking, pan and tilt, and IFTTT and Alexa support. It offers crisp 1080p video on free cloud and local storage. It also comes with a built-in CO2 alarm.

Installation is easy. All you have to do is download the mobile app, create or sign in to your account and off you go. Once setup is complete, your new camera will keep a close watch on your home.

Tend Secure Lynx Indoor

One of the more affordable models on the market, the Tend Secure Lynx Indoor security camera retails at only $40-$60. It’s also easy to install featuring sharp 1080p video and face recognition. You’ll also appreciate the motion sensor capability and free cloud storage, not to mention, two-way audio.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive security system that pulls all the stops, this is a great choice. 

D-Link Full HD Wi-Fi Camera DCS-8300LH

Starting out at less than $100 for a unit, the D-Link Full HD Wi-Fi Camera is a great choice for budget shoppers. It serves up 1080 p video with free cloud storage and includes local storage. This device supports IFTTT integrations and Alexa and Google voice commands.

The bottom line is that this is a relatively affordable home security option packed with features that you’ll use like motion and sound alerts as well as integration with other connected devices.

iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep Pro

One way to make your home smart is to invest in the iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep Pro. It starts the trend toward a pricier model at around $100-$200 MSRP. But you’ll absolutely love the sharp image quality, mechanical pan and tilt, and free cloud and local storage. 

Some reviewers said the pan and tilt feature is a little slow but you’ll have to decide for yourself. Otherwise, enjoy the many features it comes standard with such as IFTTT integration and motion tracking.

 

Ring Spotlight Cam Battery

The Ring Spotlight Cam Battery is easy to install and completely wireless. One drawback is that it requires a subscription to view recorded video, but the video quality is sharp.

The bottom line on this model is it’s IFTTT capability as well as working with Alexa smart home devices. It offers motion detection and triggered recording that won’t let you down. All of this for around $200 and you’ll be on your way to securing to your home.

Nest Cam IQ

The Nest Cam IQ is a pricier home security system, but for good reason. It’s loaded with features like a 1080p video that offers automatic zoom tracking and facial recognition. It also has sound triggered alerts and motion detection with two-way audio.

One of the most popular features includes interoperability with other smart home devices.

You can find the Nest Cam IQ for around $300 at select retailers.

Netgear Arlo Go

If it’s time for a whole house upgrade, then you can’t forget to include an updated security system like the Netgear Arlo Go. It’s designed for outdoor use so it’s weatherproof with excellent 1080p video quality. It also supports IFTTT and Alexa voice commands.

One of the major drawbacks to this system is the price. You can find it for about $400 on Amazon and other retailers. The bottom line is that this is a completely wireless system that works well with other smart home devices.

Final Thoughts

Finding the best security camera system to protect your family doesn’t have to be overwhelming and confusing or stressful. Just keep this list in mind when you start shopping so that you’ll have a reference to help you make your final decision. 

Securing your home is one of the best things you can do for your family. Why not save a little money doing it?

If you have questions or comments about how to save the most money on your next security camera system, feel free to contact me! I am all about the thrifty lifestyle and here to help in any way I can.