I really struggled about where to place this video here at our Shakadoo sites, but given the blizzard bearing down on much of our country, I did want to put it somewhere!

The video actually does offer very valuable advice if people feel it necessary to try to drive or get stuck in their car during a blizzard.

Be safe everyone!

Laying new tile? The grout and other finishing touches are just as important as laying the tile correctly!

Swimming season is over and done with for most of the U.S., so if you haven’t already closed your pool because you aren’t sure how OR if you want a pool but don’t know what’s involved, here’s a quick video on how to do it.

As the arctic temperatures of winter begin to squeeze most of the United States, it’s time to winter proof your home against higher bills and possible damage from broken pipes.  Where to begin?  The easiest thing to do is work from the outside in.

1.  First unhook your garden hose and insulate your faucets.  The insulators are very affordable, costing between $2 and $5 from local home stores.

2.  If you have a crawl space, close your vents. The cold air blasting through your crawl space could speed up your pipes freezing which could potentially cost a ton of money.

3.  Check to see that your pipes are insulated.

4.  Re-caulk windows to keep the heat in and the cold out.

5.  Make sure you have your chimney checked before building fires.  A chimney sweep is well-worth the money if you want to keep your home safe.

6.  Check your roof and gutters to prevent rain or snow from coming in.

7.  Check your attic and crawl space insulation and replace any where worn out.

For more tips on how to winter proof your home, visit this site.

Happy Thanksgiving from our Shak to yours!

There are dozens of ways to save energy in your home during winter months. Most importantly, set the thermostat to 68 degrees and walk away from it. Don’t keep increasing or decreasing the temperature setting and that will help you keep the heating bill under control.  Make sure you seal your windows and doors.  Also close off any rooms you don’t use unless they have plumbing because you don’t want your pipes to freeze.

Home inspector Charles Buell from Seattle, Washington confesses his stove pipe was acting like a chimney when he hadn’t sealed it off properly.

When I pulled off the roof cap and looked down the pipe I was surprised to see—nothing!  No insulation in the pipe.  This pipe had been acting like a chimney since the kitchen was remodeled.   Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

It is by-passes like this that can amount to higher energy costs and work against the huge amounts of insulation that had been added to the attic space.  It is really no different than leaving the damper open on your fireplace.  The dust in the screen of the old cap is testament to how it has been cleaning the air as I attempted to heat up all outdoors.

Ouch! Interestingly even if you have lived in your home for 10 years, you might consider getting an energy inspection. You never know what might be found!

If you’re a crafty-type person and don’t want to spend a lot of money on Halloween decorations, these black duct tape roses may be right up your alley!

Get your decorations ready!!

Photo from Pinterest.

For you do-it-yourself folks out there, here is how to cut wine bottles to make vases, glasses, and other items.

A friend of mine told me this weekend that Dawn dish washing detergent was perfect for  killing pet fleas. They said you first must take off the collar and soap up around the neck. This would prevent fleas from going to your pet’s face as you wash the rest of their body.  There are about a zillion other uses for this diverse detergent.  From One Good Thing by Jillie,

A cup of Dawn detergent poured into a clogged toilet allowed to sit for 15 minutes and then followed with a bucket of hot water poured from waist height will clear out the toilet. 

Any way to keep the plumber away works for me!