Home Services

Putting together your own plumbing setup is not something an amateur should do. But, some folks still give it a shot and get fairly decent success. Part of their ability to succeed is that they know which fittings to use to distribute their water flow adequately. In order to do this, you will need to know what a sanitary tee is, what a wye is, and how to use each one.

You know that buying a home is likely the biggest purchase you’ll make in your lifetime. But the cost extends far beyond the purchase price of your new house. Before you jump into home ownership, understand the hidden costs to make sure you’re not biting off more than you can chew.

Termites are a common affliction that many homeowners face. Despite being commonplace pests, termites are more than a mere nuisance as the damage they impose can be irreparable and expensive. Fortunately, you can safeguard against the devastation and high cost of termite destruction, often making termite protection plans worth it.

When adjusting your thermostat, you occasionally run into a situation where the numbers on the screen don’t match what you feel. At this point, it is only normal to wonder why your thermostat is not reaching the set temperature. With this guide, we will answer that question.

Buying or selling a home is stressful, and that’s why most people don’t do it alone. That’s where a real estate agent comes in, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to do a great job. You’re not alone if you’re unsure of what to consider when finding a real estate agent.

Apartment living can be extraordinary! Sometimes, it comes with many amenities, including a gym, pool, cabana, movie theater, and many more activities you can enjoy for the cost of your rent. However, because you are renting from someone else, you might have some concerns about the landlord and when they’re allowed to enter your residence. Can they show up without notice?

When you're used to your house smelling a certain way, unexpected odors can throw you off guard. It’s easy to tell yourself it’s probably nothing, but you may be wrong. That’s why it's important to know the most common weird house smells you need to worry about.

If you feel that your landlord is overstepping his boundaries, it will be helpful to know what exactly a landlord cannot do. There are, in fact, a surprising number of things that a landlord cannot do. While some of these things seem like they should be common knowledge, others may be more surprising.

Glue traps don’t typically attract bugs by any specific means. Whether or not bugs are attracted to glue traps depends on the location, and that’s up to you. For example, you won’t catch many spiders if you place glue traps in the middle of the floor in a room with heavy foot traffic. 

Imagine drifting off to sleep at night and hearing scurrying and scratching sounds. It’s undoubtedly unsettling, to say the least, when you know you have critters living within your walls. Understandably, you want to know how to get rid of rats in the walls and ceilings once and for all.

Nothing can make a home feel comfortable quite like a reliable HVAC system. Sometimes, that means that you need to upgrade to a new thermostat or add one. Can you have two thermostats and one AC unit?

It’s natural to reach for the thermostat during the fall and winter. Of course, you expect your home to heat up, but that doesn’t always happen. So, why is my house cold even with the heat on?

Regardless of what type of bathroom aesthetic you are trying to achieve, you want your bathroom to look clean. The last thing you want is to have insects all over your bathroom. What do you do, then, when you notice that insects like weevils have moved into your bathroom.

Mice are some of the most invasive and annoying pests that homeowners have to deal with. They invade houses all across the country and begin to eat food that’s left out and repopulate. If you’re not careful, you can quickly get overrun by a mouse infestation. But why are mice drawn to houses in particular?

Dog doors don’t dramatically affect home value. However, a dog door can decrease home value if the house is already inexpensive and has other red flags. If someone can already afford an expensive home, they won’t likely mind the cost of covering up a dog door.

A furnace that isn’t working problem is more than just an annoyance. Any problem with your furnace can indicate issues that are potentially dangerous to you and your family. A furnace that tries to start and then shuts down requires immediate attention.

Mice are household pests that are difficult to get rid of once they make your house their home.  Although not as harmful as the most harmful of household pests, the mosquito, mice come with their own hazards.  Lots of things attract mice, and these critters have a way of ingratiating themselves into your place of residence.

For many homeowners, distinguishing between an occasional brown recluse spider sighting and an infestation is difficult. However, you can tell the problem has gotten out of hand if you watch out for a few key signs, such as:

According to a report by the National Fire Protection Association, 92% of home structure fires involve clothes dryers. For people trying to install a dryer vent in a tight space, this statistic can be incredibly concerning. This guide will help you avoid many potential fire hazards.

Homeowners insurance typically helps costs associated with mold due to sudden events that are covered. For example, your insurance provider will likely cover the mold remediation in a basement where a pipe froze and burst. Most homeowner insurance providers cover sudden, accidental, unavoidable events.

Living together is great until problems arise. You and your boyfriend are not getting along, and now he wants you to leave his house. You have nowhere else to go and can’t afford your own place. Can your boyfriend evict you from his house?

Imagine the following scenario:  you are known for conserving water, and for as long as you lived in town, your water bills were $30 or so. Recently, a new family moved in. They have a pool, sprinklers, and everything else watery under the sun. The next month, you notice that your water bill shot up to $900. You look at your neighbors, who don’t make eye contact with you anymore. Could it be them?

With the cold winter months coming up, it can be frustrating to find that your heater is not working. Whether you are alerted by unusual noise or abnormal cold, having your furnace fail to ignite your burners is not a great experience. So what causes this issue, and what do you do about it?

There are few sights more unnerving to a homeowner than a mouse in the house. They are unsanitary, unwanted, and quite frankly frightening. So, can mice climb up drainpipes?

The last thing you want to do is get bitten by a snake that's invaded your house. Whether a snake is venomous or not, you can still get hurt. You must put as much distance between yourself and the snake as possible to avoid getting bitten. 

You’ve probably come across the names SpacePak and Unico in your search for heating and cooling solutions. They are the leaders in high-velocity HVAC systems. These systems have a lower profile and require less space than your average air conditioning unit. Their supply tubing is more compact than traditional ducts, and they are often used in older homes that have space limitations.

In finding the best water heater company, both Rheem and AO Smith are easy contenders for the top. Both of them have a couple of hundred years of experience under their belts. They have also produced an impressive line of products. But when comparing the two, which of these water heater companies is the best?

Nobody should have to live with a rodent infestation. But who’s responsibility is it to get rid of mice? And if it’s up to your landlord, can you withhold rent until the problem is fixed? Here’s what you need to know.

When you first tell people that you’re moving to Hawaii, most people will congratulate you on your new island lifestyle. Some aspects of the move are pretty obvious. You are going to have to pack up and ship your belongings to the island. However, some items aren’t as clear cut. What should you do about your car? Is it worth shipping it over, or should you buy a new one?

PVC pipes are an excellent choice whether you’re planning any kind of home DIY project or you’re a professional contractor looking to do a job well done within a budget. PVC is remarkably sturdy, yet it’s far cheaper than many alternatives, such as galvanized steel or copper.

Interior design is a college major that you can pursue if you’re passionate about working with others, designing spaces, selecting furniture, and adorning them. This is such a popular profession that more colleges and universities worldwide offer interior design programs. With so many selections, which country is the best for studying interior design?

Your home is your sanctuary. If you have a yard then its natural beauty may be the pinnacle of your sanctuary. When you see strangers on your lawn this may cause alarm and confusion.  If your landlord comes into your yard without notice, you may feel similar feelings. Worse, you might even feel like you are being spied on by your landlord. You may also wonder if your landlord has the right to just show up on your property without your permission.

Your air conditioner is a real savior in the hottest months. One AC unit can turn a completely unbearable sunrise into a pleasant morning in bed under the covers. There is so much to be thankful for when it comes to having the modern convenience of temperature and humidity control. But sometimes air conditioners are very loud. In fact, an AC unit can get so loud, it is hard to concentrate on anything else. But how do you quiet a noisy air conditioner?

The kids have left the nest, or you’re tired of taking care of a huge house — whatever the reason, you want to downsize. You figure it will be easier and less expensive to live in a smaller place, but that isn’t always the case. Before you move into a smaller home, do your research, because downsizing might cost you more than you think.

Finding the perfect apartment can feel like a full-time job. You have a list of necessities you require in a living space and you likely are trying to stay within a reasonable budget. When you find the perfect place within your budget you are probably eager to submit the application and move in right away. But when a landlord asks you for sensitive information, including your driver’s license number it is normal to feel apprehensive.

A good functioning furnace is essential, especially in the colder months when you want to warm up your home to keep cozy. However, it can be frustrating if your furnace won’t cooperate. It’s pretty standard for furnace blower motors to have issues, but what if the blower motor hums but won’t start?

Some people don’t realize the amount of havoc bed bugs can wreak on a home. In all fairness, many people go their whole lives without encountering bed bugs, so how would they know? However, there’s always a chance that you’ll learn just how much bed bugs can inconvenience you, even if it’s not your fault.

Foam core (or “cellular core”) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has small air pockets embedded in the composite, whereas solid core PVC is solid plastic. If you run your thumbnail over the end of foam core PVC pipe, you can actually etch it. You can’t do this with solid core.

Whether you’re moving into your first home or you own an apartment complex, you’ll need a working water heater. Until it comes time to install one, you may not even realize how often you use it.

Your bedroom is your personal sanctuary, and the place that you let your guard down after a long day to get a quality night’s rest. However, if you have mice infesting your home, it can be hard to unwind when you’re wondering: “Will mice come near me while I sleep?” Anyone who’s ever had a mice problem knows the uncomfortable feeling of laying in bed and hearing those tell-tale scratching sounds in your walls or the ceiling above your head.

The “rough-in” building stage is when the plumbing fixtures and pipes are all lines are put in place, but they are not yet connected. Plumbing rough-ins, such as sink drains, are just one of many things inspected throughout the building or renovation process.

Selling a house can be an emotional rollercoaster, especially if you’re emotionally attached to it. Things get even trickier when you realize that selling a house takes a lot of time, money, and energy. Luckily, the decision is much easier if you are aware of the several signs that you should wait to sell your house.

Being in an old apartment is great, but it also means that you have a risk at hand. It’s generally deemed wise to renovate a building every 15 to 20 years. Some landlords even swear by it. However, things get tricky when you have a lease and a tenant in the building. Can a landlord legally force renovations in a building?

Many people are understandably afraid of spiders, especially venomous spiders. Brown recluses and black widows are the only venomous spiders in the U.S., but the black widow is the most dangerous of the two. Because of that, it’s important to be careful if you live in a state where black widows are active. So, where do black widow spiders hide?

No matter what you use your basement for, an unpleasant septic smell makes you want to stay as far away as possible. Whether your basement is for storage, a workshop, or a bonus room, it becomes virtually useless if it smells like sewage.

Whether you are building a home or remodeling an older home, you should understand drain configurations when deciding on plumbing. A licensed plumber is involved with the contractor or builder, but you should know what is up to code. Understanding the main differences between a P-trap and S-trap will help to ensure your home is a safe environment.

If you’ve ever heard the idiom ‘as quiet as a mouse,’ just know that this is a complete lie. Contrary to popular belief, mice are not in the least bit quiet. Though, while mice can be very noisy creatures, their sounds can be somewhat difficult to decipher.

As a homeowner, keeping your home free of termites is a very important responsibility. Protecting your house’s structure from the little wood-consuming bugs can be a process. The first step in this is scheduling an inspection, but how long does a termite inspection take?

It takes between 2 and 10 hours for movers to work on most homes, depending on the size. For example, a studio apartment move may only take 2 hours, whereas a 3-bedroom house can take 4 to 6 hours. It takes an average of 4 hours to move a 2-bedroom home, but it depends on how much stuff you have.

Cloudy tap water certainly doesn't look appetizing, but is it safe to drink? This is an important question, as you don’t want to have to boil all your water or pay for expensive bottled water just because your faucet water is cloudy.

Nothing is more annoying in the HVAC world than when your furnace won’t kick on. It can also be intimidating at first because we all know that furnace problems sometimes lead to expensive repairs. So, what should you do when the pilot light is lit, but the furnace won’t kick on?

Utilities are often quite expensive. Depending on where you live, certain bills can fluctuate from very small to astronomical in certain months. If you discover your landlord is using your utilities you will likely become upset. 

Water is one of those vital necessities that we all take for granted…until our access to it is cut off. With austerity measures in place throughout many parts of the country, it’s clear that water usage is starting to become a hot button issue. Landlords often pay for water, so are they allowed to tell you that you need to use less?

Buying a new home is a huge investment, and for most people, it’s the largest purchase they’ll ever make. When you put an offer on a new house, it’s wise advice to get a home inspection to protect yourself from unexpected problems and costs. But when you’re buying a new construction property, is it necessary to get a home inspection?

Dealing with fleas is a nightmare, especially if you aren’t sure where they came from. You can find fleas in your apartment even if you don’t have pets, which can be quite confusing. So, can fleas travel between apartments?

The sight of ants in your yard or home can understandably be discomforting. Not only are ant hills ugly, but they can indicate that you have an upcoming ant problem on your hands. Many homeowners have asked themselves the question: why are there so many ant hills in my yard?

Cleaning your air ducts can improve your home’s air quality and airflow. Air ducts are constantly exposed to dust, debris, dirt, pet hair, and dead skin cells that make them dirty. Dirty air ducts can lead to health problems, especially if you have a respiratory issue like asthma. 

One popular reason why ants find their way into homes in the winter is because it’s much more desirable than living outside. Your home offers a climate-controlled environment for these little bugs, which allows them to stay active throughout the year. 

Problems with water heaters can be stressful because they are an essential part of modern living. Water heaters are dense and durable, but they are still prone to failure which can prove expensive. So, can a water heater freeze?

When you face replacing the major components of your HVAC system, new technologies can offer some interesting options. Heat pumps have been around for years. With the introduction of the residential geothermal system, a lot of confusion has resulted. Many homeowners wonder about the differences between a geothermal and an air-to-air heat pump.