Having to deal with a break-in can be frustrating, frightening and downright depressing. You might have been at work, school or away on vacation and came home to realize that someone broke into your house. Unfortunately, burglary happens and even in the safest of areas, your property may still be vulnerable. For this reason, it’s important to understand if your home owner’s insurance covers burglaries and if so, what amount it’ll pay out if this unfortunate event happens to you.

Understanding Your Policy

First, you need to be fully aware of your insurance policy. While it can be easy to eliminate coverage in an attempt to save money on monthly premiums, you may be leaving yourself vulnerable to high costs if your house is ever broken into. Understand your coverage and speak with your broker to determine if you’re currently protected in the event of theft. You can even get insurance quotes for your house when taking out a new policy, and these quotes will often outline what’s included within the policy itself.

Dwelling Coverage

Dwelling coverage specifically helps to pay for damage to the property in the event of a burglary. Let’s say that the thief breaks windows and damages door frames when trying to get into the residence. This coverage can help to get these repairs done so that your home is back to normal once the event is over. This prevents you from having to shell out a lot of money just to make the repairs on your own.

Personal Property Protection

This protection helps to replace items that might have been stolen after the criminal has left the property. The thief might have stolen jewelry, electronics and money before fleeing the area. This can leave your family high and dry if you don’t have coverage available to replace these items. You may need to have receipts available or proof that you owned the items, so it’s a good idea for you to work with your provider to have this information available.

Your Insurance Deductible

The vast majority of insurance policies have some type of deductible attached to the plan that you’ve taken out. The deductible is what you’re responsible for paying before the coverage actually kicks in. For instance, if you have one that is $2,000 per year, you have to have enough damage to surpass that $2,000 before you’re covered by your insurance company and policy. If the damages that your house has sustained are less, you’re going to be left paying for the repairs on your own. It’s always good to have an emergency fund set up to factor in deductible amount so you’ll have the accessible cash when you’re in need.

Filing a Claim

If you are the victim of a burglary, the first step is to contact your local police department. They will come out to your residence and assess the damage and file a report. This report is going to be necessary when filing a claim with your insurance provider. Take photos of any and all damage around the property and provide this to your insurance agent. In some cases, you’ll need to make immediate repairs to the home, like installing new windows to replace broken ones, before the claim is complete. In this case, the coverage provider will compensate you once the claim has been approved and submitted.

 

 

The trends in home design are constantly evolving as we dive into a new year and a new decade! If you’re looking for ideas for updating your garage door in 2020, here are some trends to keep in mind.

Outstanding garage door designs
Your garage door takes up much of your house’s front, so garage door designs which stand out for their uniqueness or beauty are increasingly taken into consideration. Modern and traditional styles are used innovatively with attractive patterns, styles and hardware. Highlight the garage door in an attractive way for passers-by.

Bold colours
Gone are the days of the standard white garage door – strong, dark colours determine today’s trends in exterior design. Instead of the traditional white colour or light wood, darker shades of brown and black are used to make a bold statement and give the front of the house an attractive contrast.

Smart tech garage doors
Smart technology is moving rapidly, and garage doors are no exception. Use Wi-Fi to unlock the garage door on your smartphone so you don’t have to leave the car or have to know where your remote is.

If you think you may have forgotten to lock your doors in the morning when you left the house, no problem. Just pop open the right app on your phone and check if it’s locked. The possibilities are growing, so always be on the lookout for the latest trend in garage tech.

More focus on insulated doors
As we all try to be more environmentally friendly, insulated garage doors are becoming increasingly important for homeowners. A well-insulated garage saves you money and energy when heating and cooling your garage. This is especially important if you spend time in your garage. For this reason too, wooden garage doors are becoming increasingly popular.

Glass windows and natural lighting
Now that garages and their doors are getting better insulated, your garage is no longer just a place for your car, but can also serve as a laundry room, workshop, practice room or home office. The more time you spend in the garage, the more important it is to find ways of letting natural light in. In 2020, there will be an increase in garage doors with windows.

Garage door windows brighten the inside of your garage and give the outside of the door style and flair.
A modern garage door made of glass can flood the garage with even more light. These stylish glass doors are reinforced with a sturdy aluminium frame and allow you to experience your garage like never before.

Creative, future-oriented garage remodelling professionals like A1Garage can transform your space by helping you find the perfect new garage door for your home, as well as commercial garage doors in.

Charging stations

Electric and hybrid vehicles are becoming cheaper every year. Government discounts in many parts of the United States and Canada also help offset some of the cost of vehicles for buyers. The batteries in these high-tech vehicles are also being upgraded to provide further ranges with a full battery charge.

All of these factors make these cars a more attractive option for consumers. If you own an electric vehicle, a charging station is a must in your garage. Relying on public charging stations is simply not practical or convenient.

So it stands to reason that the increasing popularity of environmentally friendly cars in 2018 will lead to a higher demand for installations of charging stations for private households.

Finally, which of these hot garage trends of 2020 do you appeal to the most? Will you value a better look, functionality or convenience in improving your garage this year? Maybe all six are important to you.

 

Everyone likes to get along with their neighbors to have a harmonious community. But there is always at least one person who is a source of contention. It can be particularly frustrating when this neighbor possesses a noisy bass system within their home. This is not only irritating but it causes you to lose any focus for the activities that you’re trying to accomplish in your house.

The source of this aggravation can opt to play their music at certain periods of the day that you may be able to adapt to. But there are situations where you could be subjected to music at all hours of the night or heightened levels during parties. Sadly, it is your burden to figure out how to reduce bass noise from any neighbors that you may have in your part of town if you hope for any peace.

Why Bass Irritates

The sound of bass has a full impact whether or not it is being played at a low volume. You will feel the effects. It causes vibrations that can travel through the walls or any solid structure. Even those who are deaf can sense the noise from bass that’s being played loudly. Strong soundproofing material is required to make sure that the bass effect can be decreased.

Tips To Try to Decrease A Neighbor’s Bass Noise

There are steps you can take to try to nix the bass sound from your household and your life. Some of them may be difficult to employ causing you to face the source of your frustration with a kind demeanor. But some are simple fixes.

** Try talking to the neighbor before attempting soundproofing.

There are not many people who like to have their peace disturbed. Soundproofing seems like the immediate response, but there is time, effort, and the possibility of needing to consult with a professional. It may not be the most cost-effective first step to take. It is wise to attempt to talk to the neighbor as a simple approach for a solution. Being reasonable, they should have no problem in adjusting the sound on their end. Perhaps, they’ll discontinue the music or soundproof their house.

This is a challenging option that requires decorum when reaching out to the neighbor. If there is any difference of opinion, it’s better not to engage and walk away. If it’s not possible to speak directly to the neighbor in person, you can try to talk with the landlord. The neighbor may be more receptive to a property manager or landlord than another tenant. If they refuse to handle the situation, it may be a good idea to go ahead with the soundproofing. Go to https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/repair/block-neighbor-noise1.htm to read a out blocking sound from coming through walls.

** Put soundproof drapes or blankets over doors and windows.

The most effective technique in decreasing outside noise is soundproofing the windows and doors. These have air gaps that let the sound pass through. Concentrating on sealing these air gaps will help you to block the noise. The drapes and blankets are dense meaning the bass sounds can’t penetrate them.

** Use a dampening seal to soundproof door spaces.

This is among the most effective and least expensive methods to decrease bass noise. To install the seal, you’ll follow these steps:

• Measure the door width and height.
• Use a saw to cut the stripping to size.
• Place the strips where they will seal the door.
• Cover any gaps inside.

This technique is effective but if it’s not appealing to you there are other options such as foam rubber seal and foam insulation tape. Read here on how soundproofing works.

** Use a draft stopper under the foot of the door.

There is a gap under the door above the floor so the door can open and close smoothly. The issue is it allows the sound from the neighbor’s bass noise to come into your home. The bigger this gap is, the more disturbance you’re going to have. If you have a draft stopper to place under the door, this helps to block the noise from penetrating the gap.

** Acoustic foaming installed to the walls.

There are acoustic foam panels that can be installed directly on the walls which are created for music rooms. They have the potential to absorb any bass vibrations or any noise that passes through. They will also soften sounds that come from inside the house as well.

Summary

You want to get along with all of your neighbors in the best way that you possibly can. This is your home. While calling the police is an option, it’s not something that is suggested. This will cause contention and ill will making it not only difficult to live with the noise but difficult to live in the neighborhood at all.

If your neighbors are not agreeable to making the noise level suitable for everyone in the neighborhood, it’s best to make your home comfortable for yourself with soundproofing. This maintains the harmony within the community and gives you the peace that you need inside your house. The best of both worlds accomplished.

Nobody is complaining about their sump pumps because they are handy in collecting water in the basement of many homes. You can read more about them when you click here.

These submersible pumps sit at the bottom of a pit in the lowest point of the basement. When a house is first built, most of the groundwater is channeled into the drain system that is located at the bottom of the pit.

If the pumps fail to do their work, most of the homeowners can experience flooding during rainy seasons. Most homeowners realize that maintaining their pumps is their first line of defence against any flooding. When this fails to work, the pump itself can cause flooding in a worst-case scenario.

Why Sump Pumps Fail?

These mechanical devices can malfunction as with any other appliance in the home, primarily if they have been operating for a long time. If you are considering a new one here’s a buying guide that you might want to check out: https://www.hometips.com/buying-guides/sump-pumps.html. These devices are not built equally, and some were poorly designed and built cheaply. Another factor that can contribute to a pump’s malfunction can be improper installation.

Common Problems with Sump Pumps

1. Overwhelmed with the Flood

There are times when an area can be flooded several times a year. During the wet seasons, a single device can’t handle all the flooding, and it might not be powerful enough to counter the force of water that is pouring in. If an area is prone to tropical storms or heavy rains, flooding can be possible in the basement area.

One thing most people can do is to make sure that they have a pump that has the capacity and the quality to handle floodwater in their basements. Most high-capacity devices are made with cast iron, and other companies have proven successful through the years that their products can be robust and reliable at the same time.

2. No Water Found in the Pits

If the device seems to be working, but you can’t find any water in the pit, you might have a problem with the installation. Most often, the pump is not linked to your house’s drainage system, so the water that is collected will not go into the pit where it should have supposed to go.

Most of the drainage and the sumps go together. The sumps work best if the drains are installed in the internal parameters of your basement area. Most drainage systems in basements are built to collect rainwater into a kind of sump where it discharges in a pit. If the drainage collapsed or it was clogged, you might have to reinstall the sump to divert the water to the correct pit.

You might want to inspect and fix your drainage system if the pump appears to be working, but you can’t see any water in the pit. Once the system is installed correctly, you should see the rainwater being collected into the pit, and everything will work fine.

3. Clogged Switches of Sumps

Some sumps do not have lids, and these are common in many basements. Over time, the surface will get dirty or clogged if proper maintenance is not done. You can read about inspection and repair guides if you want to make sure that everything’s fine with your device. There are a lot of ways in which a pump can get clogged, and these are the following:

• The pit or the hole where the device sits receives a lot of dirt and debris.
• Some of the mechanical parts of the pump were not adequately maintained. As a result, they become dirty over time, and the silt accumulates.
• Some of the float switches are clogged or jammed as a result of changes in the water level.
• In cases of cheaper sump models, most of the switches get tangled because there were not properly made. Some homeowners that their devices were stuck into the “on” mode 24/7, and you won’t want this to happen to your device.

What you can do is to make an inspection of your device and see if it might be time for you to buy a new one. There are new sumps that have covers to prevent silts and debris from accumulating. There are also air-tight sumps that are pet and child-friendly. The newer models nowadays ensure that rainwater will not be able to evaporate into the area of your basement.

You might want to search for keywords such as plumbers near me on your search engines if you think that your pump is nearing its lifespan. You can ask the experts about the best thing that you need to do to make sure that there’s not going to be a flood in your basement during rainy seasons.

4. Frozen Discharge Lines

The sump pumps collect rainwater and expel it through a dedicated discharge line that is typically outside of your home. There are times when these discharge lines become frozen in winter, and they get clogged. As a result, the entire basement is prone to flooding.

The discharge lines should ideally be covered and clean. One of your goals, if you are a homeowner, should be to make sure that the transported water will be discharged from your house as far away as possible.

If you notice that your discharge lines are frozen or clogged, you can install it with a kind of protection that will keep the lines from freezing. There are other kinds of protection that you can install at the end to prevent mice, debris, and other pests from coming into the lines and clog the system. You can visit your nearest plumber for more information about these.

If you are planning to employ a landscaper for your garden or you want to upgrade its current look, you can consider using artificial grass for a change. Not everyone favors the use of artificial grass because others think that it looks cheap for the garden. Thanks to the latest innovation brought by technology, it will look like the real thing

For the past few years, companies like RealTurf invested a lot of time and hard work to ensure that the artificial grass will evolve and become one of the most popular elements in gardening and landscaping. A lot of people nowadays prefer using artificial grass because it is more practical as compared to the traditional types of weeds that you are used to seeing in most outdoor spaces. If you still have certain doubts about the use of artificial grass, here are more reasons that can help you change your mind.

It is low maintenance

Maintaining a beautiful garden takes up a lot of time and effort. One of the things that you should do regularly is to mow the lawn and install sprinklers to make sure that the grass would not die. Doing these chores is tiring and time-consuming. Should you decide to shift to artificial grass, you will realize how much time, money, and effort you can save in the long run. You no longer have to worry that much with regard to regular maintenance because, with artificial grass, your garden will always look picture perfect.

It gives you more time to relax

The primary purpose of having your garden is to help you relax and de-stress, especially during your day off from work. Using artificial grass will give you more time to relax and enjoy yourself rather than spending hours basking under the sun. With fewer things to worry about in your garden, it allows you to do other things.

Saves you from allergy attacks

It is always a great idea to spend more time outdoors, especially during summer vacation and weekends. This is the perfect time to bond with your family and friends by spending time together. However, if you happen to be irritable to pollen and hay, there is no way that you can spend much time outdoors because real grass will trigger your allergies. It is highly advisable to use artificial grass instead if you want to enjoy the outdoors.

It’s suitable for your kids

Kids are naturally active, and they would love to spend most of their time playing outdoors. With artificial grass, you no longer need to worry that much about their safety and cleanliness. Artificial grass does not trap dirt and dust, so you can let your kids play till they drop.

Lastly, if you have pets, it would be nice to let them run around as a form of play and exercise. There is no need for you to fret about them nipping on your artificial grass because it is made from grade-A materials that are meant to last a long time.

Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/artificial-turf-artificial-grass-3456849/