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October is National Fire Prevention Month, so this week, I’m chatting with Capt. Dwight Smith and Steven Millhouse with Mobile Fire-Rescue in Alabama about their top fire safety tips for homeowners.

Firefighters outside of a burning home — Once you’ve escaped a house fire, never go back inside to retrieve any items. (davelogan, Getty Images Signature)

Fire Safety Plan

How do you put together a fire safety plan?

Stephen: The first thing is to actually have a plan. Many don’t even consider it until an emergency happens. You want to have a plan in place especially if you have small children or elderly people living with you as well.

Know the sound of the smoke alarm.
Practice escaping the home safely.
Know your means of egress, whether it’s the nearest door or window if you have a multi-story home.
Let your children practice crawling. You can make it like a game to make it fun for them.
Have a safe meeting spot outside, whether it’s the mailbox, a big tree at the end of the driveway, or a neighbor’s house.
Get out and stay out. Don’t run back in for pets, photo albums or anything like that. Call 911 and let the professionals do their job.

Dwights: To expand on having children practice crawling, making it like a game also makes it a reality to them because it makes them familiar with what they need to do.

Direct them to feel on doors, and tell them if it feels hot, then they should go to the window.

Home Design Software Tips – Before You Build

2 years ago

Author

The benefits of using home design software can be unbelievable. Whether you have experience with home-building design or not, home design software can give you a pretty clear picture of what the new house is actually going to look like and this is wonderful.

1. Make sure that you understand how the software works. Take some time to read the instructions and practice using the software until you become comfortable with all of the tools and other options that are available in the program.

2. Get a couple of books on house design, to make sure that you are designing everything so that it will function and flow properly in the new house. In other words, don’t make your hallways to big and your bedrooms too small.

3. Don’t design a house with engineering problems. Your home could look marvelous on your computer, but have engineering problems. Don’t get too excited, before you actually try to figure out if the home can be built.

4. Once you have a pretty good design, you’re going to need to make sure that all of the electrical, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning systems will actually work and function well with the home design.

5. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to understand how homes are actually constructed, before you design one. I can’t tell you how many architects I have worked with, who don’t understand how homes are actually built.

If you have the house design software, design a couple of different buildings, before … Read More

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Home Improvement Plumbing Projects For Under $500

2 years ago

Author

In many cases, people think that they can do a lot of projects around the house themselves, but they get nervous when it comes to home improvement plumbing. Plumbing projects can get expensive but, many times, that is because of the cost of labor. There are many simple plumbing projects that can be completed without a professional for less than $500.

One thing that someone can do to update their bathroom is change the faucets. The faucet itself can be found for less than one hundred dollars and, if someone is confident that they can install it on their own, that will be the extent of the expense. Replacing old faucets with new ones is a quick and easy way to change the entire look of a bathroom.

Another renovation that is equally simple is replacing the shower head. It is easy to find a new shower head for as little as twenty dollars and installing it only takes a few minutes. Not only will this make the shower look nicer, but it can greatly improve the water pressure, resulting in showers that leave everyone feeling cleaner and more relaxed. There is also the benefit of saving water, which will decrease both the water bill and the electric bill, as the hot water heater will not have to have to fill as often or as much after the family takes a shower.

While some plumbing projects are purely cosmetic, others are incredibly important. Having a hot water heater that is … Read More