It's been hot for a couple of weeks already, have you checked your air conditioner filters? Have you cleaned your fans? You can improve indoor air quality by routinely addressing sources of dust and mold. The more we insulate our houses against winter cold and summer heat, the less air leaks between the house and
In the world of wood-boring insects, bigger is better. Carpenter ants are easier to find than termites. Carpenter ant damage can be detected by looking for “frass” (looks like sawdust). Carpenter ants nest in wood, so they hollow out a piece of wood and leave the frass outside. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood. They chew
Yesterday, I walked to the dentist (about a half mile) and experienced twenty or more different kinds of wet conditions on the ground. At that time of day, it was raining on top of an inch or two of snow. Some was slushy, some was puddles on top of snow, some was untrodden snow (my
Whether you are a renter or an owner, the fear is there. Is your wall about to pour ice water into your living space? Where do you look for leaks? Which icicles are a problem? Theory: Water is, literally, mindless. All it wants to do is get to earth. Water will go down by the
Tenants, here are things you can do to increase the heating efficiency of your apartment. Yes, I know that you are stuck with the heating system, doors and windows that your landlord chose. You can still improve your comfort and lower your energy bills. Where do you start? Most of the heat loss will be
It is not clear to me whether sellers are getting more money for their old houses with wall insulation. I doubt that they are. Buyers who value sustainability lean towards new construction, which will be much better than even the best retrofit of an old house. But, insulation is not that expensive because of MassSave programs that
Weeds are not just plants in the wrong place! Last week, I wrote about Japanese Knot Weed. It’s a bad, bad weed that damages buildings. There’s another baddy that has been plaguing local gardens for years. It grows very fast. The thing that matters the most is that it is harmful to pollinators, especially monarch
There are a lot of invasive weeds in Massachusetts. Knotweed is the worst. It is spreading along waterways and is often seen along the community trails. It is all over the Alewife Reservation and other preserved areas. Knotweed is one of many plants that spread underground and pop up along cracks in sidewalks and asphalt.
Today, I share a guest post by Merrie Slavin from Rooter Ranger with a summary of early signs that your main sewer line may be getting clogged or blocked. A leaking sewer line is downright unpleasant and unhygienic. Not to mention, it can be quite expensive to repair. And if you think it ends there,
If you neglect water leaks, you can create a problem hidden in your walls. You or the next owner will not know how bad it is until you tear the house apart. This is the kind of problem we define as “not finite”; it is the kind of problem a buyer should avoid. In 2015,