Top three post-winter home improvement areas

Caulk the windows

There’s a good chance you did this during the winter to keep heat inside your home. If not, the summer heat will do a number on your AC units. To be a little more energyefficient, consider caulking your windows to seal them up so cool air has a lower chance of escaping your home.

Check the roof

Snow and frigid temperatures can cause some serious problems for your roof without you even knowing it. Poor insulation mixed with icy roofs can cause ice dams. Before you know it, your roof is damaged and causing many issues. Spring is an excellent time to get a ladder up there to assess any damages safely.

Replace siding

Like snow and wind damage your roof, wintery elements can also harm your home’s siding. If your siding is older, winter moisture could have penetrated the exterior and started to cause some rot.

Once all the snow has melted, you must check all your exterior walls for any repairs. Summer storms might further compromise your siding if you don’t address damages in the spring.

Credit: Atticsandmore.com

Local companies to call for your home improvement needs:

Hall Construction 989-275-8006

Roscommon Glass 989-275-4373

Blue Jay Builders (989) 848-7337

Make your home safer

It’s better to be safe than sorry, which surely applies to your home security! If you want to add more safety features to your home but can’t seem to follow through, make it one of your top priorities this spring. A security camera system will give you peace of mind, providing a whole video surveillance system that’s connected together by a series of security cameras and network video recorders.

See live view, stay informed when an invasion happens and replay video recordings on your phone and computer.

Put Up Motion Detector Lighting

Motion detector lights are a proven crime deterrent, and standard hard-wired models cost as little as $15. If running a power supply would be difficult, buy ones that run on solar power. The downside is the cost.

Credit: Familyhandyman.com

Choosing a window

Continued from page 8 between Pocket (Insert) and Full Frame installation and decide which one is best for you. Using closed-cell spray foam insulation is an important part of proper window replacement. Understand your warranty. Most manufacturers back their new windows for houses with a warranty to give our clients peace of mind. However, every material is different and will deliver different results. Be sure you understand the differences between warranties.

Clean out that sink trap!

Over time, the sink traps in kitchens and bathrooms become clogged. Disassembling one, cleaning it out and reassembling it will teach you how the pipes go together, while also helping ensure that your sink drains correctly.

If your trap is an old metal assembly, this is a great time to upgrade to PVC.

Traps collect gunk and grime, so the cleanout home improvement process can be messy and foulsmelling, but the education is worth it!

Just as faucet repairs are a great way to begin to learn how plumbing works, drain cleanouts are a low-risk, low-cost way to begin understanding

Local contractors who can assist you:

Bernard Building Center in Hale at 989-728-2211

Highland Building Center in Mio at 989-848-8000

Roscommon Glass at 989-275-4373 drain line structure.

If you didn’t already grab a pair of channel lock pliers for faucet repair, you’ll want to pick some up for this task.

Credit: Familyhandman.com

Home renovation tools you may have forgotten about

Every homeowner needs a basic toolbox filled with the essentials necessary for basic home repair. But beyond this, there are hundreds of additional tools, both hand tools and power equipment, that can be extremely helpful if you begin finding that the basic hammer and screwdriver collection isn't making the grade anymore.

Here are five tools that you might want to add to your homeowner tool kit, once the basics are covered.

Oscillating Multi-Tool

This tool has interchangeable accessories that allow you to sand, cut, scrape, grind, and polish. As a cutting tool, it can cut through almost any material, ranging from plastic to concrete (in limited amounts). The small head and vibrating action allow an oscillating multi-tool to get into spaces where no other tool can fit.

Once you own this tool beware: neighbors who see how useful it is will soon be asking to borrow it all the time.

Lithium-Ion Cordless Tool Set

Most every homeowner has a cordless battery-powered drill, but there is a very good chance that the cordless tools you now own feature outdated battery technology.

If you don't have a collection of tools using lithium-ion batteries, now is the time to invest in them. The older (and very bulky) NiCad (nickel-cadmium) batteries have now given way to much lighter lithiumion batteries that also have a much longer charge life.

Lithium-ion tool sets usually use 18-volt or 20-volt batteries. Either will be sufficient for general home use. It is best to stay within the same manufacturer's tool family, as this allows the batteries to be shared by all tools in the collection.

Flat Pry Bar

When renovating a house or performing any kind of demolition, you cannot get by without some kind of pry bar or crowbar. A claw hammer's claw may take out nails, but a pry bar can do the same thing plus a multitude of other things. The most versatile form is the flat pry bar, sometimes called by one of the trade names, Wonder Bar (from Stanley) or Gorilla Bar (from Roughneck).

The flat pry bar has claws at both ends for gripping and pulling nails. The flat design makes it easier to wedge under the heads of nails or wedge itself between boards to lever them apart. In addition to pulling nails and serving general demolition functions, a flat pry bar also lets you do non-demolition activities, such as lifting a slab door you're trying to hang or moving delicate things incremental distances (as when framing a pre-hung door or dealing with replacement windows).

Side-Cutting (Lineman's) Pliers

Along with the basic utility pliers and channel-lock pliers, this is an essential third set of pliers. The cutting edge on the side of the tool's head can chop off anything from electrical wire to small pipes. The grip is the "plier" part. Massive jaws with nubby teeth grip and hold onto almost anything.

Voltage Tester

Experienced homeowners almost always end up doing some electrical repairs— especially after discovering how expensive it is to call a professional electrician for a house call. And the very first electrical tool you should own is a voltage tester.

A voltage tester is a singlepurpose tool that does only one thing: It tells you if there is live current flowing through circuit wires. Learning how to use a voltage tester is one of the most important homeowner skills you can learn.

Voltage testers come in several types. The classic is a neon circuit tester with two metal probes affixed to a handle with a neon bulb in the tip. Using this type of tester requires a small degree of understanding, since using it requires that you touch one probe to a hot contact and touch the other probe to a neutral or ground wire. As current flows through the tool, it lights up the neon light in the tip of the handle. This is a very simple tool that uses no batteries. Easier to use is a non-contact voltage tester, which senses voltage without even touching any wires. It works by detecting electrical fields and will alert you to the presence of current if you do no more than hold the tip of the tool near an outlet or switch. This is a battery-powered tool, and it is important that you always check its operation before use.

Credit: TheSpruce.com

Check out these local stores for your renovation needs!

Northshore Hardware (989) 422-5300

Luzerne Hardware (989) 826-8050

Highland Building Center (989) 848-8000

Fairview Hardware (989) 848-2700

Bernards Building Center (989) 728-2211