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Moonworks' Home Improvement Blog

Gutter Guard Systems – Which is the Best for Your Home?

If you’re reading this, you probably loathe the idea of climbing up on a ladder and scraping grimy, scummy debris out of your gutters twice (or more) per year. You’re hoping that you can find a product that will save you from this despicable task.

Here’s some great news: there are several gutter guard systems which can address this problem!

Types of Gutter Guard Systems

In fact, there’s no shortage of gutter guard systems in the marketplace, but they accomplish their goals in different ways. You can go to any home improvement store and buy some mesh gutter guards, which are made out of soft metal and packaged in strips or rolls. These either fit snugly into gutters or are attached with tape or small screws.

Many hardware stores and building supply warehouses sell vented or slotted gutter guards, which usually come in five-foot rectangular sections fashioned from aluminum, steel, or similar sturdy . . .

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Common Gutter Repair Scams (and How to Avoid Them)

Engaging the services of a gutter repair company can be a disconcerting task for many people. Sure, they want to locate a company they can trust and that will perform the job adequately for a reasonable price. But one of the biggest fears among homeowners is being swindled by a gutter repair scam — and losing their hard-earned money in the process.

It would be nice to think that gutter repair scams never happen … but that wouldn’t be true.

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5 Ways Your Gutters Can Make You Healthier and Greener

Gutters are designed to accomplish many things for your home. They channel water away from the house. They protect your home’s foundation. They guard against destruction of landscaping near your home. But did you know that gutters can also help you to adopt a greener, healthier lifestyle?

Here are five examples of how gutters can improve both your health and the environment.

1. Make sure they’re made of recyclable materials. Aluminum, copper, and galvanized steel can not only be manufactured out of recycled metals, but also be used as scrap to make new gutters at the end of their lifespan. The same goes for wooden gutters, which can be chopped into wood chips and recycled in future wood products. Conversely, gutters made of plastic, vinyl, or PVC piping are not recyclable; plus, they’re not very durable and tend to crack in extreme temperatures.

2. Use them for garden . . .

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The Importance of Home Energy Audits in New England

Are some rooms in your home hot and stuffy while others are freezing cold?  Inconsistent temperatures throughout your home can be frustrating and make your home uncomfortable for you and your family.  Most homeowners think these are problems that cannot be fixed or are symptoms of living in an older home, especially here in New England.  However, these may be signs of a larger problem within your home.

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3 Considerations When Buying Replacement Windows

EcoView Double-Hung WindowsFind yourself constantly cranking up the heat? Spending evenings in your home under a blanket? There comes a point when enough is enough, and it’s time for replacement windows. Like many home improvements, replacing your windows is a job that many people dread—due to cost, confusion and maybe just the sheer scope of the project.

Finding a New Window That Meets Your Needs (& Budget)

We all want the best-looking, most energy-efficient windows for our homes. But a firm budget has a way of focusing the mind, and will serve you well in determining the window features that are important to you.

The actual dollar return on your window investment depends on many factors including the current insulation level in your home, where you live, how many windows your home has, etc. As you work to align your budget with your features, don’t overlook energy . . .

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Roof Damage: How to Perform a Post-Winter Roof Inspection

With the spring just around the corner and another winter storm on its way to New England, it is hard not to think about the affect this wild weather is having on your home, particularly your roof.  The winter of 2013 had all of the usual suspects- snow, sleet, rain, heavy  winds but then there was Hurricane Sandy and the Blizzard of 2013 (Nemo).  It has been a crazy couple of month’s weather wise!

Roof-Damage-RI-MA

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How to Judge the Effectiveness of Your Roof and Attic Insulation

dr-energy-saver-thermalDid you know that winter is a great time of the year to expose your home’s insulation and venting weaknesses?  How snow melts, or doesn’t melt, off of your roof is a great way to examine your attic and roof insulation as well as your home’s ventilation.

Try this exercise:

The day after it snows, take a walk around your neighborhood and look at your neighbor’s roofs.  Tip: In a perfect world, the weather should still be below freezing so the snow hasn’t had a chance to melt.  Try to use roofs that are on the same side of the street as yours, therefore subject to the same sun patterns as your home.

Compare your home’s snow covered roof to theirs.  Is your roof the only one with no snow on it?  Are the roofs all snow covered?  Are there some areas where the snow . . .

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Happy Holidays from Moonworks!

Merry Christmas

From Our Family to Yours-

As 2012 comes to a close, we’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our readers.  We appreciate you making us your trusted home improvement resource.  Moonworks has lots of exciting initiaves on the horizon and we can’t wait to share with you in 2013!

We wish you and your families a joyous holiday season and a healthy, and happy new year! We look forward to helping you acheive your home improvement goals in 2013!

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Keeping Energy Costs Down without Freezing or Sweating

Smart Green IdeasGreen economies are more than just tree hugging experiences. Being green means understanding that there are just so many fossil fuel sources left and leaving as small a carbon footprint as possible is good for the ecology. Residential homes are major consumers of energy and it often happens that the heating systems are extremely inefficient. HVAC, the heating and air-conditioning component of the structure, can run on less energy if properly managed. Using a few green strategies can help the HVAC system in the house operate economically without causing any discomfort.

The activity can be as simple as changing the air filter on a routine basis. This task allows air to flow freely and prevents dust buildup in the HVAC system. The heating and cooling ducts of the system found throughout the house, particularly in unused spaces such as attics, can easily . . .

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Why Your Roof is More Than Just Shingles

GAF Lifetime Roofing SystemIf you have ever replaced your home’s roof, you know how much quotes can vary.  Company A can do it for 40% of the price of Company B and you begin to wonder, why would I ever pay Company B’s price?  How can the same roof vary so much company to company?  The answer really depends on what you are looking for.  Any old roofing company can come in and add a layer of shingles over whatever is there.  But, is that what you really want?    

Homeowners need to realize that there is more to their roof than just shingles.  Your home’s roof is a system of components that work together to protect your home against whatever Mother Nature brings your way, which in New England can be snow, hail, rain, wind, sun, and maybe . . .

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