It will also determine your comfort level.

You could choose electric heat, gas heat, heating with a boiler or with a good old fashion wood burner.

Though many of the newer systems are very efficient, for one thing, they’re not for everybody and they may not be the right choice for every situation or building structure.

Besides not everyone can afford a new high-efficiency central heating furnace or replace the existing system they may already have.

So, how DO you choose the right way to heat your home?

First off you should try to figure out the best choice for your situation, the climate zone you live in and the building structure your planning to heat.

For instance, the best choice for heating the above structure, (log cabin,) would undoubtedly be wood heat.

The second thing to consider is the best economical way to keep costs down. For instance, I have central gas – forced air heat in my home, and I have learned or (learnt – like my good ‘Ole English buddies say,) the hard way that older models of this particular system can cost a lot of money to run.

Something else you should know, even the higher efficient newer models will not be very efficient if the building structure is in-sufficient – I.E. has bad windows, leaks air has pour insulating qualities…etc.

Due to some of these issues, I’ve had to really think about replacement and come up with other ways to try to keep my house warm, comfortable and heat it efficiently.

Here’s why!

On New Years Eve, this source of heat quit working! I was very glad that we had made the decision EARLIER THIS FALL, to install…

A Wood Burning Stove

Woody over at Professional Tree Service has some good information on Heating with wood if you want to visit their site, here’s a link!

Other choices for heating your home in the winter, as stated above:

Electric Heat This would probably be my least favorite unless you have a super efficient home and you can afford a very high efficient heat pump system.

Using a straight electric furnace is very expensive to operate. Basically for every dollar of energy you buy – you receive one dollar worth of heat whereas with a heat pump it is approximately a one to three ratio. We’ll be talking more about central heat and air systems, energy efficiency and building science in future articles so make sure to stop back by.

The other source of heating your home would be,

Central heating radiators The way they work is under a very simple principle. There is a water source that is heated by whatever means you have, usually gas, some times oil and the water is then moved through pipes and then through your central heating radiators.

Those radiators give off heat that can warm a home very well. However, as they age, there can be problems. One of the biggest ones is that air can be trapped in the lines. This situation not only causes your heat to dwindle, it also causes some rather loud knocking noises within your system at times.

Believe me, there are many other things to consider when it comes to making the right choice for heating your home but this article from Home And Garden Guide Online should give you some general thoughts and ideas on what to consider.

If you do some brain-storming and research – and you come back from time to time for a visit, you WILL find ways to effectively heat your home, cut your energy costs…and like us – enjoy the way you heat!

Plus, you may not need to buy a new system to stay warm this winter!

This article written and edited by David Schaible
Editor of HGGO.com
Copyright, 2010
Used By permission

Related article you may find helpful and interesting:

Winter Heat-How to save on home energy costs

Recommended links:

With this #1 Home Energy Savings Guide you’ll learn the best tips and tricks to saving the most on home energy… Click Here!

Plus be on the look-out for some of our own in house Energy Savings products that we’re considering to offer DIRECT to you from us!

Government and consumer sites:

EPA ENERGY STAR Heating and Cooling Equipment
Consumer Reports online
How Air Conditioners Work
Thermostats and Control Systems – U.S. Department of Energy Consumer Guide

Operating a chainsaw can be dangerous and strenuous work. Never attempt to use a chainsaw until you are familiar with its hazards, special safety requirements, and techniques.
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Here’s some wood cutting facts you may want to know:

• Felling: This is the act of cutting down a tree.
• Limbing: This is removing limbs from the tree after it is felled.
• Trimming: This is using your saw to trim bushes and limbs off of a standing tree.
• Cross cutting: This is cutting the “log” or trunk of the tree in usable pieces, for instance, fireplace lengths.

  Felling a tree on a power line will always be disastrous. Felling on a friend or neighbor’s car or house will at least lead to hard feelings and possibly an old fashion butt kicking lol!

Tips

• This is a simple overview of basic chainsaw operation. Hopefully, you will use an experienced person to do any and all of your major tree work.

  To continue reading “How To Operate A Chainsaw At Home,”
  follow this link now:

Are you going to do the same thing this year as you did every year since and pay outrageous winter heat expenses?

Are you going to fire up that old over-worked Forced Air Furnace once again. You going to blow some more dusty dirty air aound your home…not to mention expensive and cold?

Or…

..Will this be the year you finally have had ENOUGH and you do something about it?

Well here’s your first steps toward energy independence as I like to call it.

Start here and then check back for some exciting follow ups written by yours truly.

With this #1 Home Energy Savings Guide you’ll learn the best tips and tricks to saving the most on home energy… Click Here!

Plus be on the look-out for some of our own in house Energy Savings products that we’re considering to offer DIRECT to you from us!

Popular – Helpful – and Informative Links:

Government and consumer sites:

EPA ENERGY STAR Heating and Cooling Equipment
Consumer Reports online
How Air Conditioners Work
Thermostats and Control Systems – U.S. Department of Energy Consumer Guide

Armoire-for-sale

If you’ve been in the market and have been looking for just the right gift to give that special person in your life…

…You may want to consider an Armoire. This one happens to be for sale but probably would be best for someone in or around Northwest Arkansas, Southwest Mo. or Northeast OK.

If you’re interested and in or around this area, use our Contact Us form and we’ll get you all the payment and pickup details A.S.A.P.

Additional Information:

Unit is 6′ tall, 44″ wide and 22″ deep

Here’s some additional pictures:

Thanks for looking. If interested, please act quickly!

People are now spending more time in their homes, with their family. Saving money and putting it back into their homes by remodeling.

The more elaborate, extreme, and over the top the project is seems to be the thing but keep in mind, the more extreme, the more project planning and expert involvement that is required.

Make sure for a small bathroom remodeling project that will require any plumbing, electrical or structural re-work, that you have a substantial amount of knowledge and resources to rely on.

Plus, either the license to do anything you want, or the right people in the trades to turn to get the job done correctly and to code…

…then your home remodeling projects will be easy and go as planned.

What is really difficult is working with limited resources and limited room.

Remodeling a small room and trying to do it right and cheaply, while still creating the best effect for your home, can be one of the toughest things you’ll ever have to do.

We recently completed a small bathroom remodeling job at home. I’ve done house remodeling before and thought that redesigning the bathroom would be an easy DIY home project.

Small bathroom remodeling can be tricky, that’s why you need to know or learn the secrets, tips and tricks to remodeling, or hire a professional contractor.

Bathroom projects I’ve been involved with in the past were only a matter of taking out the old bathroom fixtures and replacing them, changing the tile and re-painting or replacing the wall paper.

The problem this time, I didn’t really anticipate how little space I had to work with. I needed more room to really do what I wanted to.

You see, our house is not very big, but it is very intelligently designed. The layout is excellent, and unnecessary use of space is minimized. Because of this factor, the upstairs bathroom is very small and stuck in a corner.

There WAS just enough room for the toilet, the shower, and the sink. Guess that’s why it was called a half bath.

When I started this remodeling job, I wanted to do more than just replace the old fixtures with new ones and sling some paint on the walls. I wanted more room for the shower, an extra bathroom cabinet, and room to divide the bathroom and toilet.

The problem is that we just didn’t think we had this option.

That was until we hired a building contractor and he was able to provide proof that we’d be O.K. by knocking out a wall and extending the bathroom a few feet, everything we wanted to do would work by doing it this way!

Still, it was no easy task. I’m a lic. HVACR Contractor not a builder and I was glad to admit that I had no business doing this project on my own.

I found the contractor for this small bathroom project by doing my homework and utilizing a proven system.

Because of doing it this way, we had peace of mind that the job was being done correctly and going to turn out like we dreamed.

As it turned out, this home improvement project went smooth and as “planned.”

I’m glad we made the decision to handle this home project this way but you may be the true DIY type and if so there are some great home improvement guides available.

This one may be just right for you. Click Here! Bathroom Design – A Complete Guide. How To Design And Plan Bathrooms Ranging From Simple Makeovers To Luxury Installations.

Hope you enjoyed this article and be on the lookout for future articles on remodeling and home improvement ideas.

If you’ve been following us you’ll be familiar with our tests on whether water-filled baggies really help to repel house flies.

Hold on a minute while I swat a fly!

Our weather went from warm to cold over night. We decided to conclude our test and take down the water-filled baggies before they turned to bricks of ice. Yes…tall humans beware, as one of our readers commented!

Anyway, I’m on the fence with this idea. At first, I wanted to believe it really worked as I counted and compared the number of flies from day one to day three.

Well by the end of day three and now it’s two days later, I’m now killing plenty of baby flies!!

Now I did leave the doors open for an extended amount of time over and above the normal so I don’t have test results based on the average amount of time a door is naturally entered and exited.

The point is that I went through the house and tried to make sure it was fly free first. So the fact that I now have baby flies means that flies went right past this repelling method – probably laughing at the silly human, which would be me!

At this point, I just don’t know what to think about water-filled bags repelling flies.

Maybe in the spring and summer we will try these again and perform the test in a more natural approach. For now it may be time to break out the Natural Household Fly Spray!

If you don’t have the recipe…than keep reading it’s included below!

People who like this article may also find this article on amazing mosquito repellent very informative.

How to Make a Natural Household Fly Spray

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Got flies? You don't need to run to the store and get a noxious chemical spray. It is possible to make your own fly spray at home. This one is based on the U.S. Forest Service bug spray recipe.

Ingredients

Body spray:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 tbs. Eucalyptus oil (found in health food stores)

Optional: few tablespoons of citronella oil.
Room spray:

• 18 oz white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp dish washing soap

Steps

Body Spray

1. In a non-reactive bowl (ceramic or glass), mix all ingredients together.
2. Pour into a clean spray bottle.
3. Shake the spray bottle well to mix ingredients.
4. Label. Date and label the bottle with each of the ingredients plus directions for use.
5. Use by spraying on body. It is probably wise to do a skin patch test to ascertain any allergic reactions.

Room Spray

1. Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle.
2. Shake well to blend. Add water to dilute if you consider this is necessary.
3. Spray at flies and on surfaces where flies are alighting. Note: This will leave a residue that requires wiping but that's better than having flies annoying you.

Tips

• This recipe is suitable for humans, horses, and dogs.
• Store in a place out of reach of children and pets.
• This mixture will not keep indefinitely; throw out if not used up with a season.

Warnings

• Do not use on cats.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl (ceramic or glass)
• Wooden spoon for mixing
• Funnel for pouring
• Spray bottle
• Labels and markers

Related wikiHows

• How to Make Natural Outdoor Fly Repellent with Essential Oils
• How to Make Fly Paper With Golden Syrup
• How to Make a Fly Trap
• How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Sources and Citations

• Body spray adapted from US government resource cited at Moniteau Saddle Club, Flyspray recipes.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make a Natural Household Fly Spray. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

If you were to visit us right now, you would see a couple doorways with water-filled plastic bags hung over them. You should now believe that flies are not likely to be inside.

Flies don’t go where the water bags hang right?

If you want to keep flies out of your home or business hang a plastic bag, half filled with water, over your doorway. The flies will mysteriously be turned away – right?

That’s what the buzz is all about and what we’re trying to prove one way or another.  Some would argue that the reason for this phenomenon may be more urban legend than science, but some will argue right back and swear it is effective, nonetheless.

Well if you read our recent article Best Flying Insect Repellent you’d know that Home And Garden Guide decided to test this theory out.

We have a project going on that requires the doors to be open and shut, entered and exited many times throughout the day so we couldn’t think of a better way to check out such an idea.

Further online research on this subject has given us quite a bit more knowledge and insight on this theory.

Seems that this practice is more well-known than I had first thought.  A few of our faithful readers commented as to NEVER hearing of it.

On the forum at Ask Meta Filter.com, posters from Pennsylvania to Chile to Spain responded to a query as to the science behind this method. It appears to be a global phenomenon.

Numerous folks I’ve talked to swear by this practice. I found that many people believe you should put either a couple pennies, up to four or other shinny metallic objects in the water!

Restaurant owners in the south from Florida to Texas are a part of some of the biggest support group for this practice.

So the big question – Why Do Plastic Bags Filled With Water Repel Flies?

How a plastic bag filled with water repels flies seems to come with a lot of speculation. One theory and from the mouthes of some locals claims the multiple eyes on flies causes them to see the bags as a confusion of light and darkness. Disorientation causes the fly confusion, so they fly off in the other direction.

Another popular theory is the bag, with its ability to cause visual distortions, is interpreted to the fly as a HUGE predator. The flies fear for their lives and leave the vicinity.  Side note:  I think they must see the visual distortion of likes of me with a fly-swatter in hand, you know…just in case!

One question we had in the previous post was whether or not this theory worked on other pests and from what I researched, the general belief is that a plastic bag filled with water does not repel any other type of bug. Bees, wasps and mosquitoes will still fly in. Creepy crawlies such as spiders and roaches are likewise not intimidated by hanging bags of water. It appears this simple home remedy is for flies only.

So you’re probably asking whether our test of this teory past or failed.

I must admit at first, it seemed to reduce the number of flies in the house.  Now notice I didn’t say completely eliminate.

Two identical days as far as weather, sun and light to no breeze.  The first day, without bags, I must have killed 20 flies after shutting up the house for the day.

Day two – bags hanging, I went around and killed 6 flies total.  This morning so far I’ve killed 2 flies upstairs and two downstairs and the doors have been closed.

Today I’m going to go around and try to eliminate all flies before opening up the house for most of the day.  By the way, the weather conditions are exact which should help with the consistency of our test.

So we’re off to test this theory for another day.  The big question on everyones mind is…

Whether Water Filled Baggies Really Repel Flies?

While we’re testing this out for you, here’s some funny MythBuster views we found being discussed about the theory over at Wiki Answers and we give them full credit for these wise and quick-witted remarks. I would gather by some of these thoughts that the author is some what skeptical – you be the judge:

It’s believed that a common house fly has a morbid fear of drowning and is somewhat clostraphobic so goes out of its way to avoid enclosed bodies of water.

Truth: This is a domestic legend– flies are not repelled by any type of water, regardless of whether it contains pennies. The best way to repel flies and bees is to get an orange wiffle bat out of the garage and swing away.

—————– RESULTS OF TESTS ————–
As I tested my hypothesis, I discovered that having more than one bag in a room cancels out the effect, unless the ionization is synchronized prior to deployment. This is accomplished using the following procedures.
1. Each bag should have an odd number of pennies, but more than one. (see note 6 for detail) The pennies are not for ballast, because the water has enough mass to keep the bag behaving as per Newton’s ‘local cluster’ theory of Gravity. Anything more than 5 pennies produces diminishing effects.
2. Pennies should be soaked in 2 parts Vinegar to 5 parts distilled water for 48 hours, then rubbed with salt for 2 minutes on the heads side, and 3 minutes on the tails side.
3. Pennies should be stacked and remain in contact with each other for another 24 hours, to synchronize electron frequencies.
4. Size of bag has no amplification effect; a sandwich bag is sufficient. 30 Gallon Garbage bags demonstrated no additional range or amplitude in effect.
5. IMPORTANT! The bag should be placed where it will be exposed to direct sunlight for no less than 1 hour, and no more than 4 hours. On rainy/cloudy days, hand-warming of bags will be sufficient to sustain 50% effectiveness.
6. The penny issue dates are inconsequential, but should be after 1958. 1934-1936 issued pennies work also. Pennies minted in different regions of the country and at different years will have solidified under different geomagnetic influences, which enhances the physiomolecular generation of an electromagnetic field. To avoid the cancelling out of ionic emission frequencies, an odd number of pennies is necessary.
In addition:
7. Because effectiveness is based on the reflective properties of the walls and furniture, a test group of flies in the room are necessary to determine optimal placement of bags. The placement of bags will create fly ‘kill zones’ of about .5 cubic meters. When placing additional bags, observation of the flies are critical in determining optimal placement. Auditory observation is sufficient; a fly will let out a audible ‘yelp’ when it enters a ‘kill zone’ before falling to the ground in mortal seizure.
8. Ensure the fly is dead prior to handling; if only stunned, the fly may become aggressive and dangerous when recovered.
9. On a periodic basis, relocate bags in room; flies may learn kill-zones over time and avoid.
10. Effect may ‘leak’ out of room into adjacent living areas. Ensure your neighbors are aware of your effort to avoid ‘flyslaughter’ litigation.
11. As always, use safety goggles and knee/elbow pads, and OSHA approved safety gear when conducting setup and maintenance.
12. Contact your local Community Services division to determine any City, County or State ordinance prohibiting/restricting construction, and obtain permit if necessary.
13. If a male develops EDS over a period of time, or if a male that suffers from EDS finds relief from the condition, notify medical professionals immediately. If a female develops EDS, discuss this development with parents.
Also,
Standing or sitting ‘in’ a fly kill-zone may cause discomfort over an extended period. Reposition yourself if you have any of the following symptoms:
Headache (esp. if daily or at lower back of head)
Painful tension in neck
Fatigue
Migraines
Dizziness
Visual disturbances / loss of vision / spots in vision / double vision / seeing spots or “halos” / nystagmus
Tingling / numbness in the extremeties
General imbalance / clumsiness
Memory loss
Restricted movement
Intolerance to bright light / difficulty adjusting to light change
Vertigo from position change or sudden standing
Difficulty walking on uneven ground / feeling ground under feet
Poor / degraded motor skills
Difficulty driving
Difficulty negotiating steps
Pressure / pain in the neck
Pressure / pain behind the eyes (soreness in the eyeballs)
Back pain
Neck spasms
Insomnia
Ringing in ears (like the tone heard in a hearing test)
Swaying
Pain when changing position
Tingling / crawling feeling on scalp
Intolerance to loud / confusing sounds
Decreased sensation to touch in extremeties
Decreased sensitivity to temperature
Pain & tension along ear / eye / jawline
Difficulty swallowing / lump in throat / sore throat / swollen lymph nodes
Drooling
Spontaneous vertigo
Hand tremors
Poor blood circulation / cold hands & feet
Sinus / mucous problems
Sleep apnea
Decreased muscle tone
Pressure in ears / ears feel stopped up
Nausea
Difficulty reading / focusing on text
Depth perception problems
Burning sensation in extremeties / shoulder blades
Menstrual problems / severe cramping during period
Fluid-like sound in ears (like water running)
Loss of sexual interest / lack of sensation in pelvic area
Pulling sensation while sitting / standing
Intense itchiness w/profuse sweating
Slurred speech
Gag reflex problems / lack of gag reflex
Pressure / tightness in chest
Loss of bladder control
Frequent urination
Dehydration / excessive thirst
Electric like burning sensations
Unequal pupil size
Loss of taste
Popping / cracking sounds in neck or upper back when stretching
Dizziness
Loss of smell / problems with sense of smell
Dry skin and lips
Sudden / abrupt changes in blood pressure due to awkward position of head
Hiccups associated with drinking carbonated beverages
Skin problems
Also: Migraines, oscillopsia, lump in throat, colour blindness, albinism, visual floaters, astymosism, thinning hair, hear heartbeat in ears, throat closes when lying flat, vomit in sleep, swollen face, low body temperature, low blood pressure, legs feel heavy, “strangling” feeling, “floating” sensation, thickening of finger joints.
If you have ALL of the above symptoms, please submit a video of yourself to Youtube.

Source: WikiAnswers

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

We’ll be back!

Home and Garden Guide Online is on yet another quest to find out if the “water in a plastic bag – hung above an entry door,” really works.

We’re testing it out and we’d love to hear your feed back on whether this works and how effective you think it is so please make a comment.

The idea to test this theory came about as we ventured into another home project.

We are in the process of Installing a wood burning stove which requires many trips in and out of the house. Opening and shutting the doors…sometimes, LEAVING THE DOORS WIDE OPEN!

Although it IS November and SHOULD be cold…we are experiencing high temperatures in the high 70’s which mean that flying insects are in flight!

So I thought, what a great time to test this idea for repelling these pests.

This first post will cover what we learned while preparing for this test.

Hope you enjoy!

Questions:

* What kind and size of bag is the best to use?
* How much water is really needed to make this idea work?
* Where is the best place to position these bags?
* Does the effect just work on flies or any “flying pests?”
* What is the best method of hanging these bags?

First, we found out that even a good ziplock bag is NOT air and water tight.

We chose to use the expandable bottom type gallon size bags for our test. Bigger seemed better. We decided to fill the bags to a little below half full.

Then we decided to find out what this much water weighs. Can you believe that this bag weighed almost 4 lbs. !!

NOTE: Better be careful where you hang this! Who wants 4 lbs. of water hitting them in the head!

We positioned two bags, one on the upstairs entry and one on the downstairs entry doors. We decided for safety purposes to hang the bags to the extreme right of entry.

We decided to use standard thumbtacks to hang these bags and made sure they were fully inserted in the door trim also making sure that we caught the bags below the zipper portion of the bags which is the strongest point of support.

So with he bags installed, it’s time to test them out!

We’ll be back to let you know what we think. Meanwhile let us know if you’ve tried this and what your thoughts are. If you know first hand that this works and know how and why please let us all know.

People who like this article will also like:

How To Make A Natural Fly Repellent

Halloween is over once again!  Hard to believe. Anyway, while putting up those decorations and thinking about getting out Christmas lights and such from their storage containers, I found many home items that we had either out grown or we kept around for one reason or another to use for that ’someday’ special project! You know… “clutter” and in some eyes just plain old junk!

Well if you’ve been a regular visitor, you know how we think around here at Home and Garden Guide. A thought came to mind as I accidentally dropped a whole boot box of old Christmas cards while trying to move them to find that other thing. Yes one of those situations and no, I didn’t do what you may be thinking! What I did is go to my computer and research “what to do with home items you’re done with”

I went on a quest to find out how to recycle home items and stumbled into a whole bunch of ways to turn them into something else and keep them!! I know you’re saying the same thing I may have heard and…what’s wrong with this picture? Well nothing!  Really… stay with me now.

For starters, take a quick look at these great idea for recycling home items, unique holiday decor and more.  If you have ideas you’d like to share, please do.  And if this subject stirs some interest we’ll do a follow-up article…We found this How To article and thought it was worth bringing to you so enjoy.

Oh, the idea about the wine bottles in this how to article reminded me of a way we used empty beer bottles to build a wall in a home brew house.  I’ll have to work that into a future article so be looking for it.

I found other neat stuff you’ll probably like but enjoy this for know.

David Schaible Home And Garden Guide Online Owner – Operator of this and other sites * SEO Consultant and Contractor -Jack of many trades! See Article Re-Use Requirements when interested in republishing.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Recycle Items Into Home Decor. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

I have a large loft area which is part of a two-story cottage style home. This area is the master bedroom suite. I have a four-posted queen size bed in it. It’s a beauty…but also quite large and takes up the whole room…almost!

The lower level has a full bath and two small bedrooms. The larger of the two bedrooms is my daughters.

I had to decide how I was going to set up the smaller bedroom to accommodate the number of guests I expect to have.

It would really be cramped with a full size bed. I considered bunk beds, but that wouldn’t really suit most of the company I usually have.

I also wanted to use this space as a small office area so I also considered a sofa sleeper, but most of them were too large and the mattresses aren’t very comfortable. I was looking on line for a solution when I came across this

I looked at many day beds and discovered these really nice trundle beds. This one is a twin size bed that is a bit higher off the floor to accommodate a trundle bed frame to slide underneath it.

The trundle bed frames are designed to pop up and be the same height as the twin bed when they are pulled out. When the trundle bed frames are raised and connected to the twin bed they create a king size bed. The trundle bed frames can also remain lowered to create a second twin size sleeping area.

I went with the
Casey Honey Maple Finish Twin Day Bed Trundle

This seemed like a great solution for such a small room. I chose the maple wood frame day bed but others were available.

I had some cushions that I placed against the back frame so that when the bed is not needed it can be used like a sofa.

This looks very nice in the small room and creates a comfortable sleeping space for one or two people when needed. I highly recommend this Trundle bed and for my little place in the woods this turned out to be the best alternative to accommodate guests.

I also found the following trundle very appealing.

Casey White Twin Daybed Trundle