Upgrade the Lighting In Your Home with LED

Spending more time indoors always gets me thinking about what small projects I can tackle to make a big impact on my home. One of those is lighting - which is especially important during these colder, darker months of the year.

Lighting can make or break the functionality of a room. If it’s too dim, you’ll be stuck squinting and turning on extra power sources that you probably don’t need. If it’s too bright, you’ll feel like you’re in a grocery store or a shopping mall.

LED lighting has given homeowners some exciting new options, but it can be tough to know what to buy to ensure that your lightbulbs function the way you need them to. But once you get the hang of it, making the switch is a no-brainer as the energy efficiency and longevity of an LED bulb pays for itself over and over again. So without further ado, here is what you need to know to add this little improvement to your late winter project list.

The first thing you’ll want to think about is whether you want a cool or warm hue in various rooms of your home. Light is measured in degrees Kelvin and the brightness of light bulbs mimic the brightness of the sun. To give you an idea of what this means, the sun is at its brightest at around midday when it measures a very bright, white-blue light that tops out at about 6000K. A morning sunrise or afternoon sunset will be a warmer or more orange hue and will measure in at about 3000K. Generally, 4000k is considered neutral.

So how do we convert that sunlight to inside light? If you’re used to incandescent bulbs, you’re probably thinking about wattage. But contrary to popular belief, wattage is actually the measure of energy a bulb uses as opposed to its brightness. To measure brightness you need to consider lumens, which will help make the conversion easier. As an example, a 60-watt incandescent bulb creates 800 lumens of light, but an LED bulb that produces the same amount of brightness only requires 15 watts. Here is a chart to illustrate the conversions.

So after figuring out the math, how do you choose the right bulb for your home? If you’re a 9-to-5er, chances are that you’re home a lot more often when the sun is coming up or going down, and you’d probably be more comfortable with LED lighting that replicates a warm glow. This is especially true in relaxing rooms like bedrooms and living rooms. In these cases, I would suggest no more than 4,000 lumens. If you work from a home office or do a lot of cooking, these rooms require brighter light, so 6,000 lumens of light or greater might be more appropriate. 

It’s also worth noting that many LED light bulbs come with dimmer settings which can be very helpful in controlling light so long as your current fixtures are set up for it. I’d also keep an eye out for the ENERGY STAR logo when shopping for LED lights. While many manufacturers offer serious energy efficiency claims, ENERGY STAR actually tests and certifies the ones that offer the best products in the market.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Color Your World with the Interior Paint Trends of 2019

We’ve seen a fair bit of winter white in the past few weeks, but with spring hopefully on the horizon, now is the best time of year to tackle an interior painting job. Fresh walls not only liven up your living space but they can also add value to a home if you’re thinking about putting it on the market this spring. Choosing one of the latest, of-the-moment colors will help you score major bonus points with potential buyers too. So let’s see what the biggest names in paint are forecasting to be all the rage in interior color for the season.

Pantone is the authority on color, influencing everything from home style to fashion. For 2019, their pick is Living Coral, which in their words is “an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge.” What a description! For me, the color is very tropical, pairing well with bright green and aqua for a Bermudian feel. While maybe not a living room color, I could see this pairing well with a bold, leafed wallpaper in a bright and sunny bathroom.

Next up is Behr, whose color of the year pick is a little more neutral. For 2019, the company announced Blueprint as their top choice in what they call “an honest, approachable color that conjures up the blueprints builders rely on to bring architectural designs to life.” The hue is just that, a mix of blue, green and gray that works perfectly for interior walls, cabinetry, and even a bold exterior siding color. This one is my personal favorite as it’s warm and inviting, yet interesting enough to make a statement.

If Blueprint isn’t your cup of tea, Sherwin-Williams’ Color of the Year explores the other end of the spectrum with their 2019 pick - Cavern Clay. Inspired by the natural beauty of the Utah and Arizona deserts, Cavern Clay is a rich, earthy terra cotta color that the company calls “ancient, yet fully alive. Bohemian, yet totally refined.” If you like the idea of going with something warm and natural that pairs well with greens but isn’t as bold as Living Coral, Cavern Clay might be your perfect match.

Finally, we have Benjamin Moore, whose color of the year pick is the most neutral and easy to implement into any home. The hue, Metropolitan, is a layered gray which the company says, “emanates nuance, harmony, and extravagant ease. Always adaptable, it softens to matte or shimmers with sheen. It's neutral. It's understated. It just is." Marketing spin aside, the sophisticated twist on gray is really appealing and plays beautifully with warm pink hues or deeper jewel tones. If you’re looking for an alternative to white, Metropolitan is an easy transition that doesn’t offend.

With such a wide range of trending colors, I am excited to hear what you think about the 2019 picks. Would you go bold with Living Coral or is Metropolitan more your speed? Does Blueprint tick the boxes or are you feeling the warmth of Cavern Clay? I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message on Facebook at facebook.com/odonnellbros

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

When Wet Winter Weather Brings Unwanted Guests Indoors

I recently received a question from a reader that I thought I’d share with all of you. She asked, “During the winter I sometimes get mice or rats in my house. I assume they are looking for a warm place to settle in and find food, but they aren’t welcome here! How can I deter them this year?”

My reader is right - her rodent problem absolutely has to do with the little buggers looking for a nice warm place to hide out from the winter weather and to grab a meal while they’re at it. Here are a few simple tips to reduce the chances of them making a home in yours.

Firstly, seal off the premises. Make sure doors and screens are always closed tight and look for breaks, rips or holes that lead outside. Generally, caulk is a good sealant, but weather stripping around windows and installing new door sweeps on doors will keep small animals out and will do double duty by helping to insulate your home.

For bigger areas such as the chimney, you can use a thick wire mesh to keep the critters away, just make sure the material is thick enough that it can’t be chewed through. Believe it or not, a mouse can get through a hole the size of a dime, so be diligent in your search for entry points.

Another tip is to make sure you don’t leave any food lying around. Mice and rats are pretty resilient to the cold, but they have to eat to survive and looking for a meal in your house is a lot easier than trying to find one outside. Many pet owners leave animal food out for long periods of time, which makes a delicious meal for a rodent. If a mouse can get into your house, the last thing you want to do is give them a reason to stay. Keep that food, pet or otherwise, sealed up tight.

Finally, watch that wood pile. A lot of people keep firewood stacked up next to a doorway or entry point, giving mice an easy in. Find a safe dry place for wood that’s a bit further from the door to deter unwanted guests.

If your home is susceptible to rodents and you’ve tried to get rid of them with no luck, you might want to consider having the problem dealt with by a pest control professional. There are plenty of traps, sprays, and natural solutions on the market, but using the wrong deterrent might drive pests up into the walls where they can start chewing on wires and causing long term, more expensive damage. A professional exterminator can help you to deal with the problem while keeping both your home and family safe.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.