Smart Jobs For Homeowners To Beat the Winter Blues

 While we’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy endless sunshine and comfortable temperatures this past week, there is no denying that winter is on the way. With mornings in the 40’s, I think it’s time to start talking about what we should be doing to get our homes ready for the cold before it actually comes. So without further ado, here are my top five tips:

Take a picture of your roof.

We’ll start with an easy one. Go outside and snap a photo of your roof from each direction. If you’re scratching your head wondering why, I’ll tell you. When we get a massive snowfall, I always recommend for people to get their roofs shoveled. Removing the snow helps to reduce the risk of leaks and other damage to your home. But when the snow is very deep, it’s impossible to see the pipes, skylights and other parts and pieces that stick up out of the roof. Keeping a picture of the surface is a great way to minimize the probability of an accident when you’re trying to prevent damage in the first place.

Mark the driveway.

Speaking of damage prevention, stop by the local hardware store and get some property markers. They are generally made of wood or metal and are sometimes painted in a fluorescent color. Use the markers to create an outline around your driveway. Just like your roof, when a blanket of snow hits, it’s impossible for a removalist to see where the driveway ends and where your lawn begins. Creating that parameter will help the snow plow truck operator know where to go, which should assist in keeping your curbs and grass intact.

Give the furnace a checkup.

If you haven’t put the heat on yet, you will soon. Don’t wait until you really need it to make sure that everything is in working order. Clean or replace your HVAC filters and check the temperature gauge to make sure you can power up and down with no problems. Also, now is the time to remove those window A/C units and check and clean those filters too. While you’re at it, make sure your carbon monoxide detectors are working and change the batteries if necessary.

Seal up the air holes.

I get calls all winter long from people who are wondering why their house is so drafty. If you have an attic hatch, install an insulated box to prevent the cold air from coming down into your living space. Check all your windows and doors for gaps and use weatherstripping, foam, or insulation to seal it tight. If you have a fireplace that you don’t use, get that covered too. Any passageways from the inside to the outside can act as wind tunnels when the frigid winter air comes calling.

Clean those gutters.

We have a few weeks of falling leaves before the deep freeze, but please don’t leave your gutters clogged to the hilt with debris. If you don’t clean your gutters, it will prevent winter water from flowing off the roof and down away from the foundation. If water has nowhere to go, it will refreeze in your gutters and at the base of your roof, resulting in dangerous ice dams and potential leaks. If you don’t want to do this dirty job yourself, schedule a pro to handle it for you. It will be worth it.

If you do just these five things, you’ll be in much better shape when the wicked weather finally decides to come our way. Plus it’s much more pleasant to get these jobs out of the way before it’s too cold and snowy to bother. Good luck and as always, don’t be afraid to reach out if you need help or advice.

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.

Home Design Trend Alert - Sherwin Williams Names The 2018 Color of the Year

If you want to have the hippest house on the block this year, you’re in for a real treat. Say hello to “Oceanside”, the 2018 Color of the Year from paint authority Sherwin-Williams.

If you’re thinking, “Color of the year - is that a thing?”, the answer is absolutely yes. Every year, the home design industry takes cues from companies such as Sherwin-Williams, Pantone, and other big names in the color industry to set the home design trends for the year. In 2017, Sherwin-Williams tapped Poised Taupe as their big name in paint, which was described by the company’s director of color marketing as “... like gray and brown had a baby.” Sure enough, every living room on Pinterest became transformed into rich tones of smoky gray and requests for dark neutral vinyl siding shot through the roof. From bathroom tiles to exterior cladding, Poised Taupe was the color that we all became very familiar with in the home improvement industry.

So what about Oceanside? It looks like the color powers-that-be have decided to go bold this coming year with a vibrant, jewel-toned blue-green that compliments colors of years past with a boldness that we haven’t seen in some time. According to Sherwin-Williams, ‘“Green-blues in deep values, such as Oceanside, respond to changes in light, which is a quality that creates intense dimension. It is a tremendously versatile color, and harmonizes with other diverse color groups.”

Intense is the key word here, but Oceanside can be incorporated into any home for a bright, trendy pop of color without having to commit to a complete “house blue-tiful” makeover. Sherwin-Williams says that this year’s pick is “an opulent and mysterious green-blue color that evokes optimism” and heck, we can all use a bit of that in our lives. So let’s look at a few ways to bring the color of the year into our homes without making it look like a scene from “The Little Mermaid”.

Doors: A bright, vibrant front door is a great way to give your home a bit of personality without having to take on a massive change in style. If the exterior of your home is a neutral tone such as white, gray, or beige, injecting a jeweled blue color can give your house a bit of personality while still maintaining a classic, tranquil look.

Furniture: If you’re thinking about going with a navy couch, consider brightening up your palette instead. Dark blue is a safe and simple color choice, but going with a bolder Oceanside hue can actually be more calming and can give a room a “wow” factor without going overboard. Even an accent chair can make a statement in the company of an otherwise neutral color palette.

Pillows: Throw pillows and blankets are one of the easiest ways to update your home with the new color of the season. Oceanside pairs perfectly with sunny yellow tones and can create a fantastic beachy feel to your home, which is a great way to keep those winter blues at bay.

If you’re a lover of mid-century modern or Mediterranean-inspired style, Oceanside might just make 2018 your year to shine in the design department. What are your favorite ways to experiment with color at home? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line on Facebook at www.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.

Get Prepped for the Big Leaf Fall

Enjoy the incoming foliage while it lasts because before you know it, all those colorful leaves will be covering your lawn and clogging up your gutters. Yes, we all love the picturesque change of seasons, but the clean-up can be a killer. That’s why now is the time to get prepped and save your lower back some pain and suffering when those leaves start to fall.

In the winter months, gutters perform the very important function of carrying melted ice and snow away from the roof. They prevent ice dams and other wet weather issues that can cause leaks in your home. The problem is that if your gutters are clogged up with leaves, the water can’t properly drain, which means it will end up in one of three places. If it’s very cold, the water will freeze into dangerous, heavy icicles and ice dams which can pull your whole gutter system down. If it’s warm enough for the ice to melt, it will end up seeping into your roof, causing leaks in your attic, ceilings or walls. If there is a lot of water, it will overflow over the gutters and pour down into the foundation, causing leaks in the basement. None of these scenarios are cheap to fix, but they are all entirely preventable.

If you get a lot of falling leaves on your property, I recommend having gutter shields installed on your home today. Gutter shields can be made of metal mesh or plastic and can either work as a filter or a complete gutter cover. The type of guard you choose will depend on your home and needs, and installation can be done by a professional contractor in one day. For those of you who are handy around the house, you can even install them yourself -  provided you have safety equipment and feel comfortable on a roof. It’s important to note that if your gutters are very old or have been not been maintained properly, you may not be able to cover them.

If gutter shields aren’t an option for you, you can also get your gutters cleaned, which should be done at least twice a year.  Many homeowners tackle this job themselves but it can be both difficult and dangerous. If you’re not up to the task, I suggest hiring a professional who can not only clean the gutters but can also do a quick inspection to ensure everything is in good working order and ready for the winter. Whenever I do a gutter cleaning or gutter guard installation, I always look for leak warning signs and report them back to the homeowner so they are aware of any potential problems before they happen.

Once your gutters are ready for the leaves, you can think about your yard. Raking is one of my least favorite jobs around the house, so I use my sit-down mower to go around the grass, sucking up the leaves and chopping them up into mulch that we use in our garden. If you don’t mind doing the job manually, make sure you get a good ergonomic rake to protect your back and don’t fill your bags up to the point where you’re struggling to lift them. An autumn cleanup isn’t worth a trip to the emergency room.

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.