• This Week on HouseSmarts

    Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist

    A seasonal home maintenance checklist is paramount to avoiding long-term, expensive problems. We have some seasonal household maintenance tips for both inside and outside of your home. Each change of season brings on its own set of obstacles, so there are a lot of seasonal changes to cover! Some things we cover in this video are clogged gutters, the benefits of mulching, spring planting, dryer maintenance, fireplace cleaning, deck maintenance, and looking out for dead trees. There is always something to do in or around your house no matter what time of the year it is, so get to work!

  • This Week on HouseSmarts

    Tile Designs

    Tile designs have changed drastically in the last few years, with the material becoming one of the most popular to use in any room of your house. Using tile for your mudroom floor and kitchen floor is great for “cleanability” ̶ just be sure you are using slip resistant tile. We give you some tile backsplash ideas by showing you a beautiful herringbone tile backsplash that was recently completed. The versatility of tile can be contributed to abundance of materials that it is made from. Some types of tile you can use as a homeowner are natural stone tile, ceramic tile, porcelain tile, glass tile, slate tile, and terracotta tile among others. We hope this helps you incorporate tile into your next room design!

  • This Week on HouseSmarts

    Patching Concrete

    Patching concrete is especially important this time of the year, as the colder temperatures bring elements that make cracks in concrete worse. There are a variety of tools to remove dirt and debris from concrete cracks before patching. In this example, Lou uses a stripping wheel on a cordless drill, but a wire brush works just as well. Next is patching the crack. If it’s a straight line, you can use painters’ tape on the sides, so the calking doesn’t bleed over. Use a self-leveling calk that is designed for concrete for fixing concrete cracks, and take your time filling in the line! After the patch is filled, use your finger to level out the calking so it dries smoothly.

  • This Week on HouseSmarts

    Basement House Plans

    Basement house plans can be daunting to put together, so we went to a dream basement to help you craft your vision. In this video we met with Basement Masters to go over a recent project of theirs that includes basement bar ideas, a home office layout, and a home movie theatre. Remodeling your basement generally yields a high return on investment, and we go over some rules to follow to ensure this. Paying attention to lighting is especially important as basement are naturally darker, especially if you plan to have a guest room.

  • This Week on HouseSmarts

    Backyard Composting

    Backyard composting is a great way to use recycled material to enhance your garden. We spoke with a master gardener from Rutgers University to learn how to get started on making compost. Compost is made from green materials and brown materials, and combined they offer a lot of nutrients for plants. You can use compost for planting, compost for mulching, and compost for potted plants. So, give making your own compost a shot!

  • This Week on HouseSmarts

    Removing Scratches in Stainless Steel

    Removing scratches in stainless steel seems like it may be a tall task, but we have a product to help you out. Whether you are removing scratches from a stainless steel sink or removing scratches from a stainless steel refrigerator, Scratch Pro is the product to use. After removing the imperfections, the next steps are buffing out stainless steel scratches and polishing stainless steel. This diy stainless steel cleaner will have your appliances looking brand new again. ScratchPro is the product to use to remove scratches on stainless steel.

  • This Week on HouseSmarts

    Sealing a Door Gap & Budget Kitchen Upgrades

    Do you have a DIY or home improvement question? Well, go ahead and just Ask Lou. Ask Lou topics for this episode include sealing a side entry door and advice when redoing your kitchen on a budget. To fix a crack underneath your side door, Lou uses a cinch, which is an aluminum system with a rubber gasket and a self-sticking tape. Watch for the exact details on how to apply this to your door jam after visiting your local home center or hardware store for the materials. Our second question revolves around budget kitchen updates. Between new appliances, updating kitchen cabinets, or installing a new countertop, there is a lot to get done in the kitchen. Lou gives his two sense on what gives you the most bang for your buck!

Welcome to HouseSmarts

Dare to be different. Our mission from Day 1 has been to provide you, our viewers, with useful information to help maintain your home and enhance your lifestyle. We’re not going to show you how to make a lamp out of a copper wire, but instead will help demystify those aspects of homeownership that seem to crop up again and again. Everything from kitchens, bathrooms and design trends to plumbing, roofing and DIY projects … simply put, HouseSmarts is a comprehensive, home-related resource for YOU. Thanks for watching!

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