Wood and Pallet Burning

Wood has been used as a heating instrument since the discovery of fire. Nowadays, instead of burning logs of wood, small pellets made from saw dust, wood chips, agricultural crop waste, and other such materials are used more often. Wood and pellet burning appliances come in different sizes and can be large enough to heat up a 2000 square feet home.

Furnaces and Boilers

Furnaces and boilers are used more commonly in America. Furnaces heat air, while boilers heat water. Both provide air or steam through ducts or pipes. These are more suited for central heating purposes. You can control the heat of individual rooms by placing a thermostat in each room. If there is a furnace already installed, check the air filter every few months and get it changed if need be.

Solar Heating

Solar heating systems work on either air or water. Air is heated in an air collector where as water is heated in an anti freeze solution on a hydronic collector. The heat is distributed to the interior space or storage system once the solar radiation has been absorbed. Though it is the most environment friendly and cost effective heating method, it is limited to areas where the sun shines throughout the year.

Radiant Heating

In this heating system, heat is provided directly to the ceiling, floor or wall panels. This helps in keeping the room or house warm instead of making the air warm. It is most suitable for people with allergies. Radiant floor heating is very different from wall and ceiling heating.

Floor heating can be hydronic, electric or air-heated. It is best to use ceramic floor tiles because they allow the heat to come through without making the floor heat up. Wall and ceiling heating is usually electric. Some people however use hot water tubes, but leakage of these tubes is a major issue.

Portable Heaters

Portable heaters come in different sizes and are suitable for single rooms. Generally portable heaters are used when installing a new heating unit is costly, or the existing one is not providing adequate heat. Usually portable combustion heaters are vented or unvented. It is best to use vented heaters indoors.Unvented heaters can produce unwanted combustion products like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. Electric space heaters are the only safe unvented heaters available for use.

Allan has been reviewing heating system and heaters at OO and has published numerous blog posts on how to save energy is the house. Aside from blogging, Allan has a strong interest in sustainability and environment issues.

9530 Shenandoah Dr New Market, VA 22844

This completely remodeled brick home sits on 1,1 acres with a stream, attached double car garage, fenced back yard & easy access to I 81.

To set up an appointment today call Florin at 540-335-8330!

4BR, 3BA.

Property Features

• formal dining room
• eat in kitchen
• recessed lighting
• basement

Maybe you’re a new family and you’re ready to move out of the apartment, or maybe mom’s finally kicking you out of the basement. Regardless, choosing and buying a home for the first time is a major life event that requires huge amounts of planning. Based on our experience, here are our tips and recommendations for first-time home seekers.

Do your own home search

Figure out the qualities and characteristics in a home that you are looking and are most important for your needs. This may include square footage, number of bedrooms, type of neighborhood, proximity to schools and shopping centers, etc. A real estate agent can help you find a dream home that fills those needs, but they need to have those questions answered.

Finding an Agent

Do some online research and chat with people who are familiar with the local real estate industry to find a real estate agent or attorney who is within driving distance of where you would like to live. Friends and relatives who are willing to help find you a home for free have their heart in the right place, but their resources are only so extensive, and they will certainly overlook detail oriented problems only an expert can catch.

Finding a Home Inspector

Find a state licensed home inspector who is certified and has a good reputation. Your friends and relatives can certainly help you inspect the home, but that doesn’t mean they will be able to recognize termite damage or roof problems. An average inspection should cost around $300-$350, so plan accordingly.

If the house is not brand new and has a basement, a radon test is absolutely necessary. To be considered safe, the radon level has to be below four pico curies. Homes built before 1978 will need a lead disclosure form to insure lead levels from paint are not at unsafe levels.

Finding a Loan Officer

Find a local loan officer who is willing to sit down with you and work you through your specific loan needs. This may be one of the strongest relationships you want to form, as you want to have quick access to someone who is familiar with your loans that may involve serious money. Quite often, home lenders will sit down with you for a complimentary session where they explain their programs. A loan application should cost about $350, which will include a credit check, job verification and property appraisal.

Quite often, professionals in the real estate industry are well connected and can help make referrals for you if you are looking for a home inspector or loan officer. Most importantly, plan ahead and stay organized in the whole process.  It is a long process, but it pays off when you find a home you can happily live in for many years to come.

Citations: Image via thinkpanama

This article was submitted by Coldwell Banker Valley Brokers, offering homes for sale in Corvallis Oregon.

When decorating a room you have to consider the inherent function of the space. A living room tends to be a social area, and as such you want to decorate in a way that will support the interaction and connection of various people. Unfortunately, in a small living room you don’t have a lot of space to work with, which means that you have to use clever tricks to maximize what you do have.

First of all you want to remove all clutter from the area. Clutter and chaos are the worst enemies of small space decorating. Having too many items in the room will make it feel even more cramped and crowded, and will create an uncomfortable atmosphere. Rather you should strive to create a living room that is clean, sharp, and relatively open, so that you do not overwhelm what space you have.

You should generally try to avoid larger furnishings in a small living room. These can end up feeling imposing, crowding the area out, and making what space you have seem smaller by contrast. Instead of large couches and love seats consider smaller single chairs or even bean bag novelty seating. Avoid large wall units in favor of smaller tables and stands. Scale the furnishings to the room so that everything looks congruent and consistent.

One of the most important ways to combat cramped feelings is to ensure that the flow of the room remains open. That means that you want easy pathways through the space, allowing people to enter and move about with ease. In small living rooms this may require giving up the convenience of coffee tables, or force you to have less seating in the space than you might like. Side tables can be one space saving surface idea, and folding chairs can be stored in a closet in case your lack of seating ever becomes a problem.

While floor space is at a premium in a tiny living room, the walls are generally free and open. You can use them as a canvas across which you can work your decorative ministrations. You still have to be careful not to clutter the room, but at least here you can add touches of personality and beauty to the space without having to worry about impacting on the function. Art, decorative pieces, murals, portraits, and even walls clocks are interesting wall décor choices depending on the style you are trying to achieve.

One of the oldest tricks in the small space decorating book is the use of mirrors. Placing mirrors in a room will automatically create the illusion of doubling the area, opening it up visually without affecting the actual floor plan. Mirrors can also serve to spread light throughout the area, which will further add to the illusion of greater space.

Texture is another important element that you can control in a small living room to good effect. Generally you want to stay away from soft and yielding. Carpet, pillows, and thick lush curtains can all make a room feel cozy, but they will also tend to make the space feel as if it is closing in. Smooth cool surfaces and hard materials on the other hand will give the room a sharp sleek feel that will open it up.

Once you have understood the functional necessities of the living room, you can arrange your furnishings and décor in such a way that you can mitigate the lack of space. Make use of walls, scale down furniture pieces, and use light and mirrors to open up the room, and make it feel free flowing and comfortable.

9985 Pleasant View Dr., New Market, VA 22844

This custom built, brick home on a cul-de sac is near the New Market park, golf course & swimming pool.

To set up an appointment today call Florin at 540-335-8330!

3BR, 2BA.

Property Features

• formal dining room with fireplace
• new family room
• New roof
• maintenance free exterior

Life contains some unexpected trials. Without a conscious choice of your own, you may find yourself in a financially tricky situation. Due to health problems or unemployment you could suddenly be unable to pay for your mortgage. The worst thing you can do if you’re facing this kind of predicament is to do nothing. You need to do something and here are some tips that explain what exactly that something should be.

Talk With Your Lender

It’s uncomfortable and you may feel tempted to avoid their calls, but you need to be upfront with your mortgage lender. If you have extended beyond your grace period and are now more than 30 days late on your payment, you will not only have your back payments to come up with but you will also have a late fee assessed. Explain your situation and they will likely come up with a plan to get you on track again. If you are willing to make any kind of effort, they will be willing to work with you.

Refinance

You might consider refinancing to bring your loan current and to pay off your lender. If you don’t have any money left in savings, you also might consider taking the cash out of your equity. This would enable you to re-establish a cushion in the event that you find yourself in a similar situation down the road. This of course all depends on your ability to handle a larger monthly payment. Be sure to look at all the effects of a refinance before you sign the papers.

Sell Home

If you are unable to work out a refinance you should seriously consider selling your home before you go into foreclosure. The late payments on your mortgage will show up on your credit report, which will likely prohibit you from qualifying for a loan for the next 7 years, but in the end will be better than a foreclosure on your record.

If you’ve attempted all these steps and still have a financial puzzle that can’t be solved it could be time to look at declaring bankruptcy. This would also be relevant if you have multiple properties that are in default. Consulting with a lawyer is your best option at this point. There are specialists in any part of the country, anywhere from Tallahassee to Las Vegas bankruptcy attorneys, who know the specific laws in your state and will work with you to make the most of your situation.

Different sized feathers are going to give you very different decorative options. Most feathers you find locally are going to be quite small, allowing you to make only the most simple of display pieces. Others which you can purchase include stout fluffy ostrich feathers, large multicolored peacock plumes, or long slender pheasant feathers.

One popular thing to do with feathers is to glue them to everyday household objects in order to give them a little decorative energy. If you have glass items, such as decorative glass vases, bowels, or other containers, you have the option of gluing the feathers on either the inside or the outside of the piece.

Even if it’s a bit difficult to actually glue the feathers to the inside of a glass piece, you always have the option of simply slipping one or two in, letting their feathery touch grace the sloping side of the glass piece.

Another option is to glue tiny feathers around the border of a picture frame, or a mirror. You can also use them to decorate the outside of bowls, jewelry boxes, or other containers. Some brave decorators have even taken up craft projects where they coat an entire side table in small colorful feathery fluff.

Feathers are also very popular as stand alone applications, or when used in conjunction with other elements to create a display. One way to do this is to display a variety of feathers in a decorative vase, bowel, or other container.

These can take the place of flowers, lasting longer, and often being just as bright, colorful, and textually present.

Many people use various natural elements in table centerpieces. Pulling from twigs and leaves, branches and boughs, they create a cobbled centerpiece that glorifies the nature of the outside world. Feathers can easily be incorporated into this, adding color and hue throughout the piece.

Some people like to use feathers that they find in the area around their homes. This allows you to create a decorative piece which is intricately tied into the nature of your home, reflecting the living environment around you. However you have to be careful. Feathers can sometimes carry mites, or other small bugs and bacteria that can be harmful if brought into the home. Any feathers found lying open in the environment should be treated with a UV ray to eliminate bacteria, and or soaked in boiling water.

You can also simulate the colors and patterns found in particular feathers in the hues used throughout the room. Home furnishings, wallpaper, throws, cushions, and tapestries can all be purchased to match the color of your feathered centerpieces, allowing you to extrapolate the beauty and nature of your feathers throughout the environment.

Windows are important because they are the connection between your homes interior, and the world outdoors. They let in the sun, they let in the breeze, and they let in the visual beauty of nature and life. The way you decorate them will influence how these elements affect the entire room. Curtains are important and luckily, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to make them look great. You just have to use a little creativity and keep your mind open to the decorative possibilities that your windows present.

A curtain can technically be made from any square piece of hemmed fabric. An old sarong can also be used as an alternative. Simply attach curtain clips to the material, and then hang it from the shower rod.

Alternatively you can purchase inexpensive tab-headed curtains made from a variety of materials including voile, muslin, or fine cotton. These simple curtains can then be turned into stunning home décor accessories by customizing them in a variety of ways.

Tiny pompom’s are one way to give an otherwise drab curtain a sense of fun and frivolity. They are rather easy to stitch in along the leading or base edge, and since they can be purchased in a variety of sizes and colors, you can get creative making patterns trail along the edge of the fabric.

Lengths of ribbon, or braid, can also be stitched along the edge of the curtain to give it a more reserved, formal version of decorative interest. You can use different lengths or colors to create patterns here as well. If you’re feeling bold, try stitching the ribbon across the face of the curtain for an exciting striped effect.

There are a variety of tiny decorative elements that can be either stitched or glued across the surface of your curtains. Shells, buttons, stones, agate, crystals, wooden wheels, mirrors, beads, or silk flower heads can all be added to enhance the beauty of the material. Here’s where you can get creative, arranging items in patterns of swirls or geometric squares, or just alighting them randomly across the face of the piece.

Small mirrors are particularly effective on very light, sheer curtains that let in a lot of illumination. The mixture of the soft fabric filtered sun with the glistening reflections of the mirrors can create an attractive interplay.

Floaty voile curtains can be weighted down by attaching small decorative objects along the bottom edge. Small stones, crystals, or wooden decorative objects can be used to help weigh down those flighty curtains, while also creating a unique fringe.

Another interesting craft project is to sow tiny decorative pockets into your curtains. Take pieces of matched material and cut them into squares. Press the edges under, and then pin them in place. Then machine stitch the tiny squares to the curtain, sealing only the bottom and side edges, leaving the top open. Then you can place a variety of decorative pieces, ornaments, shells feathers, or dried flowers in them.

Windows are important because they connect a room with the rest of the world, bringing natural elements into our homes. The way you dress your curtains can affect the way these windows influence the space. Even drab, plain, boring curtains can be dressed up with a little creativity, adding small touches to the edge and fringe, or going bold and stitching decorative features across the face of the fabric.

Coffee is more than a single color. It is an entire palette, stretching out from dark to light and breaking even those boundaries to pull in ancillary compliments. And yet beyond the mere sight of the color, there is a whole philosophy, an energy that coffee has, which it draws both from its invigorating nature, and its exotic origins. These colors are rich, lush, and brightly contrasting, allowing you to fill your home with both warmth and vigor.

Coffee colors tend to range from dark to light, with one end sporting the midnight browns of a black cup of Joe, and the other displaying the pale perfection found in café au lait. Adding to this charm are the colors of the coffee beans themselves, which are earthy and ruddy looking when first plucked, but which can also take on a burnt oily appearance when roasted.

A good way to find colors which compliment coffee tones is to look at the plant that produces the delectable brew. The coffee plant is a miniature tree, with thick green leaves which droop downward in layers, punctuated by briefly blooming pure white flowers. Bright red berries also dot the foliage of this plant, and these “coffee cherries” are actually where the beans used to make coffee are produced.

This plant is sort of a natural cheat sheet, because all of the colors represented in it actually compliment coffee tones quite well, giving you a pattern template that you can follow in your home. Forest greens will merge with the earth tones hues of coffee quite well, while bits of red can accent the whole, and touches of white provide contrasting clarity.

Coffee beans are transported in distinctive bags made of a material called hopsacking, which has a unique texture, and a rugged natural appeal. If you can find old coffee been bags, they can be used to create coffee themed decorative items, such as liners for trays, or serving dishes. You can also cut the label out of the bag, and sow it into a decorative pillow as a panel, simulating the look of your own fluffy, overstuffed bean bag. If locating authentic hopsacking proves difficult, you can always use hemp or jute, purchased from the local fabric store to simulate the look.

There are a variety of materials that will naturally evoke and or compliment coffee colors. Many hardwoods come stained in tones that will match such a palette, and wicker, and rattan both easily flow in a space where such hues are predominant. Try to match light tones against dark in contrasting layers to create room effects throughout the space.

There are also a variety of coffee themed accessories that can be purchased to make the entire style more overt. Aside from the obvious novelty prints and accessories, you also have posters of some of the exotic locations where coffee is grown, framed pictures of coffee plants, drink coasters printed with coffee images, or maps of exotic destinations.

Coffee is a symbolic substance in our culture. It evokes a sense of rugged individuality, of adventure, and of excitement. At the same time there is something comforting about the brew, it has warmth that can help to beat back the coldest winter morning. By using these colors in a decorative endeavor, you are lending these symbolic qualities to the space itself.

819 Battlefield Bluff Dr New Market, VA 22844

This one of a kind home home has so much to offer!

Located in an excellent neighborhood, and having river front, you must see it!

To set up an appointment today call Florin at 540-335-8330!

6BR, 4.5BA.

Property Features

• Open floor plan
• 2 fireplaces
• New roof(2009)
• Full basement with exercise room with cork floors
• Bordering State Park
• New addition of sun room overlooking the river