Smart Homeowners
Daily tips and resources to help you improve, care for and protect your home.
I will give you something every day so you can live smarter. With my team of experts, we’ll cover what matters to you: security, energy efficiency, maintenance, home improvement, finance and insurance.
💚 St. Augustine needs some love
If you have St. Augustine grass, this is a good time to review some of the keys to helping it thrive. Why it matters: The intense heat and lack of rain can severely stress your turf. 🔬 Zoom in: Let’s look at 3 important areas for care. 👉 Blade height —> Let it grow longer for more […]
🪚🌳 It’s safe to schedule your tree trimming
August 1 through the end of February is the best time to do major pruning on most trees. Why it matters: Trimming trees at the right time is key for their health and longevity. 👂Let’s hear from my friend and certified arborist Tim Waswick: Oak trees are no longer sappy and can be safely trimmed without […]
🪨 A good foundation
For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been writing a lot about improving your building envelope (floor, ceiling and 4 walls) by making it air tight and insulating. 🖼️ The big picture: Your home is your shelter. Controlling the conditions inside is critical for your comfort and even survival. An air tight, insulated home is easier to […]
🦙 Wasting money on more insulation
We know insulation in our building envelope resists heat flow, so adding more should be better, right? 🥊 Reality check: Adding insulation is really step number 3. You’re wasting money if you don’t do steps 1 and 2 first. ⚡ Flashback: Step 1 is to air seal, which I wrote about here. Air seal —> then […]
🐑 Ready for insulation
After you address air leaks in your home by air sealing, then … and only then … you can add insulation. Start here to read the beginning of the “Ready your envelope” series. Why it matters: Adding insulation without air sealing is like putting on a sweater over bare skin and walking outside when it’s […]
💂 Protection of a tight envelope
This current email series is focused on helping you move towards independence in your home. Independence is the first step toward interdependence —> think about the message we hear on airplanes, “Put on your oxygen mask first.” 🥊 Reality check: A leaky house (like mine) is LESS resilient. A tight building envelope gives you more […]
💨🚪Measure the envelope
You can tighten your building envelope by air sealing your house. That’s the first step toward controlling temperature, humidity and air quality. 🔎 Between the lines: Measuring the leakiness of your house gives you the knowledge you need to make changes. 👉 You can know how leaky your house is compared to current new construction standards. […]
🧧 Ready your envelope – Part 5
We’ve been focusing on the forces of nature that cause heat and moisture to go in and out of our houses. Why it matters: The leakier our envelope —> the less control we have over the conditions inside the house. Envelope = The 6 sides of the house —> ceiling, floor and four walls 📣 Good […]
🧧 Ready your envelope – Part 4
Ready your envelope – Part 1 is an overview of the role of a tight building envelope. In Part 2 and Part 3 we looked at the movement of heat and water. Finally, let’s consider pressure differences. Why it matters: With pressure differences, air and everything it carries (heat, moisture, contaminants) is moving from higher […]
🧧 Ready your envelope – Part 3
Ready your envelope – Part 1 is an overview of the role of a tight building envelope. We covered the first of the three basic laws of physics that relate to building tightness in Part 2. Why it matters: The leakiness of your house is directly related to your ability to control the conditions inside. […]