Home Tips

Guest post by Gregg Campbell of B & L Glass Company

When replacing your home’s windows, you’ll need to make a lot of decisions, from which manufacturer you’ll purchase from to which installer you’ll hire. However, one of the biggest decisions with any window installation is whether to replace the old windows entirely or have the new ones retrofitted into the existing frames. Read more

If you’re moving, renovating your home or simply doing some overdue cleaning, you may find yourself knee-deep in junk and unsure what to do about it. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem: junk removal services. Most hauling companies will handle every aspect of junk removal for you, which will allow you to focus on more important tasks. However, there are steps you can take to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible. Read more

Since the recent California wildfires, many of us have been reassessing our relationships to our possessions. Since my home was safe, my immediate response was to find useful items to donate to the fire victims. In fact, many Sonoma County donation sites were overwhelmed with people’s generosity and had to turn away used clothing and furniture. They requested cash donations instead or things like toaster ovens, hot plates and electric teapots for those living in temporary housing.

The stories about what evacuees took with them and what they left behind made many of us think about which of our belongings have value and meaning and which don’t. Read more

When my husband and I had children in the last half of the 20th century, baby-proofing our home consisted of getting a gate to block the stairway, covering all the electrical outlets, and adding safety clips to kitchen and bathroom cupboards so curious toddlers couldn’t open them. Now that our son and daughter-in-law have an almost one-year-old, I’m learning about how much more can be done to prevent accidents and make a home safer. What once took an hour or two is now a major project for young couples. Read more

Do you make avocado toast in Tiburon? Do you cook mac-and-kale in Cupertino? Maybe you read nutrition panels in Pinole, prepare recipes from Pinterest in Palo Alto or pickle in Petaluma. Whatever you cook and wherever you do it, if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you probably use your kitchen a lot. So, this year, it’s time to make that kitchen work for you and your family. Whether you’re ready for an entire kitchen remodel or just need some helpful hacks, we have some suggestions about how to organize a kitchen. Read on!

Kitchen Work Zones

Start by understanding your kitchen work zones. Most kitchens have three core zones:

• Cooking
• Food preparation
• Cleaning

In addition, Read more

When it comes to water intrusion, even small issues can lead to large consequences. For example, a minor leak can be a catalyst for dry rot, which, if allowed to progress unchecked, can spread throughout a home’s substructure and create a dangerous condition (not to mention a costly repair bill). That’s why it’s best to take a preventative approach by learning how to waterproof your home. Whether sealing your exterior siding or your kitchen sink, waterproofing your home will help to avoid water intrusion from both exterior and interior sources. Read more

The recent wildfires destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Northern California and left others in need of urgent repairs. With their lives upended, many residents are looking to start over and return to their former routines as quickly as possible. But those rebuilding after the wildfires need to move cautiously, as conditions are ripe for contractor scams. Unfortunately, history has shown that after a catastrophe, there are many bad actors ready and willing to take advantage of the vulnerable.

Contractors (especially good ones) are in high demand following a disaster. At the same time, there’s a lot of money available to the construction industry due to payouts from insurance policies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Read more