New Year's Resolutions for the Home

The start of a new year usually encourages us to make New Year's Resolutions about how we are going to improve ourselves in the coming year - lose weight, get fit, get organized, finish (or resume) our education, etc.

The start of a new year is also a good time to take stock of our homes and decide what we want to improve about them in the coming year.

Here are six ideas to get you thinking about what you need to improve about your home during 2017.

1: Clutter control

Clear out the clutter. We all have a tendency to buy things without recycling, donating or tossing the "stuff" that we have accumulated but no longer use or need. It piles up in garages, basements, attics, closets and even under beds.

If this is the case at your house, resolve in 2017 to periodically go through your closet and purge clothes that you haven't worn in over a year or two. Think of the people who would happily wear those items that are languishing - unworn and unloved - in your closet! Try to donate a box or bag or two every time one of those charities phones you, asking for a donation to be placed on your front step. Or if you aren't on those call lists, make a trip to Goodwill or Saver's once a month to gradually "clean house" of excess things.

If your problem is more extreme, however, you can always call Lake Zurich-based Junk Remedy. Owners Nick DeGiulio and Corey Heidkamp and their crew help area families and work to preserve the environment by salvaging usable furnishings, household goods and clothing from their various clean-out jobs and then trucking them to WINGS in Palatine, Schaumburg or Niles instead of sending them to the local landfill.

"We are proud to say that we re-purpose the items we salvage to this major local charity and issue the tax deduction letters to the homeowners," Heidkamp explained.

"We recycle and donate as much as we can from every job we do, throwing away as little as possible," Heidkamp explained. "Anything electronic is palletized and sent to a recycler. Furniture and clothes are donated primarily to WINGS. We also work off of other organizations' wish lists, filling whatever needs we can."

Junk Remedy gives free estimates, schedules a specific day and time for the work and handles all loading, labor, clean up and disposal fees. They are also licensed, bonded and insured.

"We meet with potential clients and find out how they want the job done and then try to be as cost-effective as possible. We offer a very significant bang for our clients' buck. Our minimum fee is $140 and it goes up to $550 for a full truck. All of the hauling, labor and disposal fees are built into the price of the truck," Heidkamp said.

For more information about Junk Remedy, log onto www.junkremedy.com or call (877) 722-5865 (JUNK).

2: Fancy ductwork

Warm up those rooms which always seem cold in the winter. Chances are, they are also hot in the summer.

It seems as if every home has a room or two that is barely used because it doesn't warm up in the winter or cool down in the summer. Nothing seems to help, so the room gets as little use as possible and basically becomes wasted space, according to Joseph St. Pierre, sales director of Aeroseal Solutions, based in McHenry.

Chances are, however, that wasted space can be reclaimed, thanks to a process which seals gaps in a home's ductwork and allows heated and cooled air to better reach those rooms which are either furthest from the furnace or which have ductwork gaps separating them from the furnace.

In order to attack this problem, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley developed a water-based vinyl polymer sealant in the 1990s to seal gaps in ductwork ranging from those which are practically microscopic, to those as large as 5/8 of an inch in diameter.

The sealant has been approved by Underwriter's Laboratories, the EPA and the Department of Energy. It is forced into a home's ducts after all of the vents have been plugged and the entire system has been pressurized, St. Pierre said. Thanks to the pressurization, the vaporized sealant is forced into any gaps or holes which exist, without coating the entire interior of the ductwork.

"You don't want the sealant to coat the entire interior of the ductwork because it might attract airborne dirt. You only want it to plug the holes," he explained.

The four- to eight-hour process is monitored by a sophisticated computer system involving pressure tubes inserted throughout the ductwork. Certified reports on ductwork leaks before, during and after the application are given to the homeowner. Aeroseal effectively seals a home's ductwork from the inside by using a clean, safe material that is guaranteed for 10 years, but lab tested to remain effective in excess of 40 years.

"The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that in the Midwest, homeowners who invest in the Aeroseal process will save between $300 and $500 per year on utility costs alone, not counting the reduced wear and tear on your heating and cooling systems," said Beth Wagner, marketing coordinator for Aeroseal Solutions. "It is possible that you could get a total return on your investment in three to five years and that estimate is based on gas prices not increasing."

For more information about Aeroseal Solutions, log on to www.AerosealSolutions.com or call (815) 356-7325 (SEAL).

3: Bathroom break

Replace your aging bathroom, preventing mold and making sure you are safe there.

The condition of your bathroom can have an effect on your safety and even your health, according to Tom Rice, director of sales for Tiger Bath Solutions of Bolingbrook.

"The mold and mildew that can be found in an old, poorly maintained bathroom can cause a variety of disorders. In addition, old bathrooms which do not contain basic safety measures like nonslip tubs and grab bars can make a debilitating fall much more likely," Rice stated.

"One of out of three falls in the tub result in a fatality and 70 percent of people over 60 who take such a fall never return to their home. The shame of it is that these falls are all preventable. At Tiger Bath we work to keep people, particularly baby boomers, safe inside their own homes," he continued.

"We want to help people to help themselves by converting old bathtubs to walk-in showers or even walk-in tubs. Sometimes we even convert showers to bathtubs. It depends on what the customer wants," Rice added.

Tiger Bath Solutions does not sell bath liners which cover an existing tub. They remove the old tub, prep the floor and then replace it with a new, custom-made tub or shower of the customer's choosing. They even infuse silver ions into the walls of the bathroom. This type of silver shield is a natural antimicrobial which prevents future growth of mold, according to Rice.

Walk-in tubs which feature doors that swing in or out for ease of entry and exit are particularly popular with those who feel that they are no longer stable enough to climb in and out of a tub safely.

"Our passion is to help people remain safe in their home bathrooms so that they can continue to live independently. We also want to help them keep their dignity in the bathroom since we know that a fall can force them to have assistance for either the short-term or the long-term," Rice explained.

"We design something that works for each person's budget and work with six different finance companies," he continued.

For more information, call (630) 489-0180.

4: New door, new look

Replace the ugly, old interior doors throughout your home, updating the look and making it quieter.

Replacing a home's interior doors has always made a big difference in the look of a house. But until recently, the mess and expense involved served as a deterrent to making that change. Doors had to be cut, planed and then painted on site. So, it was a time-consuming and messy process.

That is no longer the case, however, according to Christina Files, director of marketing for HighMark Digital of Sacramento, California, which markets its products through the HomeStory name. It has offices in Elk Grove Village.

"You can transform an entire home by replacing old, uninspiring doors with stylish new doors with almost no hassle, thanks to major advances in technology," Files said.

HomeStory's door-measuring technology generates custom replacement doors by taking 13 precise digital measurements and capturing the geometry of the existing door frame. Using those measurements, new doors are uniquely milled on an automated door machine and then painted, all in the factory rather than in a customer's house. Installed in minutes, the custom fitting doors close properly, preventing any drafts, making the home much quieter and more energy efficient.

"The precision of the process allows HomeStory to update any home, regardless of how and when it was built," explained Files. "With our technology we are even able to accommodate homes that are very old."

HomeStory offers molded panel doors made of composite wood which come in a choice of hollow core or solid core versions. They also offer medium density fiberboard (MDF) doors which offer the heft and feel of real wood, but won't shrink, expand or warp like wood doors. Wood, mirrored, bi-fold, bypass and glass-paned doors are also available. Homeowners tend to choose solid core doors for hallways in order to cut down on noise, according to Files, but they may choose to go with hollow core doors on closets in order to save money.

An almost infinite number of hardware choices for hinges and locksets are also offered or homeowners may also choose to re-use the ones they already have in order to economize.

For more information, log on to www.HomeStoryChicago.com or call (847) 258-3417.

5: Sump pump

Prepare for the spring rains by replacing your aging sump pump.

Water problems can be a nightmare for homeowners. So, having pumps which effectively dispose of stormwater and sewage is imperative for anyone who has a basement.

Metropolitan Industries Inc. of Romeoville has been developing and manufacturing pumps for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal use for more than 55 years, according to John Kochan Jr., son of the company's founder and its current president.

In recent years, Metropolitan Industries has invested a large amount of time and money in developing energy-efficient "green" products, as well as digital products with no moving parts and "smart" products that can be monitored remotely.

Ion|StormPro pumps, for instance, are a line of durable, oil-filled, cast-iron pumps which are certified and tested to handle any pump application in the sump and sewage market.

These pumps come complete with the Ion Digital Level Control, which is responsible for turning the pump on and off. This is the world's first intelligent level controller that uses microprocessor technology. The Ion has been tested and certified for over 2 million pumping cycles and replaces mechanical float switches that are known for high failure rates, Kochan said.

In addition, the Ion Gateway product is equipped with wireless sensors which can alert a homeowner's computer or smartphone to a power outage. High water alarms are also available in certain products.

Across the board, Metropolitan Industries is also cutting energy consumption on their pumps which makes battery backups last longer.

Metropolitan Industries offers good-better-best products in each of its lines, which they recommend choosing between, based on each particular application.

"Anyone with a finished basement should forget about the 'good' sump pump, for instance, and at least go with the 'better' model. We recommend the 'best' model - which has a higher capacity and is available in a two-pump configuration - to those who have had water issues in the past," he said.

"It is up to the homeowner, but if you look around your basement and start adding up what it would cost to replace the furnace, hot water heater, washer, dryer and furnishings, it adds up quick. So, it is best to choose a high-end sump pump with a battery backup because when do you need a pump most? When it is storming and the power goes out, of course," Kochan said.

Metropolitan Industries pumps are sold exclusively through plumbing supply houses and plumbing contractors because "we are not the cheapest guys in town," Kochan said.

The pumps are not, however, particularly difficult to install, he added. Do-it-yourselfers can certainly read the directions and install these pumps themselves, if they wish.

For more information about Metropolitan Industries Inc. pumps, log on to www.metropolitanind.com or call (815) 886-9200.

6: Winning windows

Replace those drafty windows which are making you chilly and stealing your hard-earned money through high energy bills.

Withstanding the rigors of Chicago's weather extremes isn't easy - for people or for their homes.

WindowWorks, based in Bolingbrook, offers homeowners their own brand of windows and doors. The Enhancement Line of windows is made to exacting standards by Window Works in a joint venture with the Vista Window Company in Georgia.

These foam-filled and fiberglass-reinforced replacement windows are made with high-tech, low E glass that is three times as strong as the usual window, according to Doug Stein, vice president. The window frames are made of a composite vinyl and the windows meet and, in some cases, surpass, all National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) requirements.

"We carry only replacement windows because we feel that it is a far better approach to make a window custom to the 1/8 inch to exactly fit the existing opening rather than trying to make the house fit the window. It will seal better and have better curb appeal," Stein continued.

"Our double-hung windows tilt in for easy cleaning and our muntin bars or grids are placed between the panes of glass, also for easy cleaning," he added.

"We also offer casement windows, sliding windows, bay windows, bow windows, garden windows, patio doors - the full gamut."

WindowWorks also offers exterior doors, made of steel and fiberglass, including some made with decorative leaded glass, as well as unique waterproof storm doors made with composite frames that will not warp, swell or rot, according to Ron Varek, president of WindowWorks. They are manufactured in the Amish country of Indiana.

"In addition to windows and doors, we also supply siding, soffits, fascia and gutters," Varek stated. "All of our windows and doors are custom-made to fit a home's exact measurements so that they seal tighter. We have no stock sizes."

"We also allow homeowners to make a statement with their windows and exterior décor," Stein added. "We can help homeowners to perfectly match their décor by offering every color of the rainbow on the outside and four different wood grain finishes inside in arched, round, square, rectangular or even triangular shapes.

"We probably won't be the cheapest and certainly won't be the most expensive, but we believe our products will offer more value than any other on the market," Stein said.

WindowWorks is primarily a shop-at-home company, sending consultants to clients' homes to consult on their needs. But the firm also boasts a superstore in Naperville, a showroom in Orland Park and a distribution center in Addison.

For more information, call (708) 340-7544 or visit www.mywindowworks.com.