Show Notes: Garage Door Openers and Bats – On the House

Show Notes: Garage Door Openers and Bats

By on July 29, 2017
garage

Ideas, ideas and more ideas….If your kitchen has “plug spots” we have ideas for”kitchen camouflage”. Got bats? It’s time to remodel and add a Bat House. How about a way to make more overhead room in your garage? Learn more about wall mount garage door openers.

Thank you to out guest and friend, Paul Accardo with Lift Master. 
LiftMaster.com

 

2017’s Best & Worst Places To Rent In America

With moving season reaching its peak and the number of severely cost-burdened renters declining from a record 11.4 million to 11.1 million today, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2017’s Best & Worst Places to Rent in America.

To help prospective renters get the most bang for their buck, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 150 largest U.S. cities based on 21 key indicators of rental attractiveness and quality of life. The data set ranges from historical rental-price changes to cost of living to job market.

Best Cities for Renters
1. Scottsdale, AZ
2. Peoria, AZ
3. Gilbert, AZ
4. Chandler, AZ
5. Lincoln, NE
6. Sioux Falls, SD
7. Tempe, AZ
8. Overland Park, KS
9. Omaha, NE
10. Glendale, AZ

Worst Cities for Renters
141. Newark, NJ
142. Baltimore, MD
143. Santa Ana, CA
144. Toledo, OH
145. Hialeah, FL
146. Jackson, MS
147. Memphis, TN
148. Oakland, CA
149. Detroit, MI
150. Cleveland, OH

Best vs. Worst
Hialeah, Florida, has the highest rental affordability rate, 41.52 percent, which is 2.5 times higher than in Plano, Texas, the city with the lowest at 16.44 percent.

Little Rock, Arkansas, has the highest rental vacancy rate, 17.0 Percent, which is 8.1 times higher than in Madison, Wisconsin, and Garden Grove, California, the cities with the lowest at 2.1 percent.

Newark, New Jersey, has the highest share of renter-occupied housing units, 78.3 percent, which is 3.4 times higher than in Port St. Lucie, Florida, the city with the lowest at 22.7 percent.

Laredo, Texas, has the lowest cost-of-living index, 77, which is 2.6 times lower than in New York, the city with the highest at 201.

Irvine, California, has the fewest violent crimes (per 1,000 residents), 0.56, which is 32.4 times fewer than in St. Louis, the city with the most at 18.17.

To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-renters/23010/

 

The Great Kitchen Camouflage

Ideas for camouflaging your outlets and avoiding this common kitchen annoyances
Color-coordinate the outlets.
With their glaring contrast, white outlets in a nonwhite backsplash detract from the beauty of the tile. Fortunately, you can avoid this dilemma by coordinating your outlets and wall plates with the color of your backsplash tile.
Install under cabinet plug molding. One option for a clutter-free backsplash is to install plug molding beneath the wall cabinets.

Go for pop-up outlets. Another option for an outlet-free backsplash is a pop-up outlet that disappears into the countertop. These are especially useful in places where there are no wall cabinets to hide a plug molding strip.

Turn the outlet sideways. If wall outlets are your desired solution, install them sideways and closer to the counter for a less obtrusive profile than the common vertical orientation.

Create a charging station. A plethora of devices need charging these days. Create a docking drawer with a hidden charge station so that you can keep your smartphones and iPads out of sight.

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/85692458/list/details-that-count-17-designer-tips-for-a-great-kitchen

 

Got Bats?
Add A Bat House

Benefits of Bat Houses
Bat Houses are beneficial for many great reasons; here are a few of our favorites.

First of all, bats do a terrific job at “controlling insects”. This is a key issue in parts of Canada and the United States where detrimental insects are rampant. Because of their echolocation and maneuverability bats can unsuspectingly swoop down on moths, beetles and most notably mosquitoes. This has major significance whether you’re an experienced farmer or an amateur gardener like most of us are.

Here’s a cool fact, bats have been known to consume as many as 1200 mosquitoes in an hour and up to about half of their body weight. 70% of the more than 1,000 bat species are insectivores, meaning they feed only on insects.

In fact, many insects can hear bats from a distance and will choose avoid areas where they are present. How cool is that!? Also, providing sufficient protection for a bat’s offspring is a another great benefit that owning a bat house will provide. You’d be doing your part in helping grow the bat population. Think about it. Who’s going to address your insect problems if the bat population keeps declining? Without providing offspring the chance to develop and thrive you are essentially increasing the likelihood that the bat’s will die off in the wild. The cutting down of trees has eliminated some of these natural homes for bats and they are more desperate than ever before to find proper coverage. Bat droppings, also known as guano, is a valuable source of natural rich fertilizer. It’s actually a quite expensive and sought after fertilizer because of it’s high concentration of nutrients. Having a bat house basically gives you a free additive to your shrubs, plant beds or struggling garden!

http://bathouse.com/benefits-of-bat-houses

 

Happiness Is Natural Light

How important is good lighting? According to Psychology Today, natural sunlight aids productivity and a good nights sleep. Those who see natural light opposed to artificial light reported feeling more alert during the day and sleeping longer during night.
If you’re considering adding a skylight, let your health be the first reason to do it!
Here are six more reasons your life will be better with a skylight:
1. You Can Watch the Stars
Bedroom skylight anyone? Seeing the stars from the comfort of your bed or couch is unbeatable. We don’t have to get into this now, but your romantic life will surely improve with some inside star gazing, too.
2. You Can Make Pseudo Stained Glass
Paint the edges of your skylight to bring in a pop of color with the sun. This is a great way to brighten a room and play with the decor. Blue is a great color to start with!
3. Natural Light Makes People Happy
Working outside will improve your mood, but it’s not always pratcial. This is the closest you can get, without setting up your desk in the park. It also makes people productive, as we’ve discussed.
4. Two Words: Full Moons
If viewing the stars from your house isn’t enough, think of what a treat it will be when a full moon shines in. You won’t even need to turn the lights on!
5. Your Energy Bill Will Decrease
If you rely less on electric lighting, your energy bill can drop up to 10 percent. If you’re worried about a skylight affecting the temperature of a room, don’t fret – with the right glazing you won’t have any heat loss or overload from a skylight.
6. Skylights Are Private
Skylights let in natural light but also maintain a privacy that windows can’t offer. A skylight is a great option for somewhere like a first floor bathroom or changing area by the pool. This way the room won’t be completely isolated.

https://brightnest.com/posts/6-reasons-skylights-will-make-you-happy

 

Put Your Mind At Ease On Vacation

For some of us, there’s always that one moment of sheer panic during vacation. Did we turn the stove off? Is the garage door still open? Is that upstairs window closed?  
Before leaving the house, take a photo of your stove and oven dials—or your thermostat, or your iron, or anything else you worry about accidentally leaving on. If your brain starts to play the “Did I really turn it off” game, you can simply tap your photo app and see for yourself.
A few ideas of photos to snap before you head out the door:
1. The oven
2. The garage door
3. Windows in your house you typically leave open
4. The TV outlet and stereo system to make sure you unplugged them (in case of a storm and so you don’t suck up energy)
5. Coffee makers and microwaves (also major energy users!)
6. Hair straighteners, curlers, steamers or irons
7. Thermostats
8. Your front door (or doors around your house you typically use)
9. Proof your air conditioner is off (if you don’t have central AC)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/travel-hack-take-pictures-of-your-stove_us_597605b7e4b09e5f6cd0d721?section=us_huffpost-homeSh

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