HomeSpot HQ Blog

Use Cold Frames to Beat the Cold

Posted by Derek Smith on January 7th, 2012

Jason over at True Food Solutions has a great post I thought I’d share about building a simple cold frame garden box to keep your garden active even through the cold winter months.

I had a bed of lettuce still growing – volunteers from my harvesting of seeds from the spring crop – and I didn’t want to let it die when we could have fresh salad through the winter. So I grabbed two of the storm window panes I had picked up in a batch from someone on Craigslist, took measurements, and built a cold frame to fit the window dimensions.

A cold frame is a simple and inexpensive way to enjoy fresh vegetables without having a full greenhouse.

Garden Maintenance for January and February

Posted by Derek Smith on January 2nd, 2012

One of the fantastic resources in nearly every state is the Cooperative Extension office at your local state university. Here in North Carolina, NC State and North Carolina A&T University team up to provide a wide variety of excellent resources related to agriculture, gardening, and wildlife.

The following list of to-do items for January and February is an example of one of these resources, which is of even greater value since it is specific to the climate and unique growing conditions here in NC. Check out your state’s Cooperative Extension office to find similar insights for your locale.

Flowers

Cut back ornamental grasses; divide large clumps and replant.
Plant bare root roses.
Cut back flowering vines.

Fruits and Vegetables

Perform a soil test by your county extension office.
Plant fruit trees while the soil temperature is still cool for strong root structure.
Prepare your vegetable garden: loosen soil; add organic matter; browse seed catalogs;
Begin starting vegetables from seeds indoors to get a jump on the spring season.
Plant cold hearty vegetables like sugar snap peas and onion sets.

Lawns

Watch for cool season weeds like chickweed, hairy bittercress and henbit. Remove or treat with post-emergent weed control when temperature is above 40 degrees.
Fertilize fescue lawns in February at a rate of one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.
Sharpen lawn mower blades, repair or replace broken tools and power equipment before spring.

Trees and Shrubs

Water evergreens during dry weather.
Clean up camellia blooms.
Prune woody ornamentals like hydrangea and butterfly bush that bloom in the summer.
Survey trees and shrubs for breakage from winter storms. Prune any damaged areas.
Add mulch around trees and shrubs – leave 3-6 inches clear around trunks.

Happy New Year!

Posted by Derek Smith on January 1st, 2012

It is my great pleasure to wish a Happy New Year to all our HomeSpot HQ users and supporters. 2011 was our 3rd year in business, and as we look to 2012, I thought I would highlight a few of the milestones we achieved in the past 12 months.

In January, 2011, we launched HomeSpot AgentPro as a way for real estate professionals to leverage HomeSpot HQ as a unique marketing tool to help grow their business. We have many new opportunities for real estate agents to make HomeSpot a key part of their marketing toolkit in 2012, so if you are, or know, a real estate agent, we invite you to tell them about HomeSpot AgentPro.

Over the summer we had the pleasure of including several guest bloggers as contributors to the HomeSpot HQ blog. We want to thank John Sams at DoMyOwnPestControl.com, Becky Cunningham at Swimtown Pools, and Amanda Goldberg at Erie Construction for their insightful and helpful articles.

We also hit a couple of milestones with our users, surpassing 50 ‘Likes’ on our Facebook page, and over 4,000 registered HomeSpot HQ users worldwide.

Finally, in the Fall of 2012, HomeSpot HQ received a string of fantastic reviews on sites such as Lifehacker.com, ProductiveWebApps.com, FeedMyApp.com, and MakeUseOf.com. It’s a great honor to be recognized by these sites, and we want to thank their editors for their reviews.

We have lots in store for 2012, including an upcoming product update, new tools for home improvement professionals and contractors, and new advertising partnerships. We are looking forward to making 2012 another great year for HomeSpot, and helping you, our loyal users, maintain your home for the year to come.

Thank you to all our users and friends. HomeSpot HQ is better because of your feedback, suggestions and

DIY Gifts under $25

Posted by Derek Smith on December 10th, 2011

With just a few critical shopping days left before Christmas, we thought it would be fun to compile a list of great affordable gifts for the Do-it-yourselfer in your household. So resist the temptation to get another sweater or pair of pajamas, and get prepared for tackling those projects around your home in 2012.

All of these gift ideas are immediately available online at www.AceHardware.com.

	Dewalt 24in 2-in-1 Power Tool Tote This is more than a tool box. The heavy duty Power Tool Tote has a removable top case for power tools and accessories. The reinforced metal handle is easy to grip and will handle up to 70 pounds of cargo. $19.99 (was $27.99)
	Dewalt 16 pc. Gold Ferrous Pilot Point Drill Bit set It’s easy to just say “I’ve already got drill bits” and pass over this item. But settling for old, dull bits is no way to make your projects go smoothly. This handy kit contains bits from 1/16″ all the way to 3/8″, and includes a magnetic bit driver guide with philips bit. The bright Dewalt yellow plastic case is compact and easy to find in your tool bag. $9.99 (was $20.99)
	Cooper Lighting Halogen Work Light (500 watt) Let’s admit it, sometimes that project we think will be done before kickoff ends up taking us well in to the night. And nothing is more frustrating than fumbling through the dark to try to find where to drive a nail or drill a hole. Enter the Cooper Lighting 500 watt Halogen Work Light! This awesomely bright work light will stand tall on its 46″ tripod, or stoop low with its quick release detach. $17.99 (was $29.99)
	Stanley Professional Top Read Aluminum Level Level and square. Two ideas that seem simple, but prove over and over again to be rare and elusive. Using this Professional Aluminum Level from Stanley will help keep your projects and pictures hanging straight. The 360 degree vials are accurate, and can be replaced if necessary. 24in – $6.99 (was $17.49) 48in – $21.99 (was $31.99)

Act now to get these great items before Christmas, but even if you miss it, these prices are good until January 1, 2012. And all orders on AceHardware.com can be shipped to your local Ace Hardware store for Free!

All of us at HomeSpot hope you have a great holiday season, and thank you for helping us in the process of improving or maintaining your home. Merry Christmas!

Critical November Home Maintenance Items

Posted by Derek Smith on November 5th, 2011

With November upon us, in many parts of the United States, homeowners have a critical window of opportunity to get their homes prepared for the colder winter months ahead. And while working on your home can so easily take a back seat to enjoying a college football game on a Saturday afternoon, these few items can be achieved quickly, but can make a big impact how comfortable your home stays this winter.

1. Check and seal drafts. An easy test to find drafts in your home is to use a “smoke test”. Using a stick of incense, trace around the inside of your doors and windows to see if and where a draft blows the smoke into your home. As you locate cracks, gaps and other points of air infiltration, mark them with painter’s tape or a small pencil mark. Then you can focus on reinforcing the seals and weatherstripping around these problem areas.

2. Schedule an HVAC checkup. The switchover from warm weather to cool weather represents a pretty significant change in how your home’s heating and air conditioning systems function. Before you get deep in to winter and have a major issue, schedule a routine check of your systems to ensure they are ready to perform through the colder months. Many HVAC contractors will offer annual maintenance programs that include both summer and winter checkups for one annual fee. I can assure you that annual fee will be far less than the cost of a service call or worse, a replacement system.

3. Reschedule your programmable thermostat. You do have a programmable thermostat, right? With the switch to heating mode, it is important to review and reset your daily program to make sure that you are not over- or under-heating your home, especially during times when you are at work or otherwise out of the house.

4. Store away hoses and tuck in faucets. Outside water spigots are highly susceptible to freezing when not prepared. Many homes (particularly in Northern climates) are equipped with specific shut-off valves just for the exterior spigot. Also, adding pipe insulation and insulated covers will help prevent freezing.

A few hours spent in November will help your home to stay warm and comfortable through the winter. As with all home maintenance items, your HomeSpot HQ account can help you keep track of your completed maintenance tasks, and remind you of what is upcoming.