HomeAdditionPlus.com Monthly Newsletter

Home Improvement News for the DIY Homeowner

September 2009            Edition: 0045

HomeAdditionPlus.com September, 2009 Newsletter

Follow HomeAdditionPlus.com on Twitter

Starting this month you can now follow HomeAdditionPlus.com on Twitter. For those of you who may not be familiar with Twitter, it is a free real time messaging service that allows users to send and receive short messages known as “tweets”.  So when I now post new home improvement information on HomeAdditionPlus.com you can receive instant notifications if you sign up for HomeAdditionPlus.com “Tweets”.

New Home Improvement Content at HomeAdditionPlus.com

In addition to setting up HomeAdditionPlus.com on Twitter, I also spent much of the past month working on a number of outdoor projects and adding new home improvement content to HomeAdditionPlus.com. In particular, I spent a great deal of time trimming tree branches and even cutting down a few trees with my new Stihl MS290 Farm Boss chain saw.  It amazes me how fast trees and tree branches grow. When I built my summer home 9 years ago there were no branches anywhere near the home. This summer I noticed that many of the Oak trees near the house had branches that had grown out and over the roof of the house. Trimming back the branches required a lot of work, as I had to use a hand tree pole saw to cut them.  See my new articles on chain saw safety, trimming tree branches and removing tree stumps if you have plans for doing some tree work around your yard.

Fall is the time of the year to begin thinking about crawl spaces if your home has one. For those of us who live in the northern latitudes it is nearly time to begin thinking about closing the crawl space vents as the temperatures begin to cool and the humidity drops. To learn more on crawl spaces, and how to vent or unvent them see my articles on ventilating crawl spaces, and insulating vented and unvented crawl spaces.

Fall is also a great time of the year to examine your asphalt driveway and repair any cracks. If left un-repaired, asphalt cracks can fill with water which can freeze during the winter months. The constant freezing and thawing of water underneath an asphalt driveway can quickly cause a simple crack to enlarge and the asphalt to crumble around it. See my article on asphalt driveway crack repair to learn more. Fall is also a great time of the year to clean your asphalt driveway and possibly even seal it. Not only does sealing a driveway help protect it from the threat of water damage, but it also allows you to mask any dried oil stains that may have accumulated on the driveway since it was last sealed.

I also tested a new Hornet and Wasp Organic Insecticide from EcoSmart. I wrote a review and filmed a short video on my test results. So if you are looking to use a safe and effective insecticide in or around the home you may want to read and watch this review and video.

Finally, I wrote several new articles on home remodeling contracts and what to look out for when negotiating and signing one. If you have plans of starting a new home construction project you will want to read these articles, as signing the wrong type of contract could cost you a fortune in unexpected labor and material charges.

As always, if you have any specific home improvement questions or would like to see specific new home improvement related content send your questions to me at mark@homeadditionplus.com.

Again, good luck with your DIY home improvement projects and enjoy the early fall.

Mark J. Donovan

You are receiving this newsletter because either you signed up for the monthly newsletter or have purchased a product from HomeAdditionPlus.com. If you would like not to receive this newsletter please email me at remove@homeadditionplus.com.