Tag: Homesteading

If you live in the local Phoenix area, then you’ll understand just how hot it can get from time to time. Even though it is a relatively dry heat, you probably still run your air conditioner constantly. Therefore, you may be looking for a way to save money. One of the ways you can save money is to reduce the frequency with which you have to look for Phoenix A/C repair. If you get your air conditioner maintained on time every year, you should be able to save money. What are a few of the most common reasons why people need to call a repair person in Phoenix? Take a look at a few examples below.

There Is Something Wrong with the Thermostat

Undoubtedly, one of the most common reasons people have to call a professional for help with the HVAC unit has to do with the thermostat. The thermostat is responsible for telling the rest of the unit what temperature it is in the room. If the thermostat senses that it is too hot, the air conditioner turns on. If the thermostat is not reading a proper temperature, it will not turn on at the right time. This could be the reason why your air conditioner is not working properly. A professional maintenance specialist can take a look at the thermostat and let you know what is wrong. Then, he or she might be able to fix it for you.

There Is a Problem with the Filters in the Unit

There could also be a problem with the filters in the unit. If you noticed that your utility bills are going up, it could be a sign that your HVAC unit has to work harder to cool the room. This could be because the filters have got clogged. As a result, your HVAC unit must work much harder to pull the air through your filters. This is the reason why your utility bills are getting so expensive. A professional can take a look at your filters and replace them for you. That way, your HVAC unit no longer has to work as hard.

There Is a Leak Present Somewhere

Another reason why you might have to call an HVAC contractor is there is a leak somewhere in your air conditioner. If you notice puddles are forming beneath your air conditioner, this could be a sign that something is leaking, such as the Freon. If your air conditioner does not have enough Freon, it will not be able to cool the surrounding environment. A professional can look at your air conditioner and figure out where the leak is coming from. Then, he or she should be able to repair your HVAC unit, putting a stop to the leak.

There Is a Problem With the Capacitor

There could also be a situation where there is something wrong with the capacitor. If your capacitor is not working correctly, the motor that powers your fans and compressor will not work. As a result, your compressor…

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Did chicken come first or the egg? This may seem absurd, but anyone can be astonished to know that this is a valid question in philosophy. It has given many sleepless nights to our philosophers getting entangled in the question of form and reason. 

Every discipline has an underlying ideology. They can, at large, be differentiated into altruistic and materialistic. Art is a conduit of expressing and enjoying ethereal emotions—the degree of the intensity of the subject matter being qualified by Aesthetics. 

To get an idea of what this is, one would have to go down the timeline. 

 

The Emergence of Aesthetics and Physical Beauty

Axiology is something that helps to estimate the value of the subject matter. Aesthetics is one of its branches, along with Religion and Ethics. Ideas in philosophy for assessment guide aestheticism. 

Etymological Reference

Etymologically speaking, the word traces its history to the Greek word ‘Aisthetikos’ or ‘αἰσθητικός’, which means sensitive and conscious. The term was derived from the verb ‘Aisthanomai’ or ‘αἰσθάνοµαι’, which means the act of feeling and sensing. 

This was later accommodated in German, and its modern form was taken from thee by Alexander Baumgarten in the latter half of the 1700s. 

Relevance of European Touch

Aesthetics, as we understand it today, has transcended to have a European touch. Socrates started it in 4 BCE as deviating from mythologies to explain nature. Plato and Aristotle introduced the abstract value of beauty, harmony, proportions, and nostalgia to it. 

Later, Alexander Gottlieb tried to explain it as perceiving good and bad in art through cognitive functions. In his Critique of Judgement, Immanuel Kant propounded that humans sense and judge things through their senses and mind. So, the aesthetic degree of an item can be different to different people. Some may find Landscaping stones and landscaping lights a sight to behold. For others, it may be a waste of money. 

Surfacing the Landscape

Today, the term can relate to art, paintings, geography, architecture and many similar disciplines. This piece would limit it with the natural or manmade scenic beauty of a piece of land. 

Etymological Reference

Similarly, if we follow the trail of the origin of the word Landscape, it will take us to the 1600s. Etymology suggests that it has come from the Dutch word, ‘Landscape, which means land with the surrounding region. The Landscape was used in Shakespearean times. Its old and new German variants were similar too, i.e. ‘Lantsacf’ and ‘Landschaft’. Old Nordic language had ‘Landscape, which denoted a land with distinct features. 

Landscaping is a verb making a piece of land to add value to its degree of aestheticism or beauty. In other words, it means making your backyard worthy of having moments of peace and apple for the eye. 

 

How Aesthetics Influences Landscaping

Theories of evolution can showcase that homo sapiens have been viewing Landscape as a place to dwell. What keeps them safe, gives food, where they thrive and grow in peace is beautiful for them. After fulfilling basic needs, altruistic needs come over, and a change in Landscape has…

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Guttering plays an important role in the function of any structure. As many homestead buildings are constructed from timber, however, it’s particularly important to ensure that water is managed appropriately inside and outside your property. After all, wood can have a significant impact on timber, which could affect the foundations or structural integrity of the property. 

To learn more, take a look at these three reasons why clean gutters are essential on a homestead:

1. Water Conservation

If you want to make the best use of the natural resources that are available to you, it’s vital to conserve water. Rainwater can serve many purposes, so many homesteaders choose to use water tanks to store rainwater or even filter it to increase its usage potential. 

However, if your gutters are clogged, this will limit the amount of rainwater that can be collected. Furthermore, the water that is collected is likely to be filled with debris, including leaves, twigs and moss. When gutters are cracked or broken, the water will simply flow down the side of the property, which means you’ll struggle to collect anything at all. As a result, the running of your homestead could be severely affected by clogged or broken guttering. 

2. Leaks and Flooding

When gutters are filled with leaves and other debris, they’re unable to collect or transport rainwater effectively. This means that water will overflow the gutters, rather than traveling down drainpipes. When this happens, it will soak into the exterior of the property and cause damage. If a timber building is exposed to an excessive amount of water, for example, the wood will expand and contract regularly and begin to warp. 

But the problems don’t stop there. Over time, this damp will penetrate to the interior of the building. This often results in mold growth within interior rooms, which could be a potential health hazard. While keeping your gutters clean may seem like a minor issue, it can have major ramifications for the safety of your property. 

3. Damage Prevention

If gutters aren’t cleaned on a regular basis, the amount of debris residing in them will continue to accumulate. As the weight increases, more pressure is placed on the guttering until it eventually cracks, breaks or becomes loose. When this happens, you’ll need to replace guttering, rather than simply cleaning it. With a regular maintenance schedule, however, you can avoid having to replace gutters and increase their longevity.

Make Gutter Maintenance a Top Priority

With professional gutter cleaning services available, you don’t have to worry about maintaining this area of your property alone. What’s more – gutter removal & replacement services from Principles Building and Remodeling can ensure that the gutters on your home are fit for purpose and in optimal condition. 

It’s easy to inadvertently cause damage to guttering if you attempt to maintain it yourself, which is why it’s advisable to call in the professionals. With the potential to avoid significant property damage, having your gutters repaired, replaced and maintained could be the best investment…

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There are a lot of reasons why Texas is a great US state. Not only because of the quality of life but also because it offers a lot of support for its business community. Its economy is the second biggest in the U.S at $1.9 trillion and the state is the first in the country for growth prospects.

In other words, if you want to start a business anywhere in the United States, Texas is certainly one of the best options. But before you can do that, you need to know all of the tips that will allow you to build a successful business in the Lone Star State.

Choose Your Business Idea And Legal Structure

When choosing your business idea, it’s best to take into consideration things like your skills and interest but also resources and if there’s a demand for a certain type of business. Keep in mind that 42% of startups fail because of a lack of market need, so you need to make sure people are interested.

The next step is to choose your legal structure. The type of legal structure you choose depends on what kind of business you want to start, if you’re planning to hire employees, and your opinions on liability.

Here are your choices:

Sole proprietorship

A business where one person owns all the business assets, they are the sole owner and are completely liable for the business. This is the simplest and most common form of legal structure.

General partnership

A business where one or more individuals run completely separated business entities but can satisfy debts and liabilities with each other’s assets.

Limited liability company (LLC)

An unincorporated business entity that offers more flexibility and provides owners with pass-through tax advantages and limited liability.

For-profit corporation

A corporation with centralized management, limited liability, perpetual duration, and very easy transfer of ownership. The corporation owners are stakeholders and the managers are directors.

Obtain Business Insurance

Your business isn’t as safe as you think. At any moment, something can go wrong and cause you to lose your assets and even your entire company. Sometimes it’s a fallout such as a lawsuit, but other times it’s a natural disaster such as a hurricane or a flood.

If you want to make sure that no matter what happens, your business will stay protected, you need to look into business insurance in Texas. This insurance will protect you and keep you from going out of business. Just make sure to explore all the different types of coverage you can get, some of which include general liability insurance and malpractice insurance.

Put In A Request For An Employer Identification Number

An employer identification number, or a business tax identification number, is the number that is used to track all of your business dealings. Think of it as your company’s social security number, and you can use it to open business checking accounts and file all of your employee’s tax withholding.

This number is free to obtain and you…

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Reasons for basement foundation problems vary and can be complex or quite simple, but they all have something to do with the state of the soil surrounding your basement. If it’s sandy and loose, foundation slippage can occur and cause your basement walls to weaken and eventually collapse. If it’s concrete and very dry, excess water pressure can force its way into your basement and cause the same problems. Even basement foundation materials such as the wooden floors and walls can break down and fail if they are not properly sealed.

Important to Repair the Basement Foundation:

Whatever the reason is for basement foundation problems, you should know that it is extremely important to repair the foundation of basement at once, to avoid further damage. You can also go towards the help of one of the top basement waterproofing company.

Foundation cracks, major cracks, and other kinds of basement foundation damage can be very expensive and time-consuming to repair. In some cases, it may be necessary to completely replace portions of the basement foundation. For example, a tiny crack can become a major issue if it starts to expand. This is why it is so important to know what causes basement foundation problems, and what to do about them.

Find the Reason for Failure:

When a basement foundation has begun to fail, one of the first things you need to do is to find the reason for the failure. If you have discovered the problem after you’ve started to install basement waterproofing materials, then you need to repair the basement foundation repair. Otherwise, you may end up ruining your basement property, and the basement foundation repair can be a lot more costly and complicated than it has to be.

Condition of the Soil:

The most common reasons for basement foundation problems have to do with the condition of the soil surrounding the basement. Usually, sandy soils suffer from more issues with basement foundation corrosion.

This corrosion occurs when a basement water flow is interrupted. A basement waterproofing system will help to prevent this basement foundation deterioration, and the cost of basement foundation repair will be much less than it would be with a wet basement.

Humidification and Condensation:

However, not every sandy basement foundation cracks or drains well. A basement waterproofing system can cause more basement foundation damage if it’s installed incorrectly. For example, a basement waterproofing system that contains flashings might just be too wide for your basement. This will allow excess moisture to move into your basement. This can lead to humidification and condensation.

Professional Contractors:

A professional basement waterproofing system will include some type of inspection. It will also have experienced contractors available to evaluate your situation and recommend a solution. These contractors will do an inspection of your basement and then quote a price on how much it will cost to fix your basement. You can get a number of estimates from different contractors. Then, if you still aren’t happy with the cost, you can choose to get a…

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Wine cellars are cool, literally! They help keep wine at the proper temperature and are a natural addition to any homestead. If you are all about the simple life, you deserve a wine cellar. Here’s why!

What Wine Cellars Do for Wine

One of the most sensible reasons for installing a wine cellar in your homestead is preserving your wine for a long period of time, perhaps years. Wine is very temperamental when it comes to factors like temperature and humidity. 

When exposed to heat, wine will begin to degrade. Likewise, excessive levels of humidity can cause the wine to spoil. If you can keep a consistent temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit or slightly cooler in your cellar, this will ensure your wine is maintained. 

Natural corks can absorb moisture, which will cause the wine to spoil over time.  On the other hand, artificial corks and, of course, screw tops cannot absorb moisture.  

If space is a concern, don’t worry about keeping your wine bottles on their sides unless they have a natural cork. Wines with artificial corks, which make up the majority of corked wines today, can be kept upright.  The same goes for wine with a screw top.  

For the best results, however, you should store high quality wines rather than the cheapest stuff. Much wine today is simply not made to last. 

Wine Cellars Help Save Money

Life off the grid is less expensive when you have a wine cellar. Why? One of the oldest tricks in the book is to save money by buying in bulk. Boxes of wine are cheaper than buying by the bottle. You won’t be paying extra, and you’ll reduce the need for shopping. 

Having a wine cellar will allow you to store more wine for longer periods without worrying about spoilage. You will know your wine is safe for the foreseeable future, and you can feel good about investing in it.  

Your Wine Cellar Can Make Money

A cellar helps to keep things organized. If you plan on keeping a large variety of wines from different vintages, building a wine cellar will help you keep your wine properly preserved and well-organized. Good organization is always an intelligent investment. 

There’s a lot of satisfaction in being self-sufficient. With a wine cellar, you could store cases of wine that will be more valuable in the future. Certain wines grow rich in value and flavor over time when stored properly. This means you can enjoy more earnings and more flavor as time goes by.  Definitely do your homework to find the right wines if you want to do this.

For that matter, you may decide to try making your own wine. With a cellar to keep it cool, you can sell off the extra and add to your income.

Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be all about the money. You can store a portion of wine to sell later once it grows in value and another portion for your own enjoyment. 

Building Your Wine Cellar

There are many DIY…

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If you’re trying to live off the land, you probably plan to keep your vehicles running for years and years. Yet many times the need to stock up on supplies clashes with the need to shelter our cars.  

Sheltering a car has been shown to decrease the frequency of maintenance and repairs, ultimately safeguarding your budget from unforeseen costs. 

When your garage is stuffed to the brim with tools, supplies, and an assortment of left-overs from vacations and projects gone by, it leaves your car vulnerable to the elements.  If this is true of your garage, it’s time to protect your vehicles (and your investment). 

Why Shelter Is Critical to Maintaining Your Car Investment

Many people think a garage is just a convenience, not a necessity. Yet sheltering your car is beneficial in so many practical ways. It’s like the old adage: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  

If regularly sheltered, the lifespan of a car’s parts, performance, interior, and exterior are extended. The car should look better, run better, and last longer. Here’s why.

Balanced Temperatures

A sheltered car stays cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather.  That reduces discomfort for people, but it also saves on costs related to the car HVAC system.  You will stress the HVAC system less, and the heat, the air conditioning and the fan will last longer as a result.

Even more important, all of the delicate parts of a car stay at a more balanced temperature. This decreases shrinking during cold spells and swelling during hot spells. Shrinking and swelling are contributing factors to the decay and/or malfunction of many different parts. 

Blocked Moisture

If accessible from the house, the garage keeps you dry in a rainstorm.  This protects your interior as well. Also, day after day, a garage decreases rain’s impact on the car’s engine, transmission, and more. Moisture likes to seep into the different oils that lubricate your engine’s vital parts, your gear shaft, and your brakes. Sheltering also keeps water away from parts that can rust. 

All-Weather Protection

A garage is protecting your paint job from sun damage. That same sunshine can fade upholstery and interior design elements.  Presumably a garage will stop damage from wind, hail or snow.  Exterior parts, such as light covers, and decorative elements, such as beltline molding, will last longer.  

Security

 Even the most experienced car thieves are unlikely to break into a garage. Plus it will stop petty thieves who target driveways, sneaking up to see if a car was left unlocked. A closed garage also discourages destructive rodents and insects.

Solving the Problem

If you have a garage, start by assessing its contents.  What do you need? Where else can you store things?  Then start sorting through the mess. Most garage organization tips suggest that you make piles for trash, recycling, and donations as you clean out the area.  

While there are many organizational tools to buy, there are even more that you can make out of supplies you may already have. …

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Moving into a new home can be stressful, especially since you’ll need to bring all of your things with you. Not only will you need to accomplish exhausting tasks to make your new home livable, but you’ll also need to adjust to the new environment and allow yourself to live comfortably.  

Before you drive and move into your new home on the day of the turnover, you should prepare everything to make the transition smoother and faster. You wouldn’t want to arrive at your new home only to find out that you’ve left most of your belongings in your old house. One can only imagine the hassle it will cause you. 

Listed below are some tips you can use for a stress-free move:  

1. Consider Hiring A Mover 

Since you’ll need to transfer bulky items such as appliances and furniture into your new home, you might want to consider hiring movers instead of making multiple trips and transporting these using your own car. 

While hiring a mover can cost you money, you’ll be saving a lot of effort and time since you won’t have to do everything by yourself. Moreover, traveling back and forth with your car isn’t a practical move, since you’ll have to pay for more gas money and perhaps damage your vehicle with the heavy items on its trunk. 

When looking for a mover, you should try to look for a company near your location. This way, you can avoid delays that may affect your moving schedule for the entire day or even week.  

Moreover, a moving company should provide insurance for the items to be transported. By doing so, you can rest assured in case something goes wrong with the vehicle while in transit, causing damage to your items, especially for fragile and valuable ones.  

2. Create a Checklist 

Before you begin packing and calling for services, you should first create a thorough checklist to cover everything you need to accomplish before your move-in day. This is to ensure you won’t miss anything important that can hinder your move.  

Ideally, you should create a list on your computer and sync it to your mobile phone or tablet so you can view it on the go. If you’re moving with your family, you should also sync the list with your spouse’s device so they can see the tasks you need to accomplish days before.  

In making a practical checklist, you should start with the tasks you need to do months before your moving day. These may include shopping for new furniture online or hiring a home inspector to detect any damage and a repair company that can make your home more livable and safer.  

As you create your list, include the specifics as much as possible. This may even include the smallest details such as your toothbrush. While you can always purchase a new one at a nearby store, you wouldn’t want your first day to be filled with stress looking for missing items.  

While…

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A portable clothes dryer is a device that can be used to help you get your clothes dried in places where an electric outlet may not be readily available. A portable, fold-up version has the added benefit of being compact for storage and easy portability when needed. There are many pros and cons associated with this type of option for drying clothes, and you will need to weigh your options carefully.

1. Why you might need a fold-up portable clothes dryer

Portable clotheslines can be used inside or outside to cope with an unexpected surge of laundry, for camping trips, washing delicates while away on vacation, or as a solution for living in small spaces where there is no room for a permanent line.

Since these lines are portable and relatively compact they’re perfect for adding storage or additional hanging space when you live in a small apartment. Hang the line between two heavy-duty towel racks and then use baskets to hold whatever isn’t currently being dried – that’s one way to keep things organized but still make the best possible use of what little space you have!

2. What are the benefits of using a fold-up portable clothes dryer

There are many benefits to using a fold-up portable clothesline. It is easy to set up, environmentally friendly, and convenient for apartment dwellers with limited space.

The benefits of owning a fold-up portable clothes lines are as follows: 

Convenience

being lightweight and collapsible makes the portable clothesline perfect for traveling or moving short distances while traveling. 

Ease of use

the durable material made this product very easy to assemble which makes it perfect for those in rental properties where they can’t install traditional outside clotheslines without permission by their landlords. 

Environmentally friendly

using a temporary or permanent outdoor investment saves your clothing and linens from deteriorating before their time because they are hanging

3. How to choose the right size for your needs

There is a variety of fold-up portable clothes lines available for those in need. They range from small, medium to large and are made with different types of materials that vary in weight and longevity. The size you choose should be based on what you will use the product for: if it’s just light laundry then a smaller option may suffice but in case that it is your only means of drying clothes, the bigger size would be more practical.

Size should not only depend on how much you need to dry at one time but also where you will install it and for how long: if your goal is just to get clothes from wet to slightly damp then a smaller option may suffice, whereas if you want them bone-dry then the larger one is a better option.

Also if you live in a smaller apartment you should consider getting a smaller one rather than the big one, since you don’t really want it to take up a lot of your space.

4. The different types of fold-up portable clothes dryers available on the market…

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Getting children to eat their vegetables can be a real nightmare. It takes some imagination, time, but also a great deal of patience.

It’s no news that vegetables are a must for kids but they should be an essential part of everyone’s diet, as they’re full of different nutrients. Ideally, they should eat a wide variety of different vegetables and fruits to get all the nutrients they need.

However, if you feel that it is difficult to get them to try new vegetables, it is better to eat the same vegetables than not to eat any at all. If you do not know where to start, take a look at our tips.

Carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, and beets are some of the sweetest vegetables, which can be easier to start with.

The reason why children are more willing to eat fruit instead of veggies is that they prefer sweetness to the bitterness of certain vegetables, so a good idea is to first start with sweet varieties and then introduce new varieties one at a time.

Put them as a side dish and see what happens when they get used to the taste.

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Raw vegetables for kids are usually not a big hit, but you should persist and come up with interesting ways to serve them.

You can chop raw vegetables like carrots, zucchini, broccoli and put them on a skewer too.

Kids love to experiment and play with their hands, so why not make dipping sauces from different vegetables such as hummus and encourage them to try them. This will make the plate and meal much more colorful and enticing.

Make sure you offer vegetable skewers as an appetizer before the main meals. It takes advantage of your children’s hunger and makes them more likely to try new things.

Kids love to play with their food, so why not turn this to your advantage. A super easy and fun way to do this is by cooking together.

Take some fresh pieces of crispy carrots, peppers, and celery and put them on a skewer. Your children will find it great fun to eat some vegetarian burgers while dipping them in a ranch sauce or Greek yogurt.

Making faces out of vegetables is more fun than you might think. Try using broccoli for hair, slices of mushrooms for ears, black seedless olives for eyes, and carrot sticks for a smile. Challenge your children to create a character, a monster or a princess, or their own self-portrait. There are endless opportunities to have fun in a healthy way.

An excellent and brilliant way to help children get the nutrients they need is to blend green vegetables in fruit smoothies.

You can choose some spinach or kale leaves or some chopped zucchini and use them together mixed with a ripe banana and a little almond or coconut milk. Your child won’t even notice that you have used them and they will love the taste of the…

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