maintenance

How to Prepare Your Car for a Road Trip

Angela Manning Travel , , , , , ,
How to Prepare Your Car for a Road Trip

Going on a road trip can be a rewarding and reinvigorating experience. Before you go, however, there are a number of things you need to do to prepare. Mainly, you need to prep your car for the long and rather grueling trip. If your car is mainly used for driving to and from work or school, then it will require some hefty preparation before hitting the long road. Here are several tips to get your car ready for an awesome road trip:

Get Your Vehicle Checked and Detailed

First of all, you need to take your vehicle to the nearest auto mechanic for a thorough checkup. There are several things to check before you hit the road. Some of these can be handled by car owners, such as checking the engine oil or examining the tire treads for wear and tear. But it’s highly recommended to have a professional mechanic take a good look at your vehicle. Tell the mechanic about your road trip and the terrain you intend to cover. Then the mechanic can examine your car and tell you if it’s ready for a road trip.

You can also get your vehicle detailed at this point, which would involve checking and cleaning the engine—a must before any road trip. You can ask your local mechanic for good car detailing options before you hit the road for weeks.

Lease a Larger Car if Needed

It’s worthwhile to stop and think if that Hyundai accent you are using to get to work every day is actually suited for a road trip across the country or in the mountains. The car you take should be able to accommodate all the people traveling. It should be spacious enough for one driver to nap while the other takes the wheel in turns. The car should be able to tackle the terrain you intend to travel. Considering these option, you might want to rent or lease a bigger vehicle just for the road trip.

For those young, wild and free at heart going on a road trip, be sure to balance out your youthful enthusiasm with temporary car insurance under 21. Better to be safe than sorry!

Change the Tires and Pack a Spare

Ask your auto mechanic to change tires to suit the terrain you plan on traveling on. Tires should be checked for wear and tear, and also for inflation levels. The tires may require deflating for certain types of rough terrain. Before driving off, you must pack a spare tire in the trunk.

Install a GPS Navigation System

Even if you are very good with directions, it’s strongly recommended to install a GPS system in your car before you go on your trip if it already doesn’t have one. You will be traveling on strange and unfamiliar roads, so you will need all the help you can get. When you go off road, keep in mind that some route information will not be available on GPS. So pack a detailed road map for info on those side roads the digital maps don’t show.

When you hit the road, you must pack an emergency toolkit, extra fuel, and a first aid kit in the trunk. Pack more tools than you usually do for everyday transport to make sure you are not stranded in the middle of your road trip.

Necessary Materials for Your Next Roofing Project

Angela Manning DIY , , , , , , ,
Necessary Materials for Your Next Roofing Project

Usually, it is quite easy to complete a residential roofing product, so long as you have everything properly prepared. If, for instance, you want to complete roofing projects with copper nails, you need to have your nails, your hammer or nail gun, and all your other materials ready, as well as your plan of action. Let’s take a closer look.

Your Materials

First of all, not any material will do. The right one for your needs depends on where you house is located. Of course, your own personal preference is also an important factor, but it should not overrule the recommendations of official contractors and certainly not those of your local building codes. Make sure you check those out before you get started, in other words. Usually, you will be able to use ceramic, concrete, asphalt, wood ,or metal sheeting.

Metal sheeting is almost always permitted, not in the least because it is so versatile. Plus, thanks to modern technology, it can mimic the look of various other materials, including tiles and shingles. Communities the world over have used this to create their roofs because it is also very durable. So long as you choose high quality metal sheets, they can last for as much as 70 years with little maintenance. Even the lower quality ones can last about four decades if looked after properly. Thanks to modern tools and technology, the chance of enlargement through nail holes and because of the environment has been all but eliminated. Plus, the metal sheeting is usually already painted for you as well.

An alternative would be wood, which is commonly found in residential roofing. While beautiful, you do have to invest heavily in maintenance, as it is very easy for wood to rot. Furthermore, there are other things to consider as well. Wood is susceptible to insects and other animals. Some wood is more rain and sun resistant than other types of wood, and some kind can even resist certain animals and insects. This is obviously very important for homeowners.

Then, there is asphalt, which is popular because it is often locally manufactured. Furthermore, it is versatile and can be customized to your specific needs. Asphalt, for instance, can be made to look like wood or slate, or any other material that you like. It is quick to put up asphalt and it is very easy to maintain it, particularly when compared to an organic roof. They also last a lot longer.

Last but not least, there are ceramic materials and concrete, which have been popular roofing materials for a long time. These are somewhat heavier materials compared to other roof products, and this weight is something that you need to think about, since your foundations and load-bearing walls do have to be able to hold them. Concrete and ceramic is also a very good insulator and will last even when exposed to the elements. However, they can’t be too heavy or bulky for obvious reasons.

Things to keep in mind during a home inspection

Angela Manning DIY , , , ,
Things to keep in mind during a home inspection

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Want to get into your local real estate market? With prices surging across America, it’s time to get in before they start to spike.

Many choose to do this by looking for an older starter home, but they lack the foresight to be diligent on whether the owner has been keeping up with maintenance.

They don’t know what to watch out for when strolling around a property they are considering; before you know it, they buy a house which has tens of thousands of dollars worth of defects.

Lloyd Claycomb shakes his head when he hears these stories. As a leader in the Denver area construction industry for more than a generation, he knows what a sturdy home looks like.

When he buys properties to fix up, there is a long checklist he follows to be sure he isn’t throwing wads of his own cash into a flaming pit.

Below, we’ll share what goes through the head of a seasoned home buyer when they are inspecting a property.

There are crucial areas you’ll need to check, so be sure to pay attention to the following points.

1) Look for signs of water leakage

One of the biggest problems you’ll find during a home inspection involves past or present water leaks.

Often taking on the appearance of rusty brown splotches, these signs of spilled water from breached pipes or from a compromised roof may be the first sign of more serious structural damage.

As this compromises the stability of your home, the costs to fix this damage can be expensive depending on the extent of the leaks. If there are signs of these leaks everywhere, you may want to move on to another property.

2) Search for mold

Weakened walls aren’t the only problem water can cause in a home. Its presence or persistent dampness can create the ideal environment for mold.

This fungi is known for the toxic effects it can have on people exposed to this pathogen over many weeks and months.

If the problem is small, you might be able to tackle it on your own, but if it is extensive, the services of an environmental remediation company may be required, which is an expense that will add to your final bill substantially.

3) Inspect the roof

Next, get a ladder so you can assess the roof’s condition. Check the supports to see if they are straight and assess whether the shingles have aged to the point where they have begun to peel or warp.

Either of these problems mean water could find its way into the house if it hasn’t already, causing the issues described earlier in this article.

Next, see if the gutters properly channel water away from the foundation. If it flows toward the property when it rains, your basement could flood in record time during the next torrential downpour.

Use a bucket to put this system to the test. If the present gutters fail, you may have to shift the terminus location of the outlet pipes, or re-grade the land around the property to improve drainage.