Winter Prep for Home

Although most of us saw our first dusting of snow this past week and may be ready for warmer weather, spring is still a few months away.  Weather conditions in the south can often swing from one extreme to another so here are some tips to keep your new home protected from another wintry blast.

If you were impacted by the winter storm, walk around your home and do a thorough check for any areas that could be leaking water. Clean up fallen branches or debris. Inspect for cracks along window sills and doorways.

Going away this winter? Make sure your home thermostat doesn't go below 55 degrees. Ask neighbors to check on the home after any winter precipitation.

Protect your pipes from freezing and causing water damage. If the temperature is expected to dip especially low, run a trickle of water to help relieve pressure in the pipes. Keep cabinet doors open to allow the heat in - just be sure to hide away any chemicals that could be dangerous to children or pets.

Always have an emergency kit on hand. 

This should include:
Flashlights
Bottled Water
Batteries
Non-Perishable Food
Blankets
Phone Number of Utility Companies
and First Aid Materials

Hopefully Old Man Winter is on his way out of the South but it pays to take precautions just in case. What do you do to prepare your home for winter weather?

Come See Us!

Come see Paradime Construction this weekend at the Home Building and Remodeling Expo!

Home Show Location: 
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

1101 Lincoln Street Columbia, SC 29201

Home Show Hours:

Friday 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Saturday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Paradime - Booth #507, second booth on the right after the main entrance.

See you there!

Understanding High Performance Homes

 

What features give the best benefit to High Performance Homes?

Air sealing is a key component to the High Performance Home to insure that you are not heating and cooling the outdoors. Zip wall system, silicone caulk, and specifically placed can foam sealant really give the most benefit in creating a tight home.

What features do customers feel are a must in High Performance Homes?

Clients really respond to the lower energy bills and the improved indoor air quality. There are many features that go into getting results in both of these categories but showing how you do insulation differently than what the code requires is always interesting to clients.

What do you see as the 2014 High Performance items?

Most clients don’t want to spend extra money to make a home perform better. But the clients who do should look into energy monitoring devices that can help them modify the ways they interact with their home, to save money and live better.

What do you look for when buying a High Performance Home?

First it would be the CHIP Logo Sticker on the electric panel. This will tell you that the home was built above code and inspected by a third party. Next it would be the HERS Score. This will tell you how well the home performs against homes built to code.

What makes a home High Performance?

A High Performance Home is a system of parts that are all working together to give the occupants a better, less expensive home environment. You cannot look at only upgrading one part of the home because the other parts won’t perform at the ideal level. One quick example is, if you modify your insulation package and still put in the same size HVAC system then this system will not perform well and actually create harmful effects on the living environment. This is why a qualified third party inspector is required for High Performance homes – to make sure all the systems are working together and harmful effects are avoided.

2014 Paint Colors

It's a New Year filled with new possibilities and a new color forecast from some of the leading paint providers in the nation.

Each year the major paint companies look at trends in design both for homes and fashion as well as current events and the mood of the nation to come up with their color forecast for the year.

Here are a few of the highlights from color predictions by Behr, Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore and Valspar.

Click on the image to link back to a full explanation of the color palettes and how best to incorporate them into your new home.

Behr

Sherwin Williams

Benjamin Moore

Valspar

What paint colors inspire you this year?

Tax Benefits for Homeowners

There are many benefits to owning a new home - one of which shows up in spring during tax time. That's right, owning a home has tax benefits!

If you're a first time home buyer or you've just moved into a new home in the last year, read up to learn how owning a home can help you out on your taxes this year.

Just a necessary disclaimer: tax laws are complicated so be sure to talk with a professional about all of the possible deductions to make sure they apply to your particular situation. 

Home Ownership Deductions

- Deduct your mortgage interest
- Points paid on your mortgage to lower the interest rate are tax deductible
- If you pay Private Mortgage Insurance this is typically tax deductible
- Property taxes are also deductible

If you've recently sold a home to move into your new home, there may be areas of tax deduction in that process as well. Ask your tax preparer about deducting the real estate commission, legal fees, title insurance, home inspection costs and administrative fees.

If you bought your new home because of a job move there may be moving expenses that you can deduct as well.

Ask about these possible tax deductions and how they can be applied to your tax return this year. Then enjoy the savings in your new home!