Becoming a Savvier Homeowner in the New Year! #WinterIsComing

We are sharing our experiences as homeowners as part of a sponsored campaign on behalf of Payton & Co. and its client, American Home Shield.

Growing up I always assumed our family home was always functional and nothing ever stopped working. As an adult with my own home and family, I understand now that notion could not be further from the truth. Sometimes it seems like there is a new issue every day of varying severity.

I remember once walking down my stairs early one morning and hearing a water trickling sound coming from the kitchen. I thought maybe somebody left the water running in the sink….. If I only was so lucky. The water line to the refrigerator’s ice maker had snapped! The entire kitchen was flooded and the water was running into the basement. You can imagine we had a bad day. But the problem wasn't just the clean-up, it was also about the expense. Homeowners insurance is such a hassle I just dealt with the expense myself.

Another aspect of homeownership I did not fully appreciate while growing up was the routine maintenance required just to keep everything working properly . . . batteries for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, air filters, cleaning vents, and on and on and on!

We just recently had our broken clothes dryer replaced. It turns out, the dryer had burned out because the vent hoses were too clogged with years and years worth of lint. It had never occurred to me to take it down once in awhile and clean it out. The installation crew told me that not only did the clogged vents contribute to breaking the dryer, it was a major fire hazard!

At that point I realized that I needed to educate myself on maintaining my house’s systems better. I promised myself that I would not let a lack of knowledge create a dangerous situation for my family again. I also realized that I needed to find a way to ease the unexpected expense that comes with these problems and emergencies. I cannot afford to buy a new appliance each time something goes wrong.  With another unpredictable winter upon us here in New England, the cold sometimes makes such emergencies even worse.


There is seemingly an unlimited amount of resources online to help with increasing your homeowners knowledge. There are countless videos, blogs, forums, and podcasts that cover just about everything. There are also companies that offer protection plans for all of your appliances and home systems that fill in the gap between insurance and out of pocket expenses.

American Home Shield is a website that not only offers information to better maintain your home, they also offer protection plans that can help the financial strain of unexpected issues with your home's systems and appliances. I can't speak for everybody, but the idea of a small budgetable monthly fee is appealing to me over the cost of repairing or replacing an appliance or heating unit. I don't always have a spare $2,000 laying around!

This winter, my resolution is to be a much savvier homeowner, in both maintenance and cost. What are your goals as a homeowner for the new year?

Thinking About Refinishing Our Basement This Spring . . .

My basement is a mess. It started off as a fairly nice finished basement, one of the reasons we chose this home over some others, but my enjoyment of the finished basement was short-lived.

Within one year the basement had flooded 2 times resulting in the need to rip up the rug. Within the first 4 years the basement had flooded 6 times, pretty much ruining the concept of making it nice again. The previous owners clearly finished the basement just for the sale, but that is another story . . .

As you can imagine, a flooding basement creates severe damage to your belongings and we weren't spared one iota. In addition to the damaged rug, pad, tack strips, and sheetrock that needed to be hauled away, we lost much of the furniture. Anything that was unfinished wood or worse yet particleboard was ruined.

I needed to get all the ruined stuff out of my home. Wet and moldy carpet and furniture is not only lost money, but it is a severe health hazard. At the time I had infants and toddlers in the house, so removal was a top priority.

I ended up manually removing everything and throwing it in a dumpster. Many items I needed to take apart and even cut into pieces to remove them. The project was laborious and exhausting. In hindsight, I should have called any one of the removal companies in my area. I am simply too out of shape for that kind of work. Why not have well-trained and equipped people do it for you?

I also suffer from allergies, I cannot imagine how much the mold affected my health during that time. The homeowner’s association did end up installing a drain right outside our home. We haven't flooded since and I'm considering refinishing the basement this Spring. Our family of 5 could really use the extra living space.  However, if we ever have the misfortune of flooding again, I am calling a removal company!

Seeing Stars at the New England Home Show During Mohawk Flooring's #LicenseToSpill National Tour

This past weekend, my husband and I attended the New England Home Show at Patriot Place in Foxboro, Massachusetts.  It was our first year attending, so we were curious as to what to expect.  In addition to carpeting, flooring, windows, and other home improvement products, there was also food, artwork, jewelry, and more.

Since I was not only attending the show as a homeowner, but also as a blogger, our first stop was the Mohawk Flooring booth.  Patriot Place was the first stop of their License to Spill Carpet Showdown National Tour, during which Mohawk, one of the world's largest flooring manufacturers, will be introducing SmartStrand, their new brand of stain resistant carpet made of special SmartStrand silk.  This tour will be running through the beginning of June.  Check to see if the License to Spill Tour will be stopping by your neighborhood and remember to keep an eye open for this van on the open road . . .

As a homeowner who had to pull up most of the carpeting in her home when we had two elderly dogs and as a parent to 3 children, I could truly appreciate the level of stain resistance built into the SmartStrand carpeting.  I even participated in a demonstration where I put a good amount of grape juice on a carpet sample and watched it be removed completely with just water.  According to the Mohawk representative at the home show, a stain (including ketchup, wine, and fruit punch) should still come right out even if it was several weeks old.  I was also surprised that this super-soft carpet has permanent stain resistance built into the fibers, unlike carpets that have been treated topically.  It truly felt like pure silk, which is a huge selling point to someone like me who likes to walk around at home barefoot.

In addition to being amazed by the stain removal demo, we had the chance to see a few television celebrities.  Since my husband and I arrived right as the New England Home Show opened its doors, we were able to catch celebrity designer and fellow-Bostonian Taniya Nayak filming her spot for Mohawk.  Taniya currently hosts HGTV's House Hunters on Vacation and is a designer on the Food Network's Restaurant Impossible.  We were able to steal a few minutes of Taniya's time after she was done filming.  I have to say that Mohawk could not have chosen a sweeter, more down-to-earth person to be their spokesperson.  If you get a chance to stop by one of the License to Spill Tour locations, you may have the opportunity to meet Taniya and other celebrities.

We were also able to catch JD Roberto, co-host of The Better Show, filming his spot for Mohawk.  Because of the timing, we did not have the chance to chat with him.

We also caught a glimpse of Chef Ben Lacy, the executive chef of the Tastings Wine Bar and Bistro.  He was scheduled to make his special Boston baked beans later on that day, something we were sorry to miss.

My husband and I were so surprised how quickly the time flew by while at the home show.  Next year, we will need to find sitters for the whole day so we will not need to rush.

Be sure to visit License to Spill to enter to win a 6'x9' SmartStrand Silk Bound Carpet!  You can also save up to $500 plus get a free cushion upgrade at participating SmartStrand dealers when you enter Promo Code: L2SBOSTON.


I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Mohawk Flooring #cbias #SocialFabric #licensetospill.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Adding Extra Carbon Monoxide Detectors at Home as an Extra Precaution

I never gave carbon monoxide detectors a moments thought until I owned a home with a young baby. As I learned about all the things you need to learn after becoming a parent, you realize very quickly that making a home safe for a baby is not just about covering plugs and sharp edges, It is also about the dangers of carbon monoxide.

I was fortunate that the hard wired smoke detectors in my home were also carbon monoxide detectors. But even with one on each floor, I wanted to do more. In addition to the existing detectors, I installed a battery operated carbon monoxide detector in the babies room for an extra degree of protection. For a few extra dollars it was simply a no-brainer.

We do not have a boiler here or any other combustion based systems in the house that would produce carbon monoxide, but that did not matter. When you think about how fragile a child is versus the cost of adequately protecting your home with carbon monoxide detectors it is not even an argument.

In the 8.5 years my family and I have lived in our home, we have never had one of the detectors sound a warning alarm (as I predicted), but knowing they are there protecting us makes every penny spent on them worth it.

Knowing My Limits When It Comes to Home Plumbing and Electrical Repairs

We have lived in our current home for nearly 8 years now. One thing about the house that always bothered me was the state of the plumbing. The drains in the upstairs bathroom run nearly parallel to the floor about 8 feet before they drop down and clogs are very common.

Fortunately for me I am able to access that drain from behind the tub via a panel and snake the drain when the need occurs. But that is the extent of my ability to "fix" plumbing problems, I would never dare try anything more ambitious. I think I am willing to attempt any repair around the house other than big plumbing and electrical jobs.

I have always wanted to remodel that bathroom and possible upgrade the plumbing while I am at it. Although I feel comfortable doing most of the work myself, I think calling a local plumber would be the best option for me. The worst situation would be for me to have the bathroom to the point of no return and realize the plumbing portion of the job was beyond my ability.

Although I understand how the plumbing of a toilet works, the cost of making a mistake or error while replacing that toilet is too great not to have a professional plumber do the work. There are things the Internet and a book can't teach you about certain skills. You really need somebody who has done it many times before.

Another plumbing issue I have that is even more pending than a bathroom remodel . . . my kitchen sink’s garbage disposal is not working. It's funny how much you take something like that for granted. Now that it's not working I get nervous if so much as a grain of rice goes down the drain, whereas before I wouldn't even think about the biggest pieces of food falling in!

A food disposal is serious business and not something a layman should try to trouble shoot or repair. The potential for serious injury to you, your family, and to your property is too high. Although I have no problem looking into the disposal with a flashlight and tongs to clear it, anything more involved than that requires you to call your local plumber. Even if you are handy and want to give it a try, I would still get some professional help. An improperly installed disposal unit is like Russian roulette. Spinning blades, water, and electricity are the recipe for a disaster if you ask me!

As handy of a guy as I am, I will always use professional help for all of my plumbing and electrical needs.

How to Prepare Your Household for Emergencies

Now that I am a father and homeowner, I often think about how prepared I am (or am not) for an emergency or disaster. At the end of the day it is my job to protect my family and property. In the last 2 years it seems there has been disaster after disaster and I can't help but wonder what I will do.

Having a good emergency plan is critical, and so is having the right supplies. Having the right types of foods for survival and plenty of clean water is priority number one. Most professionals will recommend having at least 3 days of food and water, but that seems too little for me. Five days to a week seems more realistic considering some of the actual circumstances Americans found themselves in in the last couple of years.

When considering what emergency foods to buy and how much, you need a great resource and supplier. One place where you can buy emergency foods is buyemergencyfoods.com (duh right?).

Once your food and water needs are taken care of, you will need to equip a large duffel as if you were going to camp for at least 5 days including something to start fires, keep warm, first aid, batteries and lighting, baby wipes, clothing and toiletries. A good hatchet and pocket knife are always a good idea to include in your emergency kit as well.

If you are open to firearms, a small caliber handgun with the proper training and licensing is a great way to help you feel secure and safe when so much may be out of your control. And probably the very most important thing to have ready in an emergency: A good plan that the entire family has memorized.

Do you have any helpful tips to share?

Protecting Your Home Beyond Standard Homeowner's Insurance

In today's shaky economy more than ever, if you are lucky enough to purchase the house of your dreams, you really need to do whatever you can to protect one of the largest investments you will ever make in your lifetime.  If you believe in purchasing service plans to protect your home computer, iPhone, or vacuum cleaner, then considering a home protection plan to protect your water heater, stove, garbage disposal, plumbing system, electrical system, and more just makes sense.

As a member of a household where money is very tight, I can tell you that an unexpected repair, such as a broken clothes dryer, is a real hardship.  A home protection plan would allow you to plan ahead for such emergencies, making it less costly for you to repair or replace some of the major components that are essential to everyday living in your home.  As scary as it is to think about not having a functioning laptop or mobile phone, think about what it would be like to not have a functioning water heater for baths or a working stove to cook your family meals.  "Inconvenient" would be a huge understatement.

For Better or For Worse: Rain Rain Go Away!

It's been raining for four days straight here in Massachusetts. After the second day, we started to wait for signs of flooding in the basement. It was inevitable since flooding has been a hot topic on the local news.

So finally it happened. The water started seeping in. We had purchased a utility pump last year after experiencing something similar. We wanted to be prepared. What we were not prepared for was having a part break on the pump that nobody seems to sell. Aren't Lowe's and Home Depot suppose to carry everything?

To top it all off, everyone was sold out of utility pumps (Lowe's, Home Depot, Sears, . . . ) so we couldn't even replace the one that was not functioning. So my poor husband has had to use a wet/dry vac to keep up with the incoming water. To avoid having to carry all that water up the basement stairs, through the house, and out the door to empty it, he had to stand outside the basement window with the vacuum, emptying it every few minutes when it filled up. All the while, it was still raining on him.

I felt so badly for him. Even though it was not cold enough to snow, it was still cold and raw outside. He did his best to dress warmly, but could not wear gloves because they would have gotten soaked in a matter of seconds. I am so worried he is going to get sick.

I just wanted the world to know what a trooper my husband is for standing outside soaking wet in the dark. I know I would be completely miserable, bored, and lonely. I'll have to think of something extra nice to do for him after a day and a half of his sticking it out for the sake of our home.