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Everyone is creating outdoor living spaces today, probably partly in thanks to HGTV’s “Outdoor Rooms”, television show that airs every week. One item that has been showing up more and more on the show are eyelet curtains for the outdoors. Why not, there are outdoor area rugs, and Flat Screen TV’s, so some privacy curtains that are easy to hang, and will keep the neighbors at bay, will be a welcomed partition of privacy. Also, keeping early morning and evening sun out of your eyes while enjoying your coffee, or a cold one will be a relaxing start and finish to the day.

Eyelet or grommet curtains come in many curtain styles, and install in minutes. The one thing you will need to change about buying this type of window curtain for the outdoors is that they need to be one hundred percent polyester, and have stainless steel grommets installed. This is a preventative step to ensure there will be no rust on the grommets, and no mildew or water damage to the curtain fabric. Plus they must be washer safe, as air born dust and dirt will need to be removed on a monthly basis.  You will also want to make sure that the curtain panels are just barely above the floor, to keep them in tip top shape, and letting air flow underneath the edges to keep everything dry.

Eyelet Curtains For The Outdoors

photo credit: Risager

Your gutter system is something that most new homeowners do not even think about until something goes wrong. If your gutters get too clogged then the gutter system gets very heavy and starts to pull away from the house. This is quite an eyesore and may be your first indication that you have a gutter problem. Another clue will be that water running off of your roof starts to run down the side of your house in sheets rather than through the gutter system. If this starts to happen then you want to make sure to address the issue as soon as possible so that irreparable damage is not done to your foundation. So the first gutter tip is that you need to clean your gutter regularly. Regular cleaning means that you clean your gutters at least once per year. However, it would be better and it is recommended that you clean the gutter system twice a year.

Once you know to clean, you will need some gutter cleaning tips. The most important one is to consider safety. Gutter cleaning can be very dangerous for many reasons and it is important that you take all the safety precautions that you can. First, be careful when working on a ladder. You want to make sure that you always keep at least three appendages touching the ladder at any given time. That means you always have to have two feet and one hand or two hands and one foot on the ladder. In addition to ladder safety, you should also wear the appropriate personal protective equipment like gloves and a face mask.

Another helpful gutter cleaning tip is to use a gutter wand or a gutter cleaning robot if you can. These tools will make gutter cleaning much easier and faster. The gutter wand is a tool that attaches to the end of a garden hose and uses a high pressure stream of water to dislodge clogs and clean out the gutter system. Gutter cleaning robots are put into the gutter and use augers to push debris and clogs out of the gutter system.

<p.In addition to proper cleaning, there are a few additional gutter tips that every home owner should consider. First, you should think about gutter guards so that gutter cleaning isn’t even necessary. Gutter guards are screens that cover the top of the gutter with small holes so that water can get into the gutter but other pieces of debris cannot. In addition to the screen variety, there are also gutter guards that are covers that use water adhesion in order to get water into the gutter system.

Another tip is burying downspouts. If you bury your downspouts you can lead the water from your gutters directly into a storm drain or into an irrigation system for a garden. In addition, the downspouts being further away from your homes foundation is helpful. You will never have to worry about the possibility that water is getting into your foundation because of your gutter system.

The National Roofing Contractors Association (NCRA) recommends that homeowners complete an assessment of the roof system each spring and fall.  It may be wise to hire a roofing contractor to assist with this task, but many homeowners prefer to do the initial inspection themselves, to save money and time.  The following will give the homeowner some basic guidelines to follow to complete this task easily and safely.

The roof inspection may be carried out at the same time gutters are cleaned in the spring and fall.  This is not a roofing job that homeowners look forward to, but nevertheless, it must be done, and is an excellent time to examine the roof.  It is important to remember some basic ladder safety tips:  make sure the ladder is on level, solid ground; secure the ladder at the top to avoid slipping; inspect the ladder, rungs and rails for damage; extend the ladder at least 3 feet beyond the gutter, and angle it 1 foot back from the house for every 4 feet in eave height; and finally, always use both hand when climbing a ladder.

Once you are on the ladder safely you should look for shingles that are buckling, curling or blistering; this indicates the shingles are at the end of their life expectancy.  Note any loose material around chimneys, pipes or other openings.  Also, while cleaning the gutters, be aware of an excessive amount of shingle granules in the gutters.  Granules give the shingles added weight and protect them from ultraviolet rays.

If you notice any of the above mentioned irregularities in your roof it is probably necessary to call a roofing contractor to assess the damage further and offer solutions to the problems.  Be sure to take a few precautionary steps before hiring a contractor, even if it is just for an inspection.  Check the contractor’s licenses; make sure there is a permanent place of business, telephone number and tax I.D. number.  Ask for proof of liability and worker’s compensation insurance.  Ask for and check with references.  Before any work is performed ask the contractor about material and workmanship warranties. Whether you hire a contractor to inspect your roof or do the inspection yourself, these annual inspections can save you time and headaches in the future.