When choosing a carbon monoxide detector for the home, choose a brand with an excellent reputation for building a dependable unit. There would be nothing worse that thinking your family was protected against the silent danger of carbon monoxide when you’re not because an off brand detector was not functioning properly. Among the leaders in the industry are the brand names First Alert and Kidde. Both are top rate brands with many choices in styles and types of carbon monoxide detectors to fit your individual situation.

When considering where to install carbon monoxide detectors, first think about potential sources of the gas. Two of the most obvious sources in the typical residence are the furnace room and the garage. It only makes sense to consider placing a detection unit in or just outside the furnace room and just inside the house if you have an attached garage. If you have a gas range in the kitchen, it might be a good idea to place a unit there, in the event that a pilot light were to go out.

Most importantly, most experts recommend having a carbon monoxide detector within 15 feet of each bedroom. I think it might even be a good idea to have one in each bedroom, especially in children’s rooms.

The scary thing about carbon monoxide gas is that it is odorless and invisible. If it is present in the home environment, it’s almost impossible to detect without the proper equipment. Considering the potential tragic dangers, it just make sense to invest the best carbon monoxide detectors you can afford.

When choosing which detector to purchase, I am a big fan of Amazon.com because of the excellent product descriptions and the availability of reviews written by other people who have purchased the particular unit. It’s a great forum of opinion and it comes with Amazon’s sterling reputation for quick and reliable shipping.

“Thanks for that gem of wisdom, Mr. Obvious”.

I had an experience yesterday that really turned my head around to see it in a little different light. It’s been almost 30 years that I have been in the construction field, mainly working on the finish carpentry inside of high-end homes and churches. For 30 years my wife has seen me make beautiful cabinetry and furniture in my shop here at the house. Every day when she comes home, she sees the progress on these pieces for clients, then goes into our house which for the most part, has received very little attention for the 16 years that we have lived here. She loves our little 1920′s bungalow and would love to see it look like the pictures she sees of my clients homes, but is not one prone to complaining or reminding me constantly about how much our house needs attention.

Back to yesterday, I had one of my friends help me drywall and tape the basement bathroom project that has been in the works for three years. It is funny, but in a morning the room went from a bombed out construction site to a real defined space. A space that actually looks and feels like a bathroom.

Is it just drywall or is it a life improvement?

I was still on another  job site when my wife got home, but I received an all caps text screaming how much she loved it. Now, I am not a hugely sentimental guy normally, but that text and the half an hour in the bathroom after I got home looking and planning with her really made me feel good.

That was some serious return on investment.

If I could, I would stop working on all my clients projects and max out that bathroom for her today. That’s not in the cards, but it is definitely moved to the top of the priority list. Her reaction just made it fun again.

I guess I am encouraging you to enjoy the process of home improvement. I know you might be thinking that it’s not possible, but try to begin to think about projects around the house in more than just dollars and cents. A project that improves the quality of your life in your house is really a more worthy goal than just increasing the market value or marketability.

Focusing on improving life in the house when doing home improvements:

1. Makes the process more enjoyable (dare I say even fun?)
2. Involves your partner and family
3. Is very empowering for those of you DIYers. (heck, it is for me, even after doing it for 30 years)
4. Shows your passion in the completed improvement.

Now that’s a multi-level return on investment. I guess you can teach an old dog a few new tricks.

A very common false opinion about programmable thermostats is that a typical furnace or air conditioner has to burn more energy than normal to heat or cool the home back to a livable and comfortable temperature after the thermostat has returned to it previous temperature, providing very little or no energy savings (as well as money savings). But research proves, the moment your living space dip below its normal temperature, the house will lose heat or cooling to the surrounding exterior temperatures far more slowly.

The heat loss is even less (and slower) when the temperature of the inside of the house is lower. So this means that the more time the interior of the home stays at the lower temperature, the more likely you are to save energy, because the home has lost a good deal less energy than it would have if it was maintained at the greater temperature. The same basic rules apply to increasing the temperature of  your thermostat setting in the cooling season; if you raise the temperature inside your home it will decrease the movement of hot exterior air into your the inside of your home, saving money on your air conditioning bill.