Work Away the January Blues...

We know it can get monotonous, staying indoors every evening and weekend because it's too cold and wet to be active outside.  If you're looking for something to put your idle hands to good use, look no further than MSN's ideas for winter home projects.

If you prefer a more relaxing weekend, take a look at these fun, liesurely activities to do by the warm and cozy fireplace or out in your community.

Enjoy Your Fireplace, Worry Free

This holiday season we are looking forward to enjoying a warm crackling fire with friends and family.  Fire safety is always on our radar (and the professional firefighters on our staff never let us forget!), so we would like to share some fireplace basics for you and your family this winter from the U.S. Fire Administration:

• Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist.
• Clear the area around the hearth of debris, decorations and flammable materials.
• Leave glass doors open while burning a fire. Leaving the doors open ensures that the fire receives enough air to ensure complete combustion and keeps creosote from building up in the chimney.
• Close glass doors when the fire is out to keep air from the chimney opening from getting into the room. Most glass fireplace doors have a metal mesh screen which should be closed when the glass doors are open. This mesh screen helps keep embers from getting out of the fireplace area.
• Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces that do not have a glass fireplace door.
• Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures.
• Keep air inlets on wood stoves open, and never restrict air supply to fireplaces. Otherwise you may cause creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire.
• Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves.

• Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.
• Use only seasoned hardwood. Soft, moist wood accelerates creosote buildup. In pellet stoves, burn only dry, seasoned wood pellets.
• Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke.
• Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris in your fireplace or wood stove.
• When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace on an adequate supporting grate.
• Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Allow ashes to cool before disposing of them. Place ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep the ash container at least 10 feet away from your home and any other nearby buildings. Never empty the ash directly into a trash can. Douse and saturate the ashes with water.

5 Halloween Tips for Homeowners

We all know that safety is an issue on Halloween night when little ghouls and goblins take to the streets, but mini Spidermen and Princesses are not the only ones who should brush up on their safety tips.  Homeowners must take precautions to protect their ghoulish guests and secure themselves and their property this Wednesday.

Here are some tips to remember:

1. Know your City's specific guidelines for the big night.  If Trick or Treating hours are from 5-7 and someone comes knocking at 11:45, think twice about opening the door. Note: Central Indiana municipalities have set their trick or treating hours ranging anywhere from 5-9 this Wednesday.
2. Make sure your yard and walkway are clear of clutter such as ladders, hoses, dog leashes or flower pots that could be trip hazards for little ones and parents.
3. Never leave real flames unattended, even in a jackolantern.  If you're looking to light your path with some pumpkin faces, consider battery powered lamps.
4. Paper or cloth yard decorations are a hazard around jackolantern flames or candles as well.
5. Pets get frightened easily on Halloween with the costumes and excitement and incessant doorbell ringing.  It is best to put them up to protect them from cars or altercations with passersby.

Have fun, be safe, and don't be the house handing out toothbrushes!

Happy Halloween!

Bob Vila's Sneaky Storage Ideas

Hammocks, flip flops, grilling supplies, and those favorite swim trunks.  It's time to say see-ya-later to your Summertime fun and break out the firewood, cozy sweaters, and holiday decorations.

Need a place to store all those Summertime items and running out of room?  Storage doesn't have to equal space-consuming boxes and crates thrown into a closet.  There are tons of creative ways to use every inch of storage space that you didn't know you had. 

Check out Bob Vila's Sneaky Storage Ideas!

Rockyedge on the A-List

As always, we invite and encourage feedback from our clients on a personal level, and we are do our best to put that feedback to use.  We invite all of our clients to rate us on Angie's List at our new profile!  Simply search for Rockyedge Enterprises under general contractors to find us.

If you are not an Angie's List Member, sign up is easy and just takes a few minutes.

It's time to Winterize!

It's time to winterize!  We have been very busy building beautiful homes here at Rockyege, but we wanted to pass along this great article with 19 simple winterizing projects.  Enjoy!

http://www.emrconsults.blogspot.com/2012/10/ntia-requests-comment-for-firstnet.html

Five Unique Home Features

What sets your dream home apart from all the others on the block?  Take a look at some of these unique features that make a statement and skyrocket the value of your home:

1.  Enjoy some drinks with friends at your very own classy bar.

2.  Take a dip in your simple, elegant stationary swimming pool.

3.  Dazzle your neighbors and guests with stained glass windows.

4.  Upgrade family film night with a custom home movie theatre.

5.  Add some glamour to your bath with a vintage clawfoot bathtub.

For more unique ideas, check out the REALTOR Mag article online.