Everything You Need To Know About Stucco

One of the most popular siding options for the outside of a home is also one of the oldest. Stucco has been used for centuries and it remains a popular choice for residential siding.

Nearly 25 percent of single-family homes built today feature stucco siding, according to a 2019 report from the Stucco Manufacturers Association. It ranks as the second-most popular siding in the U.S. behind vinyl. Here’s why it’s a top choice for so many homeowners.

What Is Stucco?

Stucco is a cement-like product applied to the outside of a home in multiple layers about one inch thick. Its texture varies from smooth to textured, depending on how it’s applied. It can be used over masonry or wood frame. Traditionally, it’s made of cement, lime and sand.

There are several newer stucco systems, including acrylic, insulated and crack suppression, that address cracking and other issues that can occur with stucco. (See Why Use Stucco, below.) These offer even more options for texture.

While stucco is popular in Southern and Western U.S., it’s also seen in the Midwest. Now it’s expanding to other regions as newer products solve some of stucco’s limitations.

Why Use Stucco

Like all siding materials, stucco has pros and cons you should consider for your specific situation.

Advantages of Stucco

• Durability: Unlike other siding materials, stucco has some serious staying power. “When properly applied, it can last for decades without needing maintenance,” says Gregg Cantor, president and CEO of Murray Lampert Design, Build, Remodel. According to a Department of Energy study, “Properly applied stucco will have a useful service life of 100 years.”
• Appearance: Stucco offers unlimited customization. The finish can be anything from super smooth to highly textured. It works well with many architectural styles and other building materials, and can be tinted a range of colors.
• Fire resistance: Stucco provides a strong firewall rating — one hour — which makes it appealing when you need to meet local fire codes.
• Cost: Because applying stucco requires a high level of skill, the cost will vary regionally with labor costs. “In the West, conventional stucco costs about $20,000 for a 3,000 sq. ft. home,” says Cantor. “The newer acrylic systems cost about $25,000 to $30,000.” Cantor says acrylic stucco is “probably going to be more cost effective than traditional wood, vinyl and composite siding.” That’s due to its high durability, low maintenance needs and long lifespan.

Disadvantages of Stucco

• Cracks: If applied correctly, stucco should perform well. Hairline cracks are normal with conventional stucco, and stress cracks can occur as homes settle. But the newer acrylic stucco products and crack suppression systems have greatly decreased cracking.
• Insulation: Conventional stucco doesn’t provide much insulation value. But with new stucco insulation systems, you’ll get better performance.
• Staining: If water runs down stucco, it will stain over time, and you could have larger issues with moisture damage. Use gutters and keep sprinklers away from stucco exteriors.

How To Apply Stucco

Stucco is applied over a base of house wrap or felt paper and lath. It’s typically done in three coats applied by hand with a trowel. Color and texture are added with the final coat.

Application of newer systems vary, based on the specific manufacturer’s product. A crack suppression system requires four coats, and insulating systems require several steps. “They include a polystyrene foam board, followed by fiberglass mesh and an acrylic finish coat,” says Russ Grassa of S.G. Plastering in El Cajon, California.

Can You DIY Stucco or Should You Hire Someone?

“I don’t recommend DIY,” says Cantor. “Very few homeowners would have the skill set required to apply stucco. There are other challenges, too, like the equipment and specialty tools needed.” Cantor adds applying stucco isn’t a one-person job; it takes three or four people.

Taking Care of Stucco

Cantor recommends the following:

• Inspect stucco annually for cracks or damage and repair them as soon as possible so water doesn’t seep behind the stucco finish.
• Stucco typically doesn’t need cleaning. If it’s particularly dirty, hose it off using mild pressure.
• Use gutters and check them periodically to make sure they’re not clogged, damaged or leaking water onto the stucco. Repair gutters as soon as you spot issues to avoid damage or staining.
• Over time, the color may fade. You can paint stucco to refresh it.
• Trim trees and shrubs so they don’t rub against the stucco.
• Don’t put planters that hold water, such as window boxes, against stucco.
• Keep soil levels around the perimeter of the home below the stucco finish. Stucco is porous and can draw up moisture from any soil touching it.
• Use drip irrigation systems around the perimeter of the home. Avoid sprinkling or spraying water onto the siding.

Article source here: Everything You Need To Know About Stucco

What To Know About Cool-Season Grasses

Kentucky bluegrass

Long before they found a home on suburban lawns, cool-season grasses had their place in history. Archaeological studies of prehistoric cliff dwellings in the Southwestern U.S. show early Native Americans depended on these grasses as a food source, particularly in late spring and early summer before other crops matured.

Today, many of us depend on cool-season grasses for maintaining a green, healthy lawn year-round. Here’s what you need to know about cool-season grasses and whether these varieties are right for your lawn.

What Is a Cool-Season Grass?

While there are all sorts of technical definitions, it’s simpler for homeowners. According to Kris Kiser, president of The TurfMutt Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to the stewardship of green spaces, cool-season grasses are those that grow well in the cool of fall and spring.

“They stay green until the temperatures drop below freezing and can survive colder temperatures,” Kiser says. They typically grow best in the Northern U.S. and four-season climates elsewhere in the world.

What’s the Difference Between Warm- and Cool-Season Grasses?

Cool-season grasses require different optimum growing conditions than warm-season grasses. “Warm-season grasses like hotter weather, so they grow in late spring and go dormant in early to mid-fall,” Kiser says. Conversely, she says, cool-season grasses tolerate cooler weather so they stay green longer.

Another bonus, which those early Native Americans appreciated: Because cool-season grasses tolerate the cold, Kiser says they “green up” much earlier in the growing season compared to warm-season grass. “Cool-season grasses grow the most in the spring and fall when soil temperatures are 65 F or lower,” she says.

Types of Cool-Season Grasses

Joe Churchill, senior turf specialist for turf service and suppliers Reinders, Inc., identifies 13 types of cool-season grasses. Here are the main ones for residential lawns:

• Kentucky bluegrass;
• Perennial ryegrass;
• Creeping red fescue;
• Chewings fescue;
• Hard fescue;
• Tall fescue.

How To Identify Cool-Season Grasses

If you already have a healthy lawn and want to supplement it with more sod or seed, it helps to know what type of grass you’ve got. Here are some characteristics of the most common cool-season grasses.

• Kentucky bluegrass. This is dark green and holds up well to foot traffic, says Kiser. Churchill adds that Kentucky bluegrass has a medium texture and a boat-shaped leaf tip. It forms a tightly-knit sod and can be grown from seed or planted as sod.
• Perennial ryegrass. This looks a lot like Kentucky bluegrass, and will often be sold with it in a seed mix. Churchill says you can ID by its medium-green color and shiny underside of leaf blades. When it’s freshly mowed, says Kiser, perennial ryegrass shows a whitish cast at the top of the grass blades.
• Tall fescue. “Coarse tall fescue tends to have big blades that bunch up,” says Kiser. Thin, needle-like leaves are likely fine fescue. Churchill describes tall fescue as dark green with a medium texture.

When purchased as seed, cool-season grasses are often sold as a seed mix. The label on the bag should indicate what types of grasses are blended in and in what percentages, as well as what zones or climates best suit the grass.

How To Choose the Best Cool-Season Grass for Your Yard

Perennial ryegrass

The first thing to consider when choosing cool-season grass is where you live. Most cool-season grasses can tolerate a cold winter, although some will die in extremely low temperatures, but they don’t do well in a blazing hot summer.

“Cool-season grasses are more commonly planted in the upper tier of the U.S.,” says Kiser. “If you live in the transition zone between warm and cool zones, such as in the middle section of the country, consider using a blend that mixes warm- and cool-season grass seeds.”

Even within the range of cool-season grasses, some grow better than others in certain places. “You should always consider your climate zone and yard conditions,” says Kiser. Your local home and garden store should be able to help, but she also suggests contacting your county extension office for advice on what varieties grow best in your community.

When Is the Best Time To Plant Cool-Season Grass?

Churchill says it’s best to plant cool-season grasses from late summer through early fall. “This is when ambient and soil temperatures are both optimum and weed pressure is the lowest,” he says. “This translates into a higher success rate of getting seeds out of the ground and fully established.”

Can Cool-Season Grass Survive a Hot Summer?

They may prefer to grow in cooler weather, but some varieties of cool-season grass can survive a hot summer.

“Kentucky bluegrass is rated medium for drought and heat tolerance,” Kiser says. “It may turn brown during a hot summer and enter dormancy due to high heat. But it will often green up again once the temperatures go down.” Other varieties, like perennial ryegrass and fescues, have a lower tolerance for heat and drought.

“All of these species are perennials, meaning they will come back year-after-year in the right climate,” Churchill says. “That is, unless something kills them, like high foot or equipment traffic, severe heat, drought, disease or insect infestation.”

Article source here: What To Know About Cool-Season Grasses

Appliances to Unplug When You Leave the Cabin

Many of us keep appliances we rarely use plugged in out of convenience. You might be wondering, does unplugging appliances actually matter? Yes, absolutely it does.

Unplugging unused appliances can save you from $100 to $200 annually in the U.S., according to Shipley Energy. Large household appliances alone, even when not in use, can eat up a lot of energy. A common phrase for appliances that suck energy in the background is phantom power. This Family Handyman article explains how much electricity each appliance uses.

Saving energy is one reason why you should unplug appliances before you close up your cabin for the season. And there’s more to this than just helping your wallet. Unplugging appliances can prolong their life and protect them from power surges.

So before you leave your cabin for the season, check this list for all the appliances you should unplug.

Large Appliances

For obvious reasons, large appliances add the most to your energy bill, starting with your kitchen or laundry appliances. Besides shutting off the power to those appliances, be sure to cut off running water to them. You don’t want to come back next year to a flooded cabin.

Large appliances to unplug include:

• Dryer;
• Washing machine;
• Dishwasher;
• Refrigerator/freezer;
• Stove/oven.

Note: When you unplug your refrigerator or freezer, leave the doors open prevent mold or odors from forming. Also remove and dispose of any uneaten food.

Energy.gov recommends buying Energy Star appliances, which collectively can save thousands over the lifetime of the appliances.

Small Appliances

Don’t forget your the small appliances, too. Those include:

• Space heater;
• Lamps;
• Microwave;
• Toaster;
• Coffee maker;
• Blender.

Entertainment Systems

Your favorite entertainment systems drain energy as well, and can be susceptible to a power surge if they are not plugged into a surge protector. These can include:

• Television;
• Sound systems;
• Internet router;
• Desktop computer;
• Projectors;
• Electronic charging devices

Smart power strips, however, are often fine to leave plugged in. Instead of unplugging each device from the power strip, simply turn off the strip.

Article source here: Appliances to Unplug When You Leave the Cabin

How to Change a Showerhead in 3 Easy Steps

Remove the Old Showerhead

• Using a pair of plumbing pliers, remove your old showerhead by turning counterclockwise (to the left) on the coupling that connects the showerhead to the shower arm. (See photo.)
  • Pro tip: Prevent scratching your new showerhead by covering the jaws of your pliers with tape.

Article source here: How to Change a Showerhead in 3 Easy Steps

How to Fix a Toilet Handle

Troubleshooting The Problem

• Start by lifting the lid off the top of the toilet tank and peeking inside.
• The nut that holds the handle onto the tank could be loose or too tight. See Step 1.
• The threads on the nut or the handle housing could be stripped. See Step 2.
• The handle arm could be cracked or broken off. See Step 3.
• The chain from the handle arm to the flapper could be disconnected or broken. See Step 4.

Loose Handle

• If the handle is loose, tighten the nut and washer on the inside of the tank with a pair of pliers. Do not overtighten the nut. You could strip the threads or, worse, crack the porcelain tank.
• If the handle is stuck down in the flush position, it may not be installed properly. Loosen the nut washer, reposition the handle so it is parallel with the top edge of the tank and re-tighten the nut.

Article source here: How to Fix a Toilet Handle

10 Ways To Use Wallpaper in Your Bathroom

Spruce Up Traditional Tile

Subway tile is popular in bathrooms and kitchens but doesn’t really bring a wow factor. To take your space to the next level, pair traditional tile with a bold print like in this cheerful citrus bathroom by @tp.remodeling that’s anything but boring.

Design: @tedimore
Built: @tp.remodeling
Photo: @joshbustosphoto

Article source here: 10 Ways To Use Wallpaper in Your Bathroom

7 Ways To Reuse and Repurpose Dry Leaves

In the forest, trees absorb more than half of their nutrients from fallen leaves. But trees in town often miss out on that. So rather than throw away all of that free fertilizer and mulch, here are some ways to repurpose your yard full of dry leaves.

Not only will you save time on raking and money on yard care materials, you’ll make a dent in the eight million tons of fallen leaves that end up in landfills every fall.

“It’s doing a good thing for nature,” says David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. “Typical ways of getting rid of them — mowing them, leaf blowing them, bagging them and sending them to the landfill — have layers and layers of badness when it comes to the health of the planet.”

The good news? Dry leaves are especially useful. Here are some ways to reuse dry leaves.

Shred Dry Leaves With the Lawn Mower

Shred leaves with a mower, then spread them across your lawn to give it a boost of nutrient health when spring comes around. Keep the layer thin enough to see the grass so sunlight can still get through.

“It is good to leave mulched leaves on the ground, but leaving piles of leaves on the ground over winter can be bad for your lawn,” says Tammy Sons, owner of Tennessee Wholesale Nursery. “Too many leaves can smother the lawn and the leaves won’t break down, leaving you with a mess after winter.”

Bonus nature points for using a push mower. Either way, wait until the leaves are dry. Wet leaves are too slippery and heavy to easily distribute and may clog the mower.

Rake Dry Leaves Around Trees and Shrubs

Leaves will help regulate the moisture and temperature of the soil, acting as fertilizer as they break down. Make piles three to six inches high. If they’re not on the grass, simply leave them where they’ve fallen.

“That leaf layer is actually critically important,” says Mizejewski. “The plants lose their leaves, which fall to the root zone of those plants, where they break down and return nutrients to the tree.”

Leave the Leaves for Wildlife

Ecologically, it’s best to leave the leaves whole where they fall, or in piles around the yard.

That leaf layer is an ecosystem critical for all sorts of wildlife, including birds, chipmunks, wood frogs, shrews, salamanders and especially moth caterpillars and other insects. Ninety-four percent of moth species need a leaf layer for their life cycle. And 96 percent of backyard birds rely on moth caterpillars as their primary source for feeding their chicks during nesting season.

“Some animals live their entire life in that leaf litter,” says Mizejewski. “People tend not to care about bugs, but when you know that those insects and spiders are a really important piece of the food web, critically important for those birds you want to attract, it can change your thinking. If you want to see a lot of beautiful birds in your yard, you have to create a space that invites insects.”

Add Dry Leaves to the Garden

Mix whole or shredded leaves into the soil, where they will disintegrate, release nutrients and make habitat for earthworms and other invertebrates. Or use them on top of garden beds to protect roots and suppress weeds.

Shredded leaves are better for this because whole ones create a solid mat. If you live in a windy area, shredded leaves are less likely to blow away.

Pro tip: Use leaves in potted plants, too.

Turn Dry Leaves Into Soil

Add leftover leaves to the compost bin. Alternate layers of grass clippings, food leftovers and dead leaves, and stir them every now and then to help them break down. Shredded leaves will compost faster.

If you have too many leaves for your compost pile, keep them dry in trash cans until the spring, when there are more wet green materials to mix them with. If you can’t compost in your yard, your city might have a place where you can compost your leaves.

Make Leaves Into Leaf Mold

Similar to compost but darker and more crumbly, leaf mold happens when the leaves decompose on their own. It’s what makes forests smell so earthy. Leaf mold improves soil structure and helps it retain more water. Make a big pile of leaves and let it do its thing for six months to a year. If it dries out, add water periodically.

While leaf mold is generally considered safe to handle, it can aggravate allergies in some people. If you’re concerned, wear a mask.

Show Off Artistic Skills with Dry Leaves

Revel in the feeling of fall by creating seasonal leaf decor and maybe a scarecrow. Try leaf nature journaling, or leaf rubbing art. The latter entails putting dried leaves under paper, then shading over them with colored pencils. Or make a scrapbook or photo album.

To preserve leaves, place them between two sheets of wax paper, then put a heavy book on top for a couple of weeks until they dry. Put a towel over the wax paper and briefly iron it.

And don’t forget to let everyone, including the dogs, jump in the leaf piles!

Article source here: 7 Ways To Reuse and Repurpose Dry Leaves