Team Two Times

Yes. Not so much energy as water conservation, but changing out your sprinkler heads to maximize your water flow, distance, spray, etc. can save big bucks and water. Improperly maintained sprinklers waste a huge amount of water. They send more into the air then into your lawn, bushes, etc.

Labels: help the environment, hgtv hammer heads, marcus hunt, maximize water flow, save energy and money, water conservation sprinkler head

Here's a way to conserve energy in your home - Get your windows tinted. Most of us think that window tinting is just for our cars, but the same idea works for your house and can be a HUGE energy saver.

When the sun beats down on your house all day, the inside temperature can rise substantially. Usually the first thing we do is turn on the air conditioner and the hotter it gets, the more the AC runs. With a fairly inexpensive installation of window tint, you'll be more comfortable throughout the day and save tons of money down the road plus help the environment by not running your AC nearly as much.

Happy Earth day.

Labels: conserve energy in your home, earth day, hgtv hammer heads, marcus hunt, tinted windows

Here are some good basic tips for painting from my friend Carmen De La Paz:

1. Prepping your Paint job right will save you time in the end and your paint job will look a lot better. Don’t just grab a roller and start, take the time to evaluate and prep the project. Do you need to spackle holes, sand, caulk, etc?
   
2. Tape is your best friend. Use it to mask off and you will have crisp lines, making your end result look professional. They make a completely smooth, blue painter’s tape that stops the little flecks that you get when the paint smooshes behind regular tape.
   
3. Use a good brush. Spending a little more money on a quality brush will make the job more enjoyable. Suggested brand – Purdy. A cheap brush can fall apart and leave pieces behind on your project.
   
4. Oil and water don’t mix. If you are painting over a wall that has oil-based paint you must apply a primer to neutralize the surface and allow it accept the new latex paint with out crackling of flaking off in the near future.
   
5. Is it oil or isn’t it? Do the Goof off test. If the paint melts when you rub Goof-off on it – it is latex or water based. It the Goof-off doesn’t melt it, you have an oil-based surface.
   
6. De-fuzz your roller by rolling it over tape to get rid of the loose fuzz – it’s better than leaving them on your wall during the paint process.
   
7. Paint can impact a room up to 70%.
   
8. When patching holes, instead of sand paper, use a wet rag to sand down the surface – you won’t have any dust and you will end up with a much nicer blend and feathering in your end result making the hole disappear.
   
9. When painting a darker color on your wall, consider applying a tinted primer to help achieve the full saturation of the color without 5 or six coats. Ask your paint store to help select the shade of your tinted primer.
   
10. Painting is not brain surgery. If you mess up either clean it up or paint over it and start again.
    

Labels: 24 hour design, hammer heads, hgtv, how to paint a house, marcus hunt, painting tips, russ hemmis, team two times