Northern California homes are as diverse and different as its climate and topography. However, all homes have one thing in common, they all have room for improvement. From a simple new shelf to a fresh coat of paint, or a new way to protect your gutters — these handy tips will make your north California abode even better.
Install a Wine Rack Anywhere
Image Via Flickr by Wickerfurniture
Hang a wine rack to save space and add function to empty walls. Use heavy-duty anchor screws to mount the wine rack into your drywall. Corkscrew-style anchor screws work best because you can use a power-screwdriver to drive them right into the walls. Once in place, you simply mount the rack by screwing it in place on the anchor screws.
Fix Wall Holes with a Screwdriver
Repair small holes from nails or picture hanging hardware with a screwdriver. Push the screwdriver’s handle into the wall on top of the hole to create a small dimple in the wall. Plaster over the entire dimple with drywall compound and a flat trowel. Sand the area after it dries and repaint for a seamless repair.
Clear Gutters with a Paint Roller
Clear out your gutters every Fall and Spring to prevent big clogs using an old paint roller on an extension rod. The roller fits into the gutters and scoops out leaves, debris and those tricky pine needles. For a permanent solution install a gutter guard with a mesh screen. The screen blocks everything including the pine needles.
Lay Down Native Wood Floors
Image Via Flickr by DBduo Photography
Update your home’s floors with new wood flooring to add aesthetic and functional appeal. When you install the flooring, use solid wood blocks to create a 1/4 to 1/2-inch barrier between the flooring and the walls to allow for expansion from extreme changes in temperature and humidity from summer to winter.
Install hardwood floors using wood species from Northern California in your home. You have plenty to choose from. Common species include Douglas Fir, Cedar, Jeffery Pine, Spruce, White Fir and Sugar Pine. If you aren’t sure which woods to use, ask your local lumber yard to point you towards the native hardwoods. Many flooring stores will also have native hardwoods in stock.
Drill Through Tile With Ease
Many Sacramento california homes use lots of tile in bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms. Tile is great to look at but it’s hard to work with. When you need to hang a new potted plant or install a shelf on tile, it can crack when you drill into it.
Always place a piece of masking tape over the tile where you plan to drill and use a carbide tipped or diamond drill bit designed for ceramic tile. When drilling larger holes, drill a smaller pilot hole first and step up to the larger bit incrementally.
Build an In-Wall Wine Shelf
Save space and create the perfect nook to store your Napa Valley Wines by crafting your own in-wall storage shelf. Just cut away a section of drywall right between two wall studs (they are usually spaced 16 inches apart in most homes) anywhere you have no plumbing or in-wall cables.
Mount a 2-by-4 board at the top and bottom of the cut-away between the wall studs and then drywall over the 2-by-4 boards. Prime and paint the new drywall to complete the shelf.
Paint Your Interior to Match Your Exterior
Image Via Flickr by Brett Jordan
There’s nothing like the great outdoors for inspiration, and if you live in Northern California, there’s plenty inspiring terrain to bring inside. Paint your interior walls with colorful greens and dark reds to represent Napa Valley’s vineyards and wines. Choose pastel blues and vibrant reds and oranges like the Pacific landscape and those brilliant sunsets. Or, use modern colors to represent the hustle and culture of the San Francisco Bay area.
Here’s a great trick when painting your interior. Tint the primer with a bit of the finish color and you will cut the painting time in half while you save on paint because you can cover the walls with two coats, not three.
Clean Your AC
Make sure your AC coil is clean and debris-free. Clear away the scrub brush around the unit (if it’s external) and hose off the coil. Or, spray the coil with condenser coil cleaner and rinse. Cleaning the coils is easy and improves your AC efficiency.
These tips help make any Northern California home better and more efficient.