The goal of The Energy-Smart House is to detail everything the homeowner needs to become “energy smart”.  This is accomplished with step-by-step instructions, accompanied by 250 photos and illustrations, on subjects covering Energy Efficiency, Insulation, Windows, Heating and Cooling, and Lighting and Appliances.  Each chapter is written by builders and energy professionals whose articles have appeared in Fine Homebuilding magazine.

That the advice and instructions in this book are authoritative, practical, and easy to follow is not surprising as Fine Homebuilding magazine from Taunton Press has provided quality information about home building and home improvement since 1981.   The Energy-Smart House and Fine Homebuilding magazine are available for check-out, along with other home improvement books and publications, in the Home Neighborhood and the magazine reading room @ your library®

featured image photo credit: Prairie Energy Solutions

Large or small, we fill our houses with the things we like and the things we can’t seem to get rid of.  Because we do, we have to find a way to organize all that we own so we can find what we want when we want it.  Home Organizing & Closet Makeovers by the editors of Sunset Magazine is a good how-to manual for organization and storage solutions.

• “The key to organizing is to edit, then sort, then place.  If you don’t have room for it, don’t love it, or don’t use it, donate it.” Kit Davey, interior designer

The editors at Sunset Magazine brought together a panel of interior designers and professional organizers “to provide real-world advice and solutions.”   Advice from the panel includes getting rid of the things you no longer need or use, determining your goal for a particular space, accessorizing shelves, and keeping to a theme for a particular space.  The book addresses what makes a well-organized home and how to get it done with appropriate storage solutions.

• “People get overwhelmed when they think about how many areas need to be reorganized, and they end up never tackling the problem.  Instead of figuring out how to complete the project in a day or a weekend, schedule two hours at a time during the next month of Saturdays…Chipping away at the problem in small chunks like this will be far less overwhelming.”  Sara Eizen, professional organizer.

Whether you are looking to organize one room or every room in your house, Home Organizing & Closet Makeovers is the book for you.  You can find this book and many other books on storage solutions in the Home Neighborhood @ your library®.

photo credit:
Home-Designing Inspirational Home & Interior Design Ideas

Martha Stewart has written a guide that will help prepare you not only for spring cleaning but everything required to run a clean and efficient household.  The book is Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide for Caring for Everything in Your Home.  This book is located in the Home Neighborhood, with other useful books on the same subject.  Stewart’s useful handbook tells the reader what they need to know to start, run, and maintain a household.  Do you want to know how to store knives?  Mend a ripped seam?  Keep track of warranties?  Keep bouquets fresh?  Find the best tools for keeping everything in your house clean?  All of this and much, much more is in this guide.
Stewart starts off with an explanation on how to use her book, and she moves to a tutorial on cleaning products.  She follows this advice with checklists for what cleaning should be done on a daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal basis with two extra checklists for spring and fall cleaning.  The rest of the book is packed with information and advice on how to complete these checklists.   She includes step-by-step instructions illustrated with photographs to assist you in whatever you are cleaning, repairing, or maintaining.

So to answer the question of where to start, start with Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping  Handbook.

Photo Credits
The Gardeners Network
BuySell.com

• The EPA has a great website that will give you the tools you need to mitigate your exposure. It is chock-full of information for consumers including the very useful A Citizens Guide to Radon.

• The Kansas Radon Program, a joint effort between Kansas State University and The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, is an excellent source for locating certified contractors in radon mitigation.  They have a toll free hotline for anyone needing assistance with radon issues.  The toll free number is 1-800-693-5343.

If you are interested in obtaining more information or an inexpensive test kit to measure radon levels in your home, contact your local county extension department.  In Shawnee County, the extension office is located at 1740 SW Western Ave.  Their telephone number is 785-232-0062.

While testing for radon, you may find cracks in your foundation that need to be repaired.  The Home Neighborhood has books that will help you repair the cracks to keep not only the radon, but moisture from seeping into your house.  5 Steps to a Dry Basement or Crawl Space: A Guide for Homeowner and Professional by Ron Gay is a good place to start your basement repairs.  The Home Neighborhood is a great place to start all your home repair projects.

The library subscribes to several magazines such as Mother Earth News, Grit, and Natural Home & Garden that are wonderful resources for developing self-sufficiency in an urban setting.  They provide good advice on canning methods, choosing chicken breeds, building structures such as coops and greenhouses, and renewing and reusing instead of discarding.

If you are thinking about keeping domestic fowl or livestock, the first step is to check the city ordinances for your community.  Some communities do not allow domestic fowl or livestock within the city limits.  Others do, but have strict guidelines on housing them.  Title VI of The Code of the City of Topeka, KS outlines what is permissible in keeping fowl and livestock within the city limits.  Topeka’s ordinances are accessible at the library and online.  If you live outside the city limits, we are happy to help you ascertain your community’s ordinances.

Books available in the Home Neighborhood will help you consider, plan, and implement a strategy for becoming self-sufficient.  A few of the titles available are:

The City Homesteader: Self-sufficiency on any Square Footage by Scott Meyer.  No matter if you live in an apartment or on suburban acreage, this book gives great advice on canning, composting, container gardening, and many more subjects.

Homegrown & Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-reliant Living by Deborah Niemann.  Are you interested in keeping your own goats and sheep as a “fiber flock”?  Perhaps you are planning a sustainable garden or backyard orchard and need practical advice.  This book gives you the information you need to achieve a more sustainable, organic, and self-reliant life.

The Self-Sufficiency Specialist: The Essential Guide to Designing and Planning for Off-grid Self-reliance by A & G Bridgewater. This is a nuts and bolts guide on becoming self-sufficient whether you live in town or in the country.  The first thing this guide does is help the reader consider what is involved in moving to an off-the-grid and self-sufficient lifestyle.  The guide then gives the reader detailed advice on planning and implementing the changes.

Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living by Rachel Kaplan and K. Ruby Blume.  Like the others, this book gives the beginner the knowledge they need to become urban homesteaders.  The first few chapters focus on the philosophy of urban homesteading, the state of our environment, and the need to reduce consumption and waste.  Included are instructions for all kinds of projects such as community gardens, bee keeping, canning, and composting

Check-out these and many other resources @ your Library®.

House Beautiful: The Apartment Book has great ideas for decorating.  It does not matter if you have a small studio or a huge loft or if you rent or own your apartment or home.   No matter where you live, you want the space to be comfortable and reflect who you are.  Small changes or complete remodeling, check this book out for great ideas.

Freelance writer, Lourdes Dumke, is a self-taught budget-decorating expert.  How to decorate & furnish your apartment on a budget helps the reader think about the goals to be achieved with redecorating, and helps them achieve those goals.  Dumke’s book is full of wonderful ideas on how to get organized, how to develop a decorating budget, where to shop, and how to create a comfy, well-decorated home.

Architect and author, James Gauer and architecture photographer, Catherine Tighe’s beautiful book, The New American Dream: living well in small homes, is an ode to living in small, beautifully-appointed homes.  Gauer believes in the Miesian philosophy of “less is more”.  He critiques the current state of home architecture which can be described as “less is a bore” and proposes alternatives to the ostentatious McMansions of today.  Tighe’s photographs perfectly illustrate the beauty of simplicity in small-space design as advocated by Gauer.  The New American Dream is not a how-to book in the traditional sense, but it will guide you in creating a beautiful home.

These books and many more are in the Home Neighborhood @your library®.

Summer has set in with its usual severity…

Coleridge almost had it right: Summer has set in with unusual severity and our wallets are certain to feel the heat.  If you need ideas that will help you lower next month’s bill, take a look at the United States Department of Energy website for strategies on reducing your cooling costs. The USDE website has all kinds of low-cost or no-cost energy saving tips.

For instance:

• Close your drapes or shades in the heat of the day
• Raise your thermostat four degrees and use a fan when you are in the room.
• Learn to operate your thermostat for maximum savings
• Get a professional home energy audit or conduct your own.

These suggestions and many more can be found at EnergySavers.gov