Solstice Homes

Solstice Homes Safety Tip: Camping Health and Safety Tips and Packing Checklist

Solstice Homes — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:15:26 +0000

Camping is a fun way to get family and friends together to enjoy the outdoors. Follow these tips and use the packing checklist to help ensure your camping trip is safe and healthy.

Camping Tips

Get vaccinated.

Vaccinations can help protect against certain diseases and conditions while camping. Be sure your vaccinations and your family’s vaccinations are up-to-date. Check with your doctor or nurse to see if you’ve had all of the recommended vaccines. He or she may recommend tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), meningitis, and/or hepatitis A, depending on your medical history, destination, and other factors.

Vaccines Help Protect Travelers of All Ages

Prepare healthy and safe food. (Read the rest)

Solstice Homes Maintenance Tip: Check the Spin Direction of Your House Fans to Beat the Summer Heat!

Solstice Homes — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:20:49 +0000

This summer, make sure your fans are spinning in the right direction in order to produce the proper breeze to keep you cool. Most fans are reversible, with one direction of the spin forcing air down to create a cool breeze perfect for heat waves. When the fan spins the other direction, air is pushed up to distribute heat during the colder months of winter.

How do you tell if you fan is spinning the right direction to beat the heat in the summer?

1. Turn the fan on and stand beneath it.

2. If you feel a cool breeze, then you know the fan is spinning in the correct direction. (Read the rest)

Celebrate Earth Day yesterday? If you own a newer home, you should have…

Solstice Homes — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:44:36 +0000

How Energy Efficiency Goals Hinge on Home Remodeling

By Robert Dietz

Upgrading existing homes to include more energy efficient features can save those homeowners money.

In addition to updated kitchens and bathrooms, house hunters are increasingly looking for upgrades that might be less flashy, but will save them money over the long run.

About 94 percent of homebuyers want energy-star rated appliances according to the most recent National Association of Home Builder’s survey of homebuyer preferences. Another 91 percent sought an overall energy-star rating for the home, and almost 90 percent wanted energy-star rated windows.

[READ: Net-Zero Energy Home Could Make Utility Bills a Thing of the Past]

The good news is, more newly built homes fit that bill, which is making the nation’s housing stock increasingly energy efficient.

(Read the rest)

The Jackson

Solstice Homes — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:05:28 +0000

(Read the rest)

The Lindsey

Solstice Homes — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:44:46 +0000

(Read the rest)

Solstice Homes: How to Grow Tomatoes

Solstice Homes — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 09:49:48 +0000

Plant tomato seedlings in spring for one of the best tastes of summer, fresh from your backyard

There’s no contest: Homegrown tomatoes, freshly picked, taste best. Given that, including them in a summer vegetable garden is a no-brainer. The next question is, which one to grow? There are tomatoes for every region, from Alaska with its short summers to the cool Pacific Northwest to the hot and humid South.But there are other considerations besides climate. Do you want giant beefsteak tomatoes, salad tomatoes, tiny cherry tomatoes or paste or sauce tomatoes? Are you committed to “traditional” dark red fruits, or are you intrigued by tomatoes that are rosy pink, yellow, orange, green, striped or so dark a purple they look black?

(Read the rest)

Solstice Homes Homeownership Tip: Gardening Health and Safety Tips

Solstice Homes — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:13:35 +0000

Gardening can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors, get physical activity, beautify the community, and grow nutritious fruits and vegetables. Whether you are a beginner or expert gardener, health and safety are always important.

Below are some tips to help keep you safe and healthy so that you can enjoy the beauty and bounty gardening can bring.

(Read the rest)

Dress to protect.

Gear up to protect yourself from lawn and garden pests, harmful chemicals, sharp or motorized equipment, insects, and harmful rays of too much sun.

Wear safety goggles, sturdy shoes, and long pants when using lawn mowers and other machinery.

Eight Tax Breaks for Homeowners

Solstice Homes — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:04:04 +0000

Taxes are due April 15, which means it’s time to start gathering your W2s, 1099s, child care receipts and bank statements.
But before you sit down with your accountant, it’s important for you to know that merely owning a home could mean you qualify for tax breaks. In most cases, you need to itemize your taxes in order to take advantage of these deductions. Yes, it makes the tax-filing process seem impenetrable, but the benefits may outweigh the complications.
Here are a few of the tax breaks you’ll want to investigate:
Mortgage interest paid at settlement
Take a look at your closing statement; one item that’s generally listed there is home mortgage interest. (Read the rest)

Spring Break Health and Safety Tips

Solstice Homes — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:17:29 +0000

Make this year’s spring break memorable by having fun and helping yourself, your friends, and others stay safe and healthy.

Limit alcohol.

If drinking alcohol is part of your break, remember that it can impair your judgment and actions. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and nonfatally injure someone every two minutes. Don’t drink and drive. There are plenty of non-alcoholic alternatives.

Alcohol: Frequently Asked Questions

Impaired Driving

Quick Stats: Binge Drinking

Alcohol: A Woman’s Health Issue (NIH)

College Drinking: Changing the Culture (NIH)

Be active.

You’ve probably been sitting most of the year working at the computer, studying, or in class.

(Read the rest)

Solstice Homes Maintenance Tip: It’s Spring and time to change your smoke alarm batteries!

Solstice Homes — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:27:05 +0000

Did you know that having a working smoke alarm reduces the chance of death by fire by half? Smoke detectors are designed to warn you when a fire erupts in the home, but if the batteries aren’t working properly, you may not know when a fire breaks out.

For your protection, most houses have installed smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside every sleeping area and in every bedroom. Now that you’ve moved in, it’s important to remember to replace smoke alarm batteries once per year. Typically, a good way to remember this is to change out the batteries when the time changes at daylight saving time, either in the spring or fall. (Read the rest)