A Handyman, Home Improvement, Go Green, Remodel, and DIY Resource Blog

My Pro Handyman Can is a handyman, home improvement, remodeling, and diy resource blog.

 

Sustainability is a threaded theme.

 

I offer content and invite dynamic dialogue for all areas related to “home” through the blogging and social networking community.

 

My primary focus is to offer ideas and resources for living any place one calls home.

 

I wish to offer opportunities that allow a small investment of your money to go a long way to transforming and enhancing your personal living environment.

Current themes are about:

 

How to Go Green – Save Money – Stay Healthy – Improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) –

 

Learn about Tax Credits and Rebates – Save Energy – Save Water…and more.

 

I hope to inspire, seek to be current, and focus on offering  ideas, innovation, support, products and services that I believe our globally conscious and diverse community will find of continuing interest.

 

This blog is for anyone, living anywhere, who wants their apartment, condo, townhouse, private house, loft, room, farm or whatever to be a home that supports their lifestyle and our planet.

 

We especially want to honor and invite the elderly, the the senior, and the the boomer living on a retirement income to learn how in enhance the beauty, comfort, and safety of their home on a budget. This is a relatively new blog and therefore a work in progress with a clear vision and lofty goals.

 

Check back often for interesting informative and inspiring posts and videos:

 

Here’s a Green Your Home Tip Video – Part 1 from National Wildlife

 

 

 

Choose Green Paints and Improve Your Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) effects our lives in a myriad of ways.  The beauty of our home enriches our daily life in a myriad of ways. Simply painting a room or two with a color that pleases you is so uplifting. Choosing a Low VOC, No VOC, or Zero VOC Paint* reduces or eliminates one of the many sources to toxicity in our home that can effect our health.

Excerpt from: Greenversations – The Official Blog of the Environmental Protection Agency

It’s time for the dreaded task again: time to paint our house. As I discussed with my husband the possibility of hiring a contractor to paint the house exterior and for us to paint inside, our son’s asthma became a sudden concern. Paints, stains and varnishes release low level toxic emissions into the air for years after application . These toxic emissions stem from a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are a by-product of petrochemical-based solvents used in paints. Exposure to VOC’s in paint can trigger asthma attacks, eye, throat and nose irritation, respiratory problems, nausea, allergic skin reactions and dizziness among other symptoms…http://blog.epa.gov/blog/2009/05/21/paint-and-kids-don’t-always-mix/

MY PRO HANDYMAN CAN TIP OF THE DAY: Today we will feature one of our favorite products for Green Home Improvements – Benjamin Moore Paints. Note: There are many other fine products to choose from that we will feature here often.

Green Promise®

The Green Promise® Designation is Benjamin Moore’s assurance that its environmentally friendly coatings meet and exceed the strictest industry standards, while also delivering the premium levels of performance you expect from Benjamin Moore.

*…VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers…for more info see the  US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

 

HOME IMPROVEMENT IDEAS FROM ENERGYSTAR.GOV

HOME IMPROVEMENT IDEAS FROM ENERGYSTAR.GOV – Air Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR

Sealing and insulating the “envelope” or “shell” of your home — its outer walls, ceiling, windows, doors, and floors — is often the most cost effective way to improve energy efficiency and comfort. ENERGY STAR estimates that a knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs (or up to 10% on their total annual energy bill) by sealing and insulating.

Air Leaks

Many air leaks and drafts are easy to find because they are easy to feel — like those around windows and doors. But holes hidden in attics, basements, and crawlspaces are usually bigger problems. Sealing these leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping will have a great impact on improving your comfort and reducing utility bills. Click on the house diagram to see common air leak locations that you should aim to seal. more…http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_sealing.hm_improvement_sealing

After any home sealing project, have a heating and cooling technician check to make sure that your combustion appliances (gas- or oil-fired furnace, water heater, and dryer) are venting properly.

For additional information on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues related to homes, such as combustion safety, visit EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Web site.