Waukesha County Home

HOME JANUARY 2018 4 K i t c h e n s | B a t h s | D e n s | C a b i n s | O f f i c e s | R e c R o o m s Work With Experienced Design Professionals "We Specialize in Cabinetry" 1005 Richards Road, Hartland | 262.367.9439 www.kitchencreators.com Cabinetry For Every Room, Every Budget! WE OFFER: NORCRAFT CABINETRY MID CONTINENT CABINETRY OMEGA CABINETRY DYNASTY CABINETRY WOODLAND CABINETRY 258786002 We Beat All Big Box Stores and all Competitors | Visit Our Showroom By Appointment Make an appointment today and learn about the new trends and cabinet specials. 4820 W. Loomis Rd. 414.744.9400 Greenfield Lifetime Installation Warranty! FREE Financing w/approved credit. www.stusflooring.com 258856021 Hardwood l Carpet l Laminate l Vinyl l Ceramic 2142 E. Moreland Blvd. 262.524.1455 Waukesha *Material & Residential Only. Not valid with any other offer, sale or prior purchase. See store for details. Expires 1/31/18 Save up to 15 % on your flooring purchase. Plus FREE Color Consultation from one of our staff designers with flooring purchase.* New Year, New Floor, New Color WEST ALLIS — The 2018 Metropolitan Builders Association Home Building and Remodeling Show takes over the Exposi- tion Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park, from Friday through Sunday. The MBA home show offers consumers the opportunity to prepare for the spring building and remodeling season. Visitors to the show can talk directly with home builders, as well as speak with remodelers, landscapers and interior designers to do the research for their next home improvement project. "People who are dreaming of a new home or are hoping to update their exist- ing home, can interact with the area's top experts," said Kristine Hillmer, MBA executive director. "They can ask questions, get advice, and get a feel for which MBA Member company is the right one for their proj- ect," she said. Show visitors can attend free home improvement seminars by MBA industry experts that will provide them with all the tools to create the ideal home to fit their family's lifestyle. In addition, there will also be culinary demonstrations and sample recipes from top local chefs at the demonstration stage. The popular Marketplace Pavilions offer food and beverage samplings from local companies offering great ideas for entertaining. Admission is $12 at the gate and $8 in advance at MBAhomeshow.com. Atten- dees can receive $2 off the regular gate admission price when they donate two non-perishable food items at the door to help build the food house for the Hunger Task Force. Admission for children 12 and under is free. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Visit MBAhomeshow.com for more information. GERMANTOWN — Winter is here and so too are frigid temperatures. "It's important for homeowners to check for air leaks or drafts in their home this time of year in order to save money and energy and keep the frigid air out," said Scott Cline, owner of J&B Construction. "On the exterior, you should look for areas where the old caulking has failed, revealing the gap between the window or doorframe and your home's siding," Cline said. If your home has old single-paned win- dows, be on the lookout for damaged glaz- ing, which is the hard putty that holds the individual panes of glass in place. From the interior, inspect the threshold under each door, looking for daylight or other obvious signs of an opening that is too big and needs to be sealed shut. "Make sure the weather stripping around the windows and doors is in good condition, making note of any damaged weather stripping that needs to be replaced," Cline said. Although many problem areas are obvi- ous, keep in mind some air leaks are not easily detectable. One way to reveal air leaks is to conduct a "smoke test," which requires all windows and doors in the home to be closed and any combustion appliances, such as a furnace or water heater, turned off. "Next, turn on the kitchen and bathroom exhaust vents, which will create a negative pressure in the house that will suck outside air into the home through any crack or opening," Cline said. "Now you can check for air leaks by holding a lit incense stick close to the spaces around the edges of windows and doors, looking for a noticeable change in the smoke rising from the lit incense stick. If there is an air leak, the smoke will waiver and be drawn inwards by the out- side air that is finding its way into your home. If the smoke remains undisturbed, you can assume that there are no air leaks in that specific area." Another option for detecting air leaks is using an infrared thermometer, which is a non-contact thermometer that can meas- ure the ambient air temperatures around window and doorframes. In areas where cold outside air is leaking into the home, the thermometer will register a colder temperature, indicating a vulnerable area that could be wasting energy and money. "If you don't feel comfortable determin- ing if your home has air leaks, you can hire a professional energy auditor to con- duct a 'blower-door' test on your home," Cline said. MBA Home Building and Remodeling Show to open at State Fair Park How to inspect windows and doors to eliminate costly air leaks

• Cover