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Published with permission from RISMedia.

The electrical system in your house can wear out over time, especially if you have an older home and use a lot of appliances and electronic devices at once. These are some signs that you may need to speak to an electrician about upgrading your electrical system.

Tripped Circuits
Electricity enters the house at one location and travels to a circuit breaker panel that distributes it to other parts of the house. An old panel may not have enough circuits to meet your familys needs, or one or more individual circuits may not be able to handle several appliances and devices being used in a room at one time. If the circuit breaker panel is overburdened, heat can build up, which can damage the insulation and wiring and start a fire.

When an individual circuit breaker cant handle the demands being placed on it, it can trip and shut off the electricity. If that happens occasionally, it means the system is functioning as it should. If a circuit breaker trips often when you use multiple appliances in one room, that means the circuit is overburdened. It may need to be replaced with a circuit breaker that has a higher capacity and the wiring may also need to be upgraded.

Flickering Lights
If lights dim or flicker in one room when you use multiple appliances, that may mean that the wiring cant handle the demands being placed on it. If lights seem to flicker at random times, there may be a problem with one light or a widespread issue. The electrical system may need to be rewired to increase its capacity.

Hot Light Switches
If light switches feel hot when you touch them, that may indicate that the electrical system is overloaded. Normally, electricity flowing through a light switch generates a small amount of heat. A damaged switch may draw more electricity than it can handle, which can produce excess heat, wear out electrical components and create a fire hazard.

Other Signs of an Electrical Problem
Damaged wiring and corrosion can cause appliances and electronics to use more electricity than they should. If your electric bills seem unreasonably high, that may be a sign that your homes electrical system needs an upgrade.

If you find yourself replacing light bulbs more often than you should, it may indicate that damaged wiring causes too much electricity to reach the bulbs. That can cause them to wear out faster than they should.

Discoloration or burn marks on or around outlets can indicate that a circuit is carrying more current than it is designed to, which is causing high temperatures. This can lead to a fire if the problem isnt addressed.

Get Professional Help With Repairs
Electrical repairs are often complex and a problem may not be as simple and straightforward as you think it is. If you dont have the training and experience necessary to diagnose and fix an electrical problem yourself, hire a professional electrician.

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Not sure what to do with that extra room? Here are a few ideas for putting it to good use…

Game Room

An ideal way to get the whole family together. Add comfortable seating and your favorite games.

Library

Create the perfect spot to disappear into a good book and put your literary collection on display.

Childrens Playroom

Sometimes the kids need a little more space to hang out with friends and be active.

Home Theater

Home theaters are one of the most sought-after amenities among luxury homebuyers.

Meditation Room

Feel like you need to find your zen? A private space for meditation could be in order.

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If youre like most people, you have probably accumulated numerous sheet sets, blankets and towels over the years, causing your linen closet to be disorganized and cluttered. Here are some tips to help you simplify and create an organizational system that works.

Get Rid of Things You Dont Use

You may have old towels that you only keep because they were given to you as a gift or sheets that your adult children had when they were in elementary school. Cut through the clutter and donate items you no longer use.

Create an Organizational System That Works for Your Family
You may want to designate one section for each persons linens, or you may want to put all the queen-sized sheets on one shelf and all the twin-sized sheets on another. You may choose to sort towels by size and color, or you may have different sets for each bathroom and store them in different areas.

Dividers can keep linens separate and prevent stacks from falling over. You can also use boxes, storage bins or baskets to separate linens. When shopping for containers, think about the height and width of your closet shelves and what you want to store on each shelf so you can choose containers that will allow you to make the best use of the space available. Label containers so that you, other family members and guests can easily find what they need and assure that whoever puts away linens, puts them in the appropriate places.

If you struggle to find sheets and pillowcases that are part of a set, there is an easy way to organize them. Fold sheets and pillowcases that belong to one set and insert them into a pillowcase that is a member of the same set. When you need linens, you will be able to reach for a bundle and know that you have a complete, matching set.

Keep commonly used items front and center. Store less frequently used linens on higher shelves or toward the back of the closet.

Protect Your Linens
Some materials used to make closet shelves can damage linens or cause them to fade. Look for shelf liners to prevent damage. Clean the shelves with a damp sponge or cloth and let them dry completely before lining them. You may also want to use cedar to protect your belongings from moths and baking soda or a lavender sachet to prevent odors.

Look for Ways to Save Space
Folding linens is not always the best way to store them. If youre tight on space, rolling towels may be a good alternative.

For large, bulky items, such as comforters, invest in some space-saving bags. You can put large items in a bag, seal it and use a vacuum cleaner to remove the air and compress the bag into a flat unit.

Use space on the door to store items that dont fit on shelves. You can look for fixtures to hang your ironing board and iron, tablecloths or toiletries.

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If you need more living space and you dont want to move, you have two options: you can remodel or build an addition. Each may have advantages and disadvantages, depending on the circumstances.

Pros and Cons of Remodeling
Remodeling your homes interior can be a good choice in some cases. For example, you might be able to renovate the basement or attic to have a guest room or family room for a fraction of what it would cost to build an addition.

If the interior of your house is outdated, remodeling and updating it would make more sense than building an addition. If you had a house with one new section and another that was outdated, it would seem disjointed and could be hard to sell in the future.

If your house is currently divided into rooms that are too small, or if the layout doesnt work for your familys lifestyle, remodeling could help you make better use of the space without increasing your homes footprint. For instance, if you need more space in the kitchen, you might be able to work with a contractor to figure out a way to add more room for cooking, storage or seating. You might be able to change the layout of the room or take some space from an adjacent room or closet instead of increasing the overall size of the house.

Benefits and Downsides of Building an Addition
When you bought your home, you had to figure out how to use the houses existing design to suit your familys needs. If you built an addition, you and your family would be able to discuss how to design the space in a way that is perfectly suited to each of your needs.

Additions are expensive. Even adding one room could cost more than you might expect. If you built an addition and sold your house several years later, you may or may not recoup your investment.

Building an addition would increase other costs. You would have to pay for more electricity, heating, air conditioning and property taxes.

If you built an addition that increased your homes footprint, you would lose yard space. If you have a huge yard or you dont have young kids, that might not be a problem, although potential buyers might not be interested in a big house with a small yard. To increase the size of your house without giving up valuable yard space, you could add another story.

What Should You Do?
It can be difficult to figure out the best way to change the layout of your home and to have more usable space. There is no right or wrong answer since each house is different and your familys needs are unique. Talk to a contractor about design options and ask a real estate agent how changes might affect your property taxes and your homes value.

Published with permission from RISMedia.