The House Plan Shop Blog

This week is fire prevention week. The House Plan Shop has some safety tips to share with you helping to protect you, your family, your home and your pets from potential. Be smart and follow fire prevention practices.

1.    Install and Maintain Smoke Detectors: Smoke detectors are an important tool in helping save lives in home fires. Install them on every floor of your home and right outside the sleeping areas. Install the smoke detectors according to the manufacturer’s directions and test them on a weekly basis. Batteries should be replaced two times a year. A good rule of thumb is to replace batteries when daylight savings time begins and ends (each time you set your clocks back or forward one hour.) Also replace batteries when the smoke detector chirps signaling the battery is dead. Never remove batteries from the detectors or disconnect them.

2.    Create an Escape Plan for Your Family and Practice: When a fire breaks out in your home it is necessary to get out fast. Spend time with the entire family planning two ways to get out of every room in the event of a home fire. Decide on a meeting place outside of the home whether it is a neighbor’s driveway or the bus stop on the corner and instruct the entire family to meet at the designated place should a home fire occur. Once you are out of the house, DO NOT go back inside. Practice your escape plan with the whole family at least twice a year.

3.    Get a Fire Extinguisher and Know How to Use It: Purchase a fire extinguisher for home use and learn how to use it. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Sometimes, in the event of a small fire, having and using a fire extinguisher can make a huge difference in saving your home and belongings until the fire department arrives. (Note: Do not expect a fire extinguisher to put out large house fires. Instead, exit the building immediately and wait for the fire department.) If you have a large house with multiple levels, you might consider having a fire extinguisher on each level. Put it/them in places that are easy to access but out of reach of small children.

4.    Know and Practice the STOP, DROP and ROLL Rule: This is a simple rule even small children can learn. If your clothes or body catch on fire, do not run. Stop where you are, drop to the floor and roll over and over to smother the flames. Cover your face with your hands to protect it and help prevent smoke inhalation or lung damage.  

5.    Crawl Low Below Smoke: If you should encounter smoke using your primary exit route in the event of a fire, use your alternate route instead. If you must move through smoke to exit, get down on your hands and knees and crawl to the exit. Clean air will be several inches off the floor. 

Following these fire safety practices will increase your chances of escaping death or injury in a fire. Look for more information about fire safety and prevention in another upcoming blog.

Tags: fire prevention, fire prevention week, fire safety, fire safety tips, home fires, house fires

October 3-9 is 2010’s Fire Prevention Week. The House Plan Shop is doing our part to raise awareness about fire safety. Below is a list of facts about home fires and smoke alarms as reported by the National Fire Prevention Association.

·         Cooking is the leading cause of house fires and injuries.

·         Working smoke alarms cut the risk of death in a reported fire by 50%.

·         Approximately 75% of all homes in the United States have at least one working smoke alarm.

·         Nearly 3000 people die in the US every year in home fires.

·         Smoking is the #1 cause of fire deaths.

·         Heating is the second leading cause of house fires.

·         Between 2003-2006, nearly 66% of home fire deaths resulted from home fires in homes that did not have a smoke alarm or did not have a working smoke alarm.

·         Electrical malfunctions and failures are factors in nearly 50,000 reported fires every year.

·         According to a 2008 survey, only 12% of participants knew smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.

·         In 2008, someone was injured in a reported home fire every 40 minutes.

·         In 2008, approximately eight people died in home fires every day.

·         In 2008, a fire department responded to a home fire every 82 seconds.

Keeping these stunning facts in mind, it is time to practice fire prevention at home. Watch for our upcoming blog about fire prevention and fire safety at home. We don’t want you, your family or your home to become another statistic on this list.

Tags: fire prevention, fire prevention week, fire safety, home fires, Home Safety, house fires, smoke alarms, smoke detectors

Want a way to add value to your home and actually enjoy it? Consider building a deck. A deck is a very versatile addition to any house. It can be used for grilling and outdoor dining, entertaining friends, stargazing, observing nature and just plain relaxing! Furthermore, a deck can be covered providing shade or it can be open for those who love the sun. You may wish to hire an experienced professional such as a builder, contractor, carpenter or remodeler to build a custom deck for you, or you might decide to tackle the project on your own. Either way, building a deck can be rewarding. Working with a professional will ensure custom touches that you might not be able to create, build or accomplish on your own, while building the deck yourself can be rewarding and offer the satisfaction of completing the job. If you do decide to build the deck on your own, consider purchasing a woodworking or deck plan. They are available online in a variety of sizes ranging from a basic platform with railing to more detailed deck designs that might include built-in wooded benches for seating, plant shelves, a built-in barbecue area or even a hot tub. No matter which route you take, you’ll be pleased with the new deck you can enjoy year-round and feel confident that you have just added value to your home.

Tags: add value to your home, building a deck, decks, home addition, Outdoor Living, outdoor living spaces

Man caves are becoming popular. We are hearing the used more and more on TV and in everyday conversation. So what is a man cave? A man cave is a designated area of the house such as a room in the basement, the garage, a workshop or a bonus room where a man can go to be alone or socialize with friends without disturbing the rest of the home. Some guys decorate their man caves with sports memorabilia, street signs, model cars and planes or other “guy related” items. Furthermore, it is becoming more popular to outfit man caves with big TVs, good sound systems, comfortable seating, and perhaps and fridge or wet bar. Guys use their man caves for relaxing alone, holding poker parties with buddies or watching football and other big games with friends. Now that it’s football season, there is no doubt some guys will be spending extra time in the their man caves.

Check out photos and a video of some of St. Louis’s ultimate man caves.

Tags: basement room, garage, guy space, man cave, man caves, workshop

The popular TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is returning to Nashville. A pep rally was held today for area residents kicking off the construction of two new homes for local families. The rumor is, the homes will be built for families who lost everything they had in the recent floods in Tennessee. This is a great way for area residents and volunteers to help their neighbors and support one another during a difficult time. And an added bonus….the possibility of one of country music’s hottest dropping by to pitch in or entertain the volunteers.

Find out more here.

Tags: building new homes, construction, extreme makeover, pep rally