| How to Handle Roof Runoff Without Gutters Posted: 10 Jan 2021 04:00 PM PST Diverting water away from your home's foundation is key to avoiding erosion over time. However, traditional gutters get clogged a lot, and they don't look super pretty, either. If you're looking for a different solution for your home, you have a few different options to choose from to deal with your roof runoff. Make sure that all of your water is running off and away from your foundation to keep your home in perfect shape. [Edit]Louver system - Try a louver system if you have an overhanging roof. These metal sheets have divots in them that collect water and direct it away from your home. Attach these directly to the siding of your house just underneath your roof, then watch as the rain droplets get pushed out and away from your foundation.[1]
- These systems are nice because they can't clog up with leaves or debris like classic gutters do.
- They're also unique to the shape of your home, so you can make them fit any way you'd like.
- However, they can make puddles around your house if you aren't careful.
[Edit]Drip edge - Use drip edges if your home is still in the construction phase. These flat sheets of metal sit under your shingles to fling rain water out and away from your house. Slide these long pieces of metal under the first row of shingles on your home, then attach them with nails and roofing cement.[2]
- The materials for a drip edge are usually pretty cheap, but the cost of labor can vary greatly.
- Drip edges can be a little tough to install if your house is already fully built. However, you can hire a professional to do it for you.
- You can use drip edges in addition to gutters if you already have them, or you can use them as a replacement.
- Drip edges also help seal any gaps in your roof so small animals can't get cozy in your attic.
[Edit]Rain chains - Divert your water with a rain chain if you have a grassy area nearby. Rain chains can be made of copper or aluminum, and they're usually long, chain-like structures as tall as your home. Hook a metal rain chain onto the side of your home where the water collects the most. As it rains, the water will run down the chain and into the grassy or planted area at the end of the chain.[3]
- Rain chains usually cost about $40 to $50 depending on which metal you choose.[4]
- If you have a large roof, you may need more than one rain chain.
- If you get a lot of freezing weather, stay away from rain chains. The heavy ice can do damage to your gutters.
[Edit]French drain - French drains are perfect if your home sits in a dip or a valley. These long stone pathways will carry the water out and away from your home's foundation. Dig a trench on a slope away from your home, then fill it with stone and line it with a pipe.[5]
- The price of a French drain varies, but it usually costs between $2,000 and $3,000 for a full installation.[6]
- You may need a professional to help with installation. French drains must be installed properly, otherwise, they won't work.
- You can disguise French drains with gravel and plants so they add to your yard instead of taking away from it.
[Edit]Drip path - This system works best if you have an overhang around your whole house. Spend an afternoon figuring out where the water naturally runs off your roof and onto the ground. Dig a trench around all 4 sides of your home that's wide and deep, then fill it with non-woven geotextile fabric and crushed stone for an attractive way to collect water.[7]
- The costs for a drip path vary greatly depending on the size of your home and your chosen materials.
- The stones and fabric will collect the water so that it doesn't damage your foundation.
- However, the path must be installed correctly to ensure it absorbs enough water. Otherwise, you could do damage to your home.
- You can also add small plants or shrubs to the path to make it look more attractive.
[Edit]Grading - Try grading if you have a large plot of land to work with. Use a rototiller to make sure that the land around your home drops for every around your house. This will carry the water away from your home and foundation.[8]
- The price of grading depends on your contractor and the size of your yard. Typically, you should expect to spend around $2,500.[9]
- Grading is hard to do on your own, and you may need a professional to ensure that it's done properly.
- Grading can tear up a lot of your landscape, so don't go for this option if you're attached to your yard.
[Edit]Channel drain - Channel drains work best on flat surfaces, like driveways, walkways, or concrete paths. These metal grates sit in the divots near your home to collect water as it runs off your property. Situate the drain at a diagonal, then pour concrete around it to keep it in place. Attach a pipe under the ground to carry the standing water away from your home.[10]
- Channel drain materials are pretty cheap (usually around $300), but the installation costs can vary.[11]
- You can attach a channel drain to a French drain to carry the water away easily.
- Channel drains may need a professional installation if you aren't comfortable installing pipes underground on your own.
[Edit]Built-in gutters - If you don't have overhangs on your roof, built-in gutters are an option. These gutters sit flush with your roof and don't have openings for leaf litter or debris to get in. Attach the gutters to your roof and make sure they're flush with the surface of your home.[12]
- The materials for built-in gutters usually cost around $50 per square foot.[13]
- Always get an experienced roofer to install built-in gutters. They take a little more installation than normal gutters do, so they need an expert.
- Built-in gutters can also be tough to maintain. If you decide to go this route, prepare to spend extra money on them throughout the years.
[Edit]Rain garden - Use this garden in conjunction with another gutter replacement. Pick a spot in your yard that's on a downward slope or at the bottom of a hill. Fill the area with wetland plants that will soak up water as your rain runoff rolls down the hill.[14]
- Typical rain gardens are connected to a downspout, but you can divert a drip path, a rain chain, or a french drain to them instead.[15]
- The price of a rain garden depends on how large of an area you're working with and how many plants you purchase.
- It's super important that your rain garden is on a downward slope so that the water doesn't run back into your foundation.
- The plants you need depend on the area that you live in. In general, swamp and wetland plants do well in rain gardens, while desert plants do not.
- If you have any questions, consult a professional before starting your project.
[Edit]Warnings - Water can cause a lot of damage to your home's foundation. Whatever you choose, make sure the water is diverting away from your home to avoid erosion.
[Edit]References |
| How to Adjust Contrast in Windows 10 Posted: 10 Jan 2021 08:00 AM PST This wikiHow will teach you how to adjust contrast in Windows 10 using high contrast mode. If you have low vision, enabling high contrast mode in Windows 10 is a simple and quick fix to adjust the colors everywhere on your computer. However, most standalone monitors, like LCD monitors, have a separate setting or button on them for adjusting and most laptops have display settings that will tune contrasting more minutely, like a graphics driver, which you could find by right-clicking your desktop. - Press . By pressing the Win and i keys together, you'll open the Settings menu. You can also open Settings by clicking the Windows logo in the taskbar and clicking the gear icon.
- Click . It's near the bottom of the menu next to a dotted line icon of a clock.
- Click . You'll see this in the vertical menu on the left side of the window.
- Click the switch to toggle it on or off under "Use high contrast." You may need to wait a moment if you're enabling high contrast for Windows to ready the color change.
- If you don't like the default high contrast theme, you can select from the preselected themes in the drop-box listed under the header "Choose a theme." You can change the colors of various screen elements by clicking the colored rectangle next to the element's identifier. For example, if you don't like the hyperlinked text to appear in blue, click the blue box, select a new color, click Done, and then click Apply.
- If you have a default high contrast theme that you like, you can quickly enable high contrast by pressing the left and .[1]
- Some Windows 10 computers and graphics drivers (like computers run by an Intel graphics card) pop up with a menu when you right-click the desktop. Select Graphics Properties and then Display. You'll see Color Settings in the vertical menu on the left side of the Intel Graphics Control Panel window as well as a slider next to Contrast that you can drag left and right to change the color contrast. When you're happy with the change, click Apply. If you don't like the change, click Restore Defaults and close the window.[2]
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Lower Shipping Costs Posted: 10 Jan 2021 12:00 AM PST No one likes to be surprised with outrageous shipping fees while they're at a post office or shipping center. Unfortunately, a lot of different factors can lead to high shipping costs, like bulky packaging and long shipping distances. Don't worry—there are a lot of easy hacks and tricks that may save you a bit of money on your next trip to the post office. [Edit]Take advantage of discounted shipping rates. - Compare rates with different shipping groups and see if you qualify for a discount. Some shipping groups offer special discounts for shipping certain kinds of items, which may save you a little bit of money in the long run.[1] Other shipping services offer association discounts—if you're working with a larger company, you might qualify for a pretty hefty discount on your shipping.[2]
- For instance, some larger businesses can get up to half off on shipping costs with some big-name shipping companies, like UPS or FedEx.
- Some groups, like USPS, will discount your shipping if you're mailing DVDs, CDs, or books.[3]
[Edit]Double-check for unwanted fees. - Some companies will charge extra, depending on when and where you're shipping. Be on the lookout for extra costs like Saturday delivery, or extra fees for delivery signatures. Some shipping groups also charge extra to ship to residential neighborhoods. If you're noticing a lot of these fees with a certain shipping group, you may want to take your business elsewhere.[4]
- Some groups might charge extra for fuel surcharges.
[Edit]Scope out third-party companies for shipping insurance. - Don't buy insurance with your default shipping company. A lot of times, big-name shipping companies charge more for shipping insurance, which can hurt your wallet in the long run. Instead, browse online for different types of shipping insurances. Choose a plan with a third-party company—chances are, this won't cost nearly as much.[5]
- Companies like Cabrella and Shipsurance are examples of third-party companies.
[Edit]Sign up for prepaid shipping. - Use prepaid shipping if you're mailing the same types of items out. Prepaid shipping can save you up to 20% on shipping costs, depending on which company you're working with. This is a great option if you tend to mail out the same types of packages frequently. Instead of paying at the shipping center, print out the label and tape it to your package ahead of time.[6]
- For example, if you run a small craft business from home, you could really benefit from prepaid shipping.
- With prepaid shipping, you'll need to buy shipping labels in bulk instead of buying them for each individual package.
[Edit]Use poly mailers instead of traditional boxes. - Stick your item into a poly mailer and see if it fits. Believe it or not, boxes aren't always the best shipping option for your wares—in fact, they tend to jack up your shipping rates a lot. Pick out an envelope, instead. You might be surprised at how much you can fit in a single poly mailer![7]
[Edit]Opt for hybrid shipping services. - Look into companies that offer to be the layperson between larger groups. Services like SmartPost and SurePost act as a liaison between big groups—by doing this, they can shave some money off the original shipping cost for you.[8] Essentially, hybrid services will take the packages directly from your location and bring them to the post office, which will then ship the package.[9]
- Since there are a few extra steps involved, hybrid shipping services are a little slower than traditional shipping.
- For example, SurePost is a hybrid service run by UPS, and SmartPost is run by FedEx.
[Edit]Negotiate with different companies. - Don't settle for a shipping service right away. Call up different groups and let them know what you're trying to ship, and what your budget is. Ask if they can give you any wiggle room—depending on your situation, some shipping groups might offer lower rates.[10]
- It's a lot easier to negotiate if you plan on shipping a lot of packages at once. If you're only shipping a couple of items, you probably won't be able to negotiate a lower price.
[Edit]Charge the customer for the full shipping price. - It can be easy to overlook some extra shipping costs. Double-check your invoice before you send it out to the customer. Some carriers tack on extra costs to their shipping services, like fuel surcharges and delivery fees. Include all of those costs in the final invoice that you give the customer, so you don't end up paying extra for shipping.[11]
[Edit]Save money by shipping online. - Check if your main shipping group offers an online shipping service. Some organizations offer discounts when you place your shipping orders online. Certain groups offer anywhere from 16 to 60% off your total shipping cost![12]
- For example, USPS offers a free pick-up service and other handy services when you use online shipping.
[Edit]Work with a regional carrier. - Search for local shipping groups in your area. National postal and shipping groups definitely get the job done, but they might be more expensive than your local options. Check online to see if there are any shipping businesses in your area. They might have cheaper rates than the bigger companies![13]
[Edit]Use flat-rate boxes for heavy items. - Don't use your own packaging for bulky wares. Instead, ask your local post office or shipping center if they carry flat-rate boxes—these are packages that have a default rate, instead of being charged by weight. If your package is really heavy, you might be able to save a good chunk of money with flat-rate boxes.[14]
- Flat-rate boxes aren't necessarily the best solution for lightweight parcels. If your package weighs less than , ask if you can ship it in a regional rate box instead—these are boxes designed for traveling a short distance, instead of being shipped cross-country or internationally.
[Edit]Ask your carrier for free packaging. - Some big-name shipping groups will let you package your items for free. Stop by your local post office or shipping center and let them know what you're planning to ship, and where you're expecting to ship it. They can let you know what sorts of packaging supplies are available to you.[15]
- For instance, some places let you package your items for free in a flat-rate box.
[Edit]Decrease the package dimensions. - See if your package will fit in a smaller box before you ship it. Package dimensions play a big role in your shipping costs—generally, the larger the box is, the higher your price will be. If your current package has a lot of wiggle room, grab a smaller box and see if you can save some space. You might be able to save some money that way![16]
- If you're a small business owner, ask local customers to pick up their packages directly.[17]
[Edit]Warnings - Don't use your own packaging to ship items. Unfortunately, bulky boxes can add "dimensional" fees to your shipping, which can really jack up the price.[18]
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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