February 15, 2016

It’s that time of year when you think about getting organized for a fresh new start. But how many times have you thought about finally clearing out your closet, decided it’s just too overwhelming, and simply shut the door only to think about it later?

“Let’s face it, most of us put cleaning out and organizing our closets at the top of our New Year’s resolutions’ list every single year,” said Barbara Reich, professional organizer. “But how many of us just think about it without actually doing it? To get serious and take action, you need a plan of attack.”...

February 10, 2016

The services offered by your local locksmith aren’t what most people usually commit to memory. But when you need a local locksmith, you can rest assured that having a little knowledge in advance is a good thing. It’s a good idea not only to know what your local locksmith can do, but to meet and decide on which locksmith you might use well in advance of an emergency. 

Jobs That a Local Locksmith Should be Able to Handle

• Installing new locks in your home. You may be looking for the services of a lock locksmith at 2 a.m. after you discover that the front door lock has been picked or kicked in. A local locksmith can install new locks in one door or throughout your house. The procedure can involve new locksets, or keep the old hardware and remove and replace the old cylinder and tumbler so that a new key is needed to open the lock.

• Key cutting. Another service that may become necessary at odd hours of the day or night. A locksmith can make a copy of the lock for your home or car and then use that copy to cut as many keys as you need. This is a great service when you discover you’ve lost your keys.

• Lock repair. Locks need to be replaced over time, along with just about everything else that’s mechanical. At some point, your key may get stuck in the lock or no longer open the door. Locksmiths can not only get you inside your home, but repair the lock so that you can sleep soundly.

Choose a Local Locksmith Before an Emergency

This is a great idea for a couple of reasons. First, you can take the time needed to talk to and compare the local locksmiths in town to see which you prefer. Then, when you need a local locksmith, you know something about who you are calling. That is certainly not the case of an emergency when you are willing to call anyone who might come to address your problem. The second reason is that you can get an idea of the services and prices offered by the locksmith so that you won’t get taken advantage of during an emergency at 3 in the morning. Novelle Home Improvement offers 24-hour emergency services including locksmithing services.

January 14, 2016

Novelle Home Improvement has renovated its website. Feel free to roam around and learn more about what who we are and the services we provide. 

January 15, 2016

Some kitchen design trends fade as quickly as they come in — tile countertops, naked windows or avocado-hued appliances may come to mind. Other trends, however, are so deeply rooted in good design that they’re destined to become timeless style statements — and enhance your kitchen with a look you’ll love as much in a decade as you do the first moment you see it.

January 14, 2016

Sometime a lock replacement may seem like the best option for a home owner. But most security experts will tell you that replacing an entire lock is not always necessary. Many locks can be re-keyed, offering the same security upgrade for less money!

When to Consider Lock Replacement or a New Key

• Moving to a new house. This is a pretty obvious situation. You are moving into a home where copies of keys may have been distributed over the years and some copies may have been surreptitiously made – whether by family members for boyfriends or girlfriends or by unscrupulous people who had access to your home. Don’t think when you get a couple of pairs of keys from the old homeowner that you have anywhere even close to the whole universe of keys to the house.

• A break-in. Most people will change out at least their keys, and often the entire locks, if they have been the victim of a burglary. That is particularly the case if the burglar got in without forced entry. Was the door open or did the intruder somehow have a key? Crime statistics show that a good portion of the nearly 40 percent of burglaries that gain entrance through a door do not involve forced entry.

• Lost or stolen keys. If a set of keys to the house is lost, the first assumption should be that someone who wants to gain access to your home has the keys. Of course, that is often not the case. But security experts preach being prepared, and it makes no sense to take the risk that no one who may find the keys can even tie them to your home.

Time for a Lock Replacement?

While experts say re-keyed locks provide the same security as new locks for much less money, there are situations when it makes sense to go with lock replacement instead of making new keys.

• Upgrade locks. If you decide you want to go from a single cylinder to double cylinder lock or to switch out complete for a more secure mortise lock, that’s a situation where total lock replacement is the only way to go. 

• Fault locks. If you find that your key catches frequently in the lock and a locksmith is unable to clean the lock to solve the problem, or other difficulties arise with your current lock, then getting a new key isn’t going to help the problem. The source of the problem is the lock and only a lock replacement will ensure a fully-functioning lock for your door.