It’s a simple fact: To stop cold air from entering your house or warm air from escaping, caulk the windows. It’s one of the best bangs for your buck to conserve energy because it is easy to do and the material and tools are inexpensive. All you need is a cartridge of good quality caulk and a metal caulk gun to apply it.
Once you use a caulk gun a few times, it’s easy to operate, but it can look intimidating at first. You put the cartridge into the gun, puncture the caulk tube with a utility knife or nail, pull the trigger of the gun and caulk squeezes out of the tube nozzle. The flow of caulk stops when you stop squeezing the trigger. You won’t find a better do-it-yourself project for a beginner than this one because you’ll learn an on-the-job skill you’ll use many times in your life as a homeowner.
A handyman will charge $153 to caulk six average size double-hung windows, which includes the labor and material. You can do the job for $65, the cost of a caulk gun and 12 cartridges of caulk. You’ll need a ladder to reach windows on the first floor and an extension ladder for ones on the second floor.
Read more at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/sns-201310071200–tms–doityrslmsdiy-b20131014-20131014,0,5876544.story
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Green Real Estate Appraiser 