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<\/h2>\nHello, friends.\u00a0 I wasn’t sure which headline to use for today’s post, and the one we ended up using might not be the right way to say what we are going to talk about today.\u00a0 While remodeling our new place, Mike and I have added some upgrades and\/or conveniences that will make living in our home easier and more efficient.\u00a0 Some are simple, and some are more complicated. Each of them can be installed in a home that already exists without tearing out drywall or creating a big ole mess.\u00a0 You don’t have to do a new build or a remodel to install these conveniences. \u00a0 I don’t have actual photos to show you yet so I will borrow some from the internet.<\/p>\n
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<\/h2>\n(source<\/a>)<\/p>\n Central Vac – We have had a central vacuum system in each of our homes for the last 30 years.\u00a0 One was a new build and three were remodels.\u00a0 Somehow the professionals who install the pipes and hoses can work within the existing walls.\u00a0 Although the new system in this house cannot be completed until the drywall in the new addition is sanded and painted which will happen this week, everything that can be done has been done. So, we are waiting a few more days on that.\u00a0 Today I cleaned the new Carrier air conditioner system on the third floor with a traditional vacuum, and then I decided to use it on the floors.\u00a0 I used an old vacuum that my husband had stored away in one of his commercial buildings.\u00a0 After that work-out, I was glad we have a central vac.<\/p>\n Water softener – A water softener is another convenience we have had for most of our marriage.\u00a0 Mike grew up with one in his home in Indiana, and he loved the way the water felt when he took a shower.\u00a0 I love that we only have to use half the amount of recommended detergent when doing laundry.\u00a0 The same goes for shampoo, dish detergent, body wash, and hand soap.\u00a0 My hair and skin love it, and I can really see a difference when we travel and don’t have soft water.\u00a0 It also eliminates most of the water spots on the shower doors, faucets, too.\u00a0 It also eliminates spots that can appear on glasses and dishes after they have been in the dishwasher.<\/p>\n Water purifier – Even though Lexington has good water, we also have a water purifying system for our drinking water.\u00a0 The biggest difference I see in having a water purifier is that there isn’t a mineral build-up on anything.\u00a0 When we were living in the apartment during the remodel, we did not have a water purifier. I noticed that there were mineral deposits on the coffee maker, and my hot tea wasn’t as tasty even though I was using this same brand (available here<\/a>) that I have loved for years.<\/p>\n (source)<\/a><\/p>\n Ring door bell – We are having a security system installed here, and part of that system will be a Ring door bell.\u00a0 This is an added security measure that any home can have even if you don’t have a security system.\u00a0 It is a camera that is mounted over the door, and it is monitored with a smart phone app.\u00a0 You can be anywhere in the world, and if your door bell rings, you can see who it is and you can talk to them.\u00a0 It also records activity, so that if there is someone prowling around your home in the middle of the night, your phone will have a recording that you can show the police.\u00a0 You can purchase a Ring door bell here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Instant hot water heater – We first had an instant hot water heater when we lived in Switzerland as newlyweds.\u00a0 Mike played professional basketball there, and our apartment had this type of water heater.\u00a0 (The Europeans are far ahead of us on energy efficiency.)\u00a0 An instant hot water heater heats water when you need it.\u00a0 Therefore, you are not wasting energy heating a 20 or 30 gallon tank all of the time.\u00a0 Right now we are living on just the third floor of our new place, and the water heater is in the basement.\u00a0 Within second we have hot water when we turn on the faucet because the system has a circulating pump.\u00a0 It also is a space saver.\u00a0 Our instant hot water heater hangs on the wall and is a rectangle that measures about 1 1\/2 feet by 2 feet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Granted, these things aren’t going to get compliments.\u00a0 It’s much more fun to spend money on furniture, art, lamps, rugs, accessories, etc.\u00a0 That being said, these are some helpers that will help you enjoy living in your home even more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Take care.<\/p>\n Affiliate links used.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello, friends.\u00a0 I wasn’t sure which headline to use for today’s post, and the one we ended up using might not be the right way to say what we are going to talk about today.\u00a0 While remodeling our new place, Mike and I have added some upgrades and\/or conveniences that will make living in our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39587"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39587"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39594,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39587\/revisions\/39594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Upgrade #1<\/h2>\n
Upgrade #2<\/h2>\n
Upgrade #3<\/h2>\n
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<\/h2>\nUpgrade #4<\/h2>\n
Upgrade #5<\/h2>\n