Good weekend for fall home improvement

Special editions editor Jeremy Blomstedt has been busy putting together today's Fall Home Improvement edition, and we think you'll get some great tips to help plan your next project. There's a personal touch in the edition; Jeremy uses photos of his father's decades-long improvement of the family home in Palisade as the centerpiece of the edition.

If today's dreary cold, wet weather doesn't get you in the mind to think about improving your shelter, we don't know what will.

The weather promises to warm up this weekend, which will be a good time to check out your home's readiness for winter.

Before you break out the caulk and weather stripping, however, make sure you have adequate controlled ventilation to prevent trapping indoor pollutants such as dust, mold, carbon dioxide and other indoor contaminants.

Once that's taken care of, check for air leaks in places like between the chimney and siding, door and window frames, mail chutes, electrical and gas service entrances, cable TV and phone lines, outdoor water faucets, dryer vents, bricks, siding, stucco, foundation, air conditioners, vents and fans.

Federal energy experts suggest depressurizing your home to detect leaks. On a cool, windy day, shut off the furnace and turn on all vents that blow air outside. Light an incense stick and pass it around the edges of common leak sites. When the smoke is sucked out of or blown into a room, there's a draft.

Or just turn on all your exhaust fans (don't need to turn off the furnace) and try one of these methods:

At night, shine a flashlight over all potential gaps while a partner observes the house from outside. Large cracks will show up as rays of light, but it's not a good way to detect small cracks.

Shut a door or window on a piece of paper. If you can pull it out without tearing, you're losing energy.

Once you've found the leaks, get out the caulk and weather stripping to seal up the drafts.

To do a good job, clean all areas to be caulked, using a putty knife or large screwdriver. Make sure the area is dry so you won't seal in any moisture.

Hold the gun at a consistant 45-degree angle to get deep into the crack. Caulk in one straight continuous stream if possible; avoiding stops and starts. Don't skimp; if the caulk oozes out of a crack, use a putty knife to push it back in.

Use spray foam to seal up larger openings, or apply the proper weather stripping where appropriate.

Seek the advice of professionals at your local hardware store or lumberyard, or do online research.

One good site is http://www.energysavers.gov.

With energy costs of all types going up, a little effort now will pay off big over the coming months.