Ever walked out of your house and locked the door, only to realize that you left your keys inside? Hiding a spare key comes in handy in such cases, and can save you the cost of having to call a locksmith. But where are good hiding places for a key that would be well-hidden and not leave your house vulnerable to being burglarized?

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Locksmiths recommend some of the best places and warn against some of the worst places to hide a key.

Best Hiding Places

1. Buried –

If you have a regularly dug up dirt area, put your key in a small, water-tight jar and put it underground or under the mulch.  Just make sure all the ground in the area looks the same and don’t forget where you put it.

2. Inside a combination lockbox –

Anyone who will take the time to bust open your lockbox would simply bust through the window or door anyhow, so this is a good way to deter those who are not so motivated to rob that they don’t care about noise.

3. In the backyard –

Choose a place that is far from the back door.  Stand there and ask yourself where you would look for a key, then put it somewhere else.

4. In the dog house –

If you have a guard dog, this is especially effective.

5. With a neighbor –

This is one of the best ideas.   More than likely they will be home late at night when you arrive.

When hiding a key, don’t make it easy for burglars to find it. It should be somewhere that you will easily remember where it is, even if you don’t use it until months or years later, but not some place too obvious where someone else could readily find it or come across it accidentally. Make sure when you do need to use it that you put it back right away, so you don’t forget.

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Worst Hiding Places

1. Under the doormat –

The first place they look should be the last place you hide a key.  It’s been in too many movies.

2. Under a potted plant or planter-

– Yes, that’s the second place.

3. Mailbox or under a windowsill –

The mailbox is going to be looked in, some time or other, and nimble fingers will feel all along the house near the door, hoping you didn’t want to get your shoes wet if you lost your key on a rainy night.

4. Anywhere within ten feet of the door it opens –

Farther away than ten feet will give your own personal thief too much to do.  He’ll move on to easier pickings.

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5. A faux rock (especially if it looks pretty fake, or you don’t have other rocks around in your yard) –

As a rule, do not buy anything that is sold for the purpose of hiding a key.  Burglars have seen all the commercials as well.  They’ve likely studied them.

These are common areas that burglars will check when attempting to break in. If one can be original in choosing a hiding place, then burglars will be less likely to find it.

Having a spare key hidden somewhere can save time and frustration, as long as you find a suitable hiding place. Keep it simple enough to remember, but difficult for others to guess. Check every so often to make sure the key is still there and in good shape. Then the next time you accidentally lock yourself out, you will be able to quickly get back in.

Meg Jones works with an emergency locksmith service in Toronto, ON.  Security issues such as losing a key can become life-threatening in very cold winter climates.  Keep yours safe and readily available.

For more outdoor home ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

No matter how good you are at tackling DIY projects around the house, nearly everyone has limits when it comes to home repair and upgrades. So at some point you may find that you need to hire a contractor in order to get some major renovations completed. Although finding such a professional can be as easy as hauling out the yellow pages or perusing local directories online, these research methods won’t tell you anything about whether or not a contractor is qualified and able to handle your particular project, or if they will do a good job. So here are just a few tips to help you avoid hiring a contractor that is nothing but trouble.

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Your first step is to get referrals

This requires some legwork on your part as you’ll have to approach family members, friends, and trusted colleagues to discuss their contracting experiences. But considering that it could deliver on a fantastic service provider it’s well worth the effort you’ll put in up front. So start asking everyone you know about their prior experiences with contractors. Although many people will have horror stories to tell about contractors upping the cost midway through a job, tacking on extra fees, or outright disappearing and leaving a job only partially finished, you’ll probably find a few who can’t stop raving about the incredible prices and service they received from a contractor.

The trick here is to take a positive referral with a grain of salt and temper your expectations. Keep in mind that the job a contractor performed for a friend could be night and day when compared to what you want done. Most contractors are fairly versatile and cover a wide range of renovating services (or hire a crew of specialists to make sure the job gets done right), but still they may not be familiar with the particular renovations you’re seeking. Even if they can offer you the same great prices and speedy, caring service that your friends received, they may not be able to give you exactly what you want.

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Try to get several bids

You can likely secure a load of referrals from many trusted sources of such information in your life, but ultimately you’re the one who has to be comfortable with a contractor (not to mention confident in his abilities to deliver). Along those lines you should ascertain a couple of things at the outset. First, can your contractor work within your budget? Will he offer you alternatives to help you save money whenever possible (even if it means he loses a little bit in the process)? If he exceeds his schedule, are there consequences (like further savings to you)? Does he have his own liability insurance to cover himself and his crew in your home (and can he provide proof of this so you don’t have to worry about small claims court down the road when a laborer breaks his thumb with a poorly-aimed hammer).

And of course, you must ask if he is licensed and make sure to sign a contract stating that he will be liable should you have to redo any of his work at a later date due to code-related issues. In fact, a contract in general is a good idea to ensure that you have some legal recourse should he bail on your project. Finally, make sure that the payment structure is beneficial, including milestones, and that you don’t pay in full until the project is complete.

For more home renovation ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Do you believe in Feng Shui? It is “An ancient Chinese system of designing buildings and space arrangement according to special rules about the flow of energy, aimed at achieving harmony with the environment.”.. Wiktionary definition.

Do you ever wonder if you have good feng shui practices in your kitchen?  I found this interesting article and video on determining if your kitchen has them.  You never know, with these few simple tips, you might notice a whole different experience in your kitchen.. it just might flow into other areas of your home!  Just a tip.. did you know your kitchen is a symbol of wealth? .. HA! You better keep reading!

This About.com article simplifies the basics of good feng shui practices in your kitchen.

For good feng shui, it is best not to have your kitchen close to the main door or to the back door, where the energy can easily escape.
The food you eat gives you energy. For this energy to be of high and healing quality, the food needs to be prepared in a harmonious and well-organized kitchen with a balanced flow of Chi,or feng shui energy.

As we constantly exchange energy with our surroundings, a good feng shui kitchen leads to a good spirited chef, which, in turn, leads to good energy meals for a happy family!

• The kitchen should have several levels of proper lighting, be airy and spacious, clean, bright and welcoming.
• For good feng shui, keep the kitchen simple and do not overload it with gadgets.
• Keep the clutter at bay.
• Fresh flowers bring beautiful uplifting energy to your kitchen. Place a bowl with fruits, a vase of flowers, or a living plant on your kitchen table, windowsill, or wherever the layout of your kitchen allows.
• Choose colors that blend well and feel good together. Feng Shui-wise, color yellow is a good choice for the kitchen, as it is good for your digestion. You can choose this color as light as “butter yellow” or as vibrant as “squash yellow.”

Here’s a You Tube video on improving your kitchen’s feng shui.

For more kitchen & bath ideas on Stagetecture, click here.