As the old saying goes, “there’s no place like home.” It is the place where we usually find peace and solace after a hard day’s work. But owning one is a huge investment that goes with great responsibilities, especially with repairs because not every person can afford to maintain its good and safe condition.

Even though renovation or repair is a predictable part of every homeowner’s life, which oftentimes gives better freedom of mobility into and around the house, it also provides essential facilities within it. With the current economic situation, doing so may seem few and far between.

If your house, however, is in desperate need of modification, but you are currently on a tight budget and cannot afford repairs, don’t despair. There are several funding opportunities that are available all over America. Funds from state and federal governments, as well as the local government, are available to assist you with your need for renovations or modifications. The key to access such is to be eligible with them.

Government Grants for House Repair

Grants for home improvement by the federal government generally have strict standard procedures. Several federal programs provide financial assistance for renovation or improvement that has safety concerns or structural issues. But remodeling, such as cosmetic changes, will definitely not be approved.

State and Local Governments

These types are available for certain types of recipients and their qualifying standards may vary substantially. Although the guidelines for the programs may be strict, you can still acquire free money if your project is covered by their mandate.

Eligible types of repairs include:

· Door widening and installing ramps

· Improving access to rooms and facilities

· Providing a heating system suitable to your needs

· Adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use

· Improving access to and movement around the house to enable you to care for another person who lives in the property

· Extending a property where the existing space is inadequate or inaccessible

Qualified Fund Seekers:

· Frail elderly

· Persons who are at least 62 years old and above

· Homeless veterans

· Veterans with disability

· Low-income elderly

· Persons with disability who have the need to improve their houses

Veterans, especially those with disabilities, must be aware that the U.S. government wants to help them live more comfortably. Under H.R. 1293, the Disabled Veterans Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act of 2009, entitles veterans with disabilities to home improvement grants that will friendly with their conditions and enable them to live in a safer and more comfortable place. Apart from the Increase Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs has three programs that offer cash awards to qualified veterans:

1. The Home Improvements and Structural Alterations Grant

2. The Specially Adapted Housing Grant

3. The Special Home Adaptation Grant

In most cases, grants for home improvement are given for free. There is no need to pay them back. But be mindful that they come with a huge responsibility and certain rules and regulations that need to be observed.

Many people have the problem of having too much moisture in their homes. This can be a problem especially if you have young children, elderly, or sick people in your home. Excess moisture in the home can cause mold problems which can make people sick and people who have asthma will have an even harder time with a mold problem. There are precautions you can take to avoid an excess of moisture and mold in your home.

You want to keep your home as dry as possible. The best way to do this is starting in the rooms that you need to keep the most dry. These rooms would be the kitchen and bathrooms. Your kitchen makes a lot of moisture especially if you are cooking in there a lot. Moisture from the steam of cooking can start to enter into the walls, creating a moist feeling. The bathroom too can be a hotbed of moisture. The bathroom becomes moist when you take a shower or bath. The best way to deal with moisture in these areas is to have a fan running while you are in the kitchen cooking, or in the bathroom, and even after you are done, it is good to let the fan run.

It is good to air out your house in general, for home improvement purposes. In colder, moist climates, it is good to open up your windows. You can even keep them opened up when you are out of the house. It is important to get good circulation in your home to prevent moisture. You want to be especially careful of dark rooms that don’t get exposure to sunlight, as that is a perfect breeding ground for mold and moisture.

So what do you do if you already have excess moisture or a mold problem in your home and need some home improvement? There are air machines you can buy, for not too much money, that suck out the moisture in your home. You simply put the machine in one room and it begins to filter in new air, and suck out the old moist air from your home. You can also start by getting at the mold yourself. It is very important to have air circulating when you are trying to remove the mold yourself, and also to be wearing a mask on your face, as to prevent yourself from breathing in those toxic fumes.

You can just by a scrub brush from your local drug store, a bottle of bleach or mold remover, and a pair of sturdy plastic gloves to attempt to remove the mold on your own. Vinegar sometimes will also do the trick. If you are scrubbing away and the mold just doesn’t seem to be going away, then you have to turn to your next option.

Your last resort would probably be calling up a company that will come to your home to remove mold. This can be costly so that is why it is best to leave this option until last, or unless you are extremely sensitive to mold or chemicals, and in that case, you would have probably called the mold remover company much earlier on in this whole process! You don’t necessarily have to do a whole new home remodeling, as home remodeling can be quite costly.