Contractor Referral
June 30, 2007
“As a contractor with 16 years of experience and speaking on behalf of professional contractors. I want people to be aware of the warning signs that they may be dealing with the wrong contractor.”
Not every contractor is out to get you. The majority are honest, reputable business owners who strive to do quality work, using good materials at a reasonable cost. In fact, many of these contractors are members of associations such as the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) or the BBB (Better Business Bureau).
For the past three years, I have conducted investigations in contractor/homeowner relations. I have heard numerous stories of why homeowners feel taken by home improvement service providers. Even though we have our own formulas on choosing a contractor the nightmare stories continue to stockpile. On the other hand, I have heard from several contractors of how they feel undercut by the competition and taken advantage of by the homeowner. Yet still, the bickering goes on.
Heated Driveways: Who, What, Where, When, Why, & How
June 29, 2007
What are heated driveways? The obvious answer is, "a driveway that is heated," but what actually heats the driveway? The best driveway heating systems are radiant heating systems, similar to indoor floor heating systems. There are primarily two methods for heating, electric and hydronic. Electric systems use a line-voltage cable, while hydronic systems generate hot water then pump it through plastic PEX tubing. The heating elements are embedded in the surface and use resistant heating to heat the surrounding area. Most systems incorporate an automatic sensor that detects inclement weather to activate the system. Electric systems tend to be more efficient, require less maintenance, and heat surfaces quicker. Hydronic systems are usually slightly more expensive to purchase and install, but the operational can be lower depending on their local fuel rates. Both systems have their advantages, however, the electric systems are gaining a lot of interest due to their price, ease of installation and threatening future of the cost of fuel.
Why install a driveway heating system? Some of the obvious benefits are of course, not having to shovel your driveway again, avoiding injury due to slippery surfaces, and having the confidence that your driveway will be cleared when you need to use it. Other notable benefits include; adding value to your home, preserving the life of your driveway, and avoiding damage to bordering landscape with harmful salts and chemicals.
Science Cant Explain Everything!
June 29, 2007
You will know that if you have spent at least some time reflecting on the world around you, some things cannot be explained in purely scientific terms. Armies of scientists and researchers swarm in labs around the world trying to take the mystery out of every bit of wonder we witness.
What is it that attracts us to a future partner? Scientists will say…tiny, odour sensors in our noses!
What causes shimmering lights in the night sky? Scientists say…sun spots affecting the earth’s electromagnetic field.
It is true (I guess) that those things come about due to some sort of cause and effect from physical laws we have devised.
But it takes so much of the magic and mystery out of our lives.
Maybe it’s a sunspot…but can I see a sunspot and predict the result? No I can’t…All I can see is the mystery and beauty of the results. Can’t I just spend some time enjoying the wonder of it?
Alarm Systems & Automobile Tires?
June 28, 2007
What do alarm systems and automobile tires have in common? This may sound like a strange question to the untrained ear, but lend me yours and I will make sense of it.
The reason I mention car tires is that they are a necessity that most all of us have some experience purchasing, at least once in a while.
Even though we need good tires to keep our cars firmly on the road, when they are wearing out we often put the purchase off for a few weeks. If we are patient, a Saturday will eventually come along that we have no plans for, and we force ourselves to go to our local tire store.
Maybe it’s the one with the big giant marshmallow looking thing on the roof, or the shop down the road who seems to be giving away free franks, and has a racing car crew serving them, that gets us to stop.
If you are jumping the gun and think I’m correlating putting off the purchase of a necessity such as car tires with a necessity such as an alarm system you would be wrong. The first reason you would be wrong is because most people don’t see an alarm as a necessity, but as a luxury. Only after they have been burglarized, do they see an addition of an alarm system as something they need instead of want.
So You?ve Put an Offer on a Home. What?s Next?
June 27, 2007
You’ve finally found the home of your dreams, 3 bedrooms, attached garage, great neighborhood. You fix sights on the freshly painted walls, new carpeting, beautiful cabinet and a huge back yard. What are you forgetting? Everything else! Don’t forget about the plumbing, heating, A/C, electrical, insulation, ventilation, exterior and roof. These are the most overlooked items because most people know very little about these types of items, or what to look for. You decide to make an offer on the home.
What’s next?
Don’t forget about getting the home inspected. When you made the offer, your realtor should have gone over the inspection contingency in your contract. Simply stated, it’s a clause in the contract that your offer is contingent upon a home inspection, and you have a certain amount of time to get the home inspected. It allows you to have an unbiased professional look beneath the cosmetic items into the complex working components of a home. It also allows you to either renegotiate your offer based on the inspection, or at the very least know what lies ahead of you if you do decide to purchase the home. A seller’s disclosure statement is nice and most seller’s are honest, but don’t even realize that problems exist in their home.
Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter - Overlooked Sources of Heat Loss in the Home
June 26, 2007
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long ? the heat loss, cold drafts, and wasted energy! Well if your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home!
These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause your heat pour out and the cold outside air pour in ? costing you higher heating bills, causing cold drafts, and wasting energy.
Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. We apply caulk and weatherstripping to these areas to minimize heat loss and cold drafts.
But what can you do about the three largest "holes" in your home ? the folding attic stair, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.
Attic Stairs:
Do you have a folding attic stairway in your house? When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet!) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed. And what is installed to cover this opening? A thin, unsealed, un-insulated sheet of plywood!
Feng Shui Your Home, Work and Life For Balance and Harmony
June 25, 2007
Feng Shui describes the communication that takes place every day between you and your environment, be it your home, garden or work. This discipline investigates the universal feelings and reactions of human beings to all environments, including our world. The teachings explore how connections (TAO), balance (Yin/Yang) and vitality (CHI) impact our lives. An environment affects all aspects of our being in the world..from health, safety, family, friendship, spirituality… to even how we love. Now, more than ever before, it is important to space clear the clutter out of our lives and minds..to allow POSITIVE LIFE FORCE to support, nurture and empower us, via a balanced and harmonic environment.
The location of clutter in an environment, reveals the content of a person’s inner struggle. The absence of disorder empowers us. As we are connected by energy to everything in our environment…you might want to review the following and check to see where you may be struggling in your life:
LOCATION OF CLUTTER
Entrance door… fear of relationships
Inside closets…unwilling to examine emotions
In Kitchen…resenting/overwhelmed by caretaking
Next to Bed…desire for change or escape
On Desk..frustration, fear of letting go or need to control
Can Your Sundial Really Tell The Time?
June 24, 2007
“I am a sundial, and I make a botch Of what is done far better by a watch”
So wrote Hilaire Belloc, but is this really fair? Sundials are the earliest known form of time-keeping having been used for some five thousand years. The Greek historian Herodotus stated that sundials were first used by the Chaldeans and Sumerians in Babylonia which was part of the modern Iraq. They used vertical rods on their buildings and noted the position of the shadow to record the passing of the hours. The concept was developed by the Greeks and Romans who constructed various different shapes of dial to enable them to tell the time and the season of the year. Usually these were bowl-shaped dials with vertical or horizontal gnomons (shadow-casters) and hour lines marked in the hollow of the bowl. Over the years more elaborate designs were produced until the advent of accurate clocks when the function of the sundial became more decorative than as a reliable means of telling the time.
Make Your Home Secure
June 24, 2007
The following list offers some inexpensive ways to make your home secure:
* Do not leave a ladder outside of your home. A thief could easily, and they do, gain entrance to a second story window.
* Always ask for ID when service men come to your home. Do not let your children answer the door. Don’t be afraid to call the company for verification BEFORE you let them inside your home.
* Do not keep excess cash around your house. Keep it in a safety deposit box at your bank. If you must keep cash at home, hide it NOT in the kitchen or your bedroom, as that is the first place a thief will look.
* Take pictures of your heirlooms and personal items for identification at some later time.
* Mark all electronic equipment with a permanent etching of your name and drivers license number or social security number. This process makes it hard for the thief to sell your property, and easy for you to identify and get returned to you.
* Never leave notes on your front door announcing your absence. This may seem incredible, but people do this all of the time. You might as well put up a neon sign giving your time of return also.
The Best Time to Inspect Your Home!
June 23, 2007
Home inspections conducted prior to a home being placed on the market is one of the wisest moves a seller can make. The initial response from sellers when approached with the idea of an inspection done as the home is about to be put up for sale is most always the same - “What?!”
Let’s review a few of the most common concerns about Pre-Listing Home Inspections.
1. “The buyer will not accept an inspection done for the seller.”
That is correct! The inspection done for the seller is not intended to replace the inspection done for the buyer. The purpose of the pre-listing inspection is to put the seller in control!
Given that no good surprise can come to the seller during the home inspection, regardless of when it is done or whom it is done for, it makes perfect sense to get every strand of information as soon as it can be gotten. Bad news doesn’t get better with time.
If there is some bad news, or more correctly, some items that needs attention or might have an impact on the home’s value, who better to receive that information than the seller? And when is a better time to receive that information than before the home is placed on the market?
