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American Dream?
Homeownership is the
American Dream and home maintenance can be the American
Nightmare.
Certain areas of a
home need regular monitoring
and attention. Ignoring the basic elements of
a home can be costly.
Don't gamble your investment away through
neglect. Pay attention to your home and do repairs
as needed to save the most money possible.
Remember, if ignored a small problem today usually
leads to a big repair cost tomorrow.
Take care,
Joanne
Your San Francisco Bay Area
Real Estate Broker
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Inside The Green
Book, find out how you can
too:
- Don’t ask
for ATM receipts. If everyone in the United States
refused their receipts, it would save a roll of paper
more than two billion feet long, or enough to circle the
equator fifteen times!
- Turn off the tap while
you brush your teeth. You’ll conserve up to five gallons
of water per day. Throughout the entire United States,
the daily savings could add up to more water than is
consumed every day in all of New York City.
- Get
a voice-mail service for your home phone. If all
answering machines in U.S. homes were replaced by
voice-mail services, the annual energy savings would
total nearly two billion kilowatt hours. The resulting
reduction in air pollution would be equivalent to
removing 250,000 cars from the road for a
year!
With wit and authority, authors Elizabeth
Rogers and Thomas Kostigen provide hundreds of solutions
for all areas of your life, pinpointing the smallest
changes that have the biggest impact on the health of
our precious planet.
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Detox Your Indoor
Air
By: Elyse
Umlauf-Garneau
Some solutions:
When
you’re building a new house or renovating, pay attention
to air quality. Choose formaldehyde-free products and
use low VOC paints, caulks and adhesives. Work with
architects and contractors who understand and can
address IAQ issues and who know how to balance energy
efficiency with proper ventilation.
Often
correcting IAQ problems is simple. Golden points out
that bag-less vacuum cleaners may suck microscopic
contaminants and blow them right back into the air. Just
switching to a vacuum with a HEPA filter could eliminate
many irritants. And though cutting off the heat in an
unused room may save energy, you could inadvertently be
creating a mold problem. Needless to say, smoking
cigarettes indoors is taboo.
Swap
chemically-based household cleaners for non-toxic ones
made from natural materials. They’re readily available
at stores and online. Find them at http://www.greenseal.org/findaproduct/index.cfm.
Better yet, save money and make your own with
easy-to-find products like vinegar and baking soda. Find
some recipes at http://greenlivingideas.com/housecleaning/natural-cleaning-recipes.html#Surface.
Additional resources:
-Learn
about improving IAQ during wildfires at www.allergyconsumerreview.com/improve-indoor-air-quality.html.
-The sites, www.healthyhouseinstitute.com
and www.healthhouse.org/ provide
guidance on all aspects of creating a healthy home.
-Find healthy household furnishings and building
supplies at www.greenfusiondesigncenter.com/index.htm.
-The California Air Resources Board www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/indoor.htm
features IAQ guidelines and fact sheets.
Reproduced with permission from the California
Association of REALTORS® and copyright 2008 California
Association of REALTORS®.
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Home Maintence
Checklist
Annual Maintenace
Tips Appliance
Maintenance Tips |
Weekly
Check sprinklers
for broken heads, etc. repair as
needed
Complete yard
maintenance including weeding, pruning,
mowing. |
Monthly
Check trash bins,
recycle bins, and yard clipping bins for odors
and slime. Wash thoroughly. Pour in 1 to 2
cups bleach into each bin.
Check faucets and
hose bibs for leakage. Replace washers as
needed. |
Quarterly
Check
shrubry. If necessary prune trees and
shrubs away from gutters and neighbors'
houses. |
Semi-annually
Change batteries
in smoke dectectors
Check screens for
tears and deterioation, repair or
replace. |
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Annually
Check the roof and
gutters for needed repairs.
Change filters
in furnace
Have central air
conditioner serviced
Check caulk around windows and doors,
replace if needed.
Check for the beginning of peeling paint and
repair accordingly
Check for cracks in concrete driveways
and walkways and fill with appropriate
material
Drain and refill water heater to remove
sludge that accumulates at bottom of tank.
This will greatly lengthen the life of the water
heater.
Fall Lawn and Garden
Tips |
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Every 2 to 5
years
Have a complete pest
control inspection and do necessary
repairs
Check fencing for
stability. Replace any boards and re-sturdy
fence and paint or
stain. |
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Air Conditioning
Maintenance
With good maintenance and proper care,
your air conditioning unit should run efficiently
for up to 15 years! Try these easy tips for getting the
most out of your AC this summer.
- Don't short cycle the cooling
system.
Make sure that
when you turn the unit off you then wait 10 minutes
before turning it on again. This will allow the
pressure in the conditioning system to equalize again
which will prolong the life of your AC.
Clean the
area around your AC. Dirt and debris on your
outdoor condenser coils can block the air flow through
the unit, causing your cooling system to work harder
and increasing your bill. Allow for adequate air flow
to your unit by cleaning the area around the condenser
coil, removing any debris, and trimming foliage.
NEVER use water
to clean your air conditioning system. A
thoroughly cleaned AC unit will operate at top
efficiency. However, do not attempt to clean your own
unit with water because of the very serious risk of
electrical shock and possible shorting of electrical
components. If your cooling system is in need of deep
cleaning seek professional help.
Clean your air
filter regularly. During cooling season you should
clean your filter once a month and replace it when it
develops holes or appears worn.
Don't cool the
air outside, too. To ensure that your cooling
system is working most efficiently, check for holes or
separated joints in your AC ducts. Also, add
insulation around ducts in attics, crawl spaces and
garages. Check the settings on the system and close
the “fresh air” vent.
Trouble spots to look
for:
- Leaky ductwork. Leakage
from areas such as ductwork joints, elbows, and
connections can be substantial, up to 20% - 30%! This
is especially costly if the ducts travel through
unheated or uncooled spaces such as attics, basements,
or crawl spaces. Use duct tape or caulk to seal
ductwork.
- Thermostat placement. Do
not place lamps or TV sets near your AC
thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these
appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run
longer than necessary.
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Liberty Floor
Covering.
2437 Tripaldi Way,
Hayward, CA 94545 - Phone: 510-786-0119
Browse their web
site
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Energy Saving
Tips
While you can't exactly
print dollar bills from your AC unit, you can do the
equivalent by saving money on how efficiently
your conditioning system operates. With the proper
maintenance (follow the tips above) and these energy
saving tactics you'll find yourself with money to spare
this summer!
Buy a programmable
thermostat. You can program this thermostat to
automatically lower or raise your conditioning system
in order to avoid cooling your house when you are not
around. A normal temperature for your cooling system
is 72 degrees F for the summer. If you have central
air conditioning keep the thermostat at 78 degrees F.
If you leave your home for an extended period of time,
do not go below 55 degrees F or your pipes might
freeze.
Ceiling fans are your best
friend. A ceiling fan can make a room feel 6 - 7
degrees cooler, and even the most power-hungry fan
costs less than $10 a month to use if you keep it on
for 12 hours a day. Good fans make it possible for you
to raise your thermostat setting and save on
air-conditioning costs.
Your
windows matter. Buy white window shades, blinds or
drapes to reflect heat away from the house. Depending
on the severity of the heat where you live, you also
can use sun-control or other reflective films on
south-facing windows and mount awnings over
them.
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Extension Cord
Safety
Always Use the
Right Extension Cord for the Job
 Power
requirements vary for different tool applications. Using
the wrong extension cord can damage a tool or create a
fire hazard.
Cords differ in the number and
thickness of the wires, the type of plug, and the length
of the cord.
- Wire thickness determines the
amount of power that will be delivered to the tool.
Common sizes, or gauges, are 18, 16, 14, and 10.
Oddly, the higher the gauge number, the thinner the
wire is. So, of these, the 10 gauge is thickest and
will deliver the most power.
- You can always use a thicker cord
than the one called for in tool instructions, but not
a lighter one. When in doubt, chose the heaviest
three-prong cord available.
- Length of the cord can cause
problems. Don't use a cord that is far longer than
what you need, especially if you leave the excess cord
coiled. Leaving coils in the cord allows heat to build
up in the wires which can get hot enough to melt the
insulation. Always uncoil a cord fully before using
it.
- Never hook a three-prong cord to
a two-prong cord. It can be done with some two-prong
cords, but it's very dangerous.
- When working outdoors, choose a
cord with an outdoor rating. They usually bear the
designation "W-A." And don't let the cord lie in the
sun for extended periods. The sun's ultraviolet rays
can cause insulation to deteriorate.
- Occasionally, a good cord can get
cut or damaged in the middle. Never try to salvage it
by taping the wires together. Instead, make two
smaller cords out of it by adding a socket to one and
a plug to the other.
- Always unplug extension cords
when they are not in use.
Three
Important Reasons to Check Your Cords
Today
by SixWise.com
Most people don’t give much thought
to the extension cords running under their couches,
connecting lamps to faraway sockets or allowing five
plugs to fit into one electrical outlet—until something
goes wrong. Please don’t make that mistake!
Every year, an estimated 4,000
injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms,
according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC), and 13 percent of those injuries involve young
children aged 5 years or less.
Three
Major Extension Cord Risks
1. Tripping
How many
extension cords are running across your floors, in
heavily trafficked, common areas, right now? This
accident waiting to happen is the reason why, according
to the CPSC, about half of extension-cord-related
injuries involve fractures, lacerations, contusions, or
sprains from people tripping over extension cords. The
elderly are most at risk, as a fall can easily break
bones or result in the need for surgery.
The solution: Place extension cords
with extreme care, in areas that are not normally walked
over. Run cords along baseboards or walls or thread them
behind tables or other furniture where they are out of
the way. (DO NOT put them under rugs or heavy furniture,
or behind radiators or heaters, as this is a fire
hazard)
2. Fires
The CPSC
estimates that extension cords cause
about 3,300 residential fires each year, killing
50 people and injuring about 270 others. The most
frequent causes of extension cord fires?
- Short circuits
- Using old, damaged cords
- Overloading cords, which leads to
overheating
- Misuse
The solution: Delaware’s Assistant
State Fire Marshal Richard Ward said homeowners can
reduce their risk of extension cord fires by investing
in heavier gauge extension cords and avoiding “bargain
cords.”
"You get what you pay for," Ward
said. "If you pay more money, you're going to get a
better extension cord.” Other tips include:
- Replace cords that are cracked or
frayed.
- Don’t overload cords or sockets.
- Don’t run cords under rugs or
near heaters or radiators.
- Only use exterior extension cords
for outside use. Firefighters in Phoenix, AZ said they
see several fires each year caused solely by people
using interior extension cords outside.
- Pay attention to cord quality and
purpose—don’t use a light-duty extension cord for a
job that really needs a heavy-duty variety, such as
air conditioners or freezers.
- Feel the temperature of the cords
when they are in use. If they are hot to the touch,
unplug them immediately. Replace the extension cord
with one that has No. 16 or heavier gauge wire (the
lower the number, the heavier the wire and the more
electrical current the cord can safely carry).
3. Electrical
Burns
Electrical burns to the
mouth accounted for half the extension-cord-related
injuries to young children, according to the
CPSC. They reported one incident in which a 15-month-old
girl put an extension cord in her mouth and suffered an
electrical burn that required surgery.
The solution: Keep all
extension cords out of the reach of children. Plugs,
outlets and cords can be irresistible to young children
who don’t realize their dangers.
Play it safe and avoid
using them if you have small children, or ensure that
your child cannot get access to the cord. Some of the
worst places to put them are dangling over counters or
tabletops where they can be pulled down. If you do use
one, be sure it has a safety closure to cover any unused
outlets.
Other Tips For Safe
Extension Cord Use
Extension cords are handy
tools and necessities in many homes, so follow these
other tips to help you use extension cords in the safest
manner:
- Make sure new cords are listed by
a recognized national testing laboratory
- Only use extension cords when
they’re absolutely necessary
- Use polarized extension cords
with polarized appliances
- Don’t leave prongs exposed, even
partly, when the cord is in use
- Pull the plug, not the cord, when
disconnecting it from the socket
- Special “angle extension cords”
can be used where furniture or beds may push against
the plug
- Don’t use staples or nails to
attach extension cords to any surface
- Don’t exceed the total wattage
listed on the cord by plugging in too many
appliances
- Try not to use them for long-term
purposes
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Joanne L.
Gardiner
Broker, e-PRO
Realtor
Advantage Realty
(510)
429-4800
San Francisco Bay Area
San
Francisco East Bay Real
Estate
Our
primary services in the San
Francisco Bay Area are: East bay real
estate, Hayward real estate, Castro
Valley real estate, Danville real estate,
Dublin real estate, Fremont real estate,
Newark real estate, Niles real
estate, Pleasanton real estate, San Leandro
real estate, San Lorenzo real estate, San Ramon
real estate, Sunol real estate and Union
City real estate.
The types
of real estate in which we specialize
are: houses, homes, condominiums, townhomes,
garden homes, PUDs, single family homes, manufactured
homes, mobile homes, modular homes, duets,
residential income property, duplexes, tri-plexes,
four-plexes, small apartment complexes and special
use properties.
Alameda County Homes, Homes in Alameda County,
Contra Costa County Homes, Homes in Contra Costa County,
Castro Valley Homes, Homes in Castro Valley, Danville
Homes, Homes in Danville, Dublin Homes, Fremont Homes,
Homes in Fremont, Homes in Dublin, Homes in Hayward,
Hayward homes, Newark Homes, Homes in Newark, Oakland
Homes, Homes in Oakland, Pleasanton Homes, Homes in
Pleasanton, San Leandro Homes, Homes in San Leandro, San
Lorenzo Homes, Homes in San Lorenzo, San Ramon Homes,
Homes in San Ramon, Sunol Homes, Homes in Sunol, Union
City Homes, Homes in Union City. San Francisco Realty,
San Francisco Bay Realty, San Francisco Bay Area
Realty, Realty in San Francisco Bay Area, East Bay
Realty, Bay Area Realty, homes in San Francisco bay
area, homes in San Francisco East
Bay.
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Environmental matters get the star treatment in
The Green Book. Rogers and Kostigen address the fact
that Americans endanger the balance of the ecosystem by
the amount of waste we produce, the amount of water we
use, and the amount of energy we consume, and
celebrities, including Robert Redford, Ellen DeGeneres,
Jennifer Aniston, Faith Hill, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.,
contribute observations and suggestions for living
green. In the hope that the glamour of the A-list will
make discussion of environmental challenges more
palpable, Rogers and Kostigen establish 12 aspects of
our habitat, such as home, work, and school, and suggest
better lifestyle choices in each arena. Small
adjustments in the way we consume and dispose of
resources add up to significant and positive
environmental effects. Illustrating the results of green
actions with descriptive rather than numerical analyses,
Rogers and Kostigen write, for example, that if everyone
in the U.S. used one less paper napkin per day, in a
year's time we would have saved one billion pounds of
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Leaks Equal
Money Down The
Drain!
These simple
tips can significantly decrease water waste and help you
save over $600 per year on your water
bills!
Check and
repair leaky faucets and toilets: A dripping faucet can
waste 20 gallons of water a month and cost you over $100
each year. Silent toilet leaks can account for hundreds
of gallons a week of lost water and can cost you over
$500 each year.
Dripping
faucets are relatively easy to notice, but silent toilet
leaks can continue to drain water virtually undetected.
To check for a silent toilet leak, remove the toilet
tank lid, place ten drops of food coloring in the tank,
do not flush, and check the bowl water color in 15
minutes. If the water is colored, you’ve got a
leak.
Free online videos
to repair
your faucet and
toilet:
How
to repair your faucet
How
to repair your toilet
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Schedule of Normal Life
By: Freddie
Mac
Appliances
Life Estimate in
Years
Dishwashers 5 to 12
Disposals 5 to 12
Washers and dryers 8 to
12
Water heaters 8 to 12
Refrigerators 15
to 20
Stoves 15 to 20
Heating and Air Conditioning Life
Estimate in Years
Warm air
furnace 8 to 12
Heat pumps 8 to 12
Air
conditioning compressors 8 to 15
Gas chillers
8 to 15
Hot water boilers 30 to 50
Roofs
Life Estimate in Years
Selvage or
asphalt roll 12 to 20
Wood shake and shingle
15 to 20
Asphalt 15 to 20
Fiberglass
15 to 20
Asbestos shingle 30-50
Slate 40-75
Plumbing
Life Estimate in Years
Gas hot water
heater 8 to 12
Electric hot water heater
10-15
Private disposal systems (septic)
15 to 25
Galvanized water pipes 30 to 50
Gutters and Downspouts
Life Estimate in Years
Galvanized 15
to 20
Copper Life of home if well-maintained
(c) 1995
Freddie Mac. All rights reserved. Reproduced with
permission from Freddie
Mac. |
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Remodeling that pays
off
One of
the smartest things you can do with your home's
equity is to put it right back into your home.
It's a clear win-win: You enjoy the benefit of an
improved living environment and tangibly enhance
your home's value at the same time.
But not
every project will increase the resale value of
your home. It's best to stick with the ones that
will give you the biggest return.
Here's
how Remodeling Magazine rates top jobs in terms of
one-year return on investment (ROI):
|
Project |
ROI |
Remodeling
Costs:
Average
Price Tag |
Minor
kitchen remodel
|
88% |
$8,655 |
Second-story addition
|
83% |
$73,553 |
Bathroom remodel
|
81% |
$9,135 |
Bathroom addition
|
81% |
$13,918 |
Family
room addition
|
75% |
$30,960 |
Major
kitchen remodel
|
71% |
$31,090 |
| Deck |
55% |
$8,022 |
Home Improvement
Tips:
Don't over improve.
It's difficult to recover the investment in a home
that is already more valuable than most others in
the neighborhood.
Keep whimsy in check.
Eclectic tastes likely won't appeal to mainstream
homebuyer.
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Remodeling Done Right
Going from a one-story
to a
two-story
and having the result look
good.
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How Much Do I need?
These calculators will
help you buy enough, but not too much.
Various HGTV Calculators
Drywall Calculator
Fences
Grass Seed
Paint Estimator
Tile
Estimator
Tile
Pattern Designer
Wallpaper Estimator
Window Planner
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Tree Stumps
When they
don't complement the landscape, get rid of
them.
Here's
how...
HGTV's Paul James
Tip
If
you don't want to go through the trouble of having a
stump ground up, drill holes in its surface. The holes
will allow more rainwater to enter, thus hastening
decomposition.
Stumps and
Roots
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Helpful Links
Save
Money on Energy Useage - This website, which is
sponsored by the EPA and the DOE, shows how to save
money on energy bills with their energy efficiency
suggestions.
This
Old House - Learn how to repair most anything inside
and outside of your home.
HGTVPro for building and remodeling help
including online "how
to" videos
Online tools: draw house plans, sheeting
calculator, estimate concrete, rafter length calculator,
cost sheet and more.
Bob
Vila: Online and on the job site, home
improvement pro Bob Vila helps homeowners build their
dreams. Bob Vila's TV
Schedule
The Lazy Homeowner offers tip and
tricks to save you time in doing the chores that have to
get done whether you like to do them or
not.
The Old House
Web - Ideas, products and advice for restoring
old houses.
Home and Garden
TV
Do-It-Yourself Network
Fine
Living
How
Stuff Works
Vintage
Woodworks |
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Before you sign...
Check out the contractor before you sign a
contract or pay him/her any
money.
Contractors State
License Board
Protect Yourself. Play
Detective.
After verifying
that the person has a contractors license, check him/her
out on the internet. Google his/her name
or company name. Search
Google
There
are 128 BBB offices in the U.S., Canada and Puerto
Rico. Each office maintains files on businesses
headquartered in its service area, which may extend as
far as a 200 mile radius. BBBs have the most
current information on businesses from their complaint
files, plus additional information gathered from various
area sources such as local, state and federal government
agencies. BBBs also carry reports on national
businesses. The good news is - you no longer have to
call us for information. Every BBB in the U.S. and
Canada posts its reliability reports on the web, and you
can locate a report via our central lookup
screen. In addition, BBB representatives
are available to assist you on the phones during normal
business hours. Find the
BBB office nearest you.
Visit the BBB web
site
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