Maintenance and Repair
Ants, a common nuisance for homeowners, love kitchens for obvious reasons. Even if you keep your counters and cupboards clear of food, ants will find a way into your home and only need a few drops of spilled soda or bread crumbs to make them decide to stick around for more.
The problem with getting rid of ants the conventional way using bait traps and sprays is that you are exposing yourself and your food to toxic chemicals. These poisons are particularly dangerous when used in the kitchen when potentially every surface comes into contact with food.
Pesticides used in the kitchen also don't remove ants from their base source, which will continue to grow if left unchecked. The number one way to remove ants is to remove their source of food.
Follow these steps to get rid of these buggers for good:
Our interview with Kelly Giard of Clean Air Lawn Care was eye-opening and he left us with 3 invaluable lawn care tips that we wanted to highlight again.
His primary mantra sounds like common sense but is more difficult to achieve than you realize and that is to, fight weeds with a healthy lawn, not by spraying herbicides. It's so much easier to just dump chemicals on a lawn rather than take a little time and patience to help nurture your lawn the natural way.
1. Cut your lawn half an inch higher than you usually do (one or two notches on your mower wheels) and notice how much greener it gets, how fewer weeds there are, and how much less water it needs.
If you were seeking information for a home improvement project pre-internet (which wasn't that long ago), your options were:
A. Ask a friend, family member or your local hardware store for advice.
B. Refer to your back issues of your Family Handyman or This Old House.
C. Crack open your home improvement books.
We think option C remains underrated even if sometimes outdated. There are plenty of instruction manuals available that offer guidance for most modern day home improvement challenges. All of the major publishers have book series that function like home improvement encyclopedias and cover all systems of the house. You can also find books that try to cover it all in one heavy hardcover. Many of these books also have great illustrations and photos.
Where to find these books? It does seem that the while the design and decorating section in bookstores continues to expand, the less flashy diy category is shrinking. The master bedroom makeover just sells better than a clogged sink troubleshooter.
Fear not as these great books have found their way to libraries and used bookstores. We enjoy stopping by Bookmans in Tucson whenever we are in town if only to peruse there enormous selection of home improvement books (it may sound weird but we're home nerds).
We want to share one of our favorite new houseblogs, San Fran Vic. The homeowners have chronicled the ongoing restoration of their 1890's Victorian home in San Francisco.
They've done amazing work so far and we are particularly stricken by their staircase renovation which they've laid out in 7 blog posts. Not so much a renovation but more of a recreation as the banister was completely gone and in it's place was a dividing wall which needed to be demo'd before any work could begin. The finished product shown above looks great and we'll continue to check on on their work and so should you.
San Fran Vic
We're full of fall maintenance tips these days and hope to get everything accomplished this weekend which will be hard to do as we're headed to Seattle to bring in the new season and enjoy a few days in the PNW.
But if you're home these are some simple tune-ups you can do for your home that will save you time and money now and are much easier to perform in the mild post-summer weather.
1. Tune up your heating system. For about $80 to $100, a technician will inspect your furnace or heat pump to be sure the system is clean and in good repair so that it can achieve its manufacturer-rated efficiency. The inspection also measures carbon-monoxide leakage. And you minimize the chance of being 200th in line for repairs on the coldest day of the year.
2. Buy a programmable thermostat. Or, if you already have one, double-check the settings. Energy Star says that, on average, for an initial investment of $50 to $100, you will save $180 annually on heating (and cooling) bills if in winter you keep the thermostat set to no higher than 70 degrees
3. Hit the roof. Or at least scan it closely with binoculars. Look for damaged, loose or missing shingles that may leak during winter's storms or from melting snow. If need be, hire a handyman to repair a few shingles ($95 to $125, according to www.costhelper.com) or a roofer for a larger section ($100 to $350 for a 10-by-10-square-foot area).
In Parts I and II of this series, we learned how to safely approach water damage and identify and stop the source. Now we will discuss preventing the spread of water damage and setting up effective drying systems for light water damage.
Step 4: Prevent Further Damage
Furnishings: Immediately relocate furnishings immersed in water or sitting on damp flooring. This is especially important for wood furnishings, or those that have a stain finish prone to bleeding. Nothing ruins carpet quicker than bleeding, wet furniture. Also, furnishings made from wood composite, like MDF, will swell quickly when exposed to water, and are impossible to dry to their original look and strength.
Wall Coverings: Once the furnishings is out of the way, inspect the walls. If water has wicked up the drywall or plaster, immediately remove baseboard and/or wainscoting or wall-coverings. Water gets trapped behind these items and creates a barrier to drying, not to mention a great spot for mold growth. (Speaking of mold, it begins to grow on porous surfaces after 48-72 hours of dampness. If you encounter mold, cease your demolition and hire an expert. This is especially critical if you have children, seniors or those with medical conditions in your home. Do not disturb the mold, as this releases spores into the air. More on this in a future post.) If no mold is encountered, I recommend leaving the drywall in place. It may be salvageable.
Flooring: Once furnishings are removed and wall-finishes are stripped to drywall, it is time to address the flooring. As a general rule, carpet and cushion (pad) damaged with Category I (see Part II of this series) water can be cleaned and salvaged. Carpet cushion damaged by Category II water needs to be disposed, but the carpet can be sanitized and salvaged. Flooring damaged by Category III water needs to be disposed of immediately and the slab or sub floor treated with an anti-microbial chemicals. Leave this to the experts. It takes proper training to safely remove flooring damaged to this extent.
Step 2: Identify the Source
Water damage has three categories that identify the source of the damage.
Category I is clean, potable (drinkable) water. This is water coming from an overflowing sink or bathtub, or perhaps from a broken water supply line or a fixture shut-off valve. This is the preferred source should water damage occur. Category I water poses minimal risk of contamination or respiratory danger.
Category II water is sometimes called "gray" water. It is certainly not drinkable but not full of sewage, either. Examples of Category II water are dishwasher run-off or washing-machine run-off. These sources contain soap and/or food contaminants but not raw sewage.
Category III water, sometimes called "black" water, is highly contaminated. It contains bacteria or chemicals harmful to touch, consume or inhale. Category III water must be removed by a professional with proper immunizations and personal protective equipment. Examples of Category III water are any type of sewer back-up, water that has run across open ground before entering the structure, or anything related to a chemical spill.
Once you identify the Category of water, immediately move to Step 3...
Check out these fall cleaning tips from Consumer Reports.
Our favorites include:
Clean drapes, upholstery, carpeting, and floors. A canister vacuum is better equipped to clean drapes and upholstery, while an upright is better for deep-cleaning carpets. For your carpeting, use a carpet cleaner or schedule a professional cleaning.
Dispose of old paint and other hazardous products. Don't dispose of old paint, cleaners, solvents, pesticides, or other potentially dangerous products with the trash. Read our advice for proper disposal of paints and finishes and common household items.
My daughter loves throwing her pacifier around her room; not yet understanding that throwing her pacifier while in her crib makes said pacifier unavailable for the remainder of her nap. As a result, my wife and I hunt for pacifiers daily, finding them in all sorts of interesting locations. I secretly suspect pacifier-throwing is just my daughters clever way of watching us maneuver furniture and contort our bodies. "Perform for me, circus monkey", she thinks in her one-year-old head. And we do...
It was on one such pacifier recon missions that I noticed a slight bubble in the baseboard. That's odd, I thought. I felt the baseboard. It was a bit too soft. I pulled the crib out further. Uh-oh. No. It couldn't be. I just finished her room 6 months ago. Please, don't tell me. It... is... water... damage!
So what do you (or I) do when we find such a thing? This three-part series highlights steps to take when you notice water damage. Upon reading this series you will know how to safely identify and begin the remediation of water damage. Now, we all now restoration professionals that respond to such situations (or we should). But perhaps the damage is fairly minimal (at least at first glance), perhaps you are not really interested in forking over an emergency response charge or perhaps you are not the type to just sit by while your house is flooding. This series will increase your chance of effectively responding to water damage quickly and efficiently.
We've mentioned Angie's List as a referral site for contractors, designers and tradespeople but we want to know from you if you've found success using this service and would recommend it to others? They seem to have made a few changes lately and are pumping money into marketing but should we all be jumping in and trusting their findings? Or should we just rely on our own due diligence when it comes to hiring a contractor?
October 26, 2009 | Comments ()
