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).
We caught this week's episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! in which they dive into the American fascination with lawns. We thought it appropriate to share this with you since we recently highlighted artificial lawns (which Penn & Teller show aren't totally maintenance free).
Beyond the ridiculous HOA restrictions that some homeowners must deal with in regards to maintaining a proper lawn, the environment and health concerns for maintaining a lawn are raised. The D-4 poison is a major active ingredient in many lawn care products and was used in Agent Orange during Vietnam. D-4 has been known to cause cancer and is definitely nasty stuff. But this is still spread across lawns throughout the country with no thought of the harm it is doing to ourselves or the environment.
If you are going to maintain a lawn like many of us still do then please consider a responsible way to do this.
We love the smell of fresh cut grass like the next person and taking pride in a well manicured lawn is an accomplishment, but in the current age of water conservation there are alternatives to natural lawns that outweigh the real stuff in every aspect (except being alive).
Recently we spoke with Duane Ruth of SYNlawn which is one of the leading installers of high-quality synthetic grass. They've been in the business much longer than their competitors and have the jobs and reputation to back it up. They recently installed a commercial stretch of SYNlawn in Santa Monica which is notorious for having perfectly kept public landscapes that are always natural and thus take a lot of water. For all installations including commercial and residential they recommend a professional installation even for small jobs.
Patrick Blanc is one of the most high-profile pioneers in the fantastic world of green walls. These vertical gardens are beginning to proliferate across Europe and it won't be long before we see them across major US cities.
Proponents argue that by infusing an exterior wall with a living organism such as plants the ambient temperature of the structure and it's surrounding areas goes down which in turn draws down the amount of energy needed to heat or cool. Unlike vines which are set to just keep growing, these vertical gardens are highly engineered from placement to irrigation which typically comes from rainwater storage.
The much needed rain continues today in Southern California and it's been a pleasant surprise as we know its only temporary. But the issue of rainwater runoff is pertinent in areas near the ocean as almost all of the water is diverted straight to the ocean and with it unknown amounts of sedentary junk and toxic materials.
If you live near any area with a low lying water source such as a stream, river, lake or ocean, there are steps you can take to make sure that the rainwater runoff is distributed responsibly and isn't contributing to erosion or pollution.
So many of the beautiful homes in the magazines we read have gorgeous flagstone walkways or patios but it's been tough finding the proper instructions for installing flagstones ourselves.
We are big fans of trees being used as landscape elements to add detail or shelter to your home. But many times the tree begins to overstay it's welcome and the branches become unmanageable or the roots pull up the pathway or lead to damage to your foundation.
The art of landscaping can get lost in the chaos of remodeling or building a new home. The approach should start from the beginning with your architect and flow from the site plan and footprint of your home. Taking into account geographic elements around your site such as rolling hills, trees, wind patterns, and southern exposures you can plan your landscape to take advantage of these natural sources of heat and cooling.
Whisper Landscape Maintenance is creating a buzz. Located in southern California, this gardening service uses only zero-emission, solar-powered garden equipment that has also been modified to cut down on noise pollution (mowers are no louder than vacuum cleaners and leaf blowers like hair dryers).
