Dec 28, 2012 | Around The Home
If you enjoy both history and fixing things, then you may have trouble driving by historic homes for sale in Worcester County area without feeling the urge to buy and fix one up.
Before you do, however, you should know the three R’s of fixing historic homes — Restoration, Renovation, and Repair.
Restoration
“Restoration” is the process of returning a home to its original state. Restoring historic homes often requires city and state permission. It’s essential that you check to see whether your home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP); or, whether it’s located in a historic district. If either is true, there may be a specific set of rules to follow while renovating.
Restoration can be an expensive endeavor. For a home to keep its historic value, the materials used must match the home’s original materials, including furnishings. This can be costly because of antique value.
Renovation
Renovating is less complicated and less restrictive as compared to restoring. However, via a renovation, a home often becomes a more “modern” living space, which can lower the home’s historic value. Be sure that your home is not listed in the NRHP or located in an historic district before beginning renovations.
Depending on size of the project(s), renovations can be expensive, too. However, it’s easier to find great deals on modern appliances as compared to the antique appliances required for a restoration.
Repair
Repairs are often less intensive than a restoration or renovation. For repair, be sure to use materials which fit the home’s character, which may include plaster walls and wooden floors, for example. Matching original materials is not important in the home repair process..
The cost of a repair project will depend on the size and volume of required repairs.
The differences between a restoration, renovation and repair of an historic home may be minor, but those small differences will change your costs, your timeline and your procedural red tape. Speak with an qualified architect if you’re unsure of your obligations as the owner of a historic home.
Dec 7, 2012 | Around The Home
With the holiday season comes more than colder weather — there are the parties, the baking, the fixing of family dinners, and, in some cases, the stringing of holiday lights. It’s also a time of year when home energy use can spike, leading to a very large January electricity bill.
This year, do what you can to conserve energy through the holidays and the New Year. Try following these simple tips.
Go LED
If you string lights outside of your home, try LED (Light-Emitting Diode) lighting. LED lights use 86% less electricity than comparable incandescent lights and have numerous safety advantages. For example, LED lights are shatterproof, present no fire hazard, and, because they emit almost no heat, are safe to the touch.
Reduce Your Home Thermostat
When you home is filled with people, or the ovens are working overtime, or both, the temperature can rise by several degrees. Rather than opening a window or leaving a door ajar, consider lowering your home’s thermostat, or turning off the heat altogether. Each degree “colder” that you set you set your thermostat decreases your home’s energy usage up to 3 percent.
Plan Your Meal
Holiday meals are often prepared in advance of dinner and then reheated or warmed to be ready for company. This leads to running the oven, microwave or stove-top multiple times for each served dish. When possible, prepare foods at the same time and warm in the oven at the same time. In running your appliances less, you will save on energy costs.
Use Your Dishwasher At Capacity
Some dishes require hand-washing. For everything else, use a dishwasher. Dishwashers use less water than is required to wash and rinse plates, utensils and pots and pans by hand. They can also use up to 50% less energy than is required to heat the water you’ll need to wash your dishes manually.
The holiday season can be full of excesses. Don’t let your energy bill be one of them.
Nov 15, 2012 | Around The Home
For homeowners who keep a garden, with the change of seasons comes a task list.
There are basic tasks for gardeners — for example, raking the leaves, sharpening your tools. And, there are advanced tasks, too, which includes identifying and removing plants and trees which may be dead, and covering compost to prevent rain storms from leaching nutrients.
For homeowners in frost-free areas, November is a good time to plant roses and azaleas; prune flowering trees; and, start your fall vegetable garden.
The cooler fall and winter months are terrific for leafy greens such as spinach and kale; and carrots. Protect plants with row covers, when necessary.
For homeowners in colder parts of the county, November is when you should circle evergreens with burlap and wrap the bottoms of young trees with mesh wire to protect from wildlife; and empty and roll up garden hoses for storage.
It’s also when bulbs should be planted. Tulips, crocuses and hyacinths are easy to plant and will welcome you come springtime.
For all homeowners, consider this list :
- Aerate lawns to improve root development and drainage
- Check and clean gutters from fallen leaves, needles, and twigs
- Perform a round of weeding
And then, to discourage weed growth throughout the winter, place down a pre-emergent, and mulch around bedding plants, shrubs, and trees.
If your temperatures in your area tend to go below freezing, be aware of your plants which are sensitive to de-icing salts. Consider buying sand or sawdust for traction purposes near these plantings instead.
Lastly, remember that the fall months are a terrific time to take note of what worked in your garden during the summer, and what didn’t. Use a notebook and put your findings to paper. Attention paid now will pay dividends next spring.
Nov 9, 2012 | Around The Home
The calendar has turned to November; the month during which we transition from fall into winter.
With less sunlight, colder temperatures, and shorter days ahead for Worcester County area , it’s an opportune time to cross those last-minute maintenance items off your homeowner to-do list.
Practicing preventive care — both inside and outside your home — can save thousands of dollars in repairs come later this winter. What follows is a brief checklist to get you started.
For outside the home :
- Inspect exterior lights and outlets. Be sure that none of the outlets are cracked or broken, or have exposed wires.
- Clean gutters and clear all blockages. If leaves are falling, redo after leaves are off all trees.
- Inspect and test outdoor railings and stairs.
- Have problem trees trimmed, including those that may damage your home in a storm.
- Protect outdoor water faucets from freezing. Consider using foam cups, sold at hardware stores.
For inside the home :
- Change batteries in all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms, whether they’re “dead” or not.
- Vacuum refrigerator condenser coils, plus the front bottom grill. Empty and clean the drip pan.
- Inspect wood stoves and fireplace inserts. Hire a certified chimney sweeper to clean the chimney, if needed.
- Insulate bare water pipes running through your home to prevent freezing and to limit condensation on cold-water lines.
- Inspect automatic garage door opener. Lubricate chains according to manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure bolts and screws are properly tightened and secured.
As a constant series of chores, home maintenance is a four-season job and one which should not be taken lightly. The tasks of each season are unique and November’s jobs are mostly preparatory in advance of colder weather.
If your routine maintenance uncovers larger issues including a faulty HVAC unit, or a leaking faucet, for example, seek professional help to make the repair.
Aug 6, 2012 | Around The Home
How well do you conserve water?
The government’s EPA estimates that the average family of four uses 146,000 gallons of water per year, at a cost of $700. With just a few small changes, however, that cost could drop by as much as 28%.
You’ll save on more than just your water bill, too. You may save on Worcester County area taxes.
This is because water management is often handled at the municipal level and as water usage grows, so does the need for costly investment in water treatment and delivery systems. Less usage means lower costs.
You’ll also enjoy lower home energy bills. 25 percent of a home’s energy bill is used to heating water for home use.
So, with the above three benefits in mind, here are three ways to cut your household water usage.
Catch Your Shower Water
Nobody likes to step into a cold shower, and we sometimes run our showers for 5 minutes before stepping in. Even with today’s low-flow shower heads, that’s 10 gallons of water wasted. Instead of allowing pre-shower water to run down the drain, catch it in a bucket, instead. Then use the bucket to water house plants and your garden.
Stop Pre-Rinsing Dishes
Today’s dishwashers are heavy-duty food busters. Don’t pre-rinse dishes in the sink, only to move them to the dishwasher where the job will be duplicated. Instead, use a wet sponge to wipe dishes clean, then place them in the dishwasher. The job will get done just as well. Or, for caked on foods, follow the steps above then start the dishwasher. After 3 minutes, pause the cycle to allow water to sit-and-soak on your dishes. Then, restart the cycle as normal.
Test Your Toilets
A single leaking toilet can spill 60 gallons of water per day and there are several places where leaks can occur. The toilet may have a worn out flapper; or, a damaged gasket under the flush valve; or, a crack in the overflow tube. One clear sign of a leak is having to jiggle the handle to make the toilet stop running. To test for leaks, try “the dye test”. Fill the toilet tank with food coloring or instant coffee to a deep color and wait 30 minutes. If any of the coloring finds it way to the toilet bowl, you know you have a leak.
In addition to the tips above, the EPA keeps a list of water-saving steps on its website. See how many steps you can take to reduce your home water usage.
(Image courtesy : EPA.gov)
May 14, 2012 | Around The Home
Among Worcester County area homeowners, granite countertops remain a popular kitchen and bathroom finishing choice. Granite boasts a combination of natural beauty and durability that’s unmatched among most commercial options.
But different from many other countertops choices, granite is a natural material; mined from the Earth. It is porous and highly absorbent.
To protect the granite in your home, therefore, and to ensure its quality over time, you’ll want to seal your countertops at least once annually. A proper granite sealing will prevent stains and damage that can ruin your countertops’ appearances.
Sealing your granite countertops is a simple job, but one that requires a little bit elbow grease.
First, you should make sure your granite is actually ready to be re-sealed. To do this, soak a white cotton cloth in water and leave it on the corner of your countertop for a 10 minutes. Lift the towel and check whether the area under the towel is discolored, or dark. This will indicate that your granite is absorbing liquid and needs sealing.
If the area is not disclored, your granite is already sufficiently sealed.
If your countertops do need to be sealed, here’s how to do it :
- With a spray cleaner, wipe down the entire surface and allow to dry
- Using a clean white rag, apply granite sealer to the surface uniformly
- Allow 30 minutes for the granite to absorb the sealer, or longer
- When dry, re-apply a second coat of sealer
Depending on the thickness and quality of your home’s granite, it may need to dry overnight so allow yourself the proper time to finish the job.
Once sealed, use preventative maintenance to keep your granite countertops looking great. Place coasters under beverages, hot plates under dishes and clean up spills immediately.
A well-cared for granite countertop will last for years.
