July 2010

Big News! Moved to a New Place

Monthly Liveability TIP - Moving, a Staying Organized Nightmare!

Start two separate piles of paper - one for items that need immediate action, like calling utility companies for service, setting up security or internet, and filling out required forms. The second one should be for all the books, manuals and instructions.

On the first stack - take what action you can immediately! Fill out forms, mail them, make the required calls. Don't let the things in this pile get buried or lost. It can cost you money if you do not comply with deadlines. Keep this stack of paper out on the kitchen counter or table and very visible.

We recommend the second pile all goes into a kitchen drawer so you can pull it out quickly to refer to when you don't understand what the buttons on the new microwave really mean.

Rain Gutters & Downspouts Article

Your first area of concern should be – does the home have rain gutters and downspouts? If not, where does rain, water, or condensation come off the roof?

How does this affect the landscaping underneath the edges of the roof?

Are there patterns on the ground under the edge of the roof where the runoff is making a trough?

Gutters generally keep this run off from damaging landscaping or making troughs in the ground underneath. However, if the edges of the gutters have dips in them along the longer length sides of the house they maybe overflowing. Look on the ground directly below these area’s for evidence of water falling directly out of the gutter.

Another cause of overflowing gutters is a buildup of leaves or other debris indicating they have not been cleaned out. This may also be a good indicator that the rest of the home which is "out of sight and out of mind" has not been well maintained. A professional home inspector should look at the roof, gutters, and downspouts to tell you more about their condition and any maintenance necessary to repair them.

Your second area of concern should be - where does the water come off the roof or out the downspouts, and thru the yard? Based on how you intend to use and landscape the property, water runoff must be properly managed. Any area where you will want to keep vehicles, pets, special plantings, or decorative items should not go in areas where water from gutters or downspouts will fall on them continuously.

Is the property graded so that the water runs away from the house foundation? Water should not pool around the foundation of the house at any point. If you see evidence of this occurring; the ground around the home may need to be re-graded or the landscaped changed to direct the path of water away from the home. Any standing water can contribute to the formation of mold in the home & walls, or may attract undesirable animals and insects.

You will find different parts of the country and the world have very different gutter systems, downspouts or local traditions for what is expected or required. Building codes and requirements also vary depending on the type of typical weather in the area.
Click here to read the rest of the article on HDI

Insights on Window Blinds - Pro's & Con's of the new Cellular Blinds

They come is several different types and colors - privacy, room darkening, insulated and white or almond. One advantage is that you can have them cut to fit your non standard windows right while you wait, then take them home & put them up right away.

We selected the room darkening and insulating type for our west facing bedroom windows. These work very well to reduce the heat in the afternoon and evening. They also mean the room stays quite dark even after the sun comes up if you want to sleep in or if you need to sleep during the day after working the night shift.

Perfect for a same day move in to a new place if you don't want to wait (or pay the extra money for custom order blinds) and if you don't want to use the temporary paper blinds. Although the people down the street from us had the paper ones up in their front dining room windows for over a year!

These new cellular blinds are easy to clean with a duster wand and do not make as much noise as aluminum or plastic blinds. They have a one touch button at the bottom to raise them up and down.

Great! I have them installed and now I've found out all of the downside issues.

Raising them up and down with that one button means that it is difficult to keep them straight across. You have to pay attention! If you leave them all crooked it looks bad from the outside and your neighbors may think you've been drinking.

Also, there isn't any way to look out the window without totally raising up the blind. As a woman, I like to be able to peak out of a bedroom window to see what may be outside through the slats in a regular blind or a small gap in a curtain. Raising up the blind totally means you have to put on a robe or cover yourself up, and the movement will be very visible from the outside of the house if anyone is out there.

Finally, they cannot be cut down to be narrow enough to fit some small bathroom windows. The window with our toilet enclosed was only 16 inches and these cannot be cut down to less than 18 inches. One work around for this is these blinds can be mounted in front of the window and do not have to fit into the window opening.

Another alternative for privacy window coverings for bedrooms and bathrooms window films with reflective coating or patterns like rice paper and frosted. These are inexpensive, but can be hard to apply in a small space.

Comments or feedback on your experiences? Any good blind cleaning techniques?