Winter is a popular time for extended vacations because of the holiday season and people relocating to second homes in warmer locations during the cold winter months. The main risks associated with leaving a home unheated over a cold winter season include freezing water and the movement of framing, drywall, plaster and flooring. Before you leave your home for a majority of the winter, make sure you follow these tips to ensure a proper shut-down:

John Braddock, NPI

Information provided by John Braddock with National Property Inspections.  John is a South Metro Denver certified NPI/NACHI inspector.

 Inspection and home maintenance activities may involve some risk. Suggestions in this post are meant to be informational only. If you have any doubt about your safety or your ability to perform a task, do not attempt it. Instead, contact a professional contractor.

Before you leave your home for a majority of the winter, make sure you follow these tips to ensure a proper shut-down:

• Properly securing the water system involves much more than turning off the water. You must also secure anything that may contain water, including drain traps, piping, water heaters, dishwashers and clothes washers. Open up the piping at several locations to drain water.

• Fill drain traps and toilets with specialized antifreeze to keep sewer gas from entering your home, and to prevent freeze damage.

• Turn off the washing machine supply lines, and remove and drain them. To clear water from the washing machine pump, run the washer on the fill part of its cycle, set to warm water. For a dishwasher, remove the inlet hose and open the supply valve after you have turned off the water supply to the house. Operate the dishwasher to clear the valve; remove the drain hose.

• Unplug all electrical appliances to prevent any damage from power surges or lightning strikes.

• Keep the heat turned on, at a low setting to avoid the risk of structural damage of your home.

• Rain gutters, downspouts, sump pumps and appliances can malfunction during a long winter absence. Security is also a major concern- find someone to check on your house to avoid these risks. Contact your insurance company to find out their requirements.

Remodeling has been the word of my life over the past five months — you eat, sleep and breathe tile colors & sizes, internet product reviews, drywall dust, paint. Home Depot becomes a daily stop on your route and the phases ‘lead-time’ and ‘back-order’ become household words. In the end the greatest obstacle becomes the budget and many fixtures that were dreamt about become nothing more than that when the final bid is put in front of you.

My tales of remodeling came to realize a few huge cost saving actions that really made a nice difference in the end.

Cabinets.
Ready-to-assemble was the route (www.kitchenspro.com) we took and the savings were about 35% over the store-bought assembled cabinets. They don’t skimp on options like roll-outs and full-extension. These cabinets require precise measurements and arrive in flat boxes. You must assemble them yourself but ultimately we got a higher quality product then what we would have purchased off the shelf for a higher price.

Bring the Light

Plumbing. 
Keep the plumbing in the same place, don’t attempt to move the tub or the kitchen sink.  My idea of the sink and the stove switching locations quickly dissolved when I realized that would have been a major cost.  By keeping the sink where it is saved us around $1200. If you are doing any plumbing remodeling it’s essential that you visit the Do-It-UR-Self Plumbing and Heating Supply where they have a great selection of new and vintage plumbing supply — tubs, sinks, faucets. 

Counters.
Kitchen and bath counters would look fantastic with natural stones like granite or concrete but the cost may break the piggy.  If you can’t give up the idea maybe look at granite tiles rather than slab granite.  Tiled granite would be $35-45/square foot versus the slab at $125/sf.  Another idea is to shop around for a thinner 3/4 inch thick granite which will save 25% off it’s thicker counterpart.  We carefully saved money in so many other areas that this was where I choose to splurge with gleaming concrete kitchen counters.

None of this would have been possilbe with the clear vision and direction from Travis Hooker at Home Renew who was the mastermind behind the home remodel.  Adventures in home remodeling can always be a challenge but it gives your warm fuzzies when you put the time and effort into your dream home actually becoming your own house.  Creating the design and learning where you can save money yet not skimp on quality is most rewarding.

Spring usually brings about many sales and home appliance stores are no exception. Currently in the process of remodeling and shopping for bathroom fixtures –specifically toilets (yes, yes–the best type of shopping!) I came across a steal of a deal at do-it-ur-self plumbing on high-efficiency dual-flush toilets. The deal came in part because of the great prices at the store combined with the Denver Water rebate program.

The 2008 Denver Water Program will give rebates when you buy:

• HET Toilets ($125)
• Low-flush toilets ($25)
• HE clothes washer ($150)
• Evaptranspiration (ET) irrigation controls (25% of purchase price)
• Rain Sensor for irrigation system ($25)
• Wireless rain sensor for irrigation system ($50)

All and all it makes been green just as affordable as not being green. Click out Denver Water for specific rules and details and definitely click out Do-it-ur-self if you are even thinking about a kitchen and/or bath remodel as they are a great option for new and vintage items.

Ahhh, Spring is here and it’s the best time to take care of the upkeep items around the house that you’ve been putting off. No time is better than the present.

SNiff out odors. Boil lemon juice in your microwave to eliminate the lingering food odors — grind the lemon rinds down the disposal. Washing the inside of the refrigerator with water and baking soda will also neutralize stale smells. Empty & clean your refrigerator’s drip tray and wash out standing water (from defrost).

Scrub in some Sun. Cleaning the blinds can add a great deal of sun to any room. A solution can be made easily with one part vinegar to eight parts water & a couple drops of liquid dishwashing soap. Fill a spray bottle with the solution and wipe clean with newspaper to avoid streaking.

Better the Bed. Vacuum all mattresses & box springs and flip. Dry-clean mattress pads, dust ruffles and duvet covers. Repeat the process with furniture.

Wash the Walls. Oil, cooking smoke & dust stick to walls and make everything look downright dingy. Wash the walls with an all-purpose cleaner mixed with warm water. Use a clean mop starting at the top corner working your way down the wall to avoid dripping down the already cleaned parts.

Clean the Coils. vacuum grates, coils, and condensers in your stove, furnace & refrigerator (underneath or rear). If a vacuum won’t reach , try a cleaning towel tied to a yardstick.

Just a few tips to get you and your home off to a Springy fresh season.

Summer is right around the corner and home improvement projects are on the mind. Enjoying the outdoor space at home is one of my greatest pleasures. The garden is my relaxation and the patio is merely an extension of the kitchen during the summer months — entertaining friends and family is always outside. Improving outdoor space is currently a major trend in home remodeling that buyer’s are adding to their ‘must have’ features when searching for a home.

“The cost of the average deck project has risen 40 percent since 2004, to $10,347, according to JCHS. But it’s an improvement that tends to pay off pretty well at resale. Homes on the Pacific coast get a 108 percent return on when the home is sold, according to Remodeling magazine. Those in the upper Midwest, where the season for outdoor living is short, get only 71 percent.”

Source: SmartMoney, Brad Reagan (05/01/2008)

The 2007 Cost vs. Value Report in Remodeling showed a 86.3% return on investment of adding a wood deck in US mountain region. The improvement had the highest return of all remodeling projects in 2007.

Some sought after features of outdoor space include gas fire pits, outdoor grilling space, pavers (recycle water better than concrete) & interior views where the garden can be enjoyed from the expansive windows or glass doors. The back yard can be your oasis all while having a nice payoff when it is time to sell your home.

Frequently when showing homes to potential buyers the biggest “Whoa! What happened here?” is usually provoked when we stumble upon a homeowner’s do-it-yourself home remodeling. Unfortunately this list runs long and touches about every aspect of home improvement projects — I’ve shown homes with mis-cut granite counters to nifty hand-dug basements. Home improvement? I don’t think so. Hats off to the enthusiastic homeowners but some tasks are best left to the professionals, especially when your health & safety could be at risk.

Here are a few of the most prevalent DIY projects gone ‘wild’ — Often hunting home buyers will go from hot to cold when they come across projects that don’t look 100%.

Tile. It takes multiple days to complete a tile job, no matter how big or how small the job. Bad tile is easy to notice as there are so many elements involved in making a perfect tile pattern. Uneven grout lines, poorly set tile or skipped details disrupt the pattern and stick out like a sore thumb.

Paint. The easiest DIY but also the most goofed. Abrasive colors, paint drips and drops, uneven edges & over-painting detract for the room, instantly making it difficult to focus on anything else. Good painters are inexpensive and your investment in one will promote your home’s beauty.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors. Yet another project that draws the focus of the room if there is a big mistake. Refinishing hardwood requires in-depth surface prep, experience using a drum sander & proper use of finishing products. Use the wrong product, too much or too little and your living room is a permanent eye sore. Uneven boards, cracks, bubbling coats — all can be avoided with an experienced pro.

Plumbing. A number of times these issues come up down the road or worse — at the home inspection. Plumbing problems can become big ticket items quickly as problems develop within the walls of the home. Plumbing problems left unfixed can grow huge problems like mold.

Selecting a contractor to do the work is a process but when done correctly the results will pay tenfold. Get multiple estimates and check references to find a pro that will minimize your stress and improve the value of your home — not deter from it.

Sinking money into home improvement projects knowing that they’ll payback when it’s time to sell is the biggest mistake a home owner can make. Not all home improvement projects are created equal so choose to improve wisely.

The annual Cost vs. Value report in Realtor magazine gives a break down by national regions and Colorado home improvement gets mixed results–expected and a few surprises. In Colorado an addition of a wood deck topped the charts at an 86.3% return on investment. No home improvement project had higher than 86.3% return on job cost to resale value which was comparable to the national average of 85.4% on the same deck project. Nationally, the top home improvement projects where siding replacement (88%), Deck addition (85.4%), Window replacement (81%) and minor kitchen remodel (83%).

Colorado’s top cost to value home improvement projects where:

• Wood deck addition (86.3%)
• Basement remodels (83.8%)
• Minor kitchen remodels (83.1%)
• Siding replacement (82.6%)

Projects that had the worst return on investment in Colorado’s mountain region:

• Sunroom addition (54.5%)
• Home office remodel (55.1%)
• Garage addition, Upscale (65.2%)

With all this being said it is always important to sit down with your Realtor and home remodeling contractor to discuss your neighborhood’s most valuable home projects. The projects are going to vary depending on the real estate market, current trends and neighborhood to neighborhood. According to the article a master bath addition will only 68.7% return while I have have buyers looking in Washington Park & Congress Park that wouldn’t even consider looking at a home that doesn’t already have a master bath addition. The same can be said for garage additions, bathroom remodels and new roofs in most of Denver’s city center neighborhoods where homes have been remodeled in some form or another since they were built in earlier Denver days.

The full article will give you the national scoop, click it out.

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Spring is upon us which means there is a long list of home maintenance items that need some attention. Yes, I know cleaning off the BBQ grill is the one that is going to yield the tasty dividends but seasonal home maintenance is essential to making the most of your investment and more importantly your home.

Check your gutters for blockage, if necessary you can scoop out the debris with a old kitchen spoon or purchase a gutter cleaning tool from a home improvement store. After run a hose up on the roof and into the gutters to make sure the down-spouts are clear. (tip: make sure downspouts are positioned to divert the water away from the foundation of the house, they tend to move a bit in the snow-pack and thaw.)

Examine the window screens for rips and tears, dead branches, kids and animals reap havoc on unsuspecting window and door screens. An easy fix is to purchase a screen repair kit it includes a few different sized pieces if self adhesive screen to cover up the holes. Another way is to buy some screen stock and cut pieces slightly bigger than the location of the tear and sew it into place with fishing line. And finally if need be the whole screen can be replaced, take the old screen out and using a small nail pull the black or grey cord out of the small channel on the inside of the screen frame, discard the old screen and cord (save a piece of the old cord to match up the right size of the new cord you will need). At the home improvement store purchase a roll of screen, new cord and a cord roller (plastic rollers are the best, make sure you buy enough screen and cord to fix all of your jobs), at home lay the empty frame out cord track side facing you and lay the new screen over it positioning the corner of the screen 1″ over the track in the top corner and now lay the new cord on-top of the screen that is over the track and using the roller push it into the track, keeping the screen taut and moving around the track in one continuous piece, cut the cord when you reach the starting point from the opposite direction. After this is complete and you are satisfied with the tautness of the screen Trim the excess screen off with an exacto or utility knife, keeping right on the edge of the track and being very careful not to cut yourself or into the screen, begin to trim. Now reinstall the screen on the windows and keep pesky insects out.

Go around the outside of the house and look for anything that might be able to collect hold water in turn housing mosquito larva (ie. old buckets, rubbish piles, low drainage spots in the ground that can hold water). Fill in low ground levels and store or discard anything that might be a good breeding ground. The heavy spring rain and warm weather are prime breeding conditions for mosquitoes, who hatch their larva by the millions in standing water.

Change the cooling pads and clean/treat the reservoir in your swamp cooler also checking the water supply line for any leaks that might of incurred over the winter months. This also applies for central air in houses using forced air as a means to cool, check the air filters, chances are the months of running the furnace with all the windows and doors shut tight have collected a nice build up on them. Also consider upgrading to a allergen micro filter, they don’t cost too much more and help with allergen filtration if you suffer from seasonal allergies.

This one is directed towards your vehicle: SERVICE TIME. You spend a lot more time in you vehicle in harsh driving conditions in the winter than you think and all the months of cold starting your engine, sudden braking, and driving in magnesium chloride and sand takes a lot more out of your vehicle than you might realize. Get a thorough inspection done including brakes, transmission, radiator and engine. I know some people do this on a regular basis but some people don’t and now that you’re in the spring cleaning mood why not pay a little T.L.C. to your vehicle, maybe you don’t need an inspection, well maybe clean the 5 months worth of magnesium chloride off the underside of your car, or take it to a detailer and get the “works”. If you are of the few who regularly take your car for service and keep it clean the hats off to you.

Spring home maintenance tips were provided by Travis Hooker, a Denver home remodeler. He invites you to email him with additional questions regarding these maintenance tips. 303.807.0069

So you are remodeling your basement but the contractor can’t make out your drafted plans from a 2-year old’s first attempt with markers or a piece of contemporary art? Ok, so you are no Picasso but you still want your basement design to match your mental picture of how You want Your basement to look.

‘Click’ out Google SketchUp where that mentally pictured basement Disneyland can become your 3D model. Google SketchUp is 3D modeling software that is very easy to use (I tested it AND it made sense) and allows you to configure the plans for something as simple as a room addition on your home or as colossal as the Taj Mahal – Number 2(convenient controlled community version). The software will aid you in modeling landscaping as well.

SketchUp 6 is the basic version that is completely free and the tutorials give you basic instructions to be off and ‘sketching’ after a 10-minute interactive demo. This Spring I am building a retaining wall with a double-tiered garden in my backyard. SketchUp made the design precisely how I envisioned it so that the contractor knew EXACTLY what my mental garden looked like. The software allows you to be very open about measures or you can opt to use exact measurements for precision.

Many of the neighborhoods around downtown Denver offer beautiful older homes with tons of charm but not a lot of space. This 3D modeling software will allow Washington Park residents to enlarge those rooms, Park Hill people to pop those tops and Berkeley dwellers to add-on a garage–even if it is just for ‘cyber’ fun.

Happy sketching.