Jan

21

 (ARA) - When people think of winterizing their homes, most often their heating bills spring to mind - along with insulation and weather stripping. The winter months bring not only high energy bills, but also an increased chance of certain kinds of damage to your home and its contents.A few precautions can help protect you from serious losses and disruptions this season.

Indoor floods
While home fires make headlines, water damage is more common and often just as severe. The most frequent cause is faulty or broken pipes. In fact, Fireman’s Fund Personal Risk Consultants see a surge in water damage during the first three months of the year, when pipes are most likely to freeze and burst. Be sure to insulate exposed pipes.

If you leave your home to spend time in warmer climates or even just a weekend on the ski slopes, always leave the heat on in your home and set it to at least 55 degrees. Don’t let high fuel prices tempt you into going lower. The pipes that come in through your foundation or run through external walls can reach temperatures much lower than the setting on your thermostat. Have someone check on your home while you are away.

A foolproof way to protect your home from broken or leaking pipes at any time of year is to install an automatic water shutoff system. Attached to your home’s main incoming water line, the device senses increased water flow caused by a burst pipe and automatically shuts the system off. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company recommends the Leak Defense System from Sentinel Hydrosolutions. A 5 percent premium discount is available to policyholders who use this system, so let your insurance agent know if you install one.

Chimney and furnace fires
While fire presents a year-round risk, certain causes of fire occur more frequently during the winter. Chimneys, boilers and furnaces are particular risks. Approximately 25,000 residential fires begin in a fireplace or chimney every year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Why so many? Over time, a layer of unburned carbon-based residues (sometimes referred to as fireplace creosote) builds up along the inside walls of your chimney and can eventually catch fire. The solution is to have a trusted, professional chimneysweep clean and inspect your chimney annually.

An annual inspection is just as important for those with furnaces and boilers. And, remember, your furnace room should never be used for general storage. Wood scraps, old books, paint, solvents and other flammable liquids are significant fire hazards and should be removed and stored elsewhere.

Ice dams and old trees
Snow and ice storms can create a number of potential threats to your home. One of these is ice damming, which occurs in the days after a snowstorm.

Icicles hanging from your eaves, while they may be beautiful, usually indicate that a dangerous ice dam has formed. An ice dam is a build-up of ice that can form at the edge of your roof when snow melts but is blocked from draining. When more snow melts and is trapped behind this ice, the resulting water backup can soak through your roof and cause damage to ceilings, walls and more. The most common causes of ice dams are clogged gutters and insufficient insulation, both of which are easy to remedy.

Mature trees on your property represent another potential hazard during storms. Strong winds or frozen water that covers old branches with a heavy coat of ice can lead to failure and collapse, a clear threat to your home or other nearby structures. Have a trusted horticultural expert take a look at your property’s mature trees and prune or cut down unstable specimens.

For more advice on how to protect your home from winter’s severe weather, visit www.firemansfund.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Winterization checklist * Consider installing an automatic water shutoff device.
* Prevent frozen pipe bursts by insulating exposed pipes.
* Have your furnaces and chimneys cleaned and inspected.
* Inventory your personal contents.
* Remove stored items and clutter from your furnace room.
* Set your thermostat to no lower than 55 degrees when you leave your house.
* Have your roof gutters cleaned and inspected.
* Replace insulation if necessary.
* Consult with an art professional to be sure your collection is protected. (For example, a professional may advise that you move art and collectibles a safe distance from heat sources.)
* Have mature trees inspected and maintained.
* Have salt/sand on hand for icy sidewalks and driveways.

Jan

21

(ARA) - Real estate pros often coach their clients on the value of making “curb appeal” improvements to help sell their homes. Outside painting and minor repairs signal that the house has been well cared for.That’s a great marketing tactic, but an even better advantage is offering multiple bathrooms. So if you’re planning to put your house on the market and want to make it stand out, consider going a step further and adding a new bathroom.

A spare bath is a great investment. Second only to kitchen remodels for recouping resale value, bathroom additions boast a 63.5 percent rate of return, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2008-2009 “Cost vs. Value” report. And when an up-flushing, macerating toilet - or “up toilet” - is used for the project, its comparatively low installed-cost makes a bathroom addition very affordable.

An up toilet can be installed virtually anywhere in the home. That’s because this type of plumbing system operates above the floor, using small-diameter piping to pump waste and water up, not down, and into sewer or septic lines. As a consequence, there is no need for the mess and heavy expense of digging through flooring, especially the concrete variety in the basement.

“An up toilet is a super alternative, and it can go where traditional plumbing cannot,” says Mike Coletto, an independent plumbing, heating, cooling and electrical contractor in Illinois with extensive experience installing and servicing up toilets manufactured by SFA Saniflo.

Macerating technology is ideal for adding a bath in tight spots, Coletto notes, such as under a stairway or inside a closet. The simple installation process drives the cost savings. “With no digging,” says Coletto, “I can install a Saniflo system in about half a day.”

Best of all, this type of home renovation reaps instant rewards, improving the quality of life now and paying dividends later.

So, if you are thinking of selling your home, now is the time to plan your new bath installation. Last year’s federal, first-time homebuyer tax credit fueled an impressive increase in the home-resale market. The incentive helped drive year-over-year gains for nine straight months in 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Thanks to an extension and expansion of the program for those signing before April 30, many expect a similar increase in existing home sales during early 2010.

In addition to readying your home with a bathroom addition, here is a checklist of other ways you can easily increase the curb appeal of your home:

* Remove broken toys and tools that may have collected in the yard.
* Pick up debris and store trash cans out of view.
* Install new bulbs in porch and security lighting.
* Check bricks and pavers for cracks: Replace them and reset any that are loose.
* Patch worn or cracked asphalt or cement in the driveway.
* Edge grass and remove weeds that may have grown over walkways.
* Repaint the front door and freshen up chipped and peeling paint trim.
* Clean and polish the brass on doorknobs and lock housings, or replace them if severely tarnished.
* Replace any broken glass panes.
* Clean out gutters and downspouts.
* If you have a post mailbox, make sure it is upright and sturdy.

Learn more about low-cost above-floor bathroom systems by visiting www.saniflo.com or calling toll-free at (800) 571-8191.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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