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Pillar To Post Newsletter July 2018

Posted on July 3, 2018 by - Post Notes

Pillar To Post blog post


SMARTER LIVING

Smart Vacation Planning for Your Home

Vacation coming up? While you may monitor a security camera setup remotely, here’s some good advice to give you added peace of mind about your home while you’re away.

  • Make your home appear occupied. Schedule lights throughout the house to turn off and on at various times after dark using simple plug-in timers or a smartphone-controlled app.
  • Use extra caution when communicating about your vacation dates on Facebook and other social media. Information spreads quickly, and you don’t want it to get into the wrong hands.
  • Tell your close friends and trusted neighbors of your travel plans and let them know when you’re expecting to return. Make sure you can be reached in an emergency if necessary.
  • Have the post office hold your mail and suspend any newspaper and package deliveries, or ask a neighbor to collect them for you each day.
  • Ask a neighbor to park in your driveway on occasion so it looks like there’s someone at home.
  • Arrange to have someone mow the lawn in your absence if you’ll be gone for more than a week.
  • Close the window coverings in ground-level rooms so that would-be thieves aren’t tempted by valuables and other items visible from outside.
  • If possible, load your vacation gear into the car in the garage so that you’re not announcing to passersby that you’re on your way out of town.
  • Lock the garage, gates, and storage structures. Don’t forget to lock any side doors and doors leading into the house from the garage.

Now go ahead enjoy your time away!


HOUSEWISE

Keeping Your Cool

5 easy ways to help keep your home cool this summer.

  • Close window coverings on south- and west-facing sides of the house until dusk.
  • Change ceiling fans to the summer rotation setting (counter-clockwise) to make the room feel cooler.
  • Give the stove a rest and use the microwave and outdoor grill instead.
  • Use a programmable or smart thermostat to raise the AC temperature when you’re not home.
  • Take well-deserved breaks with homemade lemonade on ice!


SUMMER LIVING

The Thrill of the Grill

Before firing up the grill, consider these safety tips for trouble-free cooking!

  • Never use a grill under a porch, overhang, carport, deck, or in a garage. Make sure the grill rests on a stable surface and can’t be tipped over. If the grill has locking casters, make sure they are engaged.
  • Never use a propane or charcoal grill indoors.
  • Periodically check hoses and connections on gas grills throughout the grilling season. Replace any cracked or brittle hoses before using the grill. Propane tanks should never be stored in a garage or other structure at any time.
  • Start charcoal fires using a chimney starter instead of charcoal lighter fluid. Not only is a chimney starter safer, but your meal will taste better. If fluid is used, never add it to the coals once the fire has been lit.
  • To help prevent grease fires, remove accumulated grease and residue from inside the lid of the grill at least every 5-6 uses. Use baking soda to extinguish a grease fire still contained within the grill unit.
  • Always keep young children and pets away from the grill during and after cooking. With charcoal grills in particular, the exterior can remain hot long for a long time.


INSPECTION INSIGHT

Repairs and Upgrades: How Much Will They Cost?

During the process of buying or selling a home, your clients often learn about recommended or required repairs and upgrades. This can happen as a result of the home inspection as well as your expert knowledge of your market and comparable homes. Of course, the first thing homeowners want to know is, “How much will that cost?”

Pillar to Post is pleased to offer our popular Residential Construction and Remodeling Estimates cost guide, which provides estimated cost ranges for repair and/ or replacement of the major systems and components in a home. It also includes general guidelines for the life expectancies of those systems.

Request complimentary copies of the cost guide from your local Pillar To Post Home Inspector or download it at pillartopost.com/costguide.


SMARTER LIVING

Get in the Swim

Get the most out of your backyard pool with these practical tips for protecting pool users.

While it’s fun to take a refreshing dip, swim a few laps, or just watch the kids splash around, drownings and pool-related injuries occur each year, affecting thousands of families.

Here are some “musts” for enjoying a safe swim:

  • Anyone using the pool should know how to swim. An experienced swimmer should always be present if anyone is still learning to swim.
  • The pool should be enclosed with fencing a minimum of 4’ high. Gates should self-close and self-latch, with the latch inaccessible to small children. Homeowners should check local requirements for pool enclosures, as they may be stricter and/or provide additional specifications. If you have recently added or renovated a pool, an inspection may be required to approve the pool for use.
  • An adult must always be present when children are in or around the pool. For younger children, the adult should be at the poolside. It is not enough to simply look out a window or door to check on them.
  • Diving should be limited to in-ground pools. If there is a diving board, it must have sufficiently deep water beneath it. Always dive hands first, and jump feet first.
  • To avoid possible injury, keep children away from pool filters and drains. Make sure pool surrounds and decking are free of toys and other objects that could be stepped on. And walk, don’t run, near the pool to avoid slips and falls.
  • Keep rescue equipment nearby and easily accessible. For added peace of mind, consider having family members learn CPR skills.

Ground fault circuit interrupter red reset and black test button to prevent electric shock.

HOUSEWORKS

GFCI / AFCI Explained

GFCI and AFCI are specialized electrical safety devices with very different purposes. Let’s take a look at how each is used in the home as well as how they work.

A GFCI, or ground fault circuit interrupter, is a device designed to protect people from electrical shock in the home. GFCI receptacles should be installed in any area with potential risk for electrical shock and a direct path to the ground, especially areas with plumbing. These are generally installed in bathrooms, along kitchen counters, in garages, unfinished basements, outdoor outlets and near swimming pools and spas. A GFCI monitors the electrical current leaving from and returning to the receptacle. If there is a mismatch in the currents, the GFCI will shut off the receptacle immediately to protect people from serious electrical shock.

An arc fault circuit interrupter, or AFCI, is designed to prevent electrical fires. This relatively new type of circuit breaker detects arcing in an electrical circuit, shutting down the affected circuit before it can cause a fire. Arcing is possible if an electrical cable is punctured or cut by something as simple as hammering a nail into a wall. Other potential causes of arcing include frayed extension cords, loose electrical connections, and old and/or cracked insulation on electrical wires and cables.

An AFCI breaker fits into the electrical panel in place of a standard circuit breaker. AFCI breakers are much larger than standard breakers and have a test button. They may not be available for older electrical panels, so retrofitting with AFCI breakers is not always possible. In addition, old wiring may have been subjected to years of poorly executed modifications, which AFCIs may or may not compensate for. It’s always best to have a qualified electrician assess the panel and electrical components before making the decision to install AFCI breakers.

Budgeting Basics for Homeowners

Posted on April 4, 2018 by - Article

A new home often means making significant adjustments to how people spend their money. Expenses such as mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and maintenance add up quickly and can easily throw the best of financial intentions out of whack. Creating and following a budget is a great way to stay on track while cutting down on financial stress at the same time.

Having a budget gives homeowners a roadmap for their financial needs and goals. Yes, their monthly home-related expenses need to be met, but they’ll also need to consider much more: food, clothing, education, healthcare, transportation, and savings for both retirement and emergency expenses.

Homeowners will definitely have unexpected costs that arise at inconvenient times – the water heater needs replacing, or the roof needs repair right away. Having a way to cover these expenses is critical not only to the home but for peace of mind.

Homeowners should start budget planning by examining their household income against expenses. First, list the monthly income – take-home pay if they get a paycheck, self-employment income, and any other outside sources of income. This amount will form the basis of the budget.

Next, make a list of the monthly fixed expenses. These include the mortgage payment, car payments, phone and internet service, trash collection, etc. For expenses that are typically billed less frequently, such as property taxes, home insurance, and school tuition, divide the total yearly amount by 12. Fluctuating costs such as gas and electric bills can be averaged to a monthly total and added to this list as well. If there are carried balances on credit cards, those payments will need to be factored in, too. Importantly, savings should be considered fixed expenses – making this commitment to the future will pay off, literally, in the years to come.

Next, list the variable expenses. These are expenses over which homeowners have some control: food, clothing, cable or satellite TV, online subscriptions, gasoline, entertainment, gym memberships, and even haircuts are some typical examples. Track these expenses for a few months to arrive at accurate numbers to work with. It’s very important to be realistic about what is currently being spent, because once the overall expense budget is developed, they may need to look for reductions in these variable items.

Add the fixed and variable expenses together and compare them to the total monthly net income. If the income is enough to cover everything, homeowners can still look for ways to budget in their favor. Reducing some variable expenses and shifting the difference into savings, for example, is a great way to boost one’s financial situation without making major changes.

And if expenses exceed income?  If an increase in income isn’t on the horizon, they’ll need to reduce expenses so that they’re in line with what they can actually afford. First, go to the list of variable expenses and closely consider each line item. Is that upper-tier cable TV package really necessary? Can more meals be prepared at home? Go to the movies less often? Reducing expenses in these categories can really add up on a monthly basis.

If reducing the variable costs still isn’t enough, they’ll need to look at the fixed expenses. Consider trading down to a car with affordable payments and raising the deductibles on home and auto insurance. Check into cheaper plans for mobile devices. The differences can be significant over the course of a year.

No matter how careful the budget planning, it won’t work if the budget isn’t followed. Personal finance software can be helpful in tracking cashflow, and adjustments can continue to be made over time. By keeping to a budget, homeowners will come out ahead and sleep better at night, too.