For two decades, Vince Stoakley was a globetrotter, traveling the world as a member of the U.S. Army. After retiring from the Army in 2012, Stoakley needed to find a calling that was not just a job, but a career, and one that would let him expand his roots. He found that when he opened his Pillar To Post Home Inspectors franchise where he serves the Houston area with home inspection services for residential buildings of all kinds.
Vince was a Sergeant in the Army, a position he says made him well-suited to sate the entrepreneurial spirit that drove him to consider purchasing a franchise for North America’s largest home inspection company. Weighing his options, Vince, along with his wife Thaija, were most impressed by Pillar To Post’s commitment to the VetFran program, which provides military veterans with discounts on initial franchise fees. “My military experience has provided me with the integrity and multi-tasking ability that is so crucial to running a successful business,” said Stoakley. “It was important to me that any franchise I was part of respected my military background and Pillar To Post clearly did.”
Beyond the franchise’s VetFran assistance, Stoakley also pointed to Pillar To Post’s support system in place for new franchisees as being defining factors that has allowed his business to not just endure, but thrive. “The system in place for new franchisees at Pillar To Post is the perfect safety net; I never felt like I was going it alone as I grew my business. It made the transition from active military member to franchisee an easy one.”
“We try to be both a businessman and a friend to each customer,” added Stoakley. “We also love giving back to the community; so far, we’ve helped build three homes in the area as part of Habitat For Humanity. We also plan to donate one free home inspection a month to a service member. We are certain that our unique emphasis on the community will help ensure that our Pillar To Post franchise remains successful for a long time.”
Pillar To Post welcomes your comments and
concerns. You can contact us: Click Here
Making Your Home Guest-Friendly “Oh no, the in-laws are coming and the house is a mess!”
Whether you are hosting overnight guests or holding a party, if your home is cluttered, it can be a stressful
situation. Prepare ahead of time to relieve stress and enjoy your time with your friends and family.
Plan Ahead. Start planning as soon as you’ve set the date. Use checklists to free your mind
from the mental clutter of all your ‘to dos’.
Plan the Menu. Shop for non-perishable items in advance. Schedule some time just before
guests arrive to shop for fresh items. Designate a shelf in the pantry and in the fridge strictly for food
for guests.
Survey Your Home. Walk around your home as if you were a buyer seeing it for the first time
and make a list of anything that needs attention. Focus only on the rooms your guests will see and don’t
worry about detailing family bedrooms.
Clear the Clutter. Even the most spotless home can look messy and uninviting if there is
clutter. Start with the entry area and coat closet to make a good first impression. Eliminate all but the
absolutely necessary items. A garment rack in the basement can serve as storage for extra coats and other
items you remove from the closets.
Organize the Guestroom.
Clear the clutter, add some nice hangers and hang a cedar closet freshener. Install a battery
powered light if necessary.
Allow space for unpacking by emptying a few drawers in a chest in the guestroom.
Clear the clutter from bedside tables to make room for your guests’ books or jewelry. Remove
personal items and knick-knacks from the room.
If you don’t have an extra bed, consider purchasing a feather bed (which you can later store in a
vacuum bag), or an inflatable air mattress.
Reserve a couple of sets of linen for guests only so they remain clean and fresh. If you are having
several guests, consider providing towels in a different color for each of them.
Purchase travel-sized toiletries (or keep the ones you get when you stay in a hotel) and tuck them
in a pretty basket by the sink.
Get the Job Done. Involve the whole family in the cleaning, organizing and
preparing. Another option is to hire professional help in order to get the job done quickly and
preserve your sanity! Consider hiring a cleaning company, a professional organizer and/or a
handyman.
Final Touches. After you’ve cleaned and organized your home, add small touches
throughout, like flowers and candles, to give it warmth and comfort for your guests.
Do another walk-through after you’re done to see how guests will experience your home.
Now you can relax and enjoy your friends, your family and your home.
Hellen Buttigieg Certified Professional Organizer & Life Coach www.weorganizeu.com
You may not want to admit it, but the days are getting shorter, the temperature is dropping, and winter
is on its way. No matter what the season means to you whether that’s embracing the snow, avoiding the
outdoors altogether, or taking off for a sunny destination - winter-proofing your home should be at the
top of your list.
Roof: Before it’s covered in snow be sure to have it checked for any damaged shingles,
replacing them if necessary. Also have your gutters cleared to ensure drainage will flow smoothly when
the snow melts.
Furnace: It’s no secret your furnace will be of paramount importance as temperatures
continue to drop, so prevent a breakdown by making sure its service and maintenance is up to date.
Windows: Double check that all windows are tightly sealed and water isn’t collecting in
the sills. Ensuring windows with multiple sliding panels are in the closed position is important to
avoid drafts.
Doors: Similar to windows, it’s important to check door frames are securely sealed
without any cracks. Consider sealing or insulating mail slots or doggy doors.
Floors: Check for gaps between exposed floorboards, especially in any unfinished rooms
in the house. If you have central heating, it’s important to ensure ducts connected to floor vents are
well insulated.
Everything else: When setting your home up for seasonal success, it makes sense to take
a look at your current insurance policy as well. Winter often means extreme weather that can result in
damage to your property.
Want to improve the air quality in your home? Decorate with ferns. Horticulture experts say potted ferns
help purify indoor air by filtering out common household pollutants.
Here’s how to keep your family breathing easier:
Pick your plant. There are many types of ferns, but these easy-to-find varieties do
well indoors. If you would like a tall fern, try the bird’s-nest. Prefer a plant potted in a hanging
basket? The Boston fern is best. For a plant that fits in small spaces, the little button fern is
perfect.
Water often. Ferns are thirsty plants, so it is a good idea to keep them
consistently watered, making sure the soil stays moist - but not wet.
Add humidity. Ferns thrive in normal house temperatures and indirect light. To up
humidity for ferns, double-pot your plants in a set of plastic containers, filling the area between
them with pea gravel. Keep the gravel moist, and your plants will be good to grow.
Generally, the more advanced the technology, the more moving parts or the more “bells and whistles” an appliance
has, the shorter its functional lifespan is likely.
According to consumer’s reports, if it will cost 50% or more of the cost of a brand new appliance to repair your
older machine, it rarely makes sense to do the repair. Here are a few tips when shopping to replace your laundry
pair.
The newer your laundry machines, the more energy efficient they are likely to be.
If your washer and dryer are more than ten years old, you are likely better off replacing them with
new energy efficient models.
Front-loading washers use a fraction of the water that an older top-loader
consumes, making a difference of around 7,000 gallons of water per year. That’s a big savings on the
water bill.
Dryers are not Energy Star rated, they all use around the same amount of energy,
but newer machines have sensors in the drum that detect moisture and stop the dryer when the clothes
dry.
What if we told you there is a way that your home can be heated and cooled for a fraction of the cost it is
currently costing you? This technology is not new and has been in use for many years. We are able to steal heat
from deep in the ground and pump it into your house to keep you warm in the winter. Then pumping the heat out of
your house in the summer. This technology is called a geothermal heat pump. Heat pumps are nothing new and lots
of people in moderate climates have heat pumps.
Temperature Gradient Temperature gradient is a preliminary concept that one needs to
understand before the benefits of a geothermal heat pump can be fully appreciated. It’s all about heat flow.
There are two parts to this concept:
Direction of heat flow: It should be no surprise to you that heat will move from hot to cold all
by itself. It does not need any encouragement (energy). If it is hotter outside than it is inside, heat will
move from outside to in and heat the home until the temperature inside is the same as out. The natural direction
of heat flow is hot to cold. If heat is flowing in the direction it wants to go, you will have a
positive temperature gradient.
Temperature difference: Heat will move very quickly if it is very hot outside and very cold
inside, there is a big difference in temperature and we have a big temperature gradient.
What’s A Heat Pump? A heat pump is a mechanical device that moves heat against the
temperature gradient. A heat pump can be used to cool a house like an air conditioner and it can also be used to
heat the house by moving heat from outside to inside. They don’t work as well in cold climates because as the
temperature outside drops, so does the efficiency of the heat pump. In cold climates it may be too inefficient
to heat your home with a heat pump.
Pipes are buried in the ground or in a well or lake, horizontally or vertically. A circulating liquid moves heat
in and out of the ground through the pipes and the heat is pumped in or out of the house as required. Heating
and cooling by pumping heat through a temperature gradient is much cheaper than heating and cooling with
electricity and or fossil fuels.
What’s more psychologically revealing about the make and model of your car? Its color! Studies reveal that the
color of your car shapes others’ opinions about your personality.
If the color of your car is …
Blue: You are a laid-back nurturer.
Black: You’re a mysterious leader.
White: You exude honesty.
Silver: You’re a far-sighted trailblazer.
Green: You’re a pillar of the community.
Gray: You’re a refined individual.
Red: You’re a passionate go-getter.
Fog-free mirrors. Wipe shaving cream on the mirror with a cloth; buff off. The
mirror will stay clean after a hot shower.
Degrease your carpet. Apply shaving cream to a greasy stain and let sit for 5
minutes. Remove excess cream and dab area with wet cloth; vacuum as usual. The glycerin in shaving
cream should safely dissolve the mark.
Fix a squeaky hinge. Squirt a little shaving cream on the hinge of a door. It will
lubricate it, keeping it squeak-free.
Remove mildew from grout. Combine equal parts of shaving cream and bleach; apply it
to bathroom grout. Leave it overnight to attack mildew and rinse away.
PROS
Environmentally friendly compared to gas or oil furnaces (no combustion)
Not a significant source of pollution and efficient
300-500% more than the best furnaces
Geothermal energy is a renewable resource as long as the Earth exists
Suitable for the smallest of houses to the largest commercial spaces
No cost fluctuations determined by gas and oil prices
30%-60% savings on heating and 25%-50% savings on cooling
CONS
High upfront costs ($10,000-$20,000)
More suitable for new home builds as retro-fitting involves large scale excavation
Electricity is still needed to run heat pumps
Geothermal energy using wells requires large usage of water
Discharge into the Earth could include sulfur dioxide and silica
Fewer installers and thus less competition
Large scale geothermal power plants are dangerous to the Earth’s surface
Overhead garage doors may be the largest moving object in most homes and can weigh up to 400 pounds. For safety, homeowners should be sure that it's up to date and kept in proper working order.
Older garage doors often lack some of the safety features required in newer installations. These include spring systems designed to prevent flying metal in case of spring failure, and automatic openers that can operate in reverse if the door closes onto an obstacle. Automatic openers must also have sensors, usually a pair of electric eyes, that will stop and reverse the door if a person or pet moves across its path. It is sometimes possible to retrofit existing systems to include these sensors without replacing the entire system. Children should be taught that the garage doors are dangerous, and that toys, bikes, etc. should never be left in the way.
There is also the issue of power outages and how to get the door open. For several decades, automatic openers have featured an emergency release that will disengage the opener, allowing the door to be opened by hand. In most cases it will be a short red cord that hangs down close to the center of the door, inside the garage. Homeowners should learn in advance how to operate the release in case they need to get a car out of the garage during a power outage.
Maintaining the door is important for safety and for quiet, smooth operation. A garage door specialist can provide periodic maintenance, or homeowners can do much of this themselves including lubricating the springs and hinges. The track itself, where the wheel run, should never be lubricated for safety reasons. A professional can also check the door balance and alignment and make any needed adjustments.
When moving into a home, the new owners should change the remote control code immediately for security purposes, just as they would re-key or change the home's door locks. If the remote is not reprogrammable, chances are it's an outdated system and should be upgraded for safety reasons. A garage door and opener, with proper maintenance, will help ensure safe operation and should last for many trouble-free years.
A healthy plumbing system can help lessen the chance of leaks, ruptures, clogs and other not-so-nice events. Homeowners who take some basic precautions and implement a few simple steps can be more confident in the state of their home's plumbing, and can save on costly repairs as well.
Know where the main water shutoff valve is. This is normally very accessible so that the water to the whole house can be turned off in an emergency.
Check the household water pressure with an inexpensive gauge from the hardware store. Excessive water pressure can damage pipes, faucets and washing machine valves, which can lead to leaks and dramatically shortened lifespans for these items. In general, water pressure should be between 40-80 psi. A plumber can install a pressure reducing valve near the main shutoff to correct this condition.
Protect pipes from freezing by using pipe insulation where pipes are exposed to the cold. This includes outdoor faucets, garages, crawlspaces, and unfinished/unheated basements. Frozen pipes can burst and result in serious water damage to the home and belongings.
Avoid using chemical drain cleaners. Though often effective, they can damage cast iron drainpipes and cause bigger problems. Snaking the drain is a better solution - keep a plumbing snake on hand or have a plumber do this.
Do not put any kind of grease or cooking oils down the drain. These will just solidify as they travel through the pipes and can cause serious clogs further down the line. Instead, pour the grease into a paper cup or other disposable container and throw it away.
When it comes to plumbing, an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure!
There are no inspections available with this FBO within +/- 4 days of your preferred inspection date. Please pick another inspection date, or contact us.
icon and select "Add to Home Screen".
