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nCompass's Guide to Spring Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is crucial to the value of your home. Keep your
place in tip-top shape with regular check-ups to save you the headache
and cost of emergency repairs.
Divert Water - Gutters
do their job best when clean. Check yours for foliage build-up,
particularly if trees hover over the roof. Trapped moisture can leave a
house susceptible to moss and
mildew and cause major damage to your roof and walls. While you’re at
it, make sure the downspout is clean and pointing 2-2-1/2 feet away from
foundation walls.
Retain the Roof - It’s
easy to take for granted the one thing that shields you from the
elements. But doing so could cost you unnecessary repair costs. Be
diligent about roof maintenance.
Check Your Paint Job - Look
for chipped, cracked paint along the exterior of your home. Scrape off any failing paint. Sand it down so there are
no rough edges, prime the bare wood surface and paint it with a high
quality paint product. Don’t wait until siding accumulates too much
dirt. Brighten up the house with a good power washing.
Love Your Lawn - Trim
overgrown trees and hedges away from your home to discourage the growth
of mildew and moisture. Branches should be at least 7 feet away from
the exterior of your house to prolong the life of your siding and roof.
Get rid of out-of-control vines, as they can help crack siding and allow
moisture and pests entry into your home.
Keep the Air Fresh - With
warm, sticky days ahead, do yourself a favor and give your air
conditioning unit a little TLC. Not only does it cool you down, but an
efficient air conditioner removes moisture and humidity from your home,
which in excess, can damage its foundation. So if you aren’t changing
air filters monthly, start now.
Watch Windows and Doors - Investigate
all doors and windows for leaks and drafts, particularly near the
corners. Look for peeling and chipping paint, which can signal water
intrusion. Seal any open areas between the frame and the wall to keep
out water, which can deteriorate building materials. Neglecting these
tasks can open up potential for environmental hazards like mold growth.
Take a Peek at the Plumbing - Check for leaking faucets or sweating pipes, clogged drains and faulty
water drainage systems. On laundry day, look at the washing machine
hoses for bulges, cracks or dampness. Check under the kitchen sink for
leaks, and make note of wetness around the dishwasher. Inspect your
water heater for leaks and corrosion.
Tackle the Tiles - While
you’re in spring-cleaning mode, pay attention to worn grout between
floor tiles in the bathroom or kitchen. A small crack in the grout or
caulk can lead to an expensive repair later. If necessary, re-seal as
soon as possible.
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Ask the Expert!
Question:
What are the top three most common mistakes when remodeling your home?
Answer:
1.
Not Conveying the Right Expectations. “It’s
important to be clear with your contractor on what you want done and
why”, says
Brad Kendall of nCompass Homes. “While keeping the budget in check is
important, don’t forget the reasons why you wanted to remodel in the
first
place. All too many people move away from their dream by trying to keep
within
their budget, when most of the time you can do both. Just be clear on
how
important these items are to you.”
2. Hiring the Wrong Contractor."You need to
make sure that the contractor is right for you, because he's going to be
in your home, and you want to make sure it's the right contractor that you can trust," says Kendall. 3. Setting an Unrealistic Budget. "I think that
people often underestimate what it's going to cost to do a big
renovation, as the biggest
cost in a renovation usually is the labor." Kendall adds, "You never know what's going to happen when you get into demolition, so you need to pad your budget,
and be realistic."
| To submit your
questions to "Ask the Expert" go to
http://www.ncompasshomes.com/contact_us.php
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Thank you for reading our newsletter; we hope that you found it informative and useful. Please feel free to pass it along to friends and family. If you have any topics or questions that you would like us to cover in our next newsletter, let us know. And if you ever need a quote on a remodeling job or homebuilding project please give us a call at 303-419-3978 or visit us at http://www.ncompasshomes.com |
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4 Vacation Retreats in Your Own Backyard
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Forgo that summer vacation in favor of a retreat you can use right in
your own backyard. Decks, patios, landscaping and gardens, and swimming
pools and hot tubs can provide a daily relaxing escape from your
every day routines for years to come.
1. Decks: Outdoor Living
Decks have become an extremely popular, low-cost way to add living space
to a home. They not only make it convenient to enjoy sitting outside
day or night, they also open up the home and facilitate entertaining and
outdoor dining.
Outdoor rooms are becoming very popular, in fact, and not just in warm
weather climates. Homeowners are remodeling their decks and patios into
small- and full-scale outdoor kitchens, dining and entertaining areas.
2. Patios: Low-Maintenance Retreat
If you don't enjoy working on your landscaping and yard work, a small,
low-maintenance patio is a good solution for you.Small doesn't have to mean dull and uninteresting. A well-designed
patio, no matter how small, can be a fun escape from indoors. There is nothing as pleasant as enjoying a meal on your patio. Design an
area large enough for a table and a few chairs. If you are very limited
on space, built-in planters with wide borders offer a place to sit for
buffets and casual gatherings.
3. Landscape: Your Personal Garden Escape
There are numerous traditional landscaping and garden styles which you
can model your own after. Or, you can be creative and incorporate
elements from different styles to create a look of your own design. One
of the most important things in landscape design, however, is to work
with what you have.
Remember, you will spend a lot more time in your yard if you have a
landscape design that you are happy with.
4. Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs: Soak Away Stress
Why should you only enjoy a swimming pool or hot tub while you're on
vacation? If you install your own, every day can be a vacation. A
swimming pool can provide hours of relaxation and fun.
Hot tubs also serve as the ultimate personal retreat. The tub's
therapeutic waters are ideal for stress relief and relaxation,
alleviating the aches and pains of everyday demands in the privacy of
your own home.
For more information on how you can create the perfect backyard retreat, contact nCompass Homes for a personal consultation and use the coupon below for further savings!
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| REMODELING VERSUS MOVING
If you want to change your home, your other option
besides remodeling is to find a new one. But more and more
American
families are deciding to stay put and improve their existing
home. Here
are some of the reasons:
Remodeling allows you to
customize your home to meet
your needs and desires. The only similar, but much more costly
alternative, is to have a brand new custom home designed and
built.
Remodeling means that you
don't have to give up a
familiar neighborhood and schools.
Remodeling is a more efficient use of your financial
resources. According to the American Homeowner Foundation,
selling your
home and moving typically costs about 8-10 percent of the value
of your
current home. And much of this goes into moving expenses,
closing costs,
and broker commissions - items that have no direct impact on
your home's
quality.
Remodeling can be stressful,
but few experiences are
more stressful than moving.
While there are many reasons
that people choose to
remodel, the bottom line is that remodeling makes your home a
more
enjoyable place to live.
The intangible value of this pleasure
needs to
be considered, along with any resale value you hope to gain.But there is no doubt that, as
far as improving the
sale of your home, all remodeling projects are not created
equal.
The
general rule of thumb is that any remodeling project that brings
your
home up to the level of your neighbors' is a worthy investment.
But it
doesn't pay to be the most expensive house on the block - real
estate
experts recommend that a remodeling investment should not raise
the
value of your house to more than 10 to 15 percent above the
median sales
price in your neighborhood.
Remember that potential buyers
will be comparing your
home to ones newly built. Therefore, you'll want to look at the
design
trends and amenities being built into new homes.
Great rooms , master bed and bath suites,
and
higher ceilings are a few of the features sought by today's home
buyers.
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