It’s a Buyers’ Market – Invest in a Home Inspection

Home prices and mortgage interest rates are staying low, and it's a great time for home buyers to invest in a

home.  An important part of the home purchase process is having your potential new home inspected.  Sometimes even the current homeowner isn’t aware of issues that could be a problem for you when you move into the home.  Having a home inspection brings any potential problems to your attention, giving you the opportunity to correct them before you move in.

You might discover that the home is poorly maintained overall.  Lack of knowledge, time or money can result in a home that isn’t well cared for.  You can see signs of poor maintenance in peeling paint, cracks, or broken fixtures. A good home inspector will pick up on the little things that may have gone unnoticed in the electrical system, plumbing, HVAC system and structure of the home.  Faulty plumbing fixtures and old piping might be discovered, or insufficient or out-of-date electrical systems.  It’s obviously important that all components of the electrical system are functioning properly and are up to code.

Another common issue that home inspectors uncover is leaks.  Signs of water damage could point to a roof leak due to damaged or deteriorated shingles or tiles, improper flashing, or a worn out flat roofing surface.  Leaks can also be the result of poor caulking or weather stripping around windows and doors.  Gaps or cracks here can also allow air flow that can raise your energy bills.

A good home inspector will cover all of the home’s major operating systems, structure and exterior factors such as grading and patios.  If you’re making an investment in a home, you’ll want to know exactly what you’re getting inside and out.

Outdoor Lighting Boosts Your Home’s Security

If you have an older home or haven't given much thought to your outdoor or security lighting, you may want

to consider updating your exterior with lighting that is functional, beautiful and enhances your home’s safety.  Outdoor lighting is a deterrent to intruders, as it leaves them exposed with nowhere to hide.  It also provides safely illuminated areas for you and your family as you come and go or spend time outdoors.  

You’ll want to choose lighting based on the location and the need in that particular area.  For example, driveways and entrances are great places for lighting that detects motion.  When you (or anyone else) enters the driveway or approaches the door, the lighting will automatically kick on.  These fixtures should be positioned to maximize safety and minimize any glare that might disturb you in the home.  A downward orientation and shielded vision on these types of fixtures creates clear lighting without glare.

For areas where you want more continuous lighting, such as backyard, patio or play areas that might be used in the evening, floodlights are effective.  High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting is energy efficient and long lasting, and is used often in landscape lighting.  Halogen or incandescent lights are commonly used in floodlight applications. 

Take a look around your home with an eye toward safety.  Brighten your entrances with welcoming fixtures, illuminate dark corners with floodlights and consider keeping your home secure with motion detecting lighting.

Benefits of Interior Plants – Bring in the Green for Health

Although our desert landscape can be prickly and monochromatic, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a beautiful interior “landscape” with houseplants. Interior plants add color, lush greenery, and can add punch to your decorating scheme. In addition, interior plants offer numerous benefits to everyone living in the home.

In our dry desert climate, indoor plants act as natural humidifiers and also act as natural air filters. They can remove contaminants from the air, such as the airborne contaminants from cigarette smoke and emissions from products in your home that contain VOCs. These type of contaminants are often trapped inside our interior environment while our homes are closed up in hot weather.

Having indoor plants in your home has been shown to significantly reduce cold-related illnesses by increasing humidity and reducing dust. Exposing children to plants at an early age can lessen the chances of allergies developing, by helping to build immunity to the allergens.

In commercial and work settings, plants add not only beautiful focal points, but can help improve the interior environment. They can elevate mood and improve the health of occupants. Consider brightening up your space and your health with interior landscaping featuring easy to care for plants.

Repairing Exterior Cracks in Stucco

Fixing cracks in your home's stucco isn't difficult, and is a good idea before the cooler weather rolls around.
Yes, it will get cool again!  You will need stucco patch, water, a 5-gallon bucket, a scraper and a rubber float.

First scrape away any loose debris and widen any crack that is less than ¼” wide with the scraper.  This will help the stucco patch bond more firmly with the wall.  Mix up the stucco patch in the bucket according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Since the patching material dries quickly, only mix enough for a 15-20 minute application.

Apply the stucco patch to the cracked area using the rubber float in ¼” thick layers. Allow each layer to set before spreading the next layer.  For small cracks, you can use paintable caulk in the crack, and finish it off with stucco patch.

After applying the last coat of stucco patch, “sweep” off excess material using the rubber float in a circular motion, blending the patched area into the existing stucco.  Allow your patched area to dry thoroughly before painting.

If you think large cracks in your exterior stucco may indicate a structural problem, be sure to call a professional.

Replacement Glass – Is it all the Same?

Replacement glass experts know that glass isn't just glass.  Different types of glass are suitable for different projects, depending on the location and use of the glass. Starting with windows, you might want to consider Low Emissivity (Low E) glass for windows to save on energy costs.  This type of glass is coated with a virtually invisible layer of metal or metallic oxide that can result in energy loss reduction of 30-50%.  In our climate, the Low E coating would be on the exterior side of the window glass, keeping the sun’s heat out.  Different types of Low E glass are available based on how much solar gain you want to allow – low, moderate or high.  Tinted glass is another choice for windows that get a lot of hot desert sun.  The tint will reduce the light in the room, so keep that in mind when choosing your window glass.

Tempered glass has been treated with heat to withstand force and increase the impact resistance of the glass.  It is used for tables, doors and windows.  This type of glass does not break into shards, but rather into small fragments that are not as sharp and likely to injure someone.  Tempered glass must be cut to size, and then tempered to maintain its strength.  Laminated glass is actually two thin pieces of glass bonded together with a layer of plastic, which holds the glass together in the case of breakage.  Both of these types of glass qualify as safety glass, which is required by Arizona building code in most windows in shower areas and also any window located with 24” of and entry door or walking surface.

Knowing the type of glass that’s best for your project or replacement needs is the first step in getting the job done right

Know Your Landscaper

There are so many landscaping companies to choose from in the Valley – how do you choose?  Many provide basic clean-up and maintenance services, while others focus on landscape design and installation.  There are certain designations available to landscape professionals that can set them apart.  Here are some to look for:

Arizona Certified Landscape Professional – Certified by AZ Landscape Contractors Association after completing a two-month training in 16 content areas and passing a written and practical exam.

Certified Desert Landscaper – Has completed a 30-workshop program over 10 months at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.

Certified Arborist – Certified by the International society of Arboriculture after passing and exam on tree identification and care.  This certification requires 30 hours of continuing education every 3 years.

Certified Irrigation Specialist – There are four levels of certification, beginning with Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor.  Certified Irrigation Contractor, Certified Irrigation Designer and Certified Irrigation Manager follow.

Landscape Architect – This designation requires a BS in Landscape Architecture, apprenticeship under a licensed Landscape Architect and passing a national exam. A Landscape Architect must hold a state license.  A Landscape Designer, on the other hand, requires no degree, license or certification.

Depending on what you are looking for in your landscape project, one of the above pros could be just what you are looking for.  Anyone can call themselves a landscaper, and no license is required, so there is a wide range of skills and knowledge being offered by landscaping businesses. 

Basic Kitchen Design – Start Planning Your Dream Kitchen

Thinking about remodeling your kitchen?  Here are a few basics and recommendations from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) on space requirements and layouts.  Get out your tape measure, sharpen your pencil and start planning.

The classic kitchen design is based on the “work triangle” that ties together the refrigerator, the cooking area and the sink for convenience and efficiency.  Distances from the center of each area should be no more than 9 ft and no less than 4 feet.  It’s best to vent your cooking area to the outside, but if you have a window you will probably want to put your sink under it.

NKBA recommends 13’2” countertop frontage for workspace.  A space of at least 36” in your main work area is helpful, and you’ll need a minimum of 15” of countertop next to the oven and fridge, so you have a spot to place things you are transferring in or out (hot dishes, a cold gallon of milk). 

Islands are a versatile addition to your kitchen plan.  They can accommodate eating, a sink, a cooktop or just a large workspace.  An island can also provide extra storage space.  Most kitchen cabinets will put your counter height at 34 to 36” high, so if you are planning a breakfast bar, you’ll need to drop the height down to 30” or use taller bar stools.

Storage is another main component in kitchen design.  NKBA makes recommendations based on kitchen size as to how much shelf and drawer frontage is needed.  So, for a large kitchen (over 350 sf) you would need 2000”.  This would take into account the width of each individual shelf and drawer in the kitchen.  Remember to use your corner space for storage.  There are decorative shelving options, specially designed lazy-susan corner cabinets and pull-out shelving for base cabinets that put corners to good use.

These basics should get you thinking about how your dream kitchen will function and how much space you need.