Home Repair & Maintenance

City of Charlottesville to Hold Citywide Tree Debris Collection next week!

February 19, 2010 by Sasha Farmer · Leave a Comment 

From the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce ChamberBits newsletter….

Citywide Tree Debris Collection

The City Public Works Department will provide a FREE citywide collection of winter storm related TREE DEBRIS for City residents during the week of February 22-26.

City Residents may place tree limbs at the curb for collection no later than 7am of their scheduled trash and recycling collection day. Each street will be worked one time only.

Tree debris cut up by contractors for residents should be hauled away by contractors and will not be collected as part of this collection.

Questions may be directed to the Public Service Division at 970-3895.

Does all this snow hurt my lawn?

December 28, 2009 by Sasha C. Farmer Realtor · Leave a Comment 

I have had several clients ask about the damage that our recent snowfall is doing to their land. I am definitely not the expert on this, but found a really helpful answer on Turf King-Hamilton- Lawn Care.

Some plants will benefit from a little extra snow during the winter. Snow around the rose bushes will provide some insulation from the sap-chilling deep freeze of this past week. Bitterly cold temperatures for prolonged periods of time will result in more roses biting the dust this winter.

On the lawn, a thick layer of snow will not harm it, provided that there aren’t leaves left on the surface. The snow and leaves combine to prevent air from the foliage. This is likely to lead to accumulation of water under the leaves which in turn will lead to putrefaction. If the grass is cut short in the fall, the lawn is less likely to get diseased by the longer leaf blades being smothered. The last mowing should always be a little shorter. (the problem I’ve had is that autumn doesn’t seem to know when to quit, and I end up with 2 or 3 last cuts. Don’t cut the lawn too short of course, as this makes it more susceptible to frost damage if there is little snow.

Grass that has been cut too short, on the other hand, is susceptible to frost damage.

If you walk on the lawn regularly during the winter, it is also advisable to remove the snow from these paths. Snow that is hard packed by foot prints on the lawn could lead to damage to the grass plants. (it could also lead you down a garden path)

[From Turf King- Hamilton- Lawn Care: Does all this snow hurt my lawn?]

I would love additional input on this from anyone with first-hand experience. Unfortunately my lawn probably won’t even notice the difference!

January is National Radon Month!

December 28, 2009 by Sasha C. Farmer Realtor · Leave a Comment 

For those of you who aren’t yet familiar with radon, it is an odorless gas that is undetectable by humans. As described on the EPA website;

Radon is a cancer-causing natural radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste. Its presence in your home can pose a danger to your family’s health. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in America and claims about 20,000 lives annually. Learn how you can protect your family. Test Your Home for Radon — it’s easy and inexpensive. Fix your home if you have a radon level of 4 pCi/L or more.

[From Radon | Indoor Air Quality | US EPA]

In Charlottesville, the standard is to test for radon when you purchase your home during the inspection period (and some people will opt not to test at all) but for most people, that is the first and only test for radon that they will do on their home. There are many areas in Charlottesville where radon gas is present in homes, so if you’ve never checked- now is a great time!

Testing for radon is easy and inexpensive, and the EPA Radon site has lots of local and national links to help connect you with how to purchase a self-test, connect with someone locally to administer a professional test, and find people to mitigate a radon problem should you have one.

Locally, one of my preferred home inspectors, John Handloser with Pillar to Post Home Inspections, will be happy to administer a professional radon test in your home- call him a few days in advance to schedule him to come out.

Before beginning a new home improvement project- Check this list!

December 23, 2009 by Sasha C. Farmer Realtor · Leave a Comment 

Before choosing which home improvement project you will take on next, check out this list for a national survey on which improvements are the most valuable and will produce the highest return on investment. The survey is broken down region-by-region and then parsed into large metropolitan areas; the closest to us in terms of size, location, and economy being Richmond. Take a look, you may be surprised at what you find!

2009 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report

5 Clues That You May Need a Home Improvement Professional

February 22, 2008 by Sasha C. Farmer Realtor · Leave a Comment 

Unfortunately, this is not original content- it was passed down through emails to the point that it was completely removed from its author, but I was nonetheless amused.

Home Renovation Follies From Building Inspectors

With the huge boom of big box Do-It-Yourself shops sprouting up all over, more people are taking on home renovation tasks on their own.

Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes we need to put down the pneumatic drill and ask, “Do I really feel like I know what I’m doing here, or should I call in a home improvement professional”

  

5] This is some crawlspace handy work performed by a homeowner. Not only does he not own a level; they were also genius enough to use an overturned metal bracket for their structural support.

 4] The inspector spent quite some time trying to find the main electrical panel. After spending a good portion of time on his quest, he was shocked to find the panel behind a mirror other the bathroom sink. Home owners take note, “Electrical panels are never to be in a bathroom, as per ICC code.” 

3] Here we go back underneath the house again. The homeowner used a Joyce car jack to hold up their home. This I wrong on so many levels, I don’t think you need a detailed description as to why this is a problem…or do you?

  2] I would love to be a fly on the wall when the result of this renovation goes wrong. To achieve the “high end look” that comes with a sunken tub, the homeowner drilled holes ¾ inch from the bottom of the floor joists and suspended the tub with braided cable.

Water [8lbs\gallon] + Average Adult Weight = 1 night of spectacular television. 

 1] Grade school physics people – metal is an excellent conductor of electricity. And what do we have here? A receptacle that is mounted [electrical taped] to a steel support post in the basement of a home sans the receptacle box, with exposed wires. Nice.

 

Thinking of Remodeling?

February 15, 2008 by Sasha C. Farmer Realtor · Leave a Comment 

Thinking of revamping your house this season? Dreaming of a kitchen upgrade with new cabinets and countertops but wondering if it would be worth more to replace that old vinyl siding? Trying to reconcile all of that with everyone who keeps telling you that the best thing you could do would be to install new windows throughout?

Here are two great links- one that will help you determine the replacement and/or upgrade costs associated with different remodeling projects, and the second link is an estimate of return on investment for the same type of projects. Take a look at both of these before you venture into any new endeavors!

Home Remodeling & Upgrade Estimates.

Home Remodeling Cost vs. Value.

Both reports are for the South Atlantic area, but there is an option to choose a different region or to choose even more specific locations, such as Richmond or Washington, DC.