Tag Archive for: Home Improvement

Spring Forward – It’s Daylight Savings Time Again!

On Sunday, March 8th remember to set your clocks ahead one hour. I know it doesn’t seem like the snow will ever end, but the long days of summer will be here before we know it!

Changing the clock twice a year is also a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detector. The Ridgefield Fire Department recommends smoke and carbon monoxide detectors be installed inside every bedroom, and on every level of the home. There are models available that are all connected, so that when one sounds, they all sound. Also, a Ridgefield Town Ordinance requires that all monitored fire alarm systems in Town be registered with the Ridgefield Fire Department. The registration is required to assist the Fire Department in responding to an alarm from a home or business. There is no fee for this registration and you can find the form on the Ridgefield Fire Department “Forms & Applications” page.

In case of a fire in your home, it may also be advisable for your family to have a Knox Box. Knox boxes are key lock boxes purchased by residential and commercial property owners for emergency access to their property. They are mounted near the entrance to the property and hold keys, electronic access cards, floor plans and other vital emergency information. The key to the Knox box is secured on Fire Department emergency vehicles so that the Fire Department can have immediate emergency entry when responding to an alarm. Having a Knox box prevents costly forced entry damage and enables the Fire Department to secure a building after the emergency.

For more information about fire safety, burning permits and other Ridgefield fire-related regulations, visit the Ridgefield Fire Department website.

The Truth About Mold

Mold is one of the world’s most successful organisms – it will find its way into any location, even unexpected ones. However, that is not to say that mold is an inevitable – or even likely – problem to arise in your home. Mold grows under very specific conditions, all of which are easy to prevent.

Mold reproduces with spores, which are invisibly small organic particles that float everywhere. Although these spores are in the always in the air, when mold begins to grow, the spores may rise to levels that cause health problems and increase the likelihood that it will become a problem and spread. Outside of bread and other foods, the most likely place in your home for mold and spores to grow is on a wet surface, as it cannot grow without some kind of moisture.

To defeat mold before it begins, check your home to see if there are areas of high moisture or areas with direct water leaks. Fixing these issues should keep your house free of mold indefinitely. Keeping the relative humidity to less than 60 percent is also a good rule of thumb in ensuring your home remains inhospitable to fungus. Introducing a dehumidifier into a moist area, such as a basement in the summer time, is often an effective method to curb problems.

Mold can also grow in ducts and other HVAC systems. If the air in your home is causing problems, resulting in an increased difficulty when breathing particularly for those afflicted with respiratory issues, have your ducts checked to see if they need cleaning. Advanced filtration systems can also be installed in places that are predisposed to mold, but for most homeowners, this is not necessary.

Once it becomes established, mold can affect your health in a number of ways. Inhaling large amounts of spores can exacerbate allergy problems or cause other irritation. Although mold is generally not particularly harmful some varieties of mold, such as black mold, produce directly toxic substances called mycotoxins. However, the primary concern with mold is their effect on respiratory health.

If there is already mold in your home, it may be possible to clean it yourself. According to the EPA if there is less than 10 square feet of surface mold, scrubbing it off a hard surface by using detergent and water is generally enough to get rid of the problem. Soft or porous surfaces that have mold on them will likely need to be thrown away. Carpeting or curtains can get mold in various crevices and spaces in the material, and may therefore be impossible to clean. Painting over mold is not an acceptable way to treat mold. While cleaning the mold, make sure to wear gloves and goggles and avoid breathing the spores by wearing a respirator. If there is mold on an item that is particularly valuable, or the area of mold measures more than 10 square feet, contact a professional.

Although there is plenty of buzz about mold these days, in reality, mold is unlikely to pose serious problems for most homeowners. Usually, few areas in a home are prone to mold growth. By keeping tabs on moisture around your home and taking a few simple precautions, you should be able to remain mold-free forever.

If you’re thinking of selling and are concerned about the possibility of mold in your home prior to listing it, contact me for more information. I would be happy to assist you to get home ready for the upcoming real estate market.

7 Tips for Creating a More Energy Efficient Home

With one of coldest winter’s on record upon us, energy costs are a major concern for most home owners in Fairfield County. Not all homes were designed with energy efficiency in mind, but there are many simple ways to cut down on electricity costs and reduce your carbon footprint. Below are a few tips to get you thinking about how easy it is to help the environment and your pocketbook.

1. Find out where your inefficiencies are. Performing a Do-It-Yourself Energy Audit is one great way to find out how to make your home more efficient. These tests will find areas of inefficiency, among other things, which will allow you to understand the extent to which you’re wasting fuel and electricity on a daily basis. A Professional Energy Audit is another alternative if you are really looking for concrete solutions to an aging home, or one that is extremely inefficient.

2. Replace home utilities with more efficient versions. Tankless water heaters, for example, are considerably more efficient than those with tanks. Replacing just one light bulb with an LED light bulb could save up to $125 over the course of the bulb’s life. Alternately, Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs) provide smaller but comparable savings to an LED bulb. Large appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, and stoves usually constitute 20% of a home’s energy usage. Upgrading to new Energy Star appliances can result in considerable savings to you in the long run.

3. Improve the efficiency of the fixtures already in your home. Replacing air conditioning and heater filters is one easy way to increase the efficiency of these high-energy systems. Another simple way of reducing energy costs is installing more efficient shower-heads and other water infrastructure. Using less water generally means heating less water.

4. Increasing the efficacy of your insulation can also be a moderately easy fix. Exposed insulation, as is likely to be found in your attic, will often visually demonstrate the problems that it may have. Look for darkened areas in the insulation. This may indicate that there is a leak or hole near this area of insulation, which not only reduces the efficiency of that area, but may indicate that outside air and/or water is penetrating into unwanted places. Any part of your home that is not insulated is money out the door and should be addressed.

5. Sealing cracks and areas where warm or cool air can escape to the outside is a definite energy saver. Adding weather-stripping around your attic opening can increase the efficiency of your home. Around doors and windows, check to make sure that the areas between your home and the outside are properly separated. Your baseboard, attic hatches, mail slots, and window frames are all likely suspects for inefficiencies in your house.

6. Installing double-paned skylights is another great way of reducing energy usage while also increasing the beauty of your home. Replacing a few hours of light per day with sunlight is good for both your energy costs and resale value. Also look into light shelves, clever installations that can move natural light deep into your home where it would otherwise would not go.

7. There are also high-tech options for reducing your home’s energy usage. Some modern thermostats can be controlled by a number of devices such as smart phones, and can be programmed to help your energy usage become more transparent. For example, the Nest Learning Thermostat can learn your schedules and habits to automatically adjust your home’s heating and cooling to be more efficient. As heating and cooling your home is one of the largest energy expenditures, products such as geothermal heat pumps now have strong tax incentives and can keep your home comfortable for a fraction of the cost of heating oil.

Although making major changes to your home can be difficult and initially expensive, the savings you earn in the long run and during resale can justify many home improvement costs. If you have made specific green improvements to your home, be sure to tell your realtor about them when listing your home for sale. Don’t forget to sign up below to receive more informative articles, listings and community happenings.

6 Handy Tips For Getting Your Home Ready To Sell

When you sell your home, you are not merely selling a building on anonymous acreage. Home buyers are looking for more than statistics and size. When people buy homes, they are heavily influenced by emotion; by what they see both outside and inside the home. Before you show your home, be sure to take a few extra steps to ensure that you’ve maximized your value.

1. Curb appeal is the first thing any prospective buyer will notice. From the lawn to the walkways to the home itself, you need to make a good impression from the road. Make sure your lawn in in good condition, the grass remains mowed, and all vegetation is in presentable condition. Remove dead shrubs and trees. Merely keeping the edges around your walks, driveways, and terraces neat and tidy can have a powerful aesthetic effect. Fixing and improving anything immediately in a buyer’s path is sure to earn a great return.

2. Patios and other outdoor features can get overgrown quickly. Weed and manicure any outdoor area, especially those directly around the patio.

3. Minor details in the exterior of your home can be important. Keep trims in order, make sure the house has been painted recently, and keep all exterior elements well maintained. The condition of your gutters, exterior lights, and even the doorbell can subtly change a buyer’s opinion.

4. Inside, minor details become important. In every room, keep the following ideas in mind. Any cracks in ceilings, walls, or windows should be fixed before showing the home. All wallpaper, woodwork, and paint should be in great condition. Floors should be clean or recently refinished. Carpets should be secured to the ground. To accentuate your home’s best features, arrange furniture in ways that show off the shape and size of the room to add to a buyer’s impression of the house. You may even want to considering staging to help with this. Very large pieces that can be visually disruptive should be stored elsewhere. Your home should invite potential buyers to imagine how they might change the home, while still showcasing it as it is.

5. Clutter or uncleanliness in any form can also dissuade potential buyers. Even the insides of cabinets should be neatly arranged. For cabinets, also replaced old or outdated hardware, remove grease stains, and be sure that everything is aligned neatly. Beds should be made, couch pillows arranged, and counter-top appliances should be neat. Consider buying storage baskets for office paper supplies, bathroom commodities and closet storage.

6. It’s also important to be aware of problems that may come up during the closing. If you have an unused buried oil tank, your buyer is likely to request that you remove the tank before the sale goes through. Similarly, anticipate issues that may come up during the final home inspection. Asbestos, lead, mold, roof issues, and other health or structural problems are best resolved at the earliest possible time.

There are a number of homes in Ridgefield and the neighboring towns of Redding, Wilton, Westport and Weston, that I’ve helped prep for the market. If you want more advice about what you should do to get your Fairfield County home ready for sale, contact me directly. I would be happy to take a tour of your home, provide you with a complimentary market analysis for your home, and help you determine what measures you can take to maximize your home’s value.

Make Perennials Pop

The exterior of a home is the first impression buyers have. Whether in a magazine, a website, or a tour, it is inescapable that exteriors are among the chief hooks for buyers, and one of the most effective ways to easily add curb appeal is through gardening. Through the addition of perennial beds, mulching, and variety of plantings, any home can receive a great boost in appeal with relatively little expense.

Before beginning your garden, ensure that the soil has good drainage and aeration. Remove any extraneous plants, such as grasses and weeds. Enclosing the space with edging or another visual demarcation not only adds an attractive visual element, but can help to stop the spread of unwanted plants into the garden, as well of mulch out of it. While planting, allow ample time for perennials to become established before their winter dormancy. However, planting can occur during any season, except winter. A layer of mulch is not only good for plants, but provides an additional visual marker for the borders of the garden.

Perennial gardens are not only relatively easy to maintain, their reoccurrence creates year-over-year value. Within your garden, plant taller plants toward the least-accessible part of the space. Gradually plant shorter plants to allow for each element of the garden to be visible, though occasional changes in orientation can provide visual texture.
In addition to varying the size of plants, tasteful variation in color and texture are also effective for increasing curb appeal. By using a continuous but matching palette, variety may be introduced without over-stimulating the viewer. Placed into small clusters, groups of matching plants can act as focal points throughout, thereby disrupting potential monotonies. Interspersing these groups throughout the garden can create a satisfying continuity while maintaining variety. For experienced botanists, a consideration of the approximate blooming times of each plant can be magnificently employed, potentially allowing for a successive series of bloomings throughout the season. Gardens can benefit from basic geometry as well. By planting groups in triangular or scattered spaces, the volumes of plants blend together more effectively.

Throughout the season, be sure to remove weeds as they appear and provide irrigation. Remember that effective set-up can cut down on maintenance later.

Finally, the addition of paths, stones, and other inorganic elements throughout can add additional visual interest without becoming overwhelming. By integrating the aesthetic of the garden and adding these secondary elements, a relatively simple combination of colors and textures can sum to great design and powerful curb appeal.

Article written by Richard Duffy

Get It Sold: Quick Tips For Home Staging

So, you want to sell your home quickly? Then you’d better get staging. One of the most important parts of getting your home ready for the market is making it look like it just stepped out of the pages of a Pottery Barn catalogue. Stop looking at your home through your sentimental eyes and start thinking like a buyer. Would you want to see a picture wall full of kids you don’t know, or a fresh coat of neutral paint that allows you to imagine what a great picture wall you could hang in that space? Here are some quick ways you can spruce up each of the most important rooms in your home and make buyers say “how much?”

Overall – one of the most common problems we encounter is that there is simply too much ‘stuff’ in the home. In general, we recommend moving excess seating, toys, clothing, tables, and personal items to the garage or basement.

Bathroom – it needs to be spotless. Ensure that towels are crisp white and that you clear all of your everyday bathroom necessities off the countertops. Beautify the room with coordinating candles, soaps and flowers.

Bedrooms – whether it’s the master bedroom or the kid’s rooms, the bedding needs to always look freshly laundered. Invest in puffy, decorative pillows and place them on the bed over an inviting comforter. Remove nightstand paraphernalia, and organize and declutter closets.

Kitchen, breakfast areas, and the dining room table – remove everything from the countertops except for a couple of stylish items. Set the table and breakfast areas in an inviting way by laying centerpieces, candles, napkins, place settings and stemware.

Living room – when it really comes down to it, minimalism is the way to go. A couch, coffee table and beautiful floors are enough in most homes. If you have a very large room, an additional couch or loveseat, end tables, and a rug may be in order. If you have a wall unit, mantle or built-ins, make sure to treat each shelf as its own showpiece.

To find out more about how staging affects the perceived value and emotional impact of your home, contact me.