Finally warm weather has broken here in the MidAtlantic, and with warm weather means...well, more work around the house.
We had a record amount of snowfall this winter in our area, and as it's all beginning to finally melt away, I'm left with brown grass, broken limbs, a distroyed grill (i.e. it somehow mananged to find it's way down the stairs of the deck and end up halfway into the backyard), and other small projects that I can no longer delay because "it's too cold out."
I am trying to begin with the smaller projects, things that I keep meaning to do, but never actually do them. This weekend I am going to make an appointment to have my central AC system inspected -- I was out there the other day and noticed some bare wires, that I don't think are a good thing. I've been here 2 years, and never have had it serviced, so I figure I better do that before it's the heat of the summer, and the thing craps out.
On the list for next week is going to be removal of the fallen limbs from all of the snow we've had, and probably some pruning of shrubs because they also have gone bent from the weight of the snow on them for weeks.
I'll be back soon with some pointers on how to best accomplish some of this work, but in the mean time, check with your own township/municipality regarding removal of limbs, yard refuse, etc. You would be surprised what a little research can bring -- free removal!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Knock Knock...Who's There...
It's 5am, and I am awoken to a crazy loud noise, that sounds like a jackhammer through my bedroom wall.
I jump up - it stops. I wait...a few seconds go by, and again, I hear the steady drilling again. I bang on the wall. It stops. A few days later, 5:30am, I awake to more drilling noise. Finally it dawns on me - it's a woodpecker. And he's pecking on my siding.
In some ways, I can't blame the woodpecker - my house is a playground for wood-loving animals and insects. I have board and batten siding, made from soft wood that woodpeckers apparently love to play with.
In my head, I'm thinking of the damage this little guy could potentially do, I immediately hit the internet for proposed solutions. In my mind, the answer was simple - just get rid of the bird just like any other - shoo it, shoot it, anything.
No, no...as I come to find out, woodpeckers are territorial and once they stake their claim (my house), that's it. It's do or die time...or not, because the woodpecker is a protected species. No b-b guns allowed.
I search and search through $250 plastic owls to mount on your siding, $500 netting to overlay on the house, $75 hawk scent to scare it away. And finally I come across a suggestion to use something metallic to discourage the pecker from pecking. I think and it strikes me - aluminum foil. It took me 3 seconds to run downstairs and begin hanging foil out all of my windows. For some added shock value, I took a ride to the local Dollar Tree and picked up a half-a-dozen mylar balloons and hung them out the windows on that side of the house.
Disco House was in full effect. My neighbors probably thought I was nuts. For two weeks I left them out, blowing in the wind. For two weeks, I listened and hoped I would not be awoken by the little guy.
And it stopped. Without shooting the little guy, without further damage to the house. Without really going nuts. Without spending tons of money on all of the stuff they sell on the internet that probably works just the same.
$6 later, I was free of the woodpecker. He still hangs out in my yard, but I just feed him some suet so he has something more appealing than my siding. And, best of all, I get a full night's sleep.
I jump up - it stops. I wait...a few seconds go by, and again, I hear the steady drilling again. I bang on the wall. It stops. A few days later, 5:30am, I awake to more drilling noise. Finally it dawns on me - it's a woodpecker. And he's pecking on my siding.
In some ways, I can't blame the woodpecker - my house is a playground for wood-loving animals and insects. I have board and batten siding, made from soft wood that woodpeckers apparently love to play with.
In my head, I'm thinking of the damage this little guy could potentially do, I immediately hit the internet for proposed solutions. In my mind, the answer was simple - just get rid of the bird just like any other - shoo it, shoot it, anything.
No, no...as I come to find out, woodpeckers are territorial and once they stake their claim (my house), that's it. It's do or die time...or not, because the woodpecker is a protected species. No b-b guns allowed.
I search and search through $250 plastic owls to mount on your siding, $500 netting to overlay on the house, $75 hawk scent to scare it away. And finally I come across a suggestion to use something metallic to discourage the pecker from pecking. I think and it strikes me - aluminum foil. It took me 3 seconds to run downstairs and begin hanging foil out all of my windows. For some added shock value, I took a ride to the local Dollar Tree and picked up a half-a-dozen mylar balloons and hung them out the windows on that side of the house.
Disco House was in full effect. My neighbors probably thought I was nuts. For two weeks I left them out, blowing in the wind. For two weeks, I listened and hoped I would not be awoken by the little guy.
And it stopped. Without shooting the little guy, without further damage to the house. Without really going nuts. Without spending tons of money on all of the stuff they sell on the internet that probably works just the same.
$6 later, I was free of the woodpecker. He still hangs out in my yard, but I just feed him some suet so he has something more appealing than my siding. And, best of all, I get a full night's sleep.
Buying Your First Home -- Things to Consider
Though I purchased my house a few years ago, I wanted to start off the blog with some things to think about as you are looking for your first home.
Price: figure out what you can afford. You need to consider what you have to put as a down payment, what you are comfortable with as a monthly payment, and consider the cost of utilities in your calculation (phone, internet, cable, electric, gas, etc). You don't want to purchase a house that will overextend you. While you may have the option to get a roommate or may have a boyfriend/girlfriend living with you to help out, try to keep in mind that this scenario could change and you will be by yourself. While it's pretty standard that most people will end up paying a little more for the house than they bargained for, don't go nuts. You need to be able to afford it on your own income, and then if you have a supplement, you can bank it or save it for repairs, etc that may be in the future.
Location: figure out where you want to live. It's plain and simple. Whether it be the city or the burbs, or even rural, you need to identify where you want to be. Ask yourself if you want to be close to nightlife, or close to work, or maybe both. Do you need to have access to major roads, or are you ok with fighting traffic to get there? Really assess your priorities, and it helps to write down the pros and cons of each location you're considering. Looking at something on paper really helps.
Often times, price may be a factor your choice of location - i.e. you can only afford a home in a certain area. While you should never settle for something simply because you can afford it (and it meets no other of your criteria), it's helpful to look around at what you can afford, and then maybe step up to the next price point and see what's available in your desired location. Sometimes, waiting a few extra months to save the additional money will be worth it.
Home Type: know what you want, or if you don't know exactly, know what you are open to considering. Maybe you want a condo. Or is it a row/twin? Is a single family house what you desire? Maybe you need to look at a few to know. This is all ok. Consider the maintenance involved with each - do you want to pay a condo fee to have everything done for you or do you like the idea of having to do some work around the house? Home type is personal preference, and what works for one person won't work for another.
Also to consider in home type is if you want something that is move-in condition or if you want something that needs work (and what degree of work you want to do). Are you ok with a house that has tons of potential, but needs to be gutted and re-done to see it? Or maybe a one-room-at-a-time improvement is what you want? Or are you ready to move-in and have nothing to do for a little while? You need to decide, but you may want to consider more than one combination simply to open up your options, but don't bite off more than you can chew.
These three pieces are, in my mind, key pieces to buying a house. But with all of that said, the most important piece is...
Compromise: you need to understand that you are going to have to compromise (well at least 99% of the time). It's your first home, and you are not going to get everything you want. There - I said it. Sorry, but you will not. You need to identify what you are hellbent on having, and what you could do without. Maybe you are willing to compromise on price (i.e. spending a little more to be where you desire or to have a home that needs not work), maybe you are willing to compromise on location (i.e. being another mile away from your idea location because you can get a single instead of a row), maybe you are actually willing to compromise house type to live in your desired area (you buy a twin instead of a single but are close to nightlife and highways).
In any case, no matter what price range you are in, you need to weigh your priorities, and know that you're going to have to budge on something. What you budge on, you will need to decide (for me, it was to be a bit further from the nightlife, but to have a single home instead of a row that needed virtually no work).
And to wrap this all up...
Wait for It: it is my firm belief that your house will find you. Through a series of events, the two of you will come together. I looked for 18 months at over 60 houses, with two different realtors. There were a lot of dumps and a lot of gems during the way - but fate did not make it happen - things were at contract before I could offer, home inspections discovered underlying disasters, even neighbors telling me things about places that I did not want to hear. These things happen for a reason.
In the end, though it may seem an eternity while you are looking, it will be worth it in the long run. You will find the house, even with the compromises that you make, and you will know. You will know before you even walk in the door. And if you don't feel that way, don't buy it.
I've talked to countless friends who have said the same thing - first home, second home, even third home. You just get that feeling, when all of the pieces finally come together - you know when you know.
Good luck!
Price: figure out what you can afford. You need to consider what you have to put as a down payment, what you are comfortable with as a monthly payment, and consider the cost of utilities in your calculation (phone, internet, cable, electric, gas, etc). You don't want to purchase a house that will overextend you. While you may have the option to get a roommate or may have a boyfriend/girlfriend living with you to help out, try to keep in mind that this scenario could change and you will be by yourself. While it's pretty standard that most people will end up paying a little more for the house than they bargained for, don't go nuts. You need to be able to afford it on your own income, and then if you have a supplement, you can bank it or save it for repairs, etc that may be in the future.
Location: figure out where you want to live. It's plain and simple. Whether it be the city or the burbs, or even rural, you need to identify where you want to be. Ask yourself if you want to be close to nightlife, or close to work, or maybe both. Do you need to have access to major roads, or are you ok with fighting traffic to get there? Really assess your priorities, and it helps to write down the pros and cons of each location you're considering. Looking at something on paper really helps.
Often times, price may be a factor your choice of location - i.e. you can only afford a home in a certain area. While you should never settle for something simply because you can afford it (and it meets no other of your criteria), it's helpful to look around at what you can afford, and then maybe step up to the next price point and see what's available in your desired location. Sometimes, waiting a few extra months to save the additional money will be worth it.
Home Type: know what you want, or if you don't know exactly, know what you are open to considering. Maybe you want a condo. Or is it a row/twin? Is a single family house what you desire? Maybe you need to look at a few to know. This is all ok. Consider the maintenance involved with each - do you want to pay a condo fee to have everything done for you or do you like the idea of having to do some work around the house? Home type is personal preference, and what works for one person won't work for another.
Also to consider in home type is if you want something that is move-in condition or if you want something that needs work (and what degree of work you want to do). Are you ok with a house that has tons of potential, but needs to be gutted and re-done to see it? Or maybe a one-room-at-a-time improvement is what you want? Or are you ready to move-in and have nothing to do for a little while? You need to decide, but you may want to consider more than one combination simply to open up your options, but don't bite off more than you can chew.
These three pieces are, in my mind, key pieces to buying a house. But with all of that said, the most important piece is...
Compromise: you need to understand that you are going to have to compromise (well at least 99% of the time). It's your first home, and you are not going to get everything you want. There - I said it. Sorry, but you will not. You need to identify what you are hellbent on having, and what you could do without. Maybe you are willing to compromise on price (i.e. spending a little more to be where you desire or to have a home that needs not work), maybe you are willing to compromise on location (i.e. being another mile away from your idea location because you can get a single instead of a row), maybe you are actually willing to compromise house type to live in your desired area (you buy a twin instead of a single but are close to nightlife and highways).
In any case, no matter what price range you are in, you need to weigh your priorities, and know that you're going to have to budge on something. What you budge on, you will need to decide (for me, it was to be a bit further from the nightlife, but to have a single home instead of a row that needed virtually no work).
And to wrap this all up...
Wait for It: it is my firm belief that your house will find you. Through a series of events, the two of you will come together. I looked for 18 months at over 60 houses, with two different realtors. There were a lot of dumps and a lot of gems during the way - but fate did not make it happen - things were at contract before I could offer, home inspections discovered underlying disasters, even neighbors telling me things about places that I did not want to hear. These things happen for a reason.
In the end, though it may seem an eternity while you are looking, it will be worth it in the long run. You will find the house, even with the compromises that you make, and you will know. You will know before you even walk in the door. And if you don't feel that way, don't buy it.
I've talked to countless friends who have said the same thing - first home, second home, even third home. You just get that feeling, when all of the pieces finally come together - you know when you know.
Good luck!
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