Daylight Savings Home Checklist
November 6, 2011
In my family, we use the Daylight Saving Time changes as a reminder to perform inspections around our home. This bi-annual event gives us a chance to perform tasks to make sure that our homeowner maintenance is staying up to date.
Here are tasks that we do during this time:
- Replace the batteries in all of your smoke detectors, then test each to make sure that they are working properly.
- Add a couple of drops of light weight oil to all of your key locks and the cylinder. Turn the cylinder so that the throat of the lock comes out and then turn it back and forth a couple of times.
- Check your condensation drain to your heating and cooling system (HVAC). Make sure that it is free and clear of debris and that it is above the mulch level. If you have a pan under your unit inside the house, pour a cup of Clorox into the pan to kill off any mold that might be growing.
- Since we don’t open our windows much living here in Florida, it’s a also a good time to open and close them to make sure that nothing is obstructing the tracks in the event that you need to get out of them.
- Check your dryer vent and make sure that it is clean and that there is no lint caught up in it. One handy tip is to cover the hose end with panty hose. This will block any large debris that has the potential to get stuck.
Performing these five quick homeowner maintenance tasks with each time change will help to keep your house in order and keep repairs at a minimum.
Mike Keesee is a Certified Residential Designer, Florida Building Contractor and Home Inspector. His companies, Keesee and Associates, Inc and FDS Engineering, provides residential design services throughout the US and abroad. To learn more about the companies go to www.gokeesee.com and www.fdseng.com .
Small, Green, with Fake Lawns
Written by: Mike Keesee
As the 2012 Baby New Year enters the toddler stages, predictions are being made about everything from job market growth, to what day in December will the world end?
If you’re in the housing industry, one of the most important predictions can be; What will the future home be like?
Of course, no one can predict that, but we can look at the recent trends to help us guide what we offer to our clients.
During the housing boom we saw the rise of the “McMansion”.
Those 2 Story, 3,000 s.f. homes lined the streets of suburbs across America. In those days bigger was better. But in 2008 when the economy took a drastic downturn, the average homebuyer looked at not only what they wanted, but also what they needed. They decided that all that square footage wasn’t necessary and they wanted energy efficiency. In effect, the new wave of homeowner changed the homebuilding trend to smaller and greener.
A study done by the NAHB revealed that “The average, new single-family home will be smaller and have more green features (NAHB; The New Home in 2015).” On average, future homes were predicted to be 10% smaller than its 2010 predecessors. The Go Green wave will also continue to grow as these top 5 trends take hold; Renovate, Build Smaller, Net-Zero energy consumption, Energy Monitoring Systems, and the use of LEDS (Buildpedia.com; 5 Green Home Trends for 2012).
One of the most intriguing home trends is the use of synthetic grass such as SYNLawn for the family backyard. Yes, new homeowners are going the way of pro football and putting in their own version of AstroTurf. Why not? It stays green, no watering required, it’s non allergenic, and it’s long lasting (FHB; SYNLawn, Lowe’s Provide Synthetic Grass for DIY Projects). HOA’s will never again fine you for not taking care of your lawn.
Even with the new directions home designing and home building is going in, it ultimately comes down to what the client wants. Whether big, small, green, real, or synthetic, the person living in the home is the final word. And that’s one trend that will never change.
For more info see:
HousingEconomics.com NAHB; The New Home in 2015
Buildpedia.com; 5 Green Home Trends for 2012
FHB; SYNLawn, Lowe’s Provide Synthetic Grass for DIY Projects
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Mike Keesee is a Certified Residential Designer, Florida Building Contractor and Home Inspector. His companies, Keesee and Associates, Inc. and FDS Engineering, provides residential design services throughout the US and abroad. To learn more about the companies go to www.gokeesee.com and www.fdseng.com .
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