Routine home maintenence will save you money!

I'm frustrated and I have no one to blame but myself. I have neglected routine maintenance on my hot water heater since we moved into our home four years ago. Because of this negligence I was rewarded with a basement that felt like a steam room. My hot water heater took a turn for the worst early in the week and I hadn't discovered it until last Friday. Needless to say I spent Friday afternoon with the plumber replacing my tank. I then spent Saturday morning tearing up my carpeting in the basement. This is just one example of what could happen should you neglect some very important, yet simple annual checkups and projects throughout your home.

• Lets start with the hot water heater. How can you possibly maintain this on your own? According to Danny Lipford, from www.dannylipford.com there are a few things you can do periodically to increase the life of your hot water heater. Check all pipe connections and valves for leaks, open your pressure relief valve (located at the top of the tank) to ensure hot water comes out of the overflow pipe, and remove a bucket full of water from the faucet at the bottom of the tank (this will remove sediment build up from your tank). What happens if you didn't catch it in time? There are many sites online which can troubleshoot you through a hot water heater problem that I wish I had referenced over the years which can eliminate a call to the plumber. Check out Bob Formisano's Home Repair Blog at www.about.com for a great hot water heater troubleshoot guide.
• Lets now go outside and to the deck. Annual maintenance is a nicest if your deck is made from Pressure Treated, Cedar or Redwood deck boards. Get to the hardware or rental store and rent a power washer for the day. Niece Lumber rents great commercial power washers for the half day ($34) or the full day ($68). Power washers are very effective in getting up the grimy finish from prior years, removing stains from leaves and debris, and gives you a great, clean surface to re-finish. After you power wash, apply a premium exterior finish from Cabots. Check out www.cabots.com for information regarding the best product for your application.
• Clean your gutters! Or hire someone to do it for you. Routine attention to your gutters, especially in the fall will eliminate many headaches. Clogged gutters can ruin your foundations, decks, patios and landscaping. They also can facilitate mold growth on your roof and siding and increase infestation of mosquito's, spiders, bugs and rodents. Always remember to keep your safety in mind when scaling your ladder, if your not equipped to undertake the task, hire someone, routine gutter and downspout maintenance is rather inexpensive.

If you ever have any questions regarding home improvements or remodeling, give us a call. If we can't help you out we will certainly point you in the right direction. Thanks for checking on our blog and take advantage of the following promotions for Saturday October 31st. Happy Halloween!

Please print or mention this blog for the promotions.

10% off all Cabot Stains and Finishes
20% off all Ace Paints and Painting Supplies
20% off all moulding purchases
20% off list price on all Therma Tru doors (1 week lead time w/ many qualifying for the $1500 tax credit)

Thanks to Danny Lipford and Bob Formisano for their great websites and blogs.

Attic Stairs and Phillies baseball

Who in their right mind incorporates Attic Stairs and Phillies baseball into a headline of their blog? We do, because Niece Lumber is serious about both at this time of the year. Although attic stairs may seem like a small ticket item to most vendors, its tends to be a big ticket item for us. Think of how ineffiecient your old wood pull down staircase is? If its like mine, the weatherstripping is deteriorated, the insulation on the door snows onto your floor every time you open it and the stepping is about as unstable as our stock market.

I'm sure you know where I'm going with this:

According to Bob Formisano of the Home Repair Guide, 35 percent of your heat loss is through leakage and infiltration. When you think leakage and infiltration, attic space comes to the top of your mind. Think about the size of the hole that is put into your ceiling to accomadate your attic stair, perhaps as large as 10 square feet. Most attic stair doors from yesteryear had plywood doors, yes plywood doors with an R value of less than 1!

So in honor of the playoff baseball and energy efficiency we are offering up to 25% off all Rainbow Attic Stairs, most with R values of up to 15! Check out www.rainbowatticstair.com for more information. If Rainbow Attic Stairs aren't in your budget, please take a look at www.draftcap.com for a quick fix.

Thanks for taking the time to follow my blog and if you need any information on the above products or anything else remodeling oriented, please don't hesitate to call (609) 397-1200 or email me directly at mcurrie@niecelumber.com

25% off Rainbow Attic Stair promotion is valid through November 31st, 2009.