If your home is located in a flood prone area, you may be considering a home elevation to protect your home from future flooding. If your home has suffered previous flood damage, you may be required to take steps to protect the home from future flood damage before being allowed to rebuild or to continue to be able to get flood insurance coverage.
Home elevations are a great way to protect your home from future flood damage. In a home elevation, your home is lifted from its foundation, raised high enough to clear the highest anticipated flood level, then placed on a newly constructed foundation. In some cases, the home is placed on pilings and in others a poured cement or block foundation is constructed to support the home.
The height of a home elevation can be as little as two or three feet and as much as eight to ten feet. With these higher elevations, in many cases the homeowner gains new storage or parking under the home. Almost all types of houses can be raised including homes built on slabs, poured or block foundations, or on pilings.
One important thing to look for when choosing a home elevation and shoring contractor to handle your home elevation is the type of jacking system used. The best contractors use a unified jacking system to lift the home. Houses are raised using hydraulic jacks similar to those used to lift cars. A single jack can lift a car, but for a home 20 to 30 jacks may be required.
It is important to lift the home evenly and smoothly to avoid damage to the home including damaged walls, floors, and ceilings. A unified jacking system coordinates all of the jacks so that they rise at the same speed no matter what the load is on them. That way, the house rises evenly and unnecessary damage is avoided.
Whether or not you need specific golf cart insurance depends on where you live, what type of existing insurance coverage you have, the type of golf cart you own, and how you use it. There is no easy answer for everyone, but there are few things you should consider. Also, talk to your homeowner’s or automobile insurance carrier. They can help you decided if your golf cart is adequately covered.
Golf cart use has been on a steady rise for years and the trend is continuing. Once used exclusively on golf courses, these vehicles have become popular modes of transportation in retirement communities, islands, resorts, and planned communities like Peachtree City, Georgia, Sun City, Arizona, and The Villages, Florida. With the increased popularity has come an increase in accidents and injuries. Some golf cart owners have been surprised to discover that their insurance did not cover their golf cart accident.
In many cases, your homeowner’s insurance will provide liability coverage for a golf cart used on a golf course or in a golf community but there are usually restrictions on the size, power, and type of golf cart. Your automobile policy may also provide some liability coverage as well. If you have a street legal personal golf cart, it will most likely be excluded from your standard homeowner’s insurance policy or automobile policy.
If you are using the golf cart on public roads, there are probably state laws that require you to have insurance on the golf cart, especially if the golf cart must be registered. If you live in a retirement community, planned community, golf community, or any type of community that allows golf carts to be driven on the roads or paths, there are likely to be specific local insurance requirements. Check with your homeowners association or local government.
Buying a used golf cart can be a good way to get a nice golf cart for much less than you would pay for a new one. With the price of a new golf cart starting at around $5,000 and going up to $15,000, used golf carts are a great value. You may be able to find one in good condition for half the cost of a similar new cart. There are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a used golf cart.
Just like a car, you should find out how old the golf cart is. The golf cart’s serial number will give you the information you need to determine when it was made. Unlike cars, golf carts don’t have odometers so the age of the cart and its general condition is the best indication of how hard it has been used and whether it has been well cared for. Take a look at the tires, pedals, seats, and floor covering to get an idea of how much use the cart has seen. A lot of heavy wear on these areas indicates heavy use.
If you are looking at an electric golf cart, inspect the batteries and cables for corrosion and age. Replacing a set of batteries is expensive so newer batteries in good condition are a plus. A well maintained set of batteries should be good for about 5 to 7 years.
When a golf course replaces its fleet of golf carts, dealers often buy the old carts, recondition them and sell them. These reconditioned golf carts are a little more expensive than buying from a private party, but they have usually been gone over by a golf cart mechanic and may come with limited warranty. Reconditioned golf carts that come from southern fleets typically have seen more use than those in northern fleets where the golf season is shorter.
Finally, take the golf cart for a test drive if possible. See if it handles well, accelerates and stops properly, and check the amount of play in the steering.
If you are one of those people who seem to spend your time at an outdoor barbeque swatting at mosquitos while others around you seem unfazed, you may be one of the unlucky ten percent of the population that are highly attractive to mosquitos. Mosquitos are attracted to carbon dioxide and lactic acid. When we breathe we produce carbon dioxide and human perspiration contains lactic acid.
To some extent, mosquitos will be more attracted to people who are perspiring and breathing hard from physical exertion, larger people who naturally exhale more than smaller people, and pregnant women who also put out higher levels of carbon dioxide.
Beyond the carbon dioxide attraction, researchers have found that mosquitos are much more attracted to about one in ten people. It is not clear yet exactly what it is that attracts mosquitos to these unfortunate few, but it likely has to do with their body chemistry which results in certain elements being found on their skin. Mosquitos are known to be attracted to steroids and cholesterol found on the skin, and researchers believe that other elements will be identified that are highly attractive to mosquitos.
In addition, drinking as little as one twelve ounce can of beer increases the chances that a mosquito will single you out. Again, scientists are not clear on why beer drinking attracts mosquitos but it may have to do with changes in slight changes in metabolism due to the alchohol.
Until scientists learn more, if you want to minimize your attraction to mosquitos, avoid outdoor exertion and beer drinking during the hours that mosquitos are most active which are around dusk and dawn. Or just keep slathering yourself in DEET.
Mosquitos are more than just a nuisance. They can carry and transmit serious diseases such as West Nile virus, malaria, and encephalitis. There have even been cases of dengue fever (also bone breaking disease because of the severe pain it causes in a victim’s bones and joints) that have been transmitted by mosquitos from infected people returning from the tropics to others here in the United States. More commonly, mosquitos can quickly put an end to an evening of pleasant outdoor entertaining.
Mosquito control involves stopping mosquitos from breeding or killing adult mosquitos before they can reproduce. Mosquitos need a source of standing water to breed. By eliminating puddles of water in children’s toys, birdbaths, old tires, and other areas, mosquito reproduction can be significantly reduced. However, even if you eliminate their breeding area from your yard, keeping mosquitos away from your yard can be a challenge because they can travel over a mile.
Mosquitos can sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid from as much as one hundred feet away. That means the mosquitos in your neighbor’s yard will quickly sense the presence of your guests when you are entertaining outdoors and will zero in on them.
A great way to eliminate these pests is to have a mosquito misting system installed around your yard. These systems work like a small sprinkler system. They are set on timers to dispense a mist of mosquito killing chemicals at set intervals. Most automated misting systems use pyrethrum which is toxic to mosquitos, but harmless to mammals in low doses.
Mosquito misting systems kill mosquitos on contact and create a barrier around your yard that keeps mosquitos away. They are fully automatic so you don’t have to think about it. Since they work on timers, they not only kill adult mosquitos, but they break the life cycle of mosquitos by killing adults before they can breed. Mosquito misting systems are safe, convenient and effective.
Many parents are interested in installing hidden surveillance cameras in their homes but are concerned about the legal ramifications. Hidden surveillance cameras, often called nanny cams because they are often used to monitor child care providers, are a useful addition to any home security system. These cameras are easily concealed anywhere in your home and the video can be easily accessed remotely from the internet.
In addition to monitoring child care providers, they can be used to monitor workers in your home, elderly care providers, older children, elderly or infirm family members, or even pets. If you have to be at work or away from home, you can still keep an eye on what’s going on in your house.
Used properly, video surveillance cameras are legal throughout the United States when they are installed in your own home. They can be hidden in common areas, living rooms, dining areas, and most other areas of the home. The one caveat is that cameras cannot be hidden where a person would reasonably expect privacy. The bathroom is an excellent example, but there may be other areas such as a bedroom that could be stretching the limits of legality if not morality.
Another concern is that while video recording in your own home is legal, in many states surreptitious audio recording is prohibited. Be sure to check the laws in your state and if in doubt, use a camera system that does not include audio recording. You can also protect yourself by informing your caregiver, maid service, and any other authorized visitors to you home that a video recording system is in use. It may seem counter-intuitive to let people know that a monitoring system is in use, but you don’t have to specify exactly where each camera is hidden and it is an effective way to prevent to prevent illegal activity in your home.
Advances in video surveillance technology and on-line monitoring capability have made using video surveillance cameras easily within the reach of most parents. These “nanny cams” offer many advantages for concerned parents, but before you decide to use a nanny cam you should consider the downside potential as well.
A nanny cam can offer additional protection for your child. The existence of numerous cases of child abuse by nannies caught on video surveillance cameras proves that they work. Parents have been able to catch and stop abusive behavior toward their children using a nanny cam.
Less dramatic but just as useful is that a nanny cam helps insure that your nanny is doing the job as expected. You can be sure that your nanny is properly caring for your child and following your instructions such as feeding, bathing, and bedtime instead of spending her time on the phone or watching television and feeding your child a dinner of potato chips and ice cream.
Nanny cams are also great for protecting your property. They can be used to monitor workers in your home such as a maid service or any other work you are having done in your home. The flip side is that the nanny cam even protects these workers as well as your nanny from false accusations. If you suddenly can’t find your best earrings or other property, you can use the nanny cam to quickly eliminate the possibility of theft and focus instead on where you may have misplaced them.
One potential downside of video surveillance is running afoul of the law. These systems are legal when used properly, but take care to make sure you are not exposing yourself to legal action. The main concern is usually audio recording which is illegal in many states so be sure to check the laws in your state. Another downside is that your nanny may become resentful if she finds out that you have the system installed. One way to avoid this problem is to let the nanny know up front that you have the system and point out that the system is not installed due to a specific distrust of her, but to provide better protection and security for your home, your child, and everyone else in the home including the nanny.
It’s that time of year again to get the summer’s worth of leaves, dirt, pine needles, and other debris out of your gutters. Get them cleaned out now and they will be ready to go for winter and when the spring rains come. Don’t let all those leaves and other gunk clog your gutters.
Gutters do a very important job by directing water away from your home. Water that accumulates around your home can cause basement leaks, settling and cracking of your foundation, and provides a moist environment that attracts bugs. Moisture that accumulates in the gutters can cause wood rot in your roof and fascia. Gutters prevent these problems by collecting the water that runs off your roof and channeling it safely out into your yard, but they won’t work if they are clogged with leaves and other debris.
There are a lot of devices on the market that claim to make gutter cleaning “fast and easy”. Unfortunately, the reality is that the best way to ensure your gutters are thoroughly cleaned is to climb up there on a ladder and clean them by hand.
Be sure you take the appropriate safety precautions before you climb up the ladder to clean your gutters. The ladder should be the right height for the job and be securely and evenly positioned. Have someone on the ground to help steady the ladder. Don’t lean or stretch to reach the next section of gutter. Instead, climb down and move the ladder so you can comfortably reach the area without leaning or stretching. Always stay well away from power lines, including the lines that supply power to your home.
If you are uncomfortable at all while working on a ladder, it is well worth it to hire a gutter cleaning service to do the job. Every year, thousands of Americans are injured or even killed falling from ladders. Don’t take unnecessary risks when there many excellent gutter cleaning services who can get the job done safely for a reasonable price.
Keeping you gutters clean is an important home maintenance task for almost every home. Gutters do an important job of collecting rainwater runoff from your roof and directing it safely away from your home’s foundation. If you allow your gutters to become clogged with leaves and debris, the gutters will overflow with water which can cause some serious problems.
Rainwater that accumulates around your foundation can leak into your basement or lower level and cause flooding, mold, mildew, and other issues. Water also weakens the support for your foundation which can lead to cracking and settling. In addition, moist soil around the home is haven for bugs and termites. Keeping your gutters clean will allow them to do their job of directing water away from your homes foundation and keep the soil around your home relatively dry.
Clogged gutters can also lead to roof damage. Moisture an enemy of your roof. Clogged gutters not only allow water to pool in the gutter, the leaves, pine needles and other debris hold moisture. These damp areas can lead to rotted wood deck and fascia. The excess moisture also harms composition asphalt shingles by promoting the growth of mold and mildew. Water that gets under shingles causes wood rot and can lead to ice dams and other problems.
You can avoid all of these problems by cleaning your gutters whenever they show signs of clogging, but at least twice a year. You will need to clean them more frequently if you have a lot of trees in your area. If you are not comfortable cleaning the gutters yourself, have them cleaned by a reputable gutter cleaning service.
With fall in the air, you may be thinking about adding an outdoor fire pit or fireplace for outdoor entertaining and enjoyment. Both of these are excellent alternative for providing a warm, attractive focal point for gathering and enjoying the crisp fall weather. Imagine an evening under the stars sharing cocoa with friends and family next to a warm, inviting fire crackling in your beautiful stone fire pit or fireplace!
Outdoor fireplaces and outdoor fire pits both have advantages. The right one for you depends on your situation and what you plan to do with it. A fire pit can be made in a wide range of attractive styles. There are portable fire pits made of copper or cast iron, but a permanent fire pit is usually made of stone or brick and since they offer 360 degrees entertainment, they often become the centerpiece of an outdoor entertainment area such as a patio.
Fire pits offer warmth and the ambiance of soft lighting and can even be used for cooking if equipped with a grate. Fire pits are generally less expensive to build than fireplaces and require little, if any maintenance.
An outdoor fireplace is generally a more dramatic outdoor hardscape feature. They are larger and more expensive than fire pits, but in addition to being freestanding, they can be incorporated into other structures including covered outdoor entertainment areas such as screened porches. Like fire pits, they provide warmth, light, and ambiance and can easily be equipped for cooking.
An outdoor fireplace usually offers 180 degrees of entertainment although they can be constructed with the front and back open and placed in the middle of an area rather than the side or corner. Fireplaces are less affected by breezes and less likely to blow smoke and ash on you and your guests.
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