Ten Woodworking Projects that Can Increase Your Home’s Value

June 23, 2010 by Mark Roknich

As Realtors, we can testify as to the impact that upgraded custom woodworking in a home can have upon a buyer’s first impression. As homeowners, we can also attest to the value and pleasure that these improvements bring to us every day. If you need a referral to a finish carpenter, we know a couple of very good ones and would happily provide a reference.

Meanwhile, here is an excerpt from one of those craftsmen, Greg Pautsch, a finish carpenter in San Clemente:

Everybody has a “ten best list,” but there are many enhancements you can make to your home to increase its value. What’s more, these are also the types of improvements that YOU can enjoy as a proud homeowner!

Our Ten Best Woodworking Projects for 2010:

Upgrade or install new interior doors
Upgrade or install a new entry door to increase curb appeal
Install exterior doors and new weather stripping to preserve the doors and be more energy efficient
Upgrade old windows and be more energy efficient
Baseboard upgrades – an array of choices
Window casing upgrades can give that finishing touch of elegance
Door casing will finish those beautiful upgraded doors or enhance the beauty of the existing doors
Wall paneling and wainscots can change a room from dull to dynamic
Add ceiling details to make a room look even larger and give a fine architecture appeal
Upgrade any room in your house with crown molding for that sophisticated feel

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A Surprising Lawn Pest

November 13, 2008 by Mark Roknich

Deterring Crows from Your Lawn Crows are on the rampage! And yes, they have found a new way to annoy us, in addition to their “singing” and other more messy inconveniences. A number of our friends and neighbors have noticed crows tearing up their lawns!

No, the crows are not planting vegetable gardens or building nests. But if you have crows tearing up your lawn, they may actually be alerting you to a different problem entirely – grubs!

As it turns out, crows actually hear the grubs feeding on roots and thatch. So, in the process of feeding, crows and other birds (and skunks, too) do more damage to our lawns than even the bugs that are eating away at the roots.

To eliminate this problem, it is not necessary to mimic the tactics of Bill Murray in Caddyshack. We’ve seen scarecrows, windmills, and metalized foil streamers appearing in Danawoods. These measures are designed to dissuade the crows from feeding, and from ripping up our lawns in the process. The other way to deter the crows? Eliminate the food source through use of pesticides – kill the grubs, and with no food to attract the crows, then there will be no more crows.

More information is available on the internet. A book from Scotts’ Lawns provides some information (the link should take you to page 102). On about.com, we found this article regarding crows and grubs.

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Tagged: Home Improvement, lawn care

Be on the Lookout for Warm Floors!

October 2, 2008 by Mark Roknich

Noticed a “hot spot” on your floor? You might have a slab leak.

With increasing frequency, some or our Danawoods neighbors have been impacted by the cost and inconvenience of “slab leaks”. Now, of course, the slab itself isn’t leaking. But our homes have copper supply lines in, through, and under our concrete slabs. For example, three or four of our friends with Chelsea or Bridgeport floorplans have discovered leaks in pipes between their laundry rooms and lower level bath. And make a mental note: having a leak in a hot water pipe is a huge advantage in one respect. It’s much more difficult to detect water leaking from the cold water pipes…

Photo Courtesy of Curaflo.com What causes the pipes to leak? It has been suggested to us that one common occurrence is the corrosion that occurs in copper pipes when in contact with the steel reinforcing bar (“rebar”) in the concrete slab. Galvanic action is the technical term for this type of corrosion between dissimilar metals. Here’s another explanation and photos of pinhole leaks that occur in copper pipes (photo courtesy of the Curaflo website).

Need a plumber? If you have a neighbor who has experienced a slab leak, ask them if they would recommend their plumber. Or contact us via email, and we would be happy to recommend our plumber, Dave Ortiz, who is outstanding.

One important warning: your home is built on what is called a “post-tension” slab. What this means to you, in regards to the warm floor under your feet, is that you cannot simply start jack-hammering the slab to find the leaky pipe. Post-tension slabs have tendons that are under incredible force and which keep your slab from cracking. Cutting through one of these tendons is a REALLY bad thing. In fact, you’ll often find that some plumbers will not cut into a slab because of the liability and danger involved. There is excellent background information on wikipedia regarding post-tension slab construction.

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