House Fix It Blog

My former neighbor is a genius. Two years ago, he sold his Bay Area house for a very fat profit, and for the first time in 20 years, he and his wife became renters. His profit for owning the house for three years was tax-free, and was probably equal to the 35% that the house subsequently declined in value. This definitely fits the old expression of “having your cake and eating it.”

But wait a minute. There’s much more to the renting versus buying debate than money—particularly now since we are no long in the era of “Your house is your ATM”. Homeownership has reverted back to the warm and fuzzy “this is my castle” mentality. Conversely, a rental house (or apartment) is owned by someone else, and you as a renter, are given the limited rights of tenancy. True, someone else has to mow the lawn, fix the leaky roof, and apply paint to the peeling siding. Whether this gets done or not usually depends upon the motivation of the landlord.

Often when you drive through a neighborhood, you can spot the rental homes. They are the ones with the unkempt landscaping, cars in various states of repair in the driveway, and a few shingles missing from the roof. Persons who own their own homes tend to maintain them, while a renter has little motivation to do so. For many, renting is a short term proposition until they save enough for a down payment to buy a house. For others, it’s a lifelong perceived escape from home maintenance.

However, proper and routine home maintenance doesn’t have to fall somewhere between having a root canal and a 24/7 migraine. The key is to know what to do, and when to do it (or have it done by experts). When I wrote The National Home Maintenance Manual, I had the homeowner in mind who would rather play golf, go fishing or attend a concert. Everything in the book is laid out according to the components of the house, and the maintenance chart tells you when to do it and how difficult it is to do. And if that’s not enough, our website www.HouseFixIt.com has a free, downloadable 10 year schedule of home maintenance tasks. This enables you, as a homeowner, to plan your time and create a budget so you don’t get hit with unpleasant surprises down the road.

One of the great strengths of America has been that the middle class has been able to afford home ownership. The decline in property values over the past 24 months can be viewed as a positive adjustment to affordability.

Homeowners Education Association is pleased to announce that we are now a reseller of the highly regarded Code Check™ series of books. The Code Check™ books are written for inspectors, design professionals, contractors as well as do-it-yourselfers.

The original Code Check™ was designed by a building inspector, Redwood Kardon, for inspectors to carry with them while on the job site. They are a condensed guide to the most commonly cited code violations encountered by those in the field. Soon after its publication, it became a standard for contractors, do-it-yourselfers, home inspectors and anyone involved in the safe construction of residences. The books are designed to be an easy reference in deciphering the complex and sometimes tedious world of codes. Designed in flip-chart format they are laminated, spiral bound and use illustrations and tables to explain the new codes. They are durable and will stand up to weather conditions so you can count on them surviving from job to job or until the next generation of code changes come around.

The Code Check California 5^th Edition is a must have for contractors, inspectors and homeowners. The convenient flip-chart format guides you easily to the relevant sections to explain the new codes. Code Check California provides you with the most up to date changes in the California code. Presented in clear, straightforward language, reinforced by user-friendly illustrations. It’s a great way to make sure every detail is right the first time, saving you time, money and the frustration of redoing completed work. The 2007 California codes will be in effect until 2011 and this book includes relevant information on building, plumbing, energy, mechanical and electrical codes in California. The book includes California amendments to the model codes. Significant code changes are tracked through the book and summarized in a special two-page section at the end.

The 2007 California Building Code (CBC) is unique. Most states use the International Residential Code (IRC) as a model, with the exception of California which has a residential code based on the 2006 International Building Code. Users of the California Codes must wade through over 1,600 pages of material to find the residential provisions. Even then, Californians must purchase costly additional standards referenced (but not printed) in the California Codes. Fortunately, Code Check has created an inexpensive guide that cuts to the heart of these issues. Code Check Building for California provides a quick-reference summary of the California Building Code, and includes a 4-page table that summarizes the changes and compares the new codes to the previous (2001) CBC. There are many significant changes in the new code, particularly in areas such as exiting, stairs, building setbacks, siding, and fire separation. Unique illustrations help to clarify these changes and bring you up to date. The significant portions of ASTM and ACI standards are summarized in Code Check, saving the expense of several hundred dollars worth of additional codes and standards.

Redwood Kardon, who devised and wrote the first Code Check, is a former electrician and inspector for the City of Oakland, California. Code Check Electrical 5^th Edition is a field guide to the common issues in residential electrical installations. It is based on both the 2008 National Electrical Code, the most widely use electrical code in the United States and the International Residential Code. It is illustrated by Paddy Morrissey with some great diagrams, charts and checklists and a sprinkling of Ben Franklin throughout the book.

Code Check 5^th Edition is for code questions outside of California. The primary reference document for this guide is the 2006 edition of the International Residential Code for One to Two-Family Dwellings, published by the International Code Council.

You can order four of the Code Check book series online through our www.Housefixit.com web store. We are happy to bring the Code Check series to those interested in building better homes and buildings.

National Home maintenance expert, Dave MacLellan, outlines the 10 most common mistakes made by homeowners in his book, The National Home Maintenance Manual . The book includes a yearly checklist of maintenance items, as well as a 10 yr checklist and schedule of tasks that should be conducted, so that homeowners can easily keep track of the items they have completed over the years. The checklist is also helpful during the resale process. Just like a car, the next owner can look back through the checklist and see how well the house has been maintained. For instance, has the roof been replaced, has the water heater been maintained, how about the paint job?
Homeowners should avoid the following pitfalls:
Exterior:
1)    Homeowners should never walk a tile roof! Roof tiles are easily broken. It is also a good idea not to walk on shingle roofs because the mineral granules on the shingle surface can become dislodged.
2)    Sprinklers should never spray against the house, especially against stucco walls. Water can pond around the foundation and cause major structural damage or movement.
3)    “Add on Structures” like decks, trellis’, or lanais should never be nailed or bolted directly onto the outside wall of the house. Rainwater could find its way in and cause dry rot. Also, nearly all local governments require a building permit for a trellis or lanai that is attached to the house.
4)    Avoid pouring the concrete patio too high. The patio should be at least two inches below door thresholds to avoid water being drawn up into the stucco. Decay and/or termites are a likely result.
5)    Do not alter the finished grades around the home. Grades are designed to allow rainwater and irrigation water to flow away from the house. Most new homes are delivered to homeowners without walkways, patios, landscaping, drainage systems, or swimming pools, so it is important for after-market contractors to maintain the finished grade. Many cities and counties require that the surrounding lot slope away at a 2% grade.

Interior:
6)     Never disconnect the fans in bathrooms or laundry rooms. The excess humidity in these areas can infiltrate the drywall or electrical outlets and cause mold or mildew. Always turn the vent fans on during use and leave running 15-30 minutes afterwards.
7)    Do not overload upper cabinets in the kitchen. Stacking heavy dishware and glassware in the upper cabinets can result in sagging or even detachment of the cabinet from the wall.
8)    Avoid placing extremely heavy items on the second floor. Try to keep items like pool tables, aquariums, and weightlifting equipment on the first floor to avoid floor deflection.
9)    Never tint the inside of dual pane windows. The heat buildup between the two panes of glass can cause the seals to break, and the windows lose their insulating value. The manufacturer’s warranty is also voided.
10)     Do not store anything on the garage or attic trusses. Trusses are designed to support the weight of the roof and the ceiling. Any additional weight causes a strain and could result in the sagging or actual collapse of the roof.

For more handy tips and information regarding maintenance of the home and our free 10 year home maintenance checklist download visit www.HouseFixIt.com .