Homeowner Help

Drip system maintenance is probably the easiest home maintenance task of them all; no need to worry about pvc pipe, risers, solenoids, or anything else like that.  It’s as easy as checking the emitter (sometimes called a flag) to make sure it works, and if it doesn’t work you just need to cut it off with a scissors and stick a new one on - simple as pie.  Of course, this is assuming you can find the damn emitters!

When you plant new plants (or when the builder does), the drip needs to be near the base, because their root system is small. Over time, however, the bush, and its roots, will grow significantly.  I recommend spending the 5 minutes it’ll take to move the emitter away from the bush’s center, and relocating it near the plant’s perimeter.  It’ll be far easier to keep your eye on it, year after year, if you can see it.  It’ll also be easy to make any future repairs.

I’ve watched a couple of my shrubs wilt away over the last month or so; fixing the drip line has been on my list of things to do, but I hadn’t gotten to it yet.  Here is an example of one plant which is looking particularly “sticky”.  I had to hack my way through to the center of the plant in order to extend the drip line and add a new emitter.  Once I found the old emitter, it took only a couple of minutes.  Fortunately, this is a desert plant and there’s still a little green on it - it should come back fine…

It’s difficult to see how much I had to hack away at this plant.  (you can click the picture to see a larger image.)

Here is the new emitter at the plant’s perimeter.

The new flag, up close and personal.

Your not-very-green thumbed Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Here in Phoenix we count ourselves lucky for a number of reasons – great weather, moderate cost of living, no natural disasters, plenty of parking – overall it’s an easy place to live. One thing that people don’t tend to think about is how lucky we are with regards to our local termites.

I’ve had clients who moved here from The South (Florida, Atlanta, Houston). They talk about termites being the absolute worst thing you could find in a home; apparently if you have a termite infestation in The South, your home can be ruined within a year. It reminds me of a Bugs Bunny cartoon where a swarm of termites turns the wood into sawdust right before your eyes! It’s not like that here in Phoenix.

There are two different types of termites in Arizona – subterranean and dry-wood, and although neither one is going to eat through your home in a matter of months (or even years), the treatment for the two is very different.

Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites are the kind most often (frequently, actually) found during the inspection process of selling a home. They live underground (hence the name), and they make little tunnels up into the home to forage for food. These tunnels (mud tubes) are what the inspectors look for as evidence. The most common & most effective treatment is to drill holes 12-18 inches apart (either around the entire home’s perimeter or just around the affected area) & inject a pesticide called termidor. Then, if more tubes are seen in the future, they can “spot treat” a given area.

These termites are very small, and because our air is so dry our wood is very hard, making it difficult for these little guys to do a lot of wood damage. Their mud tubes are usually seen in drywall rather than wood; they climb up through the drywall & occasionally take a taste bite of the wood.

Subterranean termites are commonplace in Phoenix. If you ask 100 homeowners in Phoenix about termites, probably 40% have had their homes treated, and another 40% have termites currently but don’t know it – they might not find out for a few years until either there’s lots of tubes in plain view or until they go to sell their home! (these numbers are my estimations, not statistical facts.)

a subterranean termite tube in my garage (after treatment).

a smaller termite tube from a treated area of my garage.

Dry Wood Termites

Dry wood termites are a little bit larger than subterranean termites. They will actually build their colony within the wood. Eating the wood creates more space, which allows for a larger colony, which causes more wood to be consumed in ever shorter time periods. These termites are found much less frequently, but they are a more serious concern.

Dry wood termites are the kind which require a more invasive treatment. A single colony can be sprayed, or the wood can be injected. Multiple colonies or difficult to access colonies could potentially require “tenting” the home & fumigating heavily. However, here’s my opinion of how common this is..

I’ve lived in Phoenix for 35 years. I’ve known 2 people personally who have had their homes tented, and I’ve seen *maybe* 2 dozen homes tented as I’ve driven around. I’ve only seen dry-wood termites once, when I helped a friend remove a wood storage shed from his backyard. The wood floor was brittle, and as we pulled it back we could see their colony. He had that area of the yard sprayed, and never had any problems after that. I’ve been involved in hundreds of transactions as a loan officer and a realtor, and I’ve never come across a transaction where the home was infested with dry-wood termites.

More Information

Sexton Pest Control is one of the largest termite exterminators in Phoenix.

JS Pretreat is another large termite exterminator in Phoenix.

Here is an article about dry-wood termites.

I know it can be discouraging to hear that your home, or a home you’re buying has termites. But if you step back and take a deep breath, they’re really not that big a deal. Just make sure the home is treated properly, and that you get a warranty. Then you can have the termite company come out every year to do an inspection for you, and to treat any new evidence they find.

Personally, we’ve had subterranean termites in 2 of the 3 homes we’ve owned. In each case we got the home treated and never saw new evidence of termites after that.

Your hopes to never see Southern termites Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

We took the plunge last year and bought a big-screen, flat-panel, LCD HDTV. What can I say - it’s incredible. It looks fantastic even when it’s just sitting in the cabinet. And the picture… let’s just say Big Bird has never looked better! (ok, so the kids usually get first dibs on programming.

About 15 months after we bought invested in this TV, it stopped working. I counted on my fingers and quickly realized the 12-month warranty wasn’t going to help, so I called for service. I learned 2 very important things from this experience:

1. Dust behind your Big Screen TV. We keep our house pretty clean, but I’ll admit that I never pulled the entire TV cabinet out to dust behind it. The guy who came to service it told me it’s something he sees every week - nobody dusts behind the cabinet, which creates a huge problem. The TV’s motor & lightbulb get electromagnetically charged, so dust particles stick to them. The TV’s fan, which does an excellent job of cooling the motor & lightbulb, sucks air from outside the back of the TV in order to blow air to the inside of the TV. When you don’t dust behind your TV, the dust gets sucked in by the fan and then sticks to the magnetically charged motor & lightbub. Eventually they get clogged up, bogged down, and need to be professionally cleaned. It’s a $400 dollar lesson that I’ll try to remember!

2. The guys at VS Electronics Repair are GREAT! They’re responsive, friendly, gave great customer service, and honest (the final bill came in below their estimate!) Their card didn’t have a website listed, but you can call them at 602-269-6232 if you ever need help.

Your keeping his dust rag handy Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

What should I do about the vacant house next door?

That’s a question I hear fairly often right now, since there are so many vacant (bank-owned) homes scattered across the valley. And for the most part, there isn’t too much you need to do (or should do, or are allowed to do) - it’s probably an eyesore today, but most likely the home will have a new owner before too long, and somebody will be working hard to make it look beautiful again.

That being said, there are 3 issues I would recommend taking action against.

Squatters &/or Vandalism. I’ve seen vacant homes that teenagers have used as a place to hang out, and I’ve seen homes where a community of homeless people decided to take up residence. I’ve also seen homes where people took the liberty to break windows, spray graffiti, and otherwise vandalize the home. If you see any of these things happening, give the listing realtor a call, and he/she will probably call the police for you. Or you’re welcome to call the police yourself.

Green Pool. This actually poses a health risk, as it can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the West Nile Virus. The best solution I’ve heard so far is to stock the pool with Gambusia fish - little guppy-like fish with a voracious appetite for mosquito larvae. If you give Maricopa County a call at 602-506-0700 they’ll even give you some fish for free!

Pest Control. If no one is spraying for pest control, then the home’s insect population is probably booming, especially during these hot summer months! Unfortunately, these little bugs don’t seem to care about who owns which home, and they certainly won’t ring the bell before they infiltrate your home. In addition, more insects means more food for larger pests, including scorpions and black widow spiders. Talk with your pest control professional about a plan to step up your border control.

Once you’ve taken care of the safety concerns, you can wait patiently and wonder about who your new neighbors are going to be.

Your recently got new neighbors a couple houses away Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: green pool, vacant home, gambusia fish

I’ve been using Microsoft OneNote for the last 6 weeks, and I have to say it might be my favorite software application ever!  It’s similar enough to other MS Office products that you’ll intuitively know how to use it, but it has enough differences that it takes a little getting used to before you’ll feel fluent with it.  I thought I’d share an overview and some of the highlights with you here.

The first couple of weeks, I wasn’t exactly sure how to make the most of it.  It has some features that are obviously *cool*, but I wasn’t convinced they would make my life better.  The second couple of weeks I began to rely on the program very heavily in my daily use; it’s amazing how fast you can become addicted to a good application!  During the last couple of weeks I’m convinced it has made me more productive; I’m able to do things faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Imagine having a spiral notebook that you carry around with you everywhere you go, in which you make notes about all different types of things & ideas.  You probably make notes all over the page, rather than just in a column down the page (ala MS Word), with boxes, circles, arrows, and little scribbly notes.  Imagine you have multiple section dividers in your notebook, so you can keep your work notes separate from your home notes.  Or maybe you keep your notebook in chronological sections, with each month getting a new section.  Over time you’ll probably end up with multiple notebooks & multiple sections.  Well, MS OneNote can do all of this for you EASILY, with an unlimited number of pages, subpages, sections, section groups, and notebooks.

Now imagine you do some research along the way, and you printout some pages from the internet, fold them up, and stick them in your notebook.  Maybe you even made some hand-written notes on the printouts before storing them..

OneNote can do this for you too!  In fact, when you copy something from the internet (or another application) to your notebook, OneNote automatically adds a timestamp and a hyperlink to the original source, making it easier to find it again later should you ever need to.  It also allows you to move pages around (to better organize them), or even to move one particular note from one page to another.  You can also flag any note you write with an unlimited number of flags, which allows you to later do a search for anything flagged with “client”, for example.  And of course it indexes everything you write, so you can search by key words & it will look through all your notebooks for you, returning everything you’ve written about a particular topic/word.

Right now I have 2 notebooks.  One has sections for things that are ongoing, such as Business and Home.  The other is chronological, and I add a new section each month.  Anytime a phone call, email, or random idea generates the need to make a note, I simply start “writing” in my 2008 notebook.  If that page morphs into something that becomes part of my business, for example, I’ll move it into my Business section.  If not, it will always be chronologically ordered for me to find it later.  I have some pages that only have one or two sentences on them; I have others that are very long and crowded.  I guess that’s just like a regular notebook!

Bottom Line - this is one of the best software applications I’ve ever come across.  It’s too bad Microsoft doesn’t do a better job of publicizing it.  I highly recommend giving OneNote a look - you can download a free 60 day trial version here.  (and no, this was not a paid review!)

Your OneNoting everything Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Fact of life: hard drives crash. computers fail. files get deleted.

I’ve spoken with 2 people recently who have complained about recent computer crashes; one of them lost a large amount of digital photos. I’ve personally had 2 computers die over the course of the last 4 years. It happens. You’re working on it at night, and in the morning it won’t start. The question then becomes:

What would you do tomorrow if your computer wouldn’t start?

If you have irreplaceable photos & video on your computer, you should already have that question answered. If you run your business from your computer, you’d better have that question answered. And for those of us who do both of the above… Let’s just say I’m a backup fanatic.

Not sure what options are available, or which might work best? Here are some ideas you might want to consider.

CD-ROM. A small, cheap, easy solution. If you’re backing up mostly data files, and you don’t have too many, this is an easy solution. Each CD holds about 700 MB of data – enough to hold your household spreadsheets, word docs, quicken files, etc. You can put the CD in the drive and copy files to it in much the same way you would copy them to a different folder on your computer.

DVD. Basically the same concept as a CD, except it holds 4.7 GB of data. That might be enough for several thousand digital pictures, or a thousand songs. And unlike data files which might get updated, pictures and music don’t change, so you don’t have to re-copy the same pictures each time you back up.

External Hard Drive. You can find external hard drives ranging in size from big & clunky to the size of a calculator. They’ll plug right into a USB port, and many of those sold today have more memory than the computer you’re currently using. You could copy ALL your files over as often as you’d like.

Secondary Computer. If you have a home network &/or wireless connection, and each computer has extra hard drive space, you could back up each computer’s data onto the other. This way you’ll still have both computers’ data regardless of which computer crashes.

Online Service. I don’t recommend too many products, but I love Mozy! You can backup up to 2 GB for free, or have an unlimited amount of storage for $5 per month. It’s very easy to set up, with an option to let Mozy find certain types of files on your computer. Or you can have full control, telling it what to backup, and how often, and how much computer power to use while running. It also allows you to restore a specific file from a specific date – a lifesaver when you accidentally hit Save when you meant to hit Save As…

How often should I backup? That depends on how hard it would be to recreate your lost data. I add new content, clients, modifications, etc. every day, and some of my files would be impossible to recreate, so I backup every day (sometimes Mozy runs multiple times in a day). If you work less frequently, you can backup less frequently.

Where should I keep my backups? The number one mistake people make is not backing up their computer, so when the computer fails their data is lost.  So just by backing up you’re ahead of the crowd.  But if you keep your DVD / External Hard Drive / Secondary Computer in the same place as your computer, what happens in the case of a fire, or flood, or burglary? Most experts recommend to keep your backup data in a separate location – if your backed up data gets destroyed, you still have your computer. And if your computer gets destroyed, you’ll be able to restore everything.

There are a lot of choices available – many more than I’ve described here. Please choose one. And you’re welcome to email me if you need helping figuring out the best option for you. I hate hearing about people losing data..

Your getting off his soapbox now Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: backup data

Summer made it’s unofficial entrance this weekend. We may cool off, into the 90’s, a little bit here and there, but it’s not unrealistic to think that 100 out of the next 120 days are going to be above 100 degrees!

In reality, it’s not that big a deal for us people – we’ve got a/c to keep us comfortable. But our plants, grass, trees, flowers – they’re relying on us to give them some protection from the blazing summer sun.

Now would be a great time to adjust your sprinkler timer, so that your lawn is getting enough water. You might also want to check the sprinkler heads to make sure they’re working properly and watering the grass. (don’t you hate seeing people water the street?!)

Your sprinklers adjusted and ready for summer Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: landscaping, sprinklers

Last month I painted both the boys’ rooms. No big deal, right? This is our 3^rd house, and I’ve painted dozens of rooms along the way. It’s easy when the room is going to be all one color, or when all the borders are easily identified. But when you have to paint stripes, or multiple colors, or create some other type of “edge” or starting/stopping point, Blue Tape will be your best friend.

I’ve used Blue Tape plenty of times, always careful to apply it in a straight line and to press or rub it against the wall to make sure it attaches as securely as possible. From my past experiences I’ve seen a couple of cases where the colors might bleed under the tape a little bit, but it’s generally produced a serviceable straight line.

This wasn’t the case in my older son’s room.

I used blue tape to cut a straight line along the bull-nosed closet frame. I applied it as carefully as I always have in the past, and I don’t think our walls are any more or less textured than average. But the paint bled horribly all the way around the edge I had created.

Frustrated, I spoke with (complained to) every contractor & painter I know, and my good friend Chris Autrey knew the right answer – paint the existing color first! It seems so obvious once you know about it, and it worked great in my younger son’s room.

Here’s how it works:

Let’s say you’re going to cover an existing white wall with dark blue paint, but you want the dark blue to end at a particular point along the wall.

First, apply Blue Tape to create the stopping point. Take your time, as the better you apply the tape, the better your line/edge will look.

Next, paint the “dark blue side” of the tape with the existing color WHITE paint. Read that again & let it soak in; it’s the key to success – paint the “dark blue side” of the tape with the EXISTING COLOR WHITE paint. Paint along the edge of the tape, so that the white paint gets on top of (and underneath) the Blue Tape. What you’re doing is letting the white paint do the bleeding for you, and in the process it seals off any tiny air holes that were left when you applied the Blue Tape.

Once the white paint dries completely (I even used 2 coats), go ahead and paint the wall dark blue.

When the dark blue paint dries completely, remove the tape to reveal your razor sharp straight line.

Finally, stand back and admire you’re great looking room. You’ll probably want to crack open an adult beverage at this time if you haven’t already!

Your wishing he had learned that sooner Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: painting

It’s that time of year – beautiful spring days, lots of sunshine, cool evenings… Perfect for getting out there and taking your yard back from the weeds who have claimed it as their own! We had a rather wet winter, which has made for beautiful wildflowers in the preserve areas, but which has also made for an awful lot of weeds in my backyard!

Here are some methods of getting rid of these unsightful buggers from your desert landscaping – some tried & true, one you might not have heard of..

Picking by Hand – there’s no better way to make sure you get the entire weed (including the root.) It’s also the least expensive method – FREE! But we all know the downsides – tired back, sunburns, scratched up hands, and sometimes you just can’t get the root out of the ground. It also takes the longest. Who wants to spend half the day pulling weeds when the weather’s so nice?

Using a Hoe – much faster than picking by hand, but I found that half the time I was cutting the plant off from the root, and a couple of days later the weeds grew right back!

Round Up (or other herbicide) – Kills Weeds Dead. No doubt about it. But it’s about $18 per gallon, and it really isn’t that great to be spraying such powerful chemicals around kids & pets.

White Vinegar – that’s right - straight up, plain ol’ store brand white vinegar. It’s very inexpensive (at about $3 per gallon), and doesn’t have any harmful environmental side effects. Just spray it on the weeds and let nature run its course.

Hiring Help – sometimes time is more valuable than money.. You can probably find a few kids in the neighborhood who could use a little extra cash in their pockets, or you might find a landscaping crew down the street who could take care of your little problem for you.

There’s no right or wrong answer – just different means to an end. Keeping your yard looking great is the goal we’re all after, right?

I sprayed one section of my backyard last weekend – half with Round Up and half with White Vinegar. The weeds in the Round Up section died faster (1-2 days). But now, 5 days in, you can’t tell the difference – the vinegar did just as good a job as the commercial herbicide.

Your battling weeds Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: landscaping, weed killer

Here is a picture of my old house – the one we moved out of a couple years ago.

Regardless of size, style, number of garage bays, or area of town, this is a pretty typical design for most homes built in & around Phoenix over the last 20 years. The garage is on one side, the front room with a big window is on the other, and in between them is the walkway to the front door. (it’s not always as long and narrow as my old house, but the point is still valid.)

Notice how anybody walking up to the front door is going to get drenched by 3 different parts of the roof!

Granted, it doesn’t rain too often in Phoenix – a couple of times in December (right after I hang my Christmas lights), a few times in February and March, and some summer monsoons in July and August. However, since it doesn’t rain very often, there’s a lot more buildup of dust, dirt and debris in between rains. This all gets washed onto our front walks, driveways, and patios, in addition to any erosion along the sides of our homes.

Rain gutters can help to alleviate all these problems – they’ll keep you and your guests dry(er) while helping to keep your property clean and well maintained. But if you plan ahead, they can do even more.

Use your rain gutters to direct water to strategic points in your yard, and then let your grading (along with some berms, bricks, rocks, or other natural tools) work to help water your plants and offset some of your sprinkler system – especially during the hot summer months. You can have healthier plants while conserving water!

Your getting into gutters Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: rain gutters, grading

I’ve been a big proponent of conserving energy around the house, and have written about it several times on this blog. One of the easiest energy “fixes” is to switch your light bulbs to Compact Flourescent Bulbs, since they are ultra efficient and last for a very long time. The bulbs say right on the packaging that they contain mercury, but that it’s safely contained within the bulb and will not cause any harm (much like a thermometer). However, that leaves two new questions unanswered – What to do if one breaks, and what to do with them when they eventually burn out?

What to do if a CFL Bulb breaks?

The frightening thing is how few people know the right answer. The NBC affiliate in Chicago did a survey recently, calling various stores and governmental agencies, and their answers varied greatly. According to the EPA’s website, the correct response is:

1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
2. DO NOT VACUUM.
3. On a hard surface, carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag. (wear gloves or other protective gear – no bare hands.) Then wipe the area with a damp cloth or wet-wipe, and place it in the plastic bag as well.
4. On a carpeted area, pick up the larger materials (no bare hands), then use a sticky surface like duct tape to pick up the smaller pieces and the powder. Place everything into a sealed plastic bag.
5. Seal the plastic bag, and seal that bag inside a second plastic bag. Then you may properly dispose of it.
6. Now you can vacuum, but you’ll want to throw out the vacuum bag, or empty and wipe out the container (for a bagless vacuum), and dispose of those contents in the same manner.

How to properly dispose of a CFL bulb?

This is where it gets tricky, and the EPA’s website isn’t very helpful.

1. I can’t find any Arizona laws against throwing them away with your regular trash, and Peoria’s website does NOT list CFL Bulbs in their list of Household Hazardous Waste. Yet, filling the landfills with millions of lightbulbs containing mercury can’t be a good thing, so I’d like to recycle them.
2. Here’s a list of places listed as recycle centers: http://earth911.org/search-recycle?what=Fluorescent+Bulbs&where=85382&max_distance=50 . There are a few of them scattered across the Valley, but none are very convenient.
3. So for the time being, I don’t have a convenient method of recycling. I bet that before too long there will be enough public pressure that the places who sell the most bulbs (WalMart, Home Depot, Target, Lowe’s) will begin collecting them for recycling. But it hasn’t happened yet.

Your hoping not to break a bulb Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: CLF Bulbs, recycling, compact fluorescent light bulbs, Fletcher Heights

This is either an idea of pure genius, or that of an idiot – and most likely a little bit of both! This weekend I spent about $30 on some tool accessories, which will make doing household honey-do type chores so much easier.

I’ve never been much of a handy-man, but over time I’ve gotten reasonably adequate at fixing things and tinkering around the house. A few years ago I put some effort into making a workshop area in my garage; a great way to stay organized and to have a place for every tool. And over time I’ve acquired a fair amount of tools.

However, since I’m not a contractor / handy-man / ‘go into my workshop to build a table’ kind of guy, this hasn’t been very helpful. In fact, 90% of the time I use my tools for projects in different parts of the house – hanging a valance (or a mirror), assembling kids’ furniture or toys, removing training wheels from a bike, installing a dimmer switch, fixing a leaky faucet – none of these projects is ever done in
my workshop. So I generally have to guess at which tools I’ll need, and then carry them to the project-site (and then go get a different size wrench, and then realize I really needed metric). It’s a pain in the butt.

This weekend I bought a large tool box (WalMart, $10), and a couple of color-coded rails to hold socket wrench pieces (Auto Zone, $10 each), and I assembled my most-frequently-used tools: socket wrenches, combination wrenches, cordless screwdriver, channel locks, wire cutters, screws and anchors, electrical tape, teflon tape, bailing wire, and a kit with a few dozen driver bits. No, this won’t be enough to cover every job, but it’s a lot easier to grab that one missing tool (drill, dremmel, hammer, etc.) than it is to grab all the tools every time!

What did I learn from all this, other than I’ve been an inefficient idiot for the last few years…?! Play to your strengths, and simplify whenever you can. Honey-do 2008 – bring it on! Me and my big toolbox will be ready.

Your feeling smart and dumb at the same time Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: household chores, tools, tool box, honey do, Fletcher Heights