Spring Home Maintenance in Tucson
May 4, 2010
Spring has sprung in Tucson and we’re rapidly approaching Summer. This is one of my favorite times of year: the flowers are still blooming, the days are warm but not so hot that you can’t leave your windows open for fresh air, and the mornings are cool, clear, and beautiful.
But the heat is coming. Time to make your home ready for it.
If you’ve got a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler), it’s time to de-winterize it. If you’ve got an A/C and haven’t changed your air filter in a while, now would be a good time. If you haven’t had your A/C serviced in a while and you’ve got an older unit, getting the system recharged and checked and cleaned by a professional would be a really good idea – and do that before it gets too hot and they’re too busy to fit into your schedule! An A/C running in peak condition is well worth the $120 you’ll spend on the service.
Outside, be sure to check your watering system for leaks, and make sure the timer is set to water the plants sufficiently. While you’re out there, go ahead and trim back any tree branches that are scraping your roof and trim plants and flowers away from your foundation. You don’t want water and plants near your foundation – it can lead to greater settlement issues and termites.
Oh – and before the monsoons hit in a few months? Check your roof, especially if you have a flat roof. Better to find and fix any potential issues now than wait until they become bigger problems in the rain. When it isn’t rainy season, the roofers aren’t as busy. And most will give you an opinion of condition and a repair estimate for free. Having a company like Roofsavers or Jon’s Precision Roofing out to check your roof every couple of years is a really good idea – prevention is much cheaper than disaster.
photo via bamyers4az and CreativeCommons on Flickr
Cash for Crappers?
September 4, 2009
I discovered a program for Tucson Water customers the other day that offers rebates for replacing old 3.5 gallon/flush toilets with new high efficiency toilets, in an effort to reduce water usage. You can get a rebate of half the cost of the new toilet fixture, up to $120/toilet, with a maximum rebate per house of $200.
There’s a list of approved high efficiency replacement toilets here.
Oh, and if you’re doing a big house remodel and swapping out toilets as part of that, then that doesn’t qualify for the rebate either. And the rebate doesn’t cover installation costs or any "accessories" like a new wax ring. You can check out answers to frequently asked questions here.
Rules to Qualify:
- The house must be serviced by Tucson Water.
- The toilets being removed must use 3.5 gallons/flush or more, and be manufactured prior to 1991
- The new toilet must be a high efficiency toilet, using 1.3 gallons per flush or less.
- Photo via flickr by janewaterbury.
More on Water Harvesting and Cisterns in Tucson
July 29, 2009
Thoughts and comments from local architect Jake Boen on Rain Water Harvesting…
Neighbors most likely are the largest obstacle on installing a cistern without stirring the pot. I doubt that many CC&Rs even discuss harvesting or cisterns but I would still check any design guidelines or architectural review that a HOA may have for any home additions or modifications. I doubt they can do much if you install this in your back yard but side yards and front yards could become problematic if you don’t submit your plans for approval first.
Permits – Yes and No. For most cisterns a building permit will not be required but a zoning permit typically is required. The City of Tucson recently issued a memorandum for clarification of Zoning regulations regarding water harvesting cisterns. This memorandum is mandatory reading prior to planing size and placement of any cisterns within the City limits. Essentially size and height may limit placement or invoke screening requirements. Refer to the Land Use Code and: http://www.tucsonaz.gov/dsd/What_s_New/official_cistern_determination.pdf for specifics.
A few years ago I attended a 2 day regional storm water management and rainwater harvesting conference and came away with a better understanding on a lot of what to do and what not to do with water harvesting. This includes a very important but often overlooked design aspect of how to get the water out of the cistern without clogging your shut off valve with dust and debris which will build up in the cistern. A float and flexible inlet pipe allows debris to settle to the bottom and allows debris to build up without causing problems and allows a greater window before maintenance must be performed. This would apply to large complex designs as well as some of the simplest of cistern designs.
Maintenance and responsibility can be an issue. No one wants mosquito breeding. Covers allowing water to flow in but keeping mosquitos out are important. A foam float or thick cooler pads on a foam float can allow water to flow in but keep bugs out. I have also seen large cisterns which utilized fish to take care of bug problems. Other designs will pipe water directly into an enclosed design.
Some companies in town are now offering corrugated metal cisterns with a foundation pre-installed. They are simply set on a level pad and downspouts can be installed to divert water to the cistern. Installation doesn’t get any quicker than that. The size is limited but one does get instant gratification and water harvesting.
Touching on the design issue again I would recommend that clients hire a company or perform careful research on permits, sizing of cisterns, detailing of inlets and outlets, and sizing of structural foundations. A column of water 8 feet in the air most certainly weighs a lot and should be a design concern when placing next to existing structures or on areas which do not drain well.
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Thanks for giving us your thoughts, sir!
Rainwater Harvesting and Cisterns in Tucson Homes
July 27, 2009
Speaking of rain…
I see more and more people using rainwater harvesting techniques in homes around Tucson. Collecting rainwater can be a good way to store some water for our dry seasons to use on your landscaping, save a little bit on that water bill.
But be careful – I met a woman the other day who helps people install rainwater harvesting systems here in Tucson and the biggest problem she runs into are neighbors who don’t like huge ugly cisterns staring at them from across the fence. I’ve seen some really cool looking metal barrel installations though – I kind of like them, but I’m probably not your neighbor!
I found some awesome resources though, if you’re considering installing a rainwater harvesting system. As far as I can tell, if you’re only doing rainwater collection and not gray water collection, you don’t need a permit – but I’d confirm that with some of these resources first.
The City of Tucson talks about Rain Water harvesting here, with some good general advice and links to other resources.
There’s a document with a TON of both rain water harvesting and gray water reuse information and services in Tucson here.
And then the Watershed Management Group has a nice site with information about their programs and whatnot. They’re a non-profit group that provides education and resources to communities trying to better manage their natural resources. They’re having a rainwater cistern design competition through the start of September – looks like a pretty cool challenge for those build-it types.
Should I Leave The Swamp Cooler When I Install A/C?
May 21, 2009
I kind of love Twitter.
It’s a community where you can interact with a huge audience of people, share information, random thoughts, and generally be social. I’m @housechick on Twitter, by the way.
I talk to a group of people here in Tucson that are also on this social network – and sometimes, I get to be helpful instead of just saying hi and talking about what we’re doing.
Like today. Someone here in Tucson is having an air conditioner installed and was wondering if it was worthwhile to leave the evaporative cooler on the house or not. They were wondering if it would make their house more desirable if they left the swamp cooler on, and – knowing I’m a local real estate agent here in Tucson – they asked me. And I’m always happy to answer questions when I can.
I think that leaving the swamp cooler on the house doesn’t hurt. Most people never touch it again once they get the A/C installed and running. So while I don’t think it will detract from the value, I don’t think it will add a whole lot of value either. But – it could make the house more appealing to those who enjoy the lower cost of running a evaporative cooler in our dry months. So I say leave it, as long as the cooler is in good shape, properly winterized and covered, and is well closed-off from the rest of the HVAC system.
Are you on Twitter too? Stop on by and say hello!
Mixing Roof Types
April 6, 2009
Had a discussion about roof types the other day with one of my clients. There are some newer home communities where the builder would offer two different elevations for the same model: one with a pitched tile roof and one with a flat roof, so you often see those mixed within a community.
Now, tile roofs and flat roofs have very different lifespans and need very different maintenance. The tile roof you need to have checked every couple of years for cracked or shifting tiles, or for cracks in the mortar at the peak. Tile roofs can last decades with only very minor maintenance and attention.
Flat roofs, on the other hand, you should probably be checking those annually for cracking and blistering and ponding. Depending on the type, a flat roof may need spot sealing along the seams and protrusions yearly, and a re-coat for some kinds of roofs every 3-5 years. Usually, this kind of roof maintenance is fairly inexpensive, at least compared to something like major work on a tile roof.
What happens often is that the main house is a tile roof, but the garage and patio roofs are flat, so you’ve got two different maintenance types and schedules. A lot of home owners with tile roofs don’t think about their flat patio roofs until they start to leak. It’s perfectly fine to have mixed roof types on a single house, just make sure you’re maintaining each on the proper schedule.
ROI of Green Remodeling Projects
December 28, 2008
Hattip to Tucson architect Jake Boen of the In Place Architecture Blog.
Found a post in my reader this morning from local architect Jake about the return on investment of various green remodeling projects and upgrades, quoting GreenAndSave.com where they’ve got a master table of anticipated ROI.
It’s an interesting table. They’re quoting the highest ROI to be a programmable thermostat – if you adjust the temperature 5 degrees at night and 10 degrees during the day – with a $115 investment and an annual savings of $180, making the payback time 0.6 years, savings over 10 years to be $1800, and an ROI of 156.5%.
Obviously, they’re using some averages so I’m not sure everything on that table translates to the Tucson area, but they’re interesting estimates. The top 10 green ‘tune-up’ items are largely relatively low cost items. Worth a look.
Natural Building Materials in Tucson
November 3, 2008
Found this weekend: Originate Natural Building Materials, a local showroom that specializes in environmentally friendly interior finishes that are non-toxic and made from renewable resources. They’ve got flooring, countertop materials, paints and plaster pigments, and some interesting decorative and salvaged items – all kinds of cool and interesting stuff over there.
They’ve also got a library of resources for natural building materials and sustainable building. You can check them out at 526 N 9th Avenue, Tuesday – Friday 12-6, and Saturdays 12-4.
Changing the Locks on your Tucson Home
July 22, 2008
So I was helping out a fellow agent the other day. Her clients had purchased a home, started moving in, went out of town for a short time, and promptly lost their house keys. Frantic and frustrated, they asked if we could have the house re-keyed before they returned.
And being nice sort of agents, we said okay.
I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to have it done. I mean, I’m calling a locksmith on a house I don’t own, asking them to break in, basically, re-key all the doors, hand me a key, and leave. Turns out, it was a lot easier than I thought. The lady who scheduled the appointment just asked me to bring a copy of the contract, some kind of proof that I was connected to the deal.
No problemo.
So I meet the locksmith at the house, and after walking up to the door and warning me that this could take 30 seconds or it could take 10 minutes, he sticks a little thingy into the deadlock, goes jiggle-jiggle, and 5 seconds later, we’re in.
I mean, literally, it took him five seconds.
So I’m sitting there waiting for him to finish re-keying the locks, thinking about how I no longer feel safe behind my locked doors if it only takes a handful of seconds to get in. We got to talking about locks and which is better or worse, the different kinds, and I asked if there was anything that could be done to keep someone from coming into my house so quickly.
And while he said that no lock is unpickable if someone is really determined and has enough time, that there are several things you can do to keep the vast majority of people from picking your lock.
He mentioned locks with something called ‘mushroom pins.’ A little research tells me they’re also called security pins or spool pins, and make the lock harder to pick.
Good to know, good to know.
photo via Flickr, courtesy of Auntie P.
Evaporative Cooler Care Book
April 30, 2008
I don’t normally make product sales pitches here, but I was contacted by a guy in New Mexico who has written a book all about evaporative (swamp) coolers – how to “summerize”, “winterize”, repair, and generally maintain, complete with pictures and descriptions.
You can learn more about it at his website, EasyCoolerCare.com. Given the amount of questions I field from people buying homes with swamp coolers, this book looks like it might be a fabulous $10 (plus $5 shipping and handling) investment.
There’s a section of the Easy Cooler Care book available free via PDF file that you can download and read – it’s a guide to helping you figure out the proper sizing, make, model, and so on for your cooler. I think that’s pretty helpful if you don’t know how to measure for pads or what size pump to purchase.
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