Cleaning and repairing your home's siding once every year will pay off in the form of a long life and increased value for your home.
Cleaning wood, vinyl, metal, stucco, brick, fiber-cement siding
All types of siding benefit from a good cleaning once every year to remove grit, grime, and mildew. The best way—whether you have wood, vinyl, metal, stucco, brick, or fiber-cement—is with a bucket of warm, soapy water (1/2 cup trisodium phosphate—TSP, available at grocery stores, hardware stores, and home improvement centers—dissolved in 1 gallon of water) and a soft-bristled brush attached to a long handle. Divide your house into 20-foot sections, clean each from top to bottom, and rinse. For two-story homes, you'll be using a ladder, so keep safety foremost.
Cleaning an average-sized house may take you and a friend every bit of a weekend. If you don't have the time—or the inclination—you can have your house professionally cleaned for $300-$500. A professional team will use a power washer and take less than a day.
You can rent a power washer to do the job yourself for about $75 per day, but beware if you don't have experience with the tool. Power washers force water through a nozzle at high pressure, resulting in water blasts that can strip paint, gouge softwoods, loosen caulk, and eat through mortar. Also, the tool can force water under horizontal lap joints, resulting in moisture accumulating behind the siding. A siding professional has the expertise to prevent water penetration at joints, seams around windows and doors, and electrical fixtures.
Inspect for damage
Right before you clean is the ideal time to inspect your house for signs of damage or wear and tear. A house exterior is most vulnerable to water infiltration where siding butts against windows, doors, and corner moldings, says Frank Lesh, a professional house inspector in Chicago and past president of the American Society of Home Inspectors. For all types of siding, look for caulk that has cracked due to age or has pulled away from adjacent surfaces, leaving gaps. Reapply a color-matched exterior caulk during dry days with temperatures in excess of 65 degrees F for maximum adhesion.
Other defects include wood siding with chipped or peeling paint, and cracked boards and trim. If you have a stucco exterior, be on the lookout for cracks and chips. For brick, look for crumbling mortar joints. Repair defects before cleaning. The sooner you make repairs, the better you protect your house from moisture infiltration that can lead to dry rot and mold forming inside your walls.
Repair wood, vinyl, and fiber-cement siding
Damage to wood, vinyl, and fiber-cement horizontal lap siding often occurs because of everyday accidents—being struck by sticks and stones thrown from a lawn mower, or from objects like baseballs. Repairing horizontal lap siding requires the expertise to remove the damaged siding while leaving surrounding siding intact. Unless you have the skills, hire a professional carpenter or siding contractor. Expect to pay $200-$300 to replace one or two damaged siding panels or pieces of wood clapboard.
Repaint wood, fiber-cement
Houses with wood siding should be repainted every five years, or as soon as the paint finish begins to deteriorate. A professional crew will paint a two-story, 2,300 square foot house for $3,000-$5,000. If you've cleaned your house exterior yourself, you've done much of the prep work and will save the added cost that a painting contractor would charge to clean the siding before painting.
Fiber-cement siding, whether it comes with a factory-applied color finish or is conventionally painted, requires repainting far less often (every 8-10 years) than wood siding. That's because fiber-cement is dimensionally stable and, unlike wood, doesn't expand and contract with changes in humidity.
It's a good idea to specify top-quality paint. Because only 15% to 20% of the total cost of repainting your house is for materials, using a top-quality paint will add only a nominal amount—about $200—to the job. However, the best paints will outperform "ordinary" paints by several years, saving you money.
Repair brick mortar, stop efflorescence
Crumbling and loose mortar should be removed with a cold chisel and repaired with fresh mortar—a process called repointing. An experienced do-it-yourselfer can repoint mortar joints between bricks, but the process is time-consuming. Depending on the size of the mortar joints (thinner joints are more difficult), a masonry professional will repoint brick siding for $5-$20 per square foot.
Efflorescence—the powdery white residue that sometimes appears on brick and stone surfaces—is the result of soluble salts in the masonry or grout being leached out by moisture, probably indicating the masonry and grout was never sealed correctly. Remove efflorescence by scrubbing it with water and white vinegar mixed in a 50/50 solution and a stiff bristle brush. As soon as the surface is clear and dry, seal it with a quality masonry sealer to prevent further leaching.
Persistent efflorescence may indicate a moisture problem behind the masonry. Consult a professional building or masonry contractor.
Remove mildew from all types of siding
Stubborn black spotty stains are probably mildew. Dab the area with a little diluted bleach—if the black disappears, it's mildew. Clean the area with a solution of one part bleach to four parts water. Wear eye protection and protect plants from splashes. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Repair cracked stucco
Seal cracks and small holes with color-matched exterior acrylic caulk. Try pressing sand into the surface of wet caulk to match the texture of the surrounding stucco. Paint the repair to match.
Take time to inspect and clean your house siding, and you'll be rewarded with a trouble-free exterior.
By: John Riha
John Riha has written six books on home improvement and hundreds of articles on home-related topics. Riha has been a residential builder, the editorial director of the Black & Decker Home Improvement Library, and the executive editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. His standard 1968 suburban house has been an ongoing source of maintenance experience.
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Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
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A Blog to provide information to buyers and sellers of real estate.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Median Prices Recover
Trulia is reporting that median sales prices have shown recovery since the low point in August of this year. The market has certainly had a great struggle in the past two years. The chart below shows that the current median sales price has exceeded the February 2008 level. We still have a ways to go to reach the peak of the summer of 2008. Our market still has challenges but it is nice to have some good news.
Please visit my Website: www.gary-barker.com
Please visit my Website: www.gary-barker.com
Monday, November 8, 2010
Chimney Maintenance for Warmth and Safety
Chimney maintenance and a fireplace inspection can make the difference between warm safety and drafty danger
Annual inspections keep flames burning right
Creosote—combustible, tar-like droplets—is a natural byproduct of burning wood. The more wood you burn, the wetter or greener the wood, and the more often you restrict airflow by keeping your fireplace doors closed or your damper barely open, the more creosote is produced.
Soot build-up, while not flammable, can hamper venting. One half-inch of soot can restrict airflow 17% in a masonry chimney and 30% in a factory-built unit, according to the CSIA. Soot is also aggressively acidic and can damage the inside of your chimney.
The more creosote and soot, the more likely you are to see signs of chimney fire—loud popping, dense smoke, or even flames shooting out the top of your chimney into the sky. Chimney fires damage the structure of your chimney and can provide a route for the fire to jump to the frame of your house.
"If the chimney is properly maintained, you'll never have a chimney fire," says Ashley Eldridge, the education director of the CSIA.
The best way to ensure your chimney isn't an oil slick waiting to ignite? Get it inspected.
Three inspection levels let you choose what you need
A level-one inspection includes a visual check of the fireplace and chimney without any special equipment or climbing up on the roof. The inspector comes to your house with a flashlight, looks for damage, obstructions, creosote build-up, and soot, and tells you if you need a sweep. If so, he'll grab his brushes, extension poles, and vacuum, and do it on the spot.
"You should have it inspected every year to determine if it needs to be swept. An annual inspection will also cover you if the neighbor's children have thrown a basketball in it, or a bird has built a nest," says Eldridge.
A level one typically runs about $125. Add a sweep, and you're talking another $80, or about $205 for both services, according to CSIA.
Consider a level-two inspection if you've experienced a dramatic weather event, like a tornado or hurricane; if you've made a major change to your fireplace; or bought a new house. This includes a level-one investigation, plus the inspector's time to visit the roof, attic, and crawl space in search of disrepair. It concludes with a sweep, if necessary, and information on what repair is needed. The price will depend on the situation.
A level three inspection is considered "destructive and intrusive" and can resemble a demolition job. It may involve tearing down and rebuilding walls and your chimney, and is usually done after a chimney fire. The cost will depend on the situation.
Small steps can improve your fireplace's efficiency
Besides the annual sweep, improve your fireplace's functioning with responsible use.
Only burn dry, cured wood—logs that have been split, stacked, and dried for eight to 12 months. Cover your log pile on top, but leave the sides open for air flow. Hardwoods such as hickory, white oak, beech, sugar maple, and white ash burn longest, though dry firewood is more important than the species. Less dense woods like spruce or white pine burn well if sufficiently dry, but you'll need to add more wood to your fire more often, according to CSIA.
Wood, only wood! Crates, lumber, construction scraps, painted wood, or other treated wood releases chemicals into your home, compromising your air quality. Log starters are fine for getting your fire going, but they burn very hot; generally only use one at a time.
Close your damper when not using the fireplace to prevent warm indoor air—and the dollars you're spending to heat it—from rushing up the chimney.
On a factory-built, prefab wood-burning fireplace, keep bifold glass doors open when burning a fire to allow heat to get into the room.
Have a chimney cap installed to prevent objects, rain, and snow from falling into your chimney and to reduce downdrafts. The caps have side vents so smoke escapes. A chimney sweep usually provides and can install a stainless steel cap, which is better than a galvanized metal one available at most home improvement retailers because it won't rust, says Anthony Drago, manager of Ashleigh's Hearth and Home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Replace a poorly sealing damper to prevent heat loss. "You can get a top-mounted damper that functions as a rain cap, too, an improvement over the traditional damper because it provides a tighter closure," says CSIA's Eldridge.
Install carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors in your house—near the fireplace as well as in bedroom areas.
If you burn more than three cords of wood annually, get your chimney cleaned twice a year. A cord is 4-feet high, by 4-feet wide, by 8-feet long, or the amount that would fill two full-size pick-up trucks.
To burn fire safely, build it slowly, adding more wood as it heats and keeping your damper completely open to increase draw in the early stages. Burn the fire hot, at least occasionally—with the damper all the way open to help prevent smoke from lingering the fireplace and creosote from developing.
By the way, fireplaces aren't officially rated for energy efficiency because they're so varied. Depending on the source of information, they can be 10% to 30% efficient in converting fuel to heat.
No inspection will turn a masonry or factory-built fireplace into a furnace, but it can improve efficiency somewhat, decrease the amount of heating dollars you're sending up the chimney, and increase your enjoyment of your hearth time by reducing smoke. If a sweeping prevents a chimney fire, you're talking about the difference between another ordinary January day, and the potential loss of your home, or even life.
By: Wendy Paris
Published: August 31, 2009
Wendy Paris is a writer in New York currently living in a home with a very smoky fireplace that has set off the smoke detector more than once. After finishing this article, she decided to schedule a chimney sweep. She's written for This Old House magazine, as well as for The New York Times and Salon.com.
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.
Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Visit our Facebook Page
Visit our Gary Barker Real Estate's Website
Annual inspections keep flames burning right
Creosote—combustible, tar-like droplets—is a natural byproduct of burning wood. The more wood you burn, the wetter or greener the wood, and the more often you restrict airflow by keeping your fireplace doors closed or your damper barely open, the more creosote is produced.
Soot build-up, while not flammable, can hamper venting. One half-inch of soot can restrict airflow 17% in a masonry chimney and 30% in a factory-built unit, according to the CSIA. Soot is also aggressively acidic and can damage the inside of your chimney.
The more creosote and soot, the more likely you are to see signs of chimney fire—loud popping, dense smoke, or even flames shooting out the top of your chimney into the sky. Chimney fires damage the structure of your chimney and can provide a route for the fire to jump to the frame of your house.
"If the chimney is properly maintained, you'll never have a chimney fire," says Ashley Eldridge, the education director of the CSIA.
The best way to ensure your chimney isn't an oil slick waiting to ignite? Get it inspected.
Three inspection levels let you choose what you need
A level-one inspection includes a visual check of the fireplace and chimney without any special equipment or climbing up on the roof. The inspector comes to your house with a flashlight, looks for damage, obstructions, creosote build-up, and soot, and tells you if you need a sweep. If so, he'll grab his brushes, extension poles, and vacuum, and do it on the spot.
"You should have it inspected every year to determine if it needs to be swept. An annual inspection will also cover you if the neighbor's children have thrown a basketball in it, or a bird has built a nest," says Eldridge.
A level one typically runs about $125. Add a sweep, and you're talking another $80, or about $205 for both services, according to CSIA.
Consider a level-two inspection if you've experienced a dramatic weather event, like a tornado or hurricane; if you've made a major change to your fireplace; or bought a new house. This includes a level-one investigation, plus the inspector's time to visit the roof, attic, and crawl space in search of disrepair. It concludes with a sweep, if necessary, and information on what repair is needed. The price will depend on the situation.
A level three inspection is considered "destructive and intrusive" and can resemble a demolition job. It may involve tearing down and rebuilding walls and your chimney, and is usually done after a chimney fire. The cost will depend on the situation.
Small steps can improve your fireplace's efficiency
Besides the annual sweep, improve your fireplace's functioning with responsible use.
Only burn dry, cured wood—logs that have been split, stacked, and dried for eight to 12 months. Cover your log pile on top, but leave the sides open for air flow. Hardwoods such as hickory, white oak, beech, sugar maple, and white ash burn longest, though dry firewood is more important than the species. Less dense woods like spruce or white pine burn well if sufficiently dry, but you'll need to add more wood to your fire more often, according to CSIA.
Wood, only wood! Crates, lumber, construction scraps, painted wood, or other treated wood releases chemicals into your home, compromising your air quality. Log starters are fine for getting your fire going, but they burn very hot; generally only use one at a time.
Close your damper when not using the fireplace to prevent warm indoor air—and the dollars you're spending to heat it—from rushing up the chimney.
On a factory-built, prefab wood-burning fireplace, keep bifold glass doors open when burning a fire to allow heat to get into the room.
Have a chimney cap installed to prevent objects, rain, and snow from falling into your chimney and to reduce downdrafts. The caps have side vents so smoke escapes. A chimney sweep usually provides and can install a stainless steel cap, which is better than a galvanized metal one available at most home improvement retailers because it won't rust, says Anthony Drago, manager of Ashleigh's Hearth and Home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Replace a poorly sealing damper to prevent heat loss. "You can get a top-mounted damper that functions as a rain cap, too, an improvement over the traditional damper because it provides a tighter closure," says CSIA's Eldridge.
Install carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors in your house—near the fireplace as well as in bedroom areas.
If you burn more than three cords of wood annually, get your chimney cleaned twice a year. A cord is 4-feet high, by 4-feet wide, by 8-feet long, or the amount that would fill two full-size pick-up trucks.
To burn fire safely, build it slowly, adding more wood as it heats and keeping your damper completely open to increase draw in the early stages. Burn the fire hot, at least occasionally—with the damper all the way open to help prevent smoke from lingering the fireplace and creosote from developing.
By the way, fireplaces aren't officially rated for energy efficiency because they're so varied. Depending on the source of information, they can be 10% to 30% efficient in converting fuel to heat.
No inspection will turn a masonry or factory-built fireplace into a furnace, but it can improve efficiency somewhat, decrease the amount of heating dollars you're sending up the chimney, and increase your enjoyment of your hearth time by reducing smoke. If a sweeping prevents a chimney fire, you're talking about the difference between another ordinary January day, and the potential loss of your home, or even life.
By: Wendy Paris
Published: August 31, 2009
Wendy Paris is a writer in New York currently living in a home with a very smoky fireplace that has set off the smoke detector more than once. After finishing this article, she decided to schedule a chimney sweep. She's written for This Old House magazine, as well as for The New York Times and Salon.com.
Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.
Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Visit our Facebook Page
Visit our Gary Barker Real Estate's Website
Thursday, November 4, 2010
New Construction Report - Craven County
Home builders marketing is going better than the rest of the market. New construction makes up about a third of the homes sold in the last twelve months. Two years ago builders were having severe troubles. They had inventory that the market was rejecting. Nimble builders such as Frank Crayton, Pat McCullough, and Rick Schepard responded by creating products that the market wanted. Builders sold 288 of the 870 homes sold in the $80,000 to $350,000 range in Craven County. Currently there are 242 new homes on the market. (80 of these are Skysail condos) .Compare these numbers to the total market. See my Blog of November 1,2010. The great new homes that builders produce are often priced below the price of homes that were purchased during the strong market of several years ago. The fact that new homes capture such a large part of the market has hampered the individual trying to sell theirs.
by Gary Barker
Gary has been selling real estate in New Bern since 1977.
Visit my website http://www.gary-barker.com/
by Gary Barker
Gary has been selling real estate in New Bern since 1977.
Visit my website http://www.gary-barker.com/
Monday, November 1, 2010
Market Review - Craven County - Closed Sales
For this blog I chose to study residential sales closed for the last 12 months. I have limited the study to Craven County sales as reported in the Neuse River Region MLS. I decided to study homes that closed between $80,000 and $350,000. Hopefully that price range gives an accurate picture of our market. I chose to eliminate the luxury market and the very low end. The chart below depicts those sales.
June had the highest number of closings at 114. The lowest month was February with 50 closed. 875 homes in the study sold in the last 12 months. 995 homes in the study profile are currently listed. During the last twelve months 1081 homes entered the market. Assuming that approximately the same number of homes will enter the market this next twelve months, there will be a two year supply of homes available. A home must be superior in features or priced below others to sell. Sellers must be educated in current market conditions. An agent who lists homes for prices that are not likely to sell will harm his relationship with his clients.
by Gary Barker
Gary has been selling real estate in New Bern since 1977.
Visit my website http://www.gary-barker.com/
June had the highest number of closings at 114. The lowest month was February with 50 closed. 875 homes in the study sold in the last 12 months. 995 homes in the study profile are currently listed. During the last twelve months 1081 homes entered the market. Assuming that approximately the same number of homes will enter the market this next twelve months, there will be a two year supply of homes available. A home must be superior in features or priced below others to sell. Sellers must be educated in current market conditions. An agent who lists homes for prices that are not likely to sell will harm his relationship with his clients.
by Gary Barker
Gary has been selling real estate in New Bern since 1977.
Visit my website http://www.gary-barker.com/
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