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        <title>Denver Real Estate Blog</title>
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        <description>Denver real estate topics including local metro Denver community news and events.</description>
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            <guid>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/measures-to-ensure-a-safe-home-for-you-and-your-family.html</guid>
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            <author>bruce@bruceswedal.com (Bruce Swedal)</author>
            <title>Measures to Ensure a Safe Home for You and Your Family</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
It may be a matter of conjecture whether the world is gradually becoming more dangerous or not but what cannot be doubted is the fact that the safety of ones family should be the prime concern for everyone. You may have been a victim of burglary and so may be wary and skeptical or you may be very worried for your kids who are alone at home for the most part of the day. Whatever be the case, you can do many things to bolster the security of your house. Though nothing can be termed as one hundred percent safe or completely fool proof, bringing about few changes can act as major deterrences to potential miscreants and offer you the much needed sense of relief.

Hedges and shrubs should be trimmed in order to keep the walkways, doors and windows clear and do not allow hiding spaces that attract intruders. This also keeps the paths visible at all times thereby enabling you to notice immediately if anything is amiss. Installing lights with motion detection capabilities will automatically illuminate an area if any motion is detected.

Fit your front door with a peephole that covers a wider angle so that you and your family members can be sure of the visitor before opening the door and letting him/her in. Your main door must be of superior quality. Using a door made of solid wood and investing in a high quality frame and a good lock are the best ways to ensure your familys safety. Make sure that you use good door braces and window braces for all possible points of entry in your home.

You may want to get yourself and your family a good dog. Although dogs will not be able to stop all intruders, they can alert your neighbors or even be able to scare away some of the intruders. Everyone knows about signboards that tell people to exercise caution as there is a dog at home. Such signs may act as deterrents even if you may not actually own a dog.&nbsp; You may also consider installing an alarm system that can be monitored regularly to ward off potentials threats. Posting warning signs to declare that your house is equipped with such an alarm even if you dont have one installed may help keep intruders at bay.

Try to change your daily schedule frequently. Such constant changes would act as a deterrent to thieves who might be observing your home. You may also consider employing timers to switch lights off and on to give an impression to potential thieves that the house is not empty. Such timers would come to your aid when you leave home for vacations. Using timers to control radio and television would also help you give an impression that some one is present.

In case you happen to take a vacation, ensure to cancel the delivery of the daily newspaper and request a trustworthy friend to take care of any letters that may arrive. If you plan to go on a vacation during the winter season, ensure that the snow gets cleared regularly in your absence. In case you are far from home during the summer season, ask someone to mow the lawn. Never tell unknown people about your travel plans; however inform your neighbors so that they keep a watch on your house while you are away. Cultivating warm relationships with your neighbors goes a long way towards ensuring security of your place when you are away. When you know your neighbors well enough, it helps you track any suspicious activity in the vicinity of your home or in your area. You may also keep an extra key in you neighbors place instead of keeping it in your property.

Whenever you purchase any home appliances or electronic items, make sure that you dont leave the cartons and packages in full view for all to see. Such inadvertent exhibitions of newly acquired possessions are a sure way of enticing thieves. You should destroy all the evidence that give out inviting signals to potential thieves and burglars and recycle the packaging cases.

Ensure that you store your valuable items where no one can see instead of keeping them out in the open. Keeping your mountain bikes and tools in the yard may attract the attention of thieves who may be encouraged to probe further to see what other valuables you possess.

Make sure that you have a secure place inside your home where you can safely hide your valuables without them getting detected easily. Using boxes that are fire proof may save your items from fire; however you ought to keep in mind that quite a number of locks can be broken with ease. A good way to build safes is to build them inside a wall, thus ensuring that they are out of sight and securely locked. It is a very good practice to make a list of all the possessions and take photographs of all the items listed in order to maintain a record for use by your insurance provider. If you become a victim of burglary or theft, the list and the photographs would simplify the process of your claim.

Oh, Remember&hellip;&nbsp; When you encounter friends or relatives who are considering buying or selling a home and would appreciate the services I offer, I would love to help them.&nbsp; As these people come to mind, just call me with their name and business number.&nbsp; I will follow up and ensure they receive excellent service.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:02:10 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/saving-energy-in-your-denver-home.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.denversrealestate.com/blog/saving-energy-in-your-denver-home.html</link>
            <author>bruce@bruceswedal.com (Bruce Swedal)</author>
            <title>Saving Energy in Your Denver Home</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Insulation

Adequate insulation is the most critical factor in saving energy in your home. Insulation is measured by R-value, a measure of the thermal resistance to heat flow through the material. The higher the R-value, the greater the effectiveness of the insulation material. The Department of Energy recommends minimum R-values for different regions of the country and different types of heating systems. For most of the country (all except the extreme South), you should strive to obtain the following insulation R-values in your home: Crawl space or floor: R-19; Exterior Walls: R-11; Ceilings or Attics: R-38. Following are some specific notes regarding insulation in each area of the home. 

Attics: Along with insulating, make sure you maintain adequate ventilation and do not block soffit vents with insulation crammed into the eaves of the roof. Increasing the insulation levels in existing attics can be easily accomplished by adding additional batts or loose insulation, but this likely means the insulation thickness will be above your joists, reducing the ability to use the attic for storage. Do not compress the attic insulation. It only reduces the effectiveness - it doesnt get you more insulation in less space! Also, if adding attic insulation, make sure you add only unfaced batts, that is batt insulation that has no kraft or foil facing. These act as vapor barriers, trapping moisture between the layers of insulation and reducing their effectiveness. 

Walls: If you have no present wall insulation, companies can blow in up to R-13 of wall insulation through small holes drilled at the top of your walls. If you are replacing the siding on your home, consider installing a thickness of exterior insulation (it comes in &frac12;&quot;, &frac34;&quot; and 1&quot; thickness). Certain products have a reflective foil exterior that provides additional conductive heat resistance. When the edges of the boards are taped, exterior insulation can also provide an effective air-infiltration barrier - saving even more energy. Exterior insulation products of the polyisocyanurate or Phenolic foam classes typically achieve an R-value of R-4 for each &frac12;&quot; of thickness. A 1&quot; board thickness of these materials, for instance, would add R-8 to the wall insulation of your home. Polystyrene and fiberglass board products achieve lower R-values. Beware of one problem with adding exterior insulation boards: you may need to modify the exterior window and door trim all the way around your home to accommodate the additional thickness. 

Crawl Spaces: Crawl space insulation should be installed under the existing floor between each joist space. Ideally, you want to install kraft-faced batts in the joist space, with the kraft face up - directly beneath the floor. This follows the standard dictum that the vapor barrier be installed on the side of the insulation closest to the living space. However, in the case of damp crawl spaces, or those that frequently flood, I recommend the reverse. Install unfaced batt insulation in the joists (using a spring clip to hold it in place) and then install 4 or 6 mil sheets of polyethylene continuously, stapled to the bottom of the joists. Although this violates normal convention, the moisture from the crawl space is a greater threat to your insulation values than the moisture from the living area. So pick your poison! 

Ventilation

Attic ventilation is one of the most unrecognized, and unappreciated, features of saving energy in a home. An unventilated attic can result in air temperatures as high as 150 degrees F. This heat makes the living areas below the attic hotter, no matter how much insulation you have installed in the attic, and consequently runs up your air-conditioning bill. 

The most effective attic ventilation is known as continuous ridge and soffit venting. In this system, a small, continuous vent is installed along the entire ridge of the roof. This type of vent can be installed by a professional roofer on any roof by cutting an opening in the wood sheathing at the ridge and tacking the vent in place. Most types allow roof ridge shingles to be nailed over them, making them barely noticeable. Continuous Soffit venting (also known as eave venting) can be achieved in a couple of ways: 1). If you have a roof overhang, you can install perforated aluminum panels that rest on small tracks, one at the house and one at the fascia board of the overhang. The edges of these panels also interlock to keep them all in place; 2). If you have a plywood or Masonite solid soffit, you can introduce venting by installing a continuous aluminum strip (these are usually 2-3&quot; wide, or by cutting in individual rectangular or round vents in each rafter space. Ideally, the area of soffit venting should match the area of ridge venting. The idea is to induce a continuous flow of air as evenly as possible under the roof deck, which is where the heat builds up. One tip to remember when installing soffit vents, check inside the attic to make sure insulation isnt blocking the vents. You can purchase small Styrofoam baffles that can be slid into under the roof edge inside the attic to allow you to pack insulation tightly and still maintain an air cavity to the soffit vents. 

If you cant use ridge or soffit venting for some reason, consider louvered gable vents, which can be purchased in a variety of shapes and sizes - including round, triangular, and rectangular. Avoid the roof turbine type, since the turbines do little to actually pull air out of the attic. Similarly, avoid installing electric thermostat controlled attic fans on the roof (these are not the same as whole-house fans, by the way). These fans do cool the attic air, but they pull air in such a narrow stream that it doesnt efficiently cool the attic deck. And studies have shown that these fans consume more energy than they save. 

Air Infiltration

Infiltration through gaps around doors and windows, around trim and other areas of your home consumes as much as 40% of your energy bill. To solve these problems, you need to keep your home well caulked, and make sure the weather-stripping at doors and windows is in good shape. When caulking, purchase high-grade silicone sealant. These come a few basic colors (including blue and beige) to match standard siding colors, or can be purchased in clear and paintable grades. Look for a 20-25 year rated caulk. They dont really last that long, but the year rating is a relative assurance of the quality of the sealant. Caulk every gap around the house you can find. Where existing caulk has deteriorated and is crumbling, scrape it out with a small putty knife. Install a generous bead in the gap. You may wish to use a small plastic forming tool (or your finger) to make a smooth, professional look. 

If youre installing new siding on your home, consider reducing air-infiltration by installing an air-infiltration barrier under the siding. These products - the most well known is called Tyvek, which does a remarkable job of reducing air-infiltration. Dont worry - air infiltration barriers are not vapor barriers, so you arent creating a moisture problem within your wall by installing them. 

Installing storm windows over your existing leaky double-hungs can be a cost-effective means of reducing air infiltration. Storm window units come with sliding sashes and screens, so you can continue to take advantage of the summer breezes while gaining winter efficiency. Consider carefully whether to install storm windows on an historic home. They dramatically alter the appearance of a home. Storm doors are less effective, since doors are opened and closed so often. Still, if you have a particularly leaky set of doors and weather-stripping doesnt help, try a good quality storm door. 

Heating &amp; Cooling

Hands down, heating and cooling your home eats up more energy than any other function. But you already knew that. You probably also know that keeping the thermostat set to about 68 degrees F. in the winter and 78 degrees F. in the summer will keep you reasonably comfortable without putting a huge dent in your utility budget. Here are a few other tips to save money you may not have thought about: 


Most systems have dampers on main trunk lines. Even if they dont, supply registers can be closed or blocked to keep heat from flowing to unused, or rarely used spaces. If the kids away at college for the semester, close off his room and save some money on him for once! 

Where possible insulate supply ducts, particularly if they run through crawl spaces or unfinished basements. A great deal of heat can be lost through un-insulated metal before it reaches the spaces you need heated. 

In the winter, use a humidifier to make the most used spaces feel warmer at lower temperatures. You can also install a humidifier in the supply duct of your furnace to provide constant humidification for the entire house whenever the furnace is running.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Summer or winter, replace the filter in furnace every quarter (thats every three months). 

If you have an attic access hatch or pull-down stair, insulate it with batt insulation or if youre a handyman (or handywoman), build a separate insulated hatch above the pull-down stair to cut energy losses. 

Block the summer sun on the south and west sides anyway you can. If youre planting trees, plan ahead and locate them where at maturity they will provide south wall and roof shading for your home. If you have a yearning to create a trellis, why not locate it where it will keep summer sun off the wall of your home? Awnings over windows, solar film, and heavy drapes also reduce the solar heat gain of your home - and thereby reduce your energy bills. 

If you rely on window air conditioners, consider using a standard box fan next to each unit to spread the cool air more efficiently throughout the space. 

Keep the damper closed on your fireplace when youre not using it. Also realize that, contrary to popular belief, fireplaces are huge energy losers. They provide less heat than they send up the flue! Put in a pair of glass doors to seal off the fireplace opening when youre not using it. 


Whole House Fans: Whole House Fans (also called attic fans) are fans installed in the ceiling joists of a home, typically in a hallway or other centrally located ceiling in the home. In moderate seasons such as Fall or Spring, a ceiling fan can provide adequate cooling by pulling air through open windows throughout the house and expelling it out through attic vents. The fans work best in low-humidity situations and temperate climates. They are not ideal for heating-dominant climates like the deep South. Whole House Fans typically come with two to three speeds, controlled by a wall-mounted switch. Whole-House Fans require adequate attic ventilation free area (as a rough estimate, take the total vent area and divide by half to obtain the free area). Refer to the fan manufacturers instructions for the amount of attic area necessary to support your fans highest speed. Not having enough ventilation area can lead to premature motor burnout.

Appliances

After the furnace and water heater, home appliances are the third largest consumer of energy in the home. Among these, the most intensive electric/gas users are the Refrigerator/Freezer and Range, in that order. Refrigerators with automatic defrost features are more energy-intensive than the manual type. If you are buying an automatic defrost freezer (and who doesnt these days?), purchase one with an energy-saving mode, and keep it set for this feature. To save money with your range, try to cook small meals in other low-energy devices, such as crock pots or pressure cookers. Also, every time you open the oven door, you cause about 20% of the oven heat to escape. So use a baking thermometer and quit opening that door! 

Water Heaters

After the furnace, the water heater uses the second most energy in hour home. The first step in saving energy is to lower the thermostat to a reasonable range. A level as low as 120 degrees F. will provide sufficiently hot showers. If you own an automatic dishwasher, you should set the thermostat closer to the 140 degree range to ensure sufficient heat during the wash cycle. Check the manual that came with your dishwasher to be sure. Remember, the dial only sets the temperature of the water - the quantity of hot water remains the same (usually 40 gallons). When you go on vacation, turn the dial on the hot water heater to the vacation, or lowest setting. Next, insulated the water heater with an insulation wrap available from most home-improvement stores. Be sure to hold the insulation away from the pilot light opening at the bottom of the heater. Insulating your water heater may save as much as 15% of the cost of operating the heater. Also use dense foam pipe insulation (such as Armorflex brand) to insulate all the exposed hot water pipes leaving the heater. 

Lighting

About 15% of the energy used in your home is consumed by lighting. Halogen lamps, prized for their high light about, are among the worst abusers. If you can stand it (many people cant), switch those high-consumption incandescent fixtures to more energy-efficient fluorescent, which provide more lumens per watt. These are available in warmer colors, which are supposed to mimic incandescents (well not really, but thats what they say). A few other tips can also help save lighting costs: 


If your kids like night lights, switch to the low-wattage variety; 

If you cant remember, or cant train the kids to shut off lights when they leave the room, buy a motion detector light switch that switches the lights off automatically when it doesnt sense motion for a certain period of time; 

Put outdoor lights on a motion detector so you wont forget and leave them on all day;

Use lighter colors of carpeting and paint to make the room appear brighter with less light. 


By making improvements in all these areas, you'll end up with a more efficient and less expensive home - as well as the piece of mind of knowing that you're doing your part to be an environmentally conscious citizen.
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            <pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:29:32 -0600</pubDate>
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