Shutting Down Gas Fireplaces in the Warmer Months

You can prevent wasting energy (in this case, natural gas) by turning off the pilot light on your fireplace during the summer and whenever you’re not using it on a regular basis throughout the heating season.

If you are not comfortable re-lighting the pilot light on your fireplace, have your licenced heating contractor re-light it for you when he’s there to do your regular furnace maintenance prior to the next heating season. This will give him the opportunity to ensure that your fireplace is working properly too.

Take advantage of his annual visit to ensure that all your natural gas burning appliances are working safely and efficently.

It’s Just That Easy!

Shell Busey

Homeowner Concerns When Hiring a Contractor

Scope of work questions
o Here’s our project. What will it entail in terms of tearing out walls, plumbing etc.?
o Do you see any particular construction issues we need to deal with right now?
o Who will perform the work on the project?
o If you run into unexpected situations, call us before proceeding.
o We would like to have only one person with authority for the house key.
o Will a permit be required? Who will obtain it? Variances?

Finance Questions
o Who will order and pay for materials
o We would like to pay for your service as portions of work are completed
o How do you typically handle project finances and spending for materials?
o How will we both handle change orders?
o We want to talk at least once each week about budget items.
o Walk through the project once per week

Schedule Questions
o What is a typical workday for you and your crew
o How long should this project take barring any unforeseen changes or problems?
o We request you not to show up before 8am.
o What special order material should be ordered now to avoid delays?
o Here’s where you can park and bathroom you can use.
o No radios on the building site

Expectation Questions
o We want the project to involve the best available material and construction practices.
o We want the project to involve the most competitive cost material and construction practices.
o What is most important to us is quality of construction.
o We expect the job site to be clean of debris at the end of the workday.
o Are there questions you have about our expectations?
o Here is our preference for paint, appliances, wood moldings, and light fixtures.

Remember Your Gutters This Spring

Spring is approaching and if you haven’t cleaned your gutters lately, now is the time to do it. It’s also a good time to inspect your gutters for debris left over from the fall and winter months or damage that may have occurred from wind, rain or snow or repair any leaks.

Keeping gutters free from debris is critical. Overflowing water from clogged gutters can cause damage to a home’s fascia board, exterior finish, landscaping and foundation. Trees have leaves and needles. They fall into your gutter. They fill up your gutter and plug your downspout. Rainwater has nowhere to go except over the edge of your gutters. Water concentrates below and does not drain away causing flooding. It’s also important to make sure that your gutter spouts direct the water away from your foundation.

Unfortunately, a ladder is required for this job and sometimes homeowners do not get around to cleaning and inspecting their gutters often enough. If you are guilty of this you may want to consider other options that will cut the frequency of cleaning your gutters:

- If it’s time to replace your gutters and your home is under a canopy of trees, consider new gutters that are designed to keep out needles and leaves and do not require cleaning. The LeafGuard Gutters is designed to collect water, yet reject wind-blown debris such as needles, leaves, pinecones and twigs, which will clog a conventional gutter. For more information, give them a call toll-free at 1-800-488-8377 or (1-800-GUTTERS) or visit the LeafGuard website www.leafguard.com

- Another option is to install DrainBrain® Gutter Baskets®. They keep the downspout mouths clear allowing rainwater to flow down into your drainage system even though gutters may be full of debris. Simple to install when you clean your gutters, they sit over top of downspout mouths, they perform for years, and you can cut the frequency of cleaning your gutters. For more information, visit their website www.drainbrain.ca or call toll-free 1-866-573-5058.