5D
REAL ESTATEATlje Ctiarlatte $ot
Thursday. March 9. 2006
MM
Tile tops in beauty, least in cost
Continued from page 4D
ease of cleaning make tile a
smart choice for areas where
p)eople will be sweating and
showering,
• Dining room - More than
one picture-perfect dining
room has been spoiled by a
spill on the carpet. Tile offers
superior ease of cleaning and
exceptional design flexibility
in this showcase area of tlie
house.
• Family room - Another
high traffic area of the house
that benefits fium the dura
bility and beauty of tile is the
family room. For maximum
impact, consider coveiing the
entire floor with a rich ceram
ic tile. Or, protect the most
used areas by placing a lai^
tile area in the middle of the
room and carpeting the
peiimeter. Tile also enhances
the beauty, safety and ease of
cleaning for the fireplace and
heartli.
Create a state-of-the-art kitchen
with historical-style detailing
Continued from page 4D
Inspired look. As you work to
put a vintage stamp on your
kitchen, try these simple tips
to help accentu^e your
dvtc)cor
• Start by selecting fixtures
with a vintage stjde in an
antique finish to set the tone
for your design. For ecample,
a farmhouse-stjie sink with a
wall-mounted kitchen faucet
in a period stjie is a great
way to capture a more rustic
look of days-gone-by.
• Don’t stop your new look
with the faucet. Replacing
cabinet knobs to match the
finish and stjding of your
faucets is a simple and inax-
pensive way to tie everything
together.
• TVy a new backsplash tile
that featiu’es an aged finish
(such as copper glaze) or a
distressed textuie to expand
your look witli an eye-catch
ing display
• Consider a wood counter-
top for your center island.
Apart fium offeiing a more
traditional look, it will pro
vide a food-safe and heat-
resistant work surface.
• Makeover your ordinary
dishwasher or other appli
ances by adding a vintage-
inspired door panel. Dish
washer and refiigerator
doors are especially well suit
ed to “hide” their functionali
ty
With today's variety of
stjdes and finishes, kitchens
with a vintage flavor don’t
need to sacrifice function to
get all the current features.
Integi'ating many of these
details into your next kitchen
prejegt can help you achieve
an inviting traditional decor
tliat also reflects your person
al tastes.
For more information on
the beauty and variety of
kitchen plimibing available
fiuni Danze, or for a Danze
retedler nearest you, call
(877) 530-3344 or visit
WWW. d£uize. com.
Installing a new basement bathroom
Continued from page 4D
septic system. What’s more,
these fixtures will work up to
12 feet below and as far as
150 feet away fium a septic
tank or sewer line.
Macerating systems are
changing the way homeown
ers I’emodel and helping them
maximize their investments.
For more information about
Saniflo, the only company
that makes a macerating toi
let system, call toll-fi*ee (800)
571-8191 or visit www.sani-
flo.coni.
Don’t let spring thaw damage your basement
Continued from page 4D
tional solutions can be expen
sive - and not very effective.
Solutions such as digging,
foundation spraying, epoxy
iiyection, saw cutting and
jack hammering are the tech
niques normally suggested by
waterproofing companies.
These methods treat only the
»rterior foundation wall coat
ings.
‘They don’t promise to elim
inate water in your base
ment, just to redirect it,” says
Bill Emerick, owner of Sani-
tred, a different kind of
waterproofing system.
He stresses that the only
way to completely waterproof
a basement is on the inside of
the basement walls and
floors, not the outside,
“The Sani-tred basement
sealing system stops all
ground water entry, base
ment humidity, mildew odore
and dampness problems by
sealing the basement where
it needs it most - on the
inside,” he says.
He explains that Sani-tred
has the ability to hold back
negative hydrostatic pres
sure, unlike other coatings or
paints.
Sani-tred is a simple three-
step process that homeown
ers can apply themselves in a
weekend. The products are
solvent fi'ee, non-hazardous
and non-flaiimiable.
• Fij’st, prime the walls and
floors with Pemiaflex liquid
rubber coating. Available in
light gray or li^t tan, Per-
maflex cures reliaWy even in
extremely cold temperatures.
• Next, apply liquid rubber
base (LRB) and thickening
activator (TAV) at wall to
floor junction, cracks and
joints.
• Finally, apply a final coat
of Pemiaflex (a third coat on
block walls), and eiyoy your
diy basement. After applica
tion and cure, Peimaflex
leaves a thick layer of smooth
rubber approximately four
times the thickness of a
household garbage bag, (up to
15 mils thick).
“The unique adhesive and
penetrative properties of Per-
maflex allow Sani-tred to pro
vide a complete water tight
vapor barrier,” says Emerick.
“Poured concrete walls, con
crete block, native stone, even
treated wood foundations are
pemianently and effectively
wateiproofed with the Sani-
tred system, allowing previ
ously imusable basements to
be finished and used for
prime living space, or finish
the basement in the usual
methods,” Emerick notes.
Once Sani-tred is applied,
your basement is dry and
niedntenance free, meaning
you can use and eiyoy your
basement once again. Anoth
er added advantage is that it
blocks the entry of problem
radon levels into your home.
Sani-tred is backed with a
lifetime warranty, and is
available directly fixan Ideal
Products. LLC. For more
detailed information, visit
www.sanitred.com or call
(866) 784-3308.
Year-round home energy saving tips
ARTICLE RESOLRCE ASSOCIAVOS
With spring in the air, many
Americans are ready to
breathe a sigh of relief at the
thought of warmer weather
arid lower utility bills.
However, a newly released
energy report paints a chillier
picture. The U S. Eneigy
Information Administration
released its Annual Energy
Outlook 2006 (AE02006)
report, which evaluates and
projects a wide range of
trends and issues that could
have mqjor implications for
U.S. energy markets throi^h
the year 2030, if Americans
do not adopt more energy-effi
cient lifestjdes.
One of the trends men
tioned in the report notes that
beginning this year, total
energy consumption is pro
jected to steadily increase
every year throu^ 2030. As
case in point, energy prices
jumped five percent in Janu
ary according to the U.S.
Labor Department’s con
sumer price ind®c.
A m^ority of consumer
energy cosrts go toward home
heating and fueling our vehi
cles. The Alliance to Save
Energy estimates that today
over 40 percent of Americans’
energy bills goes toward
home heating. Oimlime that
with gasoline prices being 25
percent hi^er than last year
and you have a fcamula few
increased energy costs year-
round.
In an effort to promote year-
round energy efficiaicy the
Alliance to Save Enagy web
site, www.aseorg, offers con
sumers a variety of simple
energy saving tips including
1. TViming down the ther
mostat by just one degree can
reduce hcxne heating energy
costs by four percent, which
can be between $30 and $60 a
year, dep«iding on the fuel
being used to heat the home
2. Plug leaks or gaps in win
dows and doors with caulk or
other materials.
3. Installing proper insula
tion, especially in the attic
and crawl spaces, can reduce
household energy costs fix>m
$70 to $460 per year.
4. Closing vents in unoccu
pied rooms and using small
space heaters to heat occu
pied areas can save a signifi
cant amount of energy and
money. There is usually
about 80 percent of space that
is not being used at any given
time in the home.
5. Set the water heater at
120 degrees.
6. Use pipe msulation to
insulate the first six to ten
feet of the hot water supfJy
pipe.
7. Washing clothes in cold
water can save households up
to $63 a year.
8. Using a {nogrammable
thermostat can help con
sumers reduce their home
heating bills by $35 to $230 a
year.
9. Hei^acing the four most
used bulbs with compact fluo
rescent bulbs can save house
holds about $195 over the life
time of the bulbs.
10. Purchase new heating
arid cooling equipment with
the Energy Star label.
Riimai Corporation, the
world’s largest gas appliance
manufacturer, has been at
the forefiont of the energy
conservation issue. Following
passage last August by (Con
gress of President Bush’s
Energy Bill, the company
launched a Web site,
www.tanklesstaxcredit.com,
to educate consumers on
ways in which they can bene
fit fiom a variety of tax cred
its for installing energy-effi
cient products in their homes
such as tankless water
heaters, windows, insulation,
doors, roofs and heating and
cooling equipment.
“We are cxmimitted to pro
viding consumers with the
education and resources
needed to make individual,
year-round, energy-smart
decisions diat will in turn
change our country’s course
and provide for a safer, more
secure temorrow,” says Ervin
Cash, senicr vice president of
Rinnai North America.
“Becoming energy efficient
does not require making huge
sacrifices, but it does involve
each one of us doing oiar part
by taking advantage of the
energy efficient technologies
available today”
Rinnai’s tankless water
heaters provide a never-end
ing supply of hot water while
simultaneously reducing
energy consumption and
op)erating costs by up to 70
p)ercent over standard storage
tank water heaters.
Unlike antiquated water
tanks that heat and reheat
water 24 hours a day, today’s
tankless water heaters only
heat water when it senses a
demand fium an open hot
water source. When the hot
water tap is closed, the sys
tem automatically shuts off
saving consumers money and
energy since they don’t have
to pay to heat watCT that is
not being used.
And now, thanks to the
Energy Bill, consumers can
receive a one-time tax credit
of $300 sp)ecifically toward
the full purchase price of a
hi^-efficiency tankless water
heater such as those manu-
facturered by Rinnai.
World
OF
Real Estate
Realtors, Mortgage Funding, Investors,
Contractors, and More!
To join this page of ADVERTISERS
Please call
Your Personal Executive:
Pat McNair ext. 106 •
Jeri Thomp.son ext. 104
Sheryl Bradford ext 107
Fran Farrer-Nash ext.! 13
OWNINt; YOUR FUTURE
Homeownership is a national priority. HUD is the
nation’s housing agency committed to increa.sing
homeownership and dedicated to helping first-time
buyers and minority families become homeowners.
Each year, HUD programs and services help tens of
thousands of families accomplish the dream of a life
time: owning a home.
Most likely, you’ll need to borrow money to buy a
house. Getting a fair deal will help you to keep your
home and hxxist your home equity wealth. Home
equity is the part of the value of your home that
belongs to you—the value of your house minus what
you owe on the mortgage. Your goal is to get a loan
that doesn’t include high fees or a high interest rate.
With low fees and a low interest rate, you can pay
down your debt more quickly and own more of your
house.
Watch You Wealth
The wealth you accumulate in a house is no different
than money in a checking or savings account. Be as
careful and attentive to your home equity as you
would be to your bank account. Be cautious about
refinancing or borrowing against your home equity.
Remember, refinancing isn’t always a good idea.
Don’t let .someone sell you a loan you don’t need or
can’t afford. Be wary of pitches like "NO CREDIT,
NO PROBLEM" or random mail promising favor
able mortgage rates. If it sounds Ux) g(xxl to be true,
it probably is.
For more information, call I (8(X)) 5694287 or go to
www.owningyourfuture.gov and .select "Buying a
Home."