Storm Water Management

What is it and how does it affect you?

For thousands of years, the idea has been to channel the rain away from our sleeping areas as quickly and efficiently as possible. We started with ditches and then graduated to an elaborate storm drain system of pipes, grates and catch basins (that have all done a good job of keeping of our homes dry). But what happens to rain once it hits your roof, is channeled through your own personal storm drain system (gutters & downspouts), dumps onto your lawn, fills the swale between your house and your neighbor's, flows to the curb and finally reaches the storm sewer?

Largely, that concentrated flow of rain water dumps into our rivers and streams all at one time. That surge of storm water swells streams and rivers and dramatically increases the scouring of the soil and sediment, which in turn clouds our estuary system. It's the way storm water management been done for many of years.

















Too much water - Too Fast!


The issue has become the concentration of people, the hard surfaces and the "stuff" we use to live (categorized by some as pollutants-like battery acid and heavy metals from electric cars). Increasingly, our local governments have come to the conclusion that is it better to capture rain water at the initial point (our homes) and allow the rain water to slowly filter into the soil, thereby reducing the surge waters into our streams and rivers and it's collateral damage.

Current methods include:

Rain barrels - (the Takoma Park method) they work fairly well. They require some attention from the homeowners to actually use the water and so on. (I'm not one of those homeowners)
Rain gardens - (another Takoma Park method) is a planted depression that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas the opportunity to be absorbed.

Underground storage tanks - (the Bethesda method) the choice of many due to low maintenance and relative invisibility(and this system allows for the slow percolation of the storm water into the soil).









Tank in place, then Tank buried

All new construction and additions now have to address storm water management in some fashion. The concern is that if we replace our housing stock at a rate of about 1% per year, it will take about 75 years to implement this plan. You'd be surprised at how much area is required to actually hold the storm water that falls on your property. But by creating any of these rain water holding systems on your property now, YOU can make a difference and improve the quality of the crabs we harvest each year.

Basement Apartment --

A good way to bring in some extra cash
(if you don't live in the People's Republic of Montgomery County)

I've gotten some calls regarding adding a basement apartment recently. Enough so, that I finally drove up to Rockville to find out what is required. It would appear that our local government doesn't want it to be too easy.

In order to create and rent an Accessory Apartment in your home,
you must;

Own a single family dwelling (no townhouses or mobile homes)
Be owner occupied
Have at least two off-street parking spaces (driveway, not front yard) (or proof of adequate on-street parking**??**)
A separate entrance so the appearance of a one-family home is preserved
Must apply and be granted a Special Exception through the MoCo Board of Appeals. The Board of Appeals says this process takes about 10 months.
Get a license from the Department of Housing and Community Affairs

See how easy it is to make ends meet here in Montgomery County!


The Google Art Project











Birth of Venus

Google is adding more and more to our lives. One of the interesting sites created by Google is the Google Art Project, a collection of art museums (currently 17). Most of the art is contained in such museums as the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and the Met in New York. Make sure you click on the "Learn More" button to get an idea of this impressive resource.

http://www.googleartproject.com/

Even better, if you work downtown, take in one of the museums during your lunch hour. One summer, I spent the entire season wandering the museum halls rather than fighting traffic every evening. There is a serene circular room to the right side of the National Gallery with a fountain and a huge round domed skylight where I would sit and read rather than fight the traffic and heat.


I know this is a remodeling company blog that doesn't have much to do about remodeling. My purpose is to put out useful information about your home and to keep MARK IV Builders on your mind.

If you know of someone that would like the information in our blog, please pass it on.

The greatest compliment that someone can give us is the referral of their family and friends.

Enjoy your summer!

Thank you,
Mark Scott
MARK IV Builders, Inc.
(240) 395-0400
www.markivbuilders.com

May 2011

To Remodel or Not to Remodel


I started my first draft of this month's newsletter being grumpy about having to replace my HVAC system. Imagine that a top of the line HVAC system just crapped out after only 23 years!!! Replacing the system is expensive, and I'll stay grumpy about it for a little while longer, but the DC area is still a great place to live.

The DC area is ranked as one of the top remodeling spots in the country.

Industry is growing in our region. Life sciences, health care, professional services (read attorneys) and the ubiquitous "federal contractors," SAIC, Hilton Worldwide, Volkswagen of America and CSC are all moving their headquarters here.

Whatever the decline in defense spending may be, it will be replaced with new spending on new agencies like Cyber Defense, NSA, DHS, DHHS, SEC. Uncle Sam is good for this economy!

More fun facts:

10% of adults between the ages of 18 and 34 said the poor economy has forced them to move back in with parents.

12% more have had to find a roommate to scale down living expenses.

15% of adults younger than 35 years old say they have postponed getting married because of the recession.

14% of young adults say they have put off having a baby.

Single buyers will be the fastest-growing household type over the next decade, according to recent demographic projections from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

The survey shows that nearly 50% of singles are considering a move because of a life-changing event, such as a divorce, a new job, or the death of a spouse. "After job growth, divorce may be the biggest driver of new-home demand."

Of these fun facts, to me, two are the most telling: 10% have moved back home and 14% have put off having a baby. Hmm, can a new housing boom be very far away?


Saturday, May 21 from 10 am to 3 pm
Bring Your Pooch


Come on down to downtown Bethesda, Woodmont Avenue in front of the Barnes ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnd Noble on the 21st for the 5th annual Strut Your Mutt Extravaganza. There will be a phttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
uppy parade, a beauty contest and lots of vendors that will sell you dumb stuff for your dogie.

It's fun! It's always a sunny day! Besides, how often do you walk around Bethesda with your dog?

For more info click HERE











Home Repairs



If you still have an antennae attached to your chimney, you probably need some work on your chimney. If you look closely at the chimney photo, you'll see places where the face of the brick has popped off. In this case, the chimney cap has cracked and allowed water to seep in. During the winter those water soaked bricks froze and then expanded and broke off the face of the brick. If you could back far enough away, you'd see the roof littered with pieces of brick. The only way to fix it, is to replace the concrete chimney cap. Cost around $1,200




I know this is a remodeling company newsletter that doesn't have much about remodeling, but if you're getting this blog, you have some connection to us. My purpose is to put out useful information about your home and to keep MARK IV Builders on your mind.

If you know of someone that would like the information in our blog, please pass it on.

The greatest compliment that someone can give us is the referral of their family and friends.

April 2011

Spring Stink Bugs!

What a wonderful opening for a Spring blog!

Unfortunately, we're all going to be talking about this little invader more and more. It seems the noxious little stink bug landed in the Port of Philadelphia 8 or 9 years ago where it found the land of plenty and no predators. The stink bug population has been building ever since. It is presumed that the population won't peak for another 2 to 3 years which means you are going to get significantly more annoyed with these little "buggers."

What to do?

When you find them in your home, don't squash them. That's how they earned their name. Pick them up with a wad of tissue and flush them or throw them outside. They don't bite or do much of anything in your home beyond annoyance. Another method is to vacuum them up and dispose of the critters.

The stink bug population has grown to the point that they are causing crop damage, particularly fruits and noticeably to your backyard tomatoes. This damage has garnered the notice of the US Agricultural Department who are experimenting with various chemical and biological deterrents. One promising biological threat is an Asian parasitic wasp, no bigger than a comma, that has an uncommon taste for the stink bug eggs. Unfortunately, this killer will take years to develop.

So what do you do NOW?

There are a number of avenues more effective than others. Many of these insecticides and repellents have the added benefit of working on ants, roaches silverfish and so on.

BAYGON- a spray insecticide that's been around since 1975. The active ingredient is from the Pyrethroid family. It's effective but there is some toxicity to humans and pets.
ECO Sprays - Eco EXEMPT KO and various other "ECO" products- most contain some sort of "botanical Blend" which usually means they are a mixture of various "essential oils". Essential oils are distillations of aromatic plants, like clove, wintergreen, eucalyptus and so on. Personally, if I go to the trouble to get out a spray, I want to see the little bas***ds die faster than they will from clove oil.
So, how about repellants?
My all-time favorite is good old Boric Acid. It can be used as a powder and puff duster; it can be mixed with water and sprayed along cracks and such, it can be mixed with propylene glycol (non-toxic version of anti-freeze) to spray wood, decks etc. It's a fire retarder and has roughly the same toxicity as table salt. Boric acid is the "Secret Ingredient" found in more than 200 commercial insecticides. As a side note, the State of California has classified borax as a hazardous waste. That fact makes it all the more attractive to me!
And finally, another repellent/insecticide is food grade Diatomaceous Earth. Food grade DE is safe around your house, kids and pets. It won't harm earthworms. It doesn't kill insects via poison but does so through microscopic sharp edges that cut the insects exoskeleton and they dry out. I buy it in a giant shaker can and shakes it around my house foundation or you can mix it with water and spray it on your lawn.
.
A fun Fact: Remember Death Valley Days sponsored by 20 Mule Team Borax, it still exists. Click on the link to download a booklet on the great uses of Borax.
http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/pdf/TMTBooklet.pdf

Carpenter Bees



Another sign of Spring is the emergence of Carpenter Bees. These large bees look like bumble bees but are actually relatively harmless to you, but they sure can tear up some wood on your house.

Structurally, the damage is superficial but it is unsightly. If you have one Carpenter Bee nest last year, you can expect 3 or 4 more of her daughters to join the clan this year! Additionally, if you are near groups of trees, like our house, woodpeckers know there's a tasty treat around those 1/2' holes and can really go to town on the surrounding wood

To get rid of these critters, you need a duster and some Drione. Drione dust is a Pyrethrins desiccant dust with a residual of over 6 months. Puff a bit into the hole and then repair the hole with and exterior grade filler and repaint.
Energy Saving Programmable T-stats?

Those of you that know me understand the I believe and promote home energy efficiency but "green Eco-Bling" drives me crazy.

In the pre-Green days, most of us used this simple round thermostat.

You turned the temperature up when you got home and then you turned the setting down when you went to bed or left for the day. It always seemed to work pretty well.



Now the ECO-Bling Brigade tell us we need the Programmable Thermostat.

This relatively expensive piece of equipment will do all of those mundane temperature adjustments automatically! And the Earth is saved!

But, According to Daily5Remodel.com, the majority of programmable thermostat owners simply operate them manually! They never program them! Consumers aren't interested enough to learn how to program these things. Most of us find these miniature computers too confusing and baffling to learn how to operate. Most people simply leave the t-stat on "hold"

So, what's the next action coming down the pike? The "Smart Grid" soon your government and the power company will have the control to turn off your air conditioner at their discretion (not yours).

Maybe it is time to pay a little more attention to your energy consumption. It will make a difference.


Do you use a digital Camera?

Do you know what information is contained in that photo file when you post it to Facebook or anywhere on line?

Click on the URL below and watch this short video from ABC 7 News.

I think this information just might surprise you.

Digital photo information link

I know this is a remodeling company blog that doesn't have much about remodeling. If you're getting this newsletter, you have some connection to us. My purpose is to put out useful information about your home and to keep MARK IV Builders in your mind.

If you know of someone that would like the information in our blog, please
pass it on.

The greatest compliment that someone can give us is the referral of their family and friends.

March 2011

It's interesting watching what's going on in our local building and remodeling world. I do think the local economy is getting better; and maybe more important, people's perceptions of an improving economy are building (pun intended).

I don't see huge changes from past remodeling markets. Materials and some techniques will be more energy conscious. Our projects are dramatically more energy efficient since Ray and I took the BPI Energy Efficiency training, and I bought the blower door and infrared camera. And I believe that projects will be less extravagant, at least for a while.

With all this in mind, I'm in the throes of re-casting our marketing and website. I'd like to get feedback from you. Can you email me with what you think we do well and, just as important, what we don't do so well. And please, don't worry about hurting my feelings. Honest feedback is far more important to me than frou-frou comments.

I appreciate and value your comments and suggestions.



2011 Color of the Year - Honeysuckle



My friend, Leah Thayer, produces a daily remodeling feed: www.daily5remodel.com/

Leah writes that Pantone has selected Honeysuckle as the color of the year.

Honeysuckle!?!
Note to my daughters- I really do not want a "Honeysuckle" golf shirt!

Leah has a written an article Reality Check: These Designers, on Those Colors
Use this line to read what these Interior Designers have to say about house colors this year: http://www.daily5remodel.com/index.php?action=article&rowid=505

HOME SHOW



TW Perry is holding a HOME SHOW on Saturday, April 2 at the Montgomery County Fair Grounds. MARK IV will be there. And I'll be speaking on Home Energy Savings Tips - things you can do in your home that will save you money and make you more comfortable.

I'm scheduled to speak right around lunch time. We hope to see you there.

Here's a $2 off coupon for the show.











Anti-virus Programs
My friend Joel is a computer geek. Joel sent me a link to an extensive list of anti-virus programs. Most of them are free. This website lists, reviews and rates pretty much all of the anti-virus programs.


Use this link to learn about these programs:
http://download.cnet.com/windows/antivirus-software/?tag=page%3bpage

January 2011

I'm often addressed as Mr Scott. My stock answer has been "that's my father." Well, my Dad died of old age several years ago and, as I approach 58 years old, I've grown into the "Mr. Scott" title whether I've wanted to or not.

Some of you are older than I am and some younger. Many of us also have parents for whom we are taking more responsibility. Most of us don't like talking about "Aging In Place" stuff, so the industry has invented the term "Universal Design." It sounds less stodgy.

There are lots of websites on aging in place. I pulled some information from OregonLive.com



FEATURES FOR AGING IN PLACE

·Taller toilet for easier transfer from wheelchair

·Adjustable heights for kitchen sink

·Barrier-free entries

·Casement windows with easy-to-use crank-style mechanisms

·Contrasting trim color on countertops for sight-impaired users

·Curb-free shower








HC Shower
Marv Bondarowicz/The Oregonian Curb free shower


·Elevated exterior landscape faucet

·Elevated refrigerator

·Front-loading washer, dryer and dishwasher

·Hand-held shower head with slide rail

·Lever handles on doors and faucets

·Doorways 32 inches wide

·Movable kitchen cabinets

·Open floor plan to allow for wheelchair entry and turning

·Open space under kitchen and bathroom sinks as well as slide-out cutting boards to accommodate a seated person

·Pocket door to bathroom

·Reinforced grab bars in bathroom

·Slide-out kitchen drawers instead of hard-to-reach cupboards

·Wall electrical plugs at least 15 inches above floor

My 82 year old Mom refers to "the old people" in Florida as those outside of her group. Those "old people" may be candidates for adjustable height kitchen sinks, movable kitchen cabinets and grab bars; but not me or you! We're not that old!

Many of the things on this list are quite "acceptable" to me and many of my clients. "Comfort height" toilets have gained popularity. Elevated exterior hose faucets....that sounds like a pretty good idea. Refrigerators with the freezer on the bottom are growing. Almost all new washer and dryers are front loading now. We replaced the showerheads in out baths a couple of years ago with handheld heads on sliding bars. (They make it easier to clean the dogs and wash the shower.)

Lever or old fashioned cross handle shower and sink handles have become almost "universally" accepted. Door levers aren't as accepted as the sink faucets. But, we used levers in my house 23 years ago. If you consider lever hardware, look into Gainsborough hardware http://www.gainsboroughhardware.com.au/default.aspx They are better quality than Kwickset and even Schlage, and half the price of Baldwin. I particularly like opening a door with my elbow.

Many folks now enlarge a 1st floor bath by widening doors to 32" for the walker or wheelchair. It sure makes life easier for that parent or when you have to recover from that surgery.

And if you don't have roll-out shelves/drawers in your kitchen cabinets, there's stuff in the back of those cabinets that you haven't seen since you moved in. Roll-out shelves are a very worthwhile investment.

All this said, many of you are going to stay in your homes for a while waiting for the market to return. If you think you're going to make some of these improvements in order to make your house more saleable in a couple of years, doesn't it make sense to do them now so you can get some enjoyment from them?


A Home Energy Talk



I presented a "Green Living" talk to the Bethesda Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce on Feb 11--a seminar discussing some of the simple and inexpensive ways to be more comfortable and efficient in your home.



Kitchen Cabinet Tune Up


I'm as bad as everyone else at maintaining things, like my house. It was cold outside, and I couldn't think of anything else to do. So I did some maintenance on my kitchen today. I tightened all of the screws and lubricated the moving parts.

The tools: a Philips head screw driver, a flashlight, and a can of WD40 or spray silicone

Time: a couple of hours, depending upon what game is on TV

For the most part, kitchen cabinets and kitchen hardware rarely break. What happens is the things get loose, and then get progressively looser, until something actually does break. It's pretty simple to maintain these things; a little squirt of lubricant and the tightening of a screw or two.


We built our house 23 years ago, and this is possibly the second time I've "tuned up" our kitchen cabinets. Our kitchen contains lots of drawers and roll out shelves.









It's best to clear the counters and cover the counters with newspaper etc. It reduces those "hairy eyeball" stares that we're all so familiar with from our spouse. Then pull out the roll-out shelves or drawers. To remove them, you'll have to release the slides somehow. Some will release simply by lifting up; others will have a release lever on the side or on the bottom.

Once you've cleared a cabinet, start tightening things. Most screws will be fine; some will require an 1/8 or ¼ turn to tighten, but occasionally you'll run across a screw that has significantly backed out. That's what causes the little "bump" when you slide that drawer.




Loose screws like this are what cause cabinets to fail. It's usually a simple matter of tightening the screw. Occasionally, the wobbly screw will wear the hole too big to tighten the screw. The solution then, is to push a toothpick into the hole and snap it off. That little wooden wedge is sufficient tighten the screw. I had to use 6 or 7 toothpicks in my kitchen.

You're almost done. A little shot of a lubricant makes things roll more smoothly again.







I prefer silicone spray. Andy likes WD40. Either one works. The key to remember is that a tiny shot of lubricant is much better than too much. So, use the little red straw that one normally loses immediately after purchase and just give the rollers and hinges a split second shot of lube. The bigger shot just makes a mess and tends to attract dirt over time.


Before you know it, the cabinet tune up is done and you still have time to watch the last 2 minutes of the game.

Household hints from Mark

About once a year, I put a ballpoint pen in my pocket with the point extended. Normally, I do this with brand new Nordstrom dress shirts. Somewhere along the line, someone told me to spray it with hairspray and the ink stain will come out. Damned if it doesn't work! The cheaper the hairspray, the better it works. Aqua Net seems to work the best.










After washing, the stain is gone!

December 2010

Winterizing your outside hose faucets 101

Hose Step 1: Disconnect your hoses, drain the water out of the hoses and put them away for the winter.

Step 2: Shut-off the interior valve to the hose bibs. The valve will either have a round handle or a lever. Turn the valve to the off position.









Lever shut off and Round shut off

Step 3: Go back outside and turn on (open) the hose bib (outside faucet). You're not done yet.








Drain Cap

Step 4: Grab a container (cup, coffee can or whatever).

There's a little cap on the side of the interior water shut-off valve. You have to open that cap in order to break the vacuum and drain the water from the faucet pipe.

You'll probably need a pair of pliers. Remember "Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey!" As you loosen the cap, the trapped water will either drain out the outside faucet or out the cap, so be ready with your coffee can. Once the water has drained, tighten the cap or you'll feel kind of dumb in the spring when you turn the water back on.


Smoke Detectors

Remember those batteries your didn't get around to changing? Go to the local hardware store (buy local!) and get some 9-volt batteries and go ahead and change ALL of them.



Carbon monoxide detectors: If you use gas appliances (heat, etc) a carbon monoxide detector near the sleeping area isn't a bad idea.








gas logs

Something I hadn't thought of: Replace the batteries in the gas log igniter. Some gas log sets have battery powered igniters. If PEPCO hasn't done their job and you lose power, that gas log might be your only source of heat.


Speaking of fireplaces: It's not a bad idea to get your chimney flue cleaned. Chimney flue fires can be very scary, very dangerous!



Simple Energy Control

While you're at the local hardware store, pick up a couple of tubes of cheap caulk and caulk the tops of the window and door trim. It's an impressive source of energy loss in almost every house regardless of the price paid for the house.
window IR







dark areas are cold air


Christmas Lights

For grins, I calculated the payback on buying LED Christmas lights instead of the incandescent ones we all use.

* Incandescent Christmas Lights come in strings of 100 and reg Christmas Lights cost $9.00 at Strosnider's.
* LED Christmas Lights LED Christmas Lights come in strings of 70 to make it hard to compare to standard light costs. So comparatively, a string of 100 LED lights costs you $30.



Incandescent Lights use 40 watts per hour and LED lights use 2.6 watts. If we assume burning the lights for 6 hours/day, for 24 days and that we pay PEPCO 11¢ per kwhr:

* The incandescent uses 5.76 kwhr of electricity @ a cost of 63¢

* The LED lights uses just .37 kwhr of electricity @ a cost of 04¢


Big Savings, right? When you add in the extra $21.00 in purchase price, you will break even in just 35 years!!!! I know I'm a cynic and a Grinch, but these ain't ready for prime time!


Humidifiers

If your humidifiers are more than two years old, based upon my experience, they aren't working well. Optimally, you want your humidity levels to be between 40% and 50%. Realistically, if you can maintain 35%, things are doing very well and your furniture isn't getting the life sucked out of it. There are two ways to test for low humidity. First is the lightning bolt test. Reach for a door on a cold, dry day. You'll understand. Second, is to buy a cheap thermometer/humidity meter ($10 at Strosnider's). If the humidity levels aren't what you'd like, give the folks at BMC Clower a call (301-562-9002).


Finally, Your Car

When was the last time you changed the oil?

In the trunk, you should have:

· A working flashlight

· Some flares

· A set of jumper cables

· Ice scraper

· A large bag of sand or kitty litter

· Some fuses

· A small first aid kit


Energy Audits
So, if you never got around to it over the past year, give either me or Ray Willaims a call at 240-395-0400. We'll come out and measure the energy effectiveness of your house and make recommendations on how to make your home more comfortable and save money at the same time.

October 2010

October is when all remodelers are supposed to send you a guilt-ridden list of all the home maintenance items you didn't do over the summer. So, here it is.

1. Here's one free pass: If you haven't scheduled a painter, let it go. It ain't happening this year.

2. Stink bugs are going to be the irritant this Fall. They have no predators and insecticides seem to be ineffective. They don't bite, but they do really earn their name if you smash them. It's best to vacuum the little suckers and discard them. Actions good for energy conservation will aid in your battle against the bug. Eliminate points of entry around your foundation, windows, fascia boards, attic vents and eves by screening, caulking and repair. Stink bugs tend to concentrate on the north side of light colored houses.


3. The majority of maintenance issues in your home revolve around moisture. Basically, wet is bad and dry is good!




Clogged Gutters - BAD! overflowing gutter

o Clean your gutters. Clogged gutters are BAD! AND if you haven't cleared the downspouts, you're not done.

o We've been getting lots of rain lately - walk around your house after a rain and if you see standing water against your house, that's bad. Do something about it.


4. Check the caulking you can reach - squirt a little caulk where necessary.












water heater

5. Flush your water heater - This is a simple operation that can dramatically lengthen the life of your heater. It involves:

o Turning off your water heater,













Water heater sediment - Really! water heater sediment

o Connecting a hose to the water heater drain,

o Place the other end of the hose in a drain (Einstein!),

o Open the drain valve for a couple of minutes,

o Close the drain,

o Disconnect the hose (and put the hose away, Dear!),

o Restart the water heater and you're done!












Drain that sediment

Continuing the list of home maintenance items you don't want to do:


6. Change the various filters, HVAC filters in particular.


7. It isn't a bad idea to have the furnace serviced. John Clower at BMC Clower (301- 562-9002) has maintained our HVAC system for many years. While you're at it, have the humidifier serviced and cleaned. It's surprising how many humidifiers don't work because they aren't cleaned and serviced.


8. Test the Ground Fault Interrupter Circuits. They are the ones with the "test - reset" buttons. If the "test" or the "reset" buttons don't work (i.e. click); it's time to replace them.


9. Clean:
o The range hood filters - Most can be put in the dishwasher.

o The refrigerator coils -Vacuum with extension.

o The drier vent -Really should be cleaned with every wash!

10. Change the smoke detector batteries (or at least buy the batteries).


11. Preserve the doorknobs and maybe your counters with a coat of auto wax.