We had our first real snowstorm of the season on Saturday. Around Hartford most places ended up with 3-4 inches of snow. Really nothing compared to some of the storms from last year, but still an amount that most would consider needs to be shoveled. So why did I, and my clients, have to tromp through this on Sunday when going to view your home?

Now, I know you don’t live here any more. You’re across the country at your new place and have other things on your mind. And at least it wasn’t like the debacle I stumbled across last year. But your house is still here and you are trying to sell it. Why not try to welcome the people that may want to buy it?

If you could, please hire someone to plow your driveway and shovel your front walk and sidewalk. I know my clients and I would appreciate it and most likely your neighbors will too. Also, if you don’t have your driveway and walks shoveled you’re essentially letting bad guys know that you’re not around and no one really cares for the place. They may decide that you also don’t care about your copper pipes and will let themselves in to take them. Just sayin’…

Take a look at the photo below. Is this house solely brick exterior construction or is it brick and stud construction (essentially the brick is only a veneer)? How can you tell?

This home, built in 1884 according to town records, is solely brick exterior construction. That means there are several layers of brick which make up the exterior/interior walls of the shell of the home. You can tell this because every few courses of brick there are bricks turned perpendicular to the other bricks. The brick is all structural in function and the method of laying the bricks provided stability and strength.

If the brick is all laid running the same direction, it’s a veneer and is only for aesthetics, the brick does not have a structural function.

Here’s an interesting website that talks more about older brick construction and how it works. There are also some helpful tips on how it should be properly maintained and repaired, if needed.

The more you know…

Clean Out the Gutters
Nearly all the leaves have fallen by now, so this mild weather is the perfect opportunity to clean out the gutters. Free flowing gutters can be a thing of beauty. We have one area of our roof that has a valley. It collects a lot of water during rain storms and leaves in the fall. If we keep the gutters in that area clean, then they can handle all but the heaviest downpours. However, when we let them get clogged up, the gutters overflow and water cascades down in places we would rather it not go. It’s now or never for getting them cleaned up since once the leaves freeze they’re a real pain to remove.

Rake the Lawn
Town leaf pickup was disrupted by the big snow storm at the end of October. For example, Hartford usually has vacuum collection, but this year has asked residents to bag their leaves since the city spent so much money picking up tree debris. Trucks are still out and about, but the rules may be a little different this year. Be sure to check with your town to make sure you have the latest instructions and schedule.

Turn off the Hose Spigots
Frozen hose spigots can cause a lot of damage, but are fortunately very easy to avoid. Head down to the basement and follow the pipes to find the first shut-off valve before the water heads outside to the spigot. After shutting it off inside it’s also a good idea to then go drain any water you can from the outside. A five minute task can save thousands if you are unlucky enough to have water damage.

Flip Over the Birdbaths
We have a concrete birdbath, and were told that we should invert the bath in the winter. My understanding of the suggestion was that allowing water to freeze in the bath over the winter could potentially crack the concrete. Rather than risk damage, we just go ahead and follow the advice each year even though we’re not 100% sure it’s right – better to be safe than sorry.

Take in the Rain Barrel
This year we added a new feature to the yard, a rain barrel. Like the birdbath, we were told that it’s a bad idea to let water freeze inside. However rather than simply turning it over, the instructions we received were to actually bring it inside. Presumably completely draining it and putting it in the garage would be sufficient since that would guarantee no water getting inside. We don’t have a garage, so I guess it’s going to have to come inside to the basement.

What else do we need to be doing to get ready for winter? What are we missing?

Yesterday we found a very strange thing. It was a big blue and white ball that little kids often play with. Most surprisingly, it was inside our fence.

Where did it come from? Why was it here? This seems like something people might notice is missing.

Our only theory is that someone thought it was ours and left it here on purpose. We have a very similar blue and white ball in plain sight on our front porch, which Ellen will sometimes play with in the yard. She actually took the new ball in stride, calmly declaring that there were now two balls; one, two. She didn’t want to play with them yesterday – it was a chalk coloring day – but I have no doubt they’ll get some use in the future.

The mystery ball is not the strangest litter we have found in the yard. Earlier this summer I found a glass of what appeared to be soda sitting on the curb. It was a normal looking dining glass like you would use when you had company, mostly full, and still bubbling. That one mystified me. Again, it was something that people would presumably miss. I put it up high to advertise its location and it disappeared within a day. Perhaps a neighbor came out to chat with someone who was parked on the side of the street? I just don’t know.

One interesting incentive is the Historic Homes Rehabilitation Tax Credit. This past month I had an opportunity to sit down with Lucas Karmazinas, an independent consultant in the field of architectural history, to learn more about the tax credit and how it can benefit homeowners.

Tax Credit Basics
Owners of single-family through four-family homes in certain areas of Connecticut are able to apply for a tax credit to help maintain or renovate their properties. Examples of projects that may qualify for the credit include most exterior work (foundations, porches, walls, doors, windows, roof, gutters, chimney, etc.), mechanical systems (HVAC, plumbing, electrical), and interior work (structural systems, floor plans, floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, decorative elements, door/window casings, etc.).

Since Hartford is one of the “Targeted Areas,” and so much of the West End is in a Historic District, owners simply have to follow the application process and live in the property as their primary residence for at least five years after project completion in order to qualify.

The main benefit to working within the program is that a homeowner can receive up to 30% of the renovation costs back, with a cap at $30,000 per dwelling unit. Since there is also a minimum project size, the practical result is that the program targets renovations with total budgets of between $25,000 and $100,000 for a single-family home.

The “tax credit” language is a little misleading. Homeowners technically do receive a tax credit voucher at the end of the project, but it’s not one that they can apply to their personal tax liability. Only certain businesses are allowed to utilize the credits, so homeowners end up selling the vouchers and pocketing the cash independent of their tax filing.

Because the credits are not used directly by owners, they don’t receive the absolute maximum benefit. Mary Dunne, who helps oversee the program at the State Historic Preservation Office, conservatively estimated that vouchers generally sell for at least 80% (and often more) of their face value. She also noted that she has never heard of a homeowner who was unable to find a buyer among the 30+ vouchers that are distributed each year.

Applying for the Credit
The tax credit is managed through a written application that is broken down into different parts to reflect a project’s various stages. Part One simply confirms that a home qualifies for the program. The only noteworthy reason why an owner-occupied home in one of the West End Historic Districts would not qualify is that the building itself is not historic, that it doesn’t contribute to the historic character of the District.

Part Two describes the rehabilitation work in detail, capturing the current condition and articulating the proposed rehabilitation. Photos and drawings are encouraged. During our conversation, Lucas emphasized that in order for the renovation work to count towards the credit it must follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The application instructions summarize the criteria, while the website above provides illustrated guidelines for rehabilitating historic buildings. Part Two also includes the proposed project budget. Cost estimates must be from qualified pros, and qualified rehabilitation expenses are separated from non-eligible costs.

Mary said that her group is required to respond to an application within 30 days, though they try to turn them around in about 2 weeks. Ultimately it will depend on the scope and complexity of the project.

Part Three of the application is the request for certification of the completed work. In addition to demonstrating that the work was completed as planned, the other major component is the final accounting of the project costs. The tax credit is then calculated as 30% of either the approved budget or the actual expenses, whichever is less.

Application Assistance
Lucas assured me that it was possible for a homeowner to successfully work through the application process on their own. He said that the staff overseeing the tax credit was quite helpful, though it would take patience, time, and an interest in the subject matter since there are guidelines to learn and follow.

Some homeowners may not want to take on both a major renovation and the tax credit application/process. It’s possible that there are general contractors out there who would be willing to handle the application within their overall project management responsibilities.

Another option is to hire Lucas, or someone else like him, to help with the application process. Lucas said he is flexible in how he works with individual homeowners. In some cases it makes the most sense for him to charge a flat fee and handle all aspects of the application. In other cases the homeowner may want to do much of the documenting, describing, and photographing, so Lucas could bill hourly for his contributions — consulting as needed and interacting with the State Historic Preservation Office.

Resources
No matter how a homeowner approaches the credit, it’s a good way to take advantage of living within one of the West End’s Historic Districts. Here are some additional resources to help get started.

Historic Homes Rehabilitation Tax Credit

Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation

Lucas Karmazinas, Historic Resources Advisor
FuturePastPreservation(at)gmail(dot)com, 860-428-7982

Sunday morning – before the eye of the storm arrived – turned out to be the worst of the weather for Greater Hartford. That’s when the bulk of the rain came through, and the strongest wind gusts, though they did not approach hurricane strengths. The rain died out quickly as the storm moved north of us, and the heavy winds that were forecast never materialized.

Our biggest concern before the storm was that massive trees would not be able to withstand the heavy winds, especially with the saturated soil. We were worried about cars and homes getting hit, and were mentally prepared for a power outage. Thankfully, neither happened for us (though we know others in the immediate vicinity that were affected).

Our biggest actual issue during the storm was the heavy rain. Like most homes in the area, our basement has a portion of the foundation floor cut out at the low point to allow water to drain from inside to outside. During especially rainy stretches we sometimes see water collect in the pit, and attribute it to the rising water table. Early Sunday morning we began to see signs that the water may try to use the hole to come into the basement.

Our makeshift solution is shown in the picture – we basically tried to plug the hole using whatever we could find. The key components ended up being over sized garbage bags as a liner, wet kitty litter to mold the the bags to the irregular shape of the hole, a sheet of foam insulation to hold down the perimeter, and then lots of weights to apply pressure and seal the edges. It’s an ugly solution, but we didn’t get any water in the basement.

We feel very fortunate that we seem to have emerged unscathed, and are also grateful that the scope of the damage in the region was much less than expected. Other areas of Connecticut experienced considerably more problems – flooding, trees down, and power outages. Some friends in NYC were evacuated from their high rise apartment and then came back to water damage. Friends further south have also reported major problems.

Worst of all, it seems like just about all of southern Vermont, our home state, was devastated by flash flooding. All the major routes we would take to get from Hartford to Rutland are washed out – Route 103 in Chester and Ludlow (near Okemo). Route 9 in Wilmington (near Mt. Snow). Route 4 in Woodstock and Mendon (near Killington). Other towns sustained major damage away from the primary roads, especially Brattleboro. It’s the worst flooding pictures and video I have ever seen. Please consider taking a trip up to VT this fall or winter for some touristing activities – it’s a wonderful place to explore and their economy is going to need our help.

Just about everything outside has either been picked up or tied down. We have enough non-perishable food to get us through a few days – maybe even a week – without power. We’re planning to park the cars somewhere relatively tree-free. And we’re in the process of packing what I am calling a “Go Bag” for each human and canine member of the household.

In addition to these measures, we’ve also gathered a modest collection of supplies in the basement just in case we have to deal with an extreme situation. Tarps and rope, batteries, work gloves, duct tape, baseball bats (for when the zombies attack, I guess?), and bubbles (to amuse our kid). The essentials, really.

Whether or not this all pans out awaits to be seen. The weather people work for ratings, but it is important to take this seriously. Please make sure you’re prepared and stay safe!

It’s time for the bats to go, but how does that actually happen? Who do I call to help me get them out? We keep a list of contractors and other service providers so that we have someone to recommend to our clients in any occasion. But there is nobody on the list for wildlife removal – somehow I don’t think the bug exterminators are right for this job.

In situations like this it’s great to work in an office with other friendly and knowledgeable agents. Surely some of them have had to help their clients with bats over the years. I sent a quick note requesting information and received a number of helpful responses.

The first thing I learned was that bats are a protected species, so the appropriate way to address a bat problem is to “exclude” them from a house rather than “exterminate” them. This made me feel bad about killing one years ago, but that was an accident (honest!). I guess it’s good that we didn’t get any in the traps we had set.

I also learned that the people who deal with wild animals, like bats, have a separate license from the State. So they usually are different people than those who would deal with ants, termites, or other bugs.

And, of course, I got the names of multiple people who I could call to help with my current problem. They have been added to “the database” for future reference.

To end the suspense, the Bat Man is named Rich. He’s a very helpful guy, and knows quite a bit about how bats live and what they’re likely to do. For example, bats like to crawl into our houses on their belly (rather than fly in), so their fur leaves a little oil spot near their entrance. That’s one of the big signals that a building has a serious bat problem.

Rich also told me that bats like to come out to feed on insects at dusk, and they’ll often return to just outside their access point to enjoy their food. This means that if there are a lot of bats in a colony, then there will be quite a mess below their access point from the droppings.

The Bat Man’s professional opinion was that we only have a few bats in the house, maybe three or four. He also felt that their intrusion into our living area was more of an accident/coincidence than a major problem – that was the good news. The bad news was that he didn’t see anything that jumped out as an obvious access point. And without an access point there isn’t much he can do.

His recommendation was for us to try to figure out where they’re getting into the house. He could do a more thorough inspection, but that would be quite expensive and he seemed worried that he might not actually find it since there weren’t that many bats. That puts the ball back in our court. We have to figure out how they’re getting in on our own.

Rich recommended that we stake out the likely access points at dusk. He said we should grab a cold beverage and set up our lawn chairs and just watch to see what happens. We should be able to see them come out for the evening and then periodically return with their meal. In addition, we’ve been assigned the responsibility to trying to count the total number so that none get trapped inside when we begin plugging the holes.

Will this make me the Bat Man too? I think it will … I am the Bat Man.

Not the relatives who are down for a visit, but the bats that have moved into our home. Last week was the final straw – we found evidence of them in the actual living area for the very first time. Previously, they had respected our space and kept their mess and activity confined to the attic area.

We first discovered the bats a couple years after we moved in. We could hear the scratching in the ceilings and walls and decided it was time to investigate. The droppings in the attic gave us a sense of the size of the animals and where they were. At that point we thought it was mice, or maybe squirrels, so we set out traps of various sizes to see what would happen.

Bottom line … nothing happened, we didn’t catch a thing.

Shortly thereafter I was crawling around above our home office and heard a crunch. Uh oh. Thankfully it came from between two boards I was moving around to span the rafters rather than under my knee. Dead mouse? Nope, dead winged mouse – a bat. That’s how we first figured out what was up there.

In a way, learning it was a bat was a relief. We were worried it was a squirrel or something else that was more destructive. Bats seemed less concerning, though still potentially a problem. We eventually gave up trying to get rid of them and reluctantly accepted them as “tenants.”

But last week’s activity changes the dynamic of our informal contract. We called in the experts for a consult … more on that in the next installment.

I was very excited to have property to take care of for the first time since I worked summers during college as the maintenance guy for our Town Park back in Vermont. As you might imagine, the lawns up there are a little larger than down here in the City. The parks I maintained involved quite a bit of mowing – acres and acres.

Our lot in Hartford, on the other hand, is 0.16 acres. Most of the land is taken up by house, driveway, gardens, and a crushed stone “patio” area, so there really isn’t much grass at all. I figured it would be a breeze to keep it mowed. A riding mower was out of the question. Not only was it complete overkill for the time and effort required, but we also don’t have anywhere to park it. A traditional push mower and a string trimmer were more than enough to keep our property under control.

The local home improvement center had numerous options for lawn mowers. One that really jumped out at me was a reel mower – the kind that doesn’t have an engine – just spinning blades that act like scissors.

Because the yard was so small, I figured it would be a nice solution. Small, so it wouldn’t take up much room in our shed. No engine, so I wouldn’t have to deal with buying and storing gasoline, and just a little more environmentally friendly than the other options. Plus, the extra effort of pushing the thing around for 15 minutes would be a good way to get some exercise. So I bought one, why not give it a shot?

July 2004: Reality of a reel mower sets in.

It turned out that reel mowers aren’t all that effective with a lawn that is bumpy and weedy. The bumps cause the reel to bounce around, making it difficult to keep the wheels in contact with the ground, which is critical for maintaining the system’s momentum, and for getting a clean cut. The result on our lawn was a very uneven cut, and lots of missed blades that eventually grew quite tall. Reel mowers are also less effective at the longer blades and weeds, meaning that the stuff I missed the previous mowing would either get tangled in the reel or get missed again. I had to use the string trimmer to clean things up.

Reel mowers work great on golf courses. I eventually realized that there were considerably more differences than similarities between my lawn and a golf course. My lawn is not made up of a uniform grass type. My lawn is neither irrigated nor chemically treated. My lawn is nowhere near as smooth. And my lawn is not mowed frequently to maintain the grass height. So my lawn is not a good match for a reel mower. Nevertheless, I was determined to stick it out for the first year to give the reel mower a fair shot.

May 2005: Kyle gets real.

Going into our second summer, I decided to get serious about the lawn and buy a normal lawn mower. I no longer wanted to work extra hard to mow the lawn, more frequently than otherwise necessary, yet still end up with sub-par results. The first couple of mows with the power mower were wonderful – the lawn looked perfectly smooth.

The reel mower moved to the back corner of the shed, out of the way. It was still available if needed, but was no longer the primary mower.

July 2005: Kyle can’t get the gas mower to start.

Gasoline engine lawn mowers have their challenges too. For me it was trying to figure out why it consistently took 25 pulls to get the things started. Seriously? Just start! I never had this problem with my reel mower.

This issue did not cause me to pull out the reel mower.

July 2008: Kyle’s gas mower needs a tune-up.

Why does the mower’s engine sound like it’s slowing down every 5 steps? Maybe it needs a tune-up. An oil change. Or a new spark plug. What else do small engines like this need? It probably needs the blades sharpened, but that’s not causing it to sound funny.

On the plus side, I figured out why it was so hard to start. When storing it in my shed, I was tilting it about 30 degrees to the side and driving it on two wheels in order to avoid an obstacle. Somehow that was causing the engine to flood, which made starting it much more difficult.

Reel mower? What reel mower?

May 2011: Kyle’s gas mower still needs a tune-up.

The gas mower still works, but the sounds it makes do not inspire much confidence. Like modern electronics, it seems to me that the lawn mower was built to be thrown away rather than maintained and kept for a long period of time. It cost about $100. And I can’t imagine finding anyone who would be willing to figure out what’s wrong, buy the parts, and fix it for less than $50.

I’ll just keep using it until it finally gives out, offer it for free on CraigsList to someone who can fix it, and then go buy a new one. And maybe this time I’ll get one that actually comes with an instruction manual that talks about how to service it and what parts might be needed. I can follow instructions. But I’m just not interested in trying to figure out what’s wrong and then try to fix it. Besides, if it makes it through this season, year 7, then it will have cost about $15 per year to own plus $10 per year in gas. I’m comfortable with $25 per year in equipment costs to mow the lawn.

July 2011: Kyle decides to part with the reel mower.

The reel mower has been sitting in the shed since it was retired in 2004. For a while I had hoped to fix the lawn so that it would be reasonable to use it to mow. But now I’ve accepted that even if the lawn does get fixed (which is unlikely), I would still prefer a gas powered mower.

It’s time to get rid of the reel mower. Would anyone like it? I’m planning to listing it for sale on CraigsList, but if any reader is interested in giving it a go, I would be happy to let it go for free.