Changing the Light Bulbs

Winch

I have learned a secret for changing the light bulbs in those huge chandeliers that hang over the grand stairway of big houses. All you have to do is install a winch directly above the fixture and wire the light with a plug. You can then disconnect the electrical and gently lower it down to a comfortable level to replace the bulbs, or to clean it. Here is an example of such a system from

Bat Adventures: Who is the Bat Man?

This post continues our story about bats in the attic… 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

Bat Adventures: Unwelcome Guests

It’s time for our house guests to go. 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

Remodeling Cost versus Value

The November 2009 issue of Remodeling Magazine included the 22nd edition of their annual report about the financial impact of various home improvement projects. They look at both midrange and upscale projects, and hit on all the major renovations, calculating the percentage of the cost that could be recovered in a sale. Data is broken down by region and even by major cities within a region. I was excited to discover that Hartford is one

Visitors in the Walls and Attic

NOTE: This post is a fine example of real estate agents being “real people” too. I work from home quite a bit and have an office on the third floor of our house. A couple of weeks ago I was at my desk and I heard a scratching noise coming from the inside of the wall. Hmm. What could that be? I crossed my fingers that a squirrel had not made its way into our