Archive By Section - Your Home
Tips to increase your HOA value
There is obviously very little I can do about the recession and depreciating home values, but are there things that I could be doing, or our neighborhood can do to increase the value or appeal of our community? How can we set ourselves apart from all of the other communities through the valley?
One unit or two for two-stories?
Editor's note: This is the 260th column from Robert Lamoureux and Your Home Improvements. That's a total of five years of helpful advice dispensed to Santa Clarita Valley homeowners. "We look forward to more questions and working with our readers in the future," said Lamoureux.
Adequate footings needed for sundeck
Hello Robert, I just finished reading your column and it reminded me of a project of mine. I don't know if you have been asked this before but we have a slatted patio cover that extends out 9 feet and is 9 feet wide. We were thinking about putting some plywood down and use it as a sun deck. What size thickness of plywood would you recommend for an 81 square foot ...
Under the swaying SCV palms
When it comes time to select trees for their landscaping, many SCV homeowners overlook one of the best choices: the palm. According to Richard Green of Green Landscape Nursery in Saugus, in general, palms are slow growing, drought tolerant and low maintenance, and they have a root "ball" that usually doesn't cause problems with sidewalks and retaining walls and such.
Add wood and ivy to muffle noise
Robert, We have a block wall in our backyard that helps stop the noise coming from the street. It is still louder than what we would want at times. Is there a problem with adding blocks to the top of the wall to help prevent some of the street noise? I know I can't prevent everything but I just want to make it as quiet as possible. I enjoy your column very much. Thank you, ...
Defend your space
Though you might be starting to think about "back to school" already, or still deep in "summer vacation" mode, brush fire season is upon us, and now is the time to prepare for it.
Take your home on the road
Do you just want to get away from your home now and then? But do you also want to carry some of its creature comforts along with you? In all these situations, and many others, a recreational vehicle (RV) could be the solution.
Robert Lamoureux: HOA board members can be sued
Robert, Hello. I'm one of three new board members for a three-story building, and we are all new to this. We have been notified that we have to perform a "regulation four" (?) fire inspection, which is going to cost us around $2,500. We're not familiar with any of the codes and don't know exactly what is supposed to be checked. Is this something that is mandatory? We all have jobs and would find ...
Robert Lamoureux: Hire only licensed contractors
Hi Robert, I had a leak that took out 70 percent of my ceiling. We called a dry waller who said permits were not necessary because they were not repairing the complete room. I don't want any problems so I'd like to check if this is legitimate. Thank you very much sir. Miguel B. Hi Miguel, You are absolutely going to need permits. Whenever there is a question of safety, permits are required. The ...
Perfect Patios: Use delightful decor in outdoor spaces
A patio can be a stark and messy thing, or it can be a welcome refuge for family and friends.
Keep cool with regular service
On Thursday and Friday we caught a break from the super-heat-wave, with weather that made the SCV feel like Cabo San Lucas. But even so, this recent hot spell has been a wakeup call to many local residents who have suddenly realized that their air-conditioning systems are not operating at peak efficiency - or not operating at all.
You should watch that water
You have a gardener who comes by twice a month, and an automatic sprinkler system, so you figure your home's landscaping requires no attention from you. But then you take a week's vacation - and, upon your return, find your front lawn has turned brown and the mud from a six-inch-deep trench in your planter is now spread out over your driveway.
Wooden doors don’t belong here
Hello Robert, I've been reading your interesting column for quite some time now. I'm a newbie contractor but want to learn all I can and do the best job possible. I installed four doors to a trash room about six months ago. When I got there, there were no doors there. The complex called me saying the fire department told them that they cannot use wooden doors. My question is why not? They are solid ...
It’s time to fix your fixtures
If the finish on your kitchen faucet and related hardware is more akin to corrosion than chrome, or if your bathroom plumbing fixtures were put in when disco was the dance craze, it's well past time to change these out. And if you are doing kitchen or bathroom remodeling on a larger scale, the plumbing fixtures might just be the focal point from which you begin.
Robert Lamoureux: Be sure fan is installed correctly
Mr. Lamoureux, I hired a handyman to install a ceiling fan for me. He was going to replace a light I had in my bedroom ceiling with a fan that had a light also. He pulled on the light that was already there and said the box would be strong enough to support the fan. I told him I was going to think about it. I don't know a lot about this, but I've checked ...
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