The Citizen, 2009-10-15, Page 13(MS) As the economy continued to
struggle over the last year, many
homeowners put off home
improvement projects as a means of
saving money and insulating
themselves from any potential
financial pitfalls.
While the economy has yet to fully
recover, the speculation that the
coming year will be much better than
2009 has led some homeowners to
begin seeking smaller home
improvement projects.
Though it might be too early to
commit big dollars to a project, there
are several options out there for
homeowners looking to make small
and inexpensive additions or
improvements.
* Consider any new guests. An
unfortunate side effect of the bad
economy is that many people have lost
significant amounts of money in
investments, be it sinking real estate
values or poor performance from
investments in the market.
This has forced many seniors to
move back in with their families,
either because of retirement plans that
have been postponed or because of the
high cost of senior living facilities that
families can no longer afford.
For families with a new senior
house guest, chances are the home
needs to be equipped with several
things to make it more senior-friendly.
For as little as $100 apiece, projects
such as installing easy-grip door
handles, grab bars in the tub or near
the toilet, and even easier to use
faucets that are more amenable to
people with arthritis can be completed
on a weekend afternoon.
* Make aesthetic improvements.
Structural improvements are often the
most expensive and require the largest
time commitment. However, projects
that are purely aesthetic aren’t terribly
expensive and can be completed in a
much shorter period of time. One easy
project that can give the home a new
feel is to work on the entryway of the
home. Painting the front door can
create an entirely different look and
first impression by visitors, and it’s a
very easy and inexpensive project to
undertake. Another low-cost aesthetic
improvement is to power wash a home
that has vinyl siding. Siding often
collects mold, mildew and grime that
requires the use of a power washer to
remove. One can be rented rather
inexpensively and a thorough power
washing can be completed as a
weekend project.
Painting the interior of the home
can also add new life to a room that a
homeowner has otherwise grown
accustomed to or a room in which the
paint has begun to dull or even chip.
Because paint is relatively
inexpensive, this is a great way to
make major changes to a home
without a major impact on the
pocketbook.
* Clean up. Cleaning a home is not
only inexpensive to improve its feel
and look, but it should also be free
unless the occupants are genuine pack
rats. For homeowners who have lived
in the same home a long time, clutter
has probably crept its way into the
home and taken over certain areas.
Clearing out this clutter can create
whole new areas of the home, and
unless the local sanitation department
needs to be called to tote it all away,
clearing out the clutter costs nothing
except some time and effort on the
weekend.
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2009. PAGE 13.
Power centre
Maarten Bokhout and his wife Helena McShane have been
giving power back to the grid for approximately four years
now in addition to heating their own water with solar power.
While the practice may result in a few more panels in their
basement they both say it is well worth it. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Continued from page 12
he’s doing can be looked at as a start
and that makes him happy.
Bokhout says that at the time his
initial solar panels were installed,
it was one of the most sophisti-
cated systems in this area of the
world.
It began when he felt he had the
means to purchase such technology
and then he searched the internet to
find out who might be able to help
him in his endeavor.
Eventually he came upon a retired
engineering professor in London
who was able to assist him with the
project and the rest, he said, is
history.
While he doesn’t have any plans
for expansion in the immediate
future, Bokhout does think there is
room, not only on his roof, but
around his property for more
vehicles for renewable energy,
which he would be willing to
investigate in the future.
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