Managing Home Maintenance Costs

Never leave your home vacant for an extended period of time. Make sure someone is checking on the home to make sure that everything is secure. There are so many things that can go wrong while a home is vacant. You can avoid or at least decrease the damage done while you are away. Animals can get in, the power might go off, pipes could freeze or someone might break in while you are away. While checking on the home is not going to stop these things from happening, at least you will control the amount of damage from that may occur afterwords. This is why you need a check list for vacant home watch.

Assume a windstorm breaks a window, or the power goes off, or there is a pipe break. Any of these situations, if left for any length of time can do considerable damage to your home. A Check List for Vacant Home Watch is worth following to increase the odds of your homes protection while away.

Will the Insurance Company Pay

You might think that there is no problem, the insurance will may. They might and then again they might not. turns out that many home insurance companies have clauses in their policies that require someone to check on a home on a regular interval when it is vacant.

If you do not follow this requirement or cannot prove someone was checking on the home, they may decline your claim for damages.  Some require a visit to your home every 24 hours if it is winter time and the water is not turned off.  Others are satisfied with once a week if the water is turned off and there is no danger of freezing weather. check with yours before you head off on vacation.

Hire a House Sitter

Hiring a house sitter does not mean that someone moves into your home. Instead they will visit your home on the schedule you require and provide you with a report and / or record of each visit. At the minimum, they should confirm the security of the home, the furnace is operating properly and that the water is not leaking anywhere. In addition they might water plants for you and bring in th email. Discuss any special requests with them and make sure everything is documented.

Your Check List for Vacant Home Watch

Whether you are selling and have moved to another home while your old home sells or are just away on an extended vacation, there is a checklist of things that you may consider before you leave to help ensure that your home is secure. apply those that make sense for you in your neighborhood and your home:

• Check with your insurance company concerning requirements
• Ensure that your home looks as if someone is living in it
• Have someone collect the mail
  • Make sure the lawn and gardens are maintained
  • Make sure the snow is cleared in the winter
  • Have several lights on timers ( they should follow your normal routine)
• Advise your neighbors that you are away
• Give your trusted neighbors your phone number
• Have a trusted person check on the home on a regular basis
• They should be able to contact you in case of emergency
• They should have authority to make minor emergency repairs

As we mentioned earlier these steps may not prevent an incident in your vacant home, they should minimize the damage. Making your home look as if it is lived in when it is vacant, will help to ensure that it does not become a candidate for a break in while it is vacant.

Property Management Companies

Many property management companies will provide this service for a reasonable price. If you are not able to find a friend, a family member or a neighbor to look after your home while it is vacant. Always have a contract that specifies the services they will offer and also include the specific things you need them to do while you are away. If it is not written down, there is a good chance someone will forget leading to a big disappointment when you return.

We have a number of other posts that provide a more detailed checklist of steps to follow while you are away on vacation. Check out our post ” Home Security Checklist ” for a more detailed list of items.

If you have other suggestions about check lists for vacant homes, feel free to leave us a comment. Our readers will appreciate the help. If your are simply leaving a random comment to generate a track back, note that our filters will consider this as spam. Leave constructive comments and we may approve your comment.

For more vacant home watch lists, click here.

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In our last post we talked about some of the variables that would go into a business case or business model for your assessment of whether it makes sense for you financially to install a solar panel system on the roof of your home. One of those variables, a big one, is of course the revenue you will gain from this type of installation.

It may be net revenue or it can also be cost of electricity not used that you would need to factor into your calculations.  Either way you need to understand how much electricity can be produced from your roof.  This is where it gets complicated, because you really need a solar site assessment to be able to calculate the theoretical value of this income.

Some companies will charge for the solar site assessment and then write it  off if you decide to go ahead with a solar panel installation.  It is all in what you negotiate, so have that discussion up front so that there is no misunderstanding once the assessment is completed.

Information needed to Complete a Solar Site Assessment for Your Home

The following list is pretty straightforward and should be included in your assessment if it is completed in a professional manner. This is something that you need to make sure that you receive from a professional company  and that it is done right. If they estimate high in terms of the amount of electricity generated, then your business plan may not pay off as expected. Take your time to understand all of the assumptions and confirm all of the estimates before you take the plunge.

• Which roof or roofs will be candidates for solar panels
• Azimuth of each roof
• Pitch of each roof
• Number of panels
• Wattage of each panel
• Inverter make , model, and efficiency rating
• Shading on the roof from External Factors

Which roof or roofs will be candidates for solar panels?

Typically, east, south and western roofs will be included in your assessment. Northern facing roofs will generate electricity, however since most are not receiving direct sun unless you are very far south, it is just not worth it to include a norther roof in your solar assessment.

Azimuth of each roof?

The azimuth is the angle between the north point and the direction your roof is facing. This is the accurate measurement of the direction each roof is facing and will be a factor in calculating the efficiency factor associated with each roof..

Pitch of each roof?

The pitch of each roof is the angle from the horizontal and also plays a part in the calculation of the efficiency factor of each roofs as well.

Number of panels?

The number of panels is a combination of the area of your roof as well as the ability of your roof to support the additional weight. Each panel will produce a specific amount of electricity depending on the Azimuth, the Pitch, the time of day and the season.

Wattage of each panel?

Each panel has a wattage that it is capable of producing. Different solar panels will have a different wattage rating or power that they will produce.

Inverter make , model, and efficiency rating?

Each solar panel is connected to an inverter. Which converts the electricity generated to the desired voltage and amperage level required to interconnect with all other panels. Also the electrical distribution system. Depending on the manufacturer, each will have their own efficiency rating as well.

Shading on the roof from External Factors?

This can be a huge issue and may vary depending on the time of year. Shading from surrounding trees will change from season to season as the leaves grow and fall from the tree. Other buildings or  obstructions on the roof such as a chimney can also provide shade. Which decreases the amount of power that will be generated. Decisions may have to be made in terms of trimming trees or locating panels only were there is no shade. Shading can be different in the  morning vs. afternoon so time of day must also be taken into account.

All of these factors should be assessed  in your solar assessment. These are mathematical calculations which can be generated by a computer model. We would recommend that some sensitivity analysis be completed on the results. Assess the impact more or less solar power generated will have on your budget and payback.

Consumers have to remember that sales people are motivated to sell you a solar system. They will more often than not make assumptions in their favor. It pays to take as much as 20% off the estimate of electricity generated to see what impact it has on the business case for your system.

More to come on alternative energies and solar systems. If you have added comments or opinions please leave us a comment. We are trying to learn as much as possible about this subject. For more help with solar power assessments, click here.

Now here is a sensitive topic! How much should you tip for service at a restaurant and when should you hold back or exceed the recommended amount? There is bound to be a lot of disagreement on this topic so we are looking forward to hear what other people think about tipping and how much you should tip.

We decided to add this post to our blog, because it really does affect how much money you spend, although it is not really related to home maintenance. Let us know what you think the tip should be. One thing for sure, never leave pennies as a tip. They are not worth much and are heavy. Who wants pennies these days as well?

We have two friends who work in the service industry and obviously have strong feelings about tipping. They both feel that you should tip 15% automatically whether the service was great or not and only decrease your tip if the service was really bad. Actually they feel they always provide great service so why would you not tip a good amount?

Formula for Tips at Restaurants

Someone once wrote that you should break down the tip as follows: 5% for the decor, 5% for the food and 5% for the service . If all three met your expectations then 15% was the correct amount to leave with your meal. If they exceeded your expectations, then by all means leave more. Many people have a problem when they receive bad service or their food was not up to par and they still leave 15% to avoid any kind of conflict or confrontation.

We have found that mentioning the issue, whatever it is, bad food, your meal not cooked as requested, etc.  during your meal usually brings a positive response and the restaurant usually goes overboard to correct the problem. When they do not correct the problem cut the tip. They need to understand that their income is related to the level of service you receive at the restaurant you are at.

But they Only Make Minimum Wages

In some locations this is absolutely true and if they received no tips, the salary the waiters and waitresses would make would be very low indeed. However as with all jobs there are good people who do excellent work and then there are those who only do average work at best.

Should those that perform average work make as much as those who do excellent work? Personally I like to reward those who work hard and provide excellent service and have no problem leaving a good tip. But when it comes to less than average servic,  leaving a good tip is only reenforcing bad service.

We know a couple, who have dual incomes. One was a NASA scientist, while the other was a waiter in a very popular restaurant. The waiter made more money from tips than the scientist did from his salary! They were both good at what the did, but the waiter was really  good at what he did, provided excellent service and was rewarded for his efforts. The good ones do very well and deserve it.

Tips as High as 20 % or Even Higher

Both of our friends who work in the business have received tips that are 20% or even higher. Typically this has been with a large group and the group was very happy with the service they received.

This is the way it should be and please do not hold back if you find yourself in this situation.

Groups Were the Tip is Automatic

I detest this rule that many restaurants have for large groups. They automatically add 15% or sometimes more as a gratuity to ensure they get their tip. I have been to places were they have done this and the service has been excellent. They deserve 15% and more.

On the other hand we have dined in restaurants were this rule was applied and the service has been terrible. It is almost as if they do not care , they know they are going to get paid anyway. I always make a point of mentioning that the service should be excellent if they are going to apply this rule.

They usually get the message and we are often very satisfied with the service in this regard. One place to avoid in a situation like this is the Matchbox Restaurant in Palm Springs. They applied this rule and then proceeded to give us rude service, mixed our meals up and were extremely slow. Why would I ever go there again?

Your comments and opinions on this sensitive topic are more than welcome. I am sure there are lots of other opinions out there just waiting to be heard.

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Are you tired of the same old black tires? We used to actually have white wall tires and they were very popular at one time until consumers decided they just were not cool anymore. I am not sure if you can even buy them any longer. consumers starting installing their tires with the white wall on the inside of the tire rim so that you could not tell that the tires actually had white walls. Times have changed and there is a new fad for tires.

Well now you can buy tires that are colored to match your car or make a statement. Apparently they are really popular in Japan, however we have not seen here in North America yet. You can still purchase the standard black tires, but as you can see from the picture there are a variety of tiers in various colors now available.

Yellow, pink, green and light blue tires are available to match your cars paint or just to make a statement. Imagine the looks you are going to get when people see you driving down the street with one of these babies.  I am not sure that I am going to be one of them. I really cannot picture a set of tires on any car that I would drive.

Attracting Attention with Colored Tires

Imagine a hot rod with lots of power ready to hit the streets and impress the girls with yellow or green tires. Somehow that just does not seem to catch my imagination! Anyone driving a a nice car wants to have great wheels with alloy rims, the tires jet black and brand new. who would want to shell out the money to have colored tires on a muscle car for example?

We also do not really see gram-pa or grandma picking up a sedan with colored tires. Sure it would be a conversation piece around the coffee shop or the golf course, but they have other things to spend their money on and it is not tires with colored sidewalls. Even the 30 somethings with a family are not going to spend money on this, they just have too much other things to put their money towards. So who is the target market for colored tires? Is there one?

Tell Us What You Think

If you read this article we would really like to hear from you to get your thoughts and impressions on.  We happen to think that people who are single, young and a have a bit if the artistic flare would be the potential buyers for this product. They just happened to like stuff that is different and attracts attention. They also have the money to spare and may be willing to shell out a few extra dollars for colored tires on their car. We are not sure if there is a large enough market for this product. There might be but it will take awhile to catch on!

Now colored tires for golf carts would be all the rage and probably quite attractive. if everyone had different tires of various colors on their golf carts, the players would all get a good laugh and it would be something to talk about on the 19th hole. maybe it would be too distracting for everyone’s game to have a bright pink golf cart with matching pink tires roll up beside you just as you are about to hit your shot!

let us know what you think about colored tires. We are in no way associated with anyone who is selling these tires, but thought it would be a neat addition to our blog for our readers.

For more posts about buying tires and specialty tires, click here.

We recently have had a lot of people looking for information about the Canadian tire hours of operation in Ottawa. We decided to include a short page on this site to provide that information. Store hours for Canadian tire stores will vary based on location and also if there is a holiday or not.  You should really check with your local store to confirm if they are open.

For example the Canadian Tire Store in Orleans which is just outside of Ottawa on the east side is open during the following hours.

•            Store                                   Auto Center
• Mon 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Tue 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Wed 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Thu 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Fri 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Sat 08:00 AM – 07:00 PM 07:00 AM – 06:00 PM
• Sun 08:00 AM – 06:00 PM 08:00 AM – 05:00 PM

Different Hours

Each store will be slightly different. For example the Canadian Tire store in Gloucester, on Ogilvy road which is also part of Ottawa on the east side has the following hours. Each store is independently owned and operated under the general franchise and they keep their own hours based on the market need in their area. This store stays open longer on Saturday nights for example.

• Store                                   Auto Center
• Mon 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Tue 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Wed 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Thu 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Fri 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Sat 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM
• Sun 09:00 AM – 06:00 PM 09:00 AM – 06:00 PM

Canadian Tire Hours

We cannot possibly list all of the stores along with their hours, however we wanted to give readers an example of two stores and their general hours. I think that you can be pretty safe in going to any of the Canadian Tire stores between 8am and 6pm. You may want to check with the store closest to you if you need to go to the store after 6pm, especially if you are thinking about getting some work done on a vehicle.

They may have to keep it in the garage over night before they can fix it. Many of the stores will give their customers a ride home under these circumstances. This is a really great service if you have to drop your car off to be worked on and cannot wait for the car to be completed.

Canadian tire is not typically known for selling hardwood floors which is what this web site is all about. It is known for car parts and repairs and of course tires. Recently they have expanded into a broader market offering small appliances, sports equipment, paint, Christmas products etc. They also include including plumbing, electrical and hardware related items for most repairs around the home.

Tools as Well

You can find a lot of the tools that you may need for work around your home at the Canadian Tire store including the tools you may need for laying a hardwood floor. Compare prices and warranties. Some items although they may be a bit more expensive, have a life time warranty on them and this can be valuable for items that are more expensive. this store in Orleans is close to us and we tend to go there a lot to get whatever we need for general items for our vehicle and our home repairs. On top of that, this company is Canadian and we should support Canadian companies who are competing with the big box stores from the US. This is a Canadian Company and represents the very essence of Canada. Let’s support it.

We hope you have found this short post useful. leave us a comment if you did.

With all of these new technologies and acronyms, consumers are having a difficult time keeping up. What is WiFi? Wi-Fi is one more that benefits many consumers in their homes as well as at the office and the coffee shop.  Wi-Fi is a technology that eliminates the cable or wire between your computer and the modem that sits in your home which the cable or the telephone wires are attached too. If you have a smart phone that is Wi-Fi capable it also can take advantage of the wireless access in your home or at the office and coffee shop.  Wi-Fi eliminates the need to find a wired network connection.

While this is a great step forward with no more wires running around your home, you still need to understand how to program your computer or smart phone to take advantage of the Wi-Fi wireless network.
Every device is different, although most are intuitive and easy to set up. Ask the sales person to walk you through the set up procedure so that you can set up your computer or smart phone on your wireless network when you get home.

The following provides a little more information for the average consumer.  For most people, you just want to know that it works and these devices today are so user friendly that most people can set them up easily in their own home. Just follow the instructions that come with the device and you should be good to go.  Read on for more info about Wi-Fi. we will also be adding additional posts about how W-Fi is used in the home and in the office as well.

What is WiFi Technology

For the average person, Wi-Fi technology is basically a box that has one or more antenna’s on it, sometimes they are inside the unit. This unit is usually attached to a cable modem for example or more often now, manufacturers are combining the cable modem and the Wi-Fi terminal in one box to eliminate even more wiring and cost.  Position the Wi-Fi terminal in a relatively central location in your home, in an out of the way location and you will have uniform wireless coverage through out your home. Same applies to the office, although you may end up having more than one Wi-Fi device if it is a large office.

Once installed and connected, you can send and receive all of your usual email, data, video etc via your Wi-Fi device. These devices save hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in cabling that is no longer needed.

All major communications suppliers including the cable companies and the telephone companies now offer Wi-Fi terminals for your use, usually combined with your standard monthly data service.

What is WiFi Frequency Band for Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi products operate over a specific set of radio waves. In the same way as your cell phone, garage door opener, TV, radio, GPS navigation system or microwave. Each of these types of products  have been designed to operate in a specific frequency band of the radio spectrum to ensure that there is no interference between them.

Radio Band Examples

• AM broadcast band (530-1610 kHz)
• Shortwave bands (5.9-26.1 MHz)
• Citizens’ band (26.965-27.405 MHz)
• Television channels 2-6 (54-88 MHz)
• FM broadcast band (88-108 MHz)
• Wi-Fi (2.4GHz or 5GHz)

Wi-Fi products operate in the 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands. Most radio bands require a license from the government. Not so with Wi-Fi.  These bands are designated as “license-free”. This indicates that individuals may use products designed for these bands without a government license. A great deal of coordination in the design of these devices with other products has taken place. This is needed to ensure that there is no interference and all manufacturers must adhere to these rules. For the average consumer, you just need to know that this is all taken care of. They will have no impact on anything else in your home.

What is 802.11?

Standards bodies control the design of all products in the world. Each design, in this case for Wi-Fi receives a designation.  Wi-Fi products are identified as 802.11. They are then further identified by a lower case letter that identifies which specific technology is in operation. Each specifies a set of features that relate to performance, frequency and bandwidth. When you purchase a Wi-Fi device, you want to make sure that device is compatible with the latest Wi-Fi standard.

Wi-Fi Generations

Most new devices are tested to ensure they are back word compatible. In other words that they will work with older devices. There is a limit to this. Even though you may not have the latest Wi-Fi compatible software on your computer for example, it may still work. You can just try it and see or compare the specs for the Wi-Fi device you are buying. For most people this is way too much information and complexity. 99% of all new computers are equipped with the latest Wi-Fi technology.

For more information about using WiFi in your home, click here.

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