For immediate release Thursday, September 4, 2014

Homeowners Ill-Prepared for the Future

Housing expert warns failings put families at risk

Homeowners are failing themselves by failing to research their new builds and renovations, warns a leading industry advisor.

Whether it be complacency, ignorance, or mere trust, often people embarking on home extensions, renovations or new house builds will rely on the Building Code as an adequate standard. However they should do more than that to future-proof their home, Richard Gough, General Manager of industry authority Future-Proof Building, says.

The Building Code gives peace of mind with your build but it is a minimum requirement. Why would you be happy with a minimum when there is so much more you can do to make your home healthier, safer and more liveable not only now but also for what you might need in the years to come?

A home is the biggest investment you will ever make, so you need to do your research. Its your home. Educate yourself on what you can invest in to make it more liveable not just now but also in the future."

Gough is a guest presenter at the upcoming Auckland Home Show, educating attendees on ways to increase the liveability of their home beyond Building Code requirements. A collective voice of market-leading product suppliers, Future-Proof Building offers advice and solutions for homeowners.

What do you do when you buy a car? You take it for a drive, you research it online, you compare the ratings. We do so much research into a car but not nearly as much with something that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Examples of ways to future-proof your home beyond Building Code stipulations include installing greater levels of insulation; investing in thermally-broken double-glazed joinery; pre-wiring for solar and data technology and ensuring the finished work delivers on future needs of the property and is backed by warranties.

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Homeowners Ill-Prepared for the Future

COURTESY / Las Vegas Fire Department

By Ian Whitaker (contact)

Monday, Sept. 1, 2014 | 12:47 p.m.

COURTESY / Las Vegas Fire Department

A vacant house in the northwest valley was destroyed by a fire Sunday night, according to Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.

Firefighters were dispatched at around 10:15 p.m. to a house fire on Crestline Drive, near Torrey Pines Drive and Washington Avenue. When they arrived on scene, the fire had already engulfed the one-story wood house, according to LVFR. Firefighters contained the fire in less than ten minutes, but the house was destroyed.

Neighbors told fire investigators that the house had been vacant for two years but appeared to have been used by squatters. Investigators found evidence of squatters left inside the building, and also suspect copper wiring had been stolen.

According to investigators, the estimated damage to the house was $57,000.

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Vacant home in northwest valley destroyed by fire

BRITTANY PICKETT/ Fairfax NZ

ALL THAT'S STANDING: The remains of a West Plains Rd, Invercargill, property after a fire on Thursday night.

A chimney is all that remains of a rural Invercargill home.

Keith Greig had been away from his West Plains Rd home for only about an hour on Thursday but returned to find it engulfed in flames.

"I screeched down my driveway . . . there was a guy there who must have called the fire station,"he said.

Greig, a security guard, lived alone in the old wooden house, his home of 18 years. It was "only worth two dollars", but worth a million to him, he said. "My grandkids loved it out there, I loved it out there."

Greig said he had no idea what caused the fire. "It was gone, yeah, I'm baffled."

He lost 18 years of belongings in the fire.

"I'm staying with my son in town here and then I don't know what I'll do," he said.

Fire Service Invercargill senior station officer Gordon Rodgers said the cause of the fire was unknown but not suspicious. Firefighters were called to the fire at 7.48pm and left the scene at 1am, he said.

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Fire razes man's home of 18 years

Your crazy neighbors have been bugging you for months. They dont maintain their yard. Theyre loud and stay up too late. Their dog barks any time you go near and leaves smelly presents too close to your fence.

It is one thing for you to put up with this. But now that youre getting ready to sell your house, you are concerned that their bad behavior may sabotage the sale. What can you do?

Play Nice, at First

It is much better to solve a problem with a neighbor without initiating a lawsuit, recommends New York lawyer David Reischer. Although his advice might go against his professional interests, he believes resolving neighborly issues without filing a lawsuit or involving a lawyer is the best way to go.

Bringing a lawsuit against a neighbor for sloppy upkeep, loud pets or general bad attitude is the last resort. A court will never provide you the remedy you are looking for in a timely manner, Reischer said.

If there are actualdamages involved, Washington, DC, lawyerThomas J. Simeonesays lawsuits can be filed in an attempt to recover financial damages caused by unruly neighbors, such as those related to broken windows or fences. The court also could be asked to issue an order prohibiting similar conduct in the future.

However, Simeone notes, If you seek damages for a lost sale that would be hard to prove. After you prove the neighbor violated the law, you would need the potential buyer to testify that they would have bought the property at a certain price, but for the neighbor. Even then, judges may be reluctant to force the neighbor to pay for the loss of a sale, but instead may limit damages to financial losses you incurred in repairing your property.

Instead of going to court, both Reischer and Simeone suggest trying to work out a solution with the neighbors in a friendly manner.

Simeone recommends taking a series of steps, beginning with the least confrontational option first. Start informally and move toward more assertive means of seeking redress. Start with a conversation, then a letter, then notify the county/police, then have a lawyer send a letter, then file suit, he suggests.

Offer Your Services its Good for Your Bottom Line

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What to Do When Nightmare Neighbors Complicate Your Home Sale

LEOMINSTER -- Two people were left temporarily homeless when a fire damaged a multifamily home at 36 Boutelle St. shortly after midnight Thursday, said Deputy Fire Chief Gary Ranno.

The fire appeared to start in a stairwell bulkhead leading to the basement, Ranno said.

"Fire on the left-hand side of the building on the bulkhead extending to the basement and first floor," he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

It only took about 20 minutes to put out the flames, but then firefighters spent an extended period making sure the fire didn't extend inside the home's walls, which have a balloon construction.

"So we have to check the walls very carefully because of the lack of fire stopping and older insulation that was installed," Ranno said.

The electricity was shut off to the home until the electrical wiring is repaired.

There was a single resident in the first- and second-floor apartments.

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Fire damages two-family home in Leominster

Care home bosses and a gardener were fined after a bed was set alight in a garden bonfire.

Smoke billowed over homes in Gosforth, Newcastle, when a care homes gardener set fire to a bed base, cushions and a chest of drawers in an apparent controlled fire at Abbeyfield Care Home based at Castle Farm Road.

Pottery, metal, tin-foil, wiring, electrical flex, cloth and glass tubing with potentially toxic parts were also found to have been flung on the flames when Newcastle City Council officers visited days later.

The Abbeyfield Newcastle Society was fined 1,600 following a hearing by the citys JPs on Friday, August 15 for disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution at the home in October.

They were also asked to pay 284 and a 160 victim surcharge.

The homes gardener Simon Renton, 42, of Cochrane Terrace, Newcastle, was ordered to pay a 270 fine, a 27 victim surcharge and 282 costs.

The Abbeyfield Newcastle Society and Mr Renton pleaded guilty at the hearing.

An Abbeyfield Society spokesperson, said: We are concerned to hear about this situation as we expect all our staff and volunteers to adhere to correct waste disposal techniques across all our properties.

Abbeyfield prides itself on its community links and takes very seriously anything that could jeopardise our valuable work in supporting and caring for older people.

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Staff at Gosforth care home Abbeyfield House fined for bizarre bed bonfire

Care home bosses and a gardener were fined after a bed was set alight in a garden bonfire.

Smoke billowed over homes in Gosforth, Newcastle, when a care homes gardener set fire to a bed base, cushions and a chest of drawers in an apparent controlled fire at Abbeyfield Care Home based at Castle Farm Road.

Pottery, metal, tin-foil, wiring, electrical flex, cloth and glass tubing with potentially toxic parts were also found to have been flung on the flames when Newcastle City Council officers visited days later.

The Abbeyfield Newcastle Society was fined 1,600 following a hearing by the citys JPs on Friday, August 15 for disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution at the home in October.

They were also asked to pay 284 and a 160 victim surcharge.

The homes gardener Simon Renton, 42, of Cochrane Terrace, Newcastle, was ordered to pay a 270 fine, a 27 victim surcharge and 282 costs.

The Abbeyfield Newcastle Society and Mr Renton pleaded guilty at the hearing.

An Abbeyfield Society spokesperson, said: We are concerned to hear about this situation as we expect all our staff and volunteers to adhere to correct waste disposal techniques across all our properties.

Abbeyfield prides itself on its community links and takes very seriously anything that could jeopardise our valuable work in supporting and caring for older people.

Original post:
Staff at Jesmond nursing home Abbeyfield House fined for bizarre bed bonfire

Care home bosses and a gardener were fined after a bed was set alight in a garden bonfire.

Smoke billowed over homes in Gosforth, Newcastle, when a care homes gardener set fire to a bed base, cushions and a chest of drawers in an apparent controlled fire at Abbeyfield Care Home based at Castle Farm Road.

Pottery, metal, tin-foil, wiring, electrical flex, cloth and glass tubing with potentially toxic parts were also found to have been flung on the flames when Newcastle City Council officers visited days later.

The Abbeyfield Newcastle Society was fined 1,600 following a hearing by the citys JPs on Friday, August 15 for disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution at the home in October.

They were also asked to pay 284 and a 160 victim surcharge.

The homes gardener Simon Renton, 42, of Cochrane Terrace, Newcastle, was ordered to pay a 270 fine, a 27 victim surcharge and 282 costs.

The Abbeyfield Newcastle Society and Mr Renton pleaded guilty at the hearing.

An Abbeyfield Society spokesperson, said: We are concerned to hear about this situation as we expect all our staff and volunteers to adhere to correct waste disposal techniques across all our properties.

Abbeyfield prides itself on its community links and takes very seriously anything that could jeopardise our valuable work in supporting and caring for older people.

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Staff at Gosforth care home staff fined for bed bonfire

Rosa Parks rides on a Montgomery Area Transit System bus in this undated photo. She was 42, a seamstress, when on Dec. 1, 1955, she defied segregation by refusing to give up her seat to a white man. AP/Montgomery Advertiser

MONTGOMERY, Ala.--Police say copper thieves ransacked the Montgomery, Ala. apartment where Rosa Parks lived in 1955, when she famously refused to give up her seat on a city bus.

Montgomery police are seeking suspects who last weekend ripped and stole copper wiring from Parks' former apartment and six other nearby units, according to the Associated Press.

Police said workers discovered the thefts Monday.

Parks' refusal in 1955 to give her seat on a Montgomery city bus to a white passenger, in defiance of city law, sparked a yearlong bus boycott and became an enduring symbol of the civil rights movement.

CBS affiliate WAKA reports that residents of the Cleveland Court neighborhood where Parks resided will hold a rally next Monday to collect donations in order to offer a reward for information about the incident.

Thad McClammy, an Alabama state representative and resident of the area, told WAKA that the goal is to add to a $1,000 reward currently being offered by Crimestoppers.

"She stood for us 59 years ago, and the least we can do is stand for her," McClammy said.

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Rosa Parks' historic Alabama home targeted by copper thieves

You may be trying to forget about the harsh winter of a few months ago, but you probably remember your high heating bills. Well, nows the time to insulate yourself from a similar fate with next winter not all that far away.

Exterior caulk and insulation can provide a formidable defense against the cold, says Debbie Zimmer, spokesperson for the Paint Quality Institute. By using these products to seal cracks and openings in the home exterior, you can save a small fortune on heating cost, and on the cost of air-conditioning as well.

Caulk and insulation work in two ways to add comfort to a home: first, they stop outside air from seeping in (or literally blowing in on windy days); second, they keep costly heat and air-conditioning from escaping. This one-two punch is a powerful way to knock down home energy bills.

If youre in the mood to fight spiraling energy costs, begin by doing a walk-around inspection of your home exterior.

Keep an eye out for cracks, gaps, or holes especially where different surfaces meet, or where pipes, vents, or wiring penetrate the walls. Also look for areas where your old caulk may have cracked, or pulled away from the surface. Every one of these areas is a potential energy sieve. . .and prime real estate for your caulk or insulation!

If the old caulk is damaged or deficient, remove it with a scraper or sturdy putty knife. In these areas, and in areas that are totally devoid of caulk, clean the adjacent surfaces, sand them smooth, and spot-prime if any bare wood shows. This will help your caulk adhere properly to create a weather-tight seal.

When applying your new caulk, be sure to use a top quality product either a water-based all-acrylic, or siliconized acrylic caulk (similarly named silicone caulks cannot be painted, so theyll be more visible on your home exterior).

With a loaded caulk gun in hand, work your way around your house, filling every gap or seam with a generous bead of caulk (this is not the time to be penny-wise, or youll look foolish when your heating bills arrive).

Immediately after applying the caulk, tool it by running a wet finger over the full length of the bead, using a slight amount of pressure. This will ensure that the caulk fills the entire gap and makes good contact with the adjacent surfaces.

Openings that are too large to caulk typically, spaces more than wide should be filled with a polyurethane foam insulation product. Unlike caulk, which shrinks slightly as it dries, some types of polyurethane foam actually expand after being applied. So, this type of insulation is ideal when filling large openings and cavities.

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Weatherproof your home before the weather turns cold