Remodeling? New Lead Regulations You Need to Know About

While we’re all aware of the health risks posed by lead, you might not realize that even common renovation projects can be hazardous in terms of lead. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), activities like sanding, cutting and demolition can create dangerous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to both adults and children.

As a real estate  Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I am committed to keeping my clients informed on current regulations pertaining to home safety issues. To protect against the lead risk, on April 22, 2008, EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices and other actions aimed at preventing lead poisoning. Under the rule, as of April 22, 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child-care facilities and schools built before 1978 must be EPA certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.

If you are embarking on a Pasadena home-improvement project, be sure to use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers to follow lead-safe work practices. Lead dust can form when lead-based paint is dry scraped, dry sanded or heated. Dust also forms when painted surfaces bump or rub together. Lead chips and dust can get on surfaces and objects that people touch. Settled lead dust can re-enter the air when people vacuum, sweep or walk through it.

Make sure that your renovators employ the following practices – and you, too, if you’re a do-it-yourselfer:

• Contain the work area
• Minimize dust
• Clean up thoroughly

According to the EPA, to permanently remove lead hazards, you must hire a certified lead “abatement” contractor. Abatement (or permanent hazard elimination) methods include removing, sealing or enclosing lead-based paint with special materials. Just painting over the hazard with regular paint is not enough.

For more information on the dangers of lead and the new regulations regarding remodeling, please visit www.epa.gov, or e-mail me directly. I encourage you to pass this important information along to anyone you know who might be renovating their home soon.

For Buying and/or Selling Real Estate, contact me:
Ramiro Rivas – Pasadena Real Estate
626-497-4606
Email Ramiro!

Home Improvements, Real Estate

Removing Kitchen Tile with Ramiro Rivas

Always have licensed individuals for structural or home system, but whenever possible try to get the random labor work done by yourself and build some sweat equity.  A little brawn and not to much brains is required for this blogs topic of Removing Kitchen Tile.  This demolition work was done at an Altadena bank owned home(REO) that our client purchase way below market value. 

All the items needed can be found at The Home Depot or your local hardware store:

1) Sledge Hammer (get one like a hammer that has a large steel head)

2) Pry Bar/Chisel

3) Protective Eye Googles (I used my Versace Sunglasses)

4) Work Gloves (unless you don’t mind possible cuts) 

*Doing home improvements increase the risk of personal injury and we are not responsible for accidents caused from following tactics used in this write up or video.

For Buying and/or Selling Real Estate, contact me:
Ramiro Rivas – Pasadena Real Estate
626-497-4606
Email Ramiro!

Home Improvement, Pasadena Real Estate Agent, Removing Kitchen Tile

Looking for a Summer Remodeling Project? These Tips Might Help

Other than vacations, summer is the time of the year most popular for Pasadena home improvement. The long days and warm, sunny weather make a great time to work on repairs and renovations without much of the hassles and delays that rain and other elements bring.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I have years of experience and understand how taking on a remodeling project is beneficial to you, both now and then later down the road should you choose to sell your Pasadena real estate.

For these reasons and more, a good number of homeowners undertake home improvement projects, especially during the summer.

Following are tips and projects—both large and small—for homeowners looking to spruce their homes up this summer.

Patios and Decks
What better way to enjoy the warm days than by creating an outdoor living space for the family to enjoy.

Beautiful outdoor patio

Decks and patios are among the most popular summer remodeling ideas. There are various factors to take into consideration when deciding on whether a patio or deck is the most appropriate project to undertake. Such factors include soil condition and consistency, site terrain, use, capacity and privacy, as well as the cost and maintenance you are willing to put up with.

Home Maintenance
Throughout the seasons, your home has taken good care of you and your family and now is the best time to give back.  Go through your Pasadena real estate property to evaluate and create a checklist on areas that need mending or replacement. This list is a crucial preparation before calling a contractor or handyman for maintenance/repair services. Some common maintenance and repair include:

• Waterproofing the basement
• Re-caulking and replacing weather-striping
• Cleaning and sealing wooden decks
• Trimming bushes and trees
• Realigning downspouts and gutters
• Repairing the roof
• Cleaning the pool
• Mending the fence
• Sealing cracks along driveways, foundation, walkways, etc.
• Maintenance of HVAC systems

Energy-Efficient Renovation
When it comes to summer remodeling, there’s no better way to invest your hard-earned dollars than by making your Pasadena home energy efficient. An energy-efficient summer remodel is truly a worthwhile endeavor as it will result in years of savings on your energy bills. Some of the common items you can buy and integrate into your energy-efficient renovation include:

• Insulation systems and materials
• Roofs that resist heat gain
• Biomass-burning stoves
• Energy-efficient windows
• HVAC systems with the highest efficiency tier
• Solar panels
• Fuel cells
• Geothermal heat pumps
• Wind energy systems

Taking on one (or more!) of these projects is a great way to give back to your Pasadena home this summer…and, in some cases, save you a bit of money, too. For more information on home renovation projects, please e-mail me – and please feel free to forward these tips to any family and friends you think might benefit from them as well.

For Buying and/or Selling Real Estate, contact me:
Ramiro Rivas – Pasadena Real Estate
626-497-4606
Email Ramiro!

Pasadena Homes, Real Estate, summer home improvement

Easy Ways to Cut Summer Energy Costs

With summer officially upon us, many Pasadena homeowners will be confronted with rising electric bills as fans and air conditioners kick into high gear in an effort to keep cool. Demand for electricity can also increase if you have house guests or children home for the summer.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I have access to lots of great ideas for planning ahead to control energy costs this summer. The following tips are from the experts at Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G):

• Use ceiling fans in the counter-clockwise direction to create a wind-chill effect, making you feel cooler. Also, whole-house fans that bring in cooler night-time air can pre-cool a house and reduce energy use in the daytime if heat is kept out by closing windows and shades.
• Install a programmable thermostat. If health conditions permit, raise the setting from 73 to 78 degrees. You can save 3-5% on your air conditioning costs for each degree you raise the thermostat.
• Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home. If you have central air conditioning, close off vents to unused rooms and be sure to keep filters clean.
• Plant shade trees close to the house on the South and West sides.
• Seal holes and cracks around doors and windows. Eliminate air leaks between window air conditioners and windows with foam insulation or weather-stripping.
• Turn off power sources. TVs, computers and other electronic devices draw power when they are in standby mode or turned off but still plugged in. Plug electronics into power strips and turn off the power switch when the items are not in use.
• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use 75% less electricity and burn more coolly than incandescent bulbs. Keep in mind that CFLs are especially handy in hard-to-reach fixtures and won’t need to be replaced for about five years.
• Use timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.
• Delay heat-producing tasks such as laundry until later in the day. Wash full loads, using cold water whenever possible.
• Run the dishwasher at night, using the shortest cycle that will get the dishes clean. If manufacturers’ directions permit, turn the dishwasher off before the dry cycle or use the air dry feature if your machine has one.
• Take short showers as they use less hot water than a bath.
• Replace old appliances with new energy efficient Energy Star appliances.
• Unplug the extra refrigerator in your garage or basement and use it only when necessary. Refrigerators that are only 10 years old can use twice as much electricity as new Energy Star labeled models.

For Buying and/or Selling Real Estate, contact me:
Ramiro Rivas – Pasadena Realtor
626-497-4606
Ramiro@RivasEstates.com

cutting energy costs, pasadena, Real Estate

Checklist for Improving Indoor Air Quality

June not only marks the commencement of the summer season, but more importantly for Pasadena homeowners, National Home Safety Month. While our thoughts turn to smoke detectors and child safety locks when considering a safe home, many homeowners often overlook the risks of poor indoor air quality—especially important as the temperature and humidity rise with summer.

As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I’ve worked with many clients who have suffered from health-related issues due to poor air quality in their homes. Yet rarely do people think about the quality of their indoor air. Service experts recommend using the following checklist to ensure your air is as healthy as possible:

• Do you smoke in your home?
• Do your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room have ventilation and exhaust fans?
• Do you change your air filters once a month?
• When cleaning or doing laundry, do you use bleach, ammonia, or aerosol spray cans?
• Is your gas fireplace and/or gas stove checked yearly for emissions?
• Was your home built before 1978? If so, has it been checked for lead-based paint?
• Do your bathrooms have carpet where moisture and dust can build up?

Indoor Air Quality, Pasadena Homeowners

Visual tricks are a very important tool of interior design. Colors, light, furniture and decorative pieces can be arranged the right way to make a statement, or to make a space look smaller…or bigger. According to At Home Rewards(SM), a discount membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC, you no longer have to sacrifice comfort because you live in a small, enclosed place. With a few visual tricks and some key elements, any room can appear bigger than it really is.

As AP9 AtHomeRewards reports, the key is to think ahead and make buying and decorating decisions with one thing in mind: to make the room (whether it’s a bedroom, a kitchen or a living room) appear more spacious and definitely more comfortable. To do so, there are three main elements to take into consideration: color, decoration and organization.

Here are some simple tips to follow for any small room of the house:

Color:

– Light hues will open up the space, and painting the walls white will definitely maximize that effect.

– Go monochromatic. If all white doesn’t work for your lifestyle, try painting the walls, trim and detailing in different shades of one color. Pick from off-white, beige, any pastel or neutral color.

– Match the color of the furniture with the color of the walls. Stay away from contrasting colors, especially in big pieces such as the sofa.

Decoration:

– Medium-size furniture pieces work better than a big, prominent one. Avoid having many small pieces scattered all over the room, and arrange furniture at an angle to add visual interest to the place.

– Track or recessed lighting works best for small spaces. Use a torchiere lamp to bounce light off the ceiling, and get rid of heavy drapery. Let the natural light come in as much as possible.

– Mirrors are also a great way to make a room feel and look bigger. A big wall mirror right in front of a window will reflect light and color; so will a collection of smaller ones, distributed along one wall.

Organization:

– Any small space — even a tiny closet — will look bigger if it’s clutter-free. Get rid of little furniture dispersed all over, and move around pieces that block the view and walkway space.

– Designers recommend getting pieces of furniture with open arms and legs, as well as small glass-top tables, so the light can filter through.

– Make the most out of the space with multifunctional furniture. Invest in good quality pieces such as drop-leaf or removable-leaf tables and ottomans for storage and sitting purposes, among others.

For Buying and/or Selling Real Estate, contact me: 

Ramiro Rivas – Pasadena Realtor
626-497-4606
Ramiro@RivasEstates.com

Home Improvements

The Hard Facts on Hardwood Flooring

Confused about the difference between wood hardness ratings and real vs. manufactured wood flooring? If so, you’re not alone. And if you’re thinking about installing hardwood flooring in your home but can’t decide which style suits your budget and home design, here are a few basic facts you should know before going any further: 

Laminate Flooring – Laminate flooring isn’t real wood flooring even though, technically speaking, it is still composed of wood. However, it looks amazingly similar to real wood, is often less expensive than real hardwood flooring and is highly durable and resistant to abrasions, thus becoming a widely popular choice among homeowners today. 

Engineered Wood – Also referred to as “composite wood,” engineered wood consists of two layers of different material. An upper wood veneer is overlaid upon plywood to give the appearance of solid flooring. Because engineered wood is man-made, it is stronger than real wood and less apt to humidity warping. The downside is that when damaged, you cannot sand out scratches or dents – an advantage to real wood flooring. It also has a propensity for absorbing liquids when not treated with sealant.  

California Bungalow in Pasadena neighborhood Dundee Heights

Solid Hardwood Flooring– This is the real hardwood flooring – or 100% real wood flooring. Hardwood flooring comes finished or unfinished, which can affect the price – as unfinished varieties are less expensive. Unfinished wood also requires maintenance upon or before installation. It must be sanded, sealed – and possibly stained – before use. Another item to note is that rooms known for their dampness – bathrooms, for example – should not be outfitted with real wood. Long life is the typical advantage to real wood flooring, as it can be re-sanded and resealed numerous times.  

With this little bit of information you have at least a starting point. And if you’re still not sure where to begin, most retail home improvement outlets and members-only showrooms like DirectBuy, employ product specialists and interior design consultants who can help you choose the right flooring for both your home improvement plans and your lifestyle. 

For more information, visit www.directbuycares.com. 

For Buying and/or Selling Real Estate, contact me: 

Ramiro Rivas – Pasadena Realtor
626-497-4606
Ramiro@RivasEstates.com

Home Improvements