Lawn and Garden

The neighborhood is awaking with the sound of mowers, chainsaws and leaf blowers. It is Spring and the lawns are growing and the trees are blooming. It is the time to get the garden stuff done.
OK, so I have to make this dis-claimer. I'm the world's worse gardener in practice but I'm better on the concept part. I can lead and direct the tasks but my back is not allowing me to keep an active golf game and do all the weed-pulling and other back cracking work. But, never the less I'm pleased to introduce this subject in order to get your feedback and input as to what works for you. In general the lawns and gardens in HP are great. Please fell free to add your comments to enhance what I'm posting here.

Lawns
All that I have learned about lawns have come from meeting several golf course Superintendents over the years. The guiding principal that they preach is drainage. In HP it is well known that drainage is a problem. We have a heavy layer of sandstone and clay all throughout the plat. When it comes to lawns, if you experience a drying out in the summer and a sogginess during the winter then drainage is your problem. The winter thing is more of a "get water off and gone" issue then the getting water and fertilizer to the roots during the summer. One method that helps this latter issue is a "punch and sand" treatment on a regular basis. This will create a hole, fill it with sand [the "wick"] and then treat the soil with gypsum and fertilizer. I'll leave the rest of the explanation on this to the experts who will post a comment. Look for a comment from the neighborhood expert and the one who cares for many of the yards in HP, Brian Kosko. He's the smartest guy I know on this stuff and is very well trained on lawn issues.

Brian Kosko

Premier Lawn Management
360-886-0440
info@premierlawnmanagement.com
www.premierlawnmanagement.com

Gardens
I know that some new to the neighborhood are new to the NW. What plants do well and which ones struggle is a good thing to know. Aside from what you find to plant from the local Home Depot and Lowe's, we have some super Nursery stores locally that have great advice.
1. Haynes Nursery
2. Squak Mt.

Look them up in the Yellow pages to see where they are located but I can't say enough for the expertice that you can find from them for plantings and care of the plants in the garden. They generally have Master Gardener's on site to trouble shoot the sick plants. They also have a good supply of healthy plantings that will live in your yard or they replace what will not survive.

The garden maintanace is another whole subject. This issue comes up kind of at the last minute, in the spring/summer when we realize that we don't have the time to do all that we need to do. I have been tempted to hire my own labor from the hords of Labor Ready groups at Home Depot in Bellevue. The problem is I don't speak spanish that well and you need to deal with their need for using access to your house for rest rooms. A friend of mine recently was reffered a couple of workers, that I'm using today They are super! They work very well and do a quality job. If you need a garden bed cleaning, shrub trimming or any other garden cleanup I can highly recommend them to you.

Quality Garden Workers
Lupillo 253-394-6725

Please tell him I sent you. He is a very proud guy on the work that he provides. He works the entire day with his helper. They clean all the beds they can in 1 full working day, the 2 of them, getting all that they can do during that time. They do it all. Get some extra green bids for the stuff they will remove. Lipillo works, during most of the week, for a reputable Landscape company. Due to slowdown in the economy, he finds himself with some extra time to do this, on the side. I was very pleased with his job and service.

That's it for now. The rest is up to you. Post a comment to add information and knowledge for all to learn. Do you use someone else or company that has worked well for you. Become a follower to see all the new postings and comments as the come our way. As a follower any new posting comes to your email as well as posted comments. Thanks for participating. This seems to be working out well.


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See all Subjects on Post's

For those that are new to this blog stuff I wanted to point out how to see all the blog postings. Only the present monthly post's are on the page. To see all the posts on all the subjects look at the right side of the site and the Blog Archive. This will pull up all the subjects for you to add your information and considerations.

Interior Painting

Well painting the inside is similar to painting the outside except you have to be more precise and careful. The words precise and careful are not qualities that I am known to have in my abilities. So when it comes to painting inside the house I rely on a professional. I think they are born with the patience needed to tape, paint and deal with windows and molding.
I'm going to sound like a broken record but again I liked the work I got out of Eric the painter. He did a great job on our entry area including the staircase and the multiple Newel post's. Another positive is the equipment needed to get to the high ceilings in the entry and up the stair case. These are equipment purchases you make and then don't ever use again or, best case, try to use in 6-10 years but can't find all the pieces. Much of my comments about Eric are on the posting March 31, 2009 on External Painting that you can find in the archives.
Who do you use and what are your experiences? Let us know what experiences you have had so that all can learn.

RTQ Painting
425-922-3885
E. John Eikelman
"Eric"

Highland Park Purchasing Group

I have been talking to some folks about this concept of a purchasing group and how it might work. I would like to explore the possibility of this working for furnaces, Hot water tanks and why not roofing and windows?

Think about it some and get your thoughts down in the comments. I would be interested to know if anyone knows of a group who does this.

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Rodent control [and more] without a cat

Let's face it....we are surrounded by them everywhere you look. Highland Park is surrounded by woodlands where the wild things live. Mice, rat's, squirrel's, raccoon, moles, deer, bear and perhaps carnivore's of various types.

Just for the sake of home issue's I'll contain my comments to rodents, especially mice and rats. I had a problem several years ago with mice in the crawl space that expanded to the garage, walls and then the attic. This happened fast as once they have a foot hold and a litter or two things get going very quickly. I will tell you all that I know and what I do and look forward to your comments to learn more from you.

To find out if you have them, looking for the signs of them is the first step. Those little dark specks [tapered] on the floor are signs of mice and rats. Things that are chewed can be both food and other semi-soft material [wood/plastics/foams]. The soft stuff is chewed as they find nest material for their litters. They bear litters all the time and thus are quite prolific. More the reason to get on this problem if you have it and then maintain control all year long. The truth of the matter is there is a war with them and the cat's can't [or won't] keep up.

I would get some traps and set some in the garage and some in the attic. I used regular traps with peanut butter with lethal results. Other types are fine but you figure out what to do with a "ticked off rodent" when you get one. Maybe drive them over to Kalhanie for release? [sorry]... If you get positive results then set more traps and stay on this until you get no results. Then I deposit Decon type bait in my crawl space. If you never go down into your crawl and/or it's too small to actually crawl around in, then just put a 2 ft. x 2 ft. piece of plywood down there and throw the Decon on that from the access. Put some down every year as it's an on-going process. This seems to do the job.

I had a Pest Control service out once and learned that Garage doors that don't completely close are common entry points for rodents. A little lubrication on the roller wheels and a adjustment on the motor stops should correct that problem.

Trim trees away from the house as squirrels, rat's and others will use these as a way to enter your attic through the roof line. These are not holes in your roof but rather some natural gaps that the roof line and up-right walls can't close.

Check the screens on your foundation vents around your house. If they are damaged and holes exist then cover them with another screen to keep the varmits out of your crawl space.

Enough from me let's hear from you...

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Heating systems replacement and purchasing group

I have been educating myself about new furnace systems and almost pulled the plug on it this winter but didn't. I know that new systems are miles ahead of our current original systems in our homes. We have, for the most part a 1 stage, installed in our homes. This means that the burner fires and when it heats to a certain temperature the fan kicks in on 1 speed [1 stage = 1 speed], well basically that's it. Go to this web page for a super explanation of all the stages of furnaces.

www.barrongreenteam.com/2008/01/five-furnace-types.html

If this link works you will see a nice explanation of all the furnace types. I won't even attempt to present any opinion as of yet. What I would like to see is if several in the neighborhood are shopping for a new furnace then perhaps we can, as a group, contract with someone for a block deal. Come forth and agree that all buyers get the same price or discount, installed and at a significant savings. It would be a hoot to work our pricing down as a purchasing group. These type of businesses can be wheeler dealers and you never know what you are getting into. A group approach to this would be an opportunity to get significant savings. What do you think?



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Carpet Cleaning

I know there are a couple of ways to do this; Wet or Dry! This is also true of BBQ!

We use Wet and have good luck with it. I think it's easier to mobilize the dirt [or other bad stuff] in a fluid form and therefore a better transport system out of the carpet and down the drain. It's called hot water extraction and it works, I think, quite well. Water and a high suction system is good but also part of this equation is who moves the furniture and keeps leg caps from rusting a stain on your carpet as it dries. The better the suction system the better the system cleans and the less drying after the cleaning.

My local guy is:

Sammamish Carpet Cleaning
Chris Williams
425-392-0102
www.sammamishcarpetcleaning.com



Good guy and does a nice job. 20 years with him and never a problem. I've talked to him and he's supportive of Highland Park and considers us a automatic discount as he is the local guy.

Do you use a dry method? Please give us your comments on this method and how it's worked for you. Who do you use?


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Gutters and Windows

I wish you all the luck with this task. I hate doing it myself and prefer to hire it out. What I have found is that a couple of principles apply to these tasks.

1. Do the windows in the spring after the storms are done and all those drips and rain drops tend not to get on the window on an everyday basis and dry-up as a spot. A repeat in the late summer/fall again to clarify the view out your window. Forget about the late fall and through the Fall. It's a mess and will just get spots and smudges again and again.
2. Do the gutters in the early winter and perhaps again[it depends] if you de-moss your roof. This issue was talked about in the roof section in a previous blog post. When I de-mossed my roof my gutters filled with moss debris shortly after. This is "muck type stuff" as it cleans and all the small particles wash down into the gutter. Also the thing that has to be done is a insurance that the down-spout is clear and clean. A real pro will disconnect the down-spout as it's being cleaned so that the "debris" washes out and not into the side-sewer [in case you didn't know it your down-spouts are connected to the side sewer, so-called clean water that goes back to nature directly]
   

I really don't have anyone in particular that stands out in this field that I have used. I have had good luck with D&D Windows and Gutters for about $350. They tell me today that a blog special is clean windows, inside and out, gutters and downspouts for $275. I can tell you from being in the Medical field that you couldn't pay me to get up on a ladder to do that job. D&D has responded to a small issue that I have had in the past with good response.

D&D Windows and Gutter Cleaners
Office: 253-839-0525
Cell: 206-468-1161

Who have you used and what results have you had?


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Crawl space information

Crawl spaces? Who cares about this stuff? Who go's into their crawl space anyway. The answer is you should.

It has been known that although Bill and Carl Buchan built great homes, they "sub'ed" out many components to contractors. The heating contractors that started out in the first 50 homes built in Highland Park proved to be short on quality of workmanship. I found this out by getting into my crawl space to repair a sump I have access to it via this area. It was warm down there! Why was this?

The answer was some of the duct's where disconnected and some were broken into by rodents [another blog subject]. The insulation was sub code and not as effective due to the installation technique used in the late 80's. It was R-15 but smashed a little from the wire method to suspend it. It just so happened that I saw a truck on the road some months past with the name Clean Crawl Inc.

In a nutshell I had Clean Crawl Inc. inspect and confirm my findings of excess heat in the crawl space. I hired them to increase the insulation by adding another R-15, re-connect and repair the ducts [1 especially] and establish a new vapor barrier. What a difference that made to the warmth of the house and our heating bill. Right off the bat a decrease of $100/month! They did a fabulous job and it's a beautiful sight to see. I think another problem needs to be solved and that will happen when a new furnace arrives, before the winter of 2009. Check out the furnace blog in the future. For now I can give you the information to reach these people but others are good as well. I was happy with their service.

Clean Crawls
Kim Clark
425-864-6970

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Roofing Subjects

I was able to see my original roof go on my home in 1988. Top rated AAA quality shingles with, what I think the label said, 30 year life. In 2003 I added an addition/dormer on the North side of the of the house and that roof came off to add the new room. At 24 years the shakes looked great...on the inside. Ton's of wood fiber with minimal erosion. I found myself pressed to investigate how to make it last to the 30 year promise [ a client of mine in the shake lumber business told me several years ago that these shakes can last 40 years and more if cared for properly]. I also was told by a "roof salesman that these shakes won't last another year, but then again he sells shakes...right?

The shaded parts of the roof were getting moss/lichen collection and that will accelerate deterioration faster than anything. I had consulted some friends in home construction and they advised against the following steps. Don't power wash, don't go up on the roof in the summer [dry shakes crack and add to leaks] and only use Hi pressure air to clean the moss/lichen. They suggested a 3 stage process to help the roof reach it's full life.

1. Hi pressure air clean.
2. Apply anti-moss formula to the roof shakes [spray on].
3. after 6 months re-clean and apply an oil for shakes.
4. Repeat in 5-7 years.

This method is the one suggested to me from people I trust. I have used Legacy Roofing in the past and paid about $1000 for step 1&2 and then again $1000 step 3. Each step involved replacing broken and eroded shakes and most of the ridge.
I have had a leak over a small roof over the kitchen area in the back but this roof has a very shallow slope and therefore drainage is slower and stay wet in winter.

My advice is don't talk yourself into a new roof unless clear global failure is evident. Get advice from several sources and let them know what your goals are for your roof. If you want it to last you likely will hear feedback that involves maintenance but if you ask "do you think it needs replacement" you will likely only hear about replacement. I think it all depends on what you want to do. Anyone out there able to tell us what a new roof costs these days and who's a good contractor?
-ted


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External House Painting

Since posting information about a painter I used he has stopped painting as a career. In case you had not heard this news it's official. Eric no longer paints for a living.

That said I need good contacts for good affordable painters. Please contact me or do a posting yourselves on this blog.

RTQ Painting
425-922-3885
E. John Eikelman
"Eric"

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How to use this Blog

The purpose of this Blog is to provide all types of information pertaining to our homes, neighborhood and environment. I will post the blog subject and you can add more information as a comment. Just click on comment and add your informaton.These comments should be to correct or add more information to the subject. Let me know what you think and how to make this Blog better.