We were recently down in a client’s basement reviewing some heating and electrical issues for an Attic project.  We were stunned to find that the boiler’s flue pipe (the pipe that runs between the boiler and the chimney) had disintegrated and was on the floor.  There was six feet of missing pipe.  The flue gas (carbon monoxide) was going into the house.  Fortunately for the home owner, most of the flue gas was still making its way up the chimney.   It is a miracle that no one in the house died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 

The customer also didn’t have a carbon monoxide detector in his basement.

This is a good reason to have your furnace or boiler serviced every year.  Proper maintenance will prolong the life of your furnace or boiler and hopefully issues like we encountered  will get taken care of before they become serious.

Dream Room Makeover Wish Granted
Wilmette Girl Battling Rare Blood Disorder Gets Celebrity Room Redesign

CHICAGO – Sydney, a creative pre-teen from Wilmette, loves to hang out with her sister and her friends to talk or play video games.  Diagnosed with Langerhan’s Cell Histiocytosis, a rare blood disorder, Sydney wished to have a fabulous room where she can relax and have fun with her friends and family.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation, with help from local businesses and volunteers, is granting Sydneys wish and will present unveil her completed room at the end of January.

Sydney dreamed of a room designed by celebrity designer Nate Berkus.  Make-A-Wish arranged for Sydney to meet Berkus to discuss concepts for her dream room over the summer.  Then, the Foundation worked throughout the fall and early winter with local businesses to execute the plan created by Berkus.  With generous donations from Andy OnCall^® Chicago and North Shore owner Tom Daly, Joan Dotoli, a designer with Walter E. Smithe, and donations of goods and services from other local businesses, the room was recently completed.  The result is a fresh, elegant look with just enough whimsy to suit Sydney’s personality.

Hystocytois is a rare blood disorder where an overabundance of white blood cells begins attacking health bones and tissue. Because of her condition, Sydney has gone through many treatments including chemotherapy and steroids. She tires more easily than other girls her age, but that hasn’t stopped her from expressing her creativity for a cause.  Sydney makes custom necklaces out of unique rocks and donates the proceeds to help find a cure for her disease.

[Quote from wish granter on something special about Sydney and/or the wish experience]

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is able to grant wishes through the generous contributions of individual, community and corporate donors who provide financial support, in-kind gifts of goods and services and volunteer their time and talents.  Since 1985 the Foundation has granted more than 9,000 wishes and continues its mission to share the power of a wish^® with children living with life-threatening medical conditions across Illinois.  For more information or to find out how you can help call contact us at 312.602.WISH or visit www.wishes.org.

You can see photographs and read more about this project at www.wishes.org/wishes/wish-story.cfm?id=52

1) Make Sure Your Furnace is Good to Go

• Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace.
• Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
• Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat.
• Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.

2) Get the Fireplace Ready

• If the chimney hasn’t been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.
• Make sure you have a supply of firewood stored in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.
• Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing.
• Check the mortar between bricks and tuckpoint, if necessary.

3) Check the Exterior, Doors and Windows

• Inspect exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them.
• Make sure the weather stripping around doors is in good condition.
• Replace cracked glass in windows and, if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint exposed wood.

4) Check Roof, Gutters & Downspouts

• Have your roof inspected to check for bad shingles or flashing.
• Clean out the gutters, making sure that downspouts are clear.
• Make sure that your downspouts to direct water away from the home.

5) Service Weather-Specific Equipment

• Drain gas from lawnmowers.
• Service or tune-up snow blowers.
• Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.
• Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.
• Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt / sand.

6) Check Foundations

• Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation.
• Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.
• Tuck-point or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.

7) Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

• Some cities require a smoke detector in every room.
• Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them when daylight savings ends.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and / or water heater.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work.
• Buy a fire extinguisher or replace an extinguisher older than 10 years.

Prevent Plumbing Freezes

• Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency.
• Drain all garden hoses, coil them and store indoors or in a shed.
• Turn off the valves for your exterior garden hose faucets.
• If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.

9) Prepare Landscaping & Outdoor Surfaces

• Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires.
• Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter.
• Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area.

10) Prepare an Emergency Kit for Power Outages

• Flashlight plus extra batteries
• Indoor candles and matches.
• Battery-powered radio.
• Extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies (including pet food, if you have a pet), blankets and a first-aid kit in a dry and easy-to-access location.

Install replace faucet

Install a Ceiling Fan

Paint a room

Install a Garbage Disposal

Deck Maintenance       

Install a Dimmer Switch

Install a new Toilet

Replace a Light Switch

Install a new Garage Utility Door

Weatherproof a Door

Replace a toilet flapper

Repair a hole in drywall or plaster

Change a Furnace Filter

Caulk bathroom

Grab Rail Installation

Wood Rot Repair

Install Insulation

Assemble Furniture

Install crown molding

Install Bathroom wall and floor tile

Install Kitchen Backsplash

Refurbish Basement after flooding

The July issue of Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org) is filled with information on top appliances and simple makeover ideas.  If you are planning a kitchen makeover I recommend picking up a copy.

In the issue they make an interesting point about low ball bids.  They noted that the “low ball contractor” will have to make up for the low bid somehow or might walk off the job when they find that they aren’t making any money on the job.  We have actually stepped in to demo and redo two projects this week where a low ball bid was accepted and the contractor walked away from the job.

Consumer Reports readers who went with a low ball bid ended up spending $1,500 extra on a kitchen and $1,000 on a bathroom remodel.  They recommend that you get several bids and determine what the “normal” cost of your project is and make sure that your contract spells out the open-ended items such as the products supplied or the allowances.   

Andy OnCall generally treats material as a pass through.   You pay what we pay.  There are no open ended allowances.  You know what the labor charge is for a specific scope of work.  Our labor charge only changes if the scope of work does.

I recommend that you review the tab Your Consumer Rights on our website.

Summertime is here meaning it is playtime outside.  But this is also the season for many unintentional injuries in the home.  The Home Safety Council dedicates the month of June – Home Safety Month – to educate and empower both families and businesses to take actions that will make homes safe. 

Standard summertime maintenance & safety suggestions:· Install grab bars in the tub and shower.

·Install bright lights over stairs and steps and on landings.

·Install handrails on both sides of the stairs and steps.

·Use a ladder for climbing instead of a stool or furniture.

·Use baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs, if babies or toddlers live in or visit your home.

·Lock poisons, cleaners, medications and all dangerous items in a place where children and pets can’t reach them.

·Install carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas.

·Build a shed with a lock for storing your lawn equipment, gasoline, pesticides, and pool and/or spa chemicals.

·Install a fence around your pool and/or spa with a locking gate.

·Keep your hot water at or below 120 degrees F to prevent burns.

·Make sure smoke alarms are working or even install fire sprinklers if building a new home.

·Cover the ground under playground equipment with a thick layer (9 – 12 inches) of mulch, wood chips, or other safety material.

• So how do you know if your house needs more insulation?

• The quick way to see if you need more is to look across the span of your attic. If your insulation is just level with or below your joists, you should add more. If you cannot see any of the floor joists because the insulation is well above them, you probably have enough and adding more probably won’t be cost-effective.

• A little bit about insulation:

o Insulation effectiveness is measured by R-Value. The higher the R-Value, the better the performance of the insulation. Insulation in your attic should be R-38 or higher.

o Your insulation should be 10 to 14 inches thick, depending on insulation type.

o When adding additional insulation, you do not have to use the same type of insulation that currently exists in your attic. You can add loose fill on top of fiberglass, and vice-versa. If you use fiberglass over loose fill, make sure the fiberglass has no paper or foil backing; it needs to be “unfaced.”