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Magazine About CBS4 NEWS MAGAZINE
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The CBS4 Magazine is printed and distributed targeting South Florida’s most affluent residents in the region. The CBS4 Magazine delivers award winning journalism you won’t find anywhere else! Our content focuses on local business and community news which include: Health, Real Estate, Consumer News, Automotive and Entertainment. REAL. LOCAL. NEWS. DELIVERED!
SW 8th St
Coral Way
972
Granada Blvd
Miracle Mile 953
976
Coral Gables
Village of Merrick Park
S Le Jeune Rd
SW 37th Ave
SW 57th Ave
959
826 Dadeland Mall
Old
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ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR Nick Bourne nbourne@cbs.com
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SPORTS Jim Berry jberry@wfor.cbs.com Mike Cugno mcugno@cbs.com Leo Gomez gomezl@wfor.cbs.com
4 May-June 2016 | cbsmiami.com
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CBS4 INVESTIGATES Jim DeFede jdefede@wfor.cbs.com Michele Gillen mgillen@cbs.com Jasmine Kripalani jkripalani@cbs.com David Sutta dsutta@cbs.com
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executive producer, special projects & investigations Cari Hernandez chernandez@cbs.com
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LIFESTYLE / ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER Lisa Petrillo lpetrillo@wfor.cbs.com
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REPORTERS Carey Codd cdcodd@wfor.cbs.com Peter D’Oench peter.doench@cbs.com Gaby Fleischman gfleischman@cbs.com Joan Murray jmurray@wfor.cbs.com Gary Nelson gnelson@wfor.cbs.com Lauren Pastrana lpastrana@cbs.com Ted Scouten tscouten@cbs.com Natalia Zea nzea@cbs.com
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WEATHER NEWS John Gerard jgerard@cbs.com Lissette Gonzalez lgonzalez@wfor.cbs.com Craig Setzer csetzer@wfor.cbs.com Michael Smith msmith@cbs.com
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ANCHORS Cynthia Demos cdemos@cbs.com Rick Folbaum rfolbaum@cbs.com Walter Makaula wmakaula@cbs.com Eliott Rodriguez erodriguez@cbs.com Marybel Rodriguez marybel.rodriguez@wfor.cbs.com Irika Sargent isargent@cbs.com Rudabeh Shahbazi rshahbazi@cbs.com
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Managing Editor Alissa Merlo amerlo@cbs.com Executive producer Miguel Fernandez mfernandez@wfor.cbs.com Jorge Gonzalez jgonzalez1@cbs.com Alex Hernandez ahernandez@wfor.cbs.com
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NEWS DIRECTOR Liz Roldan lroldan@cbs.com
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TRAFFIC Vanessa Borge vborge@cbs.com WEB JOURNALISTS Lisa Cilli lcilli@wfor.cbs.com David Dwork ddwork@cbs.com John jmaclauchlan@cbs.com CutlerMacLauchlan Bay Giovanna Maselli gmaselli1@cbs.com magazine production general information Victoria Zayas | Director of Client Relations victoria@cbs4newsmagazine.com 786-565-4556 ADVERTISING sales Tony Gambirazio | Director of Sales tonyg@cbs4newsmagazine.com 786-565-4506 Creative Tammy Kukic Art Director tammy@cbs4newsmagazine.com Newsroom direct number 305-639-4500 Website Please visit www.cbsmiami.com for more information PRINTED IN THE USA, COPYRIGHT © 2015 BY MARCO G, INC. All rights reserved. The CBS4 News Magazine, a free publication, published bimonthly by MARCO G, Inc. Material in this publication must not be stored or reproduced in any form without permission from Marco G. Inc. or WFOR CBS4. Requests for permission should be directed to: info@ cbs4newsmagazine.com. CBS4 and/or Marco G. Inc do not assume any liability for products and/or services claimed in advertisements herein. CBS4 and its logo (s) are protected through trademark registration. The use of logos, content and/or artwork in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. For more information please contact 305.477.1699.
Contents May-June 2016
FEATURE
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10 Need Help To Launch Your Business? 12 Modifying the Body 14 Surviving the 2016 Hurricane Season Health
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22 Self Eye Exam 26 Campus Food Co-Ops life
pg.30
30 Cruising Cuba 46 Tour Filming Locations real estate
pg.58
58 How Record-Breaking Home Values Impact Potential Home Buyers 64 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Home Renovations Home
pg.70
70 Bird Feeder Buying Guide 92 Mirror Frame 34 Coworking Spaces More Offices Opting For Communal Work Spaces
Auto
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126 Does Your Credit Score Affect Your Car Insurance Rate?
need help to launch your business? Don’t Get Scammed By Online Home Business Coaches
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wning your business is a dream worth chasing. But are you chasing it wisely? Can you tell the real opportunities from phony ones? You’ve probably noticed scrolling down social media feeds that there are dozens of coaches offering to help you launch your own online home-based business. They advertise with phrases like: “Live the life you dream of.” “Do less work less, make more money.” “From 0 to $1 million.” This type of marketing language is meant to appeal to your desire for financial and location freedom. It’s a dream a mother of three had been chasing for some time. Shun Jackson of Dallas, Texas said, “After becoming a mom, and then a single mom through divorce, it’s so hard to manage my home life for my kids, basically to be there for them.” Desperate to balance work and motherhood, Jackson paid $1,000 for a program with a coach to help her launch and build her own six-figure business. “She was saying things like multiple six figures. I just said, ‘Okay, she is a single mom, I’m a single mom, so I accepted her offer to coach me,” Jackson said. But, in a short time, Jackson realized her coach was nothing like the image she
had portrayed online. “I automatically trusted her. She was already working with a friend of mine,” Jackson said. “It was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation from what I seen from her online. Once you became a client of hers it was totally different.” Jackson confronted the coach and asked for her money back. With the help of an attorney, Jackson discovered, behind the internet veil, the woman who promised to teach her and dozens of others how to build a six-figure business never earned more than $45,000 a year. She said she felt like the coach misrepresented herself. Brand strategist Lizz Smoak said it’s not always easy to tell who’s real and who is not and suggests being forward. “The question clearly needs to be: When Mr. or Ms. Coach did you hit your six-figure mark?” While there are many legitimate coaches, Smoak said there are also those who prey on your emotion using marketing tactics that seem legit and appeal to your mindset. “This tactic you’re going to see is this new six-figure business. They’re not necessarily saying that they were successful in launching a six-figure business or a million-dollar business. They
are using the terminology loosely so you follow the pied piper.” With the online coaching and teaching industry reaching the billion-dollar mark, the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, has been cracking down on such businesses making empty promises. In 2014, the FTC charged and reached a nearly $3-million settlement with The Online Entrepreneur, an online work at home business that promised consumers a six-figure income. On average, the FTC receives 20,000 similar complaints a year. Jackson said the experience she had with the coach was very depressing, but she admits she didn’t ask for a contract and did not do enough homework before hiring this coach. She also admits to not knowing her rights in the online space. The FTC says you as a consumer have the right to ask for additional information and sellers are required by law to provide you with a disclosure document that must include, identifying information, any legal action against them, their cancellation or refund policy, earnings claims statement and references. To learn more about your rights as a consumer log on to www.ftc.gov.
FEATURE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 11
biohacking:
For Everyday Conveniences
e live in a digital world filled with computers, cell phones even fitness trackers. People now use technology for everyday conveniences by learning how to “hack life.” But how far would you go to make life easier? Krissy Heishman is implanted with a tiny, low frequency microchip. The process is called bio hacking. It’s the size of a grain of rice implanted between her right index finger and her thumb. Why would someone do this? Convenience for one. Heishman said it was to end the hassle of carrying a security badge at work. “So I’d be swiping this thing every time I went in and a lot of times I’m carrying this stuff and it was really inconvenient,” says Heishman. So, with just a wave of her now bionic hand, Heishman’s identity is scanned and verified. Carlos Maldanado is chipped as well, but his implant is different. It communicates with his cell phone, and other gadgets, by simply touching them. “I’m a tech nerd. I want it to unlock my electronics,” he said. He can use it to keep his car locked too. With wireless technology shrinking, microchipping is becoming more mainstream. But getting implanted isn’t happening in a doctor’s office or at a hospital. This “experience” is offered to body
modification clients at tattoo and piercing shops – just like one in Coconut Grove. “I think it’s the future, microchip implants, and it’s the simplest thing to do,” Noel Garcia said. Garcia is among very few people in the country performing this procedure. How is it legal to do something like this at a piercing shop? “It really is no different than getting a flu shot,” Garcia said. “It’s really a basic body piercing technique.” He said he’s done about a dozen in the past couple of years. Anyone can buy the implants and the syringe at DangerousThings.com. It’s use at your own risk, but the founder of DangerousThings.com, Amal Graffstra, suggests being implanted by a doctor or a licensed body piercer. “Most of our customers know what they’re doing and they understand the risk,” Graffstra said. Graffstra runs the Seattle based company. He said business is booming. “Our devices are non-medical in nature. They’re used for all kinds of identity applications. Access control, getting in your house, logging in your computer, that kind of thing so it doesn’t fall under the requirement of the FDA to be approved,” he said. It’s the reason why people like Garcia can do this legally with no questions asked. “This microchip is personal. I really don’t ask if you have a special Ferrari that you need to open the door with or do you have secret doors. We really don’t ask,” Garcia said.
FEATURE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 13
Surviving the 2016 Hurricane Season
Craig Setzer, CBS4 Chief Meterologist csetzer@wfor.cbs.com
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his year marks 11-years since a major storm struck South Florida. It’s an anniversary that is good news for our community but even more reason to make sure you and your family is prepared this hurricane season. We want to help you survive the season but to do that we have to first take you back to 2005. The year 2005, was a record year of hurricane activity and South Florida was not spared. We had a total of 28 named storms. Six of them were major hurricanes. Two storms that year, Katrina and Wilma had a
direct impact on this community. Just one month into the season, the first week of July we were already on our fourth named storm – Dennis. It became a category four hurricane as it approached Cuba. In the end, Dennis just passed to our west. In mid-September, a tropical wave grew into Katrina as it headed toward South Florida.
Katrina came ashore here as a hurricane, passing right over the National Hurricane Center where the wind went calm inside the eye. Six people died in South Florida and flooding was a big problem, especially in South Miami-Dade. And the storms just kept coming, Rita passed just south of the Florida Keys and became another category five storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Then in October of 2005, Wilma hit the Caribbean as a category five with the lowest air pressure recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. Wilma crawled toward the Yucatan Peninsula before coming our way. It crossed South Florida in just four hours but because of the large wind field,
significant storm surge was felt from Naples through the Keys. The winds increased and the back side of the storm was stronger than the front. Wind gusts above 100 miles an hour damaged and ripped off roofs, blew down trees and caused power outages over much of South Florida. It was days for some, weeks for others before the lights came back on. Now fast forward to 2016. And so far, no major storms have hit land in South Florida in more than a decade. It’s officially 11 years since Wilma, and that’s where the biggest risk lies. People have become very complacent. Experts worry that since we haven’t had a storm in so many years people will not adequately prepare and then there is an entire part of the population that has never experienced a strong storm. That includes young people who have grown up here in South Florida and the hundreds of thousands who have migrated to this community. In the meantime, weather experts remain committed to their work. One of the key questions that meteorologists have been trying to figure out is what causes hurricanes to intensify rapidly. Now doctors and researchers are doing just that at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School. At this facility, located on Key Biscayne, researchers hope to better understand some of the fundamentals of heat that help power a hurricane and the friction that slows them down right at the surface. At the school they have what’s called the Sustain Tank, which stands for Surge Structure Atmospheric Interaction Laboratory. This tank is said to be the largest of its kind in the world. It helps researchers study what happens at the air sea interface in extreme winds for hurricane intensity forecasting. As you can imagine it can be very hard to measure hurricane conditions near the ocean surface, so researchers have brought hurricane conditions inside their lab. Doctor Haus explains it as “We can generate waves by blowing wind over the water and we have 1700 horse power fan that can generate winds to a category five strength in the facility.” He also says they have a 12 element wave maker that creates waves that the wind then pushes against it. “When we measure the drag of the ocean and the heat transfer of the ocean right at the sea interface, we can put that into mathematical models that are then used by the hurricane forecasters to understand intensity. So it’s a matter of improving these formulations that go into the models.” According
to Dr. Haus. The doctor goes on to explain that wave tanks will not only help us better understand storm surge but what it also means for South Florida. He claims there are two key ways we can help people living in South Florida. One is more long-term which involves developing better designs for buildings and communities to incorporate rising sea levels. He also emphasizes that since we continue to be vulnerable to tropical systems we need to do the best job of engineering and planning that we can. The second way is related to hurricane intensity forecasting. If we can provide a better idea of how quickly a storm is going to intensify or not then that will allow us to refine evacuation. While this research continues on the ground, there’s an entirely other team that is ready and waiting. We
they actually try to go through it. That real time data the National Hurricane Center wants and needs to broadcast to millions of people is not something they can just access through satellite. They actually need Hurricane Hunters like Gibson to physically go and obtain it from the eye of the storm. The first Hurricane Hunters began flying back in the 1940s. There are now ten such aircrafts which fly directly into the core of tropical cyclones. And while weather experts study, research and prepare for the next big one, there is one important message they want to get across to the community but struggle with getting people to understand and that’s the impact of storm surge. Storm surge, according to Jamie Rhome, storm surge specialist at the National Hurricane
“So the killer in hurricanes is storm surge, not wind. Wind is only killing a small percent of people. Storm surge is the hazard that is killing people and we want the public to be aware” are talking about the Hurricane Hunters. “They all have a little different personality you know. Some will knock your back teeth out and some are like a roller coaster or a ride like Disney’s Tower of Terror.” That is how Lt. Col. Keith Gibson, Director of Operations for the Hurricane Hunters describes flying through storms. “I think probably one of the biggest things as a pilot as we’re flying one of these huge storms is the surreal nature of it. You know it can be pretty rough in the storm as we’re penetrating the eye, going through the different quadrants.” Gibson said. One of the primary missions of the Hurricane Hunter aircraft is to not only fly through the storm and sample the environment, but to see what’s going on all the way down to the ocean and to accomplish they use what is called a GPS Dropsonde. Typically, the device is dropped out of the plane, a parachute attached to it deploys and it floats all the way down to the surface. “They get it out of the airplane using a tube and when it’s ready to go the meteorologist yells, ‘drop it.” Gibson says what’s actually happening is that they are actually recording these storms so they can go back through training and look at how they penetrated the storm. They usually don’t fly around the most severe weather
Center, in its simplest form is just the rise of sea-level that comes from the strong winds of a hurricane, so the strong winds are simply pushing the ocean on land. Rhome says it’s easy for people to visualize what strong winds can do because they see the wind blow every day, they see thunderstorms but what the average person doesn’t see is sea level rise 10 feet, 20 feet and see it move inland 20 miles. To simplify the message, storm surge will now be measured in feet above ground level. So imagine someone who is 5 feet 9 inches tall. If the storm surge is at 6 feet then that person would be underwater. “So the killer in hurricanes is storm surge, not wind. Wind is only killing a small percent of people. Storm surge is the hazard that is killing people and we want the public to be aware,” according to Rhome. Part of simplifying that message will be a graphical display of who would be under a storm surge watch or warning if it were issued. Right now, a prototype graphic illustrating storm surge is in the experimental phase. “It will convey critical information such as the area most likely to receive lifethreatening flooding,” according to Rhome. You can count on that message being front and center this hurricane season. FEATURE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 15
THE STARS WILL BE SINGING THIS JUNE Karaoke fans! Come join us for the event of the summer at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood on June 17 at 7pm. It’s the 2nd Annual Singing with the Stars to benefit Neighbors 4 Neighbors. We are thrilled to announce for the 2nd year in a row our host will be the very talented Cynthia Demos. Bid to sing with your favorite stars along with a live band! Can’t join us live? No problem, go online and vote for Rock Star of the Night! Your donation will be included with the ones raised on the night of the event—it’s a win-win! When you support Neighbors 4 Neighbors, you’re helping kids go back to school with the tools they need, as well as distribute gently worn Halloween costumes to kids in need, provide gifts, food and friendship to families in need over the holidays, and assist families, teens and veterans in finding a home. We appreciate each and every one of your contributions. For more information on Singing with the Stars, and to be the first find what fabulous stars will be lighting up the stage, please log on to at http://neighbors4neighbors.org/stars. See you there!
CALLING ALL NON-PROFITS, VOLUNTEERS ARE JUST A CLICK AWAY Calling all South Florida nonprofits. Neighbors 4 Neighbors has hundreds of skilled and talented volunteers that want to help you and those you serve. They are musicians, teachers, gardeners, yoga instructors, web designers, handymen and women, and the list goes on and on. These are people willing to lend their talents to help your organization. We know, often there is not enough funding to provide all the services you need, so sign up your nonprofit today and we will train you to use our volunteer matching website www.helpingfeelsgood.org. Training is virtual, and quick. You’ll be on your way to getting high quality, volunteers for almost anything you can think of. Contact Katy at 305-597-4404 or via email at katy@neighbors4neighbors.org to get started.
SPELLING OUT THE ABC’s Of SAFE SLEEP Neighbors 4 Neighbors along with our partners at the Children’s Services Council of Broward county and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies want you to know, when putting a baby to sleep it is important to follow the ABCs of safe sleep. Babies should be alone, on their backs and in an empty crib. When we skip any of these steps, like letting them sleep in bed with us or with their favorite stuffed animal, we put our babies at risk. And on average, nearly one baby dies every other week in our community due to these unsafe sleep practices. Protect your baby by following the ABCs of safe sleep. Learn more at www.neighbors4neighbors.org/Safe-Sleep Neighbors 4 Neighbors is generously supported by the Herbert Hoover Foundation and The Children’s Services Council of Broward County.
FEATURE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 17
health
AHA: Heart Attack Causes, Symptoms Are Different In Women
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woman’s heart attack may have different causes and symptoms and some risk factors can be even more dangerous, according to a new, first-ever statement from the American Heart Association. Three years ago, Marsha Goodbaum felt nauseous and had stomach pains. She finally headed to the hospital hours later. “I had no idea I was having a heart attack. I really expected shoulder pain or heavy chest pain,” said Goodbaum.
A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association says there can be some key differences between men and women when it comes to heart attack symptoms. “It may not feel like they expect it to feel but there is usually discomfort somewhere in the chest area, and/or in the neck, the jaw, the back, the upper stomach. It can be in either arm or shoulder,” said Dr. Harmony Reynolds with the NYU Langone Medical Center. This is the first time the association has put out a statement on heart attacks in women, which highlights that women often have different causes of heart attack such as the type of plaque buildup. Some risk factors can also be
more harmful. “Diabetes can be twice as strong a risk factor. High blood pressure is a stronger risk factor,” said Dr. Reynolds. One year later , Goodbaum had the same symptoms and another heart attack. This time she didn’t wait. “I tell my friends if they have stomach pain, or slight nausea don’t hesitate. I hesitated. I’m glad I’m alive after that,” said Goodbaum. She continues to manage her high cholesterol and high blood pressure with medication, diet and exercise. The report also says that black and Hispanic women have more risk factors such as diabetes and obesity at the time of their heart attacks.
HEALTH cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 19
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ophthalmologist in your state who evaluates them and writes you a prescription you can use anywhere. “It’s much more convenient and less expensive than going to the eye doctor,” said Dallek. But is it enough? Dr. Stephen Loomis, president of the American Optometric Association doesn’t think so. “I just don’t understand how just looking at those numbers that come back from an automated system can really tell the doctor what he or she needs to know regarding what that patient’s prescription ought to be. Much less understanding what the patient’s general health or eye situation is,” said Loomis. He worries that some people will be misled into thinking they’ve had a complete exam, when in reality the vision is only a small part of what eye doctors look for. “I examine the cornea, the tear film, all the components of the external portion of the eye,” he added. Dallek insists their system was never designed to replace traditional eye exams, only supplement them. The Opternative eye exam is only for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It costs $40 for either glasses or contacts; $60 for both. They do not accept vision insurance at this time.
HEALTH cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 23
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Form To Eat
Healthy We’re seeing more and more co-ops pop up on campuses. One of the reasons is that students want to have more control over their food options and what they’re putting into their bodies.” Kathleen Grad
ating at college brings to mind dining halls, endless desserts and, of course, the ‘freshman 15’. But now, more college students are forming, and joining, food co-operatives on campus for access to fresh, healthy food at affordable prices. Lauren Troop was determined to eat healthy when she got to campus, but found finding fresh, affordable, nutritious food was a challenge. “The options that were available weren’t very extensive for people who don’t eat meat, or are gluten free or have some kind of dietary restriction,” said Troop. So when she heard that some students were starting a dining coop with support from the school, she was on board. “As I got involved I started to become really passionate about the co-operative model,” said Troop. Owned by the employees and volunteers, the Rad Dish Cafe serves up fresh, locally sourced, organic, vegetarian and vegan options for students, and members make all decisions about its operation. “We’re seeing more and more co-ops pop up on campuses. One of the reasons is that students want to have more control over their food options and what they’re putting into their bodies,” said Temple University Director of Sustainability Kathleen Grady. Grady advises students involved with the cafe. She points out that co-ops on campus take different forms, like bakeries, dining clubs or co-ops where students pool resources to get bulk rates on fresh produce. Students say being involved in a co-op helps them make healthy choices. “I’ve learned a lot about preparing healthy meals, vegetarian meals, seasonally available meals,” said Taylor Stack The benefits go beyond nutrition, Grady notes that co-ops are great teaching tools. “They’re getting hands on experience that they would never get in a classroom, and they’re being challenged to think about things that would never come up in books,” said Grady. “After becoming a part of the co-op I realized that I love running my own business and I switched my major to entrepreneurship,” said Stack. Grady said one of the challenges of co-ops on campus is continuity. Since students graduate, it’s important to have a transition plan and a new crop of students to take over running the co-op.
HEALTH cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 27
Life
U.S.A
Cruising Cuba
Miami
Cruises to Cuba set to sail from Miami
Havana
Cuba
t
By Gary Nelson • gnelson@wfor.cbs.co
his fall, 115 scheduled airline flights a day will begin service to airports throughout Cuba. But the jets won’t get there first. A not-soslow boat to Havana will beat them. Carnival Cruise Line’s Fathom division will begin weekly cruises to Cuba beginning May 1st. Fathom President Tara Russell has worked more than two years to make it happen. “We’re truly honored and humbled that we were the first to receive both U.S. approval and Cuban approval to sail,” Russell told CBS4’s Gary Nelson. The 705 passenger ship MV Adonia will carry visitors from Port Miami to Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago De Cuba, circumnavigating the island on seven night voyages. The trips are billed as cultural excursions, but a good time is promised. “We have so many fun things on board. We have dance lessons, fun conversational Spanish, Cuban food, Cuban musicians; we have bands coming on board,” Russell said. On shore there will be visits to museums and farms, but also restaurants and clubs. The cruises will provide considerable upside for Cuban business. “The transportation infrastruc-
ture, the bus companies; everyone now has opportunities that they didn’t have before,” said Russell. Before, travel to Cuba involved burdensome bureaucracy. Individual travelers had to jump through an array of paperwork hoops, but not if you book a cruise now. “We handle the affidavits, we handle the visas, we handle the medical insurance, all the things that are necessary to travel to Cuba,” said Russell. “They can be complex, but we take care of it all.” Cuban cruising has its critics. Florida Governor Rick Scott recoiled at the plans when they were announced last year. “The Obama administration is basically rewarding the Castro brothers for not doing the right things. They don’t believe in democracy, they don’t believe in political freedom,” Scott said on July 8th. Those at the helm of expanded travel, however, see rewards on the horizon. “I have a lot of empathy and sensitivity to the past, but I also really hope that we all have the courage to look forward differently,” said Russell, who is convinced that for the U.S. and the Cuban people cruising will prove to be a bon voyage.
LIFE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 31
Le VaL de Loire
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Coworking Spaces By Rudabeh Shahbazi rshahbazi@cbs.com
More Offices Opting For Communal Work Spaces
M
ore and more places are kicking cubicles to the curb and putting in community tables to be used as new desk space. Times have changed and we no longer do the type of physical, repetitive work we used to. Today, there is higher demand for work spaces that allow for collaboration
and inclusion. And We Work is in. They’re one of the largest co-working spaces in South Florida. “It’s more like a plug and play mentality which is what we’re accustomed to, right? In today’s day and age, and that’s exactly what I love about We Work,” said Mo Abbas with Apeiron. Their Miami Beach office is four
floors with 40,000 square feet. It’s one of five new locations where ideas flow as freely as coffee and beer – everyday – all day. “The four walls of the We Work community is an energy. I really like to be inside of as an entrepreneur and a creator,” said Mathew Sherman with the Organic Cold-Pressed Juice Company. For these mobile entrepreneurs, being able to have access to offices across the world makes co-working spaces like We Work a no-brainer. “As we go to do research and development trips to other cities having a space to go collect our
thoughts together and visit another conference room our work from a hot desk at another location has been a huge logistical benefit for me,” said Sherman. “Entrepreneurs in general tend to be like-minded, tend to flock together, tend to want to be exposed to certain environment. You have to cultivate those resources to build your business, right,” said Abbas. For $350 a month you can have unlimited weekday access to common work space. We Work is not the only option. You can search for work spaces and you’ll find a number of other options. LIFE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 35
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COUNTY HACK HACKERS REVEAL HOME ADDRESSES OF COPS, JUDGES AND MORE
P
By Gary Nelson • gnelson@wfor.cbs.co
olice are in a dangerous job to begin with but the danger has now been increased by nefarious fingers on a keyboard. Circulating online is a searchable database revealing the names, birth dates and home addresses of more than 7,500 South Florida police officers, prosecutors, judges and other public officials whose personal information is — or was — protected by law. Cops call it scary. “It involves the safety and security of our police officers and their families, and we have seen many a time when officers have been targeted just by the mere nature of their profession,” said John Rivera, president of the Police Benevolent Association representing Miami-Dade officers and several other municipal departments. The hacking of the personal information for those in law enforcement has prompted multiple investigations.
Special Agent Mike Leverock of the Miami FBI office told CBS4 News, “We are aware of the matter and are looking into it,” declining to provide further detail. Among those on the online database are FBI agents, Secret Service agents and Homeland Security agents. Russian hackers ostensibly broke into the classified data at the behest of some who are angry over perceived police abuses. Online comments include references to the case of Claudia Castillo, a citizen whose dash cam recorded a speeding Miami-Dade officer who she pulled over on an expressway ramp in January. The officer apologized, but the president of Miami’s police union posted a photo of Castillo online, apparently drinking a beer while operating a boat. Her cell phone number was also posted. In Palm Beach County, some have decried allegedly heavy-handed police tactics against minorities and other alleged abuses. Eight days ago, South Florida’s Homeland Security task force, or Fusion Center, issued an alert to law enforcement agencies saying that those on the hacked list should be “vigilant of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity.”
Some cops are angry they learned of the security breach from the media, not their agency or county hall. “We find that disgusting because for the past two weeks our officers, their information, was out there and no one knew about it,” said the PBA’s Rivera. A quick review of the thousands of hacked names reveal at least a dozen Miami-Dade judges on the list. One judge, who spoke not for attribution, said he was dismayed to learn from CBS4 News that his name, date of birth and home address had been posted online. No one apparently knows how the thousands of names and addresses were culled by the hackers. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s office issued a statement saying, “We cannot confirm whether information was compromised through county systems or other sources.” In any event, police and others who have to watch their backs on the jobs now must be on the lookout at home, as well. At time of press, the data base of public officials — that span from South Florida to the panhandle — remained on the web. CBS4 News is not reporting the address of the primary website that has posted the information.
“It involves the safety and security of our police officers and their families, and we have seen many a time when officers have been targeted just by the mere nature of their profession.” John Rivera
LIFE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 39
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La Camaronera Taste of the town:
By Lisa Petrillo • lpetrillo@wfor.cbs.com
I
t is the ultimate Cuban fish fry at La Camaronera Fish Joint and Seafood Market in Little Havana. It’s a family owned favorite and hidden gem of locals since – are you ready? “We’ve been here 43 years,” said owner David Garcia. “It was only Ushaped counters and people used to eat only standing up, we didn’t have any stools, people ate at the counters, it was definitely unique.” The business began in Havana, Cuba where Garcia’s father, Arsenio, and his 10 brothers caught fish, filleted them and sold them. “This is something we used to do right across the street from our house in Cuba, we were a family of fishermen” he said. “We used to have a fruit cart and we’d sell this and the black eyed pea fritters we do now.”
In 1966, after leaving Castro’s Cuba, they began their small fish business in a strip mall off W Flagler Street. While a lot has changed since it was a ‘stand up and eat’ shop, a lot has remained the same. “Since we’ve been here 43 years families have been able to come back with their kids who are now older and we are catering to everyone now,” said Garcia. The food is definitely what keeps them coming back. The iconic eight dollar “Minuto Sandwich” is made with Keys caught yellowtail snapper that is breaded, flash fried and served on a Cuban roll – with the tail on. “Now I know why its the biggest seller,” I said, just after after taking a bite. “It’s a super tender, fresh, juicy fish, but then that fry
Photo provided by La Camaronera
on outside and the tail make it crunchy with the Cuban bread on the outside.” Next up, Gulf caught grilled shrimp served with sautéed onions and salad. My reaction after tasting? “The shrimp is so fresh and then with the grilled onions that give it crunch, it tastes like it just came out of the water.” Another crowd pleaser is a whole yellowtail snapper, which has been carved into bite-sized pieces, served with fresh lime. All I can say is you would not know this is fried. It’s light and flaky, the lime adds some zip. It’s probably the best fried fish I’ve ever had. La Camaronera where fresh fried fish and family go hand in hand. La Camaronera is opened 7 days a week.
LIFE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 43
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Tour filming locations
“Set Jetting” Growing As Vacation Trend
Left: Hobbiton Movie Set in New Zealand. Filming location for Lord of the Rings. Photo by Troy Wegman / Shutterstock.com. Above: Glenfinnan viaduct, Scotland.Harry Potter filming location. Right: The Cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral in England. Harry Potter filming location.
T
here’s a new trend in vacations and it centers around the traveler’s favorite television shows and movies. You’ve heard of jet-setting, but how about set-jetting? That’s when you travel to the set of beloved movies, TV shows, or even book settings. This kind of travel has exploded in recent years, with people covering the globe to see destinations previously featured on the big screen, or “as seen on TV.” Tour companies are built around it and customized trips are offered to get you on set, if you’re willing to pay the price. Traveling to England specifically to visit film locations from Harry Potter movies didn’t seem extreme at all to Kymri Wilt. “The books came out when I was pregnant with my daughter and my husband and I were reading them through pregnancy and she grew up with the books and the movies,” said Wilt. It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime for her daughter, Zuri. “Being able to explore those places was very exciting,” she said. “Everyone dreams of waking up in the middle of a film, you know, whether it’s the glamour of James Bond or the magic of Harry Potter, and so travelers these days are doing just that-they’re booking trips to destinations where their favorite TV shows and movies were filmed,” said Colleen Clark with Jetsetter.com. Professor Roger Riley studies film-induced tourism and explained the appeal. “Primarily, it’s the attractiveness of the land itself. One might think of the hillscapes in Lord of the Rings in
the south island of New Zealand. One might think of the blue mountains of the Man of Snowy River in Australia,” Riley said. But there are other motives for movie travel. “It can be the relationship between characters, or a specific character, and they want to see where they met, or they want to see where it was that they were doing it,” he explained. This kind of travel can get expensive, especially with sets in other countries. “You’re kind of investing in that, you know, insider access you wouldn’t normally get if you planned it on your own,” Clark said. Clark said there are different ways of doing movie set escapes, like self-led tours or guided ones. “Self-led is great because you can kind of immerse yourself in the experience and see the destinations that are important to you, but if you want the sort of insider experiences you should really go with a company that can hook you up with these sort of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” she said. But Dr. Riley cautions that things may not always appear as they did before movie magic. “Sometimes the destination doesn’t look like it was on the movie set, but oftentimes you can see yourself in the movie with that visitation, the completion of the circle I think is what it is, I experienced it myself,” Riley said. For travelers, like Wilt, reality was almost as good as fiction. “They seemed magical because something special happened there and whether the films were using special effects or we were fans of the actors or what have you, it, it brought a lot more to the experience,” she said. LIFE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 47
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By Lauren Pastrana lpastrana@cbs.com
Study: Sleeping With Pets Could Have Positive Health Benefits
S
haring your sheets with your dog or cat may be a good thing, a new study suggests. Some experts say you may still want to consider alternate arrangements. Dayle Fragin has a soft spot for dogs. Not just in her heart, but also on her bed. “You can see it’s their house,” she said as she welcomed CBS4’s Lauren Pastrana to her North Miami Beach home. “It’s their home. They’re second chance dogs. I feel they need to feel comfort for the rest of their life.” Dayle, a full-time volunteer at the Humane Society of Great Miami, shares her bed with six dogs— schnauzers Muffin, Onyx, Minnie, Fred, and Heidi, and a mix named Carly.
“One moves, the other comes in, I never know who’s on top of me, next to me. We rotate. On the bed, on top of the bed. Wherever we fit,” she said. Dayle’s not alone. CBS4 viewers sent us dozens of photos of their pets snuggled up under the covers. “I just adore them. They show you so much love, companionship, friendship, anything in the world anyone could ask for,” Dayle said. Sleep experts have long thought that pets in the bedroom are disruptive to a person’s sleep, but a recent Mayo Clinic survey found 41 percent of patients who share their beds with their animals find it beneficial. Some say it helps them relax and gives a sense of security. But 20 percent of respondents admitted their pets interrupted their sleep. “Currently, the pets are not allowed in the bedroom. We have dogs and cats. They aren’t allowed back where the bedrooms are,” said Dr. Sarah Evans. Dr. Evans with Miami Veterinary Services says sleeping with Sparky could have negative health effects. “Allergies for one,” she said. “Then you get in to the fleas, and the ticks and the bugs and bacteria that are on dogs. They’re dirty.” Dr. Evans says if your pets do sleep on your bed, you should be sure to wash your sheets frequently. Dayle says she washes hers multiple times a week.
As a board certified surgeon, Dr. Evans also encourages you to take precautions to make sure your pets don’t get hurt. “The jumping on and off of the bed is really bad for the neck, the spine, the elbows, the shoulders,” Dr. Evans said. “A ramp for them to get on and off the bed I think is great. And having some times throughout the day or night where the bed is restricted. So it’s not free. So they know there are some boundaries.” Certified trainer and animal behavior consultant Rose Lesniak says you do have to be careful. “My grandmother rolled over and killed her Chihuahua in bed,” she said. But that experience doesn’t mean she thinks dogs shouldn’t sleep in bed with their owners. “I think whatever people want their dogs to do, they should do. I don’t believe it ruins the dog to have the dogs in bed. The whole notion comes out that long ago people did not even connect with their animals, they were working animals,” Lesniak said. For Dayle, her dogs are her babies, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. When asked what she would do if she was told her dogs could no longer sleep on the bed, she said “I have to sleep on the floor with them.” Dr. Evans says it’s perfectly fine for pets to sleep on the floor, and she says pet beds are a great option if you think your furry friend will feel more comfortable.
LIFE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 51
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take your pick By Lauren Pastrana • lpastrana@cbs.com
Egg Bank Caters To People Looking To Grow Their Families
ive-foot nine. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. A master’s degree. These may sound like qualities you’d see listed on a dating profile. But similar rules apply when you’re courting the perfect egg. “They’re educated. They’re young. They’re healthy,” said Dr. Mark Denker, a reproductive endocrinologist and partner at the South Florida International Egg Bank in Boca Raton. “We want someone
with a good family history. No genetic defects. Somebody that is healthy, nondrinker, non-smoker. No drugs and someone that is not overweight. We’re looking for personality and of course, looks.” In a sterile room, protected by a sophisticated keypad, dozens of eggs from carefully screened donors are kept in tanks filled with liquid nitrogen. Unlike in a fresh egg donation cycle, these eggs are frozen ahead of time, a somewhat recently perfected process, and
parents-to-be can choose a donor by simply perusing a website that shows everything from photos and physical attributes, to whether the donors’ eggs have resulted in successful pregnancies before. Dr. Denker says freezing eggs for donation saves time and money. It can also be fairly profitable for donors. “I was in college. I was just going through the motions of life. It helped out financially with my college education at
the time. But I also knew it was rewarding. I was doing something good for someone else. It was a win-win situation,” said Jennifer Ingle. Ingle is Dr. Denker’s partner at the egg bank, and is Egg Donation Director for the Eggceptional Donor Group. “I donated for 2 couples that both had twins,” she told CBS4’s Lauren Pastrana. Ingle says she made $10,000 for each of her donations. She says the South Florida International Egg Bank pays its approved donors a flat $7,000 fee. But it’s not unheard of for agencies or intended parents to sometimes pay different amounts based on certain, in-demand characteristics. “One of the things that we’ve seen a lot is an increased desire for multi ethnic donors,” Dr. Denker said. Donors must have a healthy body mass index. Meaning, for example, a woman who is 5’5” can’t weigh more than 162 pounds if she wants to donate eggs. And at this egg bank, they require donors to be between 21 and 31, with some education above a high school diploma. “Every donor has a psychological evaluation in a session with a trained psychologist that is experienced with donations and talks to them about all these issues, so they really have a chance to think about it and know what they’re getting into,” Dr. Denker explains. Now pregnant herself, Ingle says she has no regrets. “I gave a cell. That’s what I gave,” she said. “If it wasn’t for the love of those parents, that child wouldn’t exist.” The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has guidelines against paying more for certain looks. According to its website, it’s “already working with the FDA to develop regulations on donated reproductive tissues.” Dr. Denker says fresh egg donation cycles are still slightly more successful than frozen egg bank cycles. But he says the pregnancy rates are improving every day. LIFE cbsmiami.com | May-June 2016 55
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How Record-Breaking Home Values Impact Potential Home Buyers
Content provided by zillow.com BY LAUREN BRAUN Recent record-breaking home values in 26 percent of the country’s housing markets are both a sign of recovery and another barrier for home buyers as they head out into this season’s competitive housing market. San Francisco and San Jose shattered their median home-value records months ago. But more recently, markets in the South and even the Midwest and Northeast have also surpassed bubble peaks and clocked some of the highest median home values on record for their markets. Nearly half of all housing markets that recently reached new peaks were in the South, led by hot markets in Texas and Tennessee.
More than a quarter of U.S. housing markets recently became more valuable than ever before, a sign full recovery is near.
Low inventory drives up prices Across the country, the number of homes listed for sale is much lower than it was a year ago, which means buyers’ options are limited. Even if a buyer has a down payment, finding a house can be incredibly difficult. In Portland, OR, inventory is down 28 percent, while home values are at an all-time high, up 13 percent. Limited inventory means increased competition for those homes that are available, spurring bidding wars and pricing out entry-level buyers. For first-time buyers, rising home prices and high monthly rental payments are making it difficult to save for a down payment to compete with trade-up or all-cash buyers. Are we in another housing bubble? The record-breaking home values have some experts worried about a new housing bubble, particularly in hot markets like San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego and Los Angeles. San Francisco and San Jose have been appreciating at a double-digit pace for several months, and Denver has been appreciating at this pace since the end of 2013. Many view this as an unsustainable pace of appreciation. The job market is hot in tech hubs like San Francisco and Seattle. With increased competition for homes in these markets, low inventory and high home prices start to have a real impact on renters looking to enter the housing market. Returning to normal The good news about rising home values is that fewer homeowners owe more on their mortgage than their homes are worth. When those homeowners are no longer underwater, they can sell their homes, raising inventory. More homes on the market means more options for home buyers. It also means we are that much closer to a “normal” housing market, where home values reach new records each month. “These new records mean we’re no longer making up ground lost during the housing recession,” said Zillow Chief Economist Svenja Gudell. “Instead, we’re laying a new path forward, based on demand for housing and economic growth throughout the economy. In some ways, the housing market has seen a return to normalcy, and these markets are well on their way. In an ideal world, they’ll set a new record home value every month as their home values rise at a normal pace. The fact that some markets are still off by double digits just highlights how extraordinarily inflated home values had been during the housing bubble.”
REAL ESTATE | May-June 2016 59
Recently Sold Content provided by zillow.com
20 Calabria Ave APT 302, Coral Gables, FL 33134 CONDO | Built in: 2004 Sold: 3/29/2016 for
$346,500
R
Size (sq. ft.)
beds
1,202 2
baths
2
are opportunity to own a property in the charming boutique building of Villa Calabria, built in 2004. Open floor plan. High ceilings. Split bedroom plan offers privacy. Large master bath boasts standing shower and Jacuzzi tub. Floors are hardwood throughout. Building offers a beautiful rooftop veranda with ample seating and view of surrounding Gables. Centrally located & convenient to trolley, restaurants, shops of Coral Gables.
7015 SW 67th Ave # 18, South Miami, FL 33143 CONDO | Built in: 1977 Sold: 4/13/2016 for
$440,000
A
Size (sq. ft.)
2,200
beds
baths
3 3
rare opportunity to live in The Banyans of South Miami. Large townhome with volume ceilings,marble/tile/carpet flooring, fireplace, Kitchen w/SS appliances. High efficiency Trane A/C replaced 2010. Family room, Walled and private rear patio, Accordion shutters. All bedrooms upstairs. Master with private balcony,remodeled bath and walk in closet. Detached garage just steps from home. HOA fee $635/mo covers insurance,water/sewer,termite, bldg ext, pool,tennis. A small, well managed community.
Recently Sold Content provided by zillow.com
409 Catalonia Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134 SINGLE FAMILY | Built in: 1959 Sold: 4/5/2016 for
$580,000
B
Size (sq. ft.)
beds
baths
1,637 3
3
eautifully updated 3BR/2.5BA home in the heart of the Gables. Enjoy spacious open living & dining areas, tastefully appointed kitchen w granite counters & SS appliances, back patio area for entertaining. Comfortable BR’s, beautiful fixtures in all BA’s. Marble floors throughout, tasteful moldings & plantation shutters abound. Central gables location. Master BR features walk-in closet, beautifully renovated bath w double sinks. Walk to Youth Center & library.
605 Altara Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33146 SINGLE FAMILY | Built in: 1955 Sold: 4/12/2015 for
$682,000
S
Size (sq. ft.)
beds
1,928 3
baths
pectacular 3/2 , with updated/new bathrooms and expansive kitchen , is ready for a new discerning owner. Kitchen features Cherry wood cabinets, granite counter tops and island cooking as well as stainless steel appliances . Upgrades include new plumbing and septic , A/C and electrical, as well as coral rock patio. Windows recently replaced to new storm code. Brick driveway and walkway lead to front porch.
3
REAL ESTATE | May-June 2016 61
Recently Sold Content provided by zillow.com
7771 SW 162nd St, Palmetto Bay, FL 33157 SINGLE FAMILY | Built in: 1988 Sold: 4/13/2016 for
$838,000
T
Size (sq. ft.)
beds
5,302 5
baths
5
otally remodeled executive residence in North Palmetto Bay on builder’s 1/2 acre with a pool. New tile roof 2016, (2) Trane high eff units. New tile floors throughout with wood in bedrooms. Kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite counters and breakfast area. Two master bedrooms, volume tongue and groove ceilings throughout living areas. French doors, freshly painted in/out. Formal living w/ fireplace. Circular drive w/pavers. Located in excellent school district. No HOA.
6645 SW 129th Ter, PINECREST, FL 33156 SINGLE FAMILY | Built in: 1959 Sold: 4/4/2016 for
Size (sq. ft.)
$1,000,000 5,660
B
beds
baths
5 4
eautifully appointed Colonial style home in Pinecrest has been priced to sell. Sitting amid lush landscape on a gorgeous 31,000 Sq. Ft. lot, this home features 5 BR/4 BA, formal dining room, large kitchen w/breakfast room adjacent to huge family room, pantry, laundry, 2 car gar & extensive storage. Master bedroom is on the second floor & has a huge veranda with a magnificent view of the backyard. A delightful pool w/ waterfall, an oversized patio, and lovely garden make this home great for entertaining.
Recently Sold Content provided by zillow.com
3603 Granada Blvd, Coral Gables, FL 33134 SINGLE FAMILY | Built in: 1930 Sold: 3/23/2016 for
$2,130,000
U
Size (sq. ft.)
beds
4,263 5
baths
6
nderstated elegance in this 1930’s Art Modern historic landmark on beautiful Granada Blvd. Tastefully updated by current owner including impact windows and doors, new hardwood floors, updated bathrooms, new custom millwork, updated guest house with kitchen and bath, renovated pool area. Located on a 17,500 sq.ft. corner lot, this home allows for great entertaining areas, formal dining room, formal living room, family room, den facing beautiful pool area, gourmet eat-in kitchen with stainless steel.
5250 Snapper Creek Rd, Coral Gables, FL 33156 SINGLE FAMILY | Built in: 2006 Sold: 4/4/2016 for
$5,762,500
S
Size (sq. ft.)
beds
9,997 7
baths
9
pectacular estate located in gated community of Snapper Creek Lakes. Property has 10,265 Square Feet of living area on a 49,658 Square Foot corner lot with 2-gated entrancesand 3-car garage. Each of the 7 bedrooms comes with an on-suite bath. The stately master suite includes sitting area, massive closetand bath with 2 water closets, hisand hers vanities, walk-in showerand Jacuzzi tub. House amenities include wine cellar, theatre room, security camera system, marble floors, stainless steel appliancesand summer kitchen to name a few.
REAL ESTATE | May-June 2016 63
5 Things You Didn’t Know About
Home Renovations Ready to remodel? Add these facts to your toolkit first.
H
Content provided by zillow.com by NATALIE WISE
ome renovations are so shiny and attractive on the surface that it’s hard to imagine the ways they can go terribly wrong. But before you can enjoy the finished result, you’re likely to hit a few bumps in the road. Here are five things you may not know about home renovations. They just might help you make decisions that keep you from regretting your DIY efforts. You may need a permit (and getting one will take time and effort) Every town has its own rules, but most major work (such as taking down walls, installing fences, updating plumbing and electrical systems, and cutting in new doors and windows) will require a permit. With certain permits come the even-more-exciting inspections process. If you’re DIYing, it can take quite a bit of research to figure out exactly what permits you need and how to go about getting them. Hiring a contractor can take some of the sting out of the process. Depending on your town, the rules may still require the homeowner, not the contractor, to obtain the permit, but a pro will be more familiar with the system and can help steer you in the right direction. Improvements may not pay off Most homeowners think they are instantly adding to their home’s resale value by upgrading and remodeling. But out-pricing the market with fancy interiors is going to cost when they try to sell their home. For better chances of recouping your costs, stick with the going range of the neighborhood. Certain home improvements are almost guaranteed to bring a good return-on-investment when selling a home. These include updating bathrooms and kitchens, which are always important to buyers. You might also consider finishing the basement and adding a bathroom. Neutral finishes and standard appliances are your best bet for resale value. Hiring a professional may be cheaper When it comes to number-crunching, a professional
might actually come out cheaper in the long run. Make sure to do your homework and get a few quotes before committing to doing it yourself. Don’t forget to include the intangibles: your own time, energy, interest, and skill levels, as well as how long you can live in a work zone. If you do it yourself, you may be getting into costs you didn’t anticipate, such as equipment rentals, bribing friends to help, and needing to take time off work. Any home improvement project — DIY or professional — is likely to go over-budget, so either way, factor in at least 10-percent overages. Good contractors book months out No one ever tells you this when you’re strolling down the aisles of the latest bathroom fixtures, dreaming of relaxing in your new spa tub by the end of the month. Sure, some contractors are available right away. But that means they aren’t booking jobs. Good contractors will be booked months out, so be sure to schedule accordingly. Aside from being well-booked, how can you tell a contractor is a “good” one? Be sure to get recommendations from friends and family. Ask potential contractors for a list of past clients and current projects, and inspect the work they’ve had done, if possible. Of course, make sure the contractor is licensed, bonded and insured by asking for proof. Finally, don’t forget to ask about subcontractors and who they work with, and research those names as well. Reusing materials may cost more Trying to be conservative with materials can be a pricey proposition. Many home owners ask contractors to try to be stingy with materials, but this will end up costing much more in time. It’s usually less expensive to cut into a new 2×4 than to pay the contractor the extra time it will take to reuse one. The same goes for repurposing old or salvaged materials. They require extra TLC, and your contractor and team are a well-oiled machine. So if you’re hoping to repurpose old, salvaged, or extra materials for the job, be sure to lay out these expectations ahead of time — and be aware of the extra cost. REAL ESTATE | May-June 2016 65
Insurance Made Simple Sunset Property & Casualty (SPC) was established in 1999. We offer all lines of insurance products and provide our customers with the individual attention they deserve. We believe that the key to our success comes from placing our clients’ needs first. Individual attention to our customers is paramount. Founded by Otto Oliva, who has over 20 years of insurance experience, SPC specializes in all forms of personal and commercial insurance throughout Florida. From the homeowner to the business owner, no matter how small or large your insurance needs may be, you will always receive individual attention.
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More than 820,000 U.S. Homeowners
Owe Twice Their Home’s Value
While rising home values have released many homeowners from negative equity, some may never recover enough to sell or refinance.
Content provided by zillow.com BY EMILY HEFFTER cross the country, more than 820,000 homeowners owe the bank twice what their homes are worth. Rising home values have freed about 10 million homeowners from negative equity in the past four years, leaving six million homeowners — about 13 percent of everyone with a mortgage — underwater by some amount at the end of 2015. But rising home values haven’t been enough for many homeowners who are so far underwater they may never resurface. The national negative equity rate fell 0.3 percentage points in the fourth quarter, continuing its steady decline, according to the fourth quarter Zillow Negative
A
Equity Report. Some markets have virtually no negative equity, including the San Jose metro, where 2.8 percent of homeowners owe more than their mortgage, and Denver, where 5.5 percent were underwater. But one in five homeowners in Chicago and Las Vegas is upside down. “Even though the number of underwater homeowners has fallen significantly since the peak of the housing crisis, negative equity persists in many markets, as it fell at its slowest pace in a year,” said Zillow Chief Economist Svenja Gudell. “Things are moving in the right direction, but some owners are still deeply underwater. As we move into the home shopping season, inventory is already low, and negative equity is keeping potential additional stock from becoming available.”
REAL ESTATE | May-June 2016 67
home
The type of feeder you choose and the feed you provide determines the type of birds that are attracted. Content provided by lowes.com
Buying Guide
Bird Feeding Basics
Birds require only three things to encourage them to return to your location: fresh water to drink and to bathe, plenty of cover to nest and to hide and a variety of quality food to eat. • Any feeder you buy should be easy to fill, empty and clean. • Plastic feeders should be reinforced with metal around the feeding ports to discourage squirrels. Perches should be metal or a replaceable dowel. • Wooden parts of feeders should be made of weather-resistant cedar or be stained or painted to protect against moisture. • Add a convenient water source, like a birdbath or a water feature, to your landscape to attract a larger number and variety of birds. • Nest boxes or birdhouses will encourage birds to stay and raise their families near your home. In addition, birds require protection from their natural enemies, so feeding areas should be out of the reach of cats and other predators. Caution: Approximately 1 billion birds die from flying into windows each year. Reduce the risk of bird collisions by placing the feeder less than 3 feet from a window or more than 30 feet away. Mobiles, opaque decorations and fruit tree netting outside windows also helps to deflect birds from the glass.
Selecting Bird Feeders
Choose the kind of feeder that will accommodate the specific types of birds you want to attract or birds native to your area. Choosing more than one feeder will help attract more species and avoid feeder congestion. Ground or Platform Feeders: These are screen-bottomed trays sit close to the ground. They prevent the seeds and bird droppings from touching one another. You can also purchase ground feeders that have wire mesh to prevent rodents and large birds from stealing food. In order to prevent predators from getting the birds, ground feeders should be placed in open areas that are at least 10 feet from shrubs or trees. If you or your neighbors have cats that are outside, do not use this type of feeder. Birds That Love Them: Cardinals, doves, goldfinches, juncos, sparrows, and towhees Hopper Feeders: Hopper feeders can hold several pounds of mixed seed dry and ready for hungry birds. They just hop on the
feeder trigger to release the seeds. Hang hopper feeders from a tree branch or use a pole about 5 feet off the ground. Birds That Love Them: cardinals, chickadees, goldfinches, grackles, jays, nuthatches, purple and house finches, redwinged blackbirds, siskins and titmice Hummingbird Feeders: Mount hummingbird feeders in the shade to help prevent the food from spoiling and within 3 feet of a window for best viewing. The birds will quickly get comfortable enough to feed and be watched up close. Keeping a feeder near your house also reduces injuries to birds caused by flying into the reflective window since they can’t build up enough speed to hurt themselves. Nyjer® Feeders: These feeders are specially designed to distribute nyjer (thistle) seed. They have tiny holes that make the seed available only to small-beaked birds. Place it on a 5-foot pole or hang it from a tree. To protect your feeder from squirrels, use a baffle. Birds That Love Them: goldfinches, pine siskins, redpolls Suet Feeders: You can purchase a special feeder or you can hang suet chunks in a mesh onion bag. Feeders can be hung from poles near other feeders or from trees. Some people make their own suet puddings by taking a large pine cone and stuffing a mixture of ground suet and seeds in the crevices. Birds That Love Them: Chickadees, nuthatches, titmice and woodpeckers really like it. Creepers, warblers and wrens occasionally peck at it. Squirrel Feeders: If you’re having issues with the squirrels eating all your bird food, consider a squirrel feeder. Stock them with blends that are especially attractive to squirrels and chipmunks. It can reduce competition for high-priced foods offered at bird feeders. Locate squirrel feeders far from bird feeders to further reduce temptation. Sunflower and Seed-Tube Feeders: If you’re only going to hang one bird feeder, this is the one to purchase. Position it near a window so you can enjoy your guests. The feeder should be at least five feet off the ground. Reduce the risk of a bird colliding into the window by placing the feeder less than 3 feet from a window or more than 30 feet away. Select one that has metal ports around the seed dispensers to protect the feeder from unwanted visitors. HOME | May-June 2016 71
Birds That Love Them: chickadees, goldfinches, house finches, nuthatches, siskins, purple finches and titmice Good to Know: Make sure the selected feeder is maintained year-round, especially in harsh winter climates that make natural food sources hard to find. Birds typically burn more calories in winter to stay warm. For example, chickadees have to eat 20 times more in winter than in summer. Good to Know: To prevent squirrels from eating all the birds’ food, place your feeder on a pole in an open area. Pole-mounted feeders should be about 5 feet off the ground and protected by a cone-shaped baffle (at least 17 inches in diameter) or similar obstacle below the feeder. Locate pole-mounted feeders at least 10 feet from the nearest shrub, tree or other tall structure. If all of this doesn’t work, consider purchasing a squirrel feeder.
Selecting Bird Food
The benefits of bird feeding are two-fold. It provides a welcome supplement to a bird’s diet and offers hours of great bird watching for you. Bird food comes in several forms: nectar, seed and suet. What types of birds are you hoping to attract? This will affect the type of food you select. Cracked Corn: Ground-feeding birds like the mediumcracked corn, but beware. The kernel tends to soak up moisture so it’s prone to rot. Use a watertight hopper feeder or mix small amounts with millet on feeding tables. Small-beaked birds can’t consume coarse-cracked corn because it’s too large. Fine-cracked corn quickly turns to mush so its best to avoid altogether. Birds That Love It: crows, doves, jays, juncos, pheasants, quail, sparrows, and towhees. Millet: Red millet is widely popular. But white millet is the food of choice for most small-beaked ground-feeding birds. Birds That Love it: cowbirds, doves, juncos, quail, redwinged blackbirds, sparrows and towhees Milo, Wheat and Oats: Most birds don’t really like them.
They’re often added into cheap bird seed blends. Birds discard them, which often attracts rodents. Birds That Love It: doves, pheasants, and quail Nyjer® (Thistle): It’s often referred to as black gold because of its hefty price tag. It’s often confused with prickly thistle, a weed that goldfinches use to line their nests. Birds That Love It: American goldfinches, house finches, lesser goldfinches and common redpolls Peanuts: The best way to serve these up is in a tube-shaped metal mesh feeder. The peanuts can be crushed or whole. Birds That Love It: brown creepers, brown thrashers, chickadees, jays, kinglets, northern mockingbirds, nuthatches, pine warblers, starlings, titmice, wrens, woodpeckers, and yellow-rumped warblers Safflower: Squirrels, house sparrows and starlings don’t enjoy safflower as much as sunflower seed. But there are others that do. Birds That Love It: Cardinals, doves, grosbeaks, and sparrows
Suet and Bird Puddings (Beef Fat and Seed): Insecteating birds particularly like this mixture. It helps to fatten them up for cold and harsh weather. You’ll need to get a special suet feeder that is at least 5 feet off the ground so that rodents can’t get to it. Birds That Love It: chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, woodpeckers and wrens Sunflower Seed: Hulled sunflower seed is eaten by the largest variety of birds. Large-beaked birds prefer the striped ones. Small feeders birds enjoy the black-oil seeds. Birds That Love It: chickadees, evening grosbeaks, finches, grackles, goldfinches, jays, northern cardinals, nuthatches, pine grosbeaks, red-bellied woodpeckers, and titmice Good to Know: Store bird seed and mixes in a cool and dry location in a plastic container. In areas where mice or squirrels might be attracted to the food, use a metal container. Good to Know: Change hummingbird nectar once a week to keep the food fresh.
Providing Water for Birds
Many bird lovers always remember to refill their bird feeders, but overlook another key to survival - water. Dew, rainfall and wild food provide some moisture naturally, but another source is usually needed. Here are a few things to keep in mind: • Make sure that you place your bird bath near some shrubbery so the bird can make a getaway if needed. • Most birds are frightened of deep water. Create different depths in your bird bath using rocks or stones. Small birds like finches and sparrows will hang out in the shallow end, while robins and jays will be a bit more adventurous on the deep end. A rim or perch should be provided near the water. • Remember to clean your bath periodically. Use a scrub brush and fresh water and then refill. • If you live in a cold climate, you can purchase an outdoor heater to prevent the water from freezing. • Put your bird bath in a sunny locale. The warm sun will always feel good to wet birds, but this will also help keep ice off of the bath in the winter. HOME | May-June 2016 73
GENERAL CONTRACTING
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air quality Improve your indoor
We spend 90% of our time indoors, so it ’s important that the air inside our homes is safe and clean. A home with poor air quality or indoor air pollutants can lead to illness and discomfort. Respiratory infections, sneezing and chronic lung conditions like asthma have been linked to poor indoor air quality. By following a few steps, you can keep your home healthy and comfortable. Content provided by lowes.com
Cleaning Indoor Air
Refresh Your Rugs
• Change filters on your furnace for cleaner air and a more efficient, longer-lasting heating system. • Replace the batteries in carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms. • Check your dryer vent to make sure that the plastic housing is tight and that the flap is able to swing freely. • Have your fuel-burning appliances (furnaces, hot water heaters, fireplaces and gas ranges) inspected by a professional to ensure they are working properly.
Taking a few moments to clean out your rugs, blankets, comforters and pillows can eliminate dust and add a refreshing feeling to your home. Vacuum any throw rugs, and then take them outside. Hang them up or dangle them over a fence or deck rail to beat them with a broom. Once you’ve finished pounding out the dust, spray them with a fabric refresher.
Cleaning Overlooked Areas
Wash Down Your Garage
Even the best housekeeper sometimes forgets hardto-reach areas. This unintentional neglect can result in increased allergens in your indoor air. Use these tips to help you clean the areas most often forgotten: • Pull your appliances out from the wall seasonally and clean behind them. • Clean refrigerators coils by brushing dust off or using a vacuum cleaner hose attachment. • Clean inside the lint catcher of your dryer using a vacuum cleaner hose attachment. • Dust inside your light fixtures. • Clean scuff marks and dust off your front door. • Wipe down the railings of your staircases.
It’s easy to overlook the garage as an area that needs to be cleaned, but dirt, leaves and more in the garage can end up coming into your house. A thorough, seasonal garage cleaning will help you keep your home cleaner all year round. You can clean the floor and the walls of your garage with a hose. Also use the hose to clean off any shovels, spades or gardening tools that have collected debris. Before you close the garage up, though, be sure you let it dry thoroughly to prevent mold and mildew.
HOME | May-June 2016 77
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select and care for
Fruit Trees What could be better than an orchard right in your own backyard? Fresh apples, peaches, pears, plums, figs or cherries can be just a few steps from your door.
Content provided by lowes.com
• Timing and techniques vary by the type of fruit you’re growing. Pick up a good book on fruit tree pruning to get the best results from your trees.
Selecting a Fruit Tree
Planning for a Fruit Tree
Very few homes can accommodate a true orchard, nor would they want to. Large-scale fruit production can be pretty labor-intensive. One or two trees, however, can be a great addition to the home landscape. First, make sure that your landscape has room for a fruit tree. The planting area should have adequate sunlight and air circulation. Both are critical to maximum fruit production and reduced risk of pests and disease. Fruit trees also prefer well-drained soil. Trees come in various sizes, based on geographic zones. Some varieties require more than one tree be planted in order to ensure pollination. If you’ve got the space, decide what you want to grow. When choosing what to plant, the supermarket may not be the best place to make your decision. Much of the fruit for sale there is shipped in from other parts of the country or world and may not grow well in your area. If you have a local farmer’s market, look there for some ideas. Lowe’s garden centers stock trees that are proven to be hardy in your region. Some other things to consider: • Fruit trees tend to attract bees and may drop their unpicked fruit. Neither of those are necessarily bad features, but you may want to think twice before planting fruit trees in the front yard. • Most fruit trees take several years to produce their first crop. After that you should expect fruit each season. • Your home-grown fruit may not be as attractive as the market’s. Most people who grow fruit at home are quite happy to accept fresh-picked flavor over appearance. • For maximum yields of quality fruit, some maintenance is involved. Pruning is especially important to fruit trees. • Crop yield and the health of the tree itself are greatly affected by pruning, but it must be done the right way at the right time.
There are three basic types of fruit trees to choose from: Dwarf produces regular-sized fruit on trees 5 - 8’ tall. Dwarf trees yield a more manageable amount of fruit for home gardeners. Fruit is easy to pick and the trees are simple to care for. Dwarf trees work well in containers. Semi-dwarf grows to about 15’ if not pruned or trained. The fruit yield is comparable to a standard fruit tree and you probably need a ladder to pick it. Standard are full-sized trees like the one you climbed on when you were a kid. Because of their size and extensive root system, they can grow quite large and produce a lot of fruit. Without pollination, there would be no fruit. The plant tag should tell you whether the tree is cross-pollinating or self-pollinating. Cross-pollinating means another variety of the same fruit tree needs to be planted as well. Plant them within 100’ of each other to ensure pollination. The bloom periods also need to overlap to be effective. A self-pollinating or self-fruitful tree is able to pollinate and bear fruit alone, although pollination by another variety will usually increase the fruit yield and quality. Plant fruit trees as you would any tree or shrub. Keep adequate spacing between them to allow air to circulate prevent pests and disease. If it’s fruit you want, make sure the tree you select is not a purely ornamental one, such as some cultivars of pear, cherry and plum. Some out-of-the-mainstream fruits such as avocado, persimmon, olive, paw-paw, pomegranate and banana can make interesting specimens and provide food. Many varieties of nut trees adapt well to the home landscape. Look for regional favorites such as pecan, pistachio, English walnut, black walnut and almond. A note on growing new plants from seed you collect from your own fruit: It’s fun (a great project for children), but don’t expect the resulting plant and fruit to be the same as the one you got the seed from. Like any grafted or hybridized plant, when a seed is planted the resulting plant will likely show traits of both the “parent” plants. Most state’s Cooperative Extension Service agencies have lots of great information on growing fruit for home use. Take advantage of this valuable local asset. HOME | May-June 2016 81
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Countertop
buying guide Finding the perfect countertop shouldn’t be a challenge. Learn about different types of countertops so you can find a surface that’s right for your home and budget. Content provided by lowes.com
Laminate Countertops Laminate countertops consist of sheeting glued to plywood or particleboard substrate. The result is a beautiful, affordable countertop that’s quite durable. Laminate countertops resist water, are the easiest surface to clean and maintain and come in hundreds of color and style options. Keep in mind that they sometimes have visible seams and edges and are susceptible to cuts and scratches. Laminate countertops are less heat-resistant than solid stone, so be sure to use a trivet. Solid-Surface Countertops Solid-surface countertops are made of nonporous acrylic material for a visually seamless appearance. They are available in a range of colors and patterns, including some eco-friendly options, and offer the option of
an integral sink and backsplash. Solid-surface countertops resist water, bacteria and stains, providing a low-maintenance option for your home. Solid-surface countertops are susceptible to scratching and less heat-resistant than quartz or granite. Granite Countertops Granite countertops are crafted from beautiful, durable, natural stone. Visually rich and dynamic, they’re highly heat-resistant and can stand up to stains and bacteria when properly sealed. And, thanks to their ultra smooth texture, granite is phenomenal for baking preparations, like rolling dough. Granite countertops do have visible seams. To maintain your granite, seal it yearly. Use caution around stress points as the stone can split. Quartz Countertops Quartz is another nonporous natural stone countertop option that is the most durable option available. Like granite, quartz resists heat, water, bacteria and stains, but is easier to maintain because you never have to seal it. Quartz countertops have more consistent colors and patterns and are very easy to clean. With quartz, there are fewer shades to choose from and you will have to contend with visible seams, but with so many other benefits, quartz is a wonderful choice for countertops that last. Good to Know: Although natural stone countertops are heat-resistant, it’s a good idea to protect all surfaces from hot pots and pans with hot pads or trivets. Combining Countertop Surfaces For a truly customized cooking experience, install a combination of different countertops for specific kitchen tasks. For example, stone surfaces work nicely near the range for placement of hot pots and pans, while solid surfaces are perfect for use around the sink for easy cleaning. Because of special exceptions, like custom orders, combinations of countertops could be the most expensive option. Speak with a kitchen project specialist about your budget or needs to find the perfect countertop options for your kitchen. HOME | May-June 2016 85
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Cabinet Storage Buying Guide
A recipe for happiness: Create a place for everything you need in the kitchen. Design and build a user-friendly space with kitchen cabinet accessories. From family message centers to cabinet organizers, you can work more efficiently if your area is clean, easily accessible and organized. Content provided by lowes.com
Before You Shop Before you begin your kitchen design, think about any special storage or workspace requirements you might have. You can add some organizers after the cabinet installation, but many must be built into the original cabinet order. So it makes sense to review your needs with a kitchen design specialist. Upper Cabinet Accessories • Pull-down spice racks fit in or under the upper cabinets to save space and eliminate clutter. • Microwave shelving keep countertop microwaves off the counter. • Pegs or hooks hold mugs and teacups. • An appliance garage hides blenders, toasters and infrequently used items. • Hanging cookbook racks keeps spills off the pages while freeing counter space. • Pull-down or side-cabinet message centers make family communication easier. • Built-in smart device storage charges batteries and keeps technology away from food and beverages. • A built-in recipe cardholder makes it easy to keep track of your Aunt Betty’s mac-and-cheese recipe. Lower Cabinet Accessories • Roll-out baskets add a decorative touch and create usable space in narrow openings. • Pull-out waste and recycling centers keep trash hidden, make cleanup easier and keep children and pets out of the garbage. • Cutting boards with integrated knife storage and pullout tables create more task space. • Oversized Lazy Susan units make use of space in a corner cabinet.
Additional Ideas Kitchen designers are finding more ways to help you use every inch of your kitchen. Here are a few more interesting options for kitchen storage. • Built-in basket systems store potatoes, onions and other produce with more venitlation than drawers. • Wine racks or cubbies store wine on its side, as vintners recommend. Some wine racks use the space between the refrigerator and cabinet. • Under-cabinet racks store wine glasses and other stemware to leave more in-cabinet space for other things. • Swing-out pantry racks make it easier to reach items stored in the back of the cabinet. • Flip-down sink trays transform the space in front of your sink into a convenient sponge-holding caddy. HOME | May-June 2016 89
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Mirror Frame Give a dated bathroom mirror a fresh new look by wrapping it in a crisp, white frame. Or, customize the frame style and finish to match the rest of the bath Content provided by lowes.com
Skill Level Beginner Estimated Time Few hours
Estimated Cost $$$$$ Tools • Miter saw • Caulk gun • Tape measure
Materials • 3-1/4-in x 8-ft white casing • Liquid Nails interior/ exterior adhesive • Mirror mastic (optional, if installing a new mirror) • Paint
Instructions Step 1 This project assumes you’re trimming an existing mirror, but we’ll explain how to install a new mirror at the end of the frame instructions. Measure the mirror and add 2 inches to the length and width. Cut the top, bottom, and sides to those lengths (on the outside edge) with 45-degree miters on both ends. (This should leave a 1-in overhang when installed on the mirror.) Using painter’s tape to hold the corners together, assemble the frame without glue on a flat surface to check for gaps. Good to Know: One secret to a great-looking frame is to cut opposite parts to identical lengths. Check the part lengths against each other -- not a tape measure -- to make certain they’re equal.
Step 2 Apply an even coat of interior/exterior construction adhesive on the mitered ends of each joint and assemble the frame on a flat surface using painter’s tape; let dry.
Step 3 Fill any miter gaps with spackle or wood putty, wipe away the excess, and let dry. Then apply two coats of paint.
Step 4 Working at least 1 inch in from the outside edges around the back of the frame, apply two parallel 1/4-in beads of construction adhesive. Gently press and hold the frame on the mirror to leave a 1-in overhang on all four sides. Immediately check the frame with a level and make adjustments as needed. If necessary, use painter’s tape to hold the frame against the wall while the adhesive sets. Good to Know: The thickness of the mirror can leave a gap around the edge of the frame. If that’s a problem, fill the gap with a bead of caulk and smooth the caulk even with the edges of the frame. A little touchup paint around the edge of the mirror will hide the patch.
Install a new mirror Step 1 Mirrors can be heavy, so find a helper to lift and position mirrors too large to handle alone. To support a mirror in position while the adhesive dries, nail a straight piece of removable scrap wood to the wall, with the top edge even with where you want the bottom of the mirror. If you have a tile wall or other surface that can’t be nailed and there’s a vanity underneath, measure from the top of the vanity to the bottom edge of where the mirror will go. Then cut spacers to that length and rest them on the vanity.
Step 2 Apply evenly spaced spirals of mirror adhesive around the back of the mirror (shown resting loose on a frame) according to the manufacturer’s directions. Avoid using general-purpose construction adhesive to hang a mirror. You need a formula that won’t weaken or dissolve the reflective coating on the back.
Step 3 Place the mirror in position starting at the bottom, tilt the top up against the wall, and press gently but evenly around the mirror. Use painter’s tape at the top of the mirror to hold it in place while the adhesive dries. Then attach the frame as described in the previous section.
HOME | May-June 2016 93
YOUR ELECTRIC BILL COULD LOOK LIKE THIS Your electric statement
Account number:
For: Jun 02 2014 to Jul 01 2014 (29 days) Customer name: RAUL VERGARA Service address: 8301 SW 184TH LN
Statement date: Jul 02 2014 Next meter reading: Aug 01 2014
Amount of your last bill
Payments (-)
Additional activity (+ or -)
Balance before new charges (=)
New charges (+ )
Total amount you owe (=)
341.11 CR
0.00
0.00
341.11 CR
8.67
$332.44 CR
Meter reading - Meter ACD088N
100% LESS ENERGY USED FROM PREVIOUS YEAR
Current reading Previous reading kWh used Energy usage kWh this month Service days kWh per day
12557 -11658 0 Last Year
This Year
2421 28 86
0 29 0
**The electric service amount includes the following charges: Customer charge $7.57 Fuel $4.18 (First 1000 kWh at $0.029470) (Over 1000 kWh at $0.039470)
Non-fuel:
(First 1000 kWh at $0.060770) (Over 1000 kWh at $0.071590)
$8.64
New charges due by
Amount of your last bill Balance before new charges
341.11CR $341.11CR
New charges (Rate: RS-1 RESIDENTIAL SERVICE) Electric service amount Gross receipts tax Franchise charge Utility tax
7.57** 0.19 0.12 0.79
Total new charges
$8.57
Total amount you owe
$332.44CR
- Payments received after November 24, 2014 are considered late; a late payment charge, the greater of $5.00 or 1.5% of your past due balance will apply. Your account may also be billed a deposit adjustment. - 650 kWh were sent to the grid this period. 650 kWh were applied to reduce your bill. Your kWh reserve increased by 0. The kWh in your reserve is 0
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Water Conservation Garden Tips These simple tips will help you conserve water while keeping your garden in tip-top shape. Content provided by lowes.com
When rain is lacking and drought is threatening to knock out the garden, take action. Here are some easy ways to conserve soil moisture and reduce your water bill.
1. Compost
3. Mulch
Add compost to your garden regularly. With really poor soil, it pays to work the compost into the soil before planting. After that, you can simply top-dress once or twice a year with compost or other mulch (see photo), spreading 1 to 2 inches at a time. Compost not only adds beneficial nutrients and microbes to the soil, it helps retain moisture.
Pine chips, wood chips, and shredded bark all look great in the garden. They conserve moisture, discourage weeds, and keep the soil from baking and cracking in the sun. Use them in most situations (other than around cacti and thickleaved succulents that prefer rapid-draining sand or pebbles). Shredded bark is better than chips on slopes because it doesn’t wash out as easily. Replenish annually.
2. Shredded Leaves Shredded leaves make excellent mulch. And they’re free! Spread them in fall to insulate the soil and prevent frost heaving of perennials. The shreds will eventually break down and feed the soil, just like the compost.
4. WaterHolding Crystals Although not cost-effective for beds, water-absorbing crystals are useful in containers because they collect excess water and make it available to plants as the soil dries. The white miniature crystals (see photo) are seldom packaged by themselves, but many of the better potting mixes now include the crystals as an ingredient.
5. Pots and Saucers Speaking of containers, when you can’t water every day, use a saucer to collect excess water. This will eventually be drawn up into the container soil, keeping it from drying out so quickly. You can also group containers so they help shade each other.
6. Rain Barrels Save on water bills by collecting rainwater from downspouts and storing it in your choice of Lowe’s rain barrels. You’ll be surprised how quickly the barrels fill up after a rainstorm. Check to make sure there are no ordinances against collecting rainwater in your community.
7. Soaker Hoses Overhead watering is fine for lawns, but a soaker hose is more efficient for garden beds. Wind it through the garden and peg the hose in place. You can even disguise it with mulch if desired. Soaker hoses cut down on evaporation -- and the water stays off foliage so there is less chance of foliar disease.
8. Drip Irrigation Want to water your pots more efficiently? Use a drip irrigation system to put water where it’s needed: in the root zone. You can even hook it up to a timer to automatically start and stop irrigation.
9. The right plants The best water-conservation strategies start and end with plant selection. Choose plants that fit your conditions and group them together according to watering needs. Look for drought-tolerant plants. Many have gray or silver foliage; others have thick, fleshy leaves and are called succulents. These plants naturally need less water.
HOME | May-June 2016 99
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Hire bathroom Remodeling a bathroom can be an expensive project. But you can keep costs down by doing the job yourself. Find out if you’re up to the task or if you should hire a professional. Content provided by lowes.com
Determine the Scope of Your Project Before you take a sledgehammer to that ugly tile, there are a few things you need to consider. 1. Determine the size of the project Is it a large project that could take months to do on your own or is it a smaller project that could be done in a few weekends? 2. Is this a remodel or a refresh? A remodel requires significantly more time and money. It would include tasks such as changing the footprint of the room, replacing shower or floor tile, and replacing a bathtub. A refresh is not nearly as time- or labor-intensive
Assess Your Skill Level When it comes to remodeling, it’s important to be honest about how skilled you are. Answer these questions before starting your project. 1. Are you a home repair novice or a remodel guru? If you’re a novice, it’s probably best to hire a pro. Stick to smaller projects (paint, adding hardware or a medicine cabinet) and hire someone to handle complicated tiling and plumbing work. If not, your mistakes could cost you more in the end. 2. How patient are you with learning new tasks? Do you take the time to read the instructions and follow them or do you get easily frustrated? If your patience wears thin a few pages into a complicated manual, it’s probably best to call a professional. However, if you find the idea of completing a project to be challenging and rewarding, this could be right up your alley. 3. Are you prepared? The unexpected comes up frequently in remodeling projects. For example, you could replace a bathroom vanity and discover that the floor is rotten underneath. Would you know what to do? This can cause delays that you may not have time or knowledge to handle.
and could include projects like painting the walls or cabinets, changing out bath hardware or faucets, and hanging a new medicine cabinet and lighting. 3. Are your skills up to code? Larger projects often require permits before you get started. You’ll also need to ensure that your remodel is up to code. Be especially mindful with older homes. Wiring and plumbing systems can be outdated, and dealing with them can be dangerous for a novice. If you’re
unsure of whether a code inspection or permit is needed, contact your county’s building inspection office. Caution: Do you have any issues with asbestos, lead paint (typically found in homes built before 1978), mold or mildew or polybutylene piping? Sometimes you may not know until you start the demolition process. In any event, do not attempt to handle these issues. A pro will be needed.
How Much Time Will It Take? You’ve assessed the size of the project and your skill level. Now it’s time to talk timeline. It can vary dramatically depending on several factors. 1. Plan for the unexpected If you decide to do the job yourself, be realistic about the time you can spend remodeling. Will you work on the bathroom after office hours and on the weekends or will you take time off to knock the project out quickly? Also expect the unexpected. Pad your timeline for extra trips to the store for materials, personal/ work-related events that may arise or potential problems once you start remodeling. If you’re hiring a pro, there are a couple of things you can do to expedite the process. Make sure that you have all materials on site before the contractor starts and ask if they’ll be working on any other projects while your bathroom is being remodeled. 2. Do you have a deadline that you’re working towards? Are you getting a powder room ready for the holidays? Or perhaps you have an addition to your household (new baby or aging parents). You need to ensure that you’re setting a realistic goal with yourself about getting this done on time. If you hire a pro, be up front that you’re working with a deadline. 3. How much is your time worth to you? Do you mind giving up nights or weekends in order to finish your project? If you do it yourself, you may have to use up vacation days or miss social or family events in order to finish it. For some, their time is worth more to them and they’d rather pay someone to do it.
How Much Will It Cost? As of 2014, the average bathroom remodel costs $16,500. Contractor labor costs are typically 40% of your total project. By doing it yourself, that would leave $6,600 in your pocket. Although saving that extra money sounds great, you may still feel some trepidation about taking on the whole remodel. If you want the satisfaction of doing it yourself, consider splitting up the project and handling what’s within your timetable and skill level. Then save the more complicated projects for the contractor. Refer to the chart for a list of bathroom projects by skill level. Good to Know: A benefit to doing it yourself: With the money that you’ll save in labor costs, you can splurge on that fancy tile or tub that’s been on your wish list.
HOME | May-June 2016 105
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When to Replace a
Water Heater
Unsure if your water heater is just on the fritz or burned out all together? Here are some tips to help you troubleshoot your water heater. Content provided by lowes.com Water Heaters 101 There are two types of conventional water heaters, gas and electric. An electric water heater can be used almost anywhere. A gas water heater is most likely to be installed in a home that already uses gas for another appliance such as a furnace or stove. Building codes may dictate the placement of gas water heaters, restricting them to areas outside of normal home activity. It is likely if you are replacing a water heater, you’ll simply replace it with the same type of unit that was already there. However, there are upgrade possibilities that should be considered. For example: if space allows, you may choose to increase the unit’s holding capacity to accommodate your growing family. Another important consideration is the unit’s energy efficiency. Replacement time is the perfect time to lower your energy bill by choosing a water heater that is more energy efficient. When looking for a water heater, consider these features: • Gallon capacity (40-gallon and 50-gallon heaters are most common) • Recovery rate (the number of gallons the heater will heat in an hour) • Dimensions (width and height — physical space may limit your ability to upgrade your unit’s capacity —
will the heater fit in the space you have for it?) • The energy efficiency rating (a sticker on the side should list the estimated annual cost of operation for the unit) Before making any repairs or purchasing a new water heater, check the nameplate on the side of your current unit. Here you will find helpful information including the tank capacity, insulation R-value, installation guidelines, working pressure, model and serial number. If you have an electric water heater, the nameplate will also list the wattage capacity and voltage of the heating elements. This information will serve as the starting point in your search for replacement parts, or a complete replacement unit. Caution: If you choose to replace an electric unit for a gas unit-or vice versa — bring in a professional to do the job. Installing or removing gas lines is not a project for the DIYer. Repair or Replace The water heater gets quite a workout in most homes. Based on manufacturer’s suggested service life, the life expectancy of a water heater is about 8 to 12 years. That, of course, will vary
with the severity of local weather, the unit design, quality of installation and the level of maintenance your unit has received. If your water heater is more than 10 years old, leaks around the base of the tank, and / or works erratically or not at all, it probably needs to be replaced. In any case, make sure that an electrical problem such as a blown fuse or tripped breaker is not the reason for the unit’s failure. ►
HOME | May-June 2016 109
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Common Problems Perhaps the most common problem connected with a water heater is water that isn’t as hot as you want it to be. This is usually caused by a faulty thermostat or a defective heating element. Here are some basic steps to follow when your water is not hot enough: Electric water heater • Make sure that the power is connected. Reset the thermostat. • Flush the heater to remove sediment from the tank. • Insulate the hot water pipes. • Replace the heating element or thermostat. • Raise the temperature setting on the thermostat. Gas water heater • Make sure that the gas is connected and the pilot light is lit. • Flush the heater to remove sediment from the tank. • Insulate the hot water pipes. • Clean the gas burner and replace the thermocoupler (a safety device that shuts off the gas automatically if the pilot flame goes out). • Raise the temperature setting on the thermostat. Other common problems and possible solutions • Hissing or sizzling noises: Sediment may have collected in the tank. Drain the tank until the water clears. Soak elements in vinegar and scrape collected scale. • Leaking pressure-relief valve: Replace valve. • Leaking water supply pipes: Tighten the fittings. If that doesn’t work, shut off the water and replace the fittings. When Replacement is Necessary If you are handy with tools, you might want to consider replacing your water heater yourself. For a direct replacement, installation is straightforward. Essentially, this involves putting the new unit in just like the old one came out, including the connection of supply water lines and electricity to the new unit. Masking tape is useful for marking water lines and electrical wires. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your unit. Be aware that it may be necessary to add threaded fittings (if they are not there already) to the ends of the existing pipes so you can connect
them to the new water heater with the appropriate supply lines. If you have copper pipes, this will require “sweating” (soldering) the fittings to the pipes. If your pipes are rigid plastic (CPVC) you can add them by solvent welding. Flexible plastic pipes will require the installation of compression fittings attached with a wrench. Consider these questions as you decide whether you want to tackle the job: • How will you get rid of your old water heater? Call for local codes governing disposal of such appliances. (Lowe’s offers prompt delivery to your site, and with any paid water heater delivery, we will dispose of the old water heater for you.) • Will you be able to physically handle the unit? Water heaters are bulky and heavy. You’ll appreciate having some help. • Do you have the tools necessary to do the job? The necessary tools are basic, but you will need adjustable wrenches, screwdrivers, a hacksaw and some good pliers. You may also need a propane torch if your installation uses copper pipe. • Do you have time to do the job? Replacing a water heater is not something you can do bit by bit. You must have heated water, so once you start, you’ll have to finish. For detailed steps on how to replace or install a water heater, read our Install an Electric Water Heater and Install a Gas Water Heater articles. Caution: If you intend to convert from electric to gas or vice-versa, or if you don’t feel completely comfortable, have a professional do the job. Water Heater Maintenance Today’s water heaters are manufactured to require little or no maintenance, but – as is the case with almost any appliance – many problems can be avoided with routine upkeep. Here are some maintenance tips that could prolong the life of your water heater: • Drain the water heater twice a year to rid it of collected sediment that causes corrosion and to increase its efficiency. • Test the pressure-relief valve by lifting the valve’s handle and letting it snap back. This should release a burst of water into the overflow drainpipe. If it doesn’t, install a new valve. • Lower the temperature setting on the thermostat to 120 degrees. This reduces damages to the tank caused by overheating.
HOME | May-June 2016 111
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2017 Fiat 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth Offers Sportier, More Responsive Driving Experience for Performance Enthusiasts content provided by media.chrysler.com
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ince the introduction of the Fiat 500 Abarth at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, the DNA of Abarth has connected with driving enthusiasts in search of a sharp, wicked, fun-to-drive machine. Continuing the legacy of Karl Abarth’s performance-inspired vehicles known for their rich racing heritage, the 2017 Fiat 124 Elaborazione Abarth will debut at this year’s New York International Auto Show. The Fiat 124 Elaborazione Abarth is the heir of the roadster that drove Fiat to its first European Rally Championship win in the 1970s. Applying the Abarth formula, the new 124 Spider is designed and built for thrills and performance. Key Abarth features include rear-wheel drive, a sophisticated suspension and a four-cylinder turbocharged MultiAir 1.4 Turbo engine with best-in-class 160 horsepower that is available with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shift. The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth is the latest addition to the Fiat 124 Spider lineup, offering added performance features for a sportier, more spirited driving experience. While all Fiat 124 Spider models deliver responsive handling and excellent power-to-weight ratio in a robust rear-wheel-drive package, the Elaborazione Abarth model builds on the Spider’s engaging driving dynamics to offer even more fun for performance enthusiasts. “Our new Fiat 124 Spider is an iconic roadster that combines classic Italian styling with modern performance and technology,” said Olivier Francois, Head of FIAT Brand, FCA – Global. “The addition of our new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth further enhances the driving experience and offers yet
another head-turning, fun-to-drive vehicle to our customers.” Performance characteristics The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth features the proven turbocharged 1.4-liter MultiAir four-cylinder engine, delivering 160 horsepower and 184 lb.-ft. of torque and is paired with either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The Elaborazione Abarthexclusive Sport Mode changes the calibrations of the engine, automatic transmission, electric power steering and dynamic stability control system to ensure a sporty, responsive and performance-oriented driving experience. A mechanical limited slip differential, featuring a low torque bias ratio, provides improved traction and handling, as well as improved launch performance and power delivery during cornering. The Elaborazione Abarth’s unique sport suspension includes mono-tube Bilstein front and rear shock absorbers for increased traction and more precise handling. The available Brembo braking system with 17-inch alloy wheels offers monoblock aluminum calipers with four pistons, allowing for improved braking. Aggressive appearance With a streamlined silhouette and a stretched bonnet, the Fiat 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth has an aggressive appearance, with unique front and rear fascia, black side sills, 17-inch Gun Metal aluminum wheels and a sport-tuned, chrome quad-tip exhaust with a unique exhaust sound. The Gun Metal header, mirror cover and roll bar complement five available paint colors: Bianco Gelato (White
Clear Coat), Rosso Passione (Red Clear Coat), Nero Cinema (Jet Black Metallic), Grigio Argento (Gray Metallic) and tri-coat Bianco Perla (Crystal White Pearl). The interior design reflects the performanceoriented details for which cars sporting the Scorpion badge are famous. There is Rosso (red) stitching throughout, including on the leatherwrapped steering wheel, wrapped instrument cluster hood, lower instrument panel and parking brake. A matte black instrument panel bezel, unique instrument cluster, aluminum-accented sport pedals and unique gear shift knob help to differentiate the Elaborazione Abarth model. Unique Nero (black) leather/microfiber seats are standard, while leather seats in Nero (black) or Nero/Rosso (black/red) are available. For true performance enthusiasts, leather and Alcantara Recaro seats are also available in Nero (black). 2017 Fiat 124 Spider The all-new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider revives the storied nameplate, bringing its classic Italian styling and performance to a new generation. Paying homage to the original 124 Spider nearly 50 years after its introduction, the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider delivers the ultimate Italian roadster experience with driving excitement, technology and safety combined with iconic Italian design. The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider lineup also includes the Classica and Lusso models. To celebrate the return of the classic nameplate, the first 124 vehicles will be offered as a limited-edition Prima Edizione Lusso, featuring an exclusive color combination and commemorative badging. The all-new Fiat 124 Spider will arrive in FIAT studios in North America beginning in summer 2016. AUTO | May-June 2016 125
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Does Your Credit Score Affect Your Car Insurance Rate? Like It or Not, Poor Credit Can Mean Steeper Rates Content provided by edmunds.com by Jaime Netzer
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oes your credit score impact your car insurance rate? It’s a question you might have wondered about before — especially if you have a particularly spotty credit record. Unless you live in California, Hawaii or Massachusetts, the short answer is yes. The explanation of the relationship between credit scores and car insurance rate-setting is more complex, however. What Factors Into a Car Insurance Rate? Obviously, your driving record has an impact on the estimated risk your insurance company assumes by taking you on as a driver. There also are other risk elements that affect your car insurance, according to the Insurance Information Institute: where you park your car at night, your gender, your age and the kind of car you drive. Also
relevant to your rate, according to insurance companies, is your credit score. The practice of using credit scores in setting insurance rates has been around for at least 20 years. According to at least two studies, a 2003 study done at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, and a 2007 study by the Federal Trade Commission, there is a statistical correlation between how much a consumer costs an insurance company and that customer’s credit score. The Texas study looked at a random sample of 175,647 people in the state and found that “the lower a named insured’s credit score, the higher the probability that the insured will incur losses on an automobile insurance policy, and the higher the expected loss on the policy.” The study’s authors noted that they did not attempt to explain why credit scoring added significantly to the insurer’s ability to predict insurance losses. The FTC study found that credit-based
insurance scores are effective predictors of risk under automobile policies. “They are predictive of the number of claims consumers file and the total cost of those claims,” study authors write. “The use of scores is therefore likely to make the price of insurance better match the risk of loss posed by the consumer. Thus, on average, higher-risk consumers will pay higher premiums and lower-risk consumers will pay lower premiums.” It’s also important to note that insurance companies don’t use traditional credit scores. They build their own scores based on FICO or Experian scores: Basically, companies take your score and use it in their own model. But Is This Fair? According to J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America, credit scoring was the first classification factor used by insur-
your score good
ance companies that was not based on traditional actuarial research. Before this, he says, rate factors were determined by developing a thesis and then testing it by collecting data to determine if it was correct. For example: If the thesis was that drivers with a DUI conviction might have more claims in the following year, actuaries might look at statistical evidence to see if such a thesis was correct. Hunter said that advocates for the use of credit scores in car insurance rate-setting “still cannot explain what they are measuring, coming up with explanations like, ‘Sloppy with finance means sloppy with driving.’ “Of course, when the 2008 financial crisis hit, many people developed worse credit scores that had nothing to do with their sloppiness,” he said. “The fact is that credit is a surrogate for prohibited rate classes such as income and race,” Hunter said. “Insurers are prohibited from using these factors in
all states and we think this is their way around the prohibition.” But others argue that insurance is a numbers game and the practice, even if unfair, might be logical. Frankie Kuo, an analyst at ValuePenguin.com, says that insurers are “doing their best to find out whether their future and current policyholders are a good or bad risk to take.” What You Can Do To Mitigate Your Costs Regardless of whether the use of credit history is fair, it is legal in all but three states. So what can you do if your credit score is in less than perfect shape? As always, your best bet is to shop around for an insurance company. “Insurers always differ in how much weight they put on each rating factor, and I guarantee you consumers will always find one that finds their imperfect credit score less of a problem than other insur-
ers do,” Kuo explains. According to a study by WalletHub, Geico appears to rely the least on credit scores, while Farmers Insurance seems to lean on it the most heavily. For consumers who have difficulty finding coverage at all, in almost every state there is an assigned risk plan that helps high-risk drivers find coverage for a limited period of time. “Even if the rates may be higher than if they obtain a policy in the voluntary market, they will be avoiding insurance lapse, which not only contributes to higher rates in the future, but also possibly legal consequences,” Kuo explained. Finally, improve or maintain your credit history by paying your bills on time and not skipping payments. You also should check your credit report and keep an eye out for possible errors. Consider free credit monitoring with a company like CreditKarma and free annual credit-history reports from AnnualCreditReport.com. AUTO | May-June 2016 127
8 Things You Need To Know About Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars Plug-Free Electric Vehicles Are on the Way Content provided by edmunds.com
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by John O’Dell ydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have been around a while, but their introduction to car shoppers has long been held back by a chickenor-egg dilemma: A successful retail launch of fuel-cell electric cars and SUVs requires a retail fueling system. And when was the last time you saw a hydrogen station? Well, fuel-cell vehicles — and the stations that will power them — are about to become part of the landscape, a mere 12 years after American Honda began leasing a handful of hand-built cars to the city of Los Angeles. The cars and stations will be a limited
presence at first, confined to select areas of Southern California. But if some of the world’s major automakers and the U.S. and various state governments have anything to say about it, the stations ultimately will spread throughout the nation’s urban areas. The first fuel-cell vehicles entered the retail market this spring in California’s Orange and Los Angeles counties, courtesy of South Korean automaker Hyundai. Japan’s Toyota will introduce the Mirai fuel cell sedan in late 2015, followed in 2016 by a Honda fuel-cell car. In 2017, General Motors and MercedesBenz are expected to enter the market. Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen also are developing electric-drive cars fueled by hydrogen gas.
Here’s what you need to know about these cars and the safety of this unfamiliar fuel. The vehicles don’t need gasoline. They aren’t tied to an electric plug. They produce zero emissions from the tailpipe and can deliver 300 miles or more per tank of fuel. They can be refilled as fast — or faster — than a conventional car with a 15-gallon gas tank. After extensive testing, researchers say they are as safe to drive as gasoline cars. 1. What’s the Secret of Fuel Cells? “Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle” sounds pretty exotic, but in reality it’s just an electric car that replaces the bulky, heavy and expensive grid-charged battery pack with a relatively
small, lightweight and expensive electrochemical system that produces electricity onboard. The fuel cell is the system’s power plant. In it, hydrogen gas drawn from an onboard pressurized tank reacts with a catalyst, typically made of platinum. The process strips the electrons from the hydrogen, freeing them to do their thing — which is to be the electricity that flows through the electric motor to power the car. After their job is done, the electrons return to the fuel cell, where they are reunited with the parent hydrogen in the presence of oxygen pulled in from the ambient air. They meet in a ratio of two atoms of hydrogen to one of oxygen. Presto! It’s H2O, or water. The water helps cool down the stack (all those excited molecules make a lot of heat) before it then dribbles out of the vehicle’s tailpipe as a combination of steam and distilled water. One fuel cell doesn’t produce all that many electrons, so automakers bind scores of the flat, rectangular cells together into a fuel-cell stack to get enough juice to power a car or truck. The stack acts much like a battery, releasing electricity in a constant flow to power the vehicle’s electric motor and auxiliary electronics. Fuel-cell stacks typically are sized to produce just slightly more power than the vehicle can use under normal acceleration and cruising conditions. The excess, augmented by electricity from the vehicle’s regenerative braking system, is stored in a small lithiumion battery for use when the vehicle needs an extra burst of power. Once the fuel-cell stack does its magic, the vehicle is just like any other electric-drive vehicle on the road, running in near silence with loads of acceleration, thanks to the electric motor’s hefty torque output. 2. Where Do We Get the Hydrogen? Hydrogen is the most common element on the planet, so there are no worries about shortages. It rarely exists as free hydrogen, however. It usually is bound to something else, like hydrogen in water or in natural gas. We make plenty of hydrogen in the U.S, mostly by “reforming” natural gas to break down the molecules and split off their hydrogen atoms. And most of what we make is used in refining oil or manufacturing ammonia for the fertilizer industry.
Some hydrogen fuel for fuel-cell cars is pulled directly from a pipeline serving one of those oil refineries. It’s near the Torrance, California, headquarters of both American Honda and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Some hydrogen is made on-site at a few fueling stations that use electrolysis to split the hydrogen molecules from water. The electricity for that process can come either from on-site solar panels or from the local electrical grid. Most hydrogen for fuel, however, is made in large hydrogen processing plants, which are the same ones that serve the oil industry. The hydrogen is then trucked to the stations and stored in large above-ground tanks. To make it into fuel for fuel-cell vehicles, the hydrogen must be compressed. The present standard is 10,000 pounds per square inch, which also is designated as 700 bars. It is then chilled to keep it from heating and expanding as it is pumped into the vehicle. That equipment is part of the fueling station. A hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle’s tank is sized in kilograms. A 4-kilogram hydrogen tank (8.8 pounds) holds the energy equivalent of 4 gallons of gasoline. Today’s hydrogen fuel stations can fill such a tank in 3-5 minutes. 3. Is Hydrogen Fuel Safe? The short answer is that hydrogen behaves differently from gasoline. But generally it is about as safe as the gasoline we now put in most vehicles’ fuel tanks. In fact, the average gasoline tank holds three to four times the energy — and thus three to four times the explosive power — of the hydrogen tanks that the first fuel-cell electric vehicles will be using. Hydrogen is the lightest of the elements, approximately 14 times lighter than air. So even though it is highly flammable, escaped hydrogen (burning or not) dissipates quickly and typically in a narrow column shooting straight up into the atmosphere. Its vapors don’t pool on the ground, as do gasoline’s heavier-than-air vapors. So in most cases, hydrogen doesn’t present as great a fire or explosive danger. To further minimize the potential for explosion, almost all hydrogen fuel stations store the gas above the ground in well-vented areas. The University of California at Irvine has operated a public hydrogen station for a dozen years without incident, says Carl
Baust, alternative energy projects specialist for the Orange County Fire Authority. Several other hydrogen stations opened in Southern California and the Sacramento area to fuel test the vehicles that have been plying the state’s highways since 2002. So far, they also have been incident-free. The vehicles themselves have arrays of hydrogen sensors that sound alarms and seal valves and fuel lines in case of a hydrogen leak. Additionally, the pressurized tanks that hold the hydrogen have been tested repeatedly and found to be safe in collisions. One test involves firing live ammunition into the tanks to pierce them. Pierced tanks typically vent their hydrogen so quickly that even if the gas catches fire it is out of the tank before explosive pressure could build up. In 2001, researchers at the University Of Miami’s College of Engineering set fire to the hydrogen in a tank mounted in an SUV and later punctured the fuel line on a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle and set the leaking gas on fire. The burning hydrogen versus gasoline test showed that flames caused “severe” damage to the gasoline vehicle, whereas the hydrogen vehicle was undamaged because the burning hydrogen gas vented up and away from the vehicle. 4. What About the Hindenburg? Hydrogen is scary to many Americans because of a horrific incident in 1937: A passenger-carrying German zeppelin named the Hindenburg burst into flames while landing in New Jersey during a lightning storm. The fire and resulting crash killed 36 people and dozens more were injured. Flames from the burning hydrogen that had provided lift for the zeppelin billowed into the night sky. Or was it burning hydrogen? The gas has taken the blame for the Hindenburg disaster almost from Day One, but modern researchers have shown that the millions of cubic feet of highly flammable hydrogen pretty much burned up in less than 60 seconds. The horrific smoke and flames caught by news cameras is now thought to have been largely from the diesel fuel that powered the aircraft’s engines and the aluminum-powderpainted canvas “gas bag” that contained the hydrogen. So yes, the Hindenburg’s hydrogen was likely the villain that started the calamity, AUTO | May-June 2016 131
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but just because it wasn’t the safest thing to use to keep huge lighter-than-air ships aloft doesn’t mean that it’s not safe for use as a fuel in land-based vehicles. 5. Why Might I Be Interested in a Fuel-Cell Vehicle? Automotive fuel cells are seen by many as the best bet for widespread replacement of internal combustion engines in the U.S. This is a country where cars and trucks tend to be big. Driving distances also tend to be longer than battery-electric cars can accommodate — or so many motorists think. The argument for fuel-cell vehicles is pretty simple: A fuel-cell electric system isn’t range-constrained like a battery-electric system. Fuel-cell vehicles aren’t tethered to charging cords. They carry enough fuel for 250-350 miles of range and their tanks can be refilled as quickly as that of standard vehicles’ gasoline tanks. Few think they will replace battery-electric cars, which can make a lot of sense for drivers with short commutes. But they are expected to become a significant part of the alternative-fuel fleet in coming years. Typically, a fuel-cell system is twice as efficient as a gasoline system. Most of the fuelcell vehicles coming to market in the next few years will be able to deliver close to 70 miles per kilogram of fuel. That’s the equivalent of 70 miles per gallon. There is no established retail price for hydrogen fuel, but most suppliers say $10 per kilogram is about right for the early days of low-volume sales. The price is expected eventually to fall to parity with gasoline. Additionally, fuel-cell systems are much lighter and smaller than the battery packs that dominate plug-in electric drive systems. That means they can be more easily scaled up without the weight penalties that make plugin systems impractical for large sedans, SUVs and pickup trucks. So while battery-electric vehicles tend to be compact and subcompact models with limited range and lengthy recharging times, fuel-cell electric vehicles are quick and easy to refuel. Fuel-cell systems could power everything from minicars to large pickups. They also are true zero-emissions vehicles, as clean as battery-electric cars on the road. They are also almost as clean on a wellto-wheel basis, says Steve Ellis, American Honda’s national fuel-cell marketing manager. “When the hydrogen is made from natural gas, there are at least 60 percent fewer CO2 emissions on a well-to-wheels basis than from
gasoline,” he says. “Plus there’s a one-to-one alignment with gasoline cars” in terms of range, convenience and, ultimately, the varieties of vehicles you’ll be able to get. “They are the only zero-emissions vehicle that allows a really meaningful impact” on air quality and oil consumption, says Craig Scott, Toyota’s national manager of advanced technology vehicles. 6. What Will They Cost? Carmakers don’t like to disclose their costs, for competitive reasons among other things. But when Honda began testing its FCX Clarity fuel-cell sedan in 2008, most journalists called it a million-dollar car and the automaker didn’t object. Since then, though, the talk has mostly been about how much cost has been pared down as the fuel-cell technology has improved. Hyundai said it has cut the cost of building its fuel-cell electric vehicle by 70 percent over the past decade. It expects the cost of fuel-cell cars to reach parity with the cost of similarly sized and equipped conventional cars by 2020. The automaker is offering the 2015 Hyundai Tucson fuel-cell vehicle, a midsize crossover SUV, on a lease-only basis for $499 a month. The lease payment also covers all maintenance and fuel. Toyota has followed Hyundai’s lead with its own $499 monthly lease that includes free fuel. It also will sell its Mirai for $58,325 before federal and state incentives that could knock the real cost to buyers down to around $48,000. Honda hasn’t announced pricing yet but is expected to be competitive. “We can’t sell them in volume so we have to make them affordable,” Scott says. 7. Will Vehicles Be Readily Available? There may not be many fuel-cell cars at first. There weren’t many gas-electric hybrids when Honda and then Toyota braved the U.S. marketplace with their initial offerings in 1999 and 2000, either. But the automakers and regional and national governments are betting billions of development and marketing dollars that the cars will catch on. Initial availability will be in Southern California because that’s where nine of the 11 public hydrogen stations in the country are located. There’s a 10th station in Northern California, near San Jose, while the 11th is in South Carolina. Hyundai began leasing its 2015 Tucson fuel-cell electric vehicle in June and offers
it through just three Southern California dealerships: Hardin Hyundai in Anaheim, Tustin Hyundai in Tustin and Win Hyundai in Carson. Other dealers will follow if demand dictates. Toyota selected eight California inaugural dealers for the Mirai launch. There are three in the San Francisco Bay area, one near Sacramento and two each in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Honda hasn’t yet announced its rollout plans. The Toyota dealerships are San Francisco Toyota, Stevens Creek Toyota (San Jose) and Toyota of Sunnyvale in the Bay Area, Roseville Toyota near Sacramento, and Longo toyota (El Monte), Toyota Santa Monica, Toyota of Orange and Tustin Toyota in the south. 8. Where Would I Get Fuel? A small network of hydrogen fuel stations will support the slow rollout of the vehicles that drive like battery-powered electric cars but get their fuel from a pump rather than a plug. There are only 10 public stations today in California, but 17 more are under construction. The state has a hydrogen fuel plan that will see 68 stations strategically located in California’s Southern and Bay Area metropolitan regions by the end of 2017, with a goal of 100 stations by 2020. Funding for construction, at an average of about $1.5 million per station, is being provided by grants from California’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. A study by researchers at UC Irvine looked at street-level census and land-planning data and picked locations for each of the initial 68 stations. Developers of the university’s STREET hydrogen station plan say it will put a hydrogen station within a six-minute drive of 80 percent of the Californians who live in areas that, demographically, are those in which customers for fuel cells cars would most likely reside. Beyond 2017, hydrogen backers plan for similar stations to be opened in other regions of the country that have proven themselves friendly to alternative-fuel vehicles. A privatepublic partnership called H2USA, formed in 2013 by the Department of Energy, is coordinating national plans. The ultimate goal is a coast-to-coast and border-to-border network that will make owning and driving a fuel-cell vehicle as easy as owning and driving gasoline and diesel vehicles is today. AUTO | May-June 2016 133
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content provided by media.chrysler.com
ollowing an enthusiastic reception from its Hellcat and SRT owners, Dodge is expanding the popular Go Mango heritage exterior paint color to its entire Charger and Challenger lineups. “We’ve seen a tremendous response from our customers after we announced the return of Go Mango at the 11th annual Spring Festival in California. In fact, nearly half of all SRT and Hellcat orders are for Go Mango,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. “To meet consumer demand, we plan to expand this modernized heritage color to the entire Charger and Challenger lineup later this spring.” Go Mango was first introduced by Dodge on the iconic 1970 Challenger. Following a limited production run in 2006 on specific Charger R/T Daytona models, and more recently featured on the 2016 Dodge Dart, the next generation of the legendary and limited-edition exterior hue combines orange and red tones into a high-impact color that showcases the legendary Dodge performance attitude. The 2016 Dodge Charger SXT and Challenger SXT in Go Mango are on display at the 2016 New York International Auto Show About the 2016 Dodge Challenger The Dodge and SRT brands offer the most complete lineup of muscle cars in the market, including the 2016 Dodge Challenger SXT with its standard powerful and fuel-efficient Pentastar V-6 engine combined with the TorqueFlite eight-speed transmission that delivers 305 horsepower and an estimated 30 miles per gallon on the highway; the 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T with the high-torque 5.7-liter HEMI® paired with the TorqueFlite eight-speed or six-speed manual transmission; and the 6.4-liter HEMI Challenger R/T Scat Pack that delivers 485 horsepower and 475 lb.-ft. of torque (the most horsepower and torque available for less than $40,000) with the TorqueFlite eight-speed or six-speed manual. The 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT 392 adds six-piston Brembo® front brakes, adaptive damping suspension and SRT Drive Modes to the same 6.4-liter naturally aspirated HEMI powerplant, while the Challenger SRT Hellcat with its 707-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V-8 engine is the most powerful and fastest muscle car ever.
Strong Demand Leads Dodge to Expand
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About the 2016 Dodge Charger As the most successful four-door fastback-styled muscle car on the market, the aggressively styled 2016 Dodge Charger remains in a class of its own, delivering performance, technology and refinement thanks to its TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission that is standard on every model – from the SE to the SXT, R/T, R/T Road & Track, R/T Scat Pack, SRT 392 and the SRT Hellcat. The 2016 Charger also offers a full range of fuel-efficient and powerful engine options, including the award-winning 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar engine, which delivers up to 31 highway miles per gallon on SE and SXT models; the legendary 370-horsepower 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 on the R/T; the 6.4-liter HEMI V-8, which punches out a best-in-class, naturally aspirated 485 horsepower and 475 lb.-ft. of torque in the SRT 392 and R/T Scat Pack models, and the 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI Hellcat V-8 engine. The Charger SRT Hellcat delivers ultimate performance with 707 horsepower, 650 lb.-ft. of torque, a top speed of 204 miles per hour, and a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)-certified, quarter-mile elapsed time of 11.0 seconds on street tires, making it the quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan in the world.
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