DECEMBER 20, 2017 • Volume 12 • Issue 51
RE WEEKLY RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE • FARM • COMMERCIAL • AREA DEVELOPMENT 515-233-3299 • 317 5th Street, Ames • All REALTOR® ads within are REALTORS® licensed in the State of Iowa
Always Available Online SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 Volume 11 • Issue 37
RE WEEKLY
SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 Volume 11 • Issue 36
RE WEEKLY STORY
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• AREA DEVELOPMENT • FARM • COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE 317 5th Street, Ames State of Iowa 515-233-3299 • ® licensed in the
RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE • FARM • COMMERCIAL 515-233-3299 • AREA DEVELOPMENT • 317
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Realtors, do you want to reach a wider group of potential buyers? Advertise in the RE Weekly. In print and online.
Call Ali Eernisse 515-663-6956
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Care tips for poinsettias • To keep a poinsettia in bloom, keep it in a room that maintains a temperature of 65 to 75 degrees F during the day but no lower than 60 degrees at night. • Make sure the plant gets good light but not direct sunlight. • Feed it once a week with houseplant fertiliser and only water it when the surface of the soil is dry. — Better Homes and Gardens/TheSpruce.com
TIPS OF THE WEEK INSULATION
KEEPING WARM
Find the right insulation
Keep the chill out as temperatures drop
When shopping for insulation, it’s important to know your options. Three of the most common types are fiberglass batts, rigid foam panels (such as expanded polystyrene, or EPS) and mineral wool. Fiberglass Pros – non-flammable, inexpensive Cons – difficult to install properly without leaving gaps, which renders the insulation much less efficient; handling danger due to glass powder and glass shards EPS rigid foam panels Pros – excellent sound and temperature insulation; inexpensive; easy to install Cons – must cut pieces to fit around pipes, etc. Insulation expert Paul Kopelson, regional sales director for Insulfoam, advises that EPS is the easiest for DIY-ers. “Other forms of insulation are challenging to install without leaving gaps and wrinkles that can cut the efficiency of the product in half,” he said. Mineral wool Pros – easy to install; flame resistant Cons – more effective when combined with other forms of insulation (meaning more work to install); higher price
Consider these easy tips for staying dry and comfortable this winter, from Lennox: The attic. Without adequate attic insulation, your heating system will have to work harder to maintain a warm temperature in the home. Exterior walls. To identify air leaks in outside-facing walls, try holding a candle near suspect areas to reveal drafts and then seal leaks with caulk or weather stripping. Programmable thermostats. To further maximize savings on your heating bills, install a smart thermostat. Some even work with Amazon Alexa smart home devices and are compatible with any brand of HVAC system.
HOME TEACH Tips to stay within your home-improvement budget To keep your budget in line when tackling a home-improvement project, follow these tips from Oakley Construction. • Do your homework beforehand to know what bills to expect. • If the total cost of the project is terrifying, see if the project can be done piecemeal. Handling — and paying for — smaller portions will make it easier on you and your budget. • Unexpected costs can arise in any project, so set your budget 20 percent above what you initially projected and you’ll be ready for any unexpected surprise. — Brandpoint
SOLAR POWER Solar panels myths debunked Here’s the truth behind solar panel myths, according to renewable energy expert Roger Ballentine, president of Green Strategies, and LG: 1. Solar panels only work in warm, sunny climates. Panels can absorb ambient sunlight, even on cloudy days or in regions that get less bright sun. Higher-efficiency solar panels can save you money in any climate and every season. PIXABAY 2. You need a lot of roof space for solar panels. High-efficiency panels take up less space because fewer are needed to produce the electricity to power a home. 3. Installation is a long, drawn-out hassle. Adding solar panels to your home isn’t a DIY project, but installation takes only a day or two. 4. If something goes wrong, you’re on your own. Like any appliance, make sure you understand the manufacturer and installer warranties for your solar panels. 5. Solar panels will look big, bulky and ugly on your roof. Today’s solar panels are becoming smaller, sleeker and more aesthetically pleasing.
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Deck the halls with
By Betty Montgomery
Christmas greenery
More Content Now
D
ecorating your home for the holidays should be a time of reflection and a way to create some new memories and traditions. Using gifts from Mother Nature is a good place to start decorating for Christmas. You can brighten up any corner of the house with greenery gathered from the garden and adding berries, twigs and cones you might find in the woods. Cedar, boxwood, pine, spruce, camellia and other greenery will add a festive and elegant touch as well as a fresh scent. Filling your house with the sights and smells of fresh greenery, helps bring on the spirit of Christmas. That’s why I like to start decorating with greenery. Shiny magnolia leaves make an elegant display and will last a long time indoors if your home is not too dry. The older varieties of magnolia have large glossy leaves and are great for larger spaces. Some of the newer varieties have smaller leaves and work nicely in smaller arrangements or placed on a mantel. If you like red berries, there are many different kinds of hollies that have a perfusion of berries. Winterberry holly is a favorite to use in a vase by itself or with different evergreens. You can remove the leaves of burford holly stems and have a completely different look that can be used the same way as winterberry branches. Nandina is another easy to find shrub that works well in decorating. The red berries will dress up a simple green arrangement or add color to a grapevine wreath. The leaves of a nandina provide easy to use greenery when you need leaves that will lay flat in an arrangement. Many of the newer varieties of nandina have leaves that turn red as the weather cools and can make a dramatic arrangement. Boxwood is another evergreen that people use at Christmas. You can make traditional wreaths of boxwood and add fruit or berries to give it color. You also can mix boxwood with white pine, wiring them to a metal wreath form. Both of these ideas can be accomplished with a straw wreath form, securing the stems using floral pens. Items from nature can be left natural or sprayed gold or silver. There are all kinds of things that can be used. I have used stems of millet sprayed gold as well as okra pods that had been left in a vegetable garden to dry. If you can find cotton bolls, the bottom resembles a flower and makes a fabulous addition to a wreath or in an arrangement. Nuts, cones and large feathers give a bold and masculine touch to decorations, too. Poinsettias are the flower most associated with Christmas. Today, these traditionally red flowers come in all shapes, sizes and colors. I happen to be partial
An arrangement of hydrangeas and greenery spray painted gold. [betty montgomery]
to the solid red and solid white poinsettias. The plants themselves make a lovely decoration but that is not the only way to use them. Most people would not think of cutting the flowers and using them as the flowers for a center arrangement for your dining room table but they are very dramatic used this way. Make sure you do not get overwhelmed during the holidays. Do not make things too difficult for yourself. One big focal point in a room will set the tone. Also remember that you do not have to decorate all at once. Take your time and make sure you have plenty of time to relax and visit with friends and family.
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