Jones

From Page 3 on the property. If granted, the use permit would be for the purpose of housing you during the life of your grandmother. However, if she dies, the permit would expire and the trailer would have to be removed.

You should sit down with a county planner, explain your situation and see what ideas they can come up with to help you accomplish the goal.

Tim Jones is a real estate attorney in Fairfield. If you have any real estate questions you would like to have answered in this column, send an email to AllThingsRealEstate@TJones-Law.com.

Tasks

From Page 6 put in a little extra effort indoors. If a shower head is sluggish and no longer sprays evenly, it’s probably clogged with mineral deposits. Soak them away with a solution of half-vinegar, halfwater. You might even be able to do this without removing the shower head: Tie and tape a plastic bag filled with the solution around the head, and completely immerse the nozzles. Or unscrew the shower head and soak it in a container filled with enough of the solution to submerge the nozzles. Vinegar is acidic, and with prolonged contact, it can eat into metallic finishes, so don’t soak the shower head for longer than 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft cloth.

MOBILE/FLOATING

Commercial

7. Inspect the roof

Roof leaks can cause a ton of collateral damage to insulation, ceilings, walls and furnishings. The trick is to identify and fix problems before they lead to leaks – and to recognize ahead of time when you should schedule a roof replacement. Walk around your house with binoculars to check for moss, debris and shingles that are missing or curled. From a ladder, make sure flashing or rubber boots are intact around the chimney, skylights and vent pipes. And go into the attic to look for stains that point to leaks. Flashing problems often show up there first. If you find problems or aren’t comfortable getting on a ladder, call a roofing company and ask for an inspection, which is usually relatively inexpensive, especially if you don’t need a written report (often necessary when selling a house). If you’re comfortable going up on the roof, you can kill moss by spraying it with a bleach solution or a moss killer; after it dies, let rain wash away the remains. But for most homeowners, a professional moss removal or roof repair is a safer way to go. And there are YouTube videos on how to replace damaged or missing asphalt shingles. American Home Shield suggests replacing a roof if more than one-third of the shingles are curling.

8. Clean the garbage disposal

This is not a March-specific task; it’s something you should do every week or two. Take a few minutes this month to make it part of your cleaning routine. With the machine off, scrub the opening with a bottle brush. If the disposal stinks, freeze vinegar in ice cube trays and let the disposal blend them to icy slush. As always, run water the whole time the disposal is on, and use cold water, not hot. Grease melts with hot water, then resolidifies when it cools inside the plumbing, causing clogs.

9. Change furnace filters

Yep. Every three months. If you did it in December, it’s time to do it again.