Home&Real Estate
OPEN HOME GUIDE 46
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Home Front
EDIBLE LANDSCAPING TOUR ... The fifth annual self-guided tour of 10 Palo Alto (and nearby city) gardens that focus on raising edibles organically takes place Saturday, July 23, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check in at Common Ground Garden Supply and Education Center, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto, beginning at 10:45 a.m. and pick up a map with garden descriptions. Cost is $35. Information: 650-4936072 or www.commongroundinpaloalto.org
BZZZZZZZ ... UC Master Gardener Vera Kark will talk about “Bees in the ’Burbs — Basic Beekeeping for Beginners� on Tuesday, July 26, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. Information: Master Gardeners at 408282-3105, between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday or http://mastergardeners.org ORCHARD TOURS ... Tours of Filoli’s fruit orchards take place Thursdays through Sundays, July through October, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. A highlight is the Gentleman’s Orchard, 6.8 acres of heirloom fruits, designed for family enjoyment rather than as a commercial venture. Since 1997, the orchard has grown from 150 to 670 trees, including mayhaws, medlars and quince; pawpaws; stone fruits and table grapes, and includes a collection of historic apple and pear trees. Information (and reservations): 650-364-8300 or www. filoli.org
Send notices of news and events related to real estate, interior design, home improvement and gardening to Home Front, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302, or e-mail cblitzer@ paweekly.com. Deadline is Thursday at 5 p.m.
Whose D pipe is this?
by Casey Moore ana Tom had grown accustomed to the construction noises in front of his Hamilton Avenue home, sounds that lasted for 12 days last month as part of a 10-month city sewermain replacement project. But the Palo Alto resident and Palo Alto Unified School District board member started asking questions when the city-funded private contractor approached his house and offered to re-
place his private sewer-lateral pipes without any prompting. Such offers are common and permitted by the city, according to Debra Katz, communications manager at City of Palo Alto Utilities. But when to replace the laterals, and whether the homeowner or the city is responsible for paying, is where this sewer line gets blurry. The key determinant is the property line, Katz said. The property line di(continued on page 35)
PALO ALTO HOMEOWNERS WONDER WHEN TO REPLACE SEWER LATERALS
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Under the Palo Alto Utilities gas-safety initiative, miniature video cameras will be sent through every sewer pipe in Palo Alto, looking for crossbores, or intersections between sewer and gas lines. *>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ Ă•Â?ÞÊÓÓ]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 33
Courtesy of City of Palo Alto
ALL ABOUT WISTERIA ... Participants in the “Wisteria IIâ€? class on Saturday, July 23, from 1 to 3 p.m., will learn how Filoli maintains its wisteria collection and promotes “an impressive show of flowers every spring.â€? The class, held at Filoli, 86 CaĂąada Road, Woodside, will focus on pruning to encourage new growth. Cost is $40 for nonmembers, $35 for members. Information: 650-364-8300 or www. filoli.org N
Courtesy of City of Palo Alto
REMODEL OR TEAR DOWN? ... Harrell Remodeling will offer free workshops on “Remodeling vs. New Construction� on Saturday, July 23, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and one on “Kitchen & Bath� on Wednesday, July 27, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Each is held at the Harrell Remodeling Design Center, 1954 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View. Come 15 minutes early for refreshments. Information: 650-230-2900 or www.harrellremodeling.com