Buncombe County
28 VOL. 22 NO. 14 SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 REAL ESTATE WEEKLY™ Margolyn Young, Assistant
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Candy Whitt, 231-2233 Drea Jackson, 712-7888 Cindy McGrayne, 301-1449
828-684-0337
Connie Choate, 702-2810
SEE YOUR WNC HomeTeam at www.wncHomeTeam.com
Chimney safety ... from page 22
Featu$319,000 red Property TWIN BROOKS: Home has been immaculately maintained. The basement has been completely finished with full bath and play area. Opens onto patio with swing and lovely landscaped area with pond. Four bedrooms upstairs, beautiful first floor hardwoods. Great yard with level play area. MLS# 490233
$325,000
$279,000
GASTON MOUNTAIN: Beautifully maintained 4 bedroom, 3 bath home. Open floor plan, formal dining, two fireplaces, large family room, 2 car garage main level, lower drive with garage door to sports, hobby or workshop storage. MLS# 483707
ARDEN: Beautifully maintained ranch on wonderful private lot. Split bedroom plan/kitchens and baths have been updated. Wrap around deck with Koi pond and hot tub. New additions for master suite and family room. Two car garage and large workshop with electrical run to it. MLS# 486282
$259,900
$250,000
NORTH ASHEVILLE: Newer home with open floor plan, hardwood floors, huge master suite and fantastic gardens; all within minutes of downtown Asheville. Must see! MLS#490114
HENDERSONVILLE: Builders own 3/2, 1844 sq ft home. LR with vaulted ceiling & beautiful stone gas log FP. A nice big kitchen. Hrdwd & tile floors throughout common living areas. Huge back deck. MLS# 478555
$199,000
$174,000
MOUNTAIN HOME: Cottage in the woods. This is the most charming place you have ever seen. Long range views peek between the summer trees. Approximately 500 sq ft being finished in basement for a large master suite with luxury bath. This you must see. MLS# 488008
MARSHALL: Great 4BR/2BA home with lots of wooded privacy. Decks surround the house. Barn for great storage or workshop. Use upstairs or downstairs for master. New appliances, electrical, plumbing, windows and roof make this move-in ready. Close to French Broad River and downtown Marshall. Convenient to Hot Springs and AVL. USDA eligible. MLS#505710
$129,900
$128,900
ADDISON CREEK New 3/2 1008 sq ft off frame modular Newberry floor plan. Split bedroom, eat in kitchen with SS appliances. Long Range mountain views. One year builder’s home warranty. MLS# 470107
FAIRVIEW: Absolutely immaculate split bedroom plan. Home was totally remodeled in 2006, new sheetrock, windows, carpet, cabinets, floors. New kitchen floor in 2009. Lovingly maintained. Permanent masonry foundation, huge deck for views and entertaining. This is great retirement, first time buyer or second home. Must see. MLS# 490011
$124,000 PRICED BELOW TAX VALUE!! Trade or owner finance options. Convenient 3/2 1300 sq ft 1st flr end condo w/ open plan, 9 ft ceilings, tile kitchen & baths, handicap access w/ low HOAs. Pets welcome! MLS # 476343
burn longest, though dry firewood is more important than the species. Less dense woods like spruce or white pine burn well if sufficiently dry, but you'll need to add more wood to your fire more often, according to CSIA. •Wood, only wood! Crates, lumber, construction scraps, painted wood, or other treated wood releases chemicals into your home, compromising your air quality. Log starters are fine for getting your fire going, but they burn very hot; generally only use one at a time. •Close your damper when not using the fireplace to prevent warm indoor air-and the dollars you're spending to heat it-from rushing up the chimney. •On a factory-built, prefab wood-burning fireplace, keep bifold glass doors open when burning a fire to allow heat to get into the room. •Have a chimney cap installed to prevent objects, rain, and snow from falling into your chimney and to reduce downdrafts. The caps have side vents so smoke escapes. A chimney sweep usually provides and can install a stainless steel cap, which is better than a galvanized metal one available at most home improvement retailers because it won't rust, says Anthony Drago, manager of Ashleigh's Hearth and Home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. •Replace a poorly sealing damper to prevent heat loss. "You can get a top-mounted damper that functions as a rain cap, too, an improvement over the traditional damper because it provides a tighter closure," says CSIA's Eldridge. •Install carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors in your house-near the fireplace as well as in bedroom areas. •If you burn more than three cords of wood annually, get your chimney cleaned twice a year. A cord is 4-feet high, by 4-feet wide, by 8-feet long, or the amount that would fill two full-size pickup trucks. •To burn fire safely, build it slowly, adding more wood as it heats and keeping your damper completely open to increase draw in the early stages. Burn the fire hot, at least occasionally-with the damper all the way open to help prevent smoke from lingering the fireplace and creosote from developing. By the way, fireplaces aren't officially rated for energy efficiency because they're so varied. Depending on the source of information, they can be 10% to 30% efficient in converting fuel to heat. No inspection will turn a masonry or factory-built fireplace into a furnace, but it can improve efficiency somewhat, decrease the amount of heating dollars you're sending up the chimney, and increase your enjoyment of your hearth time by reducing smoke. If a sweeping prevents a chimney fire, you're talking about the difference between another ordinary January day, and the potential loss of your home, or even life. Wendy Paris is a writer in New York currently living in a home with a very smoky fireplace that has set off the smoke detector more than once. After finishing this article, she decided to schedule a chimney sweep. She's written for This Old House magazine, as well as for The New York Times and Salon.com.