Policyholders who work with a mutual insurance company have a shared purpose: getting the best coverage and protection available. And mutual insurance delivers because mutuals serve policyholders, not shareholders. Our decisions are always
Policyholders who work with a mutual insurance company have a shared purpose: getting the best coverage and protection available. And mutual insurance delivers because mutuals serve policyholders, not shareholders. Our decisions are always based on what’s best for you. Plus local agents offer customized solutions for all your insurance needs. Find out how mutual insurance can work for you.
Daniels Insurance Agency
Policyholders who work with a mutual insurance company have a shared purpose: getting the best coverage and protection available. And mutual insurance delivers because mutuals serve policyholders, not shareholders. Our decisions are always “Ichoosemutualinsurance
Policyholders who work with a mutual insurance company have a shared purpose: getting the best coverage and protection available. And mutual insurance delivers because mutuals serve policyholders, not shareholders. Our decisions are always based on what’s best for you. Plus local agents offer customized solutions for all your insurance needs. Find out how mutual insurance can work for you.
Burlington 262-537-2677
Policyholders who work with a mutual insurance company have a shared purpose:
Policyholders who work with a mutual insurance company have a shared purpose: getting the best coverage and protection available. And mutual insurance delivers because mutuals serve policyholders, not shareholders. Our decisions are always based on what’s best for you. Plus local agents offer customized solutions for all
Fall home maintenance tasks checklist
By Shelby Simon CONTRIBUTOR
A fall home maintenance checklist can come in handy for more reasons than you might expect. While it’s important to perform routine care and maintenance for your home before potential problems arise, you can also save yourself time and money by scheduling some services that may be more expensive or harder to book at other times of year.
Here are recommendations from Forbes for what you might consider squaring away on your fall maintenance checklist, both inside and outside, before winter arrives.
Test your detectors
Your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors should last for up to 10 and six years, respectively, but you’ll still
want to make sure they’re working each season.
Check the batteries (and their expiration dates), then test each device on each floor of your home. While you do this, make sure your windows are closed and your heating system and furnaces are turned on for maximum effectiveness.
Inspect fire extinguishers
If you have a fire extinguisher, it’s good practice to bundle this inspection with the detectors. Check the pressure gauge indicator to make sure it is charged. The lock pin should be intact and firmly in place, and the discharge nozzle should be clean and unclogged.
If the extinguisher is damaged or corroded in a way that could affect function – or if any fire extinguishers in your home
Homes & Design
Having a checklist of home maintenance projects to complete in the fall will help ensure nothing important is overlooked. Among the recommendations are cutting the grass extra short and cleaning out the gutters. FILE PHOTO Homes and Design
are older than six years – it’s time for a replacement.
Clean chimneys
The best time to clean chimneys is before the weather gets cold and you start thinking about lighting the fireplace for warmth. You can do this DIY or hire a professional, but this tedious task could take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours to complete and requires –unsurprisingly – safely climbing on the roof (in addition to cleaning tools and PPE).
Winter-proof windows
Your windows can be an easy way for heat to escape your home if they are not properly winterized. The first step is to
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FALL HOME MAINTENANCE
check for any drafts that may be coming from your windows and seal them. You can also add window treatments to save energy, such as weatherstripping.
Check heating system and change filters
On the subject of energy conservation, your home’s temperature control won’t work at its most efficient capacity if the filters are clogged or dirty.
You’ll also save on energy bills if you take the time to clean or replace your filters. Before it gets cold, pay extra attention to your furnace filter and make sure all systems are good to go.
Clear hot water radiators and steam radiator vents
If you have a hot water radiator, release the trapped air and allow hot water into the cold fins by turning the small valve that is likely towards the top. Make sure you have a cup or bowl handy to catch the express water as it drains.
A steam radiator has an air vent that may be clogged or painted over. For proper functionality, clear the air hole with a small wire or needle. A hot water or steam heat professional can help you do this and evaluate the safety of your heating system as well as perform replacements when needed.
Maintain gas heaters
Safety first when it comes to gas heaters. A professional should inspect these heaters annually, but you can DIY some maintenance, such as checking the air-shutter openings and exhaust vents and cleaning them when necessary.
Making sure you keep up with routine care for your gas heaters can prevent toxic gas in your home and help reduce your energy bill.
Finish any outdoor painting
Many paints will struggle to dry or adhere properly when the temperature drops below 45 or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Fall is a good time to touch up any exterior painting, sealing or staining, especially before snow could cover those surfaces.
Clean/maintain gutters
Your gutters catch water from your roof and drain it away from your house, but they also catch leaves and debris. The best way to ensure they function effectively – and prevent ice dams in freezing weather – is to clean them out, straighten any that are not in place, and even replace those that are damaged.
Do lawn care
To maintain a healthy lawn, there are
some steps to take before the freezing temperatures arrive. Some things you can do include cutting the grass extra short and watering and fertilizing your lawn. Also aerate the soil – more than once if you are able – to help the roots as much as possible.
Drain outdoor water sources
Make sure there is no water dripping or remaining in outdoor pipes that could expand when frozen, which would cause major damage to your plumbing system.
Skipping this step on faucets and hoses could mean expensive replacements.
Repair walkways and driveways
Fix any cracks in your walkways or driveways that could fill with ice or snow and become even worse. If you live in an area that gets extensive snowfall, mark your walkway and driveway parameters so you can see them even in winter weather.
For more information, visit forbes.com.
Warning signs a bathroom needs work
Homeowners know that the work involved to maintain a home is never done. The end of one project has a tendency to roll into the planning of another, and so it goes for years on end.
Fortunate are the homeowners who get to choose when to begin a renovation project, but it’s far more common that homeowners spot an issue and then realize it’s time to renovate.
When it comes to bathrooms, which can be among the more expensive spaces to renovate in a home, homeowners can keep an eye out for various signs suggesting the room needs a remodel.
• Mold and mildew: Mold and mildew is perhaps the most glaring sign a bathroom needs to be renovated or remodeled. Mold and mildew pose a notable threat to human health, as the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that molds can cause allergic reactions. Individuals sensitive to mold may develop symptoms that mimic reactions to outdoor allergens like pollen, including sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and dermatitis (skin rash).
Mold also can trigger asthma attacks
in people allergic to mold who have the condition. Mold can grow in poorly ventilated bathrooms, such as those without a fan or ones in which fans are not working properly. Mold and mildew will return if it’s merely scrubbed away, so the underlying cause of mold must be addressed to prevent its return.
• Small signs of fading: Stains, peeling paint, cracked paint, and gaps in grout are small signs of fading that indicate a bathroom is in need of renovation, if not a complete remodel. These issues can also serve as warning signs of larger issues, such as water issues and structural problems, so they should not be merely written off as minor problems or eyesores.
• Rising water bills: Some signs a bathroom could use a little TLC are not necessarily confined to the room itself. If water bills are rising significantly and do not align with price increases or an uptick in water consumption, homeowners may have leaking pipes. Such pipes might be beneath a bathroom sink or behind tiled walls.
Discoloration on the walls, peeling paint or wallpaper, and/or a musty odor may
indicate leaks inside a bathroom wall. If coupled with rising water bills, these signs could be indicative of a significant issue that requires immediate attention.
• Issues with tiles: Cracked or damaged tiles in the shower and bathtub or even on the floor are unsightly and also pose a safety hazard. Cracked floor tiles can lead to slips and falls, which can be especially harmful to older residents. And cracked tiles within the shower and tub area can indicate water problems behind the walls or general disrepair. Such issues should be addressed before they escalate into something larger.
• A dated vibe: Of course, some issues affecting a bathroom are not necessarily health or safety hazards but more an affront to homeowners’ grasp of current styles and trends. If walking into a bathroom unintentionally feels like stepping backward into a bygone era, then it’s probably time to consider a renovation or remodeling job.
Various signs can indicate to homeowners it’s time to consider a bathroom renovation.
(METRO CREATIVE)
When it comes to bathrooms, homeowners can keep an eye out for various signs – including rising water bills, mold and mildew or even just a dated vibe. Any of those and more suggest it might be time to remodel the bathroom.
Transform a playroom into a space that grows with the family
As children grow, playrooms that accommodated them when they were younger may no longer be necessary. Homeowners can ensure these rooms evolve with the family while making better use of the space.
Parents typically make certain changes around a home to ensure its accommodating to children including entire rooms being transformed with their enjoyment in mind. But as children grow, playrooms may no longer be necessary.
Here are a few ways these rooms can evolve with the family.
Make it a home theater/gaming room
The National Institutes of Health says children between the ages of 8 and 17 spend an average of 1.5 to 2 hours playing video games each day.
It’s important for parents to monitor their children’s gaming. One way to do so is to locate the gaming setup in a central location, like a home theater room.
Establish a hobby space
Trade in kids’ toys for things that everyone in the family will enjoy. Turn the room into one where family members can explore scrapbooking, painting, yarn crafts, collecting, photography, and more.
Create a quiet learning spot
As children grow up, they may need to spend more time studying. Transforming a playroom into a library or a study space
can provide that out-of-the-way spot to get homework and studying done. Adults can use it for reading, paying the bills, or other tasks that require concentration and quiet.
Build a home gym
If the space is large enough, bring in some workout equipment and make the play space one that encourages exercise and fitness. You can utilize interlocking foam tiles that already may be in the playroom. With some free weights, resistance bands and even your own body weight, you can perform a number of beneficial exercises.
Expand your living space
If the playroom currently abuts another room that can use some more real estate but is separated by a wall, take down the wall to increase the square footage.
Set it aside for guests
Clean out the toys and bring in a bed and nightstand. Now you’ll have a dedicated spot for overnight guests to stay, or a room that visiting older children can use.
Playrooms are much-used areas when children are young but they can evolve as kids get older and families’ needs change.
(METRO CREATIVE)
A guide to replacing home siding
Your siding gives your home character and curb appeal while protecting it from the elements.
To help you make sensible, stylish decisions, here are some fast facts about three popular varieties of siding.
Board and batten
The use of board and batten vertical siding originated hundreds of years ago as a practical solution for covering the spaces between the boards on the exterior of a home or barn.
Today, it portrays a rustic farmhouse style and handmade quality, but its strong vertical lines have modern appeal that can enhance many architectural styles, from popular Craftsman to timeless Victorian.
The good news? New materials are blending this classic look with the modern engineering of high-performance super polymer vinyl siding to offer the best of both worlds.
ProVia’s board and batten siding, for example, is low maintenance with a built-in weather barrier so you never have to paint, stain, or caulk your home’s exterior. It’s also available in a range of colors, helping you achieve a one-of-a-kind look for your home.
Shake and staggered shingle
Featured in American homebuilding since the 1600s, there are few other cladding options as distinctive and traditional as cedar shake and staggered shingle siding.
If you love this look but are concerned about maintaining this kind of siding, you’re in luck. These days, certain manufacturers are preserving the authenticity of this look using engineered vinyl materials.
The result? Greater durability and far superior moisture resistance.
Insulated siding
If you’d like additional protection from extreme temperatures, impacts, and even noises for greater peace of mind and comfort, insulated siding may be the right choice for you.
Showcasing an authentic cedar woodgrain texture, CedarMAX insulated
vinyl siding from ProVia is an example of siding providing a combination of beauty, durability, and energy efficiency. It combines rigid foam EPS insulation with the manufacturer’s Super Polymer vinyl siding.
Not only does the added foam insulation make this one of the most energy-efficient exterior claddings on the market, it may help reduce outside noise transmission by as much as 39%, according to a study conducted by a third-party test laboratory.
When you begin the process of shopping for house siding, it can feel overwhelming to identify which styles or colors you might want for your home.
Get inspired by how other homeowners have styled their siding by visiting provia. com/siding/gallery.
Thankfully, it’s possible to make home exterior updates that add to both the beauty and functionality of your home.
When replacing home siding, do a little research to get the style and color you want using materials that keep your home, and your household, safe and comfortable.
(STATEPOINT)
When replacing home siding, do a little research to get the style and color you want using materials that keep your home, and your household, safe and comfortable.
STATEPOINT Homes and Design
Pop of color can make a difference
By Bonnie Jones CONTRIBUTOR
Looking to brighten up your space? Adding a pop of color is the perfect way to add a little fun into the decor of your home.
No matter what color you’re looking to incorporate, there are many different ways that you can bring a fun, bright and bold statement into your living area. You might be surprised how easy it becomes to make your home a more vibrant place.
Start small
If you’re new to incorporating bold colors, start small. Think about adding colorful throw pillows, rugs, or curtains to spice up an otherwise mild room. These items are easy to swap out if you change your mind, plus, they can add a surprising amount of personality to a room while still operating on a budget. No serious commitment required.
Paint an accent wall
Ready to make a more permanent pop in your home? An accent wall is a fantastic way to introduce color without overwhelming your space. Pick a wall that naturally draws attention, like the one behind your bed or sofa, and choose a color that complements the rest of your décor.
Bold choices like teal, mustard yellow, or even a rich burgundy can make a stunning statement.
Colorful artwork
Artwork is a great way to add color and express your personality. Look for pieces that incorporate the colors you love. You can find affordable prints online, or even create your own if you’re feeling crafty.
A gallery wall can be particularly striking and give you a lot of flexibility in terms of color and design, and you’ll have a customized, museum-like display in your home.
Furniture with flair
Have you ever thought of furniture as your perfect pop of color? A bright yellow armchair, a teal coffee table, or a vibrant red bookcase can serve as a focal point in any room.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match – a little eclecticism can make your space feel unique and inviting.
Don’t forget the bathroom
Think a simple and plain bathroom is the way to go? Think again. Colorful and bright bathrooms are back in style, ranging in everything from a fresh, new, colorful accent to the pink spaces of years gone by.
Channel this trend by adding colorful towels, a bright shower curtain, or even fun accent walls and lights. These small changes can make a big difference. Adding a pop of color to your home can be a fun and rewarding process. No matter what your personality is, there is sure to be a color that matches your mood. So go ahead, pick that bold hue and see how it transforms your space. You’ll be seeing more hints of yourself throughout your home in no time.
Happy decorating!
This article first appeared in an online blog by Jones on shorewest.com.
The most popular rooms to remodel
Home improvement trends come and go. In a testament to that reality, the wildly popular open floor plan concepts that have dominated homeowners’ desires over the last decadeplus could be falling out of favor, a shift that Rachel Stults of Realtor.com linked to the COVID-19 pandemic in an interview with Business Insider.
Stults noted open floor plans will likely exhibit some measure of staying power, but linked the shift toward more traditional layouts to COVID lockdowns and the desire for more privacy among residents.
The shift away from open floor plans is a testament to the fleeting nature of home renovation trends. But trends still deserve a place at the table among real estate investors and homeowners who want to renovate their homes with an eye on projects that could be most appealing to prospective buyers.
As homeowners balance their
own preferences with those that might help them sell their homes down the road, they can consider this list of the most popular rooms to renovate, courtesy of the “2024 U.S. Houzz & Home Study” from Houzz Research.
1. Kitchen
2. Guest bathroom
3. Primary bathroom
4. Living room
5. Guest bedroom
6. Primary bedroom
7. Laundry room
8. Closet
9. Dining room
10. Home office
When considering renovating various rooms, homeowners should know that Houzz researchers found that the median spend increased for most interior room upgrades compared to the previous year. However, the median cost to upgrade living rooms and home offices remained unchanged.
On the garden path
Fall planting provides months of spring color
Welcome spring and create continuous color for several months with a collection of spring-flowering bulbs. After planting in the fall, you’ll enjoy an array of flower colors that combine nicely with other springflowering trees, shrubs, and flowers.
By MELINDA MYERS Contributor
Start the season with early blooming snowdrops. As winter fades, watch for the dangling white flowers on six- to ten-inch-tall plants. Include these small flowers in rock gardens, mixed borders, and informal landscapes in sunny and part-shade locations. Include a tapestry of colors with white, purple, lavender, and yellow crocus. Large Flowering Pickwick crocus offers unique blooms of white flowers with purple pinstripes. Its striped petals surround the red-orange stamens, making this a standout in any planting. Crocus are a favorite of critters as well as gardeners, so consider protecting them with a repellent as the leaves emerge in spring.
Look to early, mid, and late spring blooming tulips and daffodil varieties to maximize the color in your landscape throughout the spring. Check catalog descriptions and package labels to help you select an array of bloom times. Longfield Gardens’ Bloom Times Guide to Spring and Summer Bulbs (LongfieldGardens.com) can also help you plan for three months of color in your landscape. Emperor, Kaufmanniana, and Greigii tulips will offer a bit of early spring color. Add some fragrance and showy, peonylike flowers with Double Early Foxtrot. This award-winning tulip has sturdy, weatherproof stems that support its loosely cupped flowers. Its petals contain a range of pink shades from white to deep rose. Plant some Darwin Hybrid and Triumph tulips for mid-spring color in the garden. The two-toned flowers on Apricot Impression seem to glow, and as a Darwin hybrid, they will have a long-lasting presence in your garden. Finish the spring season with fancy ruffled parrot tulips, fringed and lily tulips, and more single
The late spring blooming bulb Purple Sensation allium has four-inch round purple flowers and is critter-resistant.
and double late bloomers. You’ll enjoy the extended show and late spring flowers to enjoy in arrangements.
Don’t overlook daffodils. You’ll find a variety of flowers with long, short, large, and split trumpets. Daffodil flowers may be one color, or the trumpet may be a different color than the surrounding petals. Double varieties add a unique look to any garden. The early- to midspring blooming Cyclamineus Tete-a-Tete daffodil may be small in stature at seven inches but the bright yellow flowers and three blossoms per stem make it visible from a distance.
Combine some Armenian grape hyacinths with mid-spring blooming tulips, daffodils, and perennials. Their small, cobalt-blue, fragrant flowers last weeks and look good wherever they are planted.
Bridge spring and summer flower seasons in your garden with Purple Sensation allium. This late spring blooming bulb has four-inch round purple
PHOTO Homes and Design
flowers high atop 24 to 30” stems. These reliable bloomers are critter-resistant like daffodils and grape hyacinths. Enjoy them in your garden, fresh bouquets, and dried flower arrangements.
Make this the year you select and do some fall planting of various early, mid, and late spring flowering bulbs.
You’ll be rewarded with a burst of early spring color and sustained beauty from a mix of spring flowering bulbs.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening.
She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV and radio program.
Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. For more information, visit www. MelindaMyers.com.
• Lt1 Golf Dr $43,000 • Lt1 Lake Dr N $270,000 • Lt2 E River Bay Dr $295,000 Franksville
• Lt1 W 7 Mile
of
KENOSHA COUNTY
Here is
listing
recent single-family home, condominium and vacant land sales in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties. The information is provided through the Multiple Listing Service.
home and property sales
WALWORTH COUNTY
SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES
Elkhorn
• 124 N Lincoln St $200,850
• 310 N Lincoln St $210,000
• 210 N Broad St $295,000
• 414 N Sandy Ln $340,000
• N6998 Poplar Ln $325,000
• 1227 E Pinecrest Ln $345,000
• 426 E Sunny Hill Dr $380,000
• 4492 Cobblestone Rd $465,000
• W6737 E Lakeshore Dr $550,000 Genoa City
• N1108 Spruce Rd $125,000
• W1316 Greenview Rd $230,000
• 444 Freeman St $240,000
• N1169 Phlox Dr .................. $345,000
• N1135 Sandalwood Dr ....... $345,000 Lake Geneva
• N3133 Tamarack Rd ........... $212,000
• M3218 Nymph Rd .............. $150,000
• 427 Haskins St ................... $300,000
• W3816 Lakeview Dr ........... $340,000
• 1065 Mobile St $399,000
• 1620 Monte Vista Dr $455,000
• Lt 15 Evan Dr $484,000
• 1645 Vista Ct $484,478
• 342 Bowing Way $542,500
• 109 Cappella Way $675,900
• W3954 S Shore Dr $750,000
• 1034 Dodge St $810,000
• W4437 Basswood Dr $866,000
• N2441 Snake Rd $1,300,000
• 530 S Boulder Ridge Dr $1,625,000
• N1812 Hillside Rd $1,750,000
• N1944 Bluff Ln $2,237,500
• W3124 S Lakeshore Dr $21,850,000
Whitewater
• 268 S Prairie St $200,000
• 724 W Peck St $205,000
• 476 S Ventura Ln $315,000
• 1596 Meadowview Ct $330,000
• N7545 Esker Ct $490,000
• N8945 Parker Rd $1,210,000 Delavan
• 122 N 5th St $109,500
• 127 N Harrison St $190,000
• 126 N Fourth St $180,000
• 606 Ann St $210,000
• 4309 Meadowlark Ave $210,000
• 4505 South Shore Dr $269,900
• 962 Racine St $300,000
• 2140 Blue Heron Dr $832,500
• 2714 Harbor Ct $1,348,480
• 2630 Mooring Ct $1,371,770 East Troy
• 2862 Austin St $232,000
• W498 County Road L $297,500
• W3260 County Road J $396,000
• 1717 Carriage Dr $425,000
• N9168 Ravine Dr $450,500
• W2481 Leasure Way .......... $685,000 Walworth
• 136 Maple Ave.................... $232,000
• 126 N 5th Ave ..................... $270,000
• 179 Fontana Ave ................ $300,000
• 311 Phillips Ave Lt14 .......... $389,000
• N855 Six Corners Rd $440,000
• W6369 Brick Church Rd $550,000
Fontana
• 46 N West St $275,000
• 343 S Lower Gardens Rd $470,000
• 446 Walnut Pl $1,050,000
• 858 Tarrant Dr $1,320,000 Darien
• 27 N Bruce St $135,000
• 120 E Beloit St $384,900 Sharon
• 219 Walworth St $215,000
Williams Bay
• 14 Hill St ............................. $286,000
• 511 Woodland Ct D ............ $520,000
CONDOS
Fontana
• 709 Country Club Dr B $795,000
• 57 Bob O Link Dr $1,230,000
• 25 Abbey Springs Dr $1,325,000
Lake Geneva
• 111 Center St 160 $165,000
• 1821 Woodland Cir 12-08 $270,000
• 707 S Lake Shore Dr 3F $285,000
• 1150 Park Dr 1103 $315,000
• 1073 Lakeland Dr 9-25 ....... $327,500
• 725 Hillview Cir 46-62 ........ $390,000
• 323 Broad St 201 ............... $585,000
• N1592 Lakeside Ln ......... $4,950,000
Williams Bay
• 91 Potawatomi Rd N-4 $340,000
• 13 Wildwood Ct 3C $345,000
• 35 S Walworth Ave 401 $1,400,000
Whitewater
• 215 E Clay St $189,900
WAYSIDE/ROOM FOR RENT On the square in Walworth. For a single person only. Rent by month only. Call or please leave a message. 847-739-6789
SALE
Burial Needs
7 CEMETERY PLOTS Willing to sell as a group or individually. Located at Roselawn Memory Gardens 3045 WI-67, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. This is a private sale. Contact Randy, the seller at randy@slpublishers. com.
Other Real Estate
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familiar/ status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1-900-669-9777. The toll-free tele phone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
