Bartlett Homeowner News

Low Cost Home Improvements

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:08:37 -0500

Here are home improvement ideas … big on impact … low on cost:
1. Tile the kitchen counter backsplash.
2. Add a breakfast bar (cut opening) between a kitchen and a family room.
3. Install a granite tile (vs. a slab) countertop.
4. Freshen a bathroom without retiling … new medicine cabinet, faucet, vanity cabinet … refinish and recolor the wall tile.
5. Replace light fixtures … try a pendant light over a kitchen island for pop!

Source: Realtor Magazine, 11/09

Health: No Flour, No Sugar

Tue, 8 Jun 2010 15:39:12 -0500

I’ve been reading Dr. Gott’s book and 4 word philosophy for better health. It’s an easy read and interesting look into managing our weight by leavingflour and sugar out of our diets.

For me, this book is a little differernt view of flour (Iwas already pretty familiar with the book Sugar Busters and the benefits of avoiding sugar.)
Dr. Gott advocates that even whole wheat “flour” be avoided. Check the label, he says. If it uses the word flour, avoid it. For example, some whole wheat cereals that do not use flour in the label are Shredded Wheat and Uncle Sam. Some interesting reminders from his book include:

• 3,500 calories = 1 pound
• Weight x 13 = number of calories per day (x 15 if active)
• Weight loss goal redommended about 1 pound per week until reaching your optimum goal (use 500 more calories per day than you take in x 7 days = 3,500 calories = 1 pound
• See recommended food guidelines at mypyramid.gov (2005 USDA guidelines)

Shelby Farms

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 11:13:33 -0500

It looks like the largest U.S. inner city park will be getting a facelift in the near future. Headlines report plans for expanding Patriot Lake to include a swimming area and sandy beachfront! A beach could be a huge hit. An improved Wolf River Trail is in the works, too. With cooperation from private and government interests, Shelby Farms could truly develop as a “world class” city park!

Home Energy Tax Credits

Tue, 25 May 2010 13:14:28 -0500

The Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allows a 30% tax credit for making energy-efficient upgrades to homes. The maximum tax credit is $1,500. Homeowners should check qualifying products such as windows, doors, insulation, heating and air conditioning systems, and water heaters. Look for the Energy Star rating and be sure to check tax credit specifications before you order, as not all Energy Star products qualify. See details at http://www.energystar.gov/taxcredits.

Lower Utility $$

Mon, 17 May 2010 16:37:04 -0500

Are you using compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) at home? They are especially useful for lights left on for extended periods, like the garage door exterior, your front porch or perhaps a lamp you leave on for your teenager.

CFL’s run about 5 times the cost of a regular bulb, but the Department of Energy estimates each bulb saves a homeowner $30 for the life of the CFL bulb. First, they last up to 13 times longer. Second, they use about 75% less energy. The light of a 100 watt incandescent bulb is replaced by a 23 watt CFL bulb.

Source: The Costco Connection

Master Your Metabolism

Tue, 4 May 2010 12:22:57 -0500

I’ve been reading Master Your Metabolism. It’s easy reading and reinforces many of Dr. Gott’s “no flour, no sugar” principles (mentioned in my July newsletter), but goes farther with how we eat, sleep, exercise and encounter stress, etc., and how it affects the major hormone reactions in our body.

Author Jillian Michaels appears on the reality TV series The Biggest Loser, where she counsels guests on how to lose weight and get in shape. In the book, she recounts her own battle with conditioning and how exercise alone was not enough. Her personal breakthrough to better fitness came following her visit to an endocrinologist where she learned more about her body chemistry … how she could accentuate positive hormone balances and reduce the negative.

Her goal is to help the reader optimize your body chemistry naturally without supplements.

Go with your Strengths

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:03:07 -0500

Focusing more on what you do well versus improving on things you don’t do well is a hot topic these days. You hear about going with your strengths in business and sports. You hear about spiritual gifts at church. Best selling author Marcus Buckingham recommends this 6 step discipline to achieve outstanding performance:

1. Bust the myth. Finding weaknesses and fixing them is not the road to success.
2. Get clear. Identify your strengths (invigorate, arouse curiosity, enjoy) and weaknesses (deplete, bore, drain.)
3. Free your strengths. Volunteer your strengths.
4. Steer away from weakness. Use resolve.
5. Speak up. Share what thrills … and bores.
6. Build strong habits. Make it last.

Source: Go Put Your Strengths to Work, 2007.

Termidor for Termites

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:59:02 -0500

I regularly hear how the pest control pros like Termidor.

Termidor is a brand name of BASF and contains the active ingredient Fipronil. It is mixed with water and applied with a spray wand inserted into holes drilled into foundation walls or slabs and the perimeter foundation of your home. It does not repel termites (as former chemicals), but allows termites to enter the treated area. Termites cannot see, smell, taste or avoid it. Instead they ingest it with the soil and become a carrier. As they return to the colony, they transfer the chemical to other termites and wipe out the colony.

Testing by the USDA Forest Service shows Termidor treatment to offer long lasting protection. Only licensed pest control professionals are authorized to purchase and apply Termidor.
Source: BASF.com

Health: No Flour, No Sugar

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 10:25:14 -0500

Health: No Flour, No Sugar

I’ve been reading Dr. Gott’s book and 4 word philosophy for better health. It’s an easy read and interesting look into managing our weight by leaving flour and sugar out of our diets.

For me, this book is a little different view of flour (I was pretty familiar with the book Sugar Busters and the benefits of avoiding sugar.) Dr. Gott advocates that even whole wheat “flour” be avoided. Check the label, he says. If it uses the word flour, avoid it. (Example: whole wheat cereals that do not list flour in the label are Shredded Wheat and Uncle Sam.)

Other reminders from his book include:
• 3,500 calories = 1 pound
• Weight loss goal recommended = 1 pound per week until reaching your optimum goal … use 500 more calories per day than you take in x 7 days = 3,500 calories = 1 pound per week
• Weight x 13 = number of calories needed per day (x 15 if active)
• See recommended food guidelines at mypyramid.gov (2009 USDA guidelines)

Source: Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet,
Peter H. Gott, M.D., 2006

Ahead: The Urban Century

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:44:04 -0500

John McIlwain, Senior Resident Fellow, addressed The Urban Land Institute in Washington in January. He predicts that the suburban push of the baby boomers beginning in the 70’s is over. The “urban century” has begun. He forecasts:

1. Aging baby boomers (55 to 64) will continue working out of necessity or by choice. Many will opt for mixed-age living environments that cater to active lifestyles.
2. Younger baby boomers (46 to 54) will also be drawn to more connected, compactly designed communities with a walkable, urban feel.
3. Generation Y, the tech savvy children of the baby boomers, is a larger group than the baby boomers! They place a high value on community and having a place to gather. They are not as interested in home ownership as their parents. Many will be renters for years ahead and gravitate to walkable, close-in communities.

Factors driving urbanization include:
• growth of two person and single households without children
• the likelihood of Generation Y to rent rather than own
• a de-emphasis for auto dependency … a desire for more pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented, mixed-use environments.
Source: RISMedia, January, 2010