Our new house is in an area where Radon levels tend to be high. (EPA has maps of the country, state, and county that are color-coded if you are interested... also the main concern would be in a basement) At our inspection, waaaaay back in November, we learned that our level was 5. And that meant nothin to me... so I had to ask questions and research... and we learned that the acceptable EPA level for radon is 4. So we decided that we would install a radon mitigation system if we moved in.
The very day after our closing we had an estimate, $850 for everything (parts, labor, radon test kit). Then yesterday we had it installed. This gets us 1 step closer to moving in!!!!!
You migh be wondering what radon does... well it is the #2 leading cause of lung cancer. It seeps into the basement through cracks in the foundation or through sump pumps (which is how it gets in our house). You cannot see or smell it or detect it by normal means - as in you need a professional or a fancy kit that they provide for you. It also takes three days to take a reading.
Now you might be wondering what they do for radon mitigation and if it is really effective. Since we have an unfinished laundry room in the basement, that was the place where they installed the system. They drilled into the floor to put piping and a fan to blow air from the gravel under the house up along the side of the house (looks like another gutter downspout) and out above the roof. The company we used guarantees that the level will remain under 2 for the life ofthe house (provided that the fan is on).
I like DIY - but you can clearly see how it was necessary in this case for professionals to do it :-)
Today we will do the radon test and in a few days we'll know if the level has dropped down under 2.
Cost of the system = $850 + ~$4/month to run the fan*
Installation took 1 full workday
Benefit = no increased risk of lung cancer when we move in!
Um... do I even need to tell you if I think it was a worthwhile investment? When you talk about indoor air quality, radon is at the top of the list.
A few additional benefits of the system:
1) The level of water under the house is now being monitored through the fan system which has a little meter that very easy to read. We will be able to tell if we are having a moisture problem before it actually gets into the basement.
2) The fan works as a dehumidifier (which we would have needed to buy)
*turning off the fan for extended periods of time will cause it to clog with moisture and break
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
If You've Been Wondering...
Where has she disappeared to? The answer is the wonderful world of first-time-home-owner-ship (did I just create that run-on word?). I am very excited to say the hubby and I are home-owners as of last Friday!
We haven't moved yet because it needs a little TLC before we can make the move, thus no time to blog! I also had no time to blog leading up to it because we purchased a short sale... so although we put in our offer a loooong time ago, once it was approved things moved super fast.
I don't know how you other bloggers out there do it! I love to blog but as soon as life gets really interesting, I have zero time... and I have just created time tonight to finally update the blog because I drank caffeinated soda at like 10PM and that has kept me up until 1AM (something I normally only do when I am nursing the baby).
I have pretty much nothing for the blog today other than excuses for not blogging every other day for the past 3ish weeks! Not even a single photo because I have no idea where the cord is at the moment to connect my camera.
I have a zillion projects floating in my head that I am researching... but I certainly don't have the time it takes to carry one out with all the photos and cost analysis until we make the official move and things settle down.
Given that short sales are "as is" *condition, our house is somewhere in-between fixer-upper and regular sale. The kitchen is updated and I love it, the walls are painted great colors, it has curb appeal... but the windows are super old, flooring has seen better days and there is a lot of regular maintenance to catch up on.
To give an idea, for anyone who might consider a short sale, I will list what we have to do / have already done before moving in. No one single item is major, but they add up to a few weeks worth of work. For me, honestly, I like it this way. I'm weird, but it makes me feel like we are getting to know the house inside and out... I like projects, so its like a big project and I will get that sense of pride when we finally move in, that maybe I would miss if everything was in tip-top shape to start with... I guess I'm just like that.
Anyways, here's the list:
*I just want to note that I met the previous owners at settlement (which does not always happen in short sales) and I liked them, I think they put their best effort in telling us things about the house, and doing what they could to get it ready to sell. They seemed like good folks.
We haven't moved yet because it needs a little TLC before we can make the move, thus no time to blog! I also had no time to blog leading up to it because we purchased a short sale... so although we put in our offer a loooong time ago, once it was approved things moved super fast.
I don't know how you other bloggers out there do it! I love to blog but as soon as life gets really interesting, I have zero time... and I have just created time tonight to finally update the blog because I drank caffeinated soda at like 10PM and that has kept me up until 1AM (something I normally only do when I am nursing the baby).
I have pretty much nothing for the blog today other than excuses for not blogging every other day for the past 3ish weeks! Not even a single photo because I have no idea where the cord is at the moment to connect my camera.
I have a zillion projects floating in my head that I am researching... but I certainly don't have the time it takes to carry one out with all the photos and cost analysis until we make the official move and things settle down.
Given that short sales are "as is" *condition, our house is somewhere in-between fixer-upper and regular sale. The kitchen is updated and I love it, the walls are painted great colors, it has curb appeal... but the windows are super old, flooring has seen better days and there is a lot of regular maintenance to catch up on.
To give an idea, for anyone who might consider a short sale, I will list what we have to do / have already done before moving in. No one single item is major, but they add up to a few weeks worth of work. For me, honestly, I like it this way. I'm weird, but it makes me feel like we are getting to know the house inside and out... I like projects, so its like a big project and I will get that sense of pride when we finally move in, that maybe I would miss if everything was in tip-top shape to start with... I guess I'm just like that.
Anyways, here's the list:
- deep clean
- professionally clean the carpets
- clean the attic and re-insulate
- plumbing - I can't say I know any of the names of anything he did, but we had a plumber doing stuff yesterday
- electrician - it looks like our meter was stepped on and that's dangerous apparently!
- put air purifiers on all levels (they had a cat and I'm allergic)
- remove tree branches
- Radon mitigation (they install a fan thing that lowers the level)
- pry open windows, get window estimates for research
- garage door - springs don't look safe
- driveway & siding repairs requested by the HOA
- get design review board approval for a drain, also requested by the HOA
- repair walkway to the front door
- replace carpeting? (haven't decided yet)
- ... I'm probably forgetting something, so I will mention that later if I actually start to keep up with the blog again!!
*I just want to note that I met the previous owners at settlement (which does not always happen in short sales) and I liked them, I think they put their best effort in telling us things about the house, and doing what they could to get it ready to sell. They seemed like good folks.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Just Baby Pictures
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