Winter Ready

Our home is ready for winter now that we have had some recent maintenance and improvements done.

1. Sprinkler system winterized. Last year a company charged us $120 to winterize our underground sprinkler system.  This year I was lucky to find Precision Irrigation who did it for half the price we paid last year!  I hope to use them every winter.  They were easy to work with.  I called them to say I wanted the work done and they said they would come in the next couple weeks, we did not have to be home when they came.  After they came and winterized our sprinkler system, they left us a bill and that was it!
2. Insulation installed in basement. Our handyman John pointed out that we had no insulation in the basement.  Jeff and I did not even know this was a problem or something that we should do!  (He also recently pointed out there is no insulation in our walls, but that is a project for another time.)  John bought the proper insulation and put it in the basement ceiling.  It was a long process as the insulation had to be cut to fit in each area, and the drop ceiling panels in one half of the basement had to be removed to put the insulation in.  I am glad it is done and now the basement definitely feels warmer!
   
3. New furnace installed! Our home now has a brand new 80% two stage furnace.  The old furnace was the original furnace put in the home, way back in 1962!  I still don’t know how it lasted that long, and I was really worried it was going to break right in the middle of winter.  This is why Jeff and I decided it would be best to replace our furnace before the start of winter.  The guys arrived to install it around 10:00am and were working until 5 or 6pm.  They even had to come back the following day to finish up a few odds and ends such as putting new mortar on the chimney.  If you need to get a new furnace, be prepared to take a day off work or find out if it can be installed over the weekend, because it takes all day to put in!  We got a good deal on our new furnace by asking for help from the realtor who sold us this home.  He used to work in the heating/cooling business so he has a lot of connections.  Tip for home owners out there: don’t be afraid to ask for help from people you know such as your realtor, handyman, etc.  They may be able to get you a better deal than you would get on your own!  Our new furnace is a lot smaller than the old one, and seems a little louder.  Check out the pic of the new one!