Hawaii Renovation 24 October 2010

HAWAII

OCTOBER 24, 2010

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HAWAIIRENOVATION BIA-Hawaii Remodelers

Homebuyertips

Window Coverings | Draperies | Vertical Blinds Roman Shades | Roller Shades | Wood Blinds ABC Design Center will match any quote and extra discounts up to 10%

from the 2010 BIA Parade of Homes

BY KAREN NAKAMURA

he Building Industry Association of Hawaii’s 54th annual BIA Parade of Homes showcased an array of new homes to educate consumers on the latest ecofriendly technology, trends and Hawaii BuiltGreen en-

T

sumer debt. Pay down credit card balances.

3. Assemble a cash down payment.

4. Research mortgage companies. Shop around for the best interest/programs.

5. Get pre-approved by a lender.

6. Figure out how much

The 2010 BIA Parade of Homes Grand Champion Winner “Gentry Homes Ltd. Haleakea” by Gentry Pupukea Plan B.

ergy innovations in residential construction. Since buying a home is one of the biggest investments of your life, keep the following checklist handy.

1. Get a Free copy of your credit report.

Visit www.annualcreditreport.c om 2. Reduce your con-

you can afford.

7. Think of features that are important to you.

8. Create a checklist to serve as your roadmap for buying a home.

9. Narrow down where you want to live. Check out schools/neighborhoods.

10. Seek out a real estate agent to help with buying your home. Compare serv-

ices of different agents and look for good personal chemistry 11. Shop for homes.

Check comparable sales in the neighborhood.

12. Ask the seller about a home warranty.

13. Sign the purchase contract.

14. Complete all mortgage loan application requirements.

15. Apply for homeowner’s insurance.

16. Order a home inspection.

17. Set a closing date and know what the closing costs will be.

18. Do a final walkthrough of the home.

19. Sign escrow closing documents and mortgage documents. Provide any additional deposits necessary to close.

20. Receive your keys upon recordation of your new home.

Watch for the winner of the BIA Parade of Homes’ $10,000 Shari Saiki Interior Design Service and mesh Furniture Grand Prize in a future column. Visit biahawaii.org for tips and trends from the building industry that will enhance the quality of your life.

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HAWAIIRENOVATION

Hawaii Hardwood Flooring and the

s everyone starts preparing for the holidays, you have some time to prepare your home before your loved ones are over to celebrate this special season. Hawaii Hardwood Flooring (HHF) would like to share a few ideas for home improvement projects to spruce up your abode.

One way to rejuvenate your wood floors is to refinish them. HHF is offering dustless sanding and refinishing, which are the perfect choices to give a quick new look to your existing flooring. The company cares about the indoor air quality so its

A

Holidays are here

professionals use a vacuum system that eliminates 95 percent of the dust during the sanding process, thus bringing beauty to your home and indoor air quality to your family!

For the do-it-yourselfers, HHF carries Fortane Adhesive and Moisture Vapor Barrier, two proven products to ensure a great flooring installation. The company also offers flooring sundries from sandpaper, underlayment, finish and putty to help complete the flooring job.

Another option to get the floors ready for the

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holidays is the installation of HHF’s High Quality Prefinished Engineered Flooring. The flooring has a 4-millimeter wear layer, a variety of colors and is manufactured for Hawaii’s unique climate. The company locally stocks this engineered and solid wood flooring line and has accompanying stair treads and transitions.

HHF also offers laminate flooring packages, starting at $6.50, that include the removal of existing carpet, laminate, labor, underlayment, transitions and wall base moldings.

HHF also will transform the area without delay.

HHF is introducing Hawaii’s Interior Design Center, showcasing cabinets, granite countertops, doors and a fresh new outlook to help you on any other projects in your home.

New or rejuvenated flooring will be one of the best gifts you can give your home and your family this holiday season. Feel free to stop by HHF’s showroom to meet with a salesperson.

The showroom is open each day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and has flooring to meet all budgets and needs.

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www.atlasconstruction808.com OCT. 24, 2010 | HAWAII RENOVATION | 3

HAWAIIRENOVATION

Energy Options: Solar hot water heating versus photovoltaic systems here are different types of solar technologies available to Hawaii homeowners and businesses. The two most common solar energy systems are utility grid-tied and domestic solar hot water (SHW) and photovoltaic (PV) systems, explains Donald “Boy” Akiona, co-owner of SolarPro with Michael Hallinan.

Let’s look at the differences.

“SHW modules are designed to take the heat from the sun and collect it into a panel or collector

T

that acts like a cooking plate or oven,” says Akiona.

Water is pumped from the home’s tank to the roof, then the solar heat is transferred through small copper tubes located inside the panel causing the temperature of the water to rise.

Once heated, the water is then gradually sent back down to the home’s tank.

The optimal temperature for a solar hot water tank is 145 degrees. This is to ensure that you do not lose the heat you get from the sun.

According to Akiona,

solar PV systems generate electricity automatically through a few easy steps.

Sun-light on the panel (solar module) excites the electrons to generate DC current. The DC current is then transformed through an inverter into AC electricity. The AC electricity is then fed into your meter through a circuit breaker installed on your main electrical panel and is then ready for your consumption. The Grid Tie, PV System means that it will be connected to the utility grid at all times. This allows you to have as much

power as you need whenever you need it regardless of time of day and produc-

tion from your own solar electric system. Both SHW and PV systems— alone or

in combination— will offset the cost of your utility bill.

“The staff at EnergyPro recommends starting with an SHWsystem to get an immediate 40 percent reduction in your electric bill,” says Michael Hallinan. “Once your reduced consumption can be determined, then EnergyPro can size a PV system that is right for you in order to maximize your savings.”

For more information, visit the EnergyPro showroom at 825 Halekauwila St. in Honolulu, or call 3776686.

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Corroded windows need replacement?

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For participating window dealers call: 486-8894

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This holiday season, receive a $50 mail-in rebate with your purchase of select Hunter Douglas window fashions with patented PowerRise® or PowerGlide® motorized systems. Precisely adjust your shades by remote control and set the mood for any occasion. Ask for details.

Homeowners Design Center 1030 Kohou St Ste 201 Honolulu HI M - F 8:00-4:30 • Sat - 9:00-2:00 847-0216 www.homeownersdesign.com *Rebate offer valid for purchases made 9/25/10 – 12/15/10. Limitations and restrictions apply. Ask for details. ©2010 Hunter Douglas.® and TM are trademarks of Hunter Douglas.

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HAWAIIRENOVATION

How to get your house clean

in half the time

t’s the weekend: Would you rather spend it scrubbing and mopping or going to the movies and meeting up with friends? It’s not a tough question to answer for most people.

Cleaning the house can take hours, or even days, depending on how much you need to get done and how long it’s been since the last “deep clean.” What most people don’t know is how to clean efficiently, in a way that saves time and gets the job done quicker. The pros of the home cleaning business know how to prioritize, organize and lay out a plan of attack that gets the job done not just quickly but thoroughly. The profession-

I

als at house cleaning companies like Merry Maids typically clean multiple homes a day, so resourceful cleaning is critical.

Here are some of Merry Maids’ top techniques and tools for speed-cleaning your house, room by room.

If you start using these cleaning tips on a regular basis, your house will be cleaner in less time, and major cleaning sessions won’t seem so daunting because your house will already be in good order.

Here are a few time-saving tricks: • Straighten up the house before the cleaning begins.

Clutter slows down your

cleaning.

Go through the house room by room and put away items that are lying out. But don’t sweep things under the proverbial rug. Shoving items in drawers and closets just to get them out of the way isn’t a good idea.

You’re going to have to deal with it again eventually — why not take care of it immediately by putting it in its proper place?

• Work from a list. Think logically about where you’re going to start and end, rather than bouncing between rooms and floors of

the house. Prioritize what needs to get done and where it makes sense to start. Doing so can help

other. This not only will make you work faster, but it will even out the workload so one arm isn’t doing all the work.

zines you’re putting in the recycling bin, but if you don’t resist the urge, you’ll be dragging your chores out and cutting into your own free time.

• Don’t backtrack. Go around the room only once — a lot of time is often lost going over areas that have already been cleaned. Just remember that you should save the floor for last — if you disturb dust or debris as you work, it’ll fall, and you can pick it all up in your last step.

• Set a time limit for each room. Merry Maids suggests setting a kitchen timer before you start each room.

Every time you clean, keep track of your time and try to finish cleaning each room a little faster than the time before. keep you on track and give you the satisfaction of checking completed tasks off the list. If you think of other things as you’re working, add them to the list and address them when appropriate.

• Stay focused. Answering the phone can break your concentration and momentum, so make it a “do not disturb” time. It can be tempting to start reading through catalogs and maga-

• Choose a focal point within each room as a beginning point. Whether it’s the kitchen sink or the bathroom shower, giving yourself something to focus on immediately can help motivate you to get started. As you finish one area, move to the next in a clockwise direction.

• Don’t scrub. Let the cleaning solution do the work for you. Spray tough spots — such as a soap scum-covered shower wall — with cleaner and let it soak while you clean something else. You’ll make double use of your time and save elbow grease.

• Use both hands. Finish one step with one hand, and then begin the next with the

For more clever cleaning ideas, go to www.merry maids.com.

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OCT. 24, 2010 | HAWAII RENOVATION | 5

HAWAIIRENOVATION

‘Plug-in’ kitchen, bath upgrades save owners money

ahu and Maui townhouse, condo, and single-family homeowners have a new cost-effective/affordable, yet high-quality kitchen and/or bath improvement option available, thanks to a pioneering licensed general contracting company — HPS Construction Services Ltd. (HPS).

What is it? Just call it the kitchen and bath “plug in” revolution.

Throughout Hawaii at Big Box to neighborhood home centers, hardware stores, and specialty houses and numerous natural stone, tile, and flooring distributors, there is now ready availability of good quality, reasonably priced off-the-shelf items which HPS has made a concen-

O

trated effort to source and install in high volume, high quality, yet popularly priced.

To name a few: Pre-assembled kitchen cabinets, bath vanities with matching tops and built-in sinks, premanufactured granite and other composition and laminate counter tops, tub to walk-in shower conversion kits including shower pans and wall waterproofing components, medicine chests, replacement tubs, glass block shower and decorative walls, shower doors with floating handles, modern and efficient lighting and plumbing fixtures, including remarkably lowprice water-saving toilet all-in-one packages, and much more.

The best of these items

6 | HAWAII RENOVATION | OCT. 24, 2010

are not available at any one place, so before the demo/remodel/upgrade work actually begins, HPS often “goes shopping” with its clients to help identify which items are best for a given budget and where to get them.

The key to cost-effective kitchen and bath improvements, according to Gerald Peters of HPS, is to reject notions that you have to move drains and other plumbing or electrical, or suffer through drafting/plans and permits’ cost and time agony and frustration, to get a really nice looking, modern and functional kitchen and bath.

“Cost-effective quality is the 2010/2011 mantra and probably forever”, says Peters. “And, we have found,

this approach seems to work financial wonders for those who have rental properties and units, many of which are getting along in years and have wear and tear. It helps landlords maintain/increase rents and quality of tenants, and thus has an excellent investment-to-payback period, along with reduced maintenance costs associated with letting a rental property deteriorate until costs of damage repair like water leaks from fixtures, toilets, shower walls, etc. start to rear their ugly heads.”

“And, for owners residing in 20-50 or more yearold properties, whether intending to stay or sell, kitchen and bath upgrades have always been proven to both significantly improve quality of daily living enjoyment, and to usually return more than dollar for dollar on the investment in appraisal values,” Peters adds.

HPS says depending on the level of change, and

whether there is current water or other damage, these upgrades can be achieved for $3,500-$8,500 for baths, and $9,000$15,000 for kitchens, as a general scope of pricing range.

HPS Construction Services Ltd. is a member of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, and can be reached at 847-4400, and at HPSconstructionser vices.com.

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HAWAIIRENOVATION be glaring.

Leakmaster’s advice: Ask for a “Full Fabric Reinforced” system on flat roofs.

For ponding water, specify a coating containing Lipacryl, or Silicone. On sloped roofs, you may want a light tint to cut glare.

The

prosand cons of major roof systems ll the popular roofing systems have earned their spot in the marketplace through the test of time. Yet, some may not be right for you.

Maybe it’s beauty you desire. “I just don’t want to look like every other house on the block!”

Or longevity. “I only want to reroof once more, and that’s it!”

Or budget. “I’m moving in three years and I just need a guaranteed repair.”

A

Each of these valid reactions may lead you to a different roof. Here’s Leakmaster Roofing’s opinion, based on our 20 years of working with each major system.

Composition n Shingle Pros: Wide range of pricing, proven workhorse, long manufacturers’ warranties, most popular sloped roof, period.

Cons: Hot in the summer, looks like every other

home in the neighborhood, can mildew.

Leakmaster’s advice: Ask for five nails per shingle, which protects against blowoffs. Install roof vents to cool shingles down. Get mildew-resistant shingles.

Rooff Coatings Pros: Lower price, lower interior temps, seamless, no need for roof tear off, can be easily maintained, no need to reroof.

Cons: Must be recoated every 10 to 15 years, ponding water can harm some coatings, bright white can

M e t a l Roofs P r o s : Longevity of new standing seam roofs is excellent.

Older styles can be maintained indefinitely with protective coatings.

Cons: Higher price, noisy in the rain, needs rod vents in sunny areas.

Leakmaster’s advice: Standing seam looks great and can last a very long time with its Kynar coating. Holds its value.

Wood d Shake Pros: Nostalgic old Hawaii look, wood is good insulator, quiet in rain.

Cons: Pricey, needs regular maintenance, can mildew quickly.

Leakmaster’s advice: Use stainless fasteners, get factory-treated wood, shake quality can vary, so be careful.

Leakmaster Roofing installs and repairs all of these roofs, and more.

Register for the company’s $20 Roof Maintenance Special (normally $185) at Leakmaster.com.

Call 591-1900 for more information.

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OCT. 24, 2010 | HAWAII RENOVATION | 7

HAWAIIRENOVATION

High-Tech

Sidingwith

Windows Hawaii

ome siding in Hawaii has always been an area of high maintenance and high frustration.

Sun, rain, humidity and salt are constantly combining their strengths to break down painted wood, vinyl and aluminum siding.

Fortunately, modern technology has developed a new line of products that look great and are guaranteed — in writing — to stay that way.

Windows Hawaii, an established replacement window company, has now expanded its offerings by becoming the Hawaiian

H

Islands’ distributor and licensed installation contractor for Craneboard siding.

Craneboard’s revolutionary, lifetime-warranted products can update the look of your home and put an end to the aesthetic and maintenance headaches of years past.

Craneboard is a hightech acrylic product that looks and feels like wood.

Its attractive products come in a variety of styles and colors and, best of all, never need to be painted.

However, don’t confuse Craneboard with the vinyl siding that you may have

seen in the past 10 or 20 years.

Craneboard is an architecturally designed product line that can cover walls, eaves and overhangs, as well as trim and fascia boards. Most importantly, it won’t fade or chalk like vinyl.

Craneboard has included several unique features to increase the value and performance of the product. Insulated backing helps keep your home cool. Its patented solid backing also includes Performguard to repel termites and ants.

Revolutionary Smart-

Track technology, one of the product’s greatest benefits, allows your home to

breathe so that moisture vapor doesn’t get trapped in the walls and cause mold or dry rot. And for homeowners in Hawaii, that can mean peace of mind.

Craneboard has been testing this product for seven years, and the products are already installed on more than 100,000 homes nationwide. The company backs its product with the industry’s strongest warranty, which includes lifetime coverage for the

original homeowner.

So if you’re looking for an attractive solution to the fading, chalking and cracking, give Craneboard a look. You might be surprised by what you see.

Windows Hawaii is offering a limited-time set of incentives for homeowners. The company also has affordable window packages.

For more information, see exteriorportfolio.com.

For a free, no-obligation estimate, call Windows Hawaii at 671-0808.

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HAWAIIRENOVATION

Shock Value

Protecting your home, family from electrical fires ave you ever had any doubts about your home’s electrical system? Is your home’s electrical system more than 50 years old, and is it properly grounded?

While most people focus on the cosmetics of their property, a home’s electrical system is often taken for granted until an electrical hazard occurs. And that’s a risk no one should be willing to take, according to

H

Chad Matsumoto and Bronson Apana, co-owners of Alternative Electric in Honolulu.

“With all the house fires that have recently been occurring on Oahu, an increasing number of homeowners are questioning the safety of their home’s electrical system,” says Matsumoto. “If you ever thought about having your system checked out, why wait any longer?”

Matsumoto offers a few

do-it-yourself checks that can be done before you even call an electrician: • Do you have loose outlets in your home? Loose outlets may lead to loose connections, thus creating an arcing effect. Arcing may cause sparking and excessive heat, leading to a possible fire.

• Have you ever had rodent problems? Rodents may chew away the insulation around your wiring, leaving the live portion

exposed.

• Are there GFCI outlets in your kitchen and bathroom? Today, GFCI outlets are required in these rooms because of their close proximity to water. These outlets trip off when an imbalance of current is sensed, thus eliminating potential shock hazards.

• Does your home have knob-and–tube wiring?

This type of wiring was generally installed before the 1960s. As time goes by, the insulation around this type of wiring gets brittle and starts to fall off — leaving live exposed wiring.

Today, most insurance companies will not open new policy if the home has knob-and-tube wiring.

• Do you have problems with circuit breakers tripping off? Circuit breakers are a source of protection for your homes electrical system.

“While most electrical contractors shy away from rewiring older homes, Alternative Electric wel-

comes all type of electrical work,” says Matsumoto “We are a full-service electrical contractor offering solar photovoltaics, new construction, rewires, renovations, maintenance trouble calls or just changing a light or outlet.

Call 630-6741 or 285-3663

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HARDWOOD & LAMINATE FLOORING LEADER! Large Local Inventory of Factory-Direct Hardwood and Laminate Flooring ! Thick 4mm wear layer with 9-ply reclaimed Baltic Birch construction ! No Toxic Chemicals or Glues (E1) ! Custom Matched Moldings ! 20 ELEGANT species

Q: What trends do you notice in flooring these days?

A: First of all, the exotic species seem to be what the Hawaii market likes. Tigerwood, Ipe, Santos Mahogany and Cumaru are just some of the favorites. These woods offer extremely durability as they are so much harder than the woods we grew up with (like white oak or douglas fir) and the colors are just stunning. In bamboo, buyers have been flocking to Strand Bamboo which is a composite made of bamboo scraps and resins. Talk about double green! It offers beauty, extreme hardness and a good price tag. And engineered woods are definitely hotter than solids, 3 to 1. Send questions to shilton@piiwood.com.

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HAWAIIRENOVATION

Let

IHD Get You Started

hen looking for someone to build your home, make sure you settle on a general contractor you’re comfortable working with.

To qualify that statement, after interviewing potential contractors, you should base your final decision on the contractor’s quality of recent projects, as well as his knowledge of building, his relationship

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10 | HAWAII RENOVATION | OCT. 24, 2010

with sub-contractors and his references.

Steven Wong of Island Home Designs (IHD) is a general contractor you can trust. He’s on time for meetings, honest, communicates well and finds solutions to problems.

Family and friends say it was a brave task taking on a recent project of tearing down an old house and rebuilding it from the ground up. The house was a

virtual buffet station for termites, with its foundation blocks literally floating over the dirt.

But Wong had no fear and was determined to get things done. He has a calm demeanor and is patient with customers.

If he doesn’t know about a product, he researches it and provides feedback.

The relationship with your general contractor is a partnership. Like a maestro in a symphony, general contractors orchestrate the sub-contractors, every move.

Many residents don’t have the experience to coordinate home construction from the ground up.

Let IHD be the one to help you get started.

For more information, call Island Home Designs at 383-4663.

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HAWAIIRENOVATION ook through any interior design magazine and you’ll notice one common theme across all the featured homes: a lack of clutter. No matter whether the style is minimalist or maximalist, in the most beautifully decorated homes in the world, you’re unlikely to see hairdryers and beauty products sitting out on the bathroom counter. You might think that it’s just a trick of styling for a photo shoot, but with the right storage solutions, clutter doesn’t need to be a part of any home’s decor.

The first step to creating a magazine-ready, uncluttered

L

Go beyond

de-cluttering with sophisticated bathroom storage room is to assess which items you need and which are taking up more space than necessary. If you have an abundance of lotions, soaps and shampoos in your bathroom, make a conscious effort to use them up, until you have just one of each.

Make sure that your stash of gadgets isn’t too expansive, ei-

based on how people live, taking into account the mundane tasks people go through every day.

For many women, styling their hair is something that must get done every morning, and along with that come tools like hairdryers and curling irons.

These tools also involve high temperatures and unruly cords.

bathroom or a space-compromised master — know the hassle of having to lean back to open and close a medicine cabinet door. One new innovation from Robern, ideal for de-cluttering cramped spaces, is a medicine cabinet with seamless mirrored doors that slide up, rather than open out. Simply changing out your existing cabinet for these new models can make your bathroom infinitely more usable — not to mention the aesthetic boost it will get from the sleek glass-and-aluminum design.

The new guard of smarter bathroom storage solutions makes it easy to update your bathroom quickly. Streamlined designs bring your room into the design-conscious 21st century without having to completely renovate.

And with innovations like vertical sliding mirrors, cold storage bathroom cabinets, built-in nightlights and defoggers and segmented drawers for keeping everything straight, you’ll be able to cut clutter and create a stylish haven in a snap.

For more ideas about sophisticated storage, go to robern.com.

the part of cabinet designers might just make your morning routine a little less cluttered. Cabinets made of glass and metal can withstand those hot temperatures, making them ideal materials for bathroom cabinets and vanities. Models from cabinetmaker Robern even include a dedicated hair dryer organizer with in-drawer electrical outlets and a place to keep cords neatly tucked away.

Those who have small bathrooms — whether it’s a second

ther. If you have extras that still work, they can easily be donated.

Once you’ve gotten rid of the excess, look carefully at how you can make alterations to your current bathroom that will better suit your needs and fit the items you need to keep. One of the simplest ways to add extra style and improve the function of your bathroom is to add new cabinetry. And with the advances that have been made in storage solutions, you might be surprised how chic and efficient your bathroom can become in just one step.

The best design ideas are

It makes sense to not want to put a hot hairdryer away in a drawer right after using it — it might damage your cabinet or worse, be a fire hazard. That’s why so many people end up leaving those items out on the counter, causing unsightly clutter.

Some creative thinking on

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OCT. 24, 2010 | HAWAII RENOVATION | 11

HAWAIIRENOVATION rest of the year,” says Thomas Leman, a retired 27-year veteran of the police force and criminal justice professor at Argosy University Online. Yet, according to the FBI, victims of burglaries suffered a

on safety. When it comes to holiday decorations, modesty is definitely the best policy, says Leman. “While you may love the look of a Christmas tree in your front window, expensive decorations on display can be a signal that there are valuables inside your home worth a criminal’s time. Gifts under the tree are the most blatant of these displays and are a welcome invitation for thieves.” Leaving gifts tucked away until the last possible minute is a quick and easy safety precaution.

Whether you are home or out and about, take care to close and lock all doors and windows and set alarms.

“Given that most people have extra valuables and gifts in their homes during this time, it’s a good idea to practice home safety whether you’re there or not,” says Leman. USAA, a leading provider of banking, insurance and investment services to the military community, advises customers to install tapered inch-

Protecting your home during the holidays he holidays provide a great opportunity to connect with friends and family and to celebrate the joys of the season. Unfortunately, they are also viewed as a time of opportunity for would-be burglars.

“Taking steps to protect your home during the holidays isn’t radically different from what most people should be doing the

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loss of $4.6 billion in property in 2009 alone. “The problem,” says Leman, “is that most people get lured into a false sense of security and tend to let their guard down thinking that crime won’t happen to them.”

Just as the holidays seem to start with the change in your home decor, so should your view

long deadbolt locks on exterior doors to make it harder for a wrench to twist the door open.

Leman adds that a simple dowel placed in a sliding glass door or window can be an inexpensive way to secure those entrance points as well.

“Alarms or closed-circuit video surveillance systems are a great and inexpensive way to protect your home,” says Leman.

A well-lit and well-groomed home not only shows well, but provides an important measure of safety. “The better the lighting in your home and yard, the fewer places there are for criminals to lurk,” says Leman. USAA recommends homeowners use the “3foot/6-foot rule,” trimming branches to 6 feet off the ground and shrubs down to 3 feet to minimize hiding places for burglars.

While leaving the box for your new 55-inch flat screen on the curb will win you cool points with the neighborhood and the title of host of the next big football party, it could land you in trouble with potential burglars.

“When it comes to big ticket items and valuables, boxes on the curb can be an advertisement for the new valuables in your home,” cautions Leman. “Take the time to break down boxes and recycle them or put them on the curb over time and inconspicuously,” he advises.

If you plan on traveling for the holidays, you need to plan ahead for home safety. Whether you opt to have a neighbor collect mail and newspapers or have your service stopped by calling the post office and your neighborhood delivery person, be sure neither piles up at home. “Set your lights and television on timers,” suggests Leman, who also advises homeowners to have a neighbor park their car in your driveway intermittently to keep up the appearance someone is home.

While keeping your home safe may not top the list of your holiday “to dos,” taking a few extra precautions can go a long way to make sure your season stays merry and bright.

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