Monthly Archives: February 2015
Hanging Pictures Without Destroying the Wall
There is a few techniques to hang things on a wall, but instead of explain them to you I will link to a couple good kits that can be bought locally. I will also link to a couple good articles and videos on how to hang pictures on a wall. This may seem minor, but the damage can be expensive. So with a little time, the correct tools, and materials you can prevent the aggrevation and additional cost of hanging that beautiful piece of artwork.
A hanging kit from home depot
Walmart’s picture hanging strips
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Command-Medium-Picture-Hanging-Strips-White-4-Sets-Pkg/32887443
Tutorial on to use the strips
http://www.command.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NACommand/Command/Smart-Ideas/Picture-Hanging/
How to use the kit to hang a picture
Remodeling Homes In Milwaukee 73rd street (Part 3)
Snow Removal in Milwaukee
If you live in Milwaukee and have a driveway or parking slab it will take a snow plow no more than a few swipes to clear your driveway. It will cost twenty five to fifty dollars per visit to get your driveway cleared. For anything below six inches of snow one visit should be enough. For a storm where the snowfall is over six inches the snow removal service may need to make two trips, especially if the snow fall is spread out over a longer period of time. Then, they may charge you more for a second visit.
It may cost an extra ten to twenty dollars more to shovel your walkway. The extra cost will vary depending on the size of the area that needs to be shoveled. Salting and/or sanding the areas cleared adds five to twenty more dollars , depending on the area covered. If you have an agreement that allows you the tenant to shovel and salt the walks yourself, you could save some money.
According to the city of Milwaukee, “Residents have 24 hours after the snow stops falling to clear snow from sidewalks. Violations reported to DPW will be inspected and incur an initial inspection fee of $25. If the snow is not cleared after 24 hours, the city will clear it and put the costs along with a $45 – $90 administrative fee on the property tax bill.” If you are looking to hire a snow removal service below is some question to consider.
Will the quote include the driveway/Slab?
Will the quote include walkways and sidewalks?
Will the quote include sanding or salting?
Are they going to plow or blow the driveway?
After how many inches will they start snow removal?
Remodeling Homes In Milwaukee 73rd street (Part 2)
This is part two of a remodel of a duplex in metro Milwaukee.
QR Codes Can They Make a Comeback
I read an interesting article about QR codes here is the link. If you did not know QR codes or Quick Response Code is a type of matrix bar-code which is a two-dimensional bar-code like the ones used at stores to scan at the register. What can you do with them, business cards like mine above, item identification, and marketing.
Smartphone are used as a QR code scanner, displaying the code and converting it to some useful information like a contact information or website links. QR codes can be used to store financial information or credit card data, or they can be specifically designed to work as payment applications. There is many other uses as well and many free applications to create and scan just Google. Happy scanning.
Remodeling Homes In Milwaukee 73rd street (Part 1)
Below is the before video of a large duplex 73rd street in metro Milwaukee. As the project progresses I will post updates until the house is ready for rent.
Preventive Maintenance for Rental Properties
PMCS or preventive maintenance checks and services, the first I heard this term was in the Army. In the Army all equipment under went PMCS, which is probably why the Army has such old equipment still being used to this very day.
Even if you cannot check everything all the time like the Army, if you are consistent about your PMCS your home will have a more useful life span. With that in mind performing PMCS twice a year, once when it’s cold, and once when it’s warm, would go a long way to covering most aspect of keeping a home safe and comfortable.
Why should you implement a bi-annual PMCS program? Number one is safety, many code violations and hazards can be found and fixed easily if you know what to check. Number two is the occupants comfort, checking filters and major appliances like the furnace and water heaters can prevent outages at a later date. Number three is cost, not stopping a leak can be wasteful to the environment, also a leak dripping 2 drips per minute for a year will waste 67 gallons of water. Check for yourself here at United States Geological Survey webpage .
Having a simple log that a qualified technician can check twice a year sounds to simple. That’s what the Army does and it works, so I’m sure it can work for your home.