Low maintenance, 4 bedroom home and yard well-designed for carefree vacations. Private setting. Slope 'n Shore Club membership includes use of a beautiful beach, tennis, picnic tables and a community rec building. A great opportunity with lake access and close to skiing for 4 season fun. For more photos and details, visit www.PleasantLakeAccess.com.
Marilyn Kidder, Listing Broker
By: Les Shu
Easy-to-install security cameras let you keep an eye on your home from afar, ensuring safety and security for you and your family.
Network cameras
Internet-based network cameras are a quick solution in setting up home surveillance. They connect to your broadband connection and don’t require difficult wiring or mounting.
Logitech’s Alert lets you view either real-time or recorded footage—with audio—of the inside and outside of your house through your iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry smartphone, and the system is expandable by adding additional cameras. You’ll get text or email notifications on your phone or computer if the camera's motion sensor is triggered.
Panasonic’s BL-C131A goes one step further by giving you remote pan and tilt control from your smartphone or computer, allowing you to view in eight different positions.
The Alert 750i Master System starts at $299.99. (A similar device from D-Link costs $119.99.) The Panasonic BL-C131A costs around $300.
Riding the Z-Wave
If you have a Z-Wave-based home automation system installed, you can add wireless cameras to create a security network inside and outside of your house.
ADT’s Pulse is a complete home alarm system that uses Z-Wave cameras for home monitoring from your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android. ADT Pulse service plans start at $48 a month, not including installation and cameras.
Schlage’s LiNK offers its Z-Wave Wireless Camera as an option to its electronic locks. Like ADT’s Pulse, you can also perform additional home management functions with compatible Z-Wave products like thermostats. Schlage LiNK starter kits cost around $300, and the Wireless Camera costs around $150.
Similar wireless security cameras are available for X10 home automation systems.
DIY camera
You can turn a basic computer webcam into a surveillance system using free downloadable software from Yawcam and EyeSpyFX. You’re required to have your computer remain on, but once set up you can log in remotely from another computer—say, at work—and view streaming video of your home. Just position the camera at what you want to monitor.
Yawcam offers motion detection and can send a snapshot to your email when triggered, while EyeSpyFX lets you view footage from dedicated iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry apps.
An affordable webcam like Microsoft’s LifeCam VX-2000 costs about $30 or less.
A writer covering the latest technologies and trends for a variety of national publications, Les Shu is currently automating his home with the newest doodads to make it smarter than he is.
Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
By: Theresa Klisz
Backyard pests--squirrels, rabbits, moles--can destroy your landscaping and lawns. Here’s how to get rid of the ravenous critters.
Rabbit rascals
Calling cards: Ravaged vegetables, beheaded borders and flowers (especially tulips), and gnawed trees, such as red maple, honey locust, and evergreens.
Protection: Install 2-ft.-high fences that extend to the ground or below ($50 for 100 ft. of galvanized poultry fencing). Surround young tree trunks with plastic tree guard cylinders ($10).
Change habitat: Eliminate piles of brush, barricade cozy spots under sheds, and flatten back-lot debris piles where rabbits nest. Ivy, wisteria, and periwinkle will curb the munching, and fragrant herbs like thyme and lavender will turn them away.
Squirrely pests
Calling cards: Bumps in the night because they nest in your attic; power loss due to frayed wires; missing vegetables and flower bulbs; quickly emptied bird feeders.
Protection: Plug house entry places, such as gaps around utility pipes, broken windows, and uncapped chimneys. Cover wires with plastic pipe that will rotate, causing the squirrel to fall ($2.50 for a 2-ft. section). Sandwich bulbs underground between two layers of wire mesh ($175 for 100 ft. of 24-inch wire mesh).
Change habitat: Trim tree branches 6 to 8 ft. from buildings so squirrels can’t jump onto your roof. Switch to squirrel-proof tilting bird feeders ($25 and up) or domed feeders that close when weight limits are exceeded. Don’t plant oak trees--acorns are squirrel caviar.
Gopher/mole problems
Calling cards: Dirt mounds, lawns pocked with ankle-breaking holes, power loss due to damaged underground utilities; weakened trees due to gnawed roots; missing plants.
Protection: Install mesh fencing 18 inches deep with one-half inch or smaller openings (25 sq. ft. for $175). Trapping is the best way to eliminate gophers and moles. Scissor-jaw or choker-loop traps will snag star-nosed and hairy-tailed moles ($15 for two). Gopher traps look like a twisted mess, but they quickly snap and trap ($15 for a pair). Both can be cleaned and reused.
Change habitat: Since they like easy-to-tunnel, well-watered lawns, try compacting soil and cutting down on irrigation. But moles and gophers are so adaptable that habitat changes won’t keep them out, just slow them down.
Deer disturbance
Calling cards: Flowering plants nibbled to the nubs; leaves torn from plants from ground level to 6 ft.; 2-inch gouges on tree trunks; hoof prints that resemble a broken heart.
Protection: Fencing at least 8 ft. high; homemade and commercial repellents that taste and smell bad; barking dog.
Change habitat: Replace tasty fruit trees with spruce and pine. Swap lilies for ferns and rosemary. Add switch grass and ribbon grass--they’ll avoid these ornamentals. Bonus: Works for bunnies, too.
Theresa Klisz lives in Northern Virginia and was a general-interest features editor and writer for a national wire service. She serves on her community association board of directors.
"Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®."
By: Joseph D'Agnese
Protect against break-ins with a security check that shows where the entrances to your house—your doors—are vulnerable.
Think like a burglar
First, stand back: is your front door visible from the street, or is it obscured by bushes? A door that’s covered by shrubbery offers thieves the perfect chance to break in without being seen.
Trim back or remove shrubbery that offers cover for potential intruders.
Upgrade strike plates and deadbolts
Open all doors and check the strike plates, the metal fittings that catch bolts and latches. Chances are, they’re fastened to the soft wood of the door jamb with two screws only. Not good. Upgrade security with four-screw strike plates ($3) and 3-inch screws that bite all the way into the stud behind the jamb.
When conducting your home security check, make sure exterior doors have deadbolts that throw at least a 1-inch bolt. Ask your locksmith to upgrade to Grade 1 or Grade 2 locksets and deadbolts ($25 to $80), the most secure options.
Check garage doors
Back doors and garage doors are more likely to be attacked than the front door. If you have an attached garage, disable the automatic opener and lock the garage door before you go away on a long trip. The door leading from the garage into the house should be outfitted with the same hardware as exterior doors and kept locked at all times.
Patio doors are vulnerable
Sliding doors leading to a patio can be a home’s weak spot. To beef up security:
- Closely inspect the doors and their hardware.
- Replace any missing or broken locks.
- Consider installing locking pins to prevent the doors from sliding.
- Get into the habit of locking the doors, not just the screen, when patio doors are unattended.
Replace your entry door
Check the construction of your entry doors. Those made of steel, solid wood, and impact-resistant fiberglass are all good choices for security. If you must have glass, make sure it is tempered or reinforced for added strength. Expect to pay $1,400 to $2,300 for an exterior replacement door, including installation.
Strengthen the lock on your outdoor storage shed
Don’t ignore the doors on your outdoor storage shed, especially if you store tools there; they could be useful to a burglar. As with house doors, the best option is a secure deadbolt. If your shed doors are unable to accommodate a deadbolt, a heavy-duty slide bolt ($15 to $25) secured by a padlock is a good substitute.
Joseph D’Agnese is a journalist and book author who has written numerous articles on home improvement. He lives in North Carolina.
Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a wine tasting at the summit of Mt. Sunapee. My sister was visiting from California and she had never been on a chairlift, so I thought this would be fun for her. She was scared when she saw that chairlift coming, but had a blast!
This summer Mt. Sunapee has hosted several different dinners at the top of the mountain outside the lodge. The wine tasting was excellent! There were appetizers and three courses, prepared by their Executive Chef, paired with three different wines. It was a beautiful night, gorgeous views and sunset and great food and wines.
There's only one more scheduled for September 1, which is a beer pairing with beers from the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT.
Come check out this new listing! Attractive 3 bedroom, 3 bath colonial with access to 75 ft. shared waterfront on Little Sunapee Lake. Large great room and master bedroom suite. Offered at $595,000. For more photos and details, visit www.43MurrayPondRd.com.
Emily Campbell, Listing Agent, 603-526-4116
By: Rich Binsacca
Adding a basement bathroom is a big and expensive decision. It may be desirable—who wants to run upstairs each time nature calls?—yet not practical, especially if gravity isn’t on your side. Here are the issues to ponder.
It’s easy to imagine putting a bathroom in your basement remodel. It’s harder to figure out how to get waste and sewer gasses out.
Just like bathrooms in other parts of your house, adding a basement bathroom means wastewater must drain to the existing city sewer or to an on-site septic system, and sewer gasses must be vented directly to the outside in compliance with building codes.
Create falling waters
In most basement bathrooms, you must create “fall,” or you must give the waste a push.
All this pushing and falling costs money: Adding a basement bathroom could add $10,000 to your basement retreat budget. Wastewater from your basement bathroom sink, shower or tub, and toilet must have enough slope (another word for “fall”) to drain properly and effectively.
Achieving proper fall may require removing and rebuilding a small section of the basement slab and excavation of the ground underneath. The process involves digging a trench for a drainage pipe to connect the new bathroom to your home’s existing sewer or septic system.
Installing basement toilets
To give gravity an extra push, install a pressure-assisted toilet ($150 to $800) with a pressure valve that forces waste through the pipes and into your existing sewer line. This pressure assist may help you avoid digging into the foundation and creating a host of other hassles when adding a basement bathroom, including leaks.
If possible, locate the toilet (and other water-using appliances, such as a clothes washer) against an outside wall when adding a basement bathroom, which saves pipe and reduces the cost of draining away waste and venting sewer gasses.
Rich Binsacca is the author of 12 books on home-related topics and a contributing editor for Builder and EcoHome magazines.
Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
This antique cape is priced below assessed value and ready to sell. Needs some cosmetics, but most of the expensive systems are done. Walk to Otter Pond and cool off in the summer! 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. Offered at If you would like to suggest a web construction-jobs.info or report a broken hyperlink, contact the webmaster by clicking here. $175,000.
Jane Snow, Listing Agent, 603-526-4116
Jim Martin from the Department of Environmental Services and Amy Bassett from NH Parks and Recreation released the following recent press release:
New Hampshire Coastal Beaches Named 1st in the Nation in Water Quality by NRDC Hampton Beach State Park Beach is a Superstar Beach; Rated the Cleanest Beach in Nation
Concord, NH - The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has named New Hampshire coastal beaches first in beach water quality. The NRDC has published its 21st Annual "Testing the Waters" report analyzing beach data reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by coastal and Great Lakes states. The NRDC report gave a new "Superstar Beach" rating to Hampton Beach State Park in New Hampshire and to two beaches in Delaware and to one in Minnesota. These beaches not only received the highest (5-star) rating, but had perfect testing results for the past three years, indicating a history of very good water quality.
Only 1 percent of 1,138 samples collected at coastal New Hampshire beaches during 2010 exceeded the state standard of 104 counts of Enterococci/100 ml of water. New Hampshire again ranked first among the 30 states that are part of the EPA's beach monitoring program.
"The NRDC's high marks for New Hampshire's coastal beaches are testament to the collaborative efforts of DES, NH Parks and Recreation and the local communities that host the beaches," said DES Commissioner Tom Burack. "It is not by accident that New Hampshire has excellent water quality and a high quality of life. It takes a combination of dedication, good public policy, and resources on the state and local levels to achieve these outstanding results."
Other beaches in the report that scored high marks were a 5 star rating for Wallis Sands Beach at Wallis Road and a 4 star rating for Wallis Sands Beach State Park.
"Certainly, this designation reconfirms the cooperation that is taken to provide a clean beach experience. We appreciated the Department of Environmental Service's efforts in helping to keep our waters clean," stated Commissioner George Bald, Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED). Part of Bald's agency, the Division of Parks and Recreation is responsible for the management of this area. "Hampton Beach State Park hosts hundreds of thousa
nds visitors a year, we are proud to offer them a Superstar Beach."
New Hampshire residents should be proud of our coastal water quality and strive to maintain these levels. Simple steps everyone can take throughout the coastal watershed will prevent beach pollution. Everyone can help by picking up pet waste, maintaining septic systems, putting swim diapers with plastic covers on babies, and keeping trash off the beach. Together, everyone can work to maintain New Hampshire's top rated beaches.
The NHDES Beach Inspection Program monitors the water at New Hampshire public swimming beaches from late May until early September. Personnel collect water for analysis at coastal and freshwater beaches. The water samples are analyzed for fecal bacteria to protect public health. For more information visit the programs website:
Also updates on current beach advisories and warnings can be found on the DES website, www.des.nh.gov under the Alerts button. Residents can also sign up to receive notifications about beach advisories at the DES ENews subscription service or by following the NHDES Beaches Twitter feed at:
The Division of Parks and Recreation is comprised of the Bureau of Park Operations, Bureau of Historic Sites, Bureau of Trails, and Cannon Mountain.
The Division manages 92 properties, including state parks, beaches, campgrounds, historic sites, trails, waysides, and natural areas. The Division of Parks and Recreation is one of four divisions of the Department of Resources and Economic Development. To learn more, visit www.nhstateparks.org or call 603 271-3556.
To review the NRDC report, visit:
http://m1e.net/c?82384231-iUdniaewvMZsM%406591736-vRrcLbqkIXilA
Beautifully renovated end condo unit at The Seasons at Lake Sunapee Country Club in New London. Largest attached unit floor plan available. By far, one of the best at The Seasons. Ready to move into! Visit www.54TheSeasons.com for more photos and details.
