Time to put the dock in...

We're moving into my favorite time of the year...WARMER WEATHER! I can't wait to lay in the sun, go for walks, smell all the food cooking on the grill, and my absolute favorite....go on the boat with my mom and dad! I LOVE it!

My mom had to work all weekend so I spent time with my dad helping him put the dock in. Well truthfully, I am a princess so actually, I watched the dock being put in. The guys got most of it in but still have a little bit left to go.

I listen to my mom talk to the neighbors about some new regulations that the DNR is trying to have imposed. It sounds like quite the controversy but my mom isn't worried about anything yet.

I wanted to make sure our dock is the appropriate regulation size so I looked on the DNR website and found the size restrictions. I thought I'd pass the information along in case you wanted to know.

Length and width of piers
• A pier may extend out to the 3-foot water depth, or to adequate depth for mooring a boat or using a boat lift or boat hoist. A pier may also extend out to a DNR-approved municipal pierhead line. Contact the municipality to see whether it has a pierhead line ordinance.
• Six feet is the maximum width allowed for any portion of a pier or wharf. This width allows safe loading of gear and passengers, and meets ADA requirements.
• Piers may be placed in a variety of configurations, including straight, or with a "T" or "L". Catwalks, finger piers or similar features may be used for access to boat slips, as long as they meet the width and length limits above. A pier may not enclose or isolate any part of a waterway.

You can find more information at http://dnr.wi.gov/.

Rain, rain go away.....

Yes, I know we've had a couple of nice days but now more rain is on the way. UGH! I'm ready to chase squirrels, the neighbor's cats and all the ducks in my backyard!

My mom has been showing many homes with water in the basements and is ready for this rain to quit too.

It got me to thinking though. A lot of times, water in basements can be prevented with just a few simple 'fixes'.

Start by sloping the ground away from the outside foundation (should be about one inch per foot). Extend the slope for at least ten feet. Seed it with a good lawn grass. Sodding is a common practice and prevents the washing away of newly graded areas during heavy rains. Where a large area of land slopes toward the house, surface drainage should be intercepted and rerouted some distance from the house. Dig a shallow, half-round drainage ditch or depression designed to route the water around the house. Sod the ditch or plant grass in it. If even a shallow ditch is objectionable, drainage tiles, with one or more catch basins at low spots, may be installed.

Next you can install gutters and downspout's wherever needed. Keep them free of debris. Where leaves and twigs from nearby trees may collect in a gutter, install a basket-shaped wire strainer over the downspout outlet or place screening across the length of the gutter. Repair gutters and downspout's as soon as the need appears. To prevent concentration of water at the point of discharge, use a concrete gutter or splash block to carry the water away at a slope of one inch per foot. Roof water can also be piped underground to a storm drain, dry well, or surface outlet fifteen feet or more from the house.

Trim heavy growths of shrubbery so that soil gets more sunlight and dries quicker. When digging up the plantings, remove any pieces of masonry, mortar, or other waste material buried near the house after the basement was excavated.

Windows or parts of windows below grade should be protected by metal or masonry window wells, with bottoms consisting of gravel to permit good drainage. Clear plastic bubbles are available to cover the entire window well like an awning.

Lastly, you can apply waterproofing paint the the basement walls.

Start by doing these simple things and I bet it will solve a lot problems. Here comes more rain....

Vacation and Second Homes...

My mom and dad abandoned me and went to Sedona, Arizona for a few days. I can't believe they didn't take me with them.....AGAIN! While I stayed at grandma's house I decided to research the second and vacation homes market. It was interesting what I found so I decided to share it with you.

The combined total of vacation- and investment-home sales declined with the overall market in 2007, but still accounted for 33 percent of all existing- and new-home sales, which is close to historic norms, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The market share of homes purchased for investment last year was 21 percent, down from 22 percent in 2006, while another 12 percent were vacation homes, compared with a 14 percent market share in 2006. The total share of second homes declined from 36 percent of transactions in 2006.

NAR’s annual Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey shows vacation-home sales dropped 30.6 percent to 740,000 in 2007 from a record 1.07 million in 2006, while investment-home sales fell 18.1 percent to 1.35 million last year from 1.65 million in 2006. At the same time, primary residence sales declined 10.0 percent to 4.34 million in 2007 from 4.82 million in 2006.

The median price of a vacation home was $195,000 in 2007, down 2.5 percent from $200,000 in 2006. The typical investment property cost $150,000 last year, unchanged from 2006.

Fifty-nine percent of vacation homes purchased in 2007 were detached single-family homes, 29 percent condos, 7 percent townhouses or rowhouses, and 5 percent other. In 2006, single family homes accounted for 67 percent of vacation-home sales, while condos were 21 percent. (information taken from NAR)