If the homeowner will have guests all the time using the pool, the homeowner will have to foot a large bill for upkeep and care. Pool maintenance costs can be high even when the pool is not in use, especially if a maintenance service is under contract to take care of it regularly.
Continue reading...25 August 2011
At least Jack was building a pool for the right reason: to enjoy it. Too often, homeowners spend $25,000 or more on an in-ground pool hoping to add value to the house. That’s when it ends up being a liability, because not everyone wants a house with a pool.
Continue reading...21 August 2011
Swimming pools may please you, but they rarely add value. Jack Severson had a spacious backyard that could easily accommodate a large swimming pool, which would provide plenty of entertainment for his children and grandchildren in the summer and daily exercise for him and his wife.
Continue reading...17 August 2011
One homeowner spent $7,600 on a basement waterproofing system that included a back-up battery for the sump pump in the event of a power failure. When even the battery backup failed and his basement filled with water, the damage was $2,700, with all but the deductible paid by the insurer. The homeowner believed the waterproofing [...]
Continue reading...13 August 2011
That’s illegal, of course. Even if it weren’t, the homeowner would need to install a device that prevents sewage from the soil line flowing back into the sump. A better solution would be a dry well somewhere in the yard to handle the water from the sump without turning the lawn above into a swamp.
Continue reading...9 August 2011
When rain falls, it should be flowing away from the foundation, not toward it. A possible solution is to regrade, first banking soil against the foundation to achieve a minimum grade of 2 percent, which most engineers consider enough to divert water away from the foundation.
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29 August 2011
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