Long Beach Green Living-Water Conservation

Owners of Long Beach Homes have a unique opportunity to contribute to the environment, go green and conserve water. 

Did you know that most homeowners over water their lawns by 30% to 300%?  That’s a whole lotta wasted water folks!  I have to admit, I’ve been guilty of doing this myself on occasion, it’s just so nice to have a lush, green lawn and it shows a real pride in Long Beach home ownership.  With the economy in shambles and water in short supply and sporting a hefty price tag, now is a good time to think of creative ways to both conserve water and money in our Long Beach Homes. 

Ric Romero of ABC Eyewitness News reports: Rob Patten of Agoura Hills lives on 3/4 of an acre.  His water bills have been coming in at over $300 monthly, a staggering number which made him decide to do something about it. After installing a new gadget called Cyber-Rain he has been able to reduce his monthly bill by about $100 and conserve a fair amount of water at the same time.  See How it Works.

Cyber Rain XCI is an 8 zone sprinkler system which claims to save homeowners 30% to 70% on their watering bills through the use of their PC and automatic weather updates from the Internet by automatically adjusting the amount of water usage based on weather and seasonal conditions.  It even provides the ability to check your water usage on your computer.  Ingenious!

Jonathan Neidnagel, CEO of Cyber-Rain claims that this system can pay for itself in 3 or 4 months.  Priced at about $295 this is not a cheap system, but may very well offer the best return on the investment and is a wonderful green contribution to the environment. Read more about this product and the effect it can have on our Southern California community over at the Cyber-Rain blog. 

A big thanks to my friend Joe over at the Sellsius Blog for finding this great gadget. 

Posted on October 31, 2008 03:29:10 by Laurie.Manny

Are YOUR Granite Countertops "HOT"? -Long Beach Real Estate

Are your Granite Countertops “HOT"?

Granite Countertops are one of the top selling points for homes and condos.  In a recent article “Words that Sell Homes”, it was disclosed that the word Granite was one of the 7 top words that help sell a home. When thinking about a Long Beach Home Kitchen Remodel, it is the Granite counter-top that is the finishing touch.  Will you go dark or light?  A lot of texture or more sedate? Domestic or Imported? Almost everybody loves granite countertops. 

Recently the NY Times published an article raising questions regarding harmful levels of radon gases being emited by the breadown of uranium in the many varieties of granite countertops.  Radon is a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer.

Having read through many of the articles available on the internet most suggest that the countertops emitting the highest levels of radiation seem to be those imported from Brazil and Namibia.

The Marble Institute of America has said such claims are “ludicrous” because although granite is known to contain uranium and other radioactive materials like thorium and potassium, the amounts in countertops are not enough to pose a health threat.

If you have granite countertops and are concerned whether radon or radiation is a problem you can:

1. Contact the American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (aarst.org). Testing costs between $100 and $300.
2. Find a certified technician at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site at epa.gov/radon, as well as from state or regional indoor air environment offices, which can be found at epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html.
3. Radon test kits are available from the National Safety Council  (or call 1-800-SOS-RADON).  Some home improvement stores sell test kits.  To find a qualified testing or mitigation contractor, contact your state radon office or either of the national private radon programs.

Articles on the subject you might be interested in reading: 

• What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? - NY Times
  
• Granite Countertops A Health Threat? - CBS News
  
• Radon in Granite
• Could your granite countertops be leaking radon gas?
• Granite Countertops & Radon Gas

Posted on August 13, 2008 18:34:28 by Laurie.Manny

Space Saving Ideas for your Long Beach Homes

Small Living Space Soutions for Long Beach Homes

Space Savers or Hidden Secrets?

Down here at the beach we trade square footage for beach living and ocean breezes.  But what do we do with all of our stuff?  Lifetime collections of photos, books and other treasured belongings, that we are just not prepared to part with, need a place in our new homes as well. 

Small spaces are a challenge when we downsize our lives.  Creative use of our space without feeling cluttered and oppressive becomes a mission.  Creative Home Engineering, a Tempe Arizona company specializing in hidden passageways may have solved some of these issues. 

What a great way to expand space, furnish our homes and create hidden storage spaces!  When your square footage is limited every found space becomes critical.  Living in small spaces certainly has its challenges and rewards.  A small mess in a large home is a huge mess in small space.  One needs to be a neat freak in small spaces.  Creative Home Engineering is providing several wonderful solutions. 

Have you been wondering where to hide a safe in your home?  Take an unsightly hall closet and convert it to a hidden safe and a wonderfully elegent storage cabinet. 

Looking for a safe and discrete hiding place for those things that should never be found by others?  Lovely and elegant built in’s hide your most private possessions very nicely.

While we have many larger homes in Long Beach, many of the homes here are of the smaller cottage genre.  Small living space ideas are in demand, we are pleased to be able to provide some solutions. 

Read also: 

Small Living Space Solutions for Long Beach Homes

Posted on July 14, 2008 22:48:03 by Laurie.Manny

Home and Garden Tours from Long Beach California to Buffalo New York

Home and Garden Tours from Long Beach California to Buffalo New York

Long Beach also has several public gardens for its residents to enjoy nature’s beauty:

• Rancho Los Cerritos
• Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens
• Long Beach California Japanese Garden and Koi Pond
• El Dorado Park Nature Center

Do you live in a Long Beach Condo and crave a garden of your very own? Guess what you are in luck! You too can enjoy planting a garden and growing flowers and vegetables. Conceived in 1976, the Long Beach Community Garden provides membership to Long Beach residents for just $50 a year. A grass roots organization run by its members helps keep this organization running.

The Long Beach Community Garden Association is located at 7600B E Spring Street in Long Beach, across from Animal Control. Thousands of pounds of produce from the gardens feed the less fortunate of our community through the generous donations of the members of the Long Beach Community Garden. The association invites you to their annual Tomato Festival Saturday, July 26, 2008, 11 AM - 2 PM.

• Read Also: Long Beach Organic Gardens

Not interested in the public gardening program? Want to enhance your Long Beach Condo patio? Try filling planters with flowers! Bring a little bit of garden beauty to your home. Enhance your Long Beach home by showing pride in it.

• Read also: Patio Gardening

Contributed by: Colleen Kulikowski - Buffalo NY Realtor of Hunt Real Estate ERA - specializing in Western New York Real Estate.

Thank you Colleen!

Posted on July 10, 2008 18:06:42 by Laurie.Manny

Staging Your Long Beach California Lofts

STAGING YOUR LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA LOFTS

Living “loft style” is a total change of lifestyle. Loft living in Long Beach is for those who love to entertain more and enjoy life,  rather than spend time taking care of their Long Beach homes and gardens. Lofts are located within walking distance of Downtown Long Beach restaurants, nightlife and public transportation.  I tend to think that original, creative, entrepreneurial types are drawn to the lifestyle of loft living.

My visualization of a loft is having a brick wall interior, a view of the city lights, concrete or wood flooring and an open floor plan with high ceilings, large windows and lots of square footage.  The home stager’s job is to define the space and style by separating areas with dual-functionality furniture, “portable walls” and accessories taking into consideration the views and special features of your loft by the placement of accessories and furniture.

Staging or setting up your loft is a bit different than a home staging for a traditional 3-bedroom 2-bath home.  The loft’s one large room image needs created room definition. There’s a lot of versatility in designing a loft. Repositioning the “walls” creates a new place, almost as if you’ve moved.  

The challenge is changing the virtual kitchen, dining room, living room and office into reality, well worth the time spent! Just as we know creating the illusion of openness with paint color in a traditional home works, the illusion of separation in a loft can be accomplished in a different way using floor rugs, two-sided bookcases, hanging panels, floor screens and portable walls. The high ceilings create and keep the openness of the floor plan - the reason why so many love lofts. The use of mirrors positioned to reflect the sunlight will brighten up entire space. For pet owners, it’s also possible to incorporate an awesome area for your pet in an end table or nightstand.

Furniture, such as benches for storage, beds with hidden floor drawers, tables with wheels to move from place to place and stackable chairs for entertaining are ways to incorporate dual usage. In addition, placing throw pillows around a coffee table or ottoman cubes that slide under the table can add extra seating. Metal racks and open shelving for kitchens will allow storage and clear counters.

Everyone has a vision on how a loft should look and be designed.  Whether it’s modern, futuristic, retro, European or eclectic, when it comes to design, it’s always a matter of your own taste.

Diane Concialdi
DC Redesign  
(714) 815-3506

Read the rest of the series: 

• Preparing Your Long Beach Homes for Sale - Home Staging Tips

• Long Beach Home Staging-Define Your Long Beach Homes with Color!
• Redesign Home Staging for your Long Beach Homes
• Staging Your Long Beach Homes

Staging and Home Improvement related articles:

• Remodeling Your Long Beach Home?
• Curb Appeal On A Budget
• Summer in Long Beach California - Reduce Your Energy Costs and Stay Cool
• Self-Healing Homes
• Why Stage Your Long Beach Home or Condo?
• Long Beach Backyards-Ponds and Nasty Swimming Pools
• Long Beach Home Kitchen Remodels
• Long Beach Home Bathroom Remodels
• Stage YOUR Long Beach Home to Sell

Posted on July 08, 2008 02:45:49 by Laurie.Manny