Every year homeowners ask about snow removal.  Many people only want to remove snow when they are going to be using their house.  While a nice idea, it just doesn’t work that way.  For starters, a snow-filled driveway indicates an empty house which can be a target for crime. That’s the least of your worries.  With the temperature swings we have in Central Oregon, the snow constantly warms up during the day and refreezes in the evenings.  This creates serious challenges:

Ice barricades:

Roads are typically plowed with every four inches of snowfall.   When they clear the roads, little consideration is given for your driveway.  The result is a snow berm at the entrance of your driveway.  Snow here in Sunriver has been known to create berms over four feet high.  Because of our warm days and cold nights, that berm turns to ice. Not only will even a small pile of ice stop all access to the home, without assistance from Mother Nature you will need an ice axe to get into the driveway.  Don’t forget that parking on the street will result in a ticket, starting at $50 and going all the way up to $250.

Skating rinks where walkways should be:

Of course the same freeze/melt cycle that turns berms into ice sculptures also occurs on your driveway and walkways creating an icy entrance.  Ice melt is sometimes recommended for taking care of the slick walkways. However, ice melt can speed up the breakdown of the driveway and damage the house when it gets tracked in on the wood floors.  I like to use sand or kitty litter in the slick spots, which adds traction without damaging asphalt, floors or your shoes.

Roof and Deck Overload:

The volume of snow in Sunriver can outweigh your roof and deck, putting your house in serious jeopardy if all that white weight is not removed. Roofs and decks are required by code to withstand 25 pounds per square foot of snow. Weight of snow varies greatly based on the temperature. Warmer, wetter snow is much heavier than fluffy, dry snow.

When fearing that your roof or deck might collapse it is easy to overreact.  I heard about one Sunriver homeowner who paid tons of money to have every inch of snow removed from her roof. She was called by a neighbor who told her she needed to have the roof cleared and they had seven guys in her driveway that could do it.  Were they roofers? Were they licensed? Did they even have references?

Removing the Snow:

How often do you clear snow? I clear driveways at four inches or greater to prevent ice berms and allow easy access to the house. Decks and roofs are cleared around two feet of snow accumulation. While decks in the sun often clear on their own, the shady decks pile up as the snow falls. Mounds of snow against windows or doors signal removal time has arrived.

Mother Nature sometimes helps with warm weather or rain melting away the white weight.  When that doesn’t work, a reliable local professional monitoring the snow situation and clearing it away provides peace of mind. Landscapers equipped with snow blowers, plows and shovels do a great job for the driveway and walkways.  Shovel smaller walkways, stairs and decks by hand to avoid damage. For the roof, I always use licensed roofers. They know what they are doing up there and won’t damage the area. On the roof I concentrate on clearing the eaves and the critical melt paths so water can run off the house.

The bottom line: Shoveling will have to be done by you or someone you hire to protect your home. After the driveways, roofs and decks are cleared you can enjoy winter from the comfort of your home.

To get help with your home call me, the Caretaking Commander, at Home Fridays. I have been buying, renovating and managing residential and commercial properties for over 20 years. My locally-based company, Home Fridays (homefridays.com), offers professional home management and concierge services to vacation home owners.  You can reach me at 541/317-3088 or shannon@homefridays.com.

Be sure to check out our new column in the Sunriver Scene.  Here is a preview of the January article.

Owners in Sunriver had icicles hanging down from their roof all the way to the ground. At first, it looked like a pretty sculpture. Over time, however, the icicles grew and grew until you couldn’t wrap your arms around them. The neighbors became concerned and called to alert the owners. Too busy with their day-to-day lives in the city, however, the owners didn’t have time to deal with the ice  sculptures on the house. Over time the water worked its way in through the roof, the walls, and under the doors ruining the wood floors, carpets, interior walls and exterior paint. Mold even started to grow under the floors. When the owners finally dealt with the issue it required a six month ordeal to get the house repaired.

Ice dams cause thousands of dollars of damage annually throughout the U.S. An ice dam is a ridge of ice that usually forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow from draining. As the snow
melts, water backs up behind the dam, eventually leaking through the roof and causing the kind of damage we saw in Sunriver.

Ice dams are caused by a variety of factors including poor insulation, house design and the warming/cooling environment. Contrary to popular belief, gutters do not cause ice dams to form. Gutters do, however, help concentrate ice from the dam in a vulnerable area where parts of the house can peel away under the weight of the ice and come crashing to the ground.

In the case of the poor homeowners above, poor design coupled with ignoring the warning signs led to $200,000 worth of damage. Yes, they had homeowners insurance but they were still liable for the deductible not to mention the increases in insurance premiums. They also lost the use of their home for the entire spring and summer.

The good news is you don’t have to redesign your house. Prevention can be as easy as making sure the gutters are clean and clear prior to snow fall. Installing electrical heat tape in areas of the roof and gutters you are worried about is another way to eliminate recurring ice dams. Provide just enough heat to prevent the freezing on the roof or in the gutters.

Once the snow arrives, use a roof rake to remove excess snow from the eaves and create a path off the roof for the water. In extreme cases I have seen people on the roof with ice picks–but this is not a recommended method (the roof usually ends up damaged).

The most important part of addressing the ice dams entails keeping an eye on the home through the heavy snow season. If you find yourself with a recurring problem, talk with a qualified roofer or contractor and look into how to prevent ice dams in the future. Those measures might include changing the ventilation and/or eliminating valleys.

To get help with your home call me, the Caretaking Commander, at Home Fridays. I have been buying, renovating and managing residential and commercial properties for over 20 years. My locally-based company, Home Fridays (homefridays.com), offers professional home management and concierge services to vacation home owners.  You can reach me at 541/317-3088 or shannon@homefridays.com.

We have had beautiful fall and weather this past 2 weeks was temperatures in the mid to high 60’s and warmer!

Tonight our temperatures will begin to drop into the low 20’s and the daily highs in low 40’s & 50’s.

At Home Fridays we are ready for it!! 

The vent covers, hose bibs are on the exterior of our homes. Our annual furnace checks are in progress and pilot’s lit in fireplaces. All exposed pipes are checked on each home inspection and we have moved patio furniture under cover or in the garage.

Sprinkler systems have been turned off and gutters cleaned.  Come on Mr. Winter – we are ready for you.

Once the snow begins to fall this is just a short list of extra inspection items:

• If snow – inspect all around house to see if we have any areas of concentration for icecycles, ice damns (typically in roof valleys or above skylights). 

• Snow should not be up against wood or glass doors.  If we find this, we make sure it gets removed.  

• Heat should be set to at least 55 on all homes.  

• Open cupboards under each sink and leave open – helps keep the ambient temperature consistent throughout the house.

• All bedroom doors should be open – helps keep the ambient temperature consistent throughout the house.   We want to avoid cold spots in the house.

• Keep a close eye on the ceiling and the skylights – winter weather will bring more leaks!

• Check windows for weeping or leaking.   We like to keep the blinds up about 1” so we can quickly look at the window sills for any potential problems.

At Home Fridays we care for your 2^nd home inside and out!  If you are having concerns about your home, give us a call at (541)317-3088 and we can get you ready for winter.

A few simple questions to help decide if Home Fridays can help make managing your vacation home a breeze.

1. How far do you live from your property and how frequently can you visit the property?

If you are close you may be able to make the regular visits required for maintenance, inspections, etc., otherwise the further you live the higher your travel time and expenses will be. The larger the distance the, the harder it is to keep a close eye on things.  Disasters happen when a small thing is allowed to develop into something larger.  You should plan making bi-monthly scheduled visits and there is always the potential for a middle of the night emergency call that requires your immediate attention. In the long run, is this feasible for you?  Home Fridays is at your home weekly allowing you to relax when you are away and not worry about the property.

2. Are you willing and able to be on-call 24/7/365?

It is important to answer this question honestly, because when an emergency happens at your property you can’t ignore it. Your special event, important meeting, vacation, or personal crisis doesn’t relieve you of an emergency. These emergencies don’t happen all the time, but when they do you have to be willing to handle them immediately. Can you handle being called at 2am in the morning to respond to a security alarm, fallen tree, electrical outage, broken window, flooding?  Home Fridays is on call 24/7 and staffed to handle all your problems.

3. Are you currently overwhelmed with your property(s)?

Managing a vacation home can become quickly overwhelming, even for experienced 2^nd homeowners. There is always something going on that requires attention.  Are you missing out on vacation time because the ‘honey do’ list is too long?  Home Fridays completes all the honey do lists and lets you focus on your vacation.

4. How much experience do you have with maintenance and repairs?

If you can’t do it yourself, do you know who to call? Finding reliable handymen and contractors can take a while and in the mean time you may unknowingly hire people that are unethical, uninsured, do poor quality work, or over charge.  Home Fridays contractors are all certified, licensed, insured and bonded. 

5. How well do you understand the insurance risks in Oregon with a vacant house?

Many vacation home insurance policies are null and void if the home is vacant for more than 30 days.   That means the small toilet leak that ended up flooding the first floor of the house when the water ran for 45 days won’t be covered.  Home Fridays is at the house weekly, catching the small mishaps before they become a big problem.   With a regular presence in the house you can avoid the vacant house issue.

6. From a financial standpoint, is managing your property the best use of your time?

Ultimately, your decision to hire or not hire a home management company should hinge on whether or not it is a good fit with your lifestyle and makes sense financially.  Is your peace of mind worth the small investment?  Hiring Home Fridays home management  can ensure you peace of mind and  protect your investment!

With our extreme winters here in Central Oregon it is particularly critical that each house is “winterized”.  Home Fridays offers this service to all of our clients.  Winterizing is much more than just putting on foundation vent and faucet covers.

Winterizing Prep includes: 

• Install foundation vent and faucet covers.  You want to keep the crawl space warm.  It protects the pipes and helps to keep the heating bills down. 
• Bring in the hoses and anything else outside that will do better in the house!
• Paint kept in the garage should be moved into a warm area if you want to maintain it.  We usually put the paint around the water heater or in a laundry room. 
• Annual furnace maintenance is critical to keeping the house warm. 
• Check that heat tape on eaves and gutters is in working order.
• Close the blinds – just another way to keep in warmer inside.

Ongoing Winter Tasks:

Regular snow plowing as the weather dictates.  Home Fridays also schedules snow plowing and shoveling.   A safe and clear path to the house is essential for keeping an eye on things. 

Tree and branch removal as necessary.  When severe winds hit we usually have broken limbs in trees or trees down.  Home Fridays partners with one of the most experienced Arborists in Central Oregon to take care of these issues.

Power outages are also a part of winter’s wrath!  When we are doing house checks we reset the clocks and check all appliances including hot tubs that might be affected by the power outage.

Monitoring ice dams; as the snow melts and starts to run off the house it then gets cold again – either dropping temperatures inside or the cooler eaves of the home.  Then it freezes.  The next time the snow starts melting it doesn’t run all the way off the house – it runs into the frozen ice dam and pools. Heat tape is one way to prevent these ice damns.  Another is to work with a local roofer to get the ice damn broken up and begin the melting process (if Mother Nature cooperates).  Left ignored they can do a great deal of damage.       

Roof/ Ceiling Inspection on a weekly basis allow Home Fridays to keep on top of things.  The weather here can push up tiles as the result of an ice damn or even tear off parts of a roof in heavy wind storms. 

Fireplace lighting and maintenance.  When Mr. Winter hits us with our first big snowfall it is the time to turn on your inviting and cozy fireplace.  Regular maintenance with cleaning, servicing can prevent potential fire hazards.   

Home Fridays will be reminding you regarding all of these tips as winter approaches. We recommend winterization of your home to keep your investment here in Central Oregon safe and worry free!

Mistakes happen; it is how you handle those situations that really define you.  We recently had an owner double book his home.  That is two families trying to stay at the same house, at the same time.  This unfortunate situation resulted in one family with no place to stay for the night.  While Home Fridays, does not rent out homes or even book guests, we always do everything we can to help our owners and their guests.  The entire town was booked – several bike races in town, the height of summer, a busy night.  The closest available room was Klamath Falls!   After several hours of searching, we were able to find a great place for them to stay for the night.   The guests were satisfied, appreciative and ended up having a great time.  Thankfully, this situation does not happen often.  But nice to know if it occurs, we can figure it out!  Just another quick example of how Home Fridays can make a difference.

I just could not resist posting on a recent blog post by Time Magazine all about consumers.  According to one survey it looks like the demand for handy men will be increasing.  Not a big surprise to us here at Home Fridays.  Even if you can do the repair yourself, who wants to spend the time on their vacation taking care of things?  Here is the excerpt;

If you can hold your own in the DIY department, you’re truly exceptional. An AA Home Emergency Response study shows that the number of men capable of handling home maintenance jobs has been on the decline for decades. In 1970, 71% of men had basic home DIY project skills, compared to just 44% more recently. By 2030, it’s expected that only one in five men will be able to pick up DIY skills from their fathers.

Read more:  http://ti.me/lpqAiO

Don’t  worry at Home Fridays we are ready to take on the burden.

I ran across this article today about a woman in New Mexico who was fined for not weeding her yard.  It sounds like it was a second home that she was neglecting.  When she went to the courthouse to pay a parking ticket they arrested her and tossed her in jail.  http://bit.ly/kjtAw7    At Home Fridays we are managing the yard service and making sure we don’t get anyone tossed in jail.  Some homeowner associations are very rigid and do ticket for too many noxious weeds.  We have dealt with this in the past and worked through the issue with the Home Owners Associations.  It typically requires a visit with the HOA rep to prove the noxious weeds have been removed.  Noxious weeds can be a real issue as once your neighbor has them, you can be sure that you will be visited as well.  Regular maintenance with pulling, spraying and monitoring is the best solution.  Here is a link to Oregon Department of Agriculture Plant Division which has some great pictures and profiles of noxious weeds.  http://1.usa.gov/lbFDvN   So stay weeded and stay out of trouble!

It is always nice for owners to have outside eyes watching while the home is rented – whether we are ‘nudging’ the guests to follow the departure guidelines or taking pictures of damage to help in security deposit refunds.  There are many ways that Home Fridays can help.

What is VRBO? We have a few owners who rent out their homes through www.VRBO.com  or www.homeaway.com .  These sites and others allow owners to rent the houses out themselves.  This is a great option to bring in a little extra cash and still have the house available when you want to use it.  It also gives owners control over who will be staying in the home.

How Can Home Fridays Help? Home Fridays acts as their local eyes and ears.  We manage the house while empty taking care of the annual and monthly maintenance items.  Prep it for visitors and check for damage and have the house cleaned and restocked upon guest departure.  If anything should come up during the visit we are here to handle the emergencies.

What Happens Prior To Check In? Prior to guests check-in we will make sure the house is prepped, stocked and the inventory sheet is current. 

• Prep includes getting the temperature correct, turning up the water heater, turning on the ice maker and making sure everything is guest ready.
• Stocked includes making sure the toilet paper, gas grill, soaps, shampoos and all fully stocked.
• The Inventory Sheet is custom to each house and defines the specifics for each house (how many keys, pool passes, towels, etc.).  This helps to quickly define any missing items or damage when guests check out.

What Happens After Check Out?  After check-out we get the house cleaned and do a review of the inventory to assess damage to home or identify any missing items. 

What about issues during the guests stay?  Home Fridays staff the phone 24/7 in the event of an emergency we are there to assist the guests.  In the past we have helped guests who are lost, have misplaced their keys or experienced A/C failure, just to name a few.

How does the house get cleaned?  Our trusted cleaning crews are scheduled to clean the house, take care of laundry and restock (toilet paper, shampoo, etc.).

How does the house get restocked with supplies?  Typically we have access to an ‘owners closet’ filled with extra toilet paper, towels, soaps and such.  If anything runs out, we will run to the store and the owners will be charged for the restocked items.

Do my guests contact Home Fridays for check-in?  We setup lock boxes for the guests to use upon arrival. 

Do guests contact Home Fridays for check-out? Upon departure we encourage the guests to call and let us know they are leaving.  This lets the guests communicate any issues that might have arisen during the stay (such as a burned out light bulb or a broken bowl). 

If you are looking for some help with your vacation rental in Central Oregon please contact Home Fridays.

Who should you trust your 2^nd home too?  We created a list of questions that can help. And of course we included all the answers from Home Fridays (who scored an A+).

How long have you been in business? We started in 2005 and are the original (translates to oldest) 2^nd home management company in Bend.

Is this the primary focus of your business? Yes, we are totally focused on taking care of vacation homes for absentee home owners. We are not house cleaners, handymen or real estate agents looking for supplemental income.
Why did you start this business? We owned a second home here and struggled first-hand with the difficulties of absentee ownership. There has been no other professional company offering these services. When we moved to Bend we knew it would be a great solution to use our expertise in property ownership, management and real estate to fill the void in the marketplace.
What experience do you have? Home Fridays is filled with people who are passionate about homes and properties! Shannon was in the real estate business for over 20 years, owning, operating and advising corporations around the world on how to manage their properties. David has been working as an owner, operator and renovator of residential properties for the last 10 years. Diana has over 30 years of residential and commercial property management experience and is a licensed real estate agent. Donna has 20 years of residential and commercial property management experience and is also a professional organizer.
Is the company licensed, bonded and insured? Yes, Home Fridays is licensed in Bend, and has been since its inception in 2005. Home Fridays carries $2,000,000 in liability coverage and we are bonded.
Are you available 24/7? Yes! And, we take all calls personally vs. relying on an answering service.
How often will you visit our house? We will visit your house a minimum of once per week, and more often per a homeowner’s request and/or in the event of any unusual weather situations such as wind storm, extreme cold, etc.
What do your services entail? Home Fridays creates a custom checklist for each house that typically includes windows, furnace, ice maker, faucets, toilets, doors, windows, gutters, and much more. We view your house as an asset and therefore ensure that everything is in order. We also identify any maintenance items that will need attention, such as painting, deck refinishing and other items that will protect your asset for the long run.
How will you communicate with me? Home Fridays will provide you with a monthly Home Wellness Report that details what we observed during our visit, any actions we took and anything that might need attention. We will contact you via phone or email for urgent items, depending on the urgency and your preferred method of contact.
What happens when you find a problem? If the problem is of an urgent nature such as a plumbing leak or other damage, we will immediately fix the problem. Our first call is to one of our trusted vendors (plumber or other contractor); our second call is to you, keeping you informed of the problem and communicating our solution.
Will I need to hire vendors to work on our house? No, we will take care of hiring and managing all vendors. If you already have some vendors working at the house we are happy to serve as your local contact and to act as your eyes and ears to ensure they are performing the work to your specifications. Whether it is managing a kitchen remodel or ensuring that the spa is getting cleaned on schedule, you can relax knowing it will be managed by us just as well as it will be when we hire a vendor to work on your home.
Whom will the vendors work for? We hire and pay the vendors so you won’t have to worry about it. We have found that local vendors are much more responsive to us because they want to earn business on all the homes we take care of and not just a small job on a single home.  We are also able to get better pricing and pass that on to our owners.
How do you find your vendors? We use local vendors that are licensed, insured and bonded that have been found through our referral network and extensive reference checking. We will not hire anyone for your house that we wouldn’t want in our own home.   For all the contractors we use we require current proof of insurance (updated annually), a signed contract with Home Fridays that protects your home for any work they do.
Who fixes and cleans things? Home Fridays works with several trusted local cleaning people and handymen to put your home in tip-top shape.  We have a handyman on staff to tackle the small items.  But for anything that requires a permit (electrical and plumbing) we bring in licensed contractors. 

Will you act as the local contact for our security company? Yes, we are the first phone call the security company makes when the alarm goes off in one of our clients’ homes. Because we know our owners’ schedules and we schedule any work that goes on in the home, we know if the alarm is valid. If it is clearly not a false alarm, we ask them to send someone to the house right away. Then, once the house has been cleared, we go in and make sure that art, valuables and everything else is in place. Our post-visit follow-up call to you will put you at ease, knowing we’ve been there for a first-hand look.
How many people work for you? Home Fridays is made up of 4 people and a large list of reliable, local vendors.
Do you have a payroll? Yes, we have a payroll and are current on all business and employee taxes. If you are ever audited, all payments made to Home Fridays will stand up to the rigors of an audit.
Are your employees and contractors legally permitted to work in the U.S.? Yes, Home Fridays employs only legally permitted individuals. All our vendors are required to provide proof of insurance and license to ensure they are complying with all US regulations.
How will I be billed? Home Fridays bills monthly in arrears. A detailed bill is provided along with our monthly Home Wellness Report giving our owners a comprehensive narrative on what happened during the month. Correspondence and bills are sent via email or snail mail (whatever you prefer).
Do you accept credit cards? Yes, for the ease of our owners we accept credit cards as well as checks or money orders.