Landscaping: If you are renewing old beds or making new ones, to help control weeds use a landscpe fabric. Like everything else, the fabric will break down over time. A 20 year fabric will control weeds for a long time as long as it is installed correctly. If you plan on using an organic mulch, keep in mind that this too will break down and give weeds something to root in. Also, some mulches have been known to harbor things like thistles and other spikey weeds. Just be prepared to weed even after all the work, but the process should be much easier. The only maintenance free garden is a dead one, now get out there and enjoy the weather!
|
I have been asked by some to write about property management as it relates to Property Serv. As some of you know, Property Serv offers maintenance agreements that can tailored to your needs. If you want complete maintenance and upkeep, we can do that; if you want to set up to have your gutters cleaned twice a year, we can do that. It is set up in such a way that if the work is beyond what we can personally handle, then Property Serv becomes the project manager and subs out the work. You still only make one phone call and we worry about the rest. We are insured and we will make sure anyone we use is as well. Being a member of the Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce gives us plenty to choose from if needed.
The idea in mind, or the thought that created this, is the busy professional or owner of multiple properties. A busy professional, doctors, lawyers, professor, business owners don't always have time to do the necessary things that need to be done or even the knowledge sometimes to complete a repair or wanted project. As far as that goes, who wants to spend vacation time or Saturdays tackling repair/remodel stuff? The owner of multiple properties is kind of in the same boat, but on a grander scale. Normally it is one person who owns a few rental properties, this is all well and good until there are multiple "fires" to put out. Upkeep on your house is hard enough, not to mention the houses you don't live in. This is where we come in. We, together, can put things in place so that upkeep and maintenance are taken care of. We can be proactive and handle problems before they arise or grow into bigger ones. Putting plaster or a coat of paint over it just doesn't fix it normally. YOU the homeowner are responsible and if there are renters involved, there must be a place that is safe and functional for people to live. If you don't care, why should the renter? I am wrting this to bring things to your attention, things you already know, but that are sometimes overlooked. There is no need in being overwhelmed or stressed, Property Serv is here for you and we are only a phone call or email or facebook message away. We don't want to take over your life, we want to make it more enjoyable for everyone involved. We want to take a good community, a good neighborhood, a good street and make it better. If you need us, here we are. No, this isn't a commercial for cosmetics or eyelashes, although I do like eyes of the female persuasion. Anyway.....back to the subject. Some of us have the unique ability to fix anything we come across, whether mechanical or structural or cosmetic (really, I'm not thinking about eyes....). Are these lucky few born with a natural knowledge of exactly how things in the universe go together or exactly which screw to turn to make that d*** electrical thing to work? Maybe, but more than likely these were developed skills. "People don't live that long", you might say, I would argue that it's not about life's longevity, but about having a mind that can take a certain skill and apply it to any situation. Take a peanut butter sandwich for instance (no really, hang with me on this one), every kid has made a peanut butter sandwich, right? How can that be applied to repair of a house or completion of a project or even engine building? Well, there is an order of operations, remember that from math class (M-D-A-S), you can't exactly put the peanut butter on your hand then the bread. For the people out there who need complete and accurate instruction, try this, you can't get the butter knife in the jar if it (the jar) isn't open. So, we have order of operation, what's next? Application, one must apply the peanut butter to the spreading apparatus and then on to the edible medium, this could also be called "construction" or "building". This skill can be used in tiling a bathroom or finishing concrete or even gasket making for engines. Thin set must be "spread" onto a floor or wall for tile to adhere. Obviously houses and engines don't have to many edible parts, unless you're a bug or rust, but the concept is the same. To achieve a certain result things, lumber or pistons, must be put in their proper place and in the correct sequence of the of the project. This is where the terms "ground up" or "inside out" come from. Next you would have the Options phase. Some people like jelly or honey or syrup on their peanut butter, even without these things the sandwich is almost complete. Options might include wiring a house for sound or video or putting the high dollar copper gaskets between the heads and the block on an engine. Options are going to vary from project to project, but the same rules apply, they must be done correctly and in the right order. Finally we get to Completion, we might have been there already, but we're making a whole sandwich. After the walls are up and the house wrap is on, what's next? Siding on the outside and drywall on the inside. "But all we have to do for a sandwich is put the other piece of bread on", you might say. Really? I beg to differ. You can put the bread on, but then only the sandwich is complete not the whole project. "How"?, you ask. In order for the sandwich to benefit you, it actually has to make it to your stomach. Believe me, siding is nothing like putting on that other piece of bread, neither is finishing drywall, but the mechanics of what to look for and the stamina to complete are skills developed in sandwich making, well in the eyes of a five year old it's stamina because they are all "starving to death". Enjoy the fruits of your labor, savor the fact that you completed a project, regardless of whether it was necessary or just because you felt like it. In my line of work, if my clients are happy, I'm happy. The best way to develop a well rounded skill set is to find someone who is doing what you need to learn and volunteer your time to pick up some pointers or to hone what you already have. OJT is sometimes the best teacher. Now, I'm gonna go fix me a sandwich.....later.
|
AuthorCraig Jones, owner of Property Serv LLC. My goal is to better educate the homeowner and to make Richmond a better place to live. Archives
October 2013
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed