Ice Dams and Aging Insulation

After 30 years, many of our home's attic insulation is beginning to show its age.

In my house, after a few remodeling jobs that required me to venture up into the attic and disturb or pack down the insulation, I knew the time was now to add some additional cellulose insulation.

First, I measured various areas of the insulation's thickness. What should have been around 12" of insulation in many areas was less than 6". So, I went to Lowe's and estimating my home's 1200 square foot foundation size, I estimated I wanted to add a minimum of 6" of insulation through-out the attic. The salesman at the commercial desk told me I should order 30 bags of cellulose insulation (22 pounds each). Since I want to over-insulate rather than under-insulate, I ordered 50 bags and the blower which came free for 24 hours with a 20 bag purchase.

Going up into the attic, especially on hot summer or cold winter days is NOT my favorite activity! Add to that, the thought of blowing insulation and the resulting dusty conditions -- yuck!

The blower and insulation arrived on two pallets which were placed in our garage near the attic access. The blower looks like a large shop vac and has around 100 feet of 4" plastic hose that you drag into the attic with you.

You'll need:

-two people (one in the attic and one at the blower to feed the bales of insulation)

-a measuring stick to keep track of how thick the insulation is as you're blowing it

-walkie talkies or some other method to communicate between the two people

-flashlight or troublelights in the attic

-dust mask and goggles

It took us around 5 hours to blow 41 bags of insulation into the attic which included time to fix 3 stoppages to unclog the blower unit. The blower only blows the insulation around 10 feet from the end of the hose so you'll want to start at the far reaches of the attic and move toward the access hatch. Be careful not to cover or clog the vent chutes at the edges of the roof line. It's too early to tell how much energy we'll save but I'm certain the $300 cost will be well worth it.

Bathroom Remodel

Bathroom BEFORE starting the remodel

Our home like most in the neighborhood was built around 1980 so some of the interior decor was starting to show its age.
Since moving into our home in 1998, we have wanted to remodel the walk-thru master bathroom but the project seemed daunting and the cost was another unknown factor.

Going into the project, there were several features we wanted to include:
- double sink vanity
- heated floors (eventually ruled out)
- skylight or solar tube
- all tile floor

We found the vanity on sale at Costco which jumpstarted the whole process. We knew we had 60" of space for the vanity which limited our double sink vanity choices since most are 72" long. When a 60" long double sink vanity and granite top that we liked went on sale, we immediately began researching the other choices and costs.

Some of the decision points:
- Tile the entire bathroom walls? We decided on only the shower surround and the floor due to cost and thought tiling the walls may make the bathroom more echo'y and also more harsh/hard feeling
- tile all the way to the ceiling in the shower -- we decided to do this and are very glad we did

- Replace the tub also? We left the original tub based mainly on our contractor's recommendation. It was in decent shape and was a cast iron Kohler tub so it was a quality tub.
- What color tile? We made several trips to Home Depot, Lowes, Menard's and the Ceramic Tile Shop on Zachary Lane in Maple Grove (one of our favorite tile shops). We also brought our remodeler, Jerry LeMire out one evening to help us decide on tile color, accent tiles and bullnose tile (the tile that goes along the edge of the shower and also along the baseboard). We eventually decided on a lighter tile to help with bathroom lighting and a matching grout.

It was difficult to find tile we liked that was affordable and that had matching bullnose. We purchased the tile from Home Depot and learned all Home Depots are not the same - the store in Fridley just north of I694 is a larger store and has a larger selection.

- Grout color - match the tile (per Jerry's advice)
- Replace the exhaust fan? We decided not to against Jerry's recommendation and of course the exhaust fan failed not long after we were done so I replaced it but it wasn't a fun job for a novice -- nothing ever fits or lines up like you think it should!

- build a shelf into the shower wall for shampoo bottles - we followed Jerry's recommendation and are VERY glad we had him install this and the tile shelf/ledge on the wall (see picture)

The project took around 2 weeks and the major steps were:
1. Called Jerry to get on his schedule
2. Purchase the long lead item, the vanity
3. Begin shopping for flooring, lights, faucets, toilet - I think we made a dozen trips to the home stores to finalize these details
4. Demo the bathroom (saved us some $$$) and took around 8-10 hours. Probably should have ordered a small dumpster as it was challenging to get rid of the demo'd materials and building scrap.

Sources:
- floor tile, mirrors and odds and ends - Home Depot
- accent tiles - Ceramic Tileworks (Zachary Lane in Maple Grove)
- tub and sink faucets - Delta from Lowe's

- carpet expert to finish the carpet where it meets the tile - John Thibodeau
- toilet - Kohler from Lowe's
- solar tube - Lowe's

- custom cabinet doors on the walls (linen closets) - custom made to match the vanity - Rich Hipp, Hipp Cabinetry and Contruction - did a great job matching the doors, everyone asks how we got them to match exactly
Contractor/Remodeler - Jerry LeMire. Jerry did a GREAT job and was very devoted to completing the job as efficiently as possible. His final bill came in right at what he estimated at the beginning of the project and his expertise and honest answers to our questions was refreshing.

Total cost for the project -- around $5900

Finished Product

Foreclosures and Shadow Inventory?

You’ve probably heard the term “shadow inventory” or have seen reports about an anticipated inventory of foreclosed properties.

According to HousingLink, in Q3 of 2010, foreclosures in Minnesota reached their second highest level since the current foreclosure crisis (exceeded only in Q2 of 2008). A large part of the change was driven by foreclosures in the seven-county metro, which were up 21 percent compared to Greater Minnesota’s 6 percent increase over Q2 of 2010.
View HousingLink’s Q3 2010 Foreclosure Update to see detailed breakouts by county.
YTD foreclosure inventory is up 13 percent over last year.

Explanations: There are a number of factors contributing to the increase in foreclosures.
--Moratorium: There was a moratorium on foreclosures that ended in February/March of 2010. That moratorium served to delay many of the inevitable foreclosures that we’re presently seeing come on the market.
--Failed programs: HARP and HAMP were put into place to help troubled homeowners refinance or modify their home loans. However, limited eligibility and low success have merely delayed foreclosures rather than prevented them.
--Declining sales: The Twin Cities has experienced an overall decline in sales activity, which serves to increase the relative inventory of homes for sale, including foreclosures.
--Delinquencies: Seriously delinquent (90+ days late) homes have been accelerating through the system recently as banks become more adept at managing the process.

By the numbers: According to Lender Processing Services (LPS), Minnesota ranks 43rd in the nation in delinquency and foreclosure rates.
--National trends: 13.02 percent* of mortgages are non-current (including delinquencies and foreclosures).
o There were about one million foreclosures in each of the last two years (2009 and 2010).
o There are an anticipated two million foreclosures expected to come on the market in 2011, with much of the inventory concentrated in a few states like Florida, Nevada, Mississippi and Georgia.

Minnesota trends: 8.1 percent* of mortgages are non-current (including delinquencies and foreclosures).
o There were about 25,000 – 27,000 foreclosures in each of the last three years (2008 – 2010).
--We have about 30,000 properties in foreclosure right now
--Another 25,000 are over 90 days past due
--Another 30,000 are fewer than 90 days past due

*Based on information from Lender Processing Services “LPS Mortgage Monitor Sept. 2010 Mortgage Performance Observations”
**Based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE OF MINNESOTA (RMLS)

ROBOSIGNING

Many of you have no doubt heard about the problems facing lenders and the foreclosure process due to possible fraudulent signatures and contested accuracies in the foreclosure process.

This stems from mortgage lenders using 3rd parties (aka robosigners) to "verify" the accuracy of paperwork and attach their signature to the documents attesting to this fact when in fact they allegedly didn't verify or couldn't verify the accuracies due to the numbers of files they were processing each day.

This presents the potential for causing severe problems in the 23 states that foreclose by judicial process. Minnesota forecloses by advertisement and not judicially.

Additionally, a Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS) was created by the lending industry in the 1990's that attaches a number to mortgages, making them easier to track thru the system and the various paperwork shuffles. This system is legal and in use in MN and has kept our mortgage system much cleaner and without the problems many other states are experiencing.

This debacle has caused several banks to halt the foreclosure process, including stopping the sale of foreclosed homes in some instances, just before the closing happened with the hopeful buyer. Bank of America has halted their foreclosures in all 50 states and GMAC and others have also stopped foreclosing in some states. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now weighing in.

The press is fanning the flames by saying some people who have purchased bank-owned homes may have their ownership called into question. As if the federal government would allow the banks to take homes back from people after they close, move-in and invest money in repairing these distressed properties. I don't know what will happen except that banks will suffer reduced share prices and the costs of fixing their processes as well as a few law suits from some who feel they have been harmed by these procedural lapses.

This too will pass.

Neighborhood Market Update

We in the Minnesota are pretty conservative - ketchup is about as spicy as many of us dare to get and we don't deviate too much from the average. Because of this, the Twin Cities real estate market hasn't seen the high highs and the low lows that much of the rest of the country has seen.

While many appear to be waiting for the economy to improve and unemployment to drop, home sales have dropped by some 40% since the April 30 end of the federal home buyer tax credit. In our neighborhood, we've had three homes sell over the past 90 days, compared to five homes sold over the past 90 days in 2009.

Foreclosures have tapered off some in the past 90 days and at least two banks (GMAC and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.) have suspended foreclosure activity while they sort through paperwork irregularities and possible improper signatures and falsified documents used in current and past foreclosures.





Click see the current neighborhood homes for sale and sold in the past 90 days

Tree Trimming

As fall approaches, we start to think more about yard work -- not only raking leaves but also trimming our trees.
We have many experts and professionals in our neighborhood. I again spoke with Dave Strootman, neighbor and Consulting Arborist and ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist with Rainbow Treecare.

When you trim a tree, you introduce a wound and an entry point for insects. Certain trees (i.e., elms and oaks) should only be trimmed when they are dormant and others specifically should not be trimmed in the summer (white bark birch). Similarly, avoid trimming trees in wet, cool weather.

When you trim branches from the tree, there is no need to seal the cut as this can actually harm the tree and inhibit the natural callousing that the tree produces.

Some things to look for when trimming trees:
- dead branches
- structural defects
- stubs
- conflict branches

To arrange a consultation or an estimate, don't hesitate to contact Dave -- dstrootman@rainbowtreecare.com or call (952) 922-3810.

Tree-trimming isn't a difficult task for most home-owners but Dave's advice is if you have to leave the ground, call in the pros!

Expecting to Get a Variance from the City? Think Again!

A recent Minnesota Supreme Court ruling is making it much tougher to get variances approved for things like set-back requirements, distances of structures to lakeshore, etc.

"...a municipality does not have the authority to grant a variance unless the applicant can show that his/her property cannot be put to a reasonable use without the variance."

This recently played out in the September 7, 2010 Maple Grove City Council meeting where a resident was seeking a variance to extend their deck within the high water elevation of Rice Lake. Ordinarily, this request may have been approved thru common sense and reason. However, with the Supreme Court ruling, many municipalities will now likely have their hands tied and not be able to approve even simple variances.

Click here for the city minutes (scroll to page 10).

News article on the court decision

Bottineau House in Park Reserve

The Pierre Bottineau house was moved into the Elm Creek Park Reserve in August 2009 and went through a complete rehab.
The plaque at the site says it was moved from Zachary Lane but I couldn't remember seeing it on Zachary Lane in the recent past so I called and spoke with Beth Nash, with Three Rivers Park District Public Affairs.

From the Three Rivers Park District Cultural Resources Coordinator:
1852 – Pierre Bottineau stakes a claim in what will become Osseo, Minnesota.
1854 – Pierre Bottineau House is the first wood frame house built in Osseo and is erected on Section 13 of Township 119, Range 22 in what is now likely the present day athletic fields of Osseo Junior High School
1876 – Pierre Bottineau, his wife, and family move to Red Lake Falls, Minnesota. Bottineau’s children, Mary and John Baptiste Bottineau acquire the Bottineau property covering sections 11, 12, and 13
1877 – The Bottineau siblings default on mortgage payments and lose the property
1880 – John Wilmes purchases Bottineau property
1908 – Wilmes moves the Bottineau house to another location on section 13 and converts it into a granary
1919 – Wilmes sells Peter Kisch the original Bottineau property located on section 11 along with the Bottineau House. It takes Kisch one week move the house via log rollers from section 13 to section 11 (which became 9653 Zachary Lane) where the house was used for farm functions.
1998 – The Bottineau House is relocated to the City of Maple Grove storage lot south of County Highway 81 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to allow for roadway expansion.
August 2009 - (see videos below) The house is moved to its current location in the Elm Creek Park Reserve where it was restored due to its historical significance and will be open for tours given by the park

More info at the Bottineau website







Notes: The reference to Zachary Lane comes from a "Minnesota Architecture - History Inventory Form" that is reprinted in the the Historic Structures Report completed by MacDonald & Mack. The architectural survey, conducted by Kurt Schweigert & Marcia Ohlhausen in October of 1993 and June of 1994 references the house location as 9653 Zachary Lane, Maple Grove, MN. The location on Zachary Lane falls on a straight line west from the Hwy 610/169 intersection. The eventual extension of Hwy 610 through the site was the rationale for moving the house.

Hemlock Lane Bridge Open and New Transit Station

Great news -- Hemlock Lane is again open with the new bridge over 610 complete, it should be easier for entering and exiting our neighborhood as we have an option to avoid the sometimes congested Zachary Lane. The new round-about at Zachary Lane and 101st Avenue should lessen this congestion once it's completed (see DOT concept picture below). Jefferson Highway remains closed until November. For more: MN DOT


Also, for the commuters, Maple Grove is adding another transit station at County Road 30 and Maple Grove Pkwy with outdoor parking available around October 2010 and the indoor station opening around January 2011. For more: Transit Station

Locally Owned Consignment Business

Continuing the series of showcasing our neighborhood businesses, this article is on a consignment shop owned and operated by Jeff and Sue Bufis in our neighborhood.
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We are scheduled for grand opening Sept 10 @ 5pm. Monday August 16th, we had our banners go up in front of the building. That felt good, like a final permanent and visible commitment for our store. The new signs go up this week as well.
One exciting aspect will be that our customers will be able to go online and view their balance of the items we sell!

We start accepting items Friday August 20th so clean out your closets and garage!
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If you would like to save money on re-purposed articles or have some treasures to sell, give their business a try! It's located on the corner of West Broadway and Hwy 81. Visit their website at www.ConsignmentCentralLLC.com

INCREASE YOUR HOME'S VALUE (w/out breaking the bank)

1. Add Light -- inside and out, adding or updating your interior, exterior and landscape lighting or maximizing the bulb wattages will make your home appear much brighter and more inviting.

2. Underfoot Interest -- a nice new natural fiber throw rug or deeply piled area rug will jazz up an otherwise bland room or if you have hardwood floors under the carpet, pull up the carpet and refinish the floors or use a mop and some wood cleaner to dress them up.

3. Spruced Up Landscaping -- a new set of house numbers, a few in-expensive hostas and some new wood mulch go a long way to making your curb appeal pop.

4. Paint and Vinegar -- clean your windows with a vinegar/water solution and paint at least an area or two near the main entry or possibly an accent wall. If your furnace is old and dirty, clean the exterior and consider having it serviced. It will look good and a sticker with a recent inspection/tune-up date will help an otherwise critical buyer.

5. Kitchen Cabinets -- new knobs will make almost any set of kitchen cabinets look 10 years newer.

Update: Hemlock reopening needs to be rescheduled

From the Minnesota DOT....

Okay. Remember when we told you earlier this week about the exciting reopening of Hemlock Lane in Maple Grove on Monday? Well, it looks like we'll need to postpone it for a little while due to some unforeseen signing and striping problems. We don't have a new date for the opening just yet, but we'll be sure to update you as soon as we do.

On the bright side, the new Nathan Lane pedestrian bridge is still scheduled to open Monday, Aug. 9. We'll be glad to hit that milestone and will work to do the same for Hemlock Lane as soon as possible.

For more information about scheduled closures in the area and the Hwy 610 project itself, visit http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/610/

Hemlock Bridge Opening

Monday, Aug. 9, will mark the date of two completions for the Hwy 610 project-both Hemlock Lane and the new Nathan Lane pedestrian bridge in Maple Grove will open to traffic at 10 a.m.

Hemlock Lane has been closed since last November as crews built a bridge to carry traffic over the new Hwy 610. The pedestrian bridge at Nathan Lane also was built to span the new Hwy 610, and it replaces the old pedestrian trail.

For more information about scheduled closures in the area and the Hwy 610 project itself, visit
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/610/

Park Reserve Eats and Garage Sale Recap

We had around a dozen homes with garage sales in our 1st annual neighborhood garage sale this past week and most people I spoke with brought in around $200 and some $1000. Not bad for re-purposed excess stuff!
I'll be organizing another sale next year around the same time so plan ahead and save your stuff. Next year, I'll ask for addresses of those that are participating and put a list on the website.

Park Reserve Eats -- my daughters have begun to find ripe rasberries in the park reserve. Last year, there were lots of them all along the bike trail from the beach all the way to the tubing area. Nothing like picking and eating fresh rasberries in the summer! There are also good wild plums along the path towards the drive down to the swimming beach. Look on the right in the 200 yards before you turn down the hill from the bike path -- we picked lots of those last year too, small and sweet.

Enjoy the summer and the park -- what a gem we have in our neighborhood!

I'd like to showcase neighborhood businesses on this website.
Drop me a line with Blog suggestions, questions, ...

NEIGHBORHOOD GARAGE SALE - 7/8, 9 and 10

Thursday, Friday and Saturday July 8, 9 and 10.
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Multiple family garage sales - lots of treasures to find!

Signs will be posted at the entrances to the neighborhood.

Windows

Our homes are approaching and in many cases, passing 20 years of age. With age, my home is starting to need more attention. One of the items needing attention are windows.
When it gets real cold outside, I get moisture and if cold enough, ice forming on the inside of my windows. I found that my windows weren't argon-filled but rather vacuum between the double panes of glass and the vacuum was actually causing the two panes to touch, negating the vacuum's energy efficiency benefits.
Provided your wood frames are in decent shape, you may not have to replace the entire window. You may be able to simply replace the glass inserts as I did.
Replacing the glass inserts can be as simple as calling the manufacturer and ordering new inserts or you can remove the glass slider or crank-out portion and bring them to a window company (i.e., Scherer Brothers) or to a glass insert manufacturer.
We have a glass insert manufacturer right here in Minneapolis. (this contact is from a real estate investor I know) The glass manufacturer is Brin Northwestern Glass, (612) 529-9671 or www.BrinGlass.com and the cost when I called about some windows was around $100 per pane - much cheaper and easier than custom-ordering and paying to install windows in your existing openings.
Drop me a line with other questions or ideas of how to maintain our homes on a budget.

Hemlock Lane & New Bridge Opening Soon

The work on 610 continues with the following dates to keep in mind:
7/2 - Revere Lane in Maple Grove scheduled to open, followed shortly by the re-opening of Hemlock Lane
7/6 - Jefferson Highway closes

See my previous May 7 post for a summary of the 610 and 169 townhall meeting with pictures of what 610 and 169 will look like when they are completed

Hemlock at 610 Update

We have all become used to the Hemlock Lane closure. I think we are all looking forward to it's re-opening which the 610 masterplan calls for in July 2010.

I took the picture in this blog post today (6/2/2010) so you can see, construction on the Hemlock overpass is progressing.

Access to 610 when completed in summer 2011 will be via a round-a-bout interchange at Zachary or a single lane exit into the round-a-bout at the west side of our neighborhood (the park reserve entrance round-a-bout).

For details of these interchanges including artist's sketches, see my previous blog posting.

Emerald Ash Borer

We have seven Ash trees in our yard. How many do you have?
With all the news about the Emerald Ash Borer, I've started to become increasingly concerned about the health and cost of maintaining or removing our Ash trees.

The Emerald Ash Borer has arrived in Minnesota - the St Anthony area of St Paul, Hwy 280/I94 area specifically. It's suspected that the arrival was due to the transporting of trees or tree limbs, such as firewood.

We have many experts and professionals in our neighborhood. To get some tree and Emerald Ash Borer advice, I spoke with Dave Strootman, Consulting Arborist, ISA Board-Certified Master Arborist with Rainbow Treecare and neighbor.

To arrange a consultation or an estimate -- dstrootman@rainbowtreecare.com or call (952) 922-3810.

Dave's Recommendations:
1. Evaluate the Ash trees in your yard.
Determine which, if any, are worth saving and the lifetime commitment of treatments which are required to save the tree.
Some considerations
Is the tree key to your landscape? Too large to realistically replace? Otherwise healthy? Does it give good shade to your home?

2. Determine how to treat.
Treatment is a lifetime commitment (an avg tree costs around $100/yr to treat).
Treatment options are:
(a) the ground-application method - administered annually and for smaller trees, can be done by the typical home-owner (look for Xytect)
(b) the boring method - administered every two years and is only performed by professionals

3. Remove trees not planning on treating and replant - this can be done now to start the replacement tree growing before the target ash gets too large or can wait to remove until the target tree gets diseased.

How do you determine if your tree is sick?
Woodpeckers are the most obvious sign of an EAB-infested Ash tree. One or two woodpeckers once in awhile isn't necessarily an indicator. If your tree starts looking like Old Country Buffet on BBQ ribs night - lots of woodpeckers all the time or "blonding" of the bark -- that is, large patches of the outer layer of bark being peeled back by woodpeckers, exposing the lighter under-layer or the tree - this could indicate an infestation. Once the tree progresses in sickness, around 3 years, the canopy will start to decline, and once it is 30% or more decreased, the infestation and damage have likely progressed to the point of needing to remove the tree.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/issues/eab/
www.RainbowTreeCare.com

Eden Prairie Light Rail Line

A 3rd light rail line may be coming to the Twin Cities -- The Met Council voted Wednesday to approve the $1.25B 14 mile route which is proposed to travel between downtown Minneapolis and Eden Prairie and pass thru Minnetonka, Hopkins & St. Louis Park. In Mpls, it would hook-up with the Hiawatha line at the Target Field Station.

http://bit.ly/EdenPrairieLightRail

Kitchen and Bath Tour

The neighborhood remodeled kitchen and bath tour went GREAT this past Saturday! We had five homes on the tour and had a good turn-out of from 4-15 families/groups visiting each house.

We started out with the host home-owners gathering before the 1 p.m. tour started. We met at one of the homes and talked about the kitchen re-model -- material selection, color choices, timeline, and Q&A time. We then went to each additional house in series. Lots of variety hickory, oak, enameled, maple and cherry cabinetry -both custom and modular (i.e., what you can get from the big box stores) and a variety of countertops, flooring, wall-removal or partial wall-removal, ...

We also had nice visits with each other and also with the visitors on the tour. I heard from all the other participants that it was a nice, relaxed event and a great way to meet some of our neighbors. We're all excited for up-coming tours!

Coming up:
July 8-10 – Park Reserve Neighbors neighborhood garage sale
- I'll provide signs at the entrances to the neighborhood and will also publicize the event in the Press and other places (Channel 12?, Caribou, other suggestions?...)
September 25 1-4 p.m. – Park Reserve Neighbors remodeled home, home addition tour

Next blog posts: (based on suggestions during the tour)
- disc golf in the Park Reserve
- Emerald Ash Borer

Disc Golf

Living next to Elm Creek Park Reserve offers plenty of outdoor activities. One of the newer activities offered at the Park is Disc Golf.

Many courses are 18 holes as is the Elm Creek Park Reserve course. The sport offers exercise and a chance to walk thru the trees and the park's scenic landscape.

In frisbee golf, the object is to "tee off" by throwing your frisbee as far as you can down a fairway. To answer the question my wife asked, no you don't want to use your Frisbee from the garage.

As in golf, there are drivers, putters, etc. used to get to the green.
In Disc Golf, there are various weights and sizes of discs you use from the tee to the farway to the rough to the green. The different discs make a HUGE difference as you traverse the course.
The green is a basket made of chains as seen in the lead-in picture of this article and the goal is to get the disc into the basket to complete the hole and move to the next.

The holes at Elm Creek vary from 211 feet (par 3) to 778 feet (par 4)


The Elm Creek Park chalet has a pro shop but they are only open on the weekends (10 a.m. to noon).
For discs, you can also try:
- Gotta Go, Gotta Throw in Golden Valley
- REI
- Dick's
I spoke with Charlie at Gotta Go, Gotta Throw (763-593-7690) who was very helpful with recommendations on disc selection which he said will vary quite a bit from user to user.
Most beginner discs cost around $7-15 each and you'll probably want 1 or 2 discs to start with -- a mid-range and/or a putter.

Cost to play:
$3 for a day pass or $35 for an annual pass.

Elm Creek Park Reserve
Other courses in the Twin Cities:
http://www.discgolfdirectory.com/minnesota.php

Replacing Brick Molding

I see rotted brick molding around doors and windows on over 1/2 of the homes I show as a Realtor®. Today while staining my own house, guess what I found?

I'll take you step-by-step thru the process of replacing brick molding -- it's easy and it's inexpensive!

Tools needed:
- pry bar or other tool to pry the old brick molding from the house
- a piece of scrap wood to pry against so you don't damage the surrounding wood
- razor blade to cut the caulk or paint from the brock molding
- hammer or pneumatic nailer and 1 1/2 " finishing nails
- drill (to pre-drill the holes if you're not using a pneumatic nailer)
- counter sink
- caulk and caulking gun
- paint and brush

1. Cut along the old brick molding with a knife to separate from neighboring trim or siding
2. Insert the pry bar under the old brick molding and gently pry it away from the house, starting at the bottom and working toward the top
--note that there may also be a nail holding the vertical molding to the horizontal piece at the top (and the bottom for windows)
3. Once the old piece is removed, save it if necessary for a template
4. Bring it to the store (I went to Lowe's) to compare to the new piece to ensure the sizes are the same

5. Measure the old piece or use the old piece as a template to mark the cut for the new piece. Dad always told me to measure twice and cut once so make sure you're mark is accurate!
6. Cut a 45 degree miter cut ensuring the cut goes the right way -- the taller stepped portion of the sculpted molding is always on the outside edge once the molding is installed.
7. Hold the new piece in the spot to be installed. Is it the right size? Does it fit?
8. I'd recommend painting before you install it since it may be difficult to paint without getting paint on surrounding surfaces once it's installed
9. Two coats are ideal. I used latex paint and it only took 15-20 minutes between coats.

10. Hold the piece in place and drill holes for the finishing nails -- every 18-24 inches should be sufficient. Make sure the holes are drilled so the nails will go into the wood behind the molding but angled such that the nail's tip won't come thru the exterior of the backing wood.

11. Pound the nails in until they are almost flush with the surface and then use a counter-sink to sink them all so they are approx. 1/8" below the outer molding surface.
12. Caulk the seams - especially where the brick molding meets the door sill (for a door brick molding) and also the nail holes

13. Once the caulk dries (approx. 24 hours), touch up with paint

Voila! Total cost - $10-15 (plus tools)

Neighborhood Remodeled Home Tour ---> Saturday 1-4 p.m.

Do you ever want some ideas of how to remodel your home?
Curious how others have remodeled similar homes?

Our neighborhood remodeled kitchen and bath tour is coming up!
Saturday, May 15th from 1 to 4 p.m.
The homes on tour are:
11967 101st Ave N
11867 101st Ave N
12030 101st Ave N
11878 100th Place N
11481 99th Place N

This will be a nice opportunity to meet some of your neighbors and also to hear about what they like and don't like about their remodeled kitchens.
Just look for the signs around the neighborhood.

Also coming up:
July 8-10 – Park Reserve Neighbors neighborhood garage sale
September 25 1-4 p.m. – Park Reserve Neighbors remodeled home, home addition tour

610 and 169 Update

I attended the townhall meeting at Osseo Sr High last night and I would guess there were 200 +/- in attendance.

169 (Devil's Triangle)
7/15/2011 - Expected completion of 169
6/2010 - Both north and south-bound 169 will be diverted up onto the south-bound lanes of the new bridge over the RR tracks, 169 and 85th Avenue. Construction will now be on completing the bridge's northbound lanes.

610
7/15/2011 - estimated completion of 610
7/30/2010 - Hemlock Lane will re-open (the new Hemlock bridge over 610)
7/15/2010 - Revere Lane will re-open
7/15/2010 - Pedestrian bridge at Nathan Lane will open
7/15/2010 - Jefferson Hwy will close between Osseo at Cty Rd 30 and 109th Ave with the detour onto 169. Closure will be for "120 days maximum"

Construction of the new Zachary Lane to the west of current location near Zachary Square Mall will continue thru summer 2010. Zachary Lane will be closed "for 60 days" approx. May-July 2011 while the new Zachary Lane is tied in. We will still have access to our neighborhood from the north and south on Zachary via 97th Avenue during this closure.
Note that there will be round-a-bouts at Zachary and 97th and also at Zachary and 101st (see attached pictures)


picture of 169 overview


detailed view of new devil's triangle interchange


picture of 610 overview


aerial view of 610-Zachary interchange


aerial view of 610 looking west


round-a-about at Zachary and 101st


detailed view of 610 interchange at Zachary Lane

MN DOT 610 info: bit.ly/DOT610
MN DOT 169/Devil's Triangle info: bit.ly/depeNZ

Bank-owned Homes in Neighborhood

I've had several of you ask me how many bank-owned properties we have in our neighborhood.
I think having the park reserve adds value and stability to our home values and we're in a pretty healthy condition in our neighborhood with:
Actively for sale:
"normal" - 9
short sale - 1
bank-owned - 1
range of prices: $80,000 to $264,400

Since the beginning of the year:
Sold or pending:
"normal" - 8
short sale - 0
bank-owned - 2
range of prices: $154,900 to $254,500

610 Meeting (Thursday 5/6 6 p.m.)

The 610 and 169 work continues at a rapid pace -- I've heard ramps may be opening this summer at "The Devil's Triangle".
Reminder that the public informational meeting is tonight - Thursday, May 6, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Osseo Senior High School Cafeteria (317 2nd Avenue Northwest in Osseo).

100th Place N -- 4/29 Closure

FYI -- for those of you like me were wondering how long 100th Place would be closed at Zachary Lane...
- Maple Grove is working on someone's water main
- so, it is NOT related to 610
- and is expected to be closed 4/29 only

Foreclosure Inventory Expected to Decline

BLUF (bottom-line up-front): due to the mortgage modification programs banks are working through as well as the numbers of 1st time home-buyers and investors snapping up the foreclosure inventory, the numbers of bank-owned homes is expected to decline for the remainder of year.

For more: http://bit.ly/ForeclosureTrends

Basil Pesto Recipe

Basil Pesto Recipe
Just in time for spring and spring planting...
(courtesy of chef and teacher, Jeff Sandino -- www.FlavorsFromTheHome.com)

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, large stems removed (about 1 1/2 oz)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 heaping Tbsp pine nuts (raw)
1/2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp freshly grated romano cheese
salt -- to taste

Place basil and the olive oil in food processor and blend until smooth (about 20 sec)
Add nuts and process until smooth (about 20 sec)
Add cheeses and process until smooth (yep, around 20 sec)
Finish with the garlic and salt

Hints:
Don't overprocess the garlic or it can become too strong
Use kosher/sea salt and not table salt
If it tastes bitter, add more cheese
Pesto sauce freezes well!

Website e-Property Valuations
There are many ways to get an e-property valuation.

Several websites have popped up over the past few years offering this service.
These sites use public information such as # of bedrooms, # of bathrooms & square footage to determine values of homes by comparing to recent sales.
Some limitations are lack of necessary details in the tax records to be able to perform the comparisons, incomplete or incorrect data or trying to compare homes on cul-de-sacs or with redone kitchens with those lacking updates or on busy roads--the kinds of details requiring a person to filter thru.

www.Zillow.com - Accuracy is advertised as approximately 20%


www.HouseValues.com - you complete a form and the site forwards your request to a licensed real estate agent

www.cyberhomes.com - enter your address and get a nice page of overhead imagery, trend charts and a summary from tax records. Try using only your zip code. When I tried city and zip code, it couldn't find my house.

If you want a hybrid of these features, try the e-CMA route. You need to provide an address, # BR, # BA, # car garage and a brief list of updates performed. You often will get a response in a day or less. Click HERE and then select Expert Answers.

Great New (almost) Maple Grove Restaurant -- Three Squares
Located in the old Green Mill location on Main Street in Maple Grove is a great new restaurant.
I recently brought my family there for dinner and was impressed by the menu items and by the GREAT SELECTION of craft and micro brew beers ON TAP :)))
The food ranges from old stand-bys like steak or burgers to new twists like the Roasted Duck & Grits that we tried (quite yummy).
The prices were reasonable and the atmosphere casual and welcoming. For an extra bargain, try happy hour specials - before 6 p.m. appetizers and drinks are HALF-OFF!
http://www.3squaresrestaurant.com
Give it a try and leave me comments on my blog to let me know what you thought.

Park Reserve Plans

Many of you have asked me about the plans to build a campground in the Elm Creek Park Reserve. I spoke with the Three Rivers Park District office, they said current priorities and funding limitations don't support building the campground this year and that it will likely be 5+ years out.

From an October 2006 planning document to the Met Coucil, the Park District planned to spend around $2,850,000 to build a family campground:

• 75 sites, grading, roads - $1,750,000
• Campground services/disc golf center building (2,000 SF with
showers, toilets, office) - $600,000

• 10 cabins ($40,000 per cabin

From the map below, you can see the planned location of the campground just below Mud Lake.

Road Construction (610 and 169)

169 (Devil's Triangle)
Due to be completed in fall 2011
Much work has already been done on southbound Hwy 169, County Road 81 and the north half of 85th Ave. Current construction this spring/summer will focus on 169 with 169 traffic switching to the new lanes of southbound Hwy 169 so work can begin on northbound Hwy 169.
Also, continued construction of the south half of 85th Ave and continuation of bridge and retaining walls with 85th Ave east and westbound lanes fully open by Fall of 2010.
http://bit.ly/169Project

610
Due to be completed June 2011
Current schedule: (note the Zachary Lane road closure)
Noisewalls: Fall 2009 and March – August 2010
Pedestrian Bridge (Nathan Lane): Fall 2009 – June 2010
Hemlock Lane: Fall 2009 – June 2010. Road will be closed
Revere Lane: Fall 2009 – June 2010. Road will be closed
Sanitary Sewer: Fall 2009 – August 2010
Zachary Lane: April 2010 – June 2011. Road will be closed
Jefferson Hwy: June 2010 - September 2010
Hwy169: May 2010 – November 2010
http://bit.ly/DOT610

Local News

It's not surprising considering how it's been slipping as of late to see that Brookdale Mall is going into foreclosure -- their sheriff sale is scheduled for Friday February 12.
Read more at http://bit.ly/BrookdaleMallForeclosure

2009 Home Selling Statistics

In our Fountain Park park reserve neighborhood, there were 24 homes sold in 2009 with 10 of these being foreclosures and short sales (a bank-involved pre-foreclosure sale) and 14 being traditional sales.
The average sale prices:
►Foreclosures/short sales (10) $131,700
►“Traditional” sales (14) $224,843

The market appears to beginning an initial recovery. There may be ups and downs as it balances itself but with the number of homes for sale down, the market has shifted from a buyer’s market to what is currently being described as a balanced market with a five month supply of homes for sale.