From the Builder

Greetings!

Summer time here in the Treasure Valley is always filled with lots of family activities and events. Rodeos, fairs, outdoor concerts, camping, fishing and boating are just a few of the things my family was able to enjoy this summer. I sincerely hope you and your family were able to enjoy some quality time together and had a summer filled with fun memories.

Now that the kids are headed back to school, we realize that the warm, sun filled days are starting to grow shorter and that we only have a few more months to get those “honey do’s” and summer projects checked off our list.

We have included some great articles to help you tackle some of your “to do” items and even a few articles to inspire those larger projects too. Whether you want to get your lawn in prime condition before winter sets in or you have been thinking about an addition to your home, we hope our articles give you the tools and information you need to make your home everything your family wants it to be and more!

Sincerely,

Jeff Hibbard

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Upgrade your home and lifestyle with a new home addition

Current trends and lifestyles have homeowners investing in their home with thoughtful home additions. Additions to the home consist of that new master bedroom, guest room, den, office, or second story addition that boosts a home’s potential value and livability. And, with the average rate of return on a family room addition around 83 percent, more and more homeowners find this to be a viable solution to the need for more livable space for their families.

Most additions are constructed toward the back of the home, and a family room is an ideal scenario for this location. Other popular additions consist of extra bedrooms. You can even design an outdoor room addition to host the ideal poolside party or escape in for an afternoon getaway, all within your home’s property lines.

The most popular additions are family and bonus rooms, while bathrooms top the list out of necessity. For smart add-ons, look at what the home needs as opposed to what you want and consider if you can have both. If not, needs most likely need to come first.

Take a look at how these top 6 additions ranked amongst homeowners:

#1 - “Best all Around” in adding value to your home and calming family discord is the bathroom addition. When house hunting, our two questions usually mesh into one, “How many bedrooms and how many baths?” If the answer is one bathroom, people will most likely walk away. Even for a two-bathroom home, family members may groan loudly if anyone has to share the space. Convenience and increased home value puts bathrooms at the top of the list.

#2 - “Most Popular” on most homeowner’s lists at the moment is the family or bonus room. It’s a place for the gang to gather around the pool table for a tournament, or cozy up in front of the big screen with a bowl of popcorn. Equipment collects in this room for all sorts of activities, including games, puzzles, exercise equipment and card tables. Call it the entertainment room, the exercise room, the recreation room or just call it the FUN room.

To read more, click here.

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Carpet Care Made Easy

Every now and again you come across a company that goes above and beyond your expectations. Here at Hibbard Construction, we like to acknowledge businesses like this and pass along to you our recommendation for their services.

Mr. Joel Deeble of Carpet Cleaning Professionals is one such individual and we were so impressed with his service and knowledge that we asked him to share some of his best carpet care tips with us.

Joel says “There are a few things to remember when caring for your carpet.”

1. Regular and frequent vacuuming is the best way to keep your carpet clean. This will cover 80% of your cleaning needs.

2. Change your vacuum bag when it is 2/3 full. If you let your bag or container get too full, your vacuum will not pick up as much debris and at this point you are just exerting effort and energy and not achieving optimum results from your vacuum.

3. Every six month have a professional Hot Water Extraction (often referred to as steam cleaning) company clean your carpets. This will cover the other 20% of your cleaning needs. Not all carpet cleaners are the same, ask what methods of cleaning a company uses.

4. Water Temperature matters! The hotter the water the cleaner your carpets will be. I recommend using a company that has temperatures as high as 230o-240o.

5. Lastly, don’t wait to call us when a spill occurs. The longer a stain sits the harder it can be to get it out. Just like when someone colors his or her hair, once the color has set, you can wash the hair, but the color will still remain.

6. When cleaning up a spill it is best to spray with your cleaner of choice, then place a dry towel on the spot. Do not rub or swirl a towel on the spill, as this will untwist the carpet fibers. Using a brush -- thump the towel covering the spill. This will lift the spill into the towel. You cannot erase color; instead color must be transferred out of the carpet.

7. When using a consumer product, Resolve or Spot Shot are both excellent products. They can be used for stains and Pet accidents.

8. Professional Carpet Cleaning Technicians can usually get most (if not all) of the color out, but the longer you wait the more the color will set and dye your carpet fibers the new color.

Joel can be reached at 208-880-6002 or  you can visit his web site http://ccpidaho.com/Services.htm for more information about his company and carpet cleaning techniques he uses.  Let him know Hibbard Construction referred you!

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How to Tackle the Five Worst Summer Lawn Care Issues

Summer lawn care can mean dealing with issues and making quick fixes to keep your lawn and yard looking nice. Weather extremes, kids, and pets all can contribute to a stressed lawn in one way or another. Let’s take a look at the five worst summer lawn care issues and what you can do about them now to help your lawn look good.

5. Dull and tired looking lawn—Does your lawn need a wake up call in time for the big weekend you have coming up?

Solution: Keep a bag of urea fertilizer on hand. Urea is an inexpensive, quick release synthetic fertilizer. It’s not meant to take the place of your regular, slow-release nitrogen fertilizer applications. Use it for that quick mid-summer green-up before your weekend gathering. Apply it at a rate of one-half pound of nitrogen (or roughly one pound of the urea product) per 1,000 square feet of lawn. Water right after application. Within two-to-three days, your lawn will green up and stay that way for up to two weeks.

4. Dog issues—Are you seeing a lot of those round patches of dried out lawn where Spot has visited? Dog urine contains a high concentration of nitrogen salts, which burns the lawn.

Solution: Immediately wash down the area where your dog has urinated with a bucket of water. Train your dog to use an area of the yard that isn’t noticed or even one where you have mulch rather than grass. For a mid-summer fix-up, remove the dead grass from the dog spot and loosen the soil. Cut a piece of sod (purchased or taken from an inconspicuous area of your lawn) to fit the area and press it down firmly. Water it and be sure to keep it moist until it roots.

3. Grub invasion—Grub damage shows up in late summer and early fall. If you have wilted or dried-out patches of grass that are easily pulled up, suspect grubs may be the culprit. You may even see some of the white larva when you lift a piece of healthy turf near the dead patches.

Solution: While it’s best to prevent grubs from hatching in the first place with a control product applied on your lawn in early summer (in the South) or in July (in the North), you can still use pesticides that contain carbaryl and trichlorfon to control the grubs that have hatched.

To read more, click here.
 

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Rising Out of the Ashes

Recovering from a fire can be a physically and mentally draining process.

When fire strikes, lives are suddenly turned around. Often, the hardest part is knowing where to begin and who to contact. Hibbard construction has over 39 years experience helping families rebuild after this type of tragedy. Over the years, we have helped many families navigate the mitigation process between homeowner and insurance company.

Although, no one thinks about this type of situation happening to him or her, there are a few things you can do that should this situation arise, your preparedness will be to your advantage during the insurance claim process. Click here to visit the Insurance Information Institute and create your own FREE home inventory. This site is completely free and you will have access to your inventory list from anywhere!
 
                     Before                                                       After

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The fire that struck this home in Homedale during the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday was traced back to the kitchen stove. The home was a complete loss.  Hibbard Construction was able to rebuild and get the family into their new home earlier this spring.  It is quite the emotional rollercoaster to go from devastion and loss to a new home.  We wish this family well and are happy we could help them rise out of the ashes. Hibbard Construction is well versed in the mitigation process between you and your insurance adjuster. We are here to make sure your interests are represented fairly and that the replacement and/or repairs to your home are accurately reflected in your insurance claim. Most of all, we understand what you and your family are going through and as we advocate for you, we also work as quickly as possible to help restore your life to normal again.