The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 1, 2003 -C7 Inspecting and repairing potential winter problems The long, cold blustery days of winter are on their way as sure as fall follows summer. For homeowners that means now's the time to undertake those special maintenance jobs that will protect your home and keep you and your family warm and comfortable during the months ahead. Houses, like people, get old, and if you have an aging home, you may need to offer it some extra loving care. And since much of that care is needed on the exterior shell of the home, the time to do it is during the cool, crisp days of autumn rather than trying to catch up with the needs during the colder days ahead. It all starts with a careful, thorough inspec tion of the outside of your home. There are a half dozen areas that may need special atten tion. In some areas, the maintenance you'll need to do can be relatively simple and done by yourself, in other cases, you may need to call in a professional to deal with a problem. Start with the eavestroughs Eavestroughs that are blocked with leaves, birds' nests or other material can create prob lems for you during the winter. With lots of snow and freezing temperature, this debris can freeze and form ice dams in the troughs which will force water to back up under the shingles or down through the siding and eventually enter the house. Clean material from the eavestrough care fully and make sure downspouts and joints are free of blockages by running a plumber's snake or a straightened out metal coathanger through them. Don't lean a ladder against the troughs; it may pull them out of alignment. Check the chimney Blocked chimneys can also cause many problems. Use a flashlight or a mirror on a sunny day to look down your chimney to check for blockages. If it needs cleaning to get rid of debris, soot or tar, a professional cleaner can do the job easily with a vacuum machine. Although it may be messy, you can do the job yourself with a stuffed and weighted small burlap bag lowered down the chimney and then pulled back up. Block the fireplace below to contain the mess. When you are inspecting the chimney, make sure you look for mortar damage between the bricks, and spaces in the flashings around the flue or the base of the chimney. You may need to make some repairs by caulking the trouble spots. The roof can be a problem area While you're checking the chimney, take a close look at your roof. Damaged shingles should be replaced, and other small repairs made where necessary. Sometimes, it's only possible to discover the damage through water marks on ceilings inside your house. You should be able to do most small repairs your self, but take extra care; falls from roofs are a major source of household accidents and injuries. W hile roofing usually stays in good shape for many years, as the house gets older, you may want to ask a reputable roofing profes sional to do a thorough check to see whether you need major repairs. If they are needed, and they will be at some time, it's better to do them sooner than later. Look for spaces in joints Wherever two parts or different material come together on the outside of your home, there is potential for damaging spaces that could let in water or drafts. Particularly, check the areas around windows and doors, plumb ing. exhaust and ventilation vents, roof and comer joints, foundation joints and any other places where there are intersections. Spaces in these areas need to be filled with caulking or putty. It's not a difficult job, and if you do it properly, it can last for four or five years. The key point is to check all those poten tial problem areas carefully and repair them quickly. The inside job of winterproofing Insulation, for the most part, is an inside job but keep it in mind when you are preparing your house for winter. Proper insulation can dramatically reduce your heating costs, and help make your home comfortable. Proper ven tilation, combined with insulation, can lessen excess visible and hidden condensation which can be the cause of extreme damage to the structure of your home. During the often harsh Ontario winters, there's nothing like a warm and healthy house to come home to. By inspecting and repairing potential winter problem areas now, you and your family can have an easy, enjoyable and trouble-free life in your home during the com ing cold months. Getting the antique look (NC)-How does one get `antique' furniture without paying exorbitant prices that genuine antiques often command? Jon Eakes says that anyone who wants to give pieces of furniture that antique, lived-in, lived-upon, `distressed' look should simply `beat up' the furniture. Eakes, who is the handyman host of Just Ask Jon Eakes on H G TV Canada, says that this assault and battery is perfectly acceptable if the beat ing is not overdone. For a mildly battered look, the wood should be tapped lightly with a ball peen hammer, using both sides of the ham mer and the edges, to get different shaped indentations. The surfaces should then be sanded, to remove any wood fibers. - News Canada Save up to 70% while quantities last Jan. 2,2003 -J a n . 12,2003* Closed Jan. 01,2003 This article is provided by local realtors and the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) fo r the benefit o f consumers in the real estate market. L o o k for t he E n n i s c l a r e I n t e r i o r s W A R E H O U S E S A L E F LY E R in S e l e c t e d E d i t i o n s of t o d a y ' s Oakville Beaver · invis 0 · 120 day rate guarantee · Commercial mortgage *u m FREE REAL ESTATE CONSULTATION 5. 45% 3.85% L o w M o rtg a g e Rates a re just the b e g in n in g 5 year fixed 5 year Variable Rate te rm s & c o n d itio n s apply * rate*. I rrrro & c o n d itio n s s ubject to d u n g c w ithout noticc W IN A - I n clu d es BMW 3 2 0 i BMW3 2 0 1 . Call me or viist w w w .invis.ca for contest details Realtors, you ca n wm too Ca n mo tor details j j f " '· A ppl y for a mortgage or a pre-approval through me today and get automatically V " \ entered in a contest to win a · DRESS YOUR HOME FOR SUCCESS A N N E M A R IE FR O U D M o r t g a g e C o n s u lt a n t R eed B R O K E R · Vi (COULD INCREASE YOUR SALE PRICE $5,000, $10,000 OR EVEN $15,000 DOLLARS!) S T O P ! SAVE T IM E ! I ' LL D O T H E S H O P P IN G YOU D O T H E BU YIN G ! P a < en C O L D W e iL BANK6 R B Call or E-mail today for your pre-approval O f f i c e : <9 0 5 ) 8 2 9 - 3 2 7 0 <4 1 6 ) 3 7 8 - 9 5 0 6 C e l l i <4 H i ) 5 4 3 - 4 5 0 8 E -m a il: HOME & FAMILY REALTY amfroud@cogeco.ca www.coldwellbanker.ca · MARKET VALUE APPRAISAL · EXTENSIVE MARKETING ACTION PLAN! REAL ESTATE SALES CAREER Expanding Real Estate industry leader has opportunities for new and licenced sales representatives REAL ESTATE LICENCING SU PPO RT FULL FAST TRACK CAREER TRAINING NO F E E S OR EX PEN SES PROGRAMS ASSISTANT PO SITIO N S AVAILABLE 10 ACRES 41 OOSQ.FT. HOUSE $849,900. Incredible property if privacy is what you're looking for, you have found it, updated, too many features to list, oversize garage, out building. Rare property in Oakville. : m FACING THE PARK S319,900.4 bedroom , m arble hearth, family rm open to upgraded kitchen, w alkout to beautifully landscaped pri vate back garden, nu m ero u s upgrades! Call CARY REED*** BRONTE LOCATION! $289,900. 4 b d rm s, new er roof and w indow s, hardw ood floors, u p dated k itch en , se p ara te d in in g ro o m , 2 fire places, finished low er level. Call . I K MAIN FLOOR FAMILY ROOM $296,900. B ungalow w ith su p er fam ily room , v au lted ceilings, renovated k itch en , hardw ood floors, fireplaces, oversize garage. G reat location.. Call END UNIT SHOWPLACE $239,900. J u s t m ove in to th is u pgraded freehold in West Oak Trails, ceram ics, lam inate. F inished base m en t, 3.5 baths, upgrades galore. Call CONNIE PIKE* CARY REED*** CARY REED*** r if e rr. f ill NEW BUNGALOW New bungalow in W est Oakville, 3 b edroom , very spaciou s , fam ily rm , larg e k itc h e n , v a u lte d ceilin g s, choose y o u r ow n co lo u rs & fin ish ings. Call GARY REED*** 41 LAKEVIEWS S339.900. Super lakeviews in this com pletely renovated 2 bedroom, kitchen, reno vated baths, hardwood floors, ceramic & marble tile, this unit has been completely redone from top to bottom. BROCKVILLE ESTATE $419,900. Executive hom e o n 1.71 acre lot m in u tes n o rth of th e 401. | F inished low er level w ith k itchen. Triple garage. G A R Y REED*** C A R Y REED*** G A R Y REED*** Call Gary Reed, Broker 905 825-7777 - REAL ESTATE THE WAY IT SHOULD BE BUNGALOW LARGE LOT $249,900. S h a rp b u n g alo w o n a 55x121 pie-shaped lot. Loads o f room to build an oversize gar. H rdw d floors, re c e n t b rd lm . p a rt fin b sm n t. Q uiet area. Call CARY REED*** SEMI GREENSPACE $182,900. S u p e r sem i d etach ed , large k itch en . 3 bedro o m , finished b sm t w ith w a lk o u t to p re m iu m greenspace lot, ju s t m ove in. Call GARY REED*** CENTRAL TORONTO $297,777. C h a rm in g so lid b rick h o m e th a t is squeaky clean! Ideal for a professional couple o r y o u n g famiJy. Close to subway, good schools & a re a t sh o p p in g . Call B A R R Y B U R R O W S * / L IZ E R SK IN E* WEST OAK TRAILS $239,500. Quality built Glen Orchard end unit freehold TH on a quiet crescent. This home has a huge country kitchen wAvalkout to large deck. Move in condition! BARRY BURROWS* 4 Coldwell Banker HI in Real Estate. Source: Franchise Times C O L D IA J e U . B A N K eR D C O L D U ie iL B A N ItG R u l t i m a t e : s e r v i c e 90 s825-7777 For Coldwell Banker Canada HOME & FAMILY REALTY HOME & FAMILY REALTY · E - M A I L : ga ry -re ed@ co ld we ll ban ke r.c a · Over 3800 Offices Across North America · Each Office Independently Owned & Operated