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The Oakville Beaver, Tuesday D e c e m b e r 30, 2003 - D7 Nail down great home maintenance advice for the coming year (NC)-A s New Year's resolutions begin taking shape, Mike Holmes, gen eral contractor and host of Home & Garden Television's (HGTV) Holmes on Homes, suggests making a monthly pledge to keep your house in order and offers the following monthly guide for the coming year. January - Shovel Your Roof. Don't let the snow accumulate near the edge of your roof, where it will melt then freeze, causing shingle damage and water penetration. February - Check Your Heaters. Plug portable space heaters directly into a fully grounded circuit * extension cords are a fire hazard. , March - Update Your Fuse Box. If you plan on upgrading your old electri cal fuse panel with a new breaker panel, make sure you hire a licensed electrician. April - Unplug Your Drains. Check that all exterior drains are unplugged. Your basement floor drains may need a backflow preventer, available at your building centre. May - Make the Grade. Make sure the earth around your property slopes away from your home, otherwise you could encounter major water problems in your basement. Ju n e - Build a Fence. Use only pressure-treated or cedar wood and galvanized nails for your new fence. Postholes should be a minimum of three-feet deep * but remember to call your utilities companies before you dig. July - Get Decked Out. Decks are structural and need to be built properly and. if it is attached to the house, you will need a permit. Consider hiring a professional. A ugust - Do a Reno. If you're hir ing reno help this fall, get a minimum of three quotes, request 20 references, call those references and ask 101 ques tions. Make a small down payment and then pay your contractor in install ments as he/she achieves key mile stones. September - Clean the Furnace. Have your furnace cleaned and inspected. If you have a fireplace, have your chim neys cleaned too. Also, check the batteries in your smoke detectors. October - Dodge the Draft. Replace any cracked caulking around your exterior doors and windows * don't caulk over it. November - Cosy up for Winter. Check your attic insulation to stay toasty all winter. A 12-inch layer, evenly distributed, will keep the heat inside your home. December - Check your Air. Now that the furnace is on, if you don't already have a carbon monoxide detec tor, get one. You should have one in your basement and one on the top floor. With new episodes launching in January, Holmes on Homes follows Holmes as he investigates and fixes home improvement disasters. Find more tips for your home by visiting www.HGTV.ca. - News Canada Help your home breathe easy (NC)-If you've recently upgraded your home's insulation, improved its air sealing or installed energy-effi cient windows, doors or heating sys tems, don't forget to check the ventila tion. In a house that has been tight ened up, it's important to let in enough fresh air. Today's airtight homes need good ventilation systems to deliver the right amount of clean, fresh air. That's why energy-efficient homes often have a mechanical ventilation system or heat recovery ventilator (HRV). HRVs help keep your home energy-fit by expelling stale indoor air, filtering in climate-adjusted fresh air and reduc ing heat loss and moisture damage. HOLIDAY TOWER: C ongratulations to D orothy Butterfield of Oakville. She was the lucky w inner in the M onastery B akery G ingerbread House (Tower) draw , sponsored by M ary O 'Brien and C heryl K opko of C entury 21 M iller Real E state Ltd. Pictured from left are C heryl K opko, ow ner of M onastery Angie Stalteri, Dorothy Butterfield and M ary O 'B rien. Butterfield generously donated the tow er to the Oakville YM CA. CELEBRATE 2 0 0 4 IN THIS BEAUTIFUL HOME! 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