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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1983)
Gresham Outlook, Today Magazine, Sandy Post April 20-21, 1983 — 11 April is the month to Fluorescent lighting saves work on bulb plants Begonia tubers should be planted in flats using a m ixture of equal parts of peat moss and coarse sand. Press the tubers into the mixture, making sure that the growing leaf bud on the tuber is poin ting upward. Space the tubers two to three inches apart in the flat and keep them in a dark room at a temperature of 6O-65degrees F. In six weeks transplant the tubers to six inch pots or outdoors in a cool, lightly shaded area of the garden. Dahlia tubers should be divided before spring planting if that hasn’t already been done Plant the tubers after the danger of frosl is past and the soil has warmed enough to allow rapid growth. If the dahlias w ill be planted in a clay soil, amend the heavy soil with peat moss or compost to give the plant a better growing condition. When planting, work Mi cupful of bone meal or 5-10-10 fertilizer into the bottom of the planting hole. Then add several inches of soil before putting the tuber in place I f the dahlia is the tall, bushy type, sup port it against strong winds by staking. April is usually the best tim e to take stored plant m aterial out of storage and begin preparing it for the move outdoors. Fuchsias, geraniums, and tuberous begonias and dahlias should be taken out of their storage containers and sorted and inspected in preparation for the spr ing growing season, says Ray McNeilan of Gresham, an Oregon State University E xtension hom e g ard en ing agent. Discard any plant m aterial or tubers that have become moldy or diseased. Prune the tops of potted fuchsias back to eight inches from the top of the pot. Then place them in a location indoors where they w ill get a lot of sunshine and w arm temperatures. W ater the plant on ly w hen n e e d e d . W hen o u td o o r temperatures are consistently above freezing, the fuchsia can be moved out doors. Potted geraniums should be handled the same way as fuchsias except that tops of geraniums should be pruned back to four inches from the top of the pot, M cNeilan says. The right improvements can add value to house P e rh a p s you know a hom eow ner who needed more room for a growing fam ily and opted for expan sion to the attached garage. Now the car stays on the driveway while it snows and snows. Unfortunately, as the cost of real estate swings higher, m any p e o p le choose remodeling projects that w ill hinder the sale of their home later. Not every improve ment w ill produce a dollars and cents result at closing tim e, nor should they They aim of any improvement is to increase your fa m ily ’s comfort, first and add to resale value, second. The four m ajor home im p ro v e m e n ts ; k itc h e n , bedroom , bathroom and fam ily room, are also the most profitable come selling time. However, it is not ad visable to undertake any of these projects with the idea of making a quick sale. A prospective buyer m ay have different tastes and habits or a do-it-yourself buyer would lik e a challenge and a bargain. A word of caution on the do-it-yourself home remodel ing job , the q u a lity of worksmanahip determ ines the dollar value added. Even th e best m a jo r im provements returns on SO-75 percent of cost. Although no exact figures are available on the realtion- and selling price, realtors, appraisers and financial in stitutions can advise you on valued im provem ents in your area. In some areas an attractive deck can clinch the sale. Fireplaces are pro fitable when then are free standing models. A two-car garage addition brings a financial return, but as we mentioned a gararge conver sion does not. Room addi tions that must be reached through another room create an aw kward floor plan and add no sales value Before beginning any im provement, take an inform al neighborhood survey. Find out how much more houses in your area sell for when th ey h ave the fe a tu re s you’re planning to add com pared to those without. I t ’s important not to over im p ro v e fo r your neighborhood. Likewise, the style of your addition must fit the architecture of your home and blend well with the neighborhood. Y o ur own well loved oddity may ap pear as a white elephant to a prospective buyer! A fe w im p ro v e m e n ts result in no direct profit, but buyers have come to expect them an older home with a new roof, furnace or wiring indicates general good care. Energy savers are really popular today. Caulking, storm windows and doors, and insulation all rate high with home shoppers T h e re a r e m in o r im provements that help sell a home. These are not costly, but add to that important first impression. Realtors and appraisers agree that measures taken to help the property look well and pro sperous favorably influence the sale. Attractive land scaping adds to resale value, but is usually taken for granted by buers. Trees can re d u ce a ir c o n d itio n in g costs. Shrubs trim m ed to windowsill height in front and tall com er plantings to % the height of the roof line improve the foundation appearancce. A well cared for lawn attracts attention, howeveer it takes only 3 or 4 years and a low investment to correct a failing lawn. Go slowly before making an in vestment in landscaping On the other hand, a general clean up always pays off. There are many m inor improvements that help sell a home. Repair cracked plaster; wash dirty walls, paint interior and ex terio r where needed; fix broken tile s and le a k y facuets; replace it with good basic beige or gold. A buyer w il l be d is t r a c t e d by anything very distinctive Sylvia Porter says in her Money Book, $100 spent for such im p ro ve m en ts can return »1,000 in the sale price. • » . »¿j * *■. a- 2^' er--«’. W ® ■ • æ t i K '«SBFSfeflttl 9 . • Because it's easy to use more lighting than is needed around the house, most peo ple try to save on their elec tric bill by conscientiously turning off lights. the cool light from flúores- cent tubes. “ However, newer flúores- TAYLOR® T ry attacking the problem from another angle, sug gests M a r ily n L u n n e r, Clackamas County Exten sion agent. Install energy- efficient fluorescent lighting fixtures. SAVES THE DAY FOR HOME IMPROVERS LAWN A CARDEN EQUIPMENT The use of fluorescent lighting is the easiest way to s a v e both m o n e y an d energy When fluorescent lighting is substituted for in candescent lighting in the home, savings on electrical energy frequently averages 45 percent and in some cases on record savings have been as high as 65 percent. “ Fluorescent lamps pro duce three to four times more light than incandes cent lamps of the same w at tage, and the fluorescent lamps last seven to 10 times lo n g e r ,” n o te s Sue Badenhop, O regon S tate University Extension hous in g an d m anagem ent specialist. “ A lth o u g h flu o re s c e n t light fixtures have been the standard for business and in d u s try fo r y e a rs , most homeowners have hestitated to use them because of the lim ited selection of attrac t iv e fix tu r e s ,” s a ys Badenhop. 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