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.
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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. Some people also
object to the harsh effects of
cent lights are now availble
that are suitable for most
home lighting needs ’’
M n g M m iw i
LWt (Mow«»
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L M X Trwwnw
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HOME IMPROVEMENTS
LARCE OR SMALL
Oeoemmrs
Trencher«
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T ay tor Renta« haa what you need to get re-
modakng and yard 4 garden ioba dona taster
aaawr and more aconormcaBy
it's wnart to rent from Teytor UnderatandRvg
the damanda ot your buamaea « why we rant
only too quality brand name product« W at
maintained and checked thoroughly before
they ra ranted they aaaura you troubta tree
efficient operation instead ot melung a largo
capital investment in aquavnent which may not
ba used often you pay only a amal ’u»y tax
deducttMe rental lea ihat s aawvg you money
So. it you’re domg a tob and there a aq u o
mant you need gma Taylor a c a l W e i save the
day tar you
22017 S.E. Stork
665-3107
SAFECO SAVER *6: GUARANTEED REPLACEMENT
WE GUUUNTEE TO REPLACE
BY COST.
If your home were destroyed, it
could cost a good deal more to rebuild
it at today’s higher prices. That’s why
SAFECO offers careful homeowners
a Home Replacement Guarantee. It
guarantees to replace your home no
matter how much it costs.
For more infon nation and a free
insurance checkup, see your nearest
independent SAFECO agent.
AUTO HOM E
UFE
H U E W M E IS S
Walrad Insurance Agency Ltd.
GRESHAM — 667-4171 — a— SANDY — 668-4421
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