Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Plan and prepare now for rapidly approaching school year
In the blink of an eye, all of that planning and organizing you did to make your summer run smoothly is in the rearview mirror, and it’s already time to focus on yet another busy seasonal and schedule change. The waning weeks of summer require some thinking ahead to make the shift back to more hectic routines, new schedules and less free time more agreeable. Here are five things you can do now to help get the school year off to a productive and pleasant start.
Update your calendars: Add important dates for the entire school year to your electronic or personal paper calendar. It will save you significant time to enter all the dates at once, instead of constantly having to access your school’s website to check for days off, parent/teacher conferences and vacation dates. Likewise, note important school and other dates on your family’s shared calendar at least through the end of October, so you don’t have to rush to do it later.
Stock up on lunch staples: If you know you’re going to pack things such as chips, pretzels, juice boxes and fruit bars in your kids’ lunches for the next nine months, buy them in bulk so you don’t have to purchase them every other week. I also like to keep a list of quick dinner possibilities and school lunch ideas on my refrigerator or in a kitchen drawer. When time is tight and you’ve already made 100 decisions during the day, it can be especially exhausting to come up with dinner ideas. But if you can quickly look at options, it’s easier to make a decision and actually prepare it.
The same goes for making lunch. It’s easy to fall into a routine of packing essentially the same lunch for your child every day, but it’s always nice for them — and for you — to mix it up a bit. It can be hard to think of ideas first thing in the morning, however, so keep a reference list.
Organize plastic storage containers and water bottles: Inventory your plastic storage containers to ensure you have a sufficient supply in a variety of sizes, and that all of the containers have a matching lid. Discard any that do not have a mate. Buy new containers and reusable snack and sandwich bags as needed, and label them with your child’s name. Do the same with water bottles.
Scan and file health and dental forms: Scan your kids’ health and dental forms and save them to your desktop for easy access. This will make registering for after-school activities or vacation camps less time-consuming. Make several hard copies of each form and place them in a labelled and easy-to-access file folder.
This is also a good opportunity to check the dates of your children’s last doctor and dental appointments. Either add the appointments that need to be made to your to-do list or skip the list and take 15 minutes to schedule them.
Combine school shopping with home office shopping: Save time, and maybe even some money, by stocking up on home office supplies while you’re picking up school supplies. Extra toner cartridges and printer paper are always good to have on hand, and they seem to disappear more quickly when homework begins. And it’s always beneficial to have a small supply of things such as file folders, pencils, tape, stamps and envelopes.
Nicole Anzia is a freelance writer and owner of Neatnik.
— Washington Post
Renovation & Design
Close up holes to prevent rodents from entering your home
Question: I read one of your articles about insulation and rodents. Do they chew through soft spray foam insulation? Do they chew through hard spray foam insulation?
I’ve put up hardware cloth with one quarter-inch spaces over any openings. But now I want to cover it with foam. Hard foam is more expensive, but perhaps it’s necessary to avoid creating a rodent habitat, or is soft foam OK?
Any advice appreciated.
— Phlis McGregor
Answer: Closing up openings to avoid rodent intrusion is the correct approach, but it may be difficult in older homes or cottages with wood exteriors. Blown-in foam insulation will help, but regardless of the density, it should still be reinforced with metal mesh or by replacing the siding or other sheathing with materials more resistant to rot and deterioration.
As many Manitobans enjoy a well- deserved long weekend at the lake, thinking about keeping pests out of our homes and cottages may not be as far afield as we would like. While we all know the secret to keeping annoying insects outside is well-maintained door and window screens, we may not be as well versed in rodent prevention. As you have stated, closing any gaps to prevent their entry is the key to this endeavour. Blown-in foam insulation is one product that is very easy to apply and excellent for filling unevenly shaped openings. Unfortunately, its use will depend on the location of the rodent intrusion, the type and condition of the barrier in place, and the actual critters.
If you are having issues with rodents getting into your attic, or walls and ceilings, finding the points of entry is paramount. If you have wood siding, soffits, fascia, or other trim that is the place to start your investigation. This may require walking around the building with a flashlight, binoculars and a sharp metal probe and poking at any areas that appear to be moisture damaged. If the attic is the location of invasion, a ladder will also be required to check the soffits, fascia, gable ends, or other wood to see if it is soft or rotten. If visible openings are found, probing may not even be necessary.
If the openings are small, and little evidence of chewing or scratching is seen, then suspecting mice as the culprits is warranted. If you have larger holes, with rough edges, then bigger rodents such as squirrels may be the troublemakers. If the problem is in a crawlspace, basement, or another area near or below grade then you may have a rat issue, but that is less likely in our area than other kinds of four-legged intruders. In any case, locating the entry point and inspecting the surrounding area is the next step. If you notice wood near, on, or below grade then it is likely damaged and may be easily chewed or clawed, by any type of rodent, to gain access to the area behind.
If the damaged materials are easily reached and removed, replacement with moisture-resistant products may be a better approach than foam insulation. Pressure-treated wood or plywood, cement board sheathing, or metal siding, soffits, or fascia may be an ideal replacement product. Cut out and discard any areas of damaged wood, reinforce as required, and install the better choice product for a higher quality job. Ensure the new materials are completely covering the areas in question, and extending them slightly below grade, if applicable, should preventing digging or tunnelling under the new barriers. Making sure that even small gaps are no longer accessible should keep even the smallest mice outside, where they belong.
While it may seem like a strange time of year to be worrying about rodents sneaking into our homes or cabins, this may be the perfect time to do preventative maintenance. While these little pests may only seek refuge inside during the cold months, sealing up any openings now may stop a serious infestation later on.
So, after enjoying some well-deserved relaxation time on your dock, boat, or deck, grab a sharp probe and a few other tools and go inspecting to see what measures are needed before the snow flies.
Using blown-in foam insulation to help seal gaps for prevention of rodents is a good idea but will only be one of the items required in the toolbox for this task.
Replacing damaged sheathing and other materials, or reinforcing gaps between solid ones with metal should ensure the little pests stay outside where they belong.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors — Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com