Five Star Contractor Referral Service Your source for reliable contractor referrals in Olympia & Thurston County

For those of you who live in Thurston County, $200 rebates are currently available for heat loss evaluations on your home.

Brent Foster works with Thurston Energy, a program of the Thurston County Economic Development Council (EDC) to help homeowners identify their home’s energy performance challenges. He diagnoses your home and then gives you a full report with images, summary of challenges and detailed suggestions on what you can do to make your home more comfortable.

Thurston Talk ran a good article about this. You can read it in full here.

The $200 rebate is through Thurston Energy. It’s part of its HomePLUS energy evaluation. The rebate is available until the funds run out. With outdoor temperatures going down quickly, now is a good time to work on improving your comfort in your home.

Contact me for an appointment or more information.

Time to improve your home with some outdoor lighting!

Spring is a great time to improve and clean up around and in your home. It is finally staying light out a while longer and warming up some. Many people finally feel they can get outside and start to do some of those projects that they just can’t bring themselves to do in the winter. So what is on your list this spring? Maybe a new outdoor light so you can entertain your friends in the back yard, maybe some new landscape lighting to brighten up the entry or the great yard you have done, maybe you just need to increase your safety and comfort.

Whatever the reason or need there are several things to consider. Are you qualified and comfortable making the installation yourself? Or should you hire a professional? What type of lighting will do the best job for you; low voltage (12v) or line (120v) voltage? Should the lights be automatic, on a switch, on a timer, or motion activated? Should you use LED, fluorescent, halogen, or incandescent?

There are many reasons to consult a professional to answer the questions properly. A good designer can help you make the right decision the first time, there is nothing more frustrating than installing a system or a fixture that just doesn’t do the job you expected or needed. The qualified person can be a residential designer, experienced electrical contractor, or landscaper (depending on the project). It is usually cheaper to do the job correctly the first time around, than to have to hire someone to re-do it.

Many electrical contractors have training and the experience to see the project from idea and concept to completion. Many times the price is more affordable that you expected when you consider that most electrical contractors don’t charge to design the job for you. Some will, but it is usually a modest fee that can be incorporated into the final installation. Consult an experienced company that has references doing they type project that you want to have done. Ask lots of questions.

If you decide to do it yourself be sure to do it to code and get the installation inspected to protect you and your loved ones from possible shock and other hazards that come from improper wiring. The law does say (in most cases) that you can make the installation on your own property, but you still must get a permit and an inspection. If the unexpected happens will your insurance cover the damage if you didn’t follow state law?

Properly installed and planned lighting can create a safe and warm environment for your friends, family, and neighborhood.

Jim P. Simmons, Master Electrician.

Moss is a normal occurrence in our northwest climate.  However if it's over taking your lawn, then it's a symptom of some other problems like:

1) Poor drainage- solve this by aerating and installing drainage if needed.

2) Poor soil- not easily solved but you can top dress with a good soil or compost  over a period of time.

3) Lime- a rate of 50 lbs per 1000 sq. feet of lawn increases the sweetness of your soil

4) Improve sunlight- trim back or remove trees

5) Over seed with a shade tolerant type grass.

6) You may need to remove the grass and come up with a different plan for the area.

Spring is coming! I see the daffodils starting to poke through!