(BPT) — Soon, all things pumpkin spice will be here, includ-ing the home visitors that bring them. In preparation of the door bell ringing, create a little spice of your own with some seasonal curb appeal. You don't have to limit yourself to pumpkins and hay bales - below are tips and projects for spruc-ing up your home's view from the curb this season.

Front door, first impressions

Your front door is one of the first things people notice about your home. Give your door a fresh face with a coat of paint in a bold fall color to draw the eye to this focal point of your home.

Another project is to replace the door entire-ly. Consider options with decorative glass accents, and stunning sidelights (windows on either side of the door) to add more natural light while maintain-ing a sense of style and

privacy. Plus, as tem-peratures start to drop, Energy Star -qualified entry doors, like those from Pella, will help maintain your home's energy efficiency. For entry door inspiration check out Pinterest, your resident show-room or your local home improvement store.

Accessorize with new hardware

Replace your front door hardware for a quick, easy facelift. Choose hardware fin-ishes that compliment light fixtures, mailbox and house numbers for a polished, cohe-sive look. You'll be delightfully surprised what a difference new hardware can make in creating an updated look to your home.

Refresh exterior body and trim colors

For a dramatic change, repaint your

home's exterior. It's bold and can make your home stand out from other homes on the block. Not up for the bold change? To make an impact with a smaller change, add new trim colors. When updating trim, choose color schemes that match your home's primary exterior color, or complement it with a fresh twist.

Create points of interest with plants

You don't have to stop enjoying beauti-ful plants and f low-ers simply because summer is over. Add pops of color by ar-ranging pots filled with hearty fall f low-ers like mums, se-dum or asters around your front door, or on a porch or deck.

Incorporate planters or container gar-dens of varied sizes, shapes and colors to add visual interest.

Accent with lightingAs summer light

fades into shorter, darker days, add ex-terior accent lighting to the front of your home. Illuminate a walking path with

ground-insert solar lights. Or consider solar spotlights to bring out landscap-ing or to shine on your updated front door. Install match-ing light fixtures outside your front door, garage door or patio door to provide well-lit entrances that are stylish and inviting to neighbors and guests.

By ERIC ADAMSSTAFF WRITER

Enduring winter in Northwest Ohio is an undertaking not fit for the faint of heart. Snowfalls that render roads un-drivable and subzero winds that penetrate even the heaviest of coats are a seemingly never-end-ing nuisance between December and Febru-ary. Just as punishing,

however, is the sting felt by those who fail to adequately winter-ize their home.

Not only can this oversight leave houses drafty and unpleasant, it also leads to astronomical heating bills when money quite literally goes out the window. In extreme cases, far greater costs are incurred.

Bob Chaney, a vet-eran contractor and project coordinator for St. John Builders, knows this all too well and has seen the consequences first-hand. He cited a cli-ent who, having been relatively unfamiliar with home winteriza-tion, accrued a cost of nearly $6,000 over a two year period in re-plumbing and replac-

ing the water heater in their home.

“The consequences can be very expen-sive,” Chaney said.

To prevent a simi-lar situation, Chaney advised insulation of any water lines that are located in an unheated area. If the lines will be exposed to extreme cold, he recommended heat tape.

“It’s an electrified heating element that goes the length of the pipe, and keeps it warm,” Chaney said. “Most of them have automatic thermo-stats that turn on when it gets down to freezing. It will turn the electricity on to the heating coil wrapped on the side of the pipe.”

If someone has re-

cently moved into an older home to discov-er that the hot water tank or furnace needs replaced, Chaney said to select one with a “90 plus” classifica-tion. This will pre-vent heat from escap-ing through the f lue. 90 plus furnaces are equipped with a PVC exhaust, which miti-gates the f low of air

See HOME, Page 2C

• Kitchen Remodeling• Tub & Shower Replacements• Complete Bath Remodeling• Experienced Installers• Visit Our Showroom• 1 Year Installation Guarantee• Quartz, Granite, Solid Surface & Laminate Countertops Available

LLC

FatherHubbards@embarqmail.comwww.fatherhubbards.com

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO

&2015

Monitoring in Auglaize Countywith a land line

Security is more necessary than ever before419-657-2222

105 S. Main St.Buckland

btccom.netResidential Digital Video and Security Systems

Video security systemsthat work over the internet

and with smart phones!

BucklandTelephoneCompanyCommunications

Not winterizing can be costly

Tips for creating fall curb appeal

A new door, repainted trim and fall flowers combine to increase the fall curb appeal of your home.Photo

Provided/ARA Content

HVAC-GEOTHERMAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING SHEET METAL • CONTRACTORS

Residential • Commercial • Industrial Since 1931

205 INDUSTRIAL PARK DRIVE • NEW KNOXVILLE, OH419-753-2444

WWW.NEWKNOXVILLESUPPLY.COM

GeothermalSmarter from the Ground Up TM

Home From 1C

INVENTORY REDUCTION SALE

9296 Van Wert-Willshire Road • Van Wert, Ohio 458911-800-546-3319 • www.ruralenergyproducts.com

We Also Sell…Wood Pellets, Coal, Venting,

Liners & Accessories

Great SelectionStoves • Inserts • Fireplaces • Furnaces • Boilers

Corn • Pellets • Wood • Gas • Coal

$AVE ON SELECT STOVE$

RURAL ENERGY PRODUCTS, LLC100% Financing • 90 Days S-A-C • Visa - MC

CALL 419-738-KISS100% Financing • 90 Days S-A-C • Visa - MC

Seamless

Siding: “Nothing

Comes Close!”

• SEAMLESS SIDING • SEAMLESS GUTTERS • ROOFING •

• LEAF GUARD • WINDOWS •

Mums now in stock!

Starting at

$5493700 S. Dixie Highway

Lima, Ohio 45806419-991-3701

2C2015

Wapakoneta Daily NewsThe Evening Leader

Saturday, September 12, 2015

By ANDREW WILSONSTAFF WRITER

The fall season is one of the best times of the year for over seeding, fertilization, planting and watering to ensure a lawn and garden look healthy heading into the cooler, shorter days of late fall and winter. 

To keep local resident and business owners informed, two local business own-ers were asked for

their tips and advice on how to keep lawns and gardens looking

healthy. If a home or busi-

ness owner is going to seed a lawn, the best time to get it seeded is in September or Octo-ber. Seeding rates are four to five pounds of seed per thousand square feet. For a fer-tility program, Dave Bambauer, manager of Bambauer Fertilizer and Seed, Inc., recom-mends using a fertil-izer that has mostly phosphorus and a little bit of nitrogen.

Phosphorous is a root builder for the grass and will help a lawn survive the winter. 

Dry spells can often strike in mid/late Au-gust to early Septem-ber, and when they do, a home or business owner should mow the lawn then over seed the lawn with the hopes of catching rain soon after. If no rain comes, it is ok to water the lawn with a sprinkler or sprayer from a hose.

It is not recom-mended to overseed the lawn then mow it, as that will scatter the seed with the mower. 

 “If they don’t mow their yard real tight to the ground, if they mow it three inches or higher, generally a yard can take a dry spell a lot better than if you mow your grass real short. And that’s the hardest thing on grass as far as keeping it healthy,” Bambauer said. “Probably going

into the fall the best thing to do is mow it up a little higher and not mow it so close.” 

Fall is also the best time to address clover, dandelions and other perennial weeds. Af-ter the weather cools down or the first frost, apply a fertilizer with herbicide to kill the weeds. 

“There are some products that have the herbicide incor-

Local experts offer tips for fall lawn careProbably going

into the fall the best thing to do is mow it up a little higher and not mow it so close.

— Dave Bambauer

See LAWN, Page 3C

(BPT) — Whether it's the result of melt-ing snow or a heavy rainstorm, standing water in the backyard is an unwelcome sight for any homeowner. While it's unsightly and robs your yard of valuable green space, standing water can also cause excessive damage to your home's founda-tion and even damage hardscape areas such as patios. These problems can cause thousands of dollars in repairs if left unaddressed.

So what can you do to rid your property of standing water and to prevent long-term structural damage to your home? Start with these steps.

1. Identify the prob-lem areas

The first thing you should do is to iden-tify problem areas, areas that routinely fill with water or could be potential targets for standing water. Look for low spots in your yard, especially areas near the home's foun-dation or hardscape where standing water could result in immedi-ate damage.

Areas of concern near your home could also be the result of rain water runoff from the house itself. Check to see that your downspouts are not obstructed in any way and inspect your driveway to see if water is accumulating near

the garage door. Water in this region can eas-ily enter your home. Another thing you can do is consult with your neighbors to see if they are experiencing any flooding issues. If they are, it may be a sign that you live in an area with a high water table. On-line tools are available to help you identify sources and solutions for your drainage prob-lems.

2. Solve your drain-age problems

Once you have identified the problem areas on your property, it's time to determine how to fix it perma-nently. Most people try to move dirt and other simple remedies to save money, however, these fixes are temporary and do not work long term.

For a more per-manent solution visit ndspro.com/home-drainage-systems to find the drainage answer best for you. They provide you with do it yourself solutions for your drainage prob-lems. If you would pre-fer to hire a contractor, you can find them on sites such as Yelp and Angie's List or by using online search tools and key words like drainage and yard drainage.

You may have also heard the term "French drains" used as a drain-age solution and won-dered how that helps. French drains are comprised of a trench

filled with gravel and perforated pipe that has been wrapped with a sediment shield fabric to create a void space underground. This prevents water from puddling above ground. Check out ndspro.com's resources page for videos on how to install a French drain and more infor-mation.

3. Alternative drainage solutions techniques: Lean on landscaping

For standing water danger areas farther away from the home, a landscaping project can offer a scenic solu-tion. Consider building a rain garden in the wet region with prairie plants such as purple cone flowers or black-

eyed susans. If you have the space, willow, river birch and bald cypress trees all thrive in areas where their roots will be constantly wet. These landscap-ing ideas can help you combat standing water problems however you cannot rely on the plants alone to handle your water issue.

If seasonal weather changes make your home feel like pond-front property every year, you don't have to put up with it. And, given the potential for significant structural damage, you shouldn't. Solving your drainage problems starts with understanding the unique situation on your property and act-ing efficiently.

Solutions to standing water problems

All Electrical & Plumbing Needs • Generac Sales • Parts • Service •

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE

937-693-6838103 E. Walnut • Botkins

OH LIC #38294

Identifying the problem is the first step in solving standing water problems.

Photo Provided/

ARA Content

far more efficiently than a standard metal f lue, he said.

“The difference in cost, you will save in a short time, (likely) less than 10 years,” Chaney said.

Less extensive win-terization measures entail sealing various “air gaps,” which fre-quently occur around windows and doors. Most of these gaps can be sealed with ex-panding spray foam, though there are a few caveats to heed.

“Spray foam is my favorite tool when it comes to winterizing any place,” Chaney said. “(But) it can be kind of dangerous, because whatever you get it on, it probably is going to stay on be-cause it doesn’t clean off easily.”

Additionally, Chaney cautioned against using high-expanding spray foam around window and door frames, because doing so could render them immovable. If sprayed into a hol-low area of a wall, the high expanding foam can also result in a “wall bulge.”

“In a confined area, you’ll want to use a lower expand-ing spray foam,” he said.

Another heat loss culprit that can be easy to overlook is the

vent to a crawlspace. While useful for preventing humidity and mold growth dur-ing the summer, these vents will drain heat in the winter because many crawlspaces are not insulated.

“In our area there’s a lot of difference of opinions around crawlspaces,” Chaney said. “Some builders don’t even use crawl-space vents anymore, they condition the crawlspace just like the inside of a house, and insulate it.”

Unless a home-owner has such a crawlspace, it is highly recommended that the vent remain closed during winter months.

Finally, Chaney noted that the most cost-effective means of winterization involves the layout of a home and the surrounding foliage. For the south side of a home, decidu-ous trees are ideal because they provide shade in summer, then lose their leaves in winter and permit natural sunlight to warm the room. Con-versely, evergreens should be located on a home’s north side to block harsh winds.

“It’s ideal if you can work out a way to use the natural sources of heating and cooling,” he said.

(BPT) — Gray hair, wrinkles and frailty are no longer inevita-ble aspects of growing older; medical science and a better under-standing of health, nutrition and exercise mean more people are living healthy, active and more youth-ful lives. Likewise, aging in place no longer means sacrific-ing style for safety. It's now possible to preserve your home's beautiful decor while updating it to better accommodate your needs during your golden years.

"As the baby boom-ers age, manufactur-ers are paying more attention to creating products that work for all ages," says Jean-Jacques L'Henaff, vice president of design for American Standard.

"Consumers are both more discerning about design and style, and in need of products that are easier to use and more accessible."

If you'll be upgrad-ing your bathroom any time soon, with the goal of staying in your home indepen-dently for years to come, keep in mind these important fea-tures:

• Lighting — Bathroom lighting is multi-functional and multi-layered, serving family members of all ages and mobility levels. When creating a bathroom lighting plan to facilitate aging in place, it's important to find the perfect bal-ance between safety and aesthetics.

• Accessories — Grab bars are an

essential element of bathroom safety for anyone with mobility and balance issues.

Instead of settling for a look that doesn't flatter your decor, versatile alternatives allow homeowners to opt for safety acces-sories that incorpo-rate beauty as well as function.

• Fixtures — From higher toilets that make rising easier and higher sinks that re-quire less bending, to

low step-over shower surrounds and walk-in bathtubs, a wide range of bathroom fixtures facilitate safety and ease of use in the bath-room.

• Flooring — Bath-rooms are hotspots for fall risks, especially among older people with mobility or vi-sion challenges. Look for low-glare, slip-resistant materials in matte hues that will be easier on the feet and eyes, such as rubber or textured vinyl.

porated onto the dry fertilizer products, and those are OK,” Bambauer said. “Per-sonally, I like to spray with water as a carrier on (the grass). I think you get better cover-age on your weeds, you get more contact of the herbicide on the weed surface. 

“The dry pellets are actually suggested to spread them on when you have a little bit of a dew so that they stick to the weed. But either one works, I guess it’s your per-sonal preference. If you own a sprayer or borrow from a neigh-bor or buy one versus a fertilizer spreader, whatever works for you. Either one will work, my preference is the liquid spray.”

Bambauer person-ally recommends a brand called Triplet SF 3 Way Herbicide for yards, a product that can be purchased by anyone and does not require a special license. 

Due to the warm weather in early fall, many insects will stick around, most notably Japanese beetles, which can be found in lawns across west central Ohio. To reproduce, a japanese beetle will lay eggs that will hatch into grubs that feed on a lawn. It is safe to put an insecticide on the lawn in the fall. 

Dehaven recom-mends using brands such as Green Thumb or Scotts, which are a blend of fertilizer and insecticides. 

Fall is also a great time to do a weed and feed, and home and business owners that would like to do a weed and feed on a lawn are advised to apply it early in the morning when there’s little dew on the ground and make sure it does not rain for 24 hours after applica-tion. 

“Working on lawns in the fall is ideal,” Dehaven Home and Garden Showplace Owner Tim Dehaven said. “If people want to shape up their lawns, keep their height cut up fairly high, never remove more than 1/3 of the blade at a time, keep the blade sharp and try to mow in a dif-

ferent direction every time.

“That’s the key, but you want to continue to feed. I would feed now, or do a weed and feed now and do an insecticide and fertil-izer now and then I would follow up again in the middle/end of October or even to the middle of November with a winterizer, which is a more high pot ash fertilizer.”

Dehaven recom-mends addressing a lawn in this order: water a lawn first to ensure it is growing as it supposed to; mow it in a different direction each time and one or two days in advance of planned fertilizer application; then apply the weed and feed early in the morning when there’s little dew on the grass. 

Fall is also a good time to address a garden. Once all of the plants/flowers in a garden have been harvested, it is best to remove all of the foli-age from the plants, apply fertilizer or organic matter in the form of manure. 

Grass clippings that accumulated on the lawn after mowing can be collected and applied as a mulch in your garden. Grass clippings can also help prevent weeds from growing near plants. 

“That’s a great way to boost your organic matter in your soil,” Bambauer said. “The higher your organic matter, the more or-ganic nitrogen you’ll have in your plants in the next year. (It) works well.” 

Most vegetable crops will respond well to gypsum, a cal-cium/sulfur mix that will help crops grow better. 

In addition to installing a fence to keep rabbits and squirrels out of the garden, scatter hair clippings from a barber shop around the fence, as the smell of a human will deter animals from entering the garden. 

Weeds can be removed by digging them out, although Roundup can be sprayed on weeds be-fore planting vegeta-bles, f lowers or other plants. 

Lawn From 2C

The American Standard Invisia collection of bathroom accessories are “hidden in plain sight”, providing stylish grab bars incorporated into a toilet paper holder and stylish towel rack.

Photo Provided/

ARA Content

1900 Celina Rd., St. Marys, Ohio 45885419-394-7883 Fax: 419-394-6162

Scaffolds - Concrete Tools - Drills- Pressure Washers - Trenchers

Home Improvement Project?See us for Home Equity Loans!

1 S. Blackhoof St. Wapakoneta, OH 45895

(419) 738-9258www.homesavings-wapak.com

Equal Housing Lender Member FDIC

3C2015

Wapakoneta Daily NewsThe Evening LeaderSaturday, September 12, 2015

No need to sacrifice style for safety

Financing Available

An EnergySaving wayto both heat & coolyour home

811 Indiana Ave.St. Marys

419-394-4694

Mon-Fri 8am-5pm

Go Green& Save

Think Geothermal

Upfront Customer Friendly Pricing

Plumbing, Heating and A/C

SAVE ENERGY

& MONEY!

(BPT) — Are you afraid your chances to complete a DIY project this year are over because colder temperatures are coming? If you are, the good news is there's no need to worry. You still have plenty of time to tackle that outdoor DIY project and, if you act fast, even enjoy it for a while before colder temperatures finally set in.

Time won't stand still for you, however, so get started today on any of these five DIY projects and you'll be able to enjoy

your home's updated outdoor appearance long before cooler temperatures push you inside for good.

Here are five projects you can get started on today:

• Close the cracks. This is a wonderful time to seal cracks in your driveway before temperature f luctuations can make the damage any worse. Start by cleaning the area and then applying the proper sealer. The sealer you choose depends on the size of the cracks.

• Do that deck.

Adding a deck to your home has been on your DIY wish list for a while and now's the time. Your dream deck is waiting for you and you can learn how to tackle this project at ProwoodLumber.com.

• Liven up the landscape. Up the curb appeal of your home by adding some new landscape work. Flower boxes or raised planter beds are a great way to introduce new f lowers and create spots of color. You can also surround your bushes with new wood shavings or small rocks. And for a simple project that has a big impact, grab the edger and tidy up those boundaries,

you'll be amazed at the results.

• Fortify the fence. Fencing your yard provides security and allows children or pets to play outside without you having to constantly watch

them. However, if you find metal fences look too industrial, you'll want to pursue wood fence options.

• Fire up the fun. A backyard fire pit is a great place to congregate and one

you'll enjoy well into the colder season. Adding a fire pit to your home can be as simple or extravagant as you want it to be. Just be sure to follow local regulations, if any.

(BPT) — Whether they're heading off to college or they've finally finished their education and are starting their careers in a distant city, the departure of kids from your nest makes for a bittersweet time. If you've committed much of your energy-and most of your home-to raising kids for a couple of decades, you may be at loose ends when they move out. Home improvement is just the ticket to make yourself feel better!

Updating your home after the kids move out is good for you on multiple levels. In addition to the emotional boost, improvements can enhance your home's resale value if you're planning to down-size down the road. Or, you can focus on home improvements that will facilitate aging in place, like improving the lighting and usability of key rooms, such as bathrooms and the kitchen.

Here are a handful of renovation ideas for baby boomers looking to reclaim their home spaces after the kids have left the nest:

Emphasize natural lighting and ventilation

Vision changes as you age, so the artificial lighting that worked for you when you were in your 30s or 40s may not be adequate when you

enter your 50s and 60s. Lighting is an important upgrade if you plan to remain in your home into your Golden Years. Look for improvements that will help aging eyes see better, like increased natural lighting and task lighting in work areas.

Modern, energy efficient fresh air skylights are a cost-effective and beautiful way to improve a home's natural lighting and passive ventilation. Especially effective for ventilation in kitchens and for ventilation and privacy in bathrooms, skylights like those made by Velux America can work in virtually any room - even those with no direct roof access. Have a ground-f loor laundry room, closet, hallway or other area that could use more light? Sun Tunnel Tubular skylights can deliver natural light from the roof into all areas of the home and electric light kits are available for 24/7 functionality.

Energy Star-qualified, solar-powered fresh-air skylights can also improve a home's energy efficiency and improve indoor air quality through passive ventilation. Solar-powered blinds, available in designer colors and patterns, further boost the efficiency and beauty of

skylights. Plus, the skylight, blinds and installation costs are eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit for energy-efficient home improvements. Visit www.whyskylights.com to learn more.

Create a "me space"You already have

a guest bedroom, so there's no need to leave Junior's old room set up as a bedroom. Turn it into a space that works for you, like a home office, exercise room, music studio, craft room, workshop or home theater.

As you're planning the improvement, keep in mind your

long-term plans. If you'll be selling the home at some point, consider a room that will have broader appeal, like a home office. If you plan to age in place, remember to incorporate features that will facilitate your use of the room even if you experience mobility issues down the road. For example, you may want to take the opportunity to widen doorways, replace doorknobs with door handles, replace loose carpet or slippery tiles with slip-resistant f looring, and improve natural lighting and ventilation throughout the room.

Renovate (or create) a master bathroom

Bathrooms sell homes, and if you've had to share your bathroom with the kids or live with an outdated master bathroom - or none at all - now's the time to renovate your bathroom. In addition to all the luxurious features you've been dreaming of, like a rainfall shower head and heated f loor, keep in mind the practical improvements that will make the room safe and usable as you grow older.

Look for slip-resistant f looring, improve natural and task lighting and replace faucet

knobs with easy-to-maneuver levers. Install grab bars around tubs and toilets, as well as in the shower. Bath product designers are now making grab bars that offer the look of design elements coupled with the security of sturdy support.

The departure of your children creates an opportunity to accomplish some home improvements you've been dreaming of for a while. As you're reclaiming spaces once devoted to kids, look for improvements that can increase your home's value and help you stay in your house as long as you wish.

Caption 1: Balanced natural light and passive ventilation come with decorating flair when skylights are added to a room. Operated by touchpad remote control, Energy Star-qualified solar powered fresh air

skylights and blinds, along with installation costs, are eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit.

Photo Provided/

ARA Content

10098 Lincoln Hwy., Van Wert, OHp. 419.238.9567 f. 419.238.0075

www.alexanderbebout.com

Alexander & Bebout Inc.E n g i n e e r i n g • D e s i g n • C o n s t r u c t i o n

Alexander & Bebout Inc.E n g i n e e r i n g • D e s i g n • C o n s t r u c t i o nNo fall cleaning is complete...

until we've cleaned your carpet, upholstery, tile & grout,

and ductwork!

ServiceMaster by Case(419) 738-9405

* Voted WDN & EL's "Best Carpet Cleaner" * Serving Auglaize County for 37 Years!!

4C2015

Wapakoneta Daily NewsThe Evening Leader

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Upgrades may ease empty nest syndrome

Five projects that can’t wait

Fall is a great time to tackle projects such as fence repairs and landscaping.

Photo Provided/

ARA Content