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Here are some surprising ways to save energy around your South Bay home: 1 If you place lamps in the corners of your rooms, the walls help to reflect light out into the room. 2 Use a laptop computer instead of a desktop. A laptop uses 1/3 less energy. 3 Dont switch to a plasma flat screen it uses much more energy than an LCD. 4 Put a blanket on your water heater and turn down the temperature a little. A water heater blanket can save anywhere from 4% to almost 10% on the average water heating bill. 5 Using an electric stove? Turn off the burner before your finished cooking as the burner stays hot for awhile after you shut it off. 6 Spin laundry more. Let your washer spin the water out of the laundry, even if you have to spin it twice, it will save energy use in the dryer. Some new washers can cut energy in half by eliminating the time required for the dryer to run. 7 Shut off your refrigerators ice maker and use an ice tray or two. A refrigerator ice maker increases your energy consumption up to 20%. When you use ice trays, there is no increase in energy use or costs. 8 Use your dishwasher, it uses 1/3 of the hot water that you would use if you washed your dishes by hand. Read More
TREE SAFETY Does the severe weather of the past several years have you looking up at your trees in fear? It's an understandable concern. A big storm could destroy the plants' majesty in a flash -- and send a quarter-ton branch crashing down onto your roof. Still, before you preemptively chip a favorite tree into mulch, consider this: It may be contributing 8% to 10% to your home's value, according to Scott Cullen of the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers. Here's how to keep your leafy assets from becoming a liability. Schedule regular upkeep Have your trees inspected every five years or so -- a free service offered by tree-care companies. An arborist will look for branches that are weak or hanging within 10 feet of a building, and send workers to remove them. If necessary, they'll also buttress the tree against high winds by cabling limbs together. All this work costs about $200 to $400 a tree and is typically needed only once a decade. Related: Tips on homeowners insurance In many cases the tree will more than cover the cost of its maintenance over a few years; a big shade tree will knock nearly $70 off annual air conditioning bills, says David Nowak of the U.S. Forest Service, and a large evergreen that blocks winter winds will reduce heating costs by around $60 a year. Bonus: Trees also provide protection from road noise and basement flooding. Get removal right When a tree becomes diseased or dangerously overgrown given its proximity to a house, your arborist will recommend taking it down. Removing a substantial tree could cost $2,000 to $5,000, depending on its size and whether it is accessible by truck or requires climbing -- and what's underneath that the crew must protect. Related: 4 ways to save on landscaping You can have the stump ground down to just below grass or mulch height for $50 to $200 more. Or carve a trough in the top, drill some drainage holes, and use it as a planter. Invest in new growth To replace an unsafe tree or propagate a bare lot, look for varieties that grow quickly and have compact spreads to minimize pruning headaches, says Charlotte, N.C., landscape architect J'Nell Bryson. A local nursery can suggest good options and plant eight-footers for $250 to $500 each. In about a decade they could add tens of thousands to your property value, probably the best investment return you'll ever make. Read More
Splatter Stopper Whenever I mix 5-gallon buckets of paint with a drill and paddle attachment, I put the paddle's shaft through a hole in a large cardboard square before attaching the shaft to the drill. Then I lay the cardboard directly on the container before turning on the drill. No splatters! Tidy Patio Joint Filler Here's an easy way to fill joints between pavers or patio flagstones: Simply take an empty screw-top wine bottle and punch a hole in the top of the cap near its edge. Fill the bottle with sand, mortar mix, or polymeric sand; screw on the cap; and pour the contents into the joints rather than on the pavers. There's no waste and no cleanup. Photographic Memory Aid When I'm taking apart something that I need to put back together, I take pictures at each step of the disassembly. Then I arrange the photos in reverse order to see step-by-step how to reassemble it. Tire Reviver Here's a quick way to inflate any small pneumatic tire after it's gone flat. Tie a rope tightly around the circumference of the tire, then use plumber's putty to seal the edge where the rubber meets the wheel rim. Now you can pump up the tire and untie the rope. Simple as that. Read More
DataQuick, a real estate information service, announced that California's Million Dollar Home Sales were the highest since 2007. The jump in million-dollar home sales last quarter outpaced overall home sales. Total California home sales - including all price levels - increased 10.3 percent year-over-year last quarter, from 109,713 in second-quarter 2011 to 121,058 last quarter. Last quarter's $1 million-plus sales were the highest since third-quarter 2007, when 10,946 changed hands. Good news for sure. Manhattan Beach made the top list with a $5.50 Million sale. Read More
Emotions were running wild when, after traveling almost 125 million miles in space, with 25 completed missions, our now retired shuttle 'Endeavour' touched down at LAX for the very last time the last week of September. Endeavour landed at LAX just before 1 p.m. on top of the massive Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Before touching down at LAX, thousands of people gathered around Southern California to witness Endeavour as it flew atop the 747 at low altitude over California's most famous places and landmarks. On October 12th, Endeavor will be towed up to the California Science Center, its final home. The shuttle is expected to go on public display on Oct. 30th. Read More
After several successful launches and space missions, Space-X of Hawthorne seems to be off to a 'roaring' start. In the tradition of many aerospace giants that came before it, Space-X is making a name for itself throughout the world. It's fitting that this "cutting edge" assembly of aerospace engineers and 21st century space innovators, are working in the city of Hawthorne where so many of the aviation and aerospace giants of the past made their huge mark on history. Big corporations and little companies alike, during good times and bad, worked together to win wars, the race to the moon and the cold war. Companies like Northrop, American Aviation, Lockheed, AirResearch, Xerox and Ratheon helped make the South Bay what it is today giving us all a great standard of living and a fantastic lifestyle like nowhere else. There is no doubt about it, the South Bay is a great place to live, to work and to play. Read More
Do you remember .. for those who are old enough, the black and white TV of John Glenn in the small space capsule? He was the First American to orbit the Earth, aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, on the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission. Well jump ahead to 1992 … the Endeavour... Read More
Many people are amazed the first time they visit the small community of Walteria. Most people say it’s like being in a small rural town when they come to Walteria. Some of the area is hilly and rural like, no sidewalks, large overhanging trees and peace and quiet galore. Read More
According to Forbes; Homeowners beware. There are new scams galore out there and most new ones are aimed at the homeowner. Home improvement scams are still heavily represented in the top 10 homeowner scams. Auto and Debt related scams and new real estate scams are new to the list this... Read More
The Beach Part of the South Bay Beautiful San Pedro Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance Beach area, El Segundo, San Pedro:You can find some of the nations greatest homes located in these beach cities, ranging from the affordable to very upscale expensive Manhattan Village. Inland South Bay: Torrance inland part of the city: Hollywood Riviera, West Torrance, Old Torrance, South Torrance, East Torrance, Lawndale, Hawthorne, Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Inglewood: Great South Bay homes, great shopping, lots of movie theatres and other entertainment, great places to eat. The great thing about living in any part of the South Bay is that you are close to everything you Read More