HOMEFIXRUS

Having a backyard pool is one of those luxuries a lot of people dream of. But a growing business exists in removing them. Besides the cost of repairs and maintenance, people sometimes remove a pool out of concern that it might be a turnoff to homebuyers. Some parents with young children worry about safety. Other homeowners want to reclaim their backyards.

All told, there are about 5 million in-ground residential pools in the United States, according to Kirstin Pires, spokeswoman for the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals. As the housing market has declined, so has the installation of new residential pools, by 58 percent last year and nearly 12 percent in 2008, Pires said.

There are no such statistics on pool removal, she said, but anecdotally “it’s pretty unusual.”

The National Flood Insurance Program, intended to help homeowners contend with heartbreaking disasters, is an example of how Washington’s good intentions often end up soaking taxpayers.

Despite attempted reforms, the program continues to encourage dangerous and environmentally destructive development and forces taxpayers to bail out homeowners who continually rebuild in flood-zone areas.

A USA Today review of the program’s records found the program is seeking an unprecedented $19 billion taxpayer bailout, though the program is supposed to be funded by premiums collected from property owners.

Because the program continually pays people to rebuild in flood zones — areas that no private insurers would risk for such prices — it cannot sustain itself.

When you turn on your air conditioner system on the first hot day of the year it can be frustrating to find that your unit is struggling to cool the area, or worse, broken down. While it’s advised you get a professional tech to complete an air conditioning system service as part of your preseason tune up, generally there are additionally a couple of simple inspections you can do between to maintain your air conditioning equipment running smoothly. Read more related material at Home and Family.

Most air conditioner repair troubles are caused by lack of cleanliness, but just dusting the vents regularly can make a huge difference to the life of your unit. Another simple thing you can do to improve efficiency and life of your air conditioning system is to replace the air filters.

An El Paso attorney has filed suit on behalf of his family against Alta Vista Development and Peninsula Sanitation after their Galveston home sustained damage from a garbage dumpster two years ago.

According to court papers filed by Walter Boyaki in Galveston County District Court on Aug. 30, the defendants reportedly left the dumpster in question unsecured and fully loaded thus allowed it to access the plaintiff’s property on Sept 12, 2008.

The dumpster, which is owned by Peninsula Sanitation, was used by Alta Vista, which was building a house not far from the plaintiff’s. Hurricane Ike made landfall in the area the next day and exacerbated the alleged damage, the suit claims. Boyaki estimates about $25,000 in damage was inflicted and argues that he and his family had to make repairs to the residence to make it habitable.

Bill Spillman remembers the day in August 2007 when his house’s foundation broke apart a few weeks after a controversial mine subsidence project near his home ended.

Spillman bought his modest home on Converse Court in 2004 near the “Tree Street” neighborhood, and the 30-year old house had never experienced subsidence problems before.

He believes the “dynamic compaction” portion of the mine subsidence project — which included dropping multi-ton weights to collapse old mine voids in the area — literally “blew apart” his foundation.

Spillman’s home still hasn’t been fixed. And now his family room floor is cracking as well.

A Lincoln home erupts in flames. Firefighters responded to a Chapel Street home just before 1 p.m.  after a fire broke out on the back porch.

The three people who live in the home were inside at the time of the fire but everyone escaped without injury. Firefighters say the blaze only caused minor damages, but the residents will be displaced until repairs are made.

The state Fire Marshal’s office is now investigation the cause of the fire.

Over the next year, at least 10 homes in the borough are expected to get a facelift thanks to a state grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development.

The $350,000 grant will be used to repair and rehabilitate homes owned by those with low to moderate incomes, according to Gilberton Mayor Mary Lou Hannon.

“Every few years we’ve gotten this grant,” Hannon said in an interview last week. “It’s a tremendous help. A lot of houses just wouldn’t get done (repaired) without it.”

Work is expected to begin in the spring of 2011, Hannon said, and the money will not be used for any construction. Only repairs to existing structures can be paid for through the grant, which comes from DCED’s housing rehabilitation program.

About 15 per cent of consumers aged over 50 cannot afford to repair their homes and could resort to borrowing money, which could lead to the need for a debt management plan.

According to Saga Personal Finance, 50 per cent would use their savings, 31 per cent would use their pensions and just one per cent would ask family or friends for the funds needed for repairs.

The most common problem that people over 50 need to fix on their properties is the roof followed by draining and guttering repairs. Read more about Home Improvement Ideas.

Pensioners could end up taking out a personal loan in order to fund home repairs but this could be risky if it is not paid back as it could lead to a debt management plan.

It will be a day to celebrate — and educate — seniors.

The Senior Expo will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Onslow County Multipurpose Complex, located at 4024 Richlands Hwy.

Senior citizens are too often the targets of fraud and financial crimes, said Kathy Cook, an AARP member and the chairwoman of this year’s expo.

In an effort to combat this Cook has arranged for Frank Davis, the security chief for Marine Federal Credit Union, to be on hand at the fourth annual expo to educate seniors about scams.

Julia Fraser has had water leaking inside her home for more than a year. As a local music teacher hit by the tough economy, she could not afford the repairs. Each day after a Southwest Florida rainstorm, she would empty a full size garbage can full of rain water only to replace it to catch the next wave of water. This went on for months before a relative in Texas put her in touch with Lee Building Industry Association (BIA) Builders Care.

Builders Care is the nonprofit charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA). Its objective is to provide emergency repairs and construction services to elderly, disabled and economically disadvantaged people who are unable to obtain home repairs through traditional means. Builder’s Care enlists the volunteer services of Lee BIA members and leverages grants and donated materials to provide construction and remodeling services to qualified homeowners throughout Lee County