Posts with tag 'for owners'

Never did I think that I think I would pay so much attention to front porches, but here I am. Without intention, I find myself scrutinizing every house I drive past with a porch attached. Does it wrap around the whole house? Is it screened-in? How big is it? What's the railing situation? Stairs?

My house had a front porch until it didn't; it was more like a platform than a porch, as it was never intended to be permanent. It had a few steps off the sides, no railings. It served me well, but after a decade or so, it started to fail. Last fall, it began to pull away from the house and took some of the siding off with it. We replaced it with a much smaller porch, more like a landing pad for the stairs leading in and out of the front door. Altho...

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Last month, I noticed a massive groundhog hanging out in my yard. I've seen groundhogs around in the past, but usually an infrequent sighting here and there, as if my yard served as a pass-through rather than a home. This one, however, was lying on the ramp leading into my shed, sunning herself. As soon as she noticed me, she scurried under the shed, which I presumed to be the location of her burrow. The next day, there she was again, all flubber and fur laying out in the sun. This went on for a while, until one day she was flanked by two other groundhogs, much smaller than her. All three retreated to their burrow once they noticed me, and that is when I realized I didn't have just one groundhog living under my shed, but an entire groundhog family lived unde...

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If there is one thing New Hampshire has a lot of, it's trees. Pine, maple, oak, birch, apple, poplar, ash; the list goes on. Some are more desirable than others, but they're abundant all the same. When I first moved into my house, the previous owner had cleared the field, and the majority of the trees were off in the distance, with the exception of a few around the house. A few years back, a couple of pine trees popped up near the edge of the yard. Then a few more. Then a lot more. It didn't take long for them to grow quite tall, creating somewhat of a curtain between the yard and the rest of the property. Now there are so many, it's hard to even remember what it looked like before they were there.

On the backside of the house are a...

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Summer is the time for poolside drinks, park trips, barbecues, lake dips, and seasonal summer homes.

When you own a summer home, staying on top of maintenance can make all the difference in your experience and your budget.

Staying ahead of upkeep and repairs can help you retain the home's value over the long run.

Yard and Exterior Maintenance

Trim the trees and shrubs so any overhanging branches are removed before they could potentially cause damage during heavy storms.

Don't forget any pest-control processes, if needed.

Next comes deck and patio maintenance. You should inspect them regularly to catch any signs of rotting or splintering early on. If any areas nee...

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People often ask me if I loved growing up in northern New Hampshire. Of the many times I've been asked this question, I have to assume my answers have varied at times, especially depending on my age when asked. Most recently, when someone asked me this, I paused for a moment before answering. I gave it some thought, and then, I told them the truth: No, I didn't always love growing up here.

Sometimes I liked it, sometimes I maybe even loved it, but there were certainly times I didn't, too. I think it's safe to assume every young person feels that way from time to time, no matter where they live, which is why I often feel conflicted as to how to answer that question. On one hand, when I was very young, I didn't know anything else, and there...

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