Hardboard Siding vs Vinyl Siding

I have recently listed a beautiful bungalow in an exclusive neighbourhood. One of the restrictions to building in this community was the exterior finishing options. This particular Seller liked the advantages and look of hardboard siding. Before I got to many questions about the product and the pros and cons I figured I better do some further research. "Hardboard siding is gaining importance among homeowners due to their cost effective and easy installation process. Hardboard siding is made from wood fiber, wax and resins and is made in both board and panel sheet applications with external textures designed to look like lumber siding. This feature of mimicking a lumber siding has made hardboard an easy and inexpensive alternative for homeowners who want lumber siding for their homes. Different companies make hardboard in roughly the same way, so qualities of hardboards do not differ much according to manufacturer. Hardboard siding is fungus resistant and thus provide better durability as compared to wood siding made by fir, pine or spruce. However, soft hardboard sidings are prone to fungus attacks due to the soft nature of the wood..." courtesy of siding-help.com
Newer technology has created significant improvements for engineered hardboard. The use of resins have added to the durability of the products and the wax makes it water repellent. This makes for a longer lasting material particularly with the correct sealant but is more difficult to nail then softwood products. 
Durable, long lasting and looks great - be sure to ask your contractor for pricing as different woods offer different costs.

Knew around the house - Surge Protectors

The last few days have brought a lot of rain so I thought about sump pumps and why so many homes around Kingston do not have them BUT I will have to save that thought for another rainy day. Last nights amazing lightening show sparked my interests towards surge protectors. A few years ago we returned from a weekend away to find that one of our TVs got "zapped" and no longer worked - subsequently we spent a small fortune buying surge bars for the electronic devices around the house. Certainly a good investment considering the cost of the television that we just lost but buying a new surge bar for every computer and television can total up - then I heard about protecting the entire home at the panel box - so I looked into it.

With special thanks to this home inspector (http://www.buyerschoiceinspections.com/surge-protection) I got a better understanding of the options available to homeowners. The device that I was thinking about is a Surge Arrester - it ties into the panel and takes the blow before it can travel through your home and does damage to your electronics. You can also consider running a suppression system that reduces the voltage change during an electric strike if you already have surge bars at your point of use.

What are my pricing options? - well off to the local big box stores to get a few quotes.

Back from the store and fortunately I found a very helpful man to give me some advice. Unfortunately he worked in the plumbing department but did help me with my new toilet problems. With my echoed screams for help in the electrical area I went about the search on my own and found two surge arrester products both priced between $185 and $190. They will require an electrician to install them into the panel but the price of the product was below my expectations when I consider the cost of one point of use surge bar.

I have a decision to make as I have already equipped my home with point-of-use surge bars but I would consider the Surge Arrester product if I was upgrading my panel or buying a home home.

Introduction

I have been in the real estate industry for nearly a decade and always come across new or improved components or ideas about a house. I will go back to my office and research all the details before advicing my clients. This has created a real thirst for understanding how different aspects of your home work and how they can benefit or effect you as a new home owner.
With that in mind, I thought I would start to post this information for others to see - it could be SOMETHING that I KNEW or it could be something entirely NEW.
If you have had an experience with the topic at hand I hope that you will add to the commentary to further the learning experience.