The importance of doing underground storage tank (UST’s) inspections for homes in San Mateo County
I had the “interesting” experience in 2005 (prior to my becoming a licensed agent) of learning first hand the process behind removing underground storage tanks. Unfortunately, unlike in San Francisco which recommends sellers or buyers have underground storage tank testing for older homes as a point of sale procedure, the same recommendation is not in place in San Mateo County
To make matters worse, some believe that the natural & environmental hazards report (you may hear it called a JCP report) indicates if there are tanks on a property. This is somewhat incorrect; the report only indicates if there are known tanks on a property, typically those which have an open case & are either being repaired or removed/decommissioned.
Tanks more typically are found at the obvious commercial businesses such as gas stations or car rental/automotive shops but were also common on pre-1950′s homes as storage for heating oil.
To determine if a property has tanks, one must do a tank inspection. I sure would have appreciated knowing this nuance of San Mateo County property prior to my purchasing a home (via a local agent) which had not one but two UST’s! The discovery came about a few months after moving in while the old concrete driveway was being removed.
One tank had heating oil (this was the fuel for furnaces in older homes prior to gas) & the second tank had gasoline (probably an original homeowner fueled a car in the garage).
We quickly had a tank inspection company confirm tank presence including above ground evidence (fill pipes in the driveway, formerly covered with a concrete cover, vent pipes at the side of the property, & a former dispenser pipe in the garage).
For the record we did have property inspections. There was personal property of the sellers obscuring this above ground evidence in addition to general property inspectors are not trained to inspect for UST’s, that is a separate type of inspection.
It cost about $30,000 to remove both tanks followed by removal of contaminated soil & pump out of contaminated water over a period of ~12 months. Further joy when we had to under go one of the wettest winters resulting in having a mud swamp for a front yard/driveway.
Additional legal costs were incurred as we pursued the sellers for non-disclosure (we happened to find the owner who confirmed that sellers were aware of the tanks; prior to more stringent environmental regulations, UST’s were commonly removed by homeowners & taken to the dump & weren’t considered a big deal.
More good times & astronomical legal costs followed during the legal process of mediation & arbitration; the judge did rule in our favor and the sellers are on the financial hook. Still, would rather have just known upfront about this “nuance” in this county because I sure would not have purchased a property knowing tanks were present.
Open & closed UST sites can be found at GeoTracker which includes residences.
For a reasonable $150 or so, protect yourself & have a tank inspection!
The Beauty of Marmoleum
I LOVE this product!! One of the great perks that comes with home ownership is the ability to customize one’s home. As a 15+ year property owner/investor, I’ve had the chance to try out a few flooring products.
Marmoleum hands down is my favorite for easy clean up, durability, and scratch resistance. It’s held up extremely well to a busy household which includes 2 dogs and 2 cats. There is one scratch in the surface and that was caused by me being clumsy with a cabinet one hour post-installation (uuughhh!!). Otherwise, it’s been scratch free for 18 months.
Not only is the scratch resistance impressive, but Marmoleum is really comfortable to stand on for long periods of time (for those serious chefs!) since there is a layer of cork under each tile . This product is also an easy install for the do-it-yourselfer (I installed it myself with a few basic tools). Lastly, you can’t beat the reasonable price (~$4.50-5.50sf), the great colors and it’s environmentally friendly to boot!
Give it a try for your next project-you won’t be disappointed!
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Eco-Friendly Driveway
Considering a new driveway? There are lots of options available ranging from stamped concrete, to brick, to pavers, to permeable.
We went the route of a pebble driveway to replace the concrete driveway for a few reasons. It was economical, fast to install and permeable thereby reducing runoff & pollutants entering our storm drains.
My understanding is that storm runoff is one of biggest pollutants of our waterways. I’m in full support of making choices which will offset our impact on the environment.
Our initial thought was to install porous concrete pavers which have openings that can be filled with gravel or grass. We then decided on decomposed granite for the ease of installation and maintenance. It is also available in a few colors.
It’s been two plus years and we’ve been really happy with the result. There is no worry about future cracking and settling as there is with a concrete driveway. No worries about staining either since we can move around or rake the gravel.
The drawback is the occasional required sweeping of stray pieces that end up on the path way or sidewalk and the difficulty in walking to the car in heels. Stray pieces can end up in the house on our wood floors if shoes aren’t properly wiped at the door, but our floors have been getting a fair amount of abuse from two active dogs. It’s a house well cared for and well lived in!
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Clogged Gutters Be Gone!!
It’s that time of the year again when gutters need to be cleaned. We just had a great product installed in portions of our gutters which prevents gutters from clogging.
There is an incredibly large, messy redwood tree which litters needles and branches several times a year. It’s just a matter of time before the gutters & downspouts end up getting clogged with tree debris, problematic when our rainy season starts.
RainFlow will help to keep our gutters & downspouts clear, since the debris sits on top of the membrane which can then be blown off when we have our semi-annual gutter cleaning. Another plus, is that since the gutters are easier to clean, our twice a year service will now be less expensive!
Let me know if you’d like a recommendation to the installer & gutter cleaner that I work with. He did an excellent job, is reasonably priced & made a great recommendation to use this product in portions of our high debris gutter areas!
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For Your Next Renovation Project, Visit one of our Local Salvage Showrooms!
Are you looking for something unique for your next house project? Then think about visiting one of several great, local salvage shops.
If you’re on the Peninsula, pay a visit to Whole House Building Supply. They have salvaged finds at their showroom ranging from windows & doors to vintage sinks & light fixtures.
If you’re feeling adventurous, sign up to receive their emails for upcoming salvage sales where you can visit Peninsula properties that are either being torn down or remodeled down to the studs. You then get to remove from site anything from plants to light fixtures to door knobs to windows depending on one’s experience & skill with power tools. There are guidelines with Whole House as to what can be removed from the property as well as to pricing of items.
In addition to finding that special item, you are also helping to reuse items that are still functional and divert one less item from the landfill.
http://www.driftwoodsalvage.com/
1955 Pulgas Rd. East East Palo Alto CA 94303
Warehouse (650) 328-8731
Message Center (650) 856-0634
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Thinking about Window Replacements for your Home? Which product is best?
This post is inspired by a first time buyer couple that I’m working with. We’ve been looking at a handful of pre-40’s homes with various interpretations of owners updating, renovating and expanding their properties, often missing the mark and creating a miss mash of a maze of rooms, added on with no rhyme or reason along with a bizarre conglomeration of architectural styles/periods (i.e, shiny marble floors & gilt gold crown molding in a Spanish style home; truly a “what were they thinking?” remodel for a home listed at over a million dollars in the Sunset district).
This missing the mark in vision is especially true with homes in district 10, many of which, in my opinion, require taking rooms down to the studs and starting over with reconfiguring the floor plan which has been so badly botched with bad remodeling; not good first time buyer homes unless there is a contractor in the family.
The latest home we saw a few days ago actually has very good bones including a nicely flowing floor plan, original arts and crafts bungalow details including wood paneling in the living/dining room; original light fixtures, and an updated kitchen & bathrooms. Even though vinyl windows have been installed at this bungalow, at least they are at the rear of the property.
I’m not one to be shy about my opinion and strongly recommended that if my clients were to purchase this property that they either refurbish the original wood double hung windows at the front of the house (curb appeal is so important & refurbishing is an eco-friendly & less expensive approach) or replace with new dual paned double hung wood windows or aluminum clad exterior/wood interior windows.
In my opinion, vinyl windows just don’t do most properties justice in enhancing architectural details or creating better curb appeal. Vinyl windows come in just a few colors (most people seem to choose white) & can’t be painted which limits the exterior color palette.
Personally, I love aluminum clad exterior/wood interior windows and have installed a few from Marvin at my home. The aluminum cladding comes in several colors and it’s very durable and requires no painting unlike wood. My understanding is there is better thermal insulation with wood/aluminum clad windows as well.
Even though there is a little more cost with al clad windows vs. vinyl windows, the labor is typically the priciest part of any work on a property, so why not spend a little more money if it’s in one’s budget for a better quality, longer lasting and more esthetically pleasing product?
I recommend before embarking on a pricey project to get input from your Realtor to confirm that you’re not over improving your property for the neighborhood or over personalizing either especially if your plan is to sell at some point in the near future.
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