Colorado House Finders

If you’re like most people, you are paying to heat the water for your home 24 hours a day, every day. The average homeowner pays to keep hot water hot even when they don’t need it. Traditional water heaters make for standby energy losses that cost you money. We do not leave our homes heated while vacationing. We only heat our homes when there is a demand for heat. Wouldn’t it be great if you could pay to heat water only when you need it? There is a way. Tankless water heaters provide continuous hot water, heating water only as you need it, thus providing greater efficiency and energy savings. An average, traditional 50-gallon water heater can supply about three to four back-to-back showers. With a tankless, you can enjoy endless back to back showers! Also referred to as instantaneous or demand water heaters, they provide hot water on demand for as long as you need it, but only as long as you need it.  

On Demand water heaters are 50% more efficient and give you a typical cost savings of 30 to 45% over the old style water heater. They provide endless hot water to multiple outlets at the same time without fluctuations in temperature, and they shut off automatically when the faucets are turned off.  Your family stands to gain additional protection, as well. As opposed to standard gas water heaters, tankless water heaters have sealed combustion which means no open flame or flue gas. Flue gas cannot enter your home. In addition precise water temperature control helps prevent the risk of scalding, especially important when you have young children in your home. 

The compact, wall-mounted units can be installed internally, externally or recessed, thus providing a significant space savings over a 40-gallon traditional water heater that requires approximately 16 square feet of space. Because of smaller size, they can be placed in close proximity to the kitchen or master bath, reducing wait time and energy consumption while waiting for hot water at the source.  With a life expectancy of 25 years (and easily replaceable parts that extend the life by many more years), as compared to 10 years for standard hot water tanks, tankless water heaters reduce landfill waste. Additionally, they provide lower emission of CO₂ gases into the atmosphere, adding to their green characteristics. 

Proper installation and maintenance of your demand water heater can optimize its energy efficiency.  Whether space, energy savings, or the need for multiple showers is your issue, a call to an AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDER/INSTALLER is your key to success. Without quality installation, even the best equipment can fail to give you its best performance. Proper installation ensures you get all the capability possible from your instantaneous water heater.  The Colorado House Finders’ Real Estate Consulting team is experienced, professional real estate agents with certifications in Real Estate, Lending and Appraising, who specialize in Denver Colorado real estate.  For access to Denver MLS listings , contact Colorado House Finders or www.ColoradoHouseFinders.com.

Stucco was all the rage for a time, and builders not only used it to cover new homes, but also over top of old wood siding homes. If your home has an older stucco finish, chances are it is in need of some repair.

Typically, stucco is applied in several coats over a wire mesh which lies on top of spacers, building paper, and a sheathing, most likely plywood.  It can be blown on or applied by hand.  It is important to know that stucco absorbs moisture. This makes for a challenge when deciding what to do to replace it.

If you have cracks or holes in your stucco, you can probably patch these fairly easily. Determine which kind of cement most closely matches your type of stucco, as there are a variety of suitable types. Then, examine your texture, and determine what you will need to do to match it. You may need to add sand or small pebbles, or you may need to do some artful raking or toweling to make it match. You may also have to get just the right pigment to match the existing color. Other than all of these steps, patching cracks in stucco is actually quite easy.

You may decide you want to change the color of your stucco home. In this case, your options are to stucco a new layer over the entire home, or to paint. This is where the moisture warning comes in. You need to be sure your paint isn’t allowing moisture in, while not allowing it to evaporate. There are special paints and stains on the market specifically for stucco, and it’s best to do some research to be sure you are getting the right thing. Otherwise, moisture damage can occur, especially in colder climates. If you do another stucco layer, be sure the surface of your existing stucco isn’t treated with anything that will prevent adhesion. Another option is to put new metal lath (a sort of mesh that helps stucco and plaster adhere) over your existing finish and re-stucco onto that.

There are also synthetic stucco-like products on the market. Be careful what you choose, as there is mixed feedback about these products. Some complaints are that they do not adhere very well, and come off in large pieces.

I there are a lot of the problems with stucco or any similar finish, it may be due to improper application.  Be sure to do more research if you are going to attempt to update your stucco finish. It might even be best to hire a professional, as long as you are sure they have specific stucco experience.

This article was written by the writing team at Colorado House Finders, Colorado REALTORS®. If you are looking for real estate in Colorado, the Colorado House Finders team of professionals can help.