Fall Maintenance

Adorable print by Jenn Ski, available at her Etsy.com shop!

Fall is here, busy squirrel feet are skittering across our flat-top roofs, and we should be getting ready for cooler, wetter weather! Time for gutter cleaning, furnace maintenance, and fireplace cleaning at your Eichler home.

Extensive gutter system and flat top on our Eichler home requires regular cleaning

Just last week I had the gutters cleaned on the Eichler and our MCM ranch. Sacramento is renowned for its trees which naturally gunk up our gutters. If you're in need of someone who does a great job at cleaning off your roof and gutters, look no further than Justin Kemper of Castle Gutter Cleaning. Justin and his crews have done an excellent job and clean-up every time -- very conscientious and meticulous work. You can reach him at (916) 988-1825.

What was left of a Likeler in Palo Alto that exploded in a fireball after a gas leak

Sadly, a flat-top home, possibly a Stern and Price, in Palo Alto was severely damaged after a gas leak caused an explosion this last week. There had been reports of a strong gas odor before the explosion; a mother and her baby had just left the home. The father was still inside when the explosion occurred but miraculously was not severely injured. The blast literally blew the roof off, the windows out, and reduced the house to a charred frame. Reportedly, neighbors said the homeowner had recently complained of smelling gas and had called inspectors to the home.

I recommend you print out PG&E's recommendations for when you smell gas odors on your property and post them in a handy place along with relevant phone numbers. Do regular maintenance such as changing your filters and having your furnace inspected by a qualified professional. I recommend Brent McCully of California Heat & Air. I've been most impressed with his work. You may reach him at (916) 355-9900.

Finally, a clean fireplace is a safer fireplace. We prefer not to use ours (the smoke aggravates our allergies) but the original owners had used it A LOT and had extensive records of what had been done to the fireplace and chimney. I decided to stick with the same company, Chim Chimney. I appreciated their professionalism -- they even offered to give me a written record of the previous work that had been done over the years. I highly recommend them.

Hope the referrals to local services are helpful. Here's to a healthy and safe season!