30 The Courier sun • at home • APRIL 14, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com AT HOME Summer projects to spruce up your home Warmer weather and sunnier days are on their way and many homeowners are itching to begin home improvement projects. If you are one of them, consider these areas of your home when prepping for spring. Windows and doors From a full window replacement to a simple coat of paint, updating your windows and doors can have a big impact on your home. If your windows felt drafty this winter, it may be time for replacements. Replace your old single-pane windows with energy-efficient double-pane windows. Double-pane windows can help you save on heating and cooling bills; they help keep the temperature in your home consistent year-round and help protect your furniture, carpet and window treatments from the sun’s fading rays. Need to bring some fresh color into your home but don’t want to paint? Try updating your blinds or shades. From different styles to colorful fabrics, blinds and shades can add a pop of color to your room. Motorized blinds and shades with Pella Insynctive technology come in more than 300 style and color options so you can find the right fit for your home’s decor. Your front door is a major focal point of your home, enhancing your home’s curb appeal. Make a bold statement and improve your home’s energy efficiency with a new ENERGY STAR-certified front door. Consider options with decorative glass accents, and sidelights to add more natural light while maintaining a sense of style and privacy. Looking for something even easier? A new coat of paint to your existing door is a quick and easy way to give your home a fresh, new look. Give Pantone’s Color of the Year marsala a try, or get inspired by your favorite Pinterest collection of favorite front doors. Gutters and downspouts Excess water near your foundation can cause thousands of dollars in damages. Luckily gutter cleaning and downspout repair is fairly low-cost. After all the snow melts, you’ll want to make sure to clean your gutters and clean out any debris that may keep spring rains from flowing freely through your downspouts. Along with replacing damaged gutter or downspout sections, you’ll also want to make sure you have added downspout extenders to ensure water is draining far away from your home’s foundation. Extenders should reach at least five feet into your yard. Gutter covers can also be added to minimize debris from gathering in gutters throughout the year. Air conditioning It may be a few more months before you’re turning on the A/C, but spring is a great time to start getting your cooling system ready. Often you have to call in the pros for air conditioning work but things like spraying off any overgrowth or debris, cleaning coils and changing filters are fixes you can easily do on your own. Also, trim back any shrubs that are near by. Keeping the outdoor unit clean from debris will boost your A/C system’s efficiency. You can keep part of your indoor duct work clean by removing register covers and wiping clean any of the visible parts. You’ll need to contact a professional for a full duct cleaning. Courtesy BPT Legally Speaking By: Scott Baron, Attorney at Law SLIP ON THE Advertorial ELEVATED PLATFORM Q: On a patch of ice near the edge of a subway-station platform, I slipped and fell. From the bench to which I was carried, about eight feet away, I readily observed this patch. It was on the yellow dotted strip in front of the train doors. The patch was small, irregularly shaped and dirty. The subway platform was elevated, outdoors and only partly covered – by a slanted concrete canopy. The canopy nearly reached, but did not cover, the spot of my fall. Water was dripping off. In general, the platform was a slushy mixture of water, ice and snow. A: To buttress your account, your attorney may seek to gather climatological data, yielding outside evidence of the precipitation and temperatures. He or she may also seek to depose the station cleaner. “Q. How often did you see this water? A. Lots of times. Water always drips when it rains. Q. Had you applied snow melt? A. Minutes before.” Knowledge of a recurring hazard is sufficient to establish notice of a specific instance. Given the Authority’s awareness of a recurring condition, a jury can reasonably conclude that earlier snowfall and resultant dripping watery conditions, and subsequent freezing temperatures, had created an icy condition. So long as the condition had existed for a long enough period of time for the Authority, during routine maintenance activities, to have discovered and remedied it, then you appear to have a good chance of prevailing. The law responds to changed conditions; exceptions and variations abound. Here, the information is general; always seek out competent counsel. This article shall not be construed as legal advice. Copyright © 2015 Scott Baron & Associates, P.C. All rights reserved. 159-49 Cross Bay Boulevard, Howard Beach, New York 11414 • 718-738-9800 1750 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10710 • 914-337-9800 1-866-927-4878 Your Homeownership Partner The State of New York Mortgage Agency offers: • Competitive , fixed-rate mortgages for first-time homebuyers • Downpayment assistance available up to $15, 000 • Special program for veterans, active-duty military , National Guard and reservists • Funds available for renovation 1-800-382-HOME(4663) www.sonyma.org
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