Photos by Beth Furman – beth@wellesleywestonmagazine.com

Photos by Beth Furman – beth@wellesleywestonmagazine.com

UMBRELLA meets at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills, 309 Washington St., Wellesley, on the third Thursday of every month from 7-8:30pm.  Umbrella, a program of WAGLY (The West Suburban Alliance of GLBTQ Youth), is a peer-led, social support group for transgender and gender-variant high school youth from Wellesley and other communities in MetroWest Boston.  Information: www.WAGLY.org, info@WAGLY.org.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER HOME MAINTENANCE                                      

The recent recession has impacted the residential building industry in several ways with far less new homes and homeowners undertaking fewer renovation plans.  This spring people are beginning projects again, realizing that staying put and “nesting – in – place” are often the safest and most sensible decisions they can make. 

“Along with ‘waiting’ to embark on projects, maintenance of residential and commercial properties was also put on hold, but no matter what the state of the economy, as time goes by homes and properties need regular and thoughtful maintenance,” notes Doug Hanna, co-president of S+H Construction, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. “When roofs don’t leak, we tend not to notice them. As long as a boiler is providing heat when it’s called for, we are happy,” Doug states.  “That doesn’t mean that people should let leaves and branches pile up on their roofs or forget to schedule a yearly tune up/systems check on their boiler.” 

If property owners are knowledgeable about building systems and how things should appear and operate, then a simple review/walk- around of the house a couple of times a year should provide them with a “to-do” list that will extend the life of the various components. For less informed homeowners, it’s a good idea to hire a trusted contractor to walk around the house together and discuss a program of routine maintenance. 

The following is a basic checklist for proper home maintenance: 

The Roof

ü Leaves and branches should be removed from roofs and especially gutters twice a year.

ü Wooden gutters should be oiled once a year and the flashings should be inspected.

ü Roofing should be examined for signs of wear and cupping annually.

ü Penetrations through the roof, including bath and laundry vents, plumbing vents and chimneys should be examined as well as the condition of the masonry and cap at the chimney.

ü Does the chimney have a spark arrestor /animal screen? If not, make sure to check to see if anything has made its way into the chimney.

Siding

ü If there is shingle siding, are the shingles starting to split and cup?

ü Is the paint starting to peel, especially on the South side?  

Drainage and landscape

ü Downspouts should be connected properly to the house and gutters and should be directed well away from the foundation wall, or empty into a perimeter drainage system that sends the water to a drywell or drainage field. This is one of the simplest ways to keep water out of a basement.

ü Dirt and mulch should be at least 8 inches below the bottom edge of any wood trim or siding to prevent rot and to reduce the chance of insects getting into a home. This is something to be aware of if a landscaper has been doing yard work as they have a tendency be very liberal with their distribution of mulch around the perimeter of homes.

ü Does the grade (ground) pitch away from the home, or towards it? Again, this is basic when it comes to keeping a basement dry. 

    “There is a significant list of items to be considered in a home maintenance checklist, and a full list is too extensive to address here, but again, we recommend developing one with your contractor that can be reviewed annually or bi-annually,” Doug states. “Just as the oil is changed in your car regularly, put your house on a maintenance schedule. Small investments into your home on a regular basis can avoid major damage and large bills in the future.” 

A multi-award winning firm, S+H Construction collaborates with architects and other design professionals to offer residential renovations, custom building, historic restorations, energy conservation, renewable energy, site work and landscaping solutions. Serving the greater Boston area for over 30 years, S+H provides a dedicated team who share a commitment to customer satisfaction. Their work is consistently seen in both regional and national home and design publications. Additionally the company recently received the 2012 Best of Boston Home Award which is the fifth “Best of” honor for S+H.                                            

S+H Construction is located at 26 New Street in Cambridge, MA. For more information, please call (617) 876-8286, or visit the company website at www.shconstruction.com.  Follow S+H on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shconstruction. 

“Club Invention’s reputation as a leader in high-quality summer programming has helped us to grow from a museum program impacting 300 children in 1990 to a national program impacting over 76,000 children,” explains Michael J. Oister, Chief Operating Officer for Invent Now.  “We have families who tell us Club Invention changed their child’s outlook on learning, and stories like those keep us inspired.”

Each day, children rotate through four integrated modules that employ creative thinking to solve real-world challenges. Children learn vital 21st century life skills such as problem solving and teamwork through imaginative play.

In this summer’s Envision program, children will experience different modules including Inventeureka™, Action and Adventure Games™, Magnetropolis™, and I Can Invent: Balloon Burst™. Children will spend their week visiting a faux island to study magnetism, taking a fantasy adventure on the Ci6000 Space Modulator Time Machine, inventing a balloon-bursting machine, and much more! Even if a child has participated in the past, he or she will benefit from brand new adventures throughout the week.

Also launching this summer is the Counselor-in-Training program, ideal for Club Invention “graduates” who are now too old for the program. These individuals will assist Leadership Interns with tasks and help to mentor participants. Counselors-in-Training will leave with volunteer experience and a step ahead of others when entering high school.

To register a child for these programs or to learn more about Invent Now programming, visit www.ClubInvention.org or call 800-968-4332.

Since Club Invention’s inception, the program has grown to include over 1,200 school partnerships in 49 states.  In 2011, more than 76,000 children participated nationwide. Club Invention was created in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which continues to support Invent Now’s mission to inspire creativity and inventive thinking in children of all ages.

Photos by Beth Furman – beth@wellesleywestonmagazine.com

Photos by Beth Furman – beth@wellesleywestomagazine.com

“Lifelong learning is a vital part of life at North Hill, and the True North Courses & Events program allows us to expand our offerings to neighboring communities,” said Paul Duffy, Community Development Director for North Hill. “We’re excited to offer so many ways for seniors to learn, engage and pursue their passions in the coming months.”

The Spring/Summer semester includes:

• Book Launch: Retirement on the Line with author, Olin Professor Caitrin Lynch, and several of the Needham-area seniors featured in the book. Thursday, May 3 at 5:30 p.m. in Needham.
• Music Series: Chamber Evolution, a journey into string chamber music for quintet and sextet with players from A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra. Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. in Weston.
• The Kennedy Brothers Speak, a look at the rhetoric which defined John F., Robert and Ted Kennedy, as well as a generation of Americans. Tuesday, May 29 at 10 a.m. in Brookline. In honor of this special date — John F. Kennedy’s 95th birthday — the program includes a special tour of the late President’s birthplace.
• Religion Builds a Cultural Icon: Boston’s Trinity Church, exploring the Trinity’s funding, construction, features and place in American history. Tuesday, June 5 at 10 a.m. in Copley Square, Boston.
• Masters of Mass Media: Paley, Luce, Murrow, Cronkite. Tuesday, June 12 at 10 a.m. in Wellesley.
• Explore the Beauty of Summer, a guided walk at the Mass Audubon Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary. Tuesday, June 26 at 10 a.m. in Natick.
• Seeds Alive! Grandparents and Grandchildren in the Vegetable Garden, a very special intergenerational experience, for all Nanas, Poppas, Grannies and their grandkids to enjoy together. Tuesday, July 17 at 9:30 a.m. in Wellesley.

All classes and events are free, though some feature limited enrollment. Open to vibrant older adults in Needham, Wellesley, Newton and throughout Boston’s MetroWest.

For details or to enroll online, visit www.TrueNorthEvolution.org/Courses. Registrations also are welcome by phone at 781-433-6400.

ABOUT NORTH HILL: North Hill provides opportunities for vibrant living from its campus on the Needham/Wellesley line. Founded in 1984, a combination of location, the innovative Life Care financial model and exceptional quality in healthcare and hospitality service have made North Hill one of the most sought-after retirement communities in Massachusetts. The North Hill vision is to be the leading provider of the most progressive, personalized healthcare and hospitality services to older adults in the Northeast. To learn more, visit www.NorthHill.org.