Page 18 September 21, 2017 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Keep Your Cottage Comfortable this Summer
835 California St.
This home screams entertaining!!
3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms.
Over 2900 sq. ft. Large single level with
a huge living room, 2 family rooms,
and 3 fireplaces! Updated kitchen with
stainless steel appliances.
Over 8500 sq. ft. lot with pool!
This is a rare opportunity to buy such
a wonderful El Segundo Location.
$1,799,000
Brand New!
Gorgeous Single
family Home.
This one will
KNOCK your socks
off! Fabulous
Extra Wide Lot.
Call for Details...
(BPT) - Although it’s officially summer,
the fluctuations in temperatures, sporadic
downpours and tornado-inciting weather
would make you think otherwise.
While many of us take the opportunity
to hit the beach, lake or
ranch during the summer for some
rest and relaxation, cottage home
improvements are often the furthest
thing from our mind.
More often than not, cottages
aren’t built to last as long as homes,
because they are used only for a
short time of the year. Yet, with
newly changing weather patterns
and humidity affecting the structure
of a cottage home, homeowners can
seek ways to keep their cottages
comfortable well after summer
has ended and the crowds of daytrippers
have left.
Extending the usability of your
summer home can also increase
its market value, should you ever
decide to sell. If you’re unfamiliar
with how exactly to go about
improving your summer home’s
comfort, here are five quick tips
to get you started:
Shade
Plant shade-giving trees and shrubs to reduce
how much heat your cottage absorbs from
direct sunlight. Not only will these plants
add ambiance and character, but they will
help contribute to keeping the cottage cooler.
Appliances
Consider upgrading your cottage’s small
and large appliances to ENERGY STAR-rated
appliances that can run on very low energy
during the low season.
Elin Pointe Patio Home
BRE # 00946399
John Skulick
BRE #01064179
310-350-4240 TeamSkulick@gmail.com Rose VanHook
310-350-5920
Coming Fall 2017
Outstanding Eastside Location!
Beautiful 1900 sq. ft.
3 bed, 2.5 bath. Hardwood
floors. Gorgeous backyard.
Call for details!
Coming Soon!
BRE #02034572
Pol Schönhöfer
310-980-5530
Open Sunday 2pm-4pm
Energy Audit
Consider having an independent contractor
perform a home energy audit, to determine
where your home could improve its energy
efficiency. This is obviously the most straightforward
approach, and the one that will give
you the most tangible objectives to aim for
moving forward. Tax Break
Take advantage of local tax incentives
to upgrade your cottage to be more energy
efficient.
Insulate
Replace your home’s existing insulation
with a high-performance spray foam insulation
like Icynene, which can help to reduce
air leakage, thereby reducing the amount of
work your HVAC unit has to do to keep your
home heated or cooled.
Air leakage forces your air conditioner unit
to work overtime to cool the warm air that
enters your home through leaks, increasing
energy usage and increasing your utility bill
at the end of the month.
Spray foam insulation is a wise
investment for cottage owners who
want to make energy-efficient
improvements and extend the
livability of the cottage beyond
just summer. Able to perform in
all climates, spray foam insulation
allows homeowners to adjust
air conditioning use throughout
summer and their furnaces during
winter. This modern insulation
material helps effectively control
a cottage’s indoor environment,
letting you and your family stay
cool all summer long while also
helping to minimize the entry of
pollen and allergens that enter the
space, making it ideal for allergy
sufferers.
An energy-efficient and modern
investment, spray foam insulation
expands rapidly to completely seal
a cottage’s walls, floors and ceilings
to prevent air leakage. Experts note
that insulation can noticeably reduce
monthly cooling and heating costs due to its
ability to seal the home, a great bonus when
considering that cottages and summer homes
are typically only used for a limited period of
time. More information on how spray foam
insulation can help homeowners minimize
air leakage and transform their city home or
their summer home into an energy-efficient
one is available online at www.icynene.com •