REMINDER: Chicago Bungalow weatherization grant workshop!

This event was posted on Saturday and it's for those of you who own Chicago Bungalows that were built before 1940. You can recieve a $4000 weatherization grant for your home.

However, you may also recieve:

• if your refrigerator is over 8 years old, you could be eligible to get a brand, new refrigerator as well under the appliance grant.
• three (3), new,window air conditioners you could be eligible for too! 

Again, this event will take place St. James Lutheran church at 8000 S. Michigan Saturday March 16 from 11 AM to 4 PM. Please click this link above for more info although one page of the flyer will be show below.

Also feel free to visit www.chicagobungalow.org

The Energy $avers Grant for Bungalow Homes...

"Available now for a limited time!"

Provided by the Greater Chatham Alliance and more information would've been provided at last months general meeting except that it was cancelled in light of strong storms last month. The information below was provided in this month's meeting announcement. This month's meeting will see police superintendent Garry McCarthy as GCA's guest speaker:

This grant program is designed to help bungalow owners lower their gas & electric bills, make their homes comfortable and reduce their energy use.

Weatherization services may include: sealing leaks & gaps in the attic, basement & sidewalls, attic insulation, weather stripping for doors or windows and furnace & boiler repairs.

To see if you are eligible, call 312.675.0300 or visit: www.chicagobungalow.org ––NOW!

The flyer for this grant program is below:
Bungalow Grant Final

The Historic Chicago Bungalow and Green Home Expo Has Returned!

The Historic Chicago Bungalow and Green Home Expo is coming on Saturday April 9th at the Merchandise Mart located @ 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza. I know there are many condos not only in Chicago's 6th Ward, but throughout the general community as well. Hopefully when you attend this expo you can relay to us what you learned from this event.

Via Greater SW Development Corp

Wreckage - waste of a once-beautiful building

We previously talked about an abandoned building at 8212 S. Calumet.

Here are some photos of an abandoned home at 74th & Indiana (Northeast corner).

They include:

• View from Indiana
• View from Michigan
• View of the Basement
• View of the Garage (which has no roof)

This property at 74th & Michigan is in far worse shape than Calumet. Not only has it been stripped of walls, pipes, etc....it also seems to be missing floors. You can see sunlight from the roof from the basement.

The building has been completely gutted, and the structure as a whole is falling apart. From the basement you can see sunlight due to a hole in the roof.

From what I have seen, it just seems like a waste to even try toput it back together again (i.e. the amount of work needed to fix it). It's such a waste.

I don't want to give the impression that Chatham has become Englewood or Roseland...rather, point out a couple of issues that could be good opportunities. Gut rehabs with the gutting already done.

Anyone have any photos or other info on this house from better days?

Abandoned building at 8212 S. Calumet

Here's a building at 8212 S. Calumet that is apparently abandoned and/or in forclosure.

You can see the wind blowing the curtain on the top photo.

This building is in horrible shape...there are SEVERAL broken windows. Aren't they required to board these up?




This home seems like a nice start up home for young people. A porch on the side to do work, for example.

Anyone have any background on this property? It's very unusual, as other properties are well kept..

UPDATE: Included are some interior photos. The back windows were broken open, so you could see what's left of the interior.





Also, a photo of the garage.
ALSO: The building next door to it is for sale. I talked with an agent who was putting up a sign Thursday. She said the other proerty is a 3 bedroom that needs lots of work. They are asking $60,000 for it, but are very willing to negotiate.
If someone had enough money, it might be worth buying the two proerties and tearing them down. You could build a bigger home, with more yard space, in a safe neighborhood. Anyone interested?

The Most Dangerous Room in the House?

NYTimes:

Is the bathroom the most dangerous room in the house? The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compiles statistics on falls, the leading cause of injury deaths among older adults, and it’s no secret they can be devastating — fracturing hips, producing traumatic brain injury and sending seniors to nursing homes. But the C.D.C. doesn’t track where falls occur.

We do know, though, that bathrooms greatly trouble the people charged with retrofitting homes for the disabled, young and old. Bathrooms abound in hard surfaces — tile, porcelain, cast iron, marble — that get wet and slick. People often use them at night, when they’re less alert. Everyday actions — closing your eyes to rinse off shampoo, say — can throw off your balance. “Bathroom falls are major bone-breakers, particularly for older women with osteoporosis,” said Kent Mickelson, director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled.
To make them safer for seniors, specialists suggest:

• A handheld shower and a bench to sit on. For those who only have a tub shower, an inexpensive transfer bench will fit across the tub’s side so a user can sit and then slide over the edge instead of climbing over.
• A higher toilet seat that makes it easier to sit and to rise. Various configurations exist — raised plastic seats, for instance, or platforms that lift the entire toilet. For Mr. Berch, Ms. Glover recommended a safety frame that bolts to the wall, with armrests that will let him use both his arms and his legs to stand.
• Grab bars, installed at the right place and proper height for the individual.
• Adequate lighting, including a nightlight that automatically turns on when natural light dims.
• Floors free of scatter rugs.

“I was thrilled,” said Michael C. Berch, whose father has rejected a move to assisted living though he walks with some difficulty. “I’d been thinking, if he really wants to stay in his house, he’s going to need some assistive devices.” Two grab bars, installed, will cost the family $250; the toilet frame can be ordered online for $48.95. If Irwin Berch had met the center’s low-income guidelines, the equipment and installation would have been free.

Almost 400 independent living centers across the country provide these assessments and home modifications, or refer to local companies that do. The National Association of Home Builders has also trained more than 2,500 certified aging-in-place specialists (called C.A.P.S.) who’ve completed a three-class course. Home health agencies and rehab facilities often employ occupational therapists trained to offer individualized solutions.

An article worth a read especially since our ward is populated with senior citizens.

Via Instapundit!

Springtime hiring of handymen

West Chesterfield Community Association Newsletter:

Cautions & concerns

1. Some handymen are licensed and some are not. Limited recourse for damage done by an unlicensed contractor
2. Ask for proof of liability and workers compensation insurance. If a worker is injured on your property you may be liable for medical bills
3. Ask for three references and check on them. Ask them now long the referral has known him/her, and what is the relationship
4. Ask friends, neighbors, local mom & pop hardwars stores and picky people for recommendations
5. If you use the phon book to choose a handyman, check with the local police for a criminal record. Also check with the Better Business Bureau for a record of complaints
6. Get two to three estimates. Choose the middle bid
7. Get a bid in writing and signed. Know up from what you are paying for. Ask if supplies are included in the bid
8. Only make a partial payment upfrone. Pay the entire amound once you are content with the finished work
9. Be reasonable and understanding when glitches occure. They usually do.

This was also forwarded by the Alderman's office. There's some more material to offer on the blog, but that can wait until tomorrow.

This wasn't the type of thing I could merely copy and paste, unfortunately.