Chattanooga Real Estate Blog

First Things First is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening families in Hamilton County, Tennessee through education, collaboration and mobilization.  One way they are doing this is by showing a family movie at Coolidge Park Saturday nights in July.  This Saturday the movie is Curious George.  This is the last movie of the 2007 season so pack some popcorn, grab a blanket and take the family to Coolidge Park for a night out!

July 21-28
First Clothesline Art Show! Featuring work on paper from local and regional artists. Prices varying up to $200. Hanover Gallery is a new art gallery in Riverview carrying original work from about 10 regional artists. 1310 C Hanover Street (located directly behind Cynthia Howell). 648-0533.

July 26
Before the ‘Monkey Trial’: Religion and Education in Tennessee, 1875-1925
By Charles Israel of Auburn University. At Rock Point Books.

July 27
Richard Simms visits Rock Point Books to discuss and sign copies of his most recent book, An Outdoor State of Mind. 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.

July 28
Chattanooga Zoo will host Comcast’s 5th annual First Day Festival, a free event to kick off the new school year. The event will provide age-appropriate activities, including information and giveaways from a variety of social service agencies. Corporate sponsors will be on hand to provide health screenings, child safety tips and educational information for kids in grades K-5.

July 28
MainStreet Cruise-In at the historic courthouse square in Cleveland. Over 500 cars attend. Free. No entry fee - 50/50 drawings, model car contest, trophy swap meet. Bring your favorite oldie or admire the classic beauties on hand. Enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere and music of the 60’s and 70’s provided by local DJ, Barry Sullivan "The B Man." Log On for details: www.GuestLineTN.com

July 30
The Southern Literature Book Club holds a meeting at Rock Point Books on the last Monday of every month. 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Join anytime. 309-7464 or e-mail SouthernLitClub@aol.com.

I was surfing the TVA site and found a really good site they have for kids, TVAKids.com.  I don’t know if you have ever been to the main TVA site but it’s your typical government website. 

They did a great job with the kids site though.  It has a simple and easy to understand explanation of how TVA handles flood control, the making of electricity, TVA history and much more.  There are puzzles, games and quizes.  I just can’t tell you how impressed I am with it.  I never thought TVA would have put something like this together:)

The summer brings warm weather and plenty of sunshine but it also brings high energy bills. There are ways to lower your bills during these hot months. You should first and foremost have energy efficient appliances, these will save you money in the long run as well. If you are in the market for an air conditioner make sure that the energy star label is on the unit. Most people end up buying air conditioners that are the incorrect size. If you get a unit that has too many BTU’s then you are wasting energy and if you get a unit where the BTU’s are too low then you are wasting energy because the air conditioner is not doing the job.

Most people work all day and they are out of the home, but there are some people in the heat of the summer that will put the air conditioning on so when they get home they will have a cool house. But instead of wasting energy during the day , try getting a timer. By placing the unit on a timer you can set the unit to go on a half an hour before you get home. The house will be cool and you did not have to have the air on for hours while no one is home.

To keep the house cool as well you should install ceiling fans , they actually lower the temperatures about 10 degrees. The circulating air definitely cools down the room . Plant trees and bushes that will create shade from eth outside. Grass is actually a heat absorber, if the sun hits the lawn the right way the grass will help diffuse the heat. You should keep all window shades and blinds closed during the day, by keeping them closed you can help keep out the heat. The cooler you keep your house without using the air conditioning you can save money.

Check the attic insulation, by insulating the attic it will keep the upstairs rooms cool. Install a house fan or attic fan, these fans are created to remove the hot air from the house by creating an opposite of circulating air, they actually suck the hot air out keeping the air cool. Make sure all of your windows and doors are weatherproof as well.

Residents of East Ridge can breath a sigh of relief.  The feared 20 cent property tax increase on top of the 26 cent increase in Hamilton County taxes was voted down.  Yeaaaaa

I’ve been busy for the last couple of weeks working on a new project!  I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag yet but I’m sooo excited!  Unveiling will be in a couple more weeks.

This may seem a bit difficult for some people but don’t let your imagination run away with you. Installing a toilet is not as hard as it seems. We can guide you step by step in helping you successfully install a toilet.

Step one: to remove the old toilet. Turn off the water that leads to the toilet. There is a valve that is located on a small pipe that runs in the bottom left side of the tank. Then flush the water to get rid of most of the water in the tank. If you forget this part you will end up with water everywhere.

Step two: Remove the tubing from the water supply that runs to the toilet tank. Take off the bolts in the bottom of the tank that connects the toilet to the tank.

Step three: take off the caps that are located on the bottom of the toilet  and also remove the toilet flanges, you may have a hard time removing them because they may become corroded . Use a hacksaw or a rotary tool to take them off if you have trouble.

Step four: Rock the toilet bowl gently from side to side, you will break the seal on the bottom but that is ok. After the seal breaks, lift the toilet up and remove from the bathroom. Then clean the wax from the toilet flange and clean up the area if needed.

Step five: Install new toilet flange bolts in the holes on each side of the flange. Now, lower the new toilet onto the wax ring and make sure the bolts line up on both sides. Push down on the toilet and squeeze the wax ring so it allows the seal to become water tight.

Step six: If the toilet rocks slightly place shims under the toilet. Next put the washers and the nuts on the flange that sticks out and then tighten until they are secure. Make sure that you do not tighten too much because they will crack.

Step seven:  Next attach the toilet tank, you will need 2 bolts with rubber washers inside the tank and a rubber gasket that goes between the tank and the toilet.

Step eight: Now, reconnect the water supply to the base of the toilet tank and turn on the water. Make sure that nothing leaks. To finish up, change the toilet seat and put on the tank cover.