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April 2014 Milwaukee/NARI Remodelā€¢Renovateā€¢Restore 5 tive to insects and butterflies and birds are attracted to virburnum, ninebark, and elderber- ry. "Almost any plant that flowers, particularly the native types that flower and produce fruit, all become important to wildlife," Wandsnider said. "We are not creating natural prairies per se, which take a lot of room, but we certainly can use many of these in our planting. There are specific benefits to that: from a climate per- spective, they grow well here, they are used to our length of day, moisture, and soils." Light, Fire, and Water One of the joys of having a beautiful land- scape is being able to appreciate it from a deck or patio, daytime, nighttime, and even from the inside. "One of the biggest requests we are hearing from our customers now is firepits and fire- places, as well as landscape lighting," Devereux said. Energy-saving LED lights are becoming the norm when it comes to landscape lighting and timers turn lights on at just the right settings at dusk. "Homeowners want to extend the time they can utilize their outdoor environment and lighting is a part of that," Devereux said. "We light up not only interesting features in the landscape, but interesting architectural features on the house as well. When you light the trees in the backyard, all of a sudden you are extend- ing the depth of your landscape. You can look out and not see that wall of black out your win- dow." Firepits are really popular right now and less expensive than an outdoor fireplace. "Homeowners are looking for something a little more permanent than the chimenrias because those tend to break or rust," Devereux said. Firepits or fire rings are not like what you would find at a campground. Instead they are raised about 18 or 20 inches off the ground and can be circular, square or rectangle, and typical- ly constructed out of stone. When not in use, they serve as seating or as a footrest. Water features also continue their popularity because of the soothing natural sound they pro- vide. Water features can be as elaborate as you have room for, but they can also be as simple as an urn or vase that overflows water. "People would rather hear trickling water than urban noises, such as traffic. A water fea- ture can mask that," Devereux said. courtesy of Stone Oak Landscapes, Inc. 117 MacArthur Drive - Mukwonago, WI 53149 Telephone: 262-363-7146 www.martensplumbing.com We Offer Free Estimates On: Bathroom Design Complete Bathroom Remodeling Call Today for an Appointment Most Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors, either in their homes or at their place of work. Studies conducted by the EPA and others show that indoor environments sometimes can have levels of pollutants that are actually higher than levels found outside. Members of Milwaukee/NARI offer some insights into cleaning up the air inside your home. "Indoor air quality (IAQ) affects everyone in the home," said Scott Droegkamp, president of Dave Droegkamp Heating & Air Conditioning in Hartland. "Indoor air quality can be con- taminated by odors and vapors from building materials, furnishings, stored chemicals, dust and mold, cooking, and lifestyle choices such as smoking, to name a few. Many homeowners don't even realize there is poor indoor air qual- ity until they feel unhealthy or their allergies or asthma is aggravated; then they try to identify the source of their issues." To prevent IAQ problems, homeowners should be pro-active, utilizing some method of air cleaning or filtering. "There are a lot of different types of IAQ products," said Dan Eaton, president of West Allis Heating & Air Conditioning in West Allis. "One option is a high-efficient media filter. Media air filters are four- to five-inches thick as opposed to the standard one-inch air filter, and are housed in their own cabinet. "The efficiency of a filter actually removing air-borne contaminants is based on a MERV rating from 1 to 16," Eaton said. "The higher the MERV, the better the filtration; a MERV 16 will provide a 99 percent particulate removal." Eaton doesn't recommend the hardware store variety of filters, which claim to last three to six months. "They are trying to accomplish the effectiveness of a media filter, which is four or five inches thick, into a one-inch space, so that filter is very dense. What happens is that when that filter gets plugged, it's detrimental to the performance of your furnace blower motor. "My advice is, if you like the one-inch filter and you don't have room for the media filter, buy the cheapest one-inch filter, but change it every month. Your system is going to function better, and you won't have the mechanical breakdowns. You may not get the air purifica- tion and particulate removal you are looking for, but you're also not going to get the annoy- ance of a blower motor going out." In lieu of a media filter, electronic cleaners typically run at about 94 percent efficiency and attach to the side of the furnace as well. continued on next page How Does Indoor Air Quality Impact Your Health

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