Beautifully maintained 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch offers privacy on 4.26 acres. Radiant heat, hardwood and tile flooring, maple cabinets and breakfast bar. Offered at $292,000. For more details and photos, visit www.3877Main.com
Sara Ellis, Listing Agent, 603-526-4116
By: Rich Binsacca
Adding a basement bathroom is a big and expensive decision. It may be desirable—who wants to run upstairs each time nature calls?—yet not practical, especially if gravity isn’t on your side. Here are the issues to ponder.
It’s easy to imagine putting a bathroom in your basement remodel. It’s harder to figure out how to get waste and sewer gasses out.
Just like bathrooms in other parts of your house, adding a basement bathroom means wastewater must drain to the existing city sewer or to an on-site septic system, and sewer gasses must be vented directly to the outside in compliance with building codes.
In most basement bathrooms, you must create “fall,” or you must give the waste a push.
All this pushing and falling costs money: Adding a basement bathroom could add $10,000 to your basement retreat budget. Wastewater from your basement bathroom sink, shower or tub, and toilet must have enough slope (another word for “fall”) to drain properly and effectively.
Achieving proper fall may require removing and rebuilding a small section of the basement slab and excavation of the ground underneath. The process involves digging a trench for a drainage pipe to connect the new bathroom to your home’s existing sewer or septic system.
To give gravity an extra push, install a pressure-assisted toilet ($150 to $800) with a pressure valve that forces waste through the pipes and into your existing sewer line. This pressure assist may help you avoid digging into the foundation and creating a host of other hassles when adding a basement bathroom, including leaks.
If possible, locate the toilet (and other water-using appliances, such as a clothes washer) against an outside wall when adding a basement bathroom, which saves pipe and reduces the cost of draining away waste and venting sewer gasses.
Rich Binsacca is the author of 12 books on home-related topics and a contributing editor for Builder and EcoHome magazines.
Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
This antique cape is priced below assessed value and ready to sell. Needs some cosmetics, but most of the expensive systems are done. Walk to Otter Pond and cool off in the summer! 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. Offered at $175,000.
Jane Snow, Listing Agent, 603-526-4116
The Lake Sunapee Protective Association is sponsoring some great events this summer for adults and children. Most of them are free and open to the public and located at their headquarters at 63 Main Street, Sunapee Harbor, NH (Knowlton House).
Upcoming events include the Watershed Wildlife Family Learning Adventures on Thursdays, July 14th and 28th and August 11th. You’ll get to know the mammals, birds and insects that share the Sunapee Watershed with us. Another event is Family Story Hour at The Fells on Fridays, July 22nd and August 5th.
For the adults, “Landscaping at the Water’s Edge: an Ecological Approach for NH Landowners” to be held Tuesday, July 19th at 7:00 p.m.
There are so many more interesting programs, and to find out about them, call the LSPA at 603-763-2210 or visit www.lakesunapee.org.
Let your tenant pay a good share of your mortgage and this home becomes a fantastic deal! Spacious one bedroom apartment above the garage with separate entrance has hardwood floors, washer/dryer, granite counters and stainless steel appliances. The home boasts great mountain views and sunsets, pond, greenhouse, hot tub, lovely gardens, and RV pad with dedicated 50 amp service. Offered at $309,000. Visit www.444HoggHill.com for more photos and details. Jane Snow, Listing Agent
Jim Martin from the Department of Environmental Services and Amy Bassett from NH Parks and Recreation released the following recent press release:
New Hampshire Coastal Beaches Named 1st in the Nation in Water Quality by NRDC Hampton Beach State Park Beach is a Superstar Beach; Rated the Cleanest Beach in Nation
Concord, NH – The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has named New Hampshire coastal beaches first in beach water quality. The NRDC has published its 21st Annual “Testing the Waters” report analyzing beach data reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by coastal and Great Lakes states. The NRDC report gave a new “Superstar Beach” rating to Hampton Beach State Park in New Hampshire and to two beaches in Delaware and to one in Minnesota. These beaches not only received the highest (5-star) rating, but had perfect testing results for the past three years, indicating a history of very good water quality.
Only 1 percent of 1,138 samples collected at coastal New Hampshire beaches during 2010 exceeded the state standard of 104 counts of Enterococci/100 ml of water. New Hampshire again ranked first among the 30 states that are part of the EPA’s beach monitoring program.
“The NRDC’s high marks for New Hampshire’s coastal beaches are testament to the collaborative efforts of DES, NH Parks and Recreation and the local communities that host the beaches,” said DES Commissioner Tom Burack. “It is not by accident that New Hampshire has excellent water quality and a high quality of life. It takes a combination of dedication, good public policy, and resources on the state and local levels to achieve these outstanding results.”
Other beaches in the report that scored high marks were a 5 star rating for Wallis Sands Beach at Wallis Road and a 4 star rating for Wallis Sands Beach State Park.
“Certainly, this designation reconfirms the cooperation that is taken to provide a clean beach experience. We appreciated the Department of Environmental Service’s efforts in helping to keep our waters clean,” stated Commissioner George Bald, Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED). Part of Bald’s agency, the Division of Parks and Recreation is responsible for the management of this area. “Hampton Beach State Park hosts hundreds of thousands visitors a year, we are proud to offer them a Superstar Beach.”
New Hampshire residents should be proud of our coastal water quality and strive to maintain these levels. Simple steps everyone can take throughout the coastal watershed will prevent beach pollution. Everyone can help by picking up pet waste, maintaining septic systems, putting swim diapers with plastic covers on babies, and keeping trash off the beach. Together, everyone can work to maintain New Hampshire’s top rated beaches.
The NHDES Beach Inspection Program monitors the water at New Hampshire public swimming beaches from late May until early September. Personnel collect water for analysis at coastal and freshwater beaches. The water samples are analyzed for fecal bacteria to protect public health. For more information visit the programs website:
http://m1e.net/c?82384231-x0ZnWfxDuWKEM%406591733-jP.6aiSI4MpKo Also updates on current beach advisories and warnings can be found on the DES website, www.des.nh.gov under the Alerts button. Residents can also sign up to receive notifications about beach advisories at the DES ENews subscription service, http://m1e.net/c?82384231-q4OVBzFN9osGg%406591734-hFKG7ua7uibVs or by following the NHDES Beaches Twitter feed at:
http://m1e.net/c?82384231-3ounYEAxMkz/A%406591735-s8N9NLW.tEaes
The Division of Parks and Recreation is comprised of the Bureau of Park Operations, Bureau of Historic Sites, Bureau of Trails, and Cannon Mountain.
The Division manages 92 properties, including state parks, beaches, campgrounds, historic sites, trails, waysides, and natural areas. The Division of Parks and Recreation is one of four divisions of the Department of Resources and Economic Development. To learn more, visit www.nhstateparks.org or call 603 271-3556.
To review the NRDC report, visit:
http://m1e.net/c?82384231-iUdniaewvMZsM%406591736-vRrcLbqkIXilA
