The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 251

K6 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1991 LOS ANGELES TIMES Home Improvement CUT YOUR UTILITY BILLS ASKTHE INSPECTOR i super-ntgn-ettictency neat pump can cut neaung ana air-conamontng 0111s oy Pump Efficiency High, Electric Bills Low Buyers Should Order Their Own Inspection RESTRICTOREXPANSION DEVICE jPl i ft; Hi I 'FAN 'gBSpg ZrH I' if' HOT VAPOR i vsm lli Tn uni ice II rTZsatS-S REVERSING off as often as a single-speed compressor, which reduces overall inefficiencies. It also reduces temperature fluctuations in your home and provides more run time for your furnace-mounted air cleaner or filter. Even if you now have a gas or oil furnace. you may consider install- ing a heat pump instead of just a central air conditioner. Depending on your local electric rates, it may be less expensive to operate a heat pump than your furnace during milder weather.

Always have a contractor do a payback analysis before purchasing any new system. Several of the common heat pump terms you will encounter are co-efficient of performance, heating season performance factor and seasonal energy efficiency ratio. The COP compares the heat output of a pump to that of an electrical resistance furnace. This can register as high as three times the heat for the same amount of electricity usage. The HSPK is another more comprehensive measure of heating efficiency.

It takes into account the start-up inefficiencies, defrost losses, for a typical house. SEER is similar to HSPF, but for the cooling operation. You can write to me for Utility Bills Update No. 244, showing a list of manufacturers of super-high-efficiency heat pumps, heating and air-conditioning efficiency ratings and output capacities. Please include $1 and self-addressed stamped business-size envelope.

Send your requests to James Dul-ley, Los Angeles Times, 6906 Roy- up pulling out at the bottom. Examine the rollers or guides for damage, and replace those that need it. Our only other suggestion is try to get in the habit of pushing, not pulling, to open or close aluminum framed sliding windows. Pulling on a sticky window may cause the frame to bend enough to come off the glass, just as happened to you. You were right to call a glass company to put it back, although it is not too difficult as a do-it-yourself task: Remove the sash as described above, unscrew and remove the loose side, push the vinyl gasket back on the glass, then reinstall the frame side.

Hire an Inspector, Not Your Uncle My uncle is a contractor, and has offered to inspect the new house we will buy when we're ready. Are there any guidelines 1 can pass on to him for his inspection? The best guidelines are often ones you should follow, not your uncle: Don't have a friend or relative or anyone who might be personally involved do your home inspection. You need objective facts, best provided by someone with no personal interest in the transaction. Don't rely on vaguely related qualifications such as a contractor for selecting a home inspector. The inspector's work is not that simply defined, and should include direct prior experience inspecting, not contracting, engineering, etc.

Ross is the public relations chairman for the California Real Estate Inspection Assn. (CREIAASHI), a statewide trade association of home inspectors. Readers may send their comments or questions on home inspection topics to Bill Ross, CREIA, 1100 Suite 5-D, Sacramento, Calif. 95814. au or more.

LIQUID RETURN FROM HOUSE SCROLL OR MULTI-SPEED COMPRESSOR MICHAEL HAl.W Los Angeles Times shower heads produce extremely small droplets to get a forceful spray. This can result in cooler water by the time it contacts your body. A smaller droplet has greater surface area for its volume than a larger droplet. Therefore, it cools off quicker in the air before it gets to your body. Don't set your water temperature higher or you will lose some of the savings.

Try an adjustable shower head arm to shorten the distance. Heights away," Hennis said. "But when I'm home, it feels like I live in a rural area." Tree is a free-lance writer who lives in Elysian Heights. 5 SOLUTION Purchase the home of your choice with only 5 down. No closing cosls needed.

This is not VA, FHA, or equity share. You receive 100 owner-ship 100 tax benelils. Must have clean credit and stable Income. CaUCoEqulty, Mgt OC LA 213-519-4S 11 bio -Baa "'mastercard" BUILDINGS MANAGED By By BILL ROSS QUESTION: We are considering buying a specific house, and the seller showed us a copy of an inspection they had performed to satisfy their disclosure requirement. We're a little skeptical since the inspector worked for the seller, not for us.

Should we hire our own inspector to review the condition of the house? ANSWER: Yes. While we in the industry would like to think that an inspection report will be free of bias, there is some natural tendency to try to please your client. In this case the inspector could have phrased his findings in the seller's favor. The same facts might come out with different emphasis if you have your own inspector do the job. Even more significant is your comment about the inspection "satisfying the sellers disclosure." It would be very unusual for a home inspector to take on the responsibility for facts that only the seller might have knowledge of, such as past problems or known yet hidden defects.

I'd suggest not only having your own inspection, but also demanding a disclosure statement completed by the seller. Sliding Windows Difficult to Open Our horizontal sliding windows have progressively become more and more difficult to open and close. Recently, one of the window frames actually pulled off the glass when I tried to pull it open. I'm calling a glass company to fix the damaged window, but how can I prevent this from happening on other windows? First try cleaning and waxing the bottom track of the windows. If that doesn't work, the problem may be with the rollers or guides at the bottom of the sash frame.

Remove the sash by lifting it straight up, then while holding it MUST LIQUIDATE Prime Redondo Beach property. 3-townhomes. $237,000 to $279,000. Also 2-4 unit 1-7 unit apt. building.

Mickey Roughen 213379-7929 Naramore Assoc. Property Management Software RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL CONDO Call for brochure and sample reports The Dili Workirs 714-546-5558 Individualism in Elysian By JAMES DUXLEY QUESTION: I need to get a new super-high-efficiency heat pump to lower my sky-high electric bills. I also want one that is quiet and reliable. What types are available? What do all the heat-pump terms mean? ANSWER: Switching to a superhigh -efficiency heat pump can cut your heating and air-conditioning bills by 30 or more. Some can provide $3 worth of heat for each $1 you pay your electric company.

Many of the new designs use compressors and motors that are very quiet and reliable. The most recent innovation is the scroll compressor design. Scroll compressors operate differently, with very few moving parts. Without the reciprocating pistons and hardware of a standard compressor, scroll compressors are quieter. As these few scroll parts wear over years of operation, they actually seal and operate smoother than when they were new.

They are very reliable and should continue to operate at high levels of efficiency as they age. Some of the highest-efficiency heat pumps use two-speed or variable-speed compressors and blowers to fine-tune the heating and cooling output to your home's changing requirements. This not only saves electricity, but it improves your comfort level. Special high-efficiency fan motors are used. On milder days, the heat pump runs at the slower speed.

Therefore, it doesn't have to cycle on and AT HOME: Continued from K2 today of the arboretum are the'rare trees and shrubs on the lodge grounds. Bounding the park on the east is Park Drive, one of the most desirable streets to live on in Elysian Heights. Mark and Valerie Tuna have owned their house on Park Drive for four years. They live. in one of the more recently built homes in the area, with views overlooking the city.

Recently, Valerie has been championing the downzoning of many higher-density land parcels in the community. She is intent on awakening the residents' sleeping power. "A lot of people up here have enjoyed the anonymity of living in an undeveloped, racially mixed, supposedly funky neighborhood," she said. "We are very fearful of gentrifi-cation. We're fearful of this in-and-out yuppie routine that has ruined the character of other neighborhoods.

There's a lot of character here that's just hanging on a thread between dilapidated and charming." One of the community institutions is Elysian Heights Elementary School. Built in 1915, it is a small school for a small neighborhood. The school has been run by principal Maxine L. Reagh for almost three years. Since her arrival, she said, "I feel like I've died and gone to heaven.

The community is excellent for children to grow up in." The school had had some gang-related problems, but Reagh says she hasn't noticed gang activity since she's been on the job. Officer Joe Writer of the Los Angeles Police Department, who patrols Elysian Heights like a small-town sheriff, said, "The local gang, who call themselves EXP Echo Park, is a small, conspicuous presence, and has minimal impact on the area." Writer said the community has character and vibrancy. "The residents are upwardly mobile and DEAL OF THE CENTURY uau uatto-diuu Deiore you go to an Locale the Property Save Thousands of UP to 15 of Down Payment All Offers Confidential. Bo represented all over California by your own broker-Juliette. algreen Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45244.

Low-Flow Shower Heads Can Cool Water I have installed low-flow shower heads to save hot water. Now the water from the shower does not feel as warm as before. Can the shower head make the water cooler? Some designs of low -flow 20th-Century Wooden homes and a variety of architecture representative of the diverse population. The majority of homes are at least 50 years old. The Atwater bungalows, circa, 1920, are original adobes designed by architect Robert Stacy-Judd.

This property is designated an architectural preservation piece. One of the bungalows was recently used in Oliver Stone's upcoming film "The Doors." Martin says the drawback of the area is the untidy neighborhoods that surround Elysian Heights. However, many residents find these areas an adventure. Several good restaurants, such as Phnom Penh, Barrigan's and Les Freres Taix, are within walking distance of the corner of Echo Park Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. "Urban chaos is 10 minutes SHIP LPK lONYA EVATT For The Times Ellen Landauer and Lewis Turlington, in front of their mini-Victorian home, enjoy the social diversity and verdant hills of Elysian Heights.

RAPHAEL LUXURY HOMES SSSHe ftFlGntfi Wo aro a lul 6ervteo company, iByoarcdrongdoElpnlngandbuild UrCH nUUOE eSjrt Somttorn California. You may chooso to construct a homo from ono ot our many existing modola or work with Saturday. Fob. 23 from Wm IyV-W 0Uf architocl6 to croato your own custom designed homo, which can bo buillonoithoryourllalorstopodlol, 900 am to 12p.m. wimln 70 01 our corporate otticcs by Sy6loms Construction Company, 38lZ58.1ong Term Financing 4305E LaPalmaAve available When you call bo sure lo ask about our now dosign confer that show casos both our standard Ariahoim CA loaturos well as a varioly ol oplionat Horns tor your now home Please Call For More I uaw pi3)725-7255 (714)579-3030 I I many are first-time buyers," he said.

"They are hard-working and down to earth, not plastic-coated." Realtor Valerie Martin of Fred Sands Realty said Elysian Heights has great old houses and some of the best prices in Los Angeles. The average price of a home is $240,000, Martin said. The low end of the range is about $185,000, and fixers are plentiful. The average-size home is about 1,000 square feet, usually two bedrooms and one bath on a 50-by-150-foot lot. At the top of the range, Ken Teixeira, also of Fred Sands Realty, sold an estate on Lemoyne Street for $710,000 in November, 1989.

The Spanish-style house has four bedrooms and four baths on three-quarters of an acre, with a 360-degree view of the city. Elysian Heights boasts some 19th-century homes, many early- AUCTION KENNEDY-WILSON, INC 6 NEW CUSTOM LUXURY BEACH HOMES SUNDAY MARCH 10th DEVELOPER SACRIFICING 30 PREMIUM ESTATE-SIZED LOTS FOR END OF MARCH, 1991 CLOSE-OUT Located Haven View Estates, the most prestigious address in the desirable foothills community of Alta Loma. Fully-improved custom lots, many with breathtaking panoramic views, on gate-guarded private streets in an established, exclusive neighborhood. These final unsold lots are now available in attractively-priced collections, with at least 5 contiguous lots in each, to sell quickly to discerning buyers seeking enduring value. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS LIMITED TIME OPPORTUNITY FOR INVESTOR PROFIT WITH BUILDER TERMS MINIMUM BIDS FROM $425,000 TO $535,000 LAST ASKING PRICES FROM $625,000 TO $795,000 3525, 3529 3533 Sunset Lane, Hollywood Beach, Oxnard 500 508 Ocean Drive, Silverstrand Beach, Oxnard 5002 Amalfi Way, Oxnard Shores, Oxnard CALL NOW FDR A BROCHURE (800) 933-0305 i 1991 Kennedy-Wilson, Inc.

For additional information contact: M.J. BROCK SONS, INC. 3380 Shelby Suite 1 00 Ontario, CA 91764 (714)948-1155 Attn: Richard Haase Est. 1922.