From The Detroit News | By Ken Calverley and Chuck Breidenstein
DETROIT, December 22, 2022 ~ This is a great time of the year. We all want to express our love and appreciation for those near and dear to us with gifts, yet we always seem to fall prey to the conundrum of “what to buy.”
Most difficult of all to buy for are parents who, at the empty nester stage of life, are in the habit of getting what they want for themselves throughout the year.
How about the idea of buying for them a gift that keeps on giving, adds value to their home and is something they would most likely never purchase for themselves?
PODCASTS:
December 24, 2022 ~ Chuck “The Inside Guy” Breidenstein and Ken “The Outside Guy” Calverlyoffer the knowledge and resources you need to make the home of your dreams a reality. Catch them every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon on 760 WJR.
(CONTINUED) Here are some suggestions from The Guys.
Clean Air: Everyone is engaged in a self-imposed lockdown inside their homes during the winter months. The air Mom and Dad are breathing is being pushed through a duct system full of the detritus of your youth. Need we say more?
Call Amistee Air Duct Cleaning and Insulation in Novi and get those ducts cleaned and sanitized.
Safety, Security and Fun: The Guys speak with Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard a couple of times every year about home and personal security.
One of the constants in his advice is to make certain your home is well lit and the “blind sides” of the home, those most appealing to burglars, have motion sensor lighting installed up under the eaves or high on a sidewall.
A master electrician like Lakepoint Electric in Roseville or Bratcher Electric in Wayne can install bright, LED spots on motion detector fixtures to help keep mom and dad from becoming victims.
They can also provide safe outdoor receptacles for your parent’s seasonal lighting displays.
The Guys also found a great company that installs permanent accent lighting that is programmable throughout the year to provide holiday and seasonal lighting accents for the home without making dad or mom climb ladders every couple of months to string lights.
The company, Christiaans Gutters in Warren, will provide expert lighting design to flatter the home throughout the year. They are also a specialist in custom, large volume, gutter installations to keep the homestead dry.
Atlas Home Improvement in Whitmore Lake can also perform a gutter install for your parents, and they offer a great protection system for the gutters as well.
Unique Garage and Basement Floor Finishes: How about a beautiful and maintenance free finish on the garage or basement floor? You could surprise your folks with a custom logo along with the finish by Motor City Floors and Coatings in Novi or Tru-Tech in Brighton. Whether it’s a family crest, a favorite sports team, or a picture of that summer car your parents enjoy, incorporating it into a floor finish would be a truly unique and one-of-a-kind gift.
Great Tasting Water: How about having Beauchamp Water Treatment Solutions install a reverse osmosis water treatment system in the family home? Beauchamp has several locations throughout the metro area and can provide good tasting and pure water to your parents for drinking, cooking, and bathing. Every time they turn on a faucet, they’ll think of you!
Healthy Air: How about this? You have either Sharon’s Heating and Air Conditioning in Westland, or C&C Heating and Air Conditioning in Roseville install a filter system in the ductwork that eliminates virus, mold spores, and virtually any contaminant in the conditioned air. Both companies can provide expert installation and maintenance for Reme-Halo systems, UV systems, HEPA filters, and more to assure clean and healthy air.
A Safer Environment: Chances are good your parents want to stay in their home as they age. Providing a safer environment for them could be the key to doing so. Barrier Free Plus in McComb can design and install a variety of safety upgrades to fit your holiday budget. From conventional ramps to those integrated into the landscaping, grab bars, accessible baths, kitchens, stairlifts, and even safety lighting in the home, they specialize in modifying homes for all of us as we age.
New Paint: How about giving your parents the gift of a freshly painted room, upgraded kitchen, or even a new look for the old stairway? MacFarland Painting in Livonia can design a multitude of upgrades for the old homestead and even phase the work so you can give mom and dad a new looking room every year as your budget permits.
Forget all the throw away gifts that dad and mom won’t use. Help them upgrade their home. Your old home. Give them a gift that will provide joy, comfort, and safety to two of the most important people in your life.
You’ll find a lot of great contractors to do the work at InsideOutsideguys.com. Tell them we told you to call and have a great holiday season!
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For housing advice and more, listen to the Inside Outside Guys every Saturday and Sunday on 760 WJR-AM from 10 a.m. to noon, or contact them at InsideOutsideguys.com.
