On the Shore
















Get the Facts Before You Opt for a Reverse Mortgage

by Barbara Deuell, Reverse Mortgage Specialist, Independent Bank

A Reverse Mortgage pays you a monthly amount, or a lump sum or a combination of both. Payments are not made until you leave the home for a period of 12 months, pass away or sell the property. "I'm going to lose my home," is the number one misunderstanding.

While the reverse mortgage may be a helpful tool for many seniors. "I'm going to lose my home," is the number one misunderstanding. The bank will never own your home if you take a reverse mortgage unless you leave the home for a 365 day period; then you're determined to no longer be a permanent resident.

The other way people default is by not paying their taxes or homeowner's insurance. That's it! There's nothing else that can remove them from their home.

A reverse mortgage may be a good option for many seniors. True, equity in the home will be decreased by the principal of the loan, along with the closing costs that are rolled into the total amount of the loan, but as long as the homeowner stays in the house, if the value of his home increases, so will his remaining equity.

In order to "pay off" the reverse mortgage, the house must be sold or paid off when the homeowner passes away, moves out of the home, or moves into an assisted living facility.

The first reverse mortgage was written decades ago, but it still has a considerable amount fear and misunderstanding surrounding it. Doing your homework is an extremely important task. Separating fact from fiction will provide insight as to whether this style of mortgage and is right for you. I welcome your calls with additional questions and I will be happy to answer those in more detail.

Barbara Deuell, Reverse Mortgage Specialist at Independent Bank, can be reached at (231) 799-4023 and www.ibcp.com/bdeuell.htm.

Home Improvements Call for Insurance Update

by Robert J. Nolan, President, Martin J. Nolan Agency

Summer is a great time to fix up one's house or yard.

Many people enjoy the opportunity to re-wallpaper, paint or replace carpeting or other flooring. If you are one of those unique people who plans to make an addition to your home, or finish your basement or other unfinished area of your home, make sure you have proper insurance in place.

Adding a room, or finishing a room that had been unfinished, adds to the cost of replacing the home and your insurance coverage should be updated to reflect the change. A quick call to your insurance agent now can save heartache later if a loss occurs and coverage has not been updated to reflect the improvement in your home. Every homeowner's policy carries language that requires set coverage limits based upon the home replacement cost. If coverage is inadequate, your recovery may be reduced.

Homeowners insurance is one of the most competitive and fairly priced insurance policies. The cost of adding coverage is insignificant when compared to the added value with home improvements. A short phone call with a small additional premium is worth the effort.

Whatever the home improvement project, remember to enjoy the summer, too. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!

Robert J. Nolan has been insuring life, car, home and business at the Martin J. Nolan Agency, 1210 Logan Rd. since 1976. Your insurance questions can be answered at (231) 744-3857.

Modern Fireplaces are Efficient and Stylish

by Gary Scott Beatty, Editor, On the Shore Magazine

When homeowners picture a fireplace they may imagine a dirty, smelly, old-looking, cast iron, black box with an imposing chimney. Fireplace experts Dale and Paul Vanderwall are out to change that perception with efficient, modern fireplaces that are as practical as they are attractive.

"Fireplaces are becoming more popular this year because everyone is expecting high energy bills," said Paul. "Our customers are surprised at how economical modern fireplaces are to operate. We carry fireplaces with up to 99.99% efficiency."

Homes decorated in a modern style don't have to forego a fireplace. Lennox's Radium catalytic fireplace, for instance, is ideal for contemporary living spaces. It's vent-free configuration allows for installation almost anywhere a gas connection is available. And it cleans the hot air it distributes.

A fountain feature that humidifies the air is also modern in design and on display in Vanderwall's large showroom.

Vanderwall Brothers features a large array of gas, wood and pellet fireplace inserts, for those who want to convert their existing fireplace for more efficiency. They also have free standing gas, wood, pellet and coal stoves. "Osburn, Napoleon and Lennox all offer some pretty impressive units today," said Paul. "And people can come here to see them in action."

At an Open House event September 20, homeowners will be able to have questions answered by area fireplace representatives and representatives from Cultured Stone and Solaire grills. They can also take advantage of showroom specials, while seeing working models and expert use of brick and Cultured Stone, in Vanderwall's large showroom.

Vanderwall Brothers' showroom, with working units, is south of Muskegon on Grand Haven Road. Call them at (231) 798-1882 or visit the website at vanderwallbros.com.

Krystal Kleen Addresses Homeowners' Indoor Air Quality Concerns

by Gary Scott Beatty, Editor, On the Shore Magazine

Chris Raak at Krystal Kleen said he is concerned about the health hazards associated with dust in the home and his company is helping homeowners do something about it. "The majority of the public doesn't realize that the air in their homes can contribute to health problems," said Chris "Homeowners should be sure their duct cleaning company knows what they're doing."

Krystal Kleen is state licensed, fully insured and a registrant in "Good Standing" with the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). The company is a member of the Indoor Air Quality Association, Inc.

The locally-owned company has been cleaning ducts for 14 years. "We encourage homeowners to clean their air ducts every two to four years to an acceptable indoor air quality level," Chris said. The company offers free estimates to encourage homeowners to clean their ducts. All cleaning is inspected with video cameras, assuring the highest level of cleanliness. Krystal Kleen also extensively cleans the air conditioning coil and blower motor on furnaces, a step necessary to properly clean a forced air system.

Water and Fire Restoration - Krystal Kleen also specializes in water and fire restoration. Customers in need of emergency flood services find Krystal Kleen available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Chris said his crew takes pride in how fast they respond to emergency situations and customers appreciate their straightforward pricing.

Water damage can be devastating in many ways, and improper or incomplete drying often worsens the problem, said Chris. Finding trapped moisture and quickly removing it is the key to the prevention of mold and mildew.

Krystal Kleen is capable of all types of water restorations, from a leaking water pipe to a washing machine water line, and they are fully equipped to handle sewage back ups. "Once we find where the water is coming from we quickly extract, dehumidify and turbo dry the infected areas," said Chris. Most people don't realize the importance of taking immediate action and try, unsuccessfully, to handle the flooding themselves. "Time is of major importance in any flood."

Krystal Kleen is a residential and commercial cleaning service specializing in air duct cleaning, water/flood and fire/smoke restoration with 24 hour emergency response, carpet cleaning, upholstery and fine fabric cleaning, moisture control, mold remediation and removal, spot removal, high pressure steam cleaning, air scrubbing and odor removal and control. The company is licensed and a certified member of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association and the IICRC Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration. Call 1-877-535-8297 or visit www.michiganairduct.com.

Historic, Decorative Fabric Reconstruction Completed in the Hackley House

by Gary Scott Beatty, Editor, On the Shore Magazine

Carol Beatty and Greg Kroeze, owners of Quigley Draperies in Roosevelt Park, took on the challenge of recreating and installing fabric treatments in Muskegon's popular Hackley House. After studying old photographs, painstakingly hand sewing many yards of trim and custom cutting each rod individually, the Quigley's staff and the community at large can enjoy a more accurate view of life in the 1890s.

"Everything was recreated to look like the original photos that were taken of the home when it was completed in 1890 by the Hackleys," said Carol.

The Hackley and Hume Historic site preserves the homes of Muskegon's most famous lumber baron, Charles H. Hackley, and his business partner, Thomas Hume. The Hackley House is a unique example of Victorian architecture and of late nineteenth century interior decorative arts, with Moorish arches, japonesque stenciling details, majolica tiles and woodcarvings. Tours are offered of the Hackley and Hume houses and City Barn between them. During the month of September, those tours are free of charge to Muskegon County residents.

Dani LaFleur from the museum's Collections staff and Mindy Conley from Exhibits utilized the skills of a custom colorist, Decorative Arts Conservator Bob Furhoff from Chicago, to determine, from the black and white photos, what the colors and textures of the original fabrics would be in the Hackley House.

The Victorians were very interested in trim, said Carol. "Pretty much every edge of every fabric we're using anywhere in here has hand-sewn trim on it. Everything is lined and inner lined, has the decorative fabric, plus trim, not only on the leading edges, but on the bottom.

"All the trims had to be sewn on by hand."

Spending the summer on Quigley's Hackley project were the craftspeople in the business' in-store workroom: Sue Carr, Rhoda Krueger and Debra Horringa. "We had a lot of challenges and the workroom people were very inventive with solutions," said Carol.

Constructing the draperies was only part of the Hackley House challenge. Anyone who has worked on old houses can attest that settling throws off alignment and aged materials become harder to work with. Imagine those problems in a 120 year old structure. A lifetime of experience helped Installer Greg Kroeze overcome some difficulties.

"The trick was just to make everything fit right," said Greg. "This is a kind of hardware we don't use very often. The wrought iron is cut to size and nothing is adjustable, like today's hardware. I had to figure out each window individually and work each piece like a puzzle."

The wrought iron rods are new, stained to look like the original hardware. Greg used holes already drilled for past treatments whenever possible and took his time. "You don't want to split this beautiful, old wood trim."

A Walk Through - The Hackley House grand entrance features foyer drapery below the original stained glass. "This is the portiere (door drapery) that goes from the grand entrance hall to the first parlor," Carol explained. "Everything was made with double pleating: decorative pleating on one side and decorative pleating on the other side. There is very lavish trim sewn on all the leading edges, on both the front and the back, and all the bottoms. So, when you walk through, you're walking through mountains of fabric and trim which would symbolize, to them, luxury."

Carol said the Hackley House is unusual, because it not only has portiere draperies, but also built in pocket doors. "Usually a home would have one or the other, this house has both."

Greeting visitors in the first parlor is an oil portrait of Mrs. Hackley, placed in the room as shown in old photographs.

"The first parlor, for the last 30 years, has been a kind of theater red, a very bright red velvet, but the colorist determined the colors were soft blue/green tones, just a little brighter than the wall tones. It pulls out the colors from the stenciling and the stained glass.

"These are functional swag draperies in velvet. The original photos showed that the draperies were done on the wrought iron rods, with the wrought iron rings, and they could actually pull, by hand, back and forth. The traverse rod had not been invented, yet.

"Then, over the top of that, was a separate, cut rod with extended brackets that had a swag treatment that extended in front of the draperies. The back of that was what they called a glass curtain - we would call it a sheer today - to soften the light coming into the room and give them a little street-side privacy.

"So this is actually a triple treatment for the living room windows. The living room draperies are a different fabric and color than what the portiere draperies are.

"As we step into the second parlor, you notice the portieres here have a different fabric than the silk that is facing into the first parlor. This is a brocade with, again, very lavish trim. This was taken from our Mount Vernon collection, as close as we could come up with to what they had at that time."

Second Parlor - "Now we're walking into the second parlor. Mr. Hackley would sit at his desk here and people would come in the side entrance to apply for their library cards, when the Hackley Library was first opened. They would have to have a sponsor, who would be responsible for the cost of the books should they not return them.

"In back of Mr. Hackley, then, we have the draperies, like a café below the stained glass, so that the stained glass is exposed above them. And they're fully functional. In back of them are the built-in shutters that are original to the home. They're unusual shutters because they slide up and down into a housing built into the house itself. This room has the stained glass that not only goes above the windows, but are built into the flue of the chimney.

"They didn't necessarily put the same fabrics on everything. In this room we have fabric for the drapery, a different fabric for the first parlor portiere and a different fabric for the hallway portiere. In that time period, whatever they thought was lavish and elegant they did. They didn't have the continuity in materials typical in today's decorating.

First Floor Bedroom - "Walking through the portiere draperies we come into the first floor bedroom, which was used by Mrs. Hackley's mother. When the built the house originally, she stayed in this room because she had a hard time getting up and down the stairs.

"In this room, we added to the sheers. Over that we put up swags, with rosettes coming through at the corners and lavish trim. We also recreated the dresser scarf that was in the photo, and the bed canopy, which was done a little differently than it had been done before. Originally, it had more lace coming through on the side, so we tied that lace throughout. But, again, the bed canopy has the swags, the trim, the double rolls of fabric across and is gathered all the way across the top and down the back of the bedding itself, so it has a very soft, lavish look. In addition, there are very decorative tiebacks.

"The fabrics for the swags on the bed treatment match the treatment of the window. The lace, however, is a different lace than is on the bed. That would have been common at that time, to mix their laces throughout the room.

Dining Room - "The dining room is very unusual, because the original photograph shows the center window was not done in the same fabric as the windows on the far left and right. The room itself actually forms a bay, and the center window has a heavy, four tone brocade that's installed below the stained glass window.

"The stained glass in this house is very unusual because there's a lot of faceted glass, it's not just flat, colored glass. There are many diamond and crystal looking designs.

"The colors in here are very different. Before it was green, but the colorist showed that the colors were originally a very deep, burgundy red. The windows on the far left and right are that burgundy red with matching ball fringe in an asymmetrical treatment, with a floor length, wrapped swag coming all the way down on both sides. The inside taper comes in toward the front. The taper has trim on both sides and velvet on both sides.

"The center window comes down below the stained glass and that's done in a beautiful, two-tone brocade that has the burgundy and gold, and the trim. The center window is different - it's a longer trim, it's more lush, pulling out the gold color in the brocade. That has a very low tie back with heavy tassels showing from the front. The whole treatment in the center window is ring mounted, where the side window treatments are looped over the rods. It looks like just one piece of fabric looped over, but there is a lot of construction technique there that was invented in our workroom."

Quigley Draperies, on Broadway in downtown Roosevelt Park, features a custom work room and experienced installation, as well as trusted design assistance. Call (231) 755-3248. For a decorator's walk through of the new Hackley House fabric treatments, visit quigleydraperies.com.