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Rain Barrel Distribution Program - Get Yours!
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In need of a rain barrel? Great news, t
he Historic Chicago Bungalow Association (HCBA) is pleased to partner with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (the District) to deliver you free rain barrel(s) to help manage stormwater on your property. It's very simple, sign up and get yours (up to 4)!
Once you sign up, a representative from Upcycle will deliver your rain barrel(s) within 2 months. They will only use your contact information if there is a problem with delivery. In the meantime, see the District's
Rain Barrel Installation Guide
to learn how to properly install your rain barrel(s).
We thank the District for this opportunity to help you further understand and manage stormwater on your property.
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Take advantage of the summer weather to repaint your wood windows!
To avoid painting mistakes you must first understand your window. A window is composed of two basic parts. The Window Casing and the Window Sash.
Window casing: the pretty frame that holds in the window sash. The casing is stationary and considered the trim on a house.
Window sash:
the part of the window that moves up and down and fits inside the casing.
For the next steps, here is a handy
window painting guide
from The Old House Guy to help explain more common window painting mistakes and how to bring out the best in your historic windows.
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Attention Amazon Shoppers!
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If you click through
AmazonSmile
to do your online shopping, HCBA will receive 0.5% of the purchase price for eligible products when you select the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association as your charity for a donation. Please support us in continuing the work we do to preserve, maintain, and adapt your historic bungalow.
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Here's What's Happening in Your Notch of the Belt
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While we are busy planning our Fall Seminar Series - with help from your survey results - feel free to check out our
Events Calendar
, where we will be posting bungalow community and neighborhood events throughout the year. We've got several events posted already, including Hermosa Fest, The 10th Annual Auburn Gresham 79th Street Renaissnace Festival (find us there!), and many more.
With so much going on all over Chicago's bungalow neighborhoods, feel free to tell us what's happening in your notch of the belt and we will post the event!
Submit to
apauldine@chicagobungalow.org
.
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Thank you for your interest in the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association (HCBA). Please enjoy our Summer 2015 E-Newsletter.
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10 Ways to NOT Flood Yourself
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During this particularly rainy summer season, we want to provide you with some practical tips and reminders on how to not flood yourself:
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- Avoid pouring fats, oils, and grease down your drains. Fats, oils, and grease can build up in pipes over time, causing blockages and potential backups. Dispose of fats, oils, and grease in the garbage instead.
- Reduce water usage during heavy rain. The extra stress on sewers increases the chance of you or your neighbor experiencing sewage backups. Wait a couple hours after the rain stops to do the laundry, run the dishwasher, brush your teeth, or use the shower or bathtub.
- Clean gutters and install gutter guards. Leaves and debris can cause gutters to overflow during rain, and can clog building sewers. Clear out your gutters seasonally, and install gutter guards to prevent blockage.
- Caulk joints and cracks near the foundation. Block water from entering your basement through the foundation. Clean any cracks or joints, and caulk them using a weather-resistant foam sealant. Seek assistance from a qualified contractor if you notice severe cracks, as they might point to structural issues.
- Slope your yard away from the foundation. Grade your yard to direct water away from the foundation by adding or removing soil where needed. Use soil with high clay content. See ICLR's information on lot grading.
- Disconnect downspouts from your sewer pipes. It was once common to connect downspouts from roof gutters to a building's sewer pipes, but nowadays this is known to cause backups by allowing excessive stormwater to enter the sewer pipes. See ICLR's information on disconnecting downspouts.
- Extend downspouts away from the foundation. Discharge water away from your house. Once the downspouts have been disconnected from your sewer pipes, extend them 5 to 10 feet from the building foundation with an elongated pipe. Be sure to not send water to your neighbor's property.
- Install rain barrels. Disconnecting downspouts from the sewer system and connecting them to rain barrels can help to reduce the risk of basement flooding for you and your neighbors. And stormwater collected in rain barrels is free water for your plants and lawn! Make sure the barrel has an overflow route that discharges at least 10 feet away from the building foundation. See the MWRD's Rain Barrel Installation Guide.
- Install a rain garden. Install an appropriately sized rain garden at least 6 feet away from your building foundation to capture water from your disconnected downspout or overflow water from your rain barrel. Rain gardens heavily vegetated with native plants improve drainage in the yard. Why native plants? Because they've adapted to Chicago's natural prairie landscape, meaning they have deep roots to draw rain water down into the soil. See the MWRD's list of native plants and trees, and the Rain Garden Alliance's Rain Garden Calculator.
- Inspect your property. Hire a trusted contractor to check your sewer pipes for blockages, cracks, leaks, and connected downspouts, sump pumps, and foundation drains. See "Sewer, Drain & Waterproofing" in the Referral & Resources Guide.
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Even after taking all the suggested precautions, there is always a chance that basement flooding will occur. To reduce potential damages, don't store valuable possessions in the basement. Instead of storing items directly on the basement floor, raise them on cinderblocks or shelves. Keep paper and other water-damageable items in watertight plastic containers. Consider leaving your basement unfinished if your home is susceptible to basement flooding.
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'Vernacular Architecture' and the Chicago Bungalow
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In June, the Vernacular Architecture Forum (VAF) came to Chicago for their annual conference and explored our city's 'vernacular architecture,' including two historic bungalow districts. But what exactly is vernacular architecture? And what does it have to do with the Chicago bungalows?
 The basic description of vernacular architecture is: architecture that develops over time to meet local needs. Think igloos, tipis, and pueblos. Since the word 'vernacular' can mean both 'everyday' and 'ordinary,' and 'native' and 'indigenous,' the key to vernacular architecture is the everyday local context. It can be determined by factors such as culture, tradition, technology, climate, and natural resources.
Vernacular architecture can also be thought of as the counterpart to 'academic architecture,' which is designed by professional architects with intellectual or artistic intent. Think Frank Lloyd Wright and the Arts & Crafts movement that influenced bungalow design. What sets Chicago bungalows apart from academic architecture is that rather than to make an artistic statement, the main goal of their design was to practically address local needs.
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| Read about how Chicago bungalows fit the bill for this description since they were a popular (yet unique) solution to the needs of a specific time and place. |
| A Part of the VAF Landscape VAF wanted the Chicago bungalows to be a part of their exploration of Chicago's vernacular landscape, so HCBA prepared booklets, that we'd like to share with you, for tours of two historic bungalow districts: Rogers Park Manor and South Shore. Click the links below to view the booklets: |
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Planning Underway for our Fall Seminar Series
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For those of you who attended our educational seminars this past Spring, we wanted to thank you for your continued interest and participation in our series. This Spring, we had a record breaking season. In 5 months, we were able to offer 26 seminars, including 4 new topics, to over 1,500 of you. That's incredible!
If you haven't joined the party yet, come and check it out for yourselves this coming Fall. Not only do we invite top local professionals to present, you have the opportunity to engage with fellow vintage homeowners and HCBA staff. Fall topics will include Bungalow Maintenance 101, with a panel of specialists there to answer your questions, Bathroom Repair and Plumbing (with a super fun workshop where we can all lay some tile - prep, measurements, and all), Roof Repair, and Attic Expansions (with a much needed focus on what NOT to do - no thank you, pop tops!). Stay tuned for our full Fall schedule, coming very soon!
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Did you miss a Seminar?
Take a look at the available resources and materials from our Spring presenters. Spring topics included Bungalow Maintenance 101, Basement Flooding, Wood Restoration, Ideas for Kitchen Repair/Rehab, plus much more!
HCBA's Chicago Bungalow & Vintage Home Educational Seminars are generously supported by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the City of Chicago.
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To stay up-to-date on HCBA news and offerings, please visit
www.chicagobungalow.org.
Stay safe, and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Mary Ellen Guest
Executive Director
Historic Chicago Bungalow Association
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