My Home: Finishing the Attic
Finishing the attic is one of the most cost-effective ways to add square footage and value to a home, according to Vince Monachino, director of operations for Oster Services custom build-and-remodel firm in Lakewood. But turning an attic into usable living space — even utilitarian storage space — can come with challenges. He recommends considering the following before beginning to dream about turning it into a noisy teen’s bedroom or storage unit substitute:
Determining what’s up there. In many homes, the only way to the attic is through a panel in the ceiling of a garage, utility room, closet, etc. — one that may not be equipped with pull-down stairs. Some homeowners haven’t seen theirs. Those who own newer construction may be surprised. Monachino describes attics in which there are no floors, as well as spaces filled with blown-in insulation, electrical wiring and/or HVAC ductwork — elements that may have to be moved. “Attics aren’t typically built with an eye toward finishing down the road unless it’s specifically requested,” he says.
Creating or reinforcing support. Even attics with some sort of floor might not be built to handle anything more than storing seasonal clothing and holiday ornaments. “A lot of times, the ceiling joists that are used to create the floor of the attic ... may not be structurally sufficient to actually meet code requirements for living space,” Monachino notes. He suggests hiring an architect to evaluate the floor system.
Creating access. “Installing any sort of permanent set of stairs … is going to require a building permit,” Monachino says. The project may involve framing and drywall work, even relocating the entrance. Codes also stipulate that an attic turned living space has a window that may need to be enlarged or, if the attic does not have one, added.
My Earth: Going Green with Pest Prevention
The greenest form of pest control? Prevention, according to John Young, owner of Speed Exterminating Co. in Cleveland. He lists things that reduce, if not eliminate, “dampness, decomposition and hiding areas” — the three features insects, rodents and reptiles seek in a home. The following are less obvious than replacing torn screens and caulking foundation cracks and crevices:
Screen the chimney. Young advises installing a chimney screen over the flue. He warns that animals can set up house right on top of a closed damper. “That’s a nice, warm home for a lot of animals.”
Dry up. “Run a dehumidifier in your basement,” Young suggests. “When you get down into a damp, musty basement with no ventilation and just stagnant air, insects just seem to love it.” In addition to repairing plumbing leaks, he recommends consulting a plumber about wrapping sweating pipes.
Clean pantries and cupboards. Toss items that have passed their expiration date. Put cereals, sugars, flours, herbs and spices, dry pet foods, etc. in tightly sealed containers — and use them up before buying more. A wipe with a damp sponge, he adds, may not be sufficient to clean up a spill. “If you spilled oatmeal, it got underneath that contact paper,” he says. “So you need to take that up.”
Undress defensively. Young recommends getting in the habit of leaving shoes, coats and bags in the mudroom or hall closet and immediately dropping dirty clothes in the laundry room rather than on or near the bed, “exactly where bedbugs want to be.”
My Health: Bottled Water
The latest study to show plastic particles break and flake off a bottle of H2O was published in January in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers at Columbia University demonstrated the power of a optical-imaging technology by measuring the number of these particles in bottled water. They found that one liter contained an average of 240,000 particles of major plastic types. A whopping 90% were nanoplastics — particles undetectable to the human eye, even under a common microscope, measuring less than one-millionth of a meter. Experts, including Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute associate staffer Chris Hine, PhD, say nanoplastics are small enough to enter human cells, tissues and organs, potentially disrupting processes and functions.
“We don’t really know a lot of the consequences just because we never knew [about] the abundance of these nanoparticles,” he says.
What researchers have discovered is enough to make health-conscious consumers consider ditching plastics for glass and stainless steel. Hine mentions, for example, studies on the plasticizer Bisphenol A or BPA. “It does mimic the estrogen hormone, so it does have some feminizing effects, especially on males,” he says.
Hine and his colleagues also have found that high levels of BPA in peripubertal rodents made the animals slightly less intelligent as a short-term effect.
“The long-term effect that we did see was a change to body composition … If [the animals] were exposed during that very narrow window of their lifetime to high levels of Bisphenol A, they ended up having more fat mass than lean mass compared to animals that were not exposed to Bisphenol A,” he says.
Hine echoes other experts’ advice: Drink tap water in places where it is safe to do so.
My Food: New Ice Cream Flavors
Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, rocky road — everyone has a go-to ice cream. But there’s always room in the bowl for a new flavor. Here’s a sampling of the decadent delights that will be available this summer:
Rosati’s Frozen Custard — an offshoot of Brecksville-based Honey Hut Ice Cream — will be dropping chunks of banana-nut bread house-made with Co-owner Marcia Rosati’s recipe into banana frozen custard, then finishing it with a caramel swirl, at its two stands. “[Banana-nut] bread is her signature dish,” Vice President of Operations Jonathan Rosati says of the flavor’s inspiration. His new favorite is Maple Glazed Doughnut, a maple frozen custard laced with chunks of locally made glazed doughnuts. “Those doughnuts do the most amazing thing when you freeze them,” he rhapsodizes. “The icing around them makes them softly crunchy. Then you get the soft cake in the middle.” 95 E. Aurora Road, Northfield Center, and 922 Pearl Road, Brunswick,
rosatisfrozencustard.com
One of Graeter’s Summer 2023 limited edition flavors has made its way into grocery store and scoop-shop pints. Vice President of Marketing Tim Philpott describes a marshmallow-lemon ice cream filled with tart lemon crunch and traditional piecrust pieces, calling it “a very citrusy, refreshing burst of lemon.” He teases that the Cincinnati company, known for its signature Black Raspberry Chocolate Chunk, will unveil “a new expression of [red] raspberry” later this season. 10 Park Ave., Suite116, Orange Village, and 261 Main St., Westlake, graeters.com
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is swirling blue brambleberry, watermelon and pink lemonade sorbets to create a taste of the amusement park staple that “lives up to that [childhood] memory,” according to Columbus-based Director of Innovation and Communications Beth Stallings. Another gourmet interpretation of a kid favorite: Burnt Orange Dreamsicle — orange ice cream swirled with vanilla custard and burnt-orange caramel. “You get that brightness, but also that caramelized depth,” Stallings says. Available in scoop shops June 6, and in independent retailers after June 17. 67 N. Main St., Chagrin Falls, jenis.com/blogs/scoop-shops/cleveland-oh.