Jarret TT Camp

Archive for November, 2009

It is time to put a phone in your new home. Or, you have just completed a home makeover, and you need to run a new phone line to the home office. The phone company has brought their service to your residence. It is your responsibility to run the line into the house. You will be surprised at how easy it is to install a phone line.

It is important to decide several of the details ahead of time. Where you want your phone to be located? Plan the best route for the wire to travel from the phone box to your phone.

You do not need too much to do this job. It requires a screwdriver or two. You may choose to use a cordless drill as a screwdriver. You need a good cordless drill with about a 3/8 bit that is long enough to penetrate the side of your house. Grab a decent hammer, too. You could need it. This job may require pliers. Go for both a standard pair and some needle nosed. Get a tape measure, too. Some type of wire stripper is required. A final tool would be a piece of stiff wire like a wire clothes hanger.

Measure the distance from the phone company box to your inside phone. Head to the hardware store or home center to buy supplies and any tools that you lack. You will need enough phone wire to reach from the box to your phone. Acquire several more feet of wire than your measurements. Buying two-pair or 4 wire is a minimum. This gives you stronger wire and an extra wire or two in case one fails at some point in the future.

Buy one phone jack for each phone your plan to install on this line. If you will be running this line in a basement, under a house, or along an exterior wall, buy appropriate fasteners to stabilize the wire along the run. Plan on one about every two feet. These fasteners can be either screws or nails. You will also need some form of wire staples for interior runs. Buy some clear silicon sealant to seal up the hole where the wire goes through your exterior wall.

Drill a hole at the point where you want the wire to enter the house. This should be as near as possible to where the first phone jack will be installed. Push the stiff wire or unfolded clothes hanger through the hole while leaving about as much inside as outside. Use the pliers and make small hook on one end that will be able to pass through the hole. This should be perhaps an inch long.

Remove a couple of inches of the outer coating from the 4 wire phone wire. Twist the wires around the hanger above the hook. Keep this nice and smooth so that it will fit through the opening.

The process of moving your family to a new home involves more than moving your belongings from one home to another. Each member of your family may have his or her own concerns about moving to a new place and family and friends may be equally concerned about feeling left behind. All of these concerns should be addressed well in advance of moving day.

Telling Your Children About the Move

Once the decision to move has been made, the very next step will be breaking the news to your children. This should be done as early as possible. Moving will have a large impact on your children’s lives. Ensuring that they feel included throughout the process will help ease the transition to your new home.

Include your children, but be clear about the ground rules. You may want your children’s input when looking for a new home, but ultimately choosing a new home is an adult decision. It may be difficult for children to understand all of the factors that go into choosing a new home, or even the simple truth of being limited by what you can afford.

Have a family meeting and make a list of qualities for your dream home. Explain that the list is not a guarantee, but that everyone’s input will be considered when looking for your new home. Decide if you will bring children to see potential homes. It may be easier for everyone if the initial scouting is done by the adults, but arrange for the children to see the new home prior to moving day.

If you are moving to a distant city, your children will want to know as much as possible about the schools they will be attending. Always ask about school zones when looking for a new home. Most schools have websites that will answer most of your questions. Be sure to let your children explore their new schools’ websites prior to moving.

City websites and relocation guides are also valuable for the whole family to learn about their new home town. Be sure to show kids websites with local attractions, such as parks and movie theaters. Young children may not realize that a new town may have many of the same stores they love, such as Toys R Us, or similar places with different names.

For local moves, be careful not to minimize your children’s concerns. Even if they will be staying in the same schools, your children may be worried about their new neighbors or about moving away from current neighborhood friends.